Bollocks! I still can't believe I ended up in Shadow Falls, a city chock-full of supernatural secrets and whatnot. As a warlock, I've always felt like a bit of an oddball, but Monstropolis, the school for supernatural creatures, seemed like the perfect place to find me tribe.
Love Montgomery, a vampire with piercing green eyes and raven-black hair, greeted me with a warm smile. "Welcome to Shadow Falls, Zion. I'm Love."
"Cheers, Love! Literally, that's your name, isn't it? Bloody hell, I'm hilarious!" I chuckled at me own joke.
Love laughed politely and took me on a tour of Monstropolis and the city. As we strolled, I asked, "Love, how do you manage to walk about in the sun without, you know, bursting into flames?"
"Ah, it's the daylight rings," she explained, holding up her hand to reveal a shiny ring. "Vampires in Monstropolis are given these enchanted rings, allowing us to walk in the sun."
I nodded, impressed. "Brilliant! And, might I add, you don't have a shadow. How's that work, then?"
Love smiled mischievously. "Let's just say it's a vampire thing."
As the sun began to set, we found ourselves at McCarthy Beach, where we stumbled upon a chap named Julian Vaughn. He looked like he'd seen a ghost – or, in this case, something far worse.
"Hi there, you look like you've seen a ghost. What's wrong?" Love asked, concern etched on her face.
Julian's eyes darted about, his voice trembling. "I...I have to go."
I sensed a dark presence lurking nearby, making me skin crawl. "What's following you, mate?"
Julian hesitated, his eyes filled with fear. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
I raised an eyebrow. "Indulge me, mate."
Julian took a deep breath. "It's...it's this thing. The It. It's been following me for months. I've run from Philly to different cities, but it's always there, lurking in the shadows."
I raised an eyebrow. "The It, you say? Sounds like a right nasty piece of work."
Love's grip on me arm tightened. "Zion, we need to get him out of here. Now."
But I stood me ground, grinning. "Oh, bollocks to that! I'm not going anywhere until we sort this It business."
Julian's eyes widened in shock. "You can see it? But only the Curseborn can see it!"
I chuckled. "Well, I'm a warlock, mate. I can see all sorts of things. Now, let's give this It a good drubbing, shall we?"
With a flick of me wrist, I cast an offensive spell, sending a blast of energy towards the It. The creature let out a blood-curdling screech as it stumbled back.
Julian's eyes went wide. "How did you do that?"
I grinned. "Magic, mate. Now, let's get out of here before things get hairy."
As we fled McCarthy Beach, the It began to heal itself at an alarming rate. Its twisted form reassembled, and it resumed its relentless pursuit of Julian. Love, with her vampiric speed, sprinted ahead, reaching Monstropolis before Julian and me.
"Wait here," she called out, disappearing into the school.
Julian and I followed, our hearts racing with every step. Love met us in the hallway, her expression grim.
"Professor Ophelia Grimlock is gone," she said, showing us a note. "Gone on an expedition, return uncertain. Prof. Grimlock."
Julian's eyes widened in concern. "What do we do now?"
Love's gaze swept the room, settling on a group of students huddled in the corner. "Daryl, Tyler, Jordyn! We need your help."
As we gathered around a large table, Ladder, the magical wheeled ladder, rolled in, its rungs creaking softly. Love explained the situation, and we began our research.
The It, we discovered, was passed through direct sexual contact, representing the guilt and shame associated with STDs. It fed on human emotions, growing stronger with each victim.
"I found a mention of the It in an ancient grimoire," Jordyn said, her eyes scanning the pages. "It's said to be a manifestation of collective guilt, passed from person to person through intimate contact."
Daryl nodded, his werewolf instincts on high alert.
Tyler spoke up. "If we can't kill it, maybe we can find a way to trap it or pass it on to something else."
Julian took a deep breath, his eyes haunted. "I got the It from Becca, a bartender in Philly. We had a one-night stand, and she passed it to me. I've tried to pass it on, but...it always comes back."
He paused, collecting his thoughts. "The first time, I gave it to Sarah. She died a week later. Then, I passed it to Alex. She lasted two weeks. I thought I could outrun it, but it always finds me."
As Julian spoke, Daryl thought to himself, "If Tyler's on board, then I am too. My Alpha knows what he's doing."
Tyler thought, "This could be useful. If we can control the It, we can use it to our advantage."
Jordyn thought, "I want to help Julian. And I want to learn more about this thing. It's fascinating."
Love's expression turned determined. "We'll find a way to stop it, together."
As the night wore on, our quest for answers became an all-consuming force, driving us to uncover the secrets of the It and put an end to its deadly pursuit.
As we delved deeper into the mysteries of the It, I flipped through the pages of The Clavicle of Solomon, searching for any mention of the entity. Suddenly, a page caught my eye - a page torn from Pseudomonaechia Daemonum with burnt edges.
"Guys, I think I found something," I said, holding up the page. "The It can't be killed, but it can be banished."
The others gathered around, intrigued. I showed them the page, pointing to the spell written in ancient script.
"This is a boundary spell," I explained. "We can use it to contain the It and banish it."
We made plans to lure the It into a pentacle drawn with salt, red brick, and yarrow. The spell would create a boundary that would contain whoever was inside, and if there was a malevolent entity present, it would be burnt.
"But there's a catch," I said, looking at Julian. "You'll have to be inside the boundary spell too."
Julian's eyes widened in concern.
"Well, if things go sideways, Julian's gonna be barbecued...or probably killed to death," I joked, chuckling.
Jordyn frowned. "But Zion's right. What if things go south?"
Tyler smirked. "Then we'll bring it back north. We can do this, guys."
Daryl nodded in agreement.
Love comforted Julian, "Get some sleep, we'll deal with it."
Julian shook his head. "I haven't slept well ever since I've gotten this thing on my tail. I've always had to watch my six."
Love reassured him, "It's okay, the gargoyles wouldn't let the It into the building."
I glanced out the window, seeing the two gargoyles perched on the roof, watching over us with silent vigilance. Their presence was a reminder of the mystical forces that protected this place.
As the sun rose over Monstropolis, the six of us prepared for the ritual. Julian gripped his knife, his eyes fixed on the pentacle we had set up. The rest of us positioned candles around the boundary, their flickering flames casting eerie shadows on the walls.
I walked out to the center, the page with the spell clutched in my hand. While the others worked, I memorized the incantation, my mind racing with the words.
"Jordyn, love," I whispered, "I need you to make sure the It doesn't break out while I'm casting the spell. Can't have it ruining the whole shebang, wot?"
Jordyn nodded, her eyes locked on the boundary.
I cleared my throat, reading out the spell one last time:
"Astra descendo, tenebrae evoco
Maledicta fuerit, entitas expello
Kemiya ignis, lacera animus
Abstergo, expulsum, in tenebris"
("Stars descend, darkness I invoke
Cursed be, entity I expel
Alchemy fire, tear apart the soul
Purge, cast out, into darkness")
As I finished, the It began to approach, its presence like a cold wind. I raised my hand, pointing at Julian's knife.
"Kemiya," I whispered, enchanting the blade with dark magic.
Julian's eyes flashed with understanding.
"Lacera," I said, pointing at the It's chest.
The knife sliced through the air, cutting into the It's chest. It let out a blood-curdling scream as it began to bleed, alerting every supernatural creature in the vicinity.
The others attacked, trying to push the It into the boundary. But it was too strong, beating them back with ease.
Julian took a deep breath, stepping into the center of the pentacle.
"Now, Zion," he said, his voice steady.
Jordyn and I began to cast the spell, our voices weaving together in a dark incantation. The air around us began to distort, the boundary glowing with a fierce, magical light.
As we cast the spell, the It let out a deafening screech, its form blurring as it entered the pentacle. The air was electric with tension as we continued the incantation:
"Animus expello, tenebrae consummo
Maledicta fuerit, entitas abstergeo
Kemiya ignis, purgatio totalis
Abstergo, expulsum, in tenebris"
("Soul expel, darkness consume
Cursed be, entity purge
Alchemy fire, total purification
Purge, cast out, into darkness")
A mysterious fire kindled, covering both the It and Julian. The flames danced and swirled, casting flickering shadows on the walls. The air was thick with the scent of smoke and ozone.
As we finished the spell, the fire subsided, revealing a dead body on the floor. The It had taken on a new form - that of Sarah, the first girl Julian had passed it to.
Julian stepped out of the pentacle, his eyes haunted. "It changes form," he whispered. "It takes on the appearance of those it's killed."
We stood in stunned silence, the weight of what we had just accomplished sinking in. The It was gone, banished by our combined efforts. But at what cost?
As we caught our breath, Jordyn spoke up, her voice barely above a whisper. "We need to make sure it's really gone. We can't let it come back."
I nodded, my mind already racing with plans for a containment spell. "We'll need to be vigilant. But for now...let's just take a moment to process what we've done."
The six of us stood there, surrounded by the remnants of our ritual, the silence between us a mix of relief and trepidation.