A Witch's Howl

you, again?

I hadn't anticipated being stuck like this. Spells had always come naturally to me, and it was frustrating to encounter a mental block. No matter how much passion I poured into the incantations, the further I seemed to drift from success. This afternoon, Sebastian arranged a meeting with an elder to address my newfound issues with magic.

I felt slightly offended. In my 23 years of life, I'd never needed assistance with a spell. This might have been the Book of Nachos or whatever, but I was Lilian Shaw, a little chaotic and slightly eccentric, but I knew what I was doing.

I arrived early at the pack house, making my way upstairs to Sebastian's office. He wasn't there yet, so I claimed his chair. I was engrossed in my research on the computer, the Eye of Nyctos perched on my coffee cup. A few minutes later, Sebastian entered and spotted me in his chair.

"Alpha Lily, what are you working on?" he playfully inquired in his deep voice. I spun around in the chair to face him.

"I'm researching the spells," I responded.

"The elder will be here any minute," he reminded me, planting a quick kiss on my cheek. I stood from the chair just as the elder stormed through the door, scrutinizing Sebastian and me with his beady little eyes.

"Is that the Diablerie on top of your coffee cup?" he asked, his tone judgmental. Sebastian retrieved the book and carefully set it atop a pile of papers.

"Rogelio, thank you for coming so quickly," Sebastian said, shaking the elder's hand.

The elder picked up the book from the desk and laughed. "I'm not surprised you haven't been able to open it."

I frowned. "Well, I did. So why aren't you surprised?"

"Your family lineage isn't suited for these spells," he retorted. I scoffed and opened my mouth, ready to protest.

"Alright, then, why don't you open it?" I challenged.

"Kid, this book," he said, tossing it into the bin. "Is useless for any witch."

"It's the most powerful book in history," I responded, slightly offended.

"It is powerful, but power means nothing when you can't wield it," he sympathized with my expression. "There's only one witch who could even touch this, and she's now dead."

I responded with silence and floated the book toward him. He appeared completely calm and nonchalant about it. The book's eye glowed purple, and it opened in front of him. His eyes widened, and he swiftly moved away. The book floated back in front of me, and I locked eyes with the man now on the ground.

Sebastian approached the elder and helped him up. "Are you alright, Rogelio?" he asked.

The elder then approached me, muttering as he looked all around me. Suddenly, he reached out and pulled a speck of my soul from me. "You, might have a chance."

In that moment, I witnessed a fascinating transformation in the elderly man. His initial calm and collected demeanor dissolved into pure excitement. The book that was now open before us seemed to have ignited a spark of anticipation within him.

Sebastian and I exchanged puzzled glances as the elder's hands trembled with a mixture of astonishment and fervor. He muttered to himself, his gaze never wavering from the pages of the book. It was clear that something extraordinary had unfolded, but I couldn't grasp the significance of it.

Sebastian finally voiced his confusion. "Rogelio, what's happening?"

Rogelio seemed to snap out of his trance and turned to us, his eyes wide with amazement. "This book, you see, hasn't been open since the original was destroyed."

I felt a chill run down my spine, and I shared a questioning look with Sebastian. The old man's revelation was ominous, and it raised countless more questions about the book's history and power.

I watched with eager anticipation as Rogelio asked me to cast a spell using the open book. My heart raced, and I couldn't help but feel the weight of the moment as I voiced out a powerful incantation. "Caelum Finitum," I uttered, hoping to witness the magic I had been struggling with finally take effect.

But to my dismay, nothing happened. No shimmering lights, no mystical surge of energy, just the eerie stillness of the room.

Rogelio, undeterred, stepped forward, and with the utmost concentration, he began to chant another spell. His voice was low and resonant, carrying an air of authority. The room grew heavy with anticipation as the ancient words flowed from his lips. Yet, as the seconds passed, there was still no magical response.

I looked at Sebastian, frustration building within me.

"That's very odd, are you sure this is the correct copy?" He ask confused. Imagine being so good at magic you think the spell book is the issue. Couldn't be me.

"It's the original copy" I gruff out. This shit was a fucking shit show.

"I'm going to take a break from this" I say motioning around the room. "I'll be...around". I lock eyes with Sebastian as if he knew I was going to his room already.

After the encounter with the elder and the book, I needed a moment of solace. As I made my way to Sebastian's room, feeling the need to escape the heavy atmosphere that had clung to me. His room always had a calming effect, offering a welcome sanctuary from the world's chaos.

I settled into the cozy nook on his bed, the soft glow of the TV illuminating the room with a gentle, flickering light. As I flicked through the channels, I couldn't help but indulge in some junk food, grabbing a frozen Diet Coke from his mini-fridge and relishing its icy sweetness.

The talk with Rogelio, though frustrating, had a silver lining. At least it cleared my name as the source of the magical anomalies. I might not have been the key to unraveling the book's secrets, but I felt relieved that I wasn't the one causing the disturbance in the first place.

As I settled into the cushions, remote in one hand and my snack in the other, I let the noise of the TV and the familiarity of Sebastian's room wash over me, offering a momentary respite from the weight of my magical responsibilities.

I was deep into a Grey's Anatomy marathon, the medical drama providing a temporary escape from the complexities of my magical world. Just as I was getting engrossed in the drama at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, a movement caught the corner of my eye.

A shadow, dark and sinister, seemed to dart across the room, heading directly for the ornate mirror hanging on the wall. My curiosity piqued, I stared at the mirror, waiting to see if it was just a trick of the light or my imagination running wild.

To my shock, I witnessed the shadow once more, this time undeniably real and purposeful. In a split second, my instincts kicked in, and without thinking, I hurled the remote control at the mirror. It struck with a shattering impact, causing the mirror to fall to the ground.

As I cautiously approached the shattered mirror, I noticed something on the back of the fallen frame. There, etched into the wooden surface, was a strange and unsettling rune. My heart raced as I realized that someone had been accessing the pack territory through the Shadows of mirrors.