𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 07. 𝕴𝖓 𝖂𝖍𝖎𝖈𝖍 𝕾𝖞𝖑𝖛𝖎𝖊 𝕯𝖎𝖘𝖈𝖑𝖔𝖘𝖊𝖘 "𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕾𝖆𝖓𝖈𝖙𝖚𝖆𝖗𝖞"

"What's that?" Blaze asked Sylvie once her fire went off.

"It's a form of black magic." Sylvie concluded shortly.

"Black Magic? You're saying it exists." Blaze asked, unable to believe in such mythical things.

"Do flying silver chains and bluish white flames exist?" Sylvie questioned him. Mockery and irritation was visible in her tone.

"I'm sorry. It's just... Can you please tell me more of it?" Blaze asked. He knew his statement was provoking.

"Black magic is used to harm a person or gain profit for oneself. In your case, it has been used to harm others... most specifically you. Black magic practitioners can perform spells that will cause the conjuring spirits to intentionally harm a person, either mentally, emotionally or physically. The black magic caster can do this due to jealousy, hatred or anger towards the person against whom he is casting these black magic spells, or simply because he was told to."

"But... That's vain." Rhys replied in a small voice. It was hard to accept that people can meddle with paranormal world because of their own selfish needs.

"It is. Black magic was traditionally referred to the use of supernatural powers or magic for evil and selfish purposes. With respect to the left-hand path and right-hand path dichotomy, black magic is the malicious, left-hand counterpart of the benevolent white magic.

Unlike white magic, in which parallels with primitive shamanistic efforts are used to achieve closeness with spiritual beings, the rituals that developed into modern black magic were designed to invoke those same spirits to produce beneficial outcomes for the practitioner. Thus, it's safe to say that a broad modern definition of both black and white magic, preferring instead to refer to them as "high magic" (white) and "low magic" (black) based primarily on intentions of the practitioner employing them. It is acknowledged, though, that this broader definition (of "high" and "low") suffers from prejudices because good-intentioned folk magic may be considered "low" while ceremonial magic involving expensive or exclusive components may be considered by some as "high magic", regardless of intent.

Nevertheless, it's not good to get involved in a world other than the one you currently live in. Black magic, however good may look, isn't a good choice to make. It always comes with a heavy price." Sylvie tried to explain about the difference in both worlds.

"But how do you know it's that?" Blaze tried to reason.

"I haven't wasted my life in 'The Sanctuary' becoming what I am today, to witness a day when someone like you would insult my theories." Sylvie replied bitterly. She didn't like the fact that Blaze was trying to run away from cruel reality.

"Why me though?" He asked, helpless and clueless about what he's ever done to receive something as painful as that.

"I'll tell you my theory about this whole story. The girl you met in the midnight conference wanted to have physical relationship with you. But, you pushed her away. This may have hurt her ego. As a result, she somehow, contacted 'The Sanctuary' and got you trapped in your dreams. At the end, she got what she wanted without dropping a sweat. Of course, your fiance and police couldn't find her or her traces because she wasn't even there. It was all about dreams and spirits. The one who took your innocence was some spirit summoned from the world lying in between our world (which is alive) and the other parallel world (the one who's dead), on behalf of that girl. You can't find someone who doesn't exist in either worlds." Sylvie finished her side of the story.

"Are you sure?" Blaze asked again. It was already tough for him to accept what happened in past and now, he was being told that a spirit corrupted his soul.

"I'm sure. And believe me, I'll make you sure." With that, Sylvie touched her hairpin amulet and took it out of that chain.

She held it tight and murmured something inaudible. In an instant, bluish white flames started to emerge from her whole body. Her free hand raised and formed a fist in air. Blueish white flames started to form a ring in air. In no time, those flames started changing shapes and the hairpin raised in air, splitting it's wing and forming two blue butterflies. Those butterflies started going in random directions. With that, Sylvie opened her fist and chanted something. Those butterflies started clashing in themselves and formed a multicolored butterfly in air. Sylvie enchanted something again and the butterfly vanished from site. A dark blue crystal shaped ball came in her hand. It was a beautiful site to witness.

(Initial form of the ring.)

(The blue butterflies)

(The multicolored butterfly)

(The blue crystal ball)

(Sylvie's hairpin, which she wears as an amulet)

Iside that crystal formed an image which got projected in an enlarged purple flame circle. Those circles inside that flame started changing positions and the rig suddenly turned bluish red with a picture.

(The purple holy circle)

(Flame ring :- Final Stage)

(The spirit who resembles the girl)

(Original office girl)

Seeing the girl, Blaze was taken aback. He jerked backwards and crawled closer to Rhys. Being the best friend he was, Rhys hugged his friend closer to himself seeing his discomfort.

"Who's she?" Rhys asked Sylvie.

"Now you believe?" Sylvie directed her question towards Blaze. He just nodded a little.

"That's the same girl who came to my office." Blaze whispered.

"She's no girl Blaze. The real girl who you met in meeting is her." Sylvie pointed to another image of a girl with black hair and equally black eyes. Both of them looked identical but, the first image radiated a very negative aura. It didn't mean that the second image was less negative. It radiated a rather hollow aura than negative. It made both of them sick.

"The one you see here... Is a spirit who, most probably sucked that girl's half life in order to look alike. It was the price she had to pay in order to retrieve her hurt ego from your rejection." Sylvie explained.

"She lost half of her life in this?" Blaze asked. He was shocked to see that someone could do something as vile as that just to get revenge.

"Yeah. And that spirit did nothing to you physically. It was all a dream... Or nightmare. A mere hallucination which appeared so real that you couldn't differentiate. That's what truly happened there." Sylvie finished.

"But how did the spirit know where to find him?" Rhys asked.

"That's a logical one. Black magic also known as witchcraft is usage of supernatural power for evil and selfish purposes and to perform malicious practices to destroy someone physically or mentally or financially. It needs a medium to reach it's victim. The medium can be victim's hair, clothes, photo or looking directly into eyes. But, I know it's not the case here or the outcome wouldn't have been so easy. Which concludes that Blaze must have gotten something, like a gift, which acted as a path for the spirit to see him."

"But I didn't receive any present at that time." He asked.

"Try to remember. There had to be something. Anything." He then, remembered that his office wall clock had been exchanged at that time due to the old one getting broken. He narrated it to others.

"Individuals with weak horoscopes or having malefic positions of planets in horoscopes are easy targets of black magic as they have weak aura around themselves. And you're no exception. That's why you were an easy target." Sylvie answered.

Suddenly, an spark ignited from the walls and Sylvie cried in pain. The chains which bound her feet changed their colours and Sylvie once again cried in pain. Rhys leapt forward to see what was happening. When he touched the chain, he felt electricity inside his whole body.

"Leave that chain." Sylvie ordered Rhys.

"I can't and I won't." Speaking this Rhys caught hold of the chains.

Suddenly, a blue light started illuminating beneath Rhys's shirt. It was his pendant, the one Luna gifted him on their wedding. She said it was from their late parents and he should never ever remove it from his neck.

The electricity had stopped flowing through the chains and Sylvie tried sitting straight with Rhys's help.

"What was that?" Blaze hurried towards his friend.

"The bars work with magic. The same magic that 'The Sanctuary' functions with. It's all to keep my powers in check. But, what did you do there?" Sylvie looked at Rhys.

"I didn't do anything. Maybe it was this..." Rhys took out his pendant which was aquamarine in colour and had a crescent moon shape.

(Rhys's Pendant which he received from Luna)

"Where'd you get that from?" Sylvie questioned.

"My wife gave it to me on our wedding. She has a similar one but, with different colors. Even Mavis have one." Rhys told Sylvie about his wedding gift.

"This is getting interesting..." Sylvie smirked while looking at the crystal.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

Number of words (Excluding Author's Note) :- 1518

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

Author's Note :

I can't believe I updated. But, now that's it's done... I don't have much to say today. Anyways Happy April's Fool Day. I don't know if should wish a day like this or not... But okay.

Let me know what you thought of this chapter and the characters so far.

The next chapter is about Rhys. So, are you excited to know what truly happened with Rhys and Luna?

What's this pendant he and Luna and Mavis have?

Stay tuned to know that. Till then, take care of yourself and the people around yourself.