In the dimly lit basement, the flicker of candlelight cast long, dancing shadows on the walls. Cove moved methodically, lighting each candle with Rhyn's steady assistance. The scent of melted wax mingled with something older-dust, herbs, and the metallic tang of ritual.
Lucian stood near the staircase, eyes roving over the eerie surroundings. The room was dense with witchy paraphernalia: voodoo dolls hung like silent sentinels, strange artifacts cluttered worn wooden tables, and a glass bottle filled with murky liquid suspended what looked like worms in a slow, swirling dance. Ancient spell books lined towering shelves, their leather spines cracked, pages radiating a subtle, mystic aura. A large, ornately carved mirror loomed against one wall, its reflective surface catching Lucian's gaze. As he turned away, more oddities revealed themselves-taxidermied animals posed mid-snarl and esoteric symbols carved deep into the stone walls.
Cove knelt to light the final ring of candles around a large, chalk-drawn pentagram etched into the floor. Two smaller pentagrams flanked the central one, each glowing gently with a single, flickering flame. Rhyn leaned in to ignite the last wick, her movements precise and reverent.
"Did you make the necklace?" Cove asked, not taking his eyes off the center circle.
Rhyn nodded, producing a delicate chain adorned with a glimmering crystal shard. "Yes. I made it," she said softly, handing it over.
Cove took the necklace with care, stepped into the center pentagram, and sat cross-legged. He opened an old spell book on his lap, its pages rustling as if they breathed. He began to chant in hushed tones, the words ancient and lilting, his gaze fixed on the crystal as if it held the world inside it.
Lucian leaned closer to Rhyn, his brow furrowed. "What's he doing?"
"He's infusing the necklace with magic," she murmured. "It's for you. Just watch."
As the final syllables left Cove's lips, the candle flames flared briefly, then steadied. He rose with slow deliberation, eyes gleaming with an uncanny light. Stepping out of the pentagram, he handed the now-enchanted necklace back to Rhyn.
"The barrier spell and enchantments will help balance your identity," he said, turning to Lucian. "The necklace will suppress Frederick's influence. You'll stay in control, but still have access to his magic. Without his darkness overwhelming you, you can wield his power... for good."
Rhyn's eyes narrowed. "Any risks?"
Cove hesitated. "The spell's power may fade with time. It's not permanent."
Her gaze hardened. "Then I need to speak with Frederick."
Cove and Lucian exchanged wary looks.
"That doesn't sound like a good idea," Cove warned.
"I need answers," Rhyn replied firmly. "Let me handle it."
"You can do the invocation yourself," Cove said. "You're a warlock-it's in your hands now."
"I need your barrier spell first," Rhyn said. "If I'm going to resurface Frederick's consciousness, I want safeguards. No manipulations. No surprises."
Cove nodded, slowly. "Alright."
Rhyn turned to Lucian, her voice calm and steady. "It's going to be okay."
Cove's voice rose in an incantation, his words ancient and echoing with power. A soft tremor passed through the chamber as golden ley lines pulsed to life beneath the stone floor, weaving and spiraling from the corners of the room. They twisted toward a centerpoint-toward Lucian-until the ground beneath him glowed with an intricate arcane circle, humming with energy. Symbols, otherworldly and shifting, drew themselves with light that cut like glass.
Lucian stared down, breathless.
"What magic is this?" he whispered. No answer came. He becomes stiffened unable to move because of the barrier magic.
Another voice rose in the darkness-Rhyn's. Her chant was different. Harsher. Colder. Her hands trembled slightly as she spoke, but her words carried force. Lucian gasped. His head flung back. His eyes rolled white-then black.
The room darkened around him. His body stiffened, and as his head lowered, his eyes stayed shut.
Then-stillness.
Rhyn's voice faltered. A vision-his face-flashed in her mind. Frederick. She felt him before she saw him. The air grew thick. Her skin prickled.
Lucian's body jolted as if caught in a snare. His eyes snapped open.
"Greetings, sister," he said. But it wasn't Lucian's voice.
It was Frederick's-velvet laced with venom, heavy with ancient scorn.
he sneered. "Still a betrayer. Still a deceiver."
Rhyn's breath caught. "Frederick..."
His gaze bored into her, ageless and full of malice.
"It's been an eternity," he said. "And yet here you are, unchanged, still weaving lies."
Rhyn clenched her jaw, swallowing the fear clawing at her chest.
"You should never have lived. I should have ended you long before you laid your hands on that child."
Frederick's eyes glittered. "Ah yes. That moment-unforgettable. Exhilarating."
"Why possess this boy?" Rhyn demanded. "Why use him as your puppet?"
"I chose Lucian," Frederick said, his voice deepening, chilling. "Because he is the perfect vessel. His potential... is exquisite."
A silence fell like a blade.
Rhyn stepped forward. "What is it you want, Frederick?"
His smile widened. "Dominance."
Cove's voice cut through the charged air, cool and steady. "You're fading. Soon, you'll lose your grip on the physical world."
Frederick turned, his sneer untouched. "Do you threaten me, conjurer? Severing the bond will destroy this vessel. I'll drag him into death with me."
Rhyn's fury surged. "Your delusions end here."
With a swift motion, her fingers clasped the glowing necklace-and magically sent it worn around Lucian's neck.
His eyes turned pure white.
Then-
Silence.
Moments later, they opened-clear. Lucian gasped and stumbled forward, blinking.
"I-I was trapped... in-between something. A place. No time, no space. You freed me."
The ley lines faded. The circle vanished.
Cove exhaled and turned to leave.
"Take care of the vessel," he said over his shoulder. "I'm done here."
Rhyn stood beside Lucian, trembling, still hearing Frederick's voice echo in her mind.
********
Rhyn busied herself with Cove's collection of spellbooks, both ancient and newly bound, searching for anything that could help her erase Frederick's soul once and for all. Kneeling on the floor, she flipped through page after page, her brow furrowed in silent urgency.
Lucian stood nearby, his eyes wandering over the shelves lined with cracked leather bindings and arcane symbols. His gaze eventually fell on Rhyn's tense figure.
"Magic is good and magic is bad?" he asked, his voice cautious and curious.
Without looking up, Rhyn replied, "No, magic is neutral. It's a tool-it all depends on how the warlock chooses to use it."
Lucian tilted his head. "I thought warlocks were all men?"
Rhyn paused, finally meeting his gaze. "That's a misconception, mostly rooted in old prejudices-misogyny and sexism. The term might've started that way, but today, 'warlock' includes women, men, trans, and gender-nonconforming people of all kinds. Even in ancient times, there were women who bore the title. Magic has never belonged to just one gender."
Lucian's expression darkened with a thought. "Were warlocks burned at the stake?"
Rhyn's voice lowered. "No. Warlocks were hanged, usually. In some places and centuries, they were strangled first, then burned. Around 100 AD, nearly 40,000 of us were accused and executed. People feared what they didn't understand. Thankfully, the world has changed. Modern science and law don't allow for that kind of injustice anymore-at least not so easily."
Lucian's eyes widened. "But aren't warlocks more powerful than humans?"
Rhyn shook her head gently. "Not exactly. Not all warlocks are the same. Some draw strength from divine sources, others from infernal ones. Some follow no higher power at all. It's not about being more powerful than humans-it's about how we channel and shape magic. It's personal. It's purpose-driven."
Lucian's eyes widened as he listened to Rhyn's explanation. "What's the decagram?" he asked, his voice brimming with curiosity.
Rhyn's expression grew grave. "The decagram holds the key to unimaginable power. It's the product of a sacred union between two ancient warlock tribes-the Morbes and the Saiths."
She paused, her gaze distant for a moment, before continuing.
"Fredrick's parents, Eldred and Leanne, were both exceptionally powerful. Their combined magic was so great that when Fredrick was conceived in the year 1400, the decagram came into being within him-an embodiment of raw, mystical force, sanctioned by the Conclave of Ten."
Her voice trembled slightly, laced with both sorrow and determination.
"Eldred died under mysterious circumstances. After his death, my father, Josef, married Leanne. They later had me. But after Leanne's untimely death, my father remarried again-and everything changed."
Rhyn's tone darkened.
"My stepmother and father hated Fredrick. They believed he was cursed, tainted by the power of the decagram. They manipulated the Conclave, convincing them that Fredrick's power was a threat too dangerous to exist. Their verdict: he must either be stripped of his power... or eliminated."
Rhyn's eyes flashed with anger. "But I had grown close to Fredrick. He was my stepbrother, and I loved him. I couldn't stand by and watch him be destroyed."
Her voice cracked.
"So I did the unthinkable. At fifteen, I killed my father and stepmother to protect him. It made me a fugitive, but I thought it was the only way."
She took a long breath, her gaze lowering.
"But I was wrong. Fredrick changed. He surrendered to the dark nature of the decagram. He murdered our 10-year-old stepbrother, Colin. From that day on, he was lost to me-consumed by evil. He calls himself the Master of Evil."
Lucian sat frozen as Rhyn's voice hardened again.
"In 1712, with the help of Khensani of the Galloway family-renowned for their barrier magic-we devised a plan. We trapped Fredrick and attempted to destroy him, body and soul. But Fredrick was always one step ahead. He had already cloned his soul and hidden it deep within the woods of West Monroe."
Rhyn's eyes locked onto Lucian's.
"And that's where you come in. This year, you unknowingly became the vessel for that soul. Your connection to Fredrick might be the only way to stop him-for good."
Lucian's mind reeled, the weight of the revelation sinking in. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, Rhyn's phone chimed. She glanced at the screen.
"It's Tony," she said, standing. "Excuse me, Lucian. I'll be right back."
She walked to a corner, phone in hand, leaving Lucian to absorb the truth that had just unraveled before him.
Rhyn stepped into the corner of the room and picked up the call.
"Tony, what's up?" she asked, her tone light.
But Tony's reply sent a ripple of unease through her.
"I'm at home, packing. We need to leave West Monroe-he knows," he said, his voice tight with fear.
Rhyn frowned, confusion clouding her expression.
"Who? I don't understand-who are you talking about?"
Suddenly, the sharp crash of shattering glass echoed through the phone. Rhyn's heart skipped a beat.
"Tony? What's going on?" she asked, her voice rising with panic.
"He's here," Tony whispered urgently.
A chill crawled up Rhyn's spine.
"Who's there?" she demanded, her voice trembling now.
"You need to leave West Monroe-with the vessel-before he gets to you," Tony said, his voice a blend of fear and urgency.
Rhyn's eyes widened.
"What do you mean? Who's with you?"
But before she could press further, Tony added in a hurried breath,
"He brought his men."
The call cut off.
Silence followed-thick, suffocating silence. Rhyn stood frozen, her heart pounding. Then, forcing herself to breathe, she steadied her nerves and turned back toward the room where Lucian waited.
He looked up the moment she walked in, concern written all over his face.
"Are you alright?" he asked gently.
Rhyn forced a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
"I'm fine. I have a meeting-it's kind of urgent," she said, trying to sound casual.
Lucian's gaze sharpened.
"What's going on?"
She hesitated, then chose honesty.
"It's Tony-my human boyfriend. He's in danger because I dragged him into this... this supernatural mess. It's my fault. I need to go check on him."
Lucian's eyes darkened with resolve.
"Then I'm going with you."
Rhyn blinked, surprised.
"You're sure?"
"I'm sure," he replied, voice firm and unwavering.
Their eyes locked, and in that moment, she saw the determination in his. With a solemn nod, she turned toward the door.
"Then let's go."
Together, they stepped out.
************
Rhyn and Lucian arrived at Tony's apartment-145 Walnut Street-nestled in a quiet neighborhood where the houses stood apart, each with a modest front yard. Apartment 3B was their destination. After hours of driving in Lucian's car, they approached the door on foot. Rhyn tried the handle. It was unlocked.
Cautiously, she pushed it open and peered inside, scanning for signs of danger. Sensing none, she stepped in, with Lucian close behind, and quietly shut the door.
Chaos greeted them in the living room.
Couch cushions were scattered across the floor, the coffee table overturned. Books and papers lay strewn in disarray, and a shattered vase spilled glass across the hardwood.
Rhyn's heart sank. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong. Dread tightened in her chest-was this her fault? She feared the worst for Tony.
Lucian's expression hardened as he surveyed the wreckage in silence.
They moved carefully down the hallway to Tony's bedroom. In stark contrast, it was untouched. Neat, even.
Rhyn walked to the wardrobe, hoping-however irrationally-that Tony might be hiding inside. But when she opened it, it was empty.
She sighed, about to step back, when Lucian's foot pressed on a spot in the floor that sank slightly. A soft creak echoed as a section of the wardrobe wall slowly swung inward.
A hidden passage.
Lucian raised a brow, glancing at her. "Your human boyfriend has a secret tunnel in his wardrobe. Totally normal," he said dryly.
Rhyn's eyes widened. Curiosity and apprehension twisted in her gut as she stepped through the opening. The passage led into a vast, dimly lit hall. Dozens of mirrors of all shapes and sizes floated midair, suspended like eerie ornaments.
She reached out with her magic-and froze. These weren't ordinary mirrors. They pulsed with energy. Portal mirrors.
Her stomach dropped.
"Lucian, get out! It's a trap!" she shouted, spinning around.
But before Lucian could react, the entrance slammed shut behind her, sealed by invisible force.
Rhyn ran to the door, pounding it with her fists. "Lucian! Get out of the building!"
She stumbled back, heart racing, and raised her hands to cast a spell. But before a single word escaped her lips, a gloved hand clamped over her mouth. Another arm snaked around her waist, yanking her back into the darkness.