Fates and Thrones

Ritual

As I grabbed the matches I went to start at the green candle, but Ajita shook her head as she glanced up from her book. She pointed at the blue candle, before putting her nose back into her book. "We need to hurry!" I pushed as I turned left and walked to the west.

Instead of responding audibly, the book snapped shut. Her eyes turned to the center before she started speaking.

"Water, I greet you. I ask you to come to my circle to help cleanse the loneliness of this child. I ask that you wash away the hate, and the bloodthirst from this beast and return into the infant it was meant to be." Her voice amplified as she spoke.

As she finished, I lit the candle. The air around us turning salty, and the sounds of the ocean roaring filled my ears. I set the candle back down before turning left towards the red candle.

I turned towards the red candle, feeling the weight of Ajita's gaze as she spoke.

"Fire, I greet you," she called, her voice steady but powerful. "I ask you to lend your strength to this circle. Burn away the fear that grips this creature's soul. Melt the hatred and cleanse the corruption that twists its form."

The moment she finished, I struck the match and lit the red candle. The flames crackled to life, and the temperature around us surged. The air grew drier, the faint scent of ash curling into the breeze. The shadows cast by the trees seemed to stretch and sway, as if alive, moving in sync with the flickering fire.

Without hesitation, I moved toward the yellow candle to the south. The forest around us had grown unnaturally quiet, the only sounds now the crackle of the red flame and the soft, rhythmic rustle of the wind.

I crouched by the yellow candle, waiting for Ajita's command. Her voice, now laced with urgency, cut through the stillness.

"Air, I greet you," she said, her tone shifting to one of reverence. "I ask you to fill this circle with your breath, to lift the pain and despair that has bound this creature. Let your winds carry away the darkness and return peace to this soul."

As soon as she finished, I struck the match and lit the candle. A gust of wind whipped through the trees, rustling the leaves and swirling around us. It was as though the very air around us had taken a deep breath, the breeze growing stronger, sharper. I felt it tug at my clothes, cool and refreshing, but tinged with the sense of something watching, waiting.

With a quick glance at Ajita, who remained focused and determined, I turned to the final candle.green, the element of Earth.

I approached the green candle, the final step. The air around us seemed to thicken, as though the forest itself was holding its breath. Ajita's voice softened but carried a weight that echoed through the trees.

"Earth, I greet you," she murmured, her words reverberating through the ground beneath us. "I call upon your strength to anchor this circle. Let your roots hold steady against the darkness. Return the lost soul of this child to the innocence it once knew. Bury the hatred deep within, where it can harm no more."

I struck the final match and lit the green candle. Immediately, the ground beneath us shifted, a low hum rising from the earth itself. The scent of damp soil filled the air, and the trees seemed to groan, their roots tightening as if the forest had awakened. The earth felt alive.solid yet trembling with energy.

I glanced at Aleesia, still cradling the goblin-like creature in her arms, her face drained of color but her eyes wide with hope. The circle was complete, the elements summoned, but the Tiyanak hadn't yet released its grip. The ritual was working, but time was running out.

I turned and looked at Ajita who produced one more solid white candle and set it next to her sister's. "Tiyanak, I name thee. I see that you have not had the chance to move on. And you now haunt these woods in hopes for peace. However, hatred and killing is not the answer.

"Death claims us all, but we all do not get to experience the afterlife." Her voice softened as she reached for the monster and grabbed it from her sister. The hungry thing easily letting go and latched on to a new snack.

"I name thee, Ryker." Her voice is barely above a whisper. "And if you need one final meal, let it be me. Not my sister."

Aleesia's eyes widened, her lips trembling as she tried to protest, but her voice was too faint, too fragile. The goblin-like creature shifted its focus, its dark eyes locking onto Ajita with a newfound hunger.

The air seemed to thicken, pressing in from all sides. The candles flickered, the flames swaying violently, as though they too could sense the danger. I felt my pulse quicken, but Ajita remained unnervingly calm, her hands steady as she held the monster.

"Ryker," she whispered again, the name heavy in the air. As she spoke it, the ground beneath us trembled. The very earth seemed to acknowledge her words, as if this was not just a name but an ancient, powerful truth being spoken.

The Tiyanak twitched, its sharp teeth grazing her skin. For a moment, everything stood still, as if the forest itself was watching. Ajita knelt beside her sister; her eyes soft but determined. I held my breath as I watched the twins. Aleesia barely pulling herself up, screaming and begging, Ajita staring at her with such love before she bowed her head as the Tiyanak struck.

"If you need one last meal, let it be me," she repeated, her voice resolute. "But once you are done, you must move on. Find the peace you've been denied."

The creature's grip tightened, its small, clawed fingers pressing into Ajita's arm. I held my breath, helpless, waiting for the moment the Tiyanak would strike. "No!" Aleesia wailed before forcing the white candles in front of her to light. "Thou are named, thou has had a funeral. Enough killing. Be at peace."

"Nekrosyl, I call upon thee. I beg you to take this soul home, show them love and a home." Aleesia's only answer was a branch bowing to her, in the shape of an oar. She nodded to herself before looking North.

"Beloved Earth, I greet you as I bid you farewell." She turned as the trees stopped waving.

"Beloved Air, I greet you as I bid you farewell." Turning again as the candle went out on its own.

"Beloved Fire, I greet you as I bid you farewell." One final turn.

"Beloved Water, I greet you as I bid you farewell." I reached into my pocket and pulled out two coins and walked to her. I dropped to my knees and pressed them in her hand.

"For the ferryman."