DYING MOURNINGS, original

nineteen : return of the first

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𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 : 𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐍 

𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓

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When I opened my eyes, I recognized where I was but the way my father was looking at me told me this was not what he'd planned. His eyes were wide, an old book in his hands where he sat on the couch. Even Pandora, who was holding a bowl of popcorn, which I didn't know ghosts could eat, seemed shocked and frozen at my sudden arrival.

"Why are you here?" asked Pandora.

"How are you here?" corrected Cage with a frown now melting into his shocked expression. "I didn't summon you nor did I visit."

"This wasn't you?" I asked, pointing to myself as I slowly sat up. My clothes were stiff and the blood had traveled with me here. Or, traveled with my subconscious because I didn't seep into the ground this time. I wasn't dragged or taken anywhere besides into unconsciousness.

"Did you use a geata?" he asked and I shook my head. "Then how the hell are you here because you shouldn't be. I didn't summon you and you...it's like you're not really here. You're flickering, Blaire."

I looked down at my hands. It was as if I was blurry or a light was flashing over my skin. I didn't feel entirely there. It was a feeling I could only associate with being light headed. "I don't know why I'm here, I don't–I don't understand."

"I was planning on coming and speaking to you," said Cage as he closed the book he had in his hands and stood, "but not in this manner. I'd never use your body as a geata, I'd never purposefully drain you of life."

"Then who brought me here?"

"You could've brought yourself," he said with a frown, always frowning. "You could've pulled yourself away from the caster, believing you were being summoned by me like you have many times before. You're powerful enough to change course but, kid, it's not safe for you here if you're still bleeding on the other side."

I scowled, I knew that. "Then you better tell me what you need me to know before I crawl my way out of here somehow."

"It's about the spells you've been looking for," said Pandora, chiming in with a grim look. I never liked when she looked fearful, it made me want to be scared. "You've found the binding spell but there's one...well...we found one you'll want to use."

"One that's not going to result in me having to sacrifice myself?" I asked.

She nodded.

"It's a spell your mother created," said Cage, giving both of us two separate looks. "It only works once, so when you cast it, that's all you've got. One try, one chance. Do you understand?"

I hated when he spoke down to me, like I was a child. I nodded anyway.

"It'll bring you back when you die," he explained, grabbing his book from the couch and opening it to me. He ran his finger along the inside cover. "Your mother hid it here in her grimoire. We aren't exactly sure the parameters of the spell, if it can bring a..." He glanced at Pandora and she narrowed her eyes dangerously at him. "...we aren't sure if it'll be powerful enough to bring a demon back from the dead."