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A rriving outside the location of the Scottish Necropolis and catacombs, I can’t help but admire the grandeur of the outside in comparison to the way you enter the ones in Paris. Entering the Necropolis, I walk along the cobble-stoned road to head to where I believe Clay will be.

Why do we have a morbid fascination with the dead?

It would be so easy to get lost here, especially as darkness has taken over from the day.

The pathways twist and turn until I find the place I’m looking for, a curved outer entrance with blacked-out window panes on two large doors, and windows on either side.

Time has been kind to the entrance, and it only seems to have gone from a white brick to a yellowed colour.

As I approach, I feel a strange sensation emanating from the building.

Similar to the power in the room, Jacinta once used.

Jesus Christ, please, not another witch.

Someone exits the doorway and startles at my presence.

“You scared me!” The woman says.

“Apologies, I got lost…” I trail off. “I missed opening hours, didn’t I?”

“You sure did, sweetie.”

“Well, I was actually here to see someone called Clay,”

“Another one. He’ll be out shortly; he can deal with you. I never saw you,” she prattles.

Someone needs to get laid, I think to myself.

Then my mind begins to dwell on what she says, ‘another one’ .

Clay has seen other people today. I shouldn’t be surprised by the fact that I was sent up here to get him to sort me out.

Why is it that when you are waiting for someone, time hits a complete standstill?

Regretting all my choices that have led to this moment, I fail to hear the exasperated sigh from the person behind me.

“Who sent you?” The voice says.

“Jacinta,” I reply plainly.

“Follow me.”

Turning, I see a man in a jumpsuit and a baseball cap. If this is Clay, he’s far younger than I expected to see. There’s no way he’s older than eighteen. Suspiciously, I follow the young man out of the grand cemetery to a building nearby. He scans a fob, and we enter.

“Sorry, we have to climb three flights of stairs.”

Oh, for fuck’s sake. What building doesn’t have elevators with more than two floors? I exaggerate my annoyance when walking up the stairs. Stopping outside apartment 333, he roots around in a small bag. It should not be this difficult to enter your own home.

“Dammit. I left my keys inside again.”

“So, how are we getting in?” I ask, getting more annoyed.

“Like this.” He turns to face me and smirks. A moment later, he clicks his fingers.

“Push the door,” he tells me.

Wanting to get this whole meeting over with, I push past him and apply pressure to the door.

To my surprise, it swings open. Probably a cheap parlour trick.

Deciding not to wait for an invitation, I make my way inside this person’s home.

I expect to find clothes and used dishes everywhere.

Instead, I find what looks to be a home apothecary with jars of strange ingredients.

That strange humming noise in my brain gets louder the further I enter this home.

“I wouldn’t go any further if I were you,” he says commandingly.

The last time I was in a place like this, I crossed a barrier that tried to kill me and led to the death of my friend.

Well, I know there’s no one currently attached to my life as they all died.

It has been on the news all day, popping up in my news feed too.

So, I listen to the warning within his voice.

“You are Clay, right?” I ask, a little late to find out, really.

“The one and only,” he replies with a mocking curtsy.

I hate him already.

“No offense, you look a little young to be helpful.”

“You of all people should know. Looks can be deceiving.” His voice is now in a low growl, and his eyes flicker from shades of gold, black, and grey.

This is definitely the man I’m looking for.

Standing there frozen, I watch as an aura builds around him.

He stretches his arms out, spreading his fingers wide to form a claw-like grip.

It’s like he is pulling power from the room.

When his hands turn slowly, I can feel the power building, causing my body to tremble in fear.

And rightfully so, moments later, he pushes his arms away, and now we’re in complete darkness except for a purple candle.

The light it produces is a low orange glow.

I look around and all I can see is darkness except for the glow of that candle. Clay steps forward, and I gasp. Clay runs a single finger down the centre of his face, as he does this, one side of his face melts away, revealing just a skull.

“I told you looks are deceiving, Kassius.” His voice is a mixture of the young man and ethereal darkness combined.

Fuckkk. He knows who I am.

“Who are you?” I ask shakily.

“I’m sure you know that already. But that is not what you’re here for.”

Nodding in agreement with his statement, I build up the courage to ask for the help I seek.

“Is it possible to break my curse?”

“Humans. So naive. You knew the consequences would be dire and proceeded anyway. Catherine is one of the world’s greatest witches.

But with every spell, there are always ways out of them; you just have to know what to do.

And to know this, I need to know the nature of your intentions for accepting the curse.

” His eyes burn with flames of blue as he speaks.

Desire. Sex. To be wanted.

“I wanted to be desired, needed by both men and women. I have spent far too long being neglected, and this allowed me to be wanted.”

It felt so good to get it off my chest.

Silence fills the… wherever we are.

The flames in his eyes shift from blue to green.

Blue eyes. Green eyes. A pull on my heart reminds me of the two people I met today.

Morgan. And the white-haired man. Air escapes my lungs, and I struggle to breathe, forcing me to hunch over, gasping for oxygen.

All the pressure releases in an instant, and I find myself staring up at him. A demon-like grin forms on his face.

“I see you have realised one way to be free. There are two other cursed people you have crossed paths with. Being with them both will allow your desires to happen without the consequences. The easier option, however, is simple. Find Catherine and get her to unlink the part of the curse she needs from you,” he says boldly before breaking into a laughter that rivals all the evil villains you see on film.

Before I could confirm anything with him, he claps so forcefully that the candle goes out, and my eyes close. Slowly, I open them as the sounds of a busy street fill my ears.

How did I end up outside?

Did I just meet death?

Looking at my watch, I see the time is almost 10 PM.

How has so much time passed in what felt like a small conversation?

There’s no way I can make it back home today.

I pull out my phone to find the closest place to stay.

It’s a five-minute walk away. Pushing the encounter down within my mind, I head toward the hotel.