Magic practices where always done in secret and it wasn't strange for Catherine to do that to her friend. Without getting instructions from her own mother, she knew she would have to use her spell to make Emily go unconscious for the main time until the ritual was over...
The blue room was bathed in the soft glow of candlelight. Catherine, with her mother's guidance, had prepared the room for a complex and risky ritual to sever the connection between Emily and the Dark Magician. Louise had drawn a series of intricate symbols on the floor using chalk, forming a protective circle around Emily.
Louise and Catherine knelt on opposite sides of the circle, with Emily lying unconscious in the center. They held hands, forming a triangular connection, a necessary component for the spell to work. The air in the room felt charged with energy, and Emily's heartbeat echoed in the silence.
Louise closed her eyes, her voice soft yet commanding, and began to chant incantations. The words were ancient, filled with power that resonated through the room. Catherine joined in, her voice blending seamlessly with her mother's. Their combined magic created a shimmering barrier around Emily.
As the ritual progressed, Emily's body began to react. Her skin seemed to glow faintly, and beads of sweat formed on her forehead. It was clear that the connection between her and the Dark Magician was not going to be severed without a fight.
Outside the circle, the candles flickered wildly, casting eerie shadows on the walls. The room felt like it was pulsating with energy, and Emily's form seemed to blur and distort as if she was caught between two worlds.
Louise's voice grew stronger, her words echoing with determination. Catherine's grip on her mother's hand tightened, and her own magic surged in response. They could both feel the resistance, the malevolent force trying to maintain its hold on Emily.
Inside Emily's mind, a battle raged. She was confronted with memories she couldn't quite grasp, faces she couldn't recognize, and a dark presence that whispered sinister promises. The struggle intensified as the ritual continued.
Catherine's mind remained focused on their goal, but she couldn't help but feel a growing sense of dread. She knew the risks involved in challenging a Dark Magician, even indirectly. Her mother's steady presence reassured her, but doubt still gnawed at the edges of her thoughts.
Minutes turned into what felt like hours, and the pressure in the room escalated. Emily's body convulsed, her unconscious form writhing in the center of the circle. Beads of sweat turned into rivulets as the battle for her soul reached its climax.
Finally, with one last surge of power, Louise and Catherine chanted the final words of the incantation. A blinding light erupted from the circle, filling the room with brilliance. Emily's body arched, and her piercing scream pierced the air.
And then, as suddenly as it had started, the light vanished, leaving an eerie silence in its wake. The candles sputtered and went out. Emily lay motionless in the center of the circle.
Catherine and Louise slowly released each other's hands, their faces etched with exhaustion. They exchanged a glance, unsure of the ritual's success.
Emily began to stir, her eyelids fluttering open. She blinked several times as if adjusting to a new reality. Her gaze focused on Catherine and Louise, and recognition slowly dawned in her eyes.
"It's over," Catherine whispered, tears of relief welling in her eyes.
Emily's voice trembled as she spoke, "I... I remember now. Everything."
The room was filled with a palpable sense of victory and relief. They had succeeded in breaking the Dark Magician's hold on Emily. But this newfound knowledge came with its own set of challenges and revelations, and the trio knew that their journey was far from over.
Outside, the first light of dawn began to filter through the curtains, signaling a new day filled with uncertainties and possibilities.
*******
Catherine, Her mother and Emily were eating on a dinning table. It was quiet and nothing could be heard except for the chewing and the ticking of the clock on the wall. But under the surface, there was a tension in the air, a sense that something was about to happen. Emily could feel it, like a weight on her chest, a knot in her stomach. She could tell that Catherine and Louise were both feeling it too, their eyes darting around the room, their hands gripping their silverware a little too tightly. And then, the door opened, and the tension broke.
A tall, dark-haired man walked into the room, his eyes fixed on Louise.
"Hello, my dear," the man said, his voice smooth and deep. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."
Louise's grip on her fork tightened even further. "What are you doing here, father?" she asked, her voice cold and sharp.
The man smiled, his eyes glinting with amusement. "I've come to visit my daughter, of course," he said. "It's been far too long since we've seen each other."
"That's because I don't want to see you," Louise replied, her voice shaking with anger.
"You still have grudges against me for what i did. I did it for your own good." The man said. "Now let me see how my Grand daughter have grown."
Unlike Catherine's Mother. Catherine was happy to see her Grandfather and she ran to give him a hug and a broad smile could be seen on her face.
Louise's eyes narrowed as she watched her daughter embrace her father. "Catherine, no," she said. "You know you can't trust him."
But Catherine was already wrapped up in her grandfather's arms, oblivious to her mother's warning. The man smiled, running his hand through Catherine's hair. "Hello, my sweet girl," he said. "I've missed you so much."
Louise felt like she was going to be sick. She could see right through her father's act - he was trying to manipulate Catherine, just like he had always done.
"Now who is this." The man said looking at Emily.
Emily greeted him and said. "My name is Emily... Pemberton."
"The Pembertons!" The man replied almost furious and then smiled again. "Well. It's not a big deal as long as you bring no harm to my grand daughter, we are good."
"Yes. Sir." Emily replied and slightly bowing her head down out of Instincts. She could feel an aura radiating from this man. It seems like Catherine's grandpa would be stronger than Catherine and her Mother.
There was one thing, Catherine noticed about this man. He didn't look old at all..He looked to be in his early fifties. While Catherine's Mother looked a little old like him. Her greatest guess was maybe the man used Magic to slow down his aging process.
"Louise my daughter. Can i see you. It's urgent." The man said.
Louise didn't want to go at first, but when she heard the man say these words:
"You know why." The man said again.
Those words looked ordinary. But Louise knew what it meant, it was something they needed to tell Catherine and she had been keeping it for a long time.
"Let's go to somewhere private, you and me." Louise said to her father.
*******
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