Ethan's P.O.V
The air around me hummed with dark energy, the atmosphere thick with the scent of burning incense and ancient magic. Emily, her parents, and the other witches were meticulously arranging the ritual space, their hands steady as they prepared for something far worse than I could comprehend. They moved with purpose, their robes swirling around them like shadows in the flickering torchlight.
I was still immobilized, unable to move, my body stiff as if trapped in some invisible cage. Every attempt to summon power, to break free, was futile. They had me. And it didn't seem like there was anyone who could help.
I took a shallow breath, glancing toward Ava. Her face was pale, her eyes wide with fear. She was still bound, but at least she wasn't the one being thrown on an altar for sacrificial purposes. Alright I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't sound insensitive but come on, if anyone else were to be in my shoes they would sound a lot more hostile.
"Emily," I called, my voice rough. "You don't have to do this. You don't know what you're playing with. This thing you're doing is more dangerous than you know."
She turned, her lips curling into a cold smile. "Oh, I know exactly what I'm doing, Ethan." Her eyes glinted with the fire of conviction, but there was something darker beneath the surface. "This is bigger than any of us. This is destiny. I've been hiding all my life. I think it's time for a change. Let someone else hide from me."
I fought against my restraints, but the more I struggled, the more immobile I felt. They had trapped me in a way that no ordinary spell could explain.
"You're wasting your breath," Emily's dad called, his voice filled with smug amusement. "There's no stopping this now."
Hate to admit it but he's right. I'm doomed. I was told I was special, that my blood was special but so far, the only thing I've noticed that's special about me is the fact that I'm the best guinea pig for a murderous ritual. This wasn't my definition of being special but here we are...
The witches around us murmured, their voices joining in a low chant as they circled the altar. They began to pull at the strands of magic in the air, weaving them together like an intricate tapestry.
Suddenly, they lunged forward, dragging me toward the altar with brutal efficiency. I felt the cold stone of the altar against my back, a sense of dread settling into my bones. Ava's desperate gaze locked with mine, her lips trembling, unable to do anything as they tied me down with heavy ropes of magic.
"No!" she screamed, but her voice was drowned out by the rising incantation.
I struggled, trying to break free, but the witches held me in place, their magic locking me down with every movement I made. Emily stepped forward, placing the Heartstone on the stone slab, its glow pulsing in rhythm with the chant that was growing louder.
It felt like the earth was shaking beneath us, the power building, crashing down like a tidal wave.
And then, suddenly, a sharp, unfamiliar presence filled the air, freezing the witches in their tracks.
"Looks like we're just in time," a voice called out. It was Seraphina's, and I knew in that moment—just as much as I knew the feeling of my own heart—that help had arrived.
I tried to look toward the entrance, and sure enough, Seraphina and... my parents? Wow, this is shocking. Dad is standing next to a witch and the witch is still alive. They stepped into the clearing, their eyes glowing in the dim light. Behind them, vampires moved like shadows, each one with a look of cold determination on their faces. Vampires that I've never seen before in my life were here, to save me, relatives of mine, I guess.
Emily's parents narrowed their eyes, recognizing the visitors instantly. "Vampires," Emily hissed, stepping back, her fingers still holding the Heartstone steady above the altar.
"This is none of your concern," Emily's mother sneered at Seraphina. "Stay out of this."
Seraphina's lips curled into a dangerous smile. "Your daughter here tricked me and used me to get to the guardian. It's actually my concern now."
"What can I say?" Emily retorted back. "The student has surpassed the master."
"Oh this is personal now."
Seraphina lunged for Emily and the other witches while the others behind her went with her to support her. The vampires and witches clashed with a deafening roar, magic crackling like thunder in the night. Seraphina charged first, her staff flickering with white-hot energy as she launched a barrage of spells. Each one struck like a bolt of lightning, slamming into the witches who scrambled to shield themselves.
Emily's mother swiped a hand through the air, sending a massive gust of wind at Seraphina, but Seraphina ducked and rolled, moving too fast for the spell to land.
Meanwhile, Ethan's father locked eyes with one of the vampires who had stepped forward. "You should've stayed out of this," he growled, and with a flash of speed, he knocked the vampire to the ground.
The other vampires fought back fiercely, but the witches were prepared for this. Or so they thought. Emily's father conjured a shield of black energy to block a vampire's attack, but a second vampire slipped behind him and tore through his defenses, sinking their fangs deep into his neck. The witch screeched in pain, collapsing to the ground.
One of the witches lunged at Seraphina, but she was met with a ferocious swipe of the staff, sending her flying through the air with a scream.
"I warned you," Seraphina muttered under her breath, eyes flashing as she spun on her heels, sending another wave of magic crashing into the remaining witches. "This is personal now."
In moments, the fight was over. The witches lay unconscious or barely moving on the ground, their magic flickering and failing.
"We can eat them, right?"
"What? No!" Seraphina said. "I thought you guys started using alternative means to survive. What's with the sudden interest in witch's blood?"
Seraphina's gaze snapped toward Emily, who had not stopped the incantation, her focus unwavering. With a scream of rage, Seraphina dashed forward, faster than any human could process, and tackled Emily to the ground.
The Heartstone's glow dimmed for a brief moment, but then, inexplicably, it lifted again, hovering above the altar, its light pulsating faster, as if refusing to die.
"No!" Seraphina shouted, struggling to keep Emily restrained.
Emily's lips twisted into a triumphant smirk. "Don't want to be the bearer of bad news, Seraphina," she gasped between breaths, her body wriggling beneath the pressure, "but there's absolutely nothing you can do. It's done. I win. The heartstone knows who summoned it. The moment it releases its power into me... well if I was you, I'd start running."
Seraphina froze. The Heartstone continued to pulse, its magic far beyond anything Seraphina had expected.
And as Emily's cold words rang out, a terrifying realization settled in—this ritual had already gone too far. It was far from over, and the true nightmare was just beginning.