“It will weaken you physically, too. This kind of magic isn’teasy to undo. Are you sure?” Mama asks, cupping my cheeks as she searches my eyes, as if looking for even a speck of doubt in them. Her gorgeous, bright blue eyes are full of concern and love, and I wish I didn’t make her worry so much.
I nod. They don’t know what it wants from me, the hell it wants to unleash.
They exchange looks, and Aunty Ri takes a deep breath, shaking her head and squaring her shoulders. “Alright then, let’s do this.”
I smile. Despite the heightened emotions in the room, I am more excited than anything else. Even as Aunty Ri and Mama prepare to perform the strongest binding spell, all I can think of is having these thoughts gone for good.
They use it on Dante at times to suppress his powers. He’s a demigod, so they can’t suppress his powers by much, but it allows him to be in the presence of others without making it feel like everyone will drown under the sheer weight of his aura alone.
“Thank you, and good luck!” I shout over the growing whispers as I look at the strongest witch duo I know. Mama’s magic relies more on her demon side; necromancy is her forte, but she avoids it, and Aunty Ri is incredible, her witch blood is strong.
They begin chanting, their power swirling around them, their eyes glowing, and I see Mama shifting into her demon form. Terrifyingly beautiful, yet somehow not entirely human. Gravity defies their hair as I feel the power wrap around me, and I don’t fight it, wanting it to take away this hurricane inside of me.
Finally, I can be free from the terrifying thoughts.
I close my eyes, calming myself as the power intensifies, their chanting becoming louder and more aggressive, and it starts to hammer at my head. I try to remain motionless, taking deep, steady breaths, but it’s hurting… I don’t like it…. The power within me doesn’t like it.
It doesn’t want to be stopped; it wants to stop them.
My eyes snap open as if by a will of their own, falling on the two women.
I want to kill them. I want to end them for daring to try to suppress me!
My stomach twists, my heart thudding at the horrid thought.
I will never wish harm on them! Go away!
I see the glowing chains of magic, each link engraved with runes as they begin to wrap around me.
Calm down!
I tell myself, trying to steady my emotions as Aunty and Mama’s voices get louder. The spell is almost complete, but how come I don’t feel different?
The whispers in my head are hammering against my skull, and I grab my hair.
It’s too much, it hurts. I can’t think- I can’t think! Stop!
STOP!
A surge of energy lashes out from me in every direction, hammering against the chains until they shatter, throwing Aunty Ri and Mama back against the wall behind them. They raise a shield, but barely as I try to force my power back inside of me, but it unravels, and all the magic comes to an abrupt stop, and I drop to my knees.
“Why didn’t it work?!” Mama cries, rushing to my side.
“Maybe she’s more demon, like Ahren…” Aunty Ri murmurs as she stands and dusts herself off, her eyes burning into me. “Her hair used to be a dark brown, but now it’s so much redder; she’s looking more and more like you do in your demon form. We don’t know how genetics work in demons… it could be that.”
I look up, understanding of the situation sinking in, and it makes my heart sink.
It didn’t work… There may not be a solution.
“What can we do then?!” I ask desperately, my voice shaky.
“Maybe your mama can try to use the same binding spell that she has used on Ahren a few times?” Aunty suggests, but she doesn’t sound confident. She glances over at Mama, who frowns as she ponders over her suggestion.
“That’s temporary, and if she’s a stronger demon than I am, it won’t work anyway,” Mama says after a moment.
“Try it! I need you to try it, Mama,” I plead, misery filling me.
Mama nods, hugging me tightly. She then stands up, and this time, without even saying a word, cuts her hand, letting the blood fall before she swirls her hand in the air, and the blood frizzles up. Her red eyes glow as power wraps around me. This time, it barely touches me, and then I feel my own powers surge forward and shatter it like it is made of the thinnest, most fragile glass ever. Gone, before it could even get any closer. Mama stumbles back, but this time Aunty Ri is prepared and deflects it, catching Mama by the shoulders before she lets go of her and crosses her arms.
