Chapter 133 - Ritual - Part 1

Ritual? What ritual? 

Luke came to a halt when he heard the man, cursing as he slowly pulled his canines out of my flesh. He carefully licked the wounded part, easing and healing the pain he caused. He got off the bed and ran off to get a clean towel to clean my blood. He seemed to be in a hurry.

"Are you okay? I didn't get to finish," he said as he wiped my blood, concern filling his eyes as he waited for me to answer. I nodded, confused at how he was in such haste. Is there something urgent going on? "Quick, change into something warm. We have to go."

Seeing how he was in such a rush, I didn't question him and immediately heeded his words. I quickly changed into a comfortable dress in which I could easily move around, wrapping myself in a coat to fight the cold weather. Though I didn't know where we were going, the mention of a ritual was enough for me to know that we were not going for a walk.  .

When I finished changing, I saw Luke loading his gun, his clothes still messily worn. He didn't even bother tucking in his shirt. There were two guns in his hands, both loaded with silver bullets. I ȧssumed one belonged to me.

"Come on," he pulled me by my wrist, swinging the door open in a flash. Standing outside was a man I had never seen, but he was wearing the same attire as what the pack warrior always wore. "Bring Nox over," came the order from Luke, and the warrior nodded, sprinting away to complete his task.

Nox—Luke's white horse. It has been quite some time since I last saw him, probably since I last took my horse-riding lesson. Nox was his fastest horse, and he told me that he would always ride him whenever he needed to go somewhere where he couldn't be seen in his wolf form. Luke asking for Nox only meant that we were now heading to a place where a lot of humans live. 

Are we going back to the village? Is this perhaps related to the things he found out from Mr. Wickham last night? We haven't had the time to talk about it.

The warrior from before said that the ritual was starting—but what ritual? I wanted to ask Luke, but by the look on his face, he seemed to be busy mind-linking someone. He'd always have this frown on his face whenever he was talking through the mind-link.

I heard I'd have the ability to talk through the mind-link too, once the mate bond was formed. Only with Luke, though. It's a shame that we couldn't finish the markings just now. It would be convenient at times like this if we could communicate through the mind-link. I'd be able to hear his voice even when we were not together.

We dashed out of the manor, immediately seeing the blankets of snow lying outside. There was a lot more snow than usual—and it was significantly colder. Did something happen last night? The whole place was painted white, and even the green of the trees could no longer be seen. There was no other color other than white, almost as if the snow had taken over the whole area. Though layers of snow piled everywhere, the pathway was clear of them—mostly because the servants had woken up early to clean it. 

Not long after we went out the door, the sound of a horse galloping through the snow could be heard. Nox's glossy hair shone under the sun, his white body matching the snow. He looked as majestic as the first time I saw him.

The same warrior from before could be seen riding on Nox, jumping off when he reached us. Luke lifted my body off the ground, helping me get on Nox without sparing any seconds after the warrior got off Nox. Luke followed suit, holding Nox's reins with his left hand and holding me with his right.

And so, we took off to a destination I've yet to know. 

…

"So, you're saying that a blood witch named Mary, who is apparently Maggie's younger sister, is controlling the villagers with her blood," I repeated, confirming the information I'd just learned. "And now, this Mary is trying to perform another ritual in order to gain complete control of Mr. Wickham's villagers?" 

"Yes," he confirmed, riding at full throttle. "The ritual was supposed to be performed tomorrow, but it appears that they were aware that their plan had been discovered, so they changed their plans and moved it up to today. We have to stop them before they turn those villagers into their puppets." 

So that's what it was all about. I had no idea there were other types of witches besides the white and black witches. Is a blood witch another kind of black witch?

"But there's a problem," he added, tightening his grip on the reins. "Mary has put up a magic barrier around the village, so no one can enter or leave the village. There is no one protecting the villagers as even the warriors I dispatched this morning arrived too late."

Then how can we stop them if we can't even enter the village? If we fail to stop them, they'll be able to do whatever they want to those villagers. Turning those people into their puppets is the same as killing them.

It's horrible to even remember the state of the doll-like people in the other village. It was clear that they were still alive, but they had no control over their own bodies. Their soul was trapped within their bodies, struggling to even scream for help. Those witches are using those people as they please, not allowing them to live nor die.

We can't let them have their way any longer—we have to stop them.

"...do you think you can do it?" He asked, and it appeared that I was too preoccupied with my thoughts to hear him.

"Huh? Do what?"

"Break the barrier," he answered. "You're the only one who can pull it off. Only those who are permitted and those with magic can pass through the barrier."

"W-wait! How am I supposed to break the barrier?" I asked, surprised by the sudden task. Can I really pull it off? It was the first time for me to do something this big.

"You have to locate and break the magic stones hidden throughout the village. They're the size of a palm, and Maggie said it'll be easy to find them if you keep your eyes and ears sharp." 

Can I really do it? What will happen to those villagers if I don't succeed? We won't be able to save them, and everything will be the same as it was in the other village. My failure will cost us numerous innocent lives.

Luke, noticing my nervousness, gave me a reassuring squeeze on my hand. "I know you can do it. I trust you."

I glanced at him, seeing him giving me a warm smile. He's right. I can do it—no, I have to do it. The current me has the power to change, the power to help people for the better. I'm no longer powerless, and I'm no longer oblivious of the ways of the world. I can't be the same timid Violet because I now have people who believe in my abilities and others who need my help. It's time for me to spread my wings and break free from my cage. It's time.

Nox kept running through the wintry wind, the speed causing the wind to blow hard against me and turning my hair into a tangled mess. Maybe because of the magic around me, it's not as cold as it's supposed to be.

I've been using my free time to learn more about my magic, and I've finally figured out how to control the flow of my magic. They can be a little stubborn at times, coming and going as they please, but it's definitely a lot better than before. At the very least, I can let my magic in and out at will. I finally realized what Maggie meant by holding the urge to pee.

After a few more moments of running, we finally made it closer to the village. Even from a few meters away from the village, I could smell the scent of black magic roaming in the air. I took a deep breath, calming my nerves for the big task ahead of me. I have to succeed.

As I got closer, I noticed what appeared to be a massive black wall surrounding the village, reaching as high as the sky. The wall was so dark that I couldn't see what was inside, and there was no doubt that this was the magic barrier Luke told me about.

"Can you see that?" I asked, gaping at the humongous wall ahead.

"See what? I could only see a normal-looking village," he said, so I touched his hand, causing him to pull on Nox's reins and stop. "Shit."