Life Passed

A Transgender Paranormal Fantasy

From the Paranormal Visitor Universe

Chapter Twenty-two: New Equilibrium

By Sasha Zarya Nexus

How will the circles react when Helen finally has her life passed to the next existence?
Will both Deacon Amon Crane and the congregation he now leads in the absence of Elias continue to be a threat to Cedar Hollow?

Copyright 2008, 2025 by Sasha Zarya Nexus.
All Rights Reserved.

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The fire elemental itself undergoing transformation from a force of hate to one of love's passion had left our entire community witnessing something unprecedented in the recorded history of magical practice. As Ruth stood beside Laura and me in the center of what had been a battlefield just moments before, her Celtic Triquetra necklace glowing with the same warm light as ours, I realized that our greatest adventure was just beginning.

"Welcome home, Ruth," I said, taking her trembling hand in mine as Tabitha wrapped her in a protective embrace. "Welcome to the sisterhood."

The ancient altar, which had been a source of destruction and imprisonment for centuries, now radiated golden light that seemed to pulse with Helen's eternal love. The fire elemental, freed from its role as a vessel of hatred, danced within the flames with joy rather than rage—transformed into what it was always meant to be.

"I can feel it," Ruth whispered, her young voice filled with wonder as she watched the elemental fire. "It's not angry anymore. It's... happy."

"Just like you," Laura said with a grin, completing our triangle as she took Ruth's other hand. "We're all exactly where we're supposed to be."

Over the following days, as the immediate crisis subsided and our community began to heal from the supernatural warfare that had torn it apart, Ruth's integration into our friendship as a guardian proved both natural and profound. The trauma that had created Elias was still there, buried deep in her psyche, but surrounded now by love instead of hate.

"I remember everything," Ruth confided to Laura and me as we sat together in my bedroom, our three Celtic Triquetra necklaces glowing softly in harmony. "Being Elias, preaching against people like us, the things I said and did. How can you forgive me?"

"Because you weren't really you," Laura said gently, her natural wisdom shining through. "The fire elemental twisted your pain into something it was never meant to be. But love burned away all that accumulated rage and left the real you behind."

I nodded, understanding flooding through me. "Helen taught me that redemption is always possible when we choose love over force. You didn't choose to become Elias—that was done to you. But you chose to become Ruth again when we offered you the chance."

The Celtic Triquetra necklaces pulsed with warm light as we spoke, and I could feel the ancient magic flowing between us—not the raw, awakening power that Laura and I had experienced during our magical puberty, but something deeper and more stable. We were becoming who we were always meant to be: three guardians bound by friendship, magic, and the unbreakable bonds of chosen sisterhood.

"What do we do now?" Ruth asked, her eyes bright with possibility despite the shadows of her past.

"Now we grow up together," I replied, feeling the weight of our shared destiny settling around us like a protective cloak. "We learn to use our gifts, we protect our community, and we remember that love is always stronger than hate."

But perhaps the most profound change wasn't in Ruth herself, but in what had happened to the fire elemental that had possessed her. Through our combined love and Helen's final sacrifice, the ancient spirit had undergone its own transformation—from a force of destruction into something entirely different.

"The elemental has returned to the altar," Tabitha explained when she visited us a week after the confrontation, her characteristic boisterous energy now tempered with newfound wisdom. "But it's not the same entity that was imprisoned there centuries ago. It's been redeemed, transformed from a spirit of destructive fire into one of passionate love."

"What does that mean?" I asked, though I suspected I already knew.

"It means," Tabitha said with a grin that reminded me why we all loved her despite her past mistakes, "that the altar is no longer a prison, but a sanctuary. The fire elemental waits there now, not as a trapped and twisted spirit, but as a guardian ready to bond with someone worthy—someone who understands that fire's true purpose is transformation, not destruction."

The implications were staggering. The ancient threat that had terrorized our community for months had become a source of protection and power, waiting for the right person to become its avatar—not a vessel of hate like Elias had been, but a guardian of transformative fire guided by love.

"Will it choose someone soon?" Ruth asked, her young voice carrying a wisdom that came from having experienced both the depths of hatred and the heights of redemption.

"When the time is right," Tabitha replied, her eyes twinkling with the mischief that made her such perfect comic relief even in the most serious moments. "The elemental has learned patience along with love. It will wait for someone who can channel its power through compassion instead of rage."

However, not everyone in Cedar Hollow was ready to accept the new reality. With Elias's disappearance, Deacon Amon Crane had assumed leadership of the community church, and his first sermon made his intentions clear.

"Brothers and sisters," his cold voice carried clearly through the sanctuary as Laura, Ruth, and I watched from the back pew, our necklaces hidden beneath our clothes, "we have witnessed the power of evil to deceive even the faithful. Preacher Vire's disappearance is proof that the demons among us are more cunning than we realized."

The congregation—smaller now, but still substantial—nodded in agreement. Crane had successfully reframed Elias's transformation as a demonic victory rather than a redemptive miracle.

"We must be more vigilant than ever," Crane continued, his eyes scanning the crowd with predatory intensity. "The corruption spreads through symbols, through false teachings, through the very children who should be our future. We will not rest until every trace of this evil is driven from our community."

Ruth shuddered beside me, and I felt her fear through our connection. "He's going to keep the hate campaign going," she whispered. "Even without the elemental's power, he'll find ways to hurt people."

"Then we'll be ready for him," Laura replied firmly. "We have something he doesn't understand—we have each other, and we have the power of love that transformed you."

But even as we recognized the continuing threat that Crane represented, I felt a sense of confidence that hadn't existed before. We were no longer scattered individuals facing an overwhelming enemy. We were three guardians, bound by ancient magic and supported by a community that had learned the true power of love over hate.

That evening, as the three of us practiced our developing magical abilities under Michelle and Tabitha's watchful guidance, Helen appeared one last time. Her spiritual form was different now—more translucent, more ethereal, as if she was already halfway to whatever realm awaited her beyond the veil.

Zibela, Jubilee, Tabitha, Tylia, Michelle and Gladys were all here to complete our three circles.

"My time as your guide is ending," she said, her voice carrying the weight of eternal love and infinite sadness. "The transformation is complete, the sisterhood is established, and the ancient threat has been redeemed. My work here is done."

"Will we see you again?" I asked, my thirteen-year-old voice small with the fear of losing our spiritual anchor.

"Not in this form," Helen replied gently. "But the bonds we've forged transcend death itself. When your time comes to make the great journey, you'll find me waiting on the other side. And until then, you'll carry my love with you in everything you do."

She moved between us, placing her spiritual hands on each of our heads in a final blessing. "Ruth, you have been given a second chance at authentic life. Use it wisely, with compassion for others who struggle as you once did. Laura, your family's ancient wisdom flows through you. Trust in that heritage and the power it brings. Minuet, you are the bridge between worlds, the one who proves that love can transform even the most broken souls. Zibela, Jubilee, Tabitha, Tylia, Michelle and Gladys you are blessed to be the mothers or grandmothers of our guardian circle. Each maiden's circle will grow in love and power as you support your own circle of three."

The Celtic Triquetra necklaces around our necks flared with brilliant light one final time, and I felt Helen's presence flow into them, becoming part of the ancient magic that bound us together.

"The power of three lives on," Helen whispered as her form began to fade. "In every act of love, in every moment of acceptance, in every choice to heal rather than harm. You are my greatest gift to this world, and I am so proud of who you've become."

As Helen's presence faded into the great beyond, leaving only the warm memory of her love and the eternal bonds of our sisterhood, I realized that our story was far from over. We had won this battle, but the war between love and hate would continue as long as people like Amon Crane chose fear over understanding.

But we were ready for whatever came next. Three girls bound by magic, friendship, and the unbreakable bonds of chosen family, each carrying the power to transform the world through love rather than force. All aided by the loving families that support them.

Ruth had joined our guardian circle, bringing with her the hard-won wisdom of someone who had experienced both the depths of hatred and the heights of redemption. Laura carried the ancient knowledge of her bloodline and the practical skills of someone who understood both magic and the mundane world. And I, Minuet, the girl who had been passed a life of authentic possibility, stood at the center of it all, living proof that love could overcome any obstacle.

The fire elemental had been redeemed, the ancient altar now radiated love instead of destruction, and our community had learned that miracles were possible when people chose acceptance over fear. Helen's final gift to us all was the knowledge that even the most broken souls could be healed, and that the power of three—when guided by love—could transform the world itself.

That night, as we prepared for bed in our respective homes, the three of us shared one final telepathic conversation through our connected necklaces.

So what do we do tomorrow? Ruth asked, her mental voice still tinged with wonder at her new life.

We go to school, we learn to be normal thirteen-year-old girls, and we practice our magic in secret, Laura replied with characteristic practicality.

And we remember that we're not alone, I added. Whatever Amon Crane or anyone else tries to do to hurt our community, they'll have to go through the three of us first.

The three guardians, Ruth said softly. I like the sound of that.

As I drifted off to sleep, the Celtic Triquetra necklace warm against my chest, I dreamed not of the battles we had fought, but of the future we would build together. A future where authenticity was celebrated, where love triumphed over hate, and where three girls who had found each other across impossible circumstances would grow up to become the women they were always meant to be.

The ancient altar pulsed with loving fire in the distance, the redeemed elemental waiting patiently for its next worthy avatar. Would that be me as Helen had foretold? Our community was healing, our bonds were stronger than ever, and somewhere beyond the veil, Helen watched over us with eternal love.

The real adventure was just beginning, but we would face it together—three sisters bound by magic, friendship, and the unshakeable belief that love, not force, was the most powerful magic of all.

The Celtic sisterhood of guardians lived on, and the power of three would light the way forward into whatever challenges and wonders awaited us in the years to come.

In the end, we had learned the most important lesson of all: that life passed from one generation to the next not through blood alone, but through love, wisdom, and the courage to offer redemption even to those who seemed beyond saving. The ancient altar now radiated love instead of destruction. In that transformation, we found the promise that no soul was ever truly lost. They're only waiting for someone brave enough to offer them the chance to come home.