The world dimmed around Lilly, gray and black. The oppressive cold of the tomb slipped away as if she were being tugged through some thick fog. The sensation disoriented her. The air was full of weight from something far, far older than anything she had encountered. The stone beneath her feet was no longer cold; she could no longer hear the whispers of the spirits haunting her and Silas.
There was silence for a moment.
Then, without warning, the darkness around her gave way to light: a blinding golden radiance that flooded her senses, making her eyes water. She blinked furiously against the glare, her breath catching in her throat as the world came into focus.
Lilly felt like she was standing in the middle of what should have been an estate; sprawling grounds everywhere, tall, ancient trees lining the perimeter of the property, their leaves hushing softly in the warm breeze. The estate itself was grand-much grander than anything she had ever seen before. A towering mansion of stone loomed in the distance, its windows glinting in the afternoon sunlight.
But then again, it was not only the mansion that caught her attention.
Scores of them were standing on the grounds, each of them appareled in the kind of really old-fashioned outfits Lilly had rarely set her eyes on except in historical pictures or films. Their murmurs came in an indistinguishable hum; their faces taut, their eyes tight with their intended purpose as they moved around. Some of them were building what looked like ceremonial altars, and the others examined long scrolls of parchment covered in intricate, hand-drawn symbols.
This was not going to be an ordinary gathering of people.
Lilly stood in awe, her heart racing as reality slowly set in. She wasn't just seeing a memory; she was standing in the past watching the Grey family ready themselves for the ritual that had altered everything. The ritual had gone wrong. Her breath caught in her throat as she scanned the faces of the people surrounding her. She recognized some of them from the tomb—the same spirits that had attacked her and Silas, their ghostly forms twisted with anger and regret. But here, in this vision, they were alive. They were real.
And they were preparing to face whatever entity had puzzled their family for so many years.
In the center of the assembly, from which most members had sought to keep their distance, were Lilly's eyes drawn, for there stood a large and ornate altar: an altar wrought of smooth black stone with glowing runes cut into its surface, pulsating soft in the afternoon light.
Wrapped around the altar were the two things she had seen in the tomb-one was the one she now carried with her, and the other one was a small stone tablet covered with ancient symbols, which seemed to make no sense to her at all.
Standing at the head of the altar was a man Lilly hadn't seen before tall, imposing, with sharp features and dark hair to his shoulders. He was wearing a long deep blue robe, trimmed with silver, and an air of authority about him made Lilly certain he was the leader of the Grey family.
Is everything ready?" he asked, his voice low yet carrying the weight of command.
One of the relatives woman with bright green eyes and dark curls, which were pinned back from her face-nodded. "Yes, Alexander," she said, a slight quake to her tone. "The wards have been set, the circle of protection drawn. We are ready to begin.
Lilly's heart began to race as she placed who it was she was staring at. Alexander Grey, the man who had led the family attempted to bind an entity. The man whose failure set the events in motion that had brought Lilly and Silas to this moment in the present.
She watched him as Alexander began to scan the family gathered before him, his face grim, implacable. There was an almost palpable strain in the air, the sense of fear mixed with determination. These were people who knew what they were about to enter; they knew the risk. Yet again, these were people who knew they had little options.
It is too powerful," Alexander exclaimed as his voice floated across the assembly. "We cannot allow it to break free. If we fail tonight, it shall engulf us all.
A murmur of assent ran through the family, their faces set with the dread and resolution of knowing what this would mean. They knew the stakes. Centuries, maybe longer, they had been preparing for this day. The entity-the ancient, malevolent force that had haunted their bloodline-was about to break free from its bonds, and if it did, there would be no stopping it.
Lilly's chest felt tight as she listened to Alexander speak. She could feel the weight in every word, the point at which everything finally would come to a head time they had all been waiting for: the real moment of truth in which they would face the entity once and for all, binding it or being destroyed by it.
"Gather the family," Alexander ordered, his eyes scanning the assemblage. "We begin the ritual at dusk."
The family moved with a point, an exactness in every action, putting together what must have been the setup of the ritual. Some lit candles to put around the altar, while others started gathering herbs and other materials for the protective circle. They were people who had done this several times now; they were well-practiced, disciplined, and focused.
Lilly's gaze landed upon a much smaller group of family members who stood near the edge of the clearing. They were younger compared to the rest, their faces pale with fear as they watched the preparation unfold. None of them carried themselves as confidently or as experienced as their older family members did; Lilly saw doubt in their eyes.
One of them, one of the younger ones, came forward boy no older than fifteen years. "Father?" he said, his voice quivering slightly. "Are we… are we going to be able to stop it?
Alexander turned to the boy then, relaxing a bit. "We will stop it, David," he said with determination; "we have no other choice."
The boy—David—nodded, though his fear still shone in his eyes. Lilly's heart ached as she watched him, knowing what was going to happen. So determined and so sure that they could stop the entity, and no idea how wrong it was all going to go.
As the period of dusk was approaching, the whole setting became all the more tense. The candles flickered amidst the growing darkness, casting long shadows across the clearing. The family closed in around the altar, forming a circle of protection as they prepared to begin the ritual.
Standing at the edge of the clearing, Lilly watched in silence. To her, this was a moment she had no right to be in; she was a ghost herself able to relive the doomed ritual and never change a thing.
Alexander stepped forward, his hands rising toward the altar. The air around them seemed to hum with energy as the runes on the altar glowed brighter, the power of the ritual starting to build.
We call upon the ancient powers," Alexander intoned, his voice deep and resonant. "We call upon the forces of the earth, the sky, and the stars. We seek to bind that which has no name, that which has haunted our bloodline for generations.".
The family members parroted his words, their voices all joining in a low chant that seemed to reverberate through the air itself. Energy pulsed through the clearing, a palpable force washing over Lilly as the very earth beneath her feet seemed to shudder.
"We seek to bind the entity," Alexander pressed on, his animation rising. "We offer ourselves as channels through which this power flows. We give over our blood, and our lives in protection of this world from the darkness that seeks to consume it. Lilly's breath caught in her throat as, one by one, each of them stepped forward, palm cuts allowing their blood to fall onto the altar. It was pooling in the carved runes, glowing deep red as the magic of the ritual absorbed the offering.
The air was almost crackling with energy, the runes on the altar pulsating in a blindingly fierce light that was almost too much to bear. The artifacts too started to glow, their ancient powers stirring into life in response to the blood offering.
For a moment, it seemed the ritual was working. The energy in the clearing reached fever pitch, the air heaving with the power of the binding spell. The loudest chanting of family members rose in unison, calling the ancient forces to bind this entity in its place.
But then, it went wrong.
She could feel the energy shift, the crack in the magically woven display. The runes on the altar flickered; the light dying down as the power of the ritual faltered.
The voice of the family began to stammer and falter; a premonition that something was awry began to take shape. The energy they had built up so cautiously suddenly spiraled out of control, chaotic and unmanageable.
"No!" Alexander yelled, desperation in his voice. "Not now! We can't lose control!"
But it was too late. The entity struck back with the full and mass force of its power. A wave of dark energy exploded from the altar, sending members flying. The runes blasted into a violent shuddering sensation, and the once bright light vanished, a grim omen that the binding spell had snapped. The air thickened with the presence of the entity; inescapable, choking blackness filled the room, pulsating with malevolent power. Lilly stood frozen, watching as the family scrambled to their feet, pale faces reflecting that horrifying realization of what had just happened.
The entity had broken free.