The enigmatic night whisked by in the blink of an eye as Scott slumbered, for what else was there to do once the sun dipped below the horizon? It wasn't a matter of choice for the townsfolk; the night was an impenetrable veil. Scott had tried numerous times to defy this nocturnal barrier, yet every venture ended with an abrupt awakening at his doorstep, under the piercing daylight.
Undeterred, the curious 17-year-old concocted various whimsical strategies to outwit the night. From braving the darkness before sunset to swathing himself in blankets and other peculiar coverings, Scott's attempts would have made a conspiracy theorist proud. Alas, every endeavor met the same fate—failure.
Alone in the dark, with no family and no recollection of them, Scott's nights were solitary, a void filled only by sleep. Dreaming was an unknown concept in this lively town, an unattainable experience.
Yawning away the remnants of his slumber, Scott sat up, casting off his bed covers. The sun's rays streamed through the open window, a dazzling intrusion to his still-sleepy eyes. Despite the allure of a windy Saturday and the desire to return to sleep, a nagging thought lingered.
His gaze fixated on the worn book in the corner, a persistent source of intrigue. What secrets did it hold? Scott's mind buzzed with myriad questions, compelling him to take action. One foot after the other, he approached the small cabinet where the mysterious tome rested.
The golden lettering, meticulously stitched into the aged black leather cover, read "The Central Key." Scott couldn't resist its allure any longer. With a swift motion, he grabbed the book, settling back onto his bed in a comfortable position to decipher the enigmatic inscriptions within its pages.
As Scott swatted through the frail parchment pages, the contents proved unremarkable, slipping from his mind as swiftly as they arrived. It wasn't until he reached the book's core that a sudden stillness enveloped him. His eyes danced across the text repeatedly, ensuring he wasn't misreading.
'A Beginner's Guide To Demon Summoning'
Unlike the prior cryptic runes, symbols, and glyphs, this section was the first to embrace English. The title, however, sent shivers down his spine. 'Demon summoning?' echoed in his thoughts as he scrutinized it repeatedly. Could this be linked to his blackout the previous day?
The coincidences piled up, casting doubt on the authenticity of the book's seemingly fantastical claims. Ordinarily, one might dismiss such notions as absurd, but with the spectral lights, mysterious voices, and the blackout all converging on the day he acquired the grimoire, Scott found himself swaying towards belief.
Driven by his insatiable curiosity, he delved deeper. The pages unfolded with strange instructions for the summoning process. To his surprise, there was no mention of the expected blood or sacrifices. Instead, the book demanded three specific items for the ritual:
A rabbit's foot blessed by a priest
The glitter-coated feces of any animal
A full moon night
Scott pondered, realizing he could easily obtain two of the items—the glitter covered feces and a full moon night. Yet, the rabbit's foot presented a conundrum. Where could one acquire such an oddity? Scott doubted its demand, and the search seemed futile, given the rarity of a store catering to a singular, peculiar request.
* * *
It took Scott four exhausting days to finally triumph in his quest. Half of that time was lost in the futile pursuit of hunting a rabbit in the dense surrounding forest, before relenting and scouring every store imaginable. From grocery stores to obscure stalls, he searched tirelessly, undeterred by the seeming improbability of finding the elusive rabbit's foot.
Then, in a forgotten corner of the town, Scott stumbled upon a peculiar pawn shop with an unsettling supernatural aura. The interior, however, betrayed its eerie exterior, showcasing mundane objects discarded by others. Amidst the forgotten items, Scott's eyes widened as they locked onto the sought-after rabbit's foot, neatly hanging on a coat rack in the shadowy back corner.
Astounded, he snatched it up, paying a pittance for the mysterious object. The transaction was swift, as if the pawn shop itself wanted to be rid of the peculiar item. Scott couldn't fathom why he was so eager to delve into the world of demon summoning; he chocked it up to sheer curiosity. Rumors circulated that his curiosity ran so deep that, were he in a horror film, he'd be the first to meet a grisly fate.
But such concerns faded as Scott collapsed onto his bed, drained from the four days of long endeavors, even skipping school without a second thought. In this peculiar town, education held little sway over the unconventional minds of its residents.
Adding to the strange twist of events, Scott hadn't crossed paths with the red-headed Elijah or the goon squad throughout those days. Whether he was too preoccupied to notice or subconsciously avoiding them remained uncertain. All Scott could do was ponder the events that unfolded during his mysterious blackout.
Yet, in the present moment, such contemplations took a back seat. All that occupied Scott's mind was the looming question of whether the book held truths. As sundown approached, he settled onto his bed, closing his eyes and setting an alarm for midnight, eagerly anticipating what the bewitching hour would reveal.
* * *
The moment had arrived. The shrill wail of the small alarm clock jolted the peaceful Scott into sudden wakefulness. Darkness enveloped everything—windows sealed, lights extinguished. A city plunged into the profound stillness dictated by the night's unwavering rules. Yet, this did little to deter Scott, who dared to defy the quietude by igniting a solitary candle. In the blackout-ridden town, the faint flicker of the flame pierced through his curtains, casting a feeble glow in the impenetrable dark.
Now, the pivotal hour had come. Scott settled cross-legged on the floor, the candle's glow subdued by the radiance of the full moon hanging in the sky. His timing was fortuitous, securing the full moon before his curiosity transgressed into obsession.
Before him lay the required items—a rabbit's paw, and the unsavory glitter-coated dog feces. The process was anything but enjoyable, but it was a necessary ordeal.
One step remained, and Scott inhaled deeply. With the candle flickering, he began to utter the incantation in a slow, deliberate voice, as prescribed by the ancient black grimoire.
"I, Scott Riley, call upon the spirits of the damned, the reapers of nightmares, and the light of the heavens to guide me to this treasure."
The book elucidated each line, emphasizing the need to visualize the entities being invoked. The chant, a summoning of the dead, demons, and angels, intrigued Scott, even if the inclusion of angels puzzled him. The book presented it as a prerequisite to unlock magical potential.
"And last, I ask for the Central Key to unlock the gates of imagination, for before my eyes, you shall manifest to my command."
"Make yourself seen, O keeper of the night, origin of mischief."
Scott teetered on the edge of discomfort and amusement at his own words. Deep down, he felt a twinge of foolishness, yet his insatiable curiosity prevailed. He pressed on with the final line of the chant.
"I wish to make a contract with the Mare."