The shadow loomed over them, a swirling mass of black smoke and malevolence. Its voice rumbled through the air, shaking the ground beneath their feet.
"You cannot break what has been forged in blood and power," the entity hissed. "The pact binds you as it did your ancestors. There is no escape."
Sophia clutched the grimoire tightly, her eyes locked on the shifting figure. Fear threatened to overwhelm her, but she forced herself to focus. This was what they had prepared for—what Eleanor and James's spirits had trusted them to finish.
"We're not bound by your pact," she said, her voice steady. "It ends tonight."
The entity let out a guttural laugh, its form flickering like a dying flame. "You are bound by the bloodline. The Harrington name carries the weight of the deal. You cannot sever it without paying the price."
Liam stepped forward, his jaw tight. "Then we'll pay it. Whatever it takes, we'll end this."
Sophia turned to him, her heart sinking. "Liam, no. There has to be another way."
But Liam's expression was resolute. "If we don't stop this, it'll never end. This thing will keep feeding on the Harrington name, destroying anyone connected to it."
Sophia's mind raced as she scanned the grimoire for answers. There had to be a way to break the bond without sacrificing themselves. As her eyes darted over the pages, she found a passage she hadn't noticed before—a final instruction for severing a cursed pact.
"To break the bond," she read aloud, "the blood of the pact-maker's descendant must mix with the ashes of the victim and burn in the circle of release."
Liam frowned. "The ashes of the victim? You mean James's remains?"
Sophia nodded, her voice trembling. "We buried him under the magnolia tree. His ashes are part of the soil."
The entity hissed, its form surging toward them. "You will not defile my claim!"
Sophia and Liam ducked as the shadow lashed out, its tendrils slicing through the air. The candles flickered wildly, and the circle of light around them began to falter.
"We have to act now!" Liam shouted.
Sophia grabbed a handful of soil from beneath the tree, her hands trembling as she held it over the flames of a candle. Liam pulled a pocketknife from his jacket and slashed his palm, letting his blood drip into the soil.
Together, they recited the final incantation:
> By the blood of the living and the ashes of the lost,
We sever the ties that bind.
No longer shall this pact hold sway,
By fire's light, we end this day.
The wind roared around them, and the soil in Sophia's hands began to glow. She cast it into the circle, and the flames erupted into a brilliant blaze.
The shadow screamed, its form writhing as the fire consumed it. "You cannot destroy me! I am eternal!"
But the flames grew brighter, and the entity's voice began to fade. Sophia and Liam stood together, their hands clasped, as the darkness dissolved into nothingness.
When the fire finally died down, the air was still. The oppressive weight that had hung over the manor was gone, replaced by a profound sense of peace.
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