"Then I suggest that one should keep one's curiosity for herself and not snoop into other people's business," Christopher challenged her.

Madelin was trying very hard to contain her anger. How dare he talk to her in that tone?

"What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" He taunted her.

She took in a deep breath and lowered herself to solid ground. She eyed him from top to bottom. Her magnificent eyes glared at him and he was almost certain she was ready strike him, she turned her back to them and royally ignored his existence.

"Oh snap!" Elijah exclaimed.

"Warned you," Leo stated.

"Can we get back on the spell please," Christopher muttered under his breath.

Christopher was reading the spell over and over again until he was satisfied he had memorized it correctly. "We are doing this now," he announced with a finality in his voice that could not be ignored, "are you guys ready?"

Leo and Elijah both noted at him in confirmation. He held their hands on either side and whispered the words.

"How do we know others can't see us?" Elijah questioned.

"Let's walk next to the guard in the restricted section. If he asks us what we want then it didn't work," Leo said.

They hesitantly started making their way through the corridors to the back of the building where the restricted section of the library was located. They jumped the ropes that separated the section from the rest of the library; the guard did not even flinch. The three friends then proceeded to search for the index that would point them to the direction of the Book of Rituals.

It took them fifteen minutes to locate the book. Christopher took it off the shelf and recast the invisibility spell to cloak the book. They rushed out of the library and back to Leo's room. As soon as the door was firmly closed, a sigh of relief collectively escaped them.

◇◇◇◇

Christopher was the first to set foot in the solstice room and dashed to the solar clock. Leo and Elijah were following closely behind him.
Leo opened the book to the Approaching Ritual page and started setting up the candles on the gold medals around the clock as was indicated.

Once everything was in position, Christopher lit the candles up with one flick of his hand. He carefully mouthed the golden words on the page.

"My reach is long,
I want to behold,
those who hold,
my heart in the other world."

A light shone through the small diamond dome on top of the solar clock. The stones by the gold medals started shifting and intertwining, weaving a ladder towards the middle of the clock. Christopher was struck by a lightning bolt, which took all the strength he had not to collapse on the floor.

He grabbed on to the edges of the solar clock and held his ground, within seconds the energy he felt exhumed out of his body was returned twofold. The energy surge was exhilarating. A thick white fog engulfed him in its core, he reached through the fog, as he took a few more steps the atmosphere was clearing. Christopher found himself in the middle of a dirt road, he raised his head from the ground and his eyes fell upon the house that he had grown up in.

Oh how he missed the place and the people in it.

Hesitantly he walked towards the front entrance of the house. He was greeted by his dog, Roxy, who started barking and hopping around happily. He dropped down to his knees and took him in his arms. Roxy's face burrowed on his chest. Christopher did not know how much time he had left, he needed to go in and see the rest of his family. He heard Roxy whimper as he left her and it burdened on his heart.

He walked through the wall and into the living room; everyone was asleep in their rooms. He made his way to his parents room and with a whisk of his arms he entered into their dreams.

"Hello," he said trying to draw their attention to him.

They turned to look at him; tears filled their eyes. They run up to him and hugged him so tight that if he was still alive he would surely suffocate.

"I love you," he whispered to them.

"We...we love you too son," they managed to say through their muffled crying.

"I miss you so much. I'll be waiting for you. Please don't rush to come and meet me. I'll be watching you from up there and I want to see you happy, got it?" He voiced sweetly.

His mother was about to speak but he felt a sharp pain in his mid section. Most probably, they were discovered - he didn't care.

"How is my brother? Please tell him I love him too," he said in a hurry as the pain was getting stronger and the fog started to weave around his parents bodies.

The fog completely took over and the next thing he knew he was back in the solstice room.

"How dare you enter the solstice room without my permission?" Not waiting for an answer Queen Iris raged on. "How dare you perform a solar clock ritual, THE solar clock ritual without permission from myself and the high council?"

"Maister, imprison them immediately," Queen Iris ordered.

Zanti following the Queen's instructions conjured his magic power and directed it towards Christopher and his friends. Christopher countered the attack and deflected it to the diamond dome that shattered to dust and floated in the room.

"Christopher show respect to your Queen and stand down," she growled at him.

"Respect is earned," he spit back.

"This is how you earn it? By stealing and disrespecting the order of Silyn?"

"I never asked to be here. I never asked to be the One. I never asked for any of this," he yelled and without realizing threw everyone flat on the walls around the room.

________
Hi there,

If you liked the chapter don't forget to comment and vote!!!!

♡♡♡♡