The sky above Thornsfield had never looked darker. The clouds swirled like a cauldron, ready to spill their fury over the cursed town. Inside the old barn on the graveyard's edge, lanterns flickered, casting uneasy shadows against the wooden walls.
Eliza paced in tight circles, her boots scuffing across the dust-ridden floor as she muttered spells under her breath. Her fingers trembled slightly as she drew the final lines of the pentagram with chalk infused with sage and bloodroot. The air around her thrummed with the sharp scent of iron and ozone.
Victor entered, brushing aside the heavy barn doors. He crossed to her silently, his eyes searching hers. "Are you sure this will work?"
She didn't look up at first. Then, with a deep breath, she nodded. "It has to. This town has been cursed too long, Victor. If we don't do this now, we may never get another chance."
He stepped closer, the worry in his eyes impossible to mask. "Is it safe?"
Eliza met his gaze, her fingers lacing with his. She gave his hand a small squeeze and smiled faintly. "It's going to be fine. I promise."
Just then, the barn doors creaked again. Lorenzo stumbled in, panting and red-faced. "I got them! All five. Took some convincing, but they're here."
Behind him entered five of Thornsfield's oldest residents, each hunched with age but eyes gleaming with a strange sense of purpose. They formed a circle around the pentagram, murmuring amongst themselves as Eliza guided them to their places.
With the positions set, she knelt in the center of the symbol. The chalky lines glowed faintly as she began to chant in an ancient tongue. The five elders joined in, their voices rough but steady.
The temperature dropped. The barn creaked under invisible pressure. And then—
Eliza began to rise.
Her body floated a few feet above the ground, suspended in a soft golden light. Her hair whipped around her face, her eyes fully white, glowing with power. The chanting grew louder, echoing through the walls like a thousand whispered prayers.
Outside, the wind howled like a beast awakened. Trees bent. Windows shattered. And then—
A burst of blinding light erupted from the pentagram.
When it cleared, Eliza lay motionless on the floor, her limbs curled inward, breath faint.
Victor didn't hesitate. He rushed to her, cradling her in his arms. "Eliza!"
One of the old women stepped forward, kneeling beside them. Her eyes shimmered with tears. "It's done," she said softly. "The ritual is complete. The darkness has been sealed away."
Victor looked down at the woman in his arms. "We need to get her help. Now."
---
Later that night, Eliza lay in a quiet infirmary, wrapped in white sheets. The scent of herbs lingered in the air, mixing with the sterile tang of antiseptic. Victor sat beside her, never letting go of her hand.
Slowly, her fingers twitched.
Her eyes fluttered open, dazed but alive.
Victor leaned in, emotion raw on his face. "I thought I lost you."
Eliza gave him a tired, crooked smile. "You'd have to try harder than that."
He chuckled, eyes shining. "It's over. You did it."
She squeezed his hand weakly. "We did it."
"Sure" his mother responded coming inside the room with a tray in her hand "but first eat something my dear".
"You have been unconscious for a long time now" Mrs Castello said with a motherly concern.
"And sir have been with you all along"
Lorenzo commented as he sat on the nearby chair.
Victor gave a glare to Lorenzo.
"But it's true"muttered Lorenzo... Eliza and Mrs Castello burst out into laughter and with that Victor looked away grinning .
And in the quiet embrace of the Casello home, wrapped in the steady warmth of Victor's presence and the gentle hum of a town finally at peace, Eliza let herself breathe. For the first time in years, she wasn't chasing shadows. She was home. Just like Thornsfield ,at last, could rest."