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What didn’t I know?

It hits me in a rush of magick and certainty.Erencrashes into me—the very soul of him—open and accepting and brimming over with all the certainty I could ever ask for.

“You’d already given your soul to me.” The words come out in a ragged rasp.

“Since the moment I saw you, Allison Amethyst Ashblood, you’ve held it in your hands.”

With those words, something locks into place. Something deep within the shifting ether of want and need and fate finally settles.

Eren’s arms close around me. “Let me be your anchor, my heart. Let me walk this road with you.”

Pulling back slightly, I find all the courage I need in his eyes.

“Alright,” I say on a shaky exhale. “Alright.”

With that settled, we both move to the grimoire. Runes and ancient script dance across the page, magick beckons, and I draw in a sharp breath as we approach.

“Do you think she wanted someone to see?”

Eren rests a hand at the small of my back. “Who?”

“The first witch,” I say. “Ariana. Do you think she left all of this behind because she knew?”

An arm curls around my waist. “I can’t say.”

“I think she did.”

Raising a bare hand, I hover it over the grimoire for a moment. My fingertips tingle and itch in anticipation and every one of my muscles and bones seems drawn on some deep, elemental level toward the power radiating from this book.

“I’ll be right here,” Eren says quietly. “Find your way back to me.”

With nothing left to say, I nod and lay my hand on the grimoire.

The scene is almost the same as last time.

Above, two moons shine. In front of me, the Veil pulses with opalescent white light rather than the gentle rose it shone with last time.

All around, the world is draped in shadow, and curiously seems to fade away as it recedes from the Veil. Like a vignette or the set dressing on a stage, the entire realm appears shrunken down to this one small piece.

The strange incantation begins again, only this time it’s coming from outside of me, rather than ringing disembodied through my head.

“A sacred vow and a lover’s kiss. An iron-clad deal with a demon prince. An end to strife and pain. An era of peace will reign.”

The words whisper over my skin, coated with ancient, deep magick. Over and over, they beckon, and I whirl around to find a spectral figure hovering in the darkness at the edge of the forest.

She’s not… quite there. Her form is shadowy and indistinct, shifting with the same sort of energy as the Veil, as if she herself is in some sort of in-between, summoned for a moment but not meant to stay. I’ve never interacted with shades or ghosts, but it’s the closest comparison I can make as she bobs and floats above the earth. Not quite corporeal, but distinct enough to recognize as human, as a woman, if her lush curves and flowing, glowing hair are any indication.

When I get closer, she stirs suddenly, whipping around to face me.

Her eyes are two pools of light, no iris or pupil within, but still I know she’s focused them on me.

“Hello,” I say cautiously.

The shade doesn’t make a sound, though she tilts her head as if in greeting.

“The grimoire,” I say softly. “Was it yours?”

A nod.