Chapter 8: Chapter 8

”What do you mean?” Triton asked.

”I will try to unblock her mind, however, I doubt that it would work, ” Cynthia said.

The healer placed her hand over Kathy's forehead. Kathy could feel her head warming up but it still ached.

”What do you see, healer?” Aerial asked.

”Nothing, which is strange. All I see beyond her thoughts is darkness, it's like she has no past.”

Kathy tried so hard not to tune them out. She was slowly losing consciousness but didn't say a word about it. The healer's hand on her head was only increasing the headache.

”Why is that?” Kathy quizzed weakly.

”Something blocks your mind. Something very dark and evil.”

”Are you saying?....” Hala trailed off.

Cynthia hesitated, then said, ”Yes, Hala, it seems like it. Only that kind of magic is strong enough to cast a dark spell this strong.”

Kathy's already confused mind became even more confused. Magic and spells? What else would she find in Lunae?

”But there isn't any shadow magician in Lunae. My mother banished them all, ” Hala spoke and started pacing.

Shadow magician? Everything sounded crazy to Kathy. Two days ago, she would never have believed any of this. Now, she had been through so much to doubt anything.

”That is the only explanation. She might have encountered a shadow magician somewhere on earth.”

”Well, can you take it out?” Triton asked Cynthia.

Cynthia looked uneasy and her reluctance scared Kathy. She took her hand off Kathy's forehead and grabbed some candles.

”I will try but I am not sure if it would work.” she then turned to Kathy. ”Lay on your back and no matter what you feel or see, do not stand up. You will know what to do when the time comes.”

Cynthia placed four candles on the four corners of the bed and lit them. She grabbed a big book and turned some pages. After reading for a few seconds, she took a weird-looking plant and crushed it to form a paste. She poured the paste into Kathy's mouth. Although it tasted bitter, Kathy was too weak to even grimace.

”I will try the recollection spell. Brace yourselves, it won't be easy.”

”No, Cynthia! My daughter won't be able to take that spell. She is new to this world and her soul is not strong enough,” her mother protested.

Kathy had no idea what the spell entailed but she didn't like it.

”Hala, I know you are scared but there is no other way. We have to unblock her mind so she can remember her encounter with the shadow magician. From there, we can figure out how to remove the cloud of darkness covering her thoughts.”

Hala collapsed into Aerial's waiting arms and turned her face away from Kathy as Cynthia began the process.

Cynthia held her right hand up, a ray of white light flickered from her palm. She placed the glowing hand over Kathy's forehead again while the other handheld an open spellbook.

”Ne et fores aperientur portae et revelare ea quae sunt clausae,” Cynthia chanted in a language that sounded foreign to Kathy.

She felt something move from Cynthia's palm into her head.

”Lux illa aperietur occulto!”

Kathy's eyes closed as she fell into a trance.

****

Narrator's POV

Triton watched his sister fall unconscious and attempted to get to her but his father's hand on his shoulder stopped him.

”Son, we can not interrupt the process.”

Triton then watched helplessly as his sister whom he had just met laid motionless on the bed. Cynthia removed her hand from Kathy's forehead and left her side.

”I’ve cast the spell. It's all up to her now, ” Cynthia announced.

Hala whimpered softly as she watched her daughter lay still.

To Triton, the hardest part of the spell was seeing Kathy battle with her mental block. They didn't have to wait for too long for the hard part as Kathy's body started shaking. Triton clenched his fists tight as he tried to stop himself from going to help his sister.

’Hold mum, this is the toughest part,’ he said to his dad through mind bond.

’I know it's difficult for you too but you must not interrupt the process. I'll keep your mum here,’ Aerial replied.

Kathy's body shook as if she was having a seizure. Whimpers escaped her lips, it was obvious she was in pain. It wasn't supposed to be like that, Kathy wasn't supposed to be in that much pain.

One candle dropped to the floor.

”Cynthia, what is happening? She is convulsing!” Hala yelled as Kathy started seizing.

Cynthia was bewildered, it wasn't supposed to be that extreme.

”I don't know! She was supposed to walk through the aisle of consciousness, find her past and return.”

”Well, do something!” Triton cried out.

Cynthia rushed over to Kathy.

”Tace, obmutesce o corpori quieto sis animo Asiamque pacatumque intrinsecus, ” She chanted, waving her hands over Kathy's body.

Kathy's body kept on shaking while Cynthia repeated the spell over and over again. The shaking of Kathy's body became erratic the more Cynthia chanted.

Another candle dropped.

They could all feel the temperature of the room rising fast. It was becoming hot in the room. Hala realized that the heat came from Kathy as tiny beads of sweat gathered all over the visible parts of her body. Kathy was scared and it was making her power act up.

The third candle dropped and Cynthia stopped chanting. There was nothing she could do for Kathy anymore and everyone knew that. They all stared at the last candle hopefully, praying that it stays still.

The bed shook with Kathy, making the last candle shake too. As soon as the last of the four candles fell off the bed, everyone could only hope that Kathy finds her way back.

Cynthia feared for the worst. It was a very bad sign for someone to be stuck in the aisle of consciousness and the candles go off. The candle was supposed to light Kathy's path. At that moment, Kathy was probably in the dark.

All of a sudden, a ring of fire appeared over Kathy's head and rapidly spread to the rest of her body. The room temperature raised to an extremely high level. Everyone was sweating profusely yet no one left Kathy's side.

”Can’t you try another spell? Anything that might help her. We can't watch helplessly without attempting to aid her, ” Aerial said.

”We can't do anything else but watch, ” Was all Cynthia said.

Triton was livid.

”What do you mean by that? Isn't it your job to do something? My sister is stuck in an unfamiliar place, and all you can say is that we can't do anything but watch.”

”Calm down, son. Cynthia has tried her best, ” Hala said, trying to calm him down.

”No! That can't be all!”

”I’m afraid it is, son.”

Aerial felt pained by that realization. No matter how much power his family held, they couldn't do anything but watch their only daughter go through so much suffering.

Hope was all they had, hope that her soul gains strength, hope that she taps into the power her bloodline held, and hope that she finds her way back.

****

Kathy

When she opened her eyes, she found herself in a dark hall. The headache had disappeared completely. The dark hall was only illuminated by four candles, one of them was in her hand and the remaining three were placed in candle stands on the wall. She could see three doors. The floors were moist, she could feel the dampness under her feet as she was barefoot.

’Gross,’ she thought.

”You came.” She heard a female's voice from behind her.

She spun but couldn't see anything. She could only hear rustling and water splashing sounds. A shadow flew past her.

”Over here!”

The voice sounded like it came from in front of her. She turned again and still saw nothing. Then the shadow passed again.

”Who are you?” she asked.

”You are not supposed to be here, go back!” the shadow yelled.

Kathy tried to turn around and leave but discovered that she couldn't. It seemed like there was an invisible wall stopping her from going back.

Vicious laughter rang throughout the hall causing goosebumps to erupt all over Kathy's skin. And it was coming from the shadow.

”Looks like you are stuck here with me.”

The shadow's voice sounded very familiar to Kathy.

Kathy tried to move forward into one of the doors but was stopped by the shadow zooming past her face.

”I said go back!”

”Who are you?” Kathy asked again, she was getting frustrated.

”You, ” the shadow replied.

”What do you mean?”

”Look again, ” the shadow said.

The shadow materialized in front of Kathy. The cloud of darkness faded away from the shadow. Lo and behold, it was herself—an evil-looking version of her with red eyes.

With an evil smirk, it said, ”Hello, me.”