Crossed Spells

Chapter 1: Darkness and Light (Part 2)

Aria crossed the threshold of her new home, a box in her arms. The interior was as charming as the exterior, with dark oak woodwork and polished wooden floors that creaked softly under her steps. The living room, to her right, was bathed in the golden light of the setting sun filtering through the large windows. To the left, a dining room opened onto a kitchen with granite countertops. Everything seemed so... normal. So peaceful.

"Your room is upstairs, second door on the right," said Elena, placing a box on the kitchen counter. "Why don't you go take a look while I start unpacking here?"

Aria nodded and headed for the stairs. The steps creaked slightly under her weight, as if the house was welcoming her in its own way. Upstairs, she easily found her room and pushed the door open.

The room was larger than her old one, with two large windows overlooking the backyard and the big oak tree she had spotted earlier. The walls were painted a soothing pale blue, and a small wooden desk was placed under one of the windows. Aria put down her box and approached the window, observing the garden darkening with twilight.

That's when she saw him again. Not in person, but in her mind. The boy on the sidewalk, the one who seemed to have... reacted to her presence. She closed her eyes, trying to remember every detail. His messy black hair, his dark eyes, the way the shadows seemed to dance around him.

Suddenly, a familiar sensation tingled at her fingertips. Aria opened her eyes abruptly and saw with horror that her hands were emitting a soft white glow. "No, no, no," she whispered, clenching her fists. "Control yourself, Aria. Control yourself."

She closed her eyes again, focusing on her breathing as her mother had taught her. Inhale, exhale. Slowly, the glow faded, leaving Aria shaking and worried. It had been months since she had lost control like this. What had changed?

A knock on her door made her jump. "Aria? Everything okay in there?" Elena asked.

Aria took a deep breath before answering. "Yes, mom. Everything's fine. I'm coming to help you unpack."

Meanwhile, a few streets away, Lucas Blackwood crossed the threshold of the family home, an imposing Victorian mansion that seemed to have its own aura of mystery. He had barely closed the door behind him when a deep voice called out from the living room.

"Lucas? Is that you?"

"Yes, dad," he replied, hesitating for a moment before adding, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Damien Blackwood appeared in the doorway, tall and imposing, with the same black hair as his son and eyes so dark brown they appeared almost black. His expression was serious, as always.

"What's going on?" he asked, his tone indicating he already suspected the answer.

Lucas took a deep breath. "It happened again. My powers... they... I couldn't control them."

Damien's face hardened. "Show me," he ordered, guiding Lucas to the basement of the house.

The Blackwood basement was nothing like the rest of the house. Where the ground floor and upper floor were tastefully decorated in a modern Victorian style, the basement resembled a sort of medieval vault. The walls were rough stone, with strange symbols engraved here and there. Shelves covered most of the walls, filled with ancient books, jars containing unidentifiable substances, and mysterious-looking artifacts.

In the center of the room was a large circle traced on the stone floor, filled with complex symbols that seemed to almost move in the dim light of the oil lamps hanging on the walls.

"Enter the circle," Damien ordered, his voice leaving no room for discussion.

Lucas obeyed, placing himself in the center of the circle. He knew this routine well, having experienced it dozens of times since his powers first manifested at the age of 13.