The Curse ✔️

Chapter 50: Sacrifice

Leon and I almost slammed straight into the ooze, and we staggered back in the last second. But when we turned around, the black ooze has already taken the way we came from. Fire exploded from Leon's hands, but the ooze went straight through it.

The entire building shook. The wooden doors caught fire. The walls cracked.

It poured from everywhere. Every single particle in the building was suddenly heading towards us.

"Leon!" I cried and dropped on the floor. "Keep it burning!"

"As long as I can!" He grunted, but the fire hissed and licked the ooze, slowing its momentum.

Magic pounded through me. I let it control me. It knew what to do. It moved in circles, wild and unstoppable, taken off the leash. A tornado of black magic circled us, stopping the ooze in its tracks. My head began to hurt immediately and my limbs shook, but I let it happen.

"Come on, come on, come on." I gritted my teeth, pushing forward with everything I had.

The ooze slammed into my magic, and my magic responded with another strong push.

We came to a standstill.

"Keep it going!" Leon was standing next to me, his hands spread out, burning all the way to his shoulders. "I can push through."

I had no time to draw a protection circle. No energy to focus on the demon still lurking somewhere around me.

We were stuck.

Fear rippled through me and my strength wavered.

"Oh, come on!" I strained against the ooze. "Fuck you! Come and fight me like a man!"

"Jade." The fire was still bursting from Leon's hands, and I noticed his fingertips were charred. "Don't provoke a demon!"

"Come on!" I repeated, every inch of my body tensing.

More black ooze piled on top, adding its strength to the group, thrusting through my magic. A scattered cry left my lips. Sweat covered my forehead and my neck. Blood pooled in my brain and out through my nose, even my organs feeling the strain. Magic tore through me from the inside out.

I couldn't do it.

"Jade." Leon's voice changed, making me look up. "Keep it at bay. I can push through."

His eyebrows were furrowed, jaw taut, and a sheen of sweat glistened on his forehead. He narrowed his eyes on the target, and every ounce of energy seemed focused on that final push. Fire took his arms, dangerously close to his torso, to his cheeks, his hair.

But the ooze right in front of him gave way.

I pulled myself off the floor, focused on keeping the circle around us safe.

"Come on, come on, come on." I chanted, adrenaline pounding through me.

The magic emphasizer on my palm burned.

Heat rose in the middle of the magic and ooze tornado. We would burn alive before it touched us. We would be crisp and yummy for it to consume. Anger coursed through me, awakening amidst the chaos.

"Is this how demons operate?" I shouted into the air. "Sending your little soldiers after your enemies instead of facing me yourself? Come out! Let's- let's make this fucking fair!"

A chuckle rippled around me, freezing the very blood in my veins.

"Fuck, Jade!" Leon shouted. "I'm breaking through!"

And he did. Right in the middle of the ooze, where the fire hit the strongest, a light came through. And with that, some air.

"Holy shit!" Someone shouted from the other side. "What the fuck is this?!"