My Long Lost Mate - Chapter 135

“How am I supposed to destroy this?”

Though Luke did say I should use my magic to destroy it, he didn’t tell me how. How am I supposed to destroy this stone when I can bȧrėly let my magic in and out at will?

I stared at the magic stone in my hand, turning it around to examine its body. When I got a closer look, I realized that the stone wasn’t black at all, but rather transparent. The black magic flowing inside the stone was what made it appear to be the color black.

I put the stone back to the ground, took a deep breath, then yelled out as I pointed at the stone, “Shatter!” Nothing. “Destroy!” Nothing. “Perish!” Nothing. “Gone!” Still nothing.

Am I even doing it right? I’ve heard about how witches often use a magic spell of some sort to perform magic, but why is this not working?  What’s the point of finding the magic stones if I don’t know how to destroy them? I sighed.

Not wanting to give up, I continued to use every word I knew to destroy the stone, but still received nothing as a result.. I tried smashing, throwing, stomping, nothing worked. What is this even made of?!

I can’t stay like this. I’m wasting way too much time. The people are in grave danger while I’m screaming at this stone like a fool. I should first look for the other magic stones and figure out the way to destroy them along the way.

Just as I was about to stand, I heard someone’s voice behind me.

“What are you doing?” I froze.

Oh no. Am I caught? I quickly hid the stone in my pocket, racking through my brain to come up with an excuse—or come up with an escape.

“I—uh, I was… I was looking for this!” I pulled a kerchief out of my pocket and smiled at the girl, hoping to convince her. “My mother gifted me this when I was young, and it’s the only thing I have left of her. I thought I’d lost it for good,” I faked a sigh, acting relieved as I hugged the kerchief.

She only stared at me, an unknown expression on her face. She blinked. I blinked. Moments passed with an awkward, nerve-wracking silence until she smiled brightly at me, clapping her hands as she said, “So you were on a treasure hunt!”

“Y-yes, something like that,” I faked a laugh, also clapping. “But the hunt is over now, so I’ll be going. You should go play with your friends.” I waved her goodbye as I walked away, but the gesture was not reciprocated. The girl kept her smile and continued to clap, standing at the same spot as she watched me walk away. Her eyes never left me.

I take back my words. She’s not any saner than the rest of the people here.

I hastened my pace, hoping to quickly leave her sight. After walking a little further away, I decided to look back at the girl, wanting to see if she had left, but no. She was still there, still smiling—clapping. And her eyes were still on me. I spun around faster than the speed of light.

Hell no.

I made a turn and hid behind a house, seeking safety among the shadows. The people were still the same, dragging their bodies around for whatever reason there is. By the look of it, the ritual hasn’t started. There haven’t been any witches in sight either.

Where are they hiding?

It’s strange. Why are they still hiding if they’ve already made a magic barrier around the village? No one but a witch will be able to enter, so what was the use of them hiding? They could literally do anything they wanted without being interrupted.

They said a witch could instantly recognize another witch, but I hadn’t seen one since I entered the village. I could only see these half-mad people around here.

I took the magic stone from my pocket, sighing as I saw it was still in perfect condition. If only I was better at magic, destroying this stone would be a piece of cake… probably. No, stop. This is not the time to be miserable. I have to find the other magic stones as soon as possible.

I glanced out of the shadows, making sure that no one—the young girl—was no longer in sight. I put the stone back into my pocket, ready to move out of the shadow when I heard a crack.

Wait—a crack?

I quickly pulled the magic stone back, surprised to see a crack in its body. Though happy, I was confused as I had no idea what I had done to it. I reenacted the way I pulled the magic stone in and out of my pocket, hoping to widen the crack, but it was to no avail. What did I even do?

Let’s see… I pulled the stone out of my pocket, stared at it, and sighed. I held it for a few moments before putting it back in my pocket. Then it cracked. Which action could have possibly broken the stone?

Is it perhaps reacting to my magic because I held it for a long time? If it’s true, then it’s worth a try. I put the stone in my palms, trying to focus my magic on the stone in my hands. I closed my eyes.

Stay calm and focus. Feel the magic flow all around your body, notice how they move and how they hover around you. Don’t let them control you, but control them. Focus on their movement and lead them to your hands, let them gather.

Stay calm… Stay focused…

CRACK!!

I did it!! I broke the magic stone!!

I was right. The black magic inside the stone reacted to my magic. Now all I needed to do was to look for the remaining magic stones. I had to find them before the ritual started.

I pulled my hood to cover my face and went out of the shadows, going deeper to reach the end of the village. Everything was going well, until a loud bell was heard.

The bell rang so loudly that it echoed throughout the village, and I’m sure people outside could hear it as well. Upon hearing the bell, the people who had been dragging their bodies around suddenly stood up straight, as if mesmerized by the sound.

What’s going on?

“Sister… sister is calling,” a woman with a terrible raspy voice said, turning to the direction on my left. A few people followed behind her, also mumbling about how their sister was calling. Everyone but me started to walk in the same direction, following the sound.

By sister, did they perhaps mean the black witches? If so, then it’s only a matter of time before the ritual starts. I should hurry. We’re really running out of time.

I immediately ran past the people, going in a different direction than the others. Should someone see me right now, I’d definitely stick out like a sore thumb. But there’s a bigger problem than that.

I ran as fast as I could, utilizing every ounce of strength I had in me. I kept my eyes on my surroundings, hoping to come across a magic stone along the way. How many of them are there? Should there be more than two magic stones, then I’m doomed. We all are.

Deciding that it would be faster for me to use my nose, I crouched down and sniffed the ground, hoping to find something that reeked of black magic. Surprisingly, I found one right away. The scent was too terrible for me to miss it.

I picked up the stone from the ground and placed it between my palms, repeating what I had done with the first stone. I took a deep breath, then started to focus on the flow of my magic, leading them to my palms. But not long after I started, I was interrupted by a voice behind me.

“What are you doing?”

It was the same young girl.