"Rene ! Please listen to me ! I'll take the lead ! You're already hur-"
He tried pushing me away but even HE didn't have the strength to do it to me because I was already limping . I took my first step . Clad stood helplessly when a knee length sword entered itself through my feet . I bit my lip hardly to suppress my cries of pain . My lip bled . "Clad , this is why you should follow my lead . I want you to be more fine than me , ok ? It's for my own selfish reason so don't even ask ."
He followed me , having to go through the same thing . The difference you may ask ? He had the smallest one's , plus , he is ready for it .
I took my next step . Five arrows were aimed at my thighs . It hit the same area that I got hurt . 'Keep the voices low.' I told myself . I bit my already bleeding lip again .
One after one , I endured all the punishments . Arrows , swords , chains being thrown at me , knives zooming past me continuously now . Nate's imagination was indeed another level . Then it showed the most closest people in my life dying , our powers being publicized to the world , we were all being criticized by the people . The speed of all these started going up . The swords were taking up to our thighs mercilessly , the knives were stabbed on to my forehead , stomach , thighs , and many other places . The stab wound on my stomach was cut open again . All of these following me continuously , I started doubting whether I would make it out of here alive .
I looked forward one more time , to see that that we were almost there . The next second , right before I could bow my head again , a knife stabbed itself onto my left eye . I was half blind now . Almost immediately , just as I was nearing the end , the bridge cut itself off and fell down . Luckily , both of had managed to get to land .
As I had expected , I had worked out as the perfect barrier for Clad . He had some injuries but he looked better than me . His started crying his eyes out when he saw the knife in my eye . Biting my swollen lips , I took the knives off from wherever it was stabbed . "Why are you crying now , you fool ? We've got to go! Now help me too . That's why I saved you in the first place ."
He couldn't stop himself from crying but he still helped me reach the way back again. This time , there were no two worlds , there was only one . Clad could see himself in the hospital , and I could see myself in the hotel room . "Bye . Hope you have a great life." We hugged each other goodbye's and walked into the portal to the real world .
I felt real pain now . Nate had created an illusion so I didn't have to suffer the actual pain of my wounds . As soon as I came to the real world , I knew that this was indeed real . I looked at dad , who was still at my bedside , and smiled . My wounds hurt very much , and the sudden increase of pain made me collapse and pass out again .
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I had the greatest sleep I had ever had in my life . I woke up to find the others ..... well almost everyone waiting for me . As soon as I opened my eyes , Ben and dad hugged me tightly . "H-Hey guys , a little gentler please . I'm having a wound there too , you know !" They let me go , but none of them laughed . Why was that ?
"Why does everyone look serious ? Is something going on right now ?"
Ben talked to me , "Well , it's nothing you should be concerned about . Be concerned about yourself right now . How in the world did you get injuries by being in a coma?!"
"That's a story I'll tell you another time . I'm just happy that I'm in the real world again."
All of them were confused by what I was saying but didn't say anything . "For how long was I in this state ?"
Kate was talking . "You were lying like this for 2 months now . You feel okay , right ? "
She asked curiously and I nodded my head . I took a good look at who all were there and asked again . "Where's Nath , Beth , Cora , and Leah ?"
The secret gulp they did told me all about it . Nate had made me fall into this illusion and made me get out in this state so that I wouldn't save her . It was a good thing that she had told me beforehand . "Nate and Jay has Leah , right ? The others went to help her . I need to go too . I promised her that I would help ."
The other protested but none of them could stop me because none of them were a witch . "elatus"
With that , I left them . I didn't know where they were so I had to rely on my guts for a while , until I realized that I could use a finding spell . Of course , I hadn't used magic with long spells for quite some while but it was all I could do right then . I hated how helpless I felt both in the real and illusionary world .
"Quaeso auxilium me invenire carissimum amicum meum , Lia"
I repeated the spell over and over again , until I could see glimpses of where she was . I saw a cabin , and a beach . The place clicked in my head immediately .
It was a famous beach used by black magicians for rituals . I had found it once when trying to speculate what they would've chosen for the ritual location . I immediately checked how far it was from me and teleported there .
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"Please Nate ! Do you really think that killing a person like me to get what you want is worthy ?" It was Leah . She was pleading for help . She wanted someone to rescue her from these people . She even wanted to use her own powers but unfortunately , they were subdued by Jay . They had used a special herb keeping her from using her powers . She prayed and prayed for a rescue .
"You know , we had to run and play a lot of drama to get our hands on you . We need something more valuable than you . We want to get complete control over the living . As simple as that!. I have feeling that the Devil is going to let us in on our request when we say that we're going to give him bad souls to punish ." Nate and Jay had been overly excited over meeting the Devil that day .
Cora , Beth , and Nath were already there but Nate and Jay had used herbs to keep away supernatural creatures like vampires , werewolves , witches and every other supernatural creature they knew at bay , as well as their magical effects . Nate had planned the illusionary world for Rene because they hadn't found any herbs to keep her powers away . They could only keep her from physically touching Leah or any of them . They had made the world quite long so that she would be hurt and not be able to come .
Rene teleported to the cabin . They had wooden walls , and an aesthetic look that no one would believe that there would be black magic performed there !
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I looked around the place and stood in shock as I saw them about to slit Leah's throat . I also saw the other waiting outside , not being able to get inside the circle that they had created . I snapped my fingers and made myself go to the Nowhere . "Samantha , how do I bring a dead person back to life ?"
"You ARE going through the right path Rene but what are you trying to do ? I wouldn't want you to do that ."
"This is really urgent Samantha . I need to do this . Tell me , what should I do ?"
She sighed deeply at my insistence . " Rene , you'll have to give your own life while doing the spell . There's no other way."
I took a moment to sink in the information . "It's fine . Tell me , what's the spell?"
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She told me the spell and I returned back to earth . I opened my eyes an saw Leah's throat being slit . Cora , Nath , and Beth were crying , feeling helpless . I HAD to try this . I needed her back . She could bring so much good to the world .
I walked out from hiding . The others were too busy crying to notice me . They finally took a look at me when I started chanting . Nate and Jay were surprised too. They increased THEIR speed in doing their ritual , so as to finish before me .
"da hanc vitam humanam meam . ut auferat vitam meam! da hanc vitam humanam meam . ut auferat vitam meam! ! !" I kept on repeating the spell .
"Rene , it won't work ." They told me in between my spell that their magic were cut off beyond the circle that they had drawn . I didn't stop . I kept on repeating my spell .
"Cora ! Look at Leah ! Her wound is healing !" Cora stopped bugging me now and looked at Leah , awestruck . I smiled slowly . It was better if they didn't see me and were fully focused on Leah but they turned to me the next second . "How did you get to her , Rene ?" Beth asked me in curiousnous , not expecting any answer since I was already chanting .
They were all happy and joyful until Nath saw me bleeding . "Rene ! What're you doing ! Are you ?!" Beth and Cora immediately understood what I was trying to do but they also knew that they couldn't stop me since I had already started the chant knowing that I was going to die . Even they themselves had a hard time choosing between the both of us . They may have preferred me over Leah since we had the longest connection . but they also knew that I wanted Leah to live , not me . They stood there torn apart between making choices , when I had already taken one , and kept on chanting .
The pain on my neck increased . Nate and Jay were still trying to finish before I did because if I ended up being dead than Leah , they were going to have to pay for it with their lives to the Devil .
I stopped chanting when I felt my throat burst , blood came oozing out of my throat . Leah woke up , I smiled at her with teary eyes . She ran to me crying , "Rene! Please let me die ! I can't watch this ! "
All of them huddled over me . Cora and Beth couldn't perform a healing spell on me because according to the spell , I was SUPPOSED to die .
Just as I was about to close my eyes , Ben , dad and the others came . They had taken their time to find the place . I couldn't speak because my throat was filled with blood so I mouthed , "I LOVE YOU"
I guessed that both Dad and Ben would assume it was for themselves , and closed my eyes . My spirit was out of my body . As soon as I was out , I felt normal . I felt no weight on my shoulder , felt like I had left nothing behind . I blinked my eyes once and I was back to the Nowhere .
'The Nowhere was definitely brighter and warmer for the dead Berthims' I thought. Samantha came towards me . "So you actually did it . Welcome to the world of the dead Berthims ."
I could now see each and every Berthim who had died . They were not only whispers to me now , but where a whole human being . I walked around the whole place . I could see better . I could see Ben , Cora , Dad , Beth , Jennie , Marge , Nath, crying . I could see Nate and Jay being killed and taken to hell by the Devil . At least I succeeded in ONE mission . "You have succeeded in more dear . Don't worry." It was one of the oldest Berthim there . She seemed to have read my mind . I smiled at her and thanked her .
I walked over to the other side and saw the spiritual side of the earth . I smiled when I saw Maria and Stacy among them . They seemed to be able to see me . "You can have contact with dead people here . I guess you know those two.," Samantha said . I got used to the new light in the Nowhere .
I was sitting on a sitting area along with some of the other Berthims when Samantha called me . "Rene , there's one more thing that you need to know ."
I walked out of the sitting area with her into the area where we kept our eyes on different parts of the world again . There was a girl . She looked like she was 18 . MY 18 year old self . She had my same face . I only looked a little more mature than her . II understood what Samantha meant when she told me her name . I nodded my head and walked over to her .
"Hi Katherine . I'm Rene ."
"Ahh! Are you my future self or something ?"
"We have something totally different that what you would've expected to hear . You're a Berthim ."
" A WHAT ?"
" A Berthim . We have a lot to talk about before you go back ."
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THE END