The moon hung heavy in the sky, casting its silvery glow over the ancient ruins Elara had only seen in books. Moss covered the broken stones, and vines had claimed what was once a grand temple. Time had not been kind, and yet, beneath the decay, magic still hummed—ancient, raw, and restless.
Kael moved ahead of her, his cloak brushing against the overgrowth. His sword, ever close to his side, glowed faintly with the enchantment Elara had carved into it only days ago. It was her protection. His reassurance.
"Are you sure it's here?" she asked, her voice low. Every whisper echoed like a scream among the ruins.
Kael nodded. "The binding spell that sealed her... it was performed here. This is where your sister last stood before she vanished."
Elara's breath hitched. Not because she was afraid—though she was—but because hearing someone say "your sister" out loud again felt like opening a wound that had never truly healed.
Elisia.
The name hung over her heart like a ghost. Once full of light, laughter, and gentle mischief, Elisia had changed the night she touched the cursed grimoire. A mistake? Perhaps. But the darkness had taken root in her, blooming into something far more dangerous.
Elara stepped through a broken archway, her fingers trailing against the ancient symbols etched into stone. She could feel it now—the pulse. A faint thrum under her skin, responding to her presence.
"She's close," she whispered.
Kael didn't question her. He had long since learned to trust Elara's instincts, especially when it came to blood magic. Especially when it came to her family.
The wind picked up. Leaves spiraled in the air like dancers in mourning. And then, they saw her.
She stood at the heart of the ruins, a silhouette in silver and shadow. Her long white hair blew like silk in the wind. A cloak darker than midnight wrapped around her form. And her eyes—those once warm and honey-golden eyes—now shimmered with violet fire.
"Elisia," Elara breathed, stepping forward despite the fear clawing at her chest.
The woman didn't move. She didn't even blink. But Elara knew. This was no illusion. This was her sister.
"You shouldn't have come," Elisia said, her voice a haunting melody. "I didn't summon you."
"No," Elara said. "But I felt you. I always do."
Kael stepped beside her, tense, protective. But Elara gently put a hand on his arm and stepped forward.
"Elisia, it doesn't have to be like this. Whatever the grimoire promised you, it was a lie. You were meant for more than this."
Elisia tilted her head. "A lie? Sister, I have seen the world beneath the veil. The truth is not what they taught us. We were born of magic. We are not meant to hide it—we are meant to rule it."
"You don't understand what you're saying—"
"Oh, I do." Her eyes narrowed. "I remember how they feared us. How the elders made us bind our power. We were told to shrink, to obey, to silence ourselves for the safety of others. But no more."
Elara's heart ached. "You were never meant to destroy everything. You were meant to heal, to create."
"I tried that once. And the world spat on it."
Kael gripped his sword. "She's stalling."
"No," Elara said firmly. "She's hurting."
She stepped even closer until only a few feet separated them. The air between them pulsed with energy, thick and trembling.
"I miss you," Elara said, her voice shaking. "Every single day. I thought I lost you forever. But you're still in there, aren't you? Somewhere?"
Something flickered in Elisia's eyes. Doubt? Pain? Memory?
For a moment, the forest seemed to still.
Then Elisia raised her hand.
Dark energy gathered at her palm, swirling like a storm. "If you truly miss me, then join me. Embrace who we are. Unleash the power within you."
"I will never hurt innocent people, Elisia. That's not who we are."
"You don't understand," Elisia snapped, her voice trembling. "You were always the favored one. The healer. The light. I was the shadow even when I tried to shine."
"That's not true!"
Elisia's magic surged. Kael stepped forward, his sword gleaming—but Elara raised her hand to stop him.
"Elisia, look at me," she pleaded. "Please. You're not my enemy. You're my sister. My blood. Come home."
The storm of magic trembled in Elisia's hands. Her lips parted.
Then came the scream.
Not from Elisia. Not from Elara.
But from the forest itself.
A rip tore through the sky above them. A crack in the veil. Something darker than Elisia. Something older. The grimoire's magic had called something through.
"Elara, get back!" Kael shouted, grabbing her just as the air exploded in a blast of violet and black.
The ground shook. The ancient ruins began to crumble. A monstrous form stepped from the rift—a creature cloaked in shadows, eyes glowing like dying suns. It hissed, and the sound sent crows scattering into the night.
Elisia stumbled back, clearly shaken. "No... that wasn't supposed to happen."
"Elisia!" Elara cried, reaching for her.
But the creature lunged.
Kael threw his sword, imbued with Elara's light, and it pierced the beast's shoulder. It shrieked, darkness bleeding into the air like ink in water.
Elara grabbed Elisia's arm. "We have to go! Now!"
But Elisia was frozen. Terrified. Vulnerable.
"Elisia, listen to me!" Elara shouted. "You didn't summon a god. You summoned a demon. We have to stop it—together!"
Tears welled in Elisia's eyes, and for the first time in years, her lips quivered with something that looked like regret. "I didn't mean to…"
"We'll fix this," Elara said fiercely. "But you have to trust me."
The creature roared again, wings unfurling as it rose above the temple ruins. Its voice echoed in a thousand tongues—none of them human.
"Elara," Kael called, bleeding from a cut on his forehead. "Now!"
Elara looked at Elisia one last time, then took her hand.
And they ran.