Threads of Shadow ☽

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆ six ⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

The room held an eerie tension, two figures caught in the grip of an unseen malevolence. Trey, the nature whiz, was fading fast, his life force slipping away like sand through an hourglass. Beside him, Luna, the enchantress herself, was a mere shadow of her vibrant self. I lingered at the doorway, my gaze fixed on the tragic scene before me. Even though Trey's essence had been drained, faint traces of it lingered, delicate as gossamer threads hanging on by a thread.

Suddenly, Syina's voice sliced through the heavy air, a sharp interruption to the somber atmosphere. She materialized next to me, her words dripping with accusation like poison. "You're behind all of this," she accused, suspicion burning in her eyes.

I turned to face her, frustration simmering beneath the surface. "Seriously? Just because you're all about light magic doesn't mean we're sworn enemies," I retorted, my voice tinged with defiance.

A sardonic smile played on her lips, her gaze locking onto mine with a challenging glint. "Oh, it's not about magic," she countered, her tone a blend of mockery and disdain. "It's about you. Creepy and unpredictable. And don't play innocent—dark ones like you can't be trusted, as Ms. Rosemary warned." She took a step closer, her body language daring me to deny her accusations. "I've seen you whispering to those shadows, and I know they're pushing you to embrace the darkness in these two. So what's holding you back? Why hesitate?" Her arms folded defiantly, a stance that practically screamed 'bring it on.'

I stepped right up to her, almost nose-to-nose. "And what if doing that makes me unable to control my magic? Like, sure, I'd feel great in the moment, but you'll end up on that death bed just like them ..ever seen what a witch gone totally dark can pull off?" I smirked, letting a hint of defiance show. "I'm not looking to pick fights, but hey, if that's what you want... I can turn your world upside down without breaking a sweat."

"I'm not scared of you." Syina said. 

"You sure?" With that, I casually shrugged past her. 

Syina let out an annoyed puff before turning to catch the last glimpses of the fading souls. 

Mina and Stella hurried over, clutching some book like it held the secrets of the universe. They practically dragged me back to our dorm, and then that book was laid out like some ancient treasure map. Mina traced her highlighted lines with her finger, her voice taking on a determined hush. "Thing is, we gotta make the bad worse if we wanna make it better," she said, sounding dead serious.

I'd already pieced that together, but I played along, giving Mina's ego a little pat. "Who would've thought of that? Nice one," I said with a grin.

"Yeah," Stella chimed in, "so we figured, if a fairy messed things up, maybe one could un-mess them too. But we hit a roadblock."

"Turns out, fairies have this sacred ceremony," Mina continued, her olive skin kind of glowing, making her freckles stand out even more. "The Petal's Soiree, first couple weeks of every month."

"It's like the Mermaid's Crystal Cleanse," Stella added, looking all pleased with herself. "Seems like all these mystical groups have their secret dances. Witches probably do too, yeah?"

"I've got my rituals, but it's not like a formal party," I replied. And somewhere in there, I wondered if that's why Khaz had gone AWOL. My mind wandered for a sec before I snapped back. "So, it sounds like a field trip to Fairyland is in order. Which enchanted forest are we crashing?" I shot them a questioning look.

Stella's lithe form unfurled with an elegance that seemed innate, her presence a dance in itself as she uncoiled from her perch on the bed. The glimmer in her eyes kindled a mischievousness that played out like a silent symphony of secrets shared only between us. "Silly, fairies aren't all in trees, it really just depends on what kind of fairy Khaz is," she mused, her words suspended in the air like a delicate wisp of curiosity.