Page 72 of I Accidentally Summoned a Demon Boyfriend

I nodded, and Metice moved forward. Though his body still warmed me, when the shadows wrapped around us, a new chill spread through me. I kept my eyes closed tightly. Whatever we were walking through, whatever the darkness held, I didn’t want to see it. After everything I’d been through, there were some things I still wanted to remain a mystery.

“You can open your eyes,” Metice whispered in my ear, and I did. We were no longer in the darkness, but standing in another cavern-like place. Only, this place was different. There was something menacing in the air.

It looked more like the dungeons I expected to find when trapped in hell, like the depictions I saw in fantasy movies. There was red dirt everywhere, immersed in the smell of something burning, like decaying bodies and the exhaust from old cars. I couldn't see much from my position in his arms, but there were disturbing sounds. Moans and groans echoed the ones I heard in the shadows we moved through.

Was this the place the worst of the Bane gathered? Was this the place where souls went to suffer? Their energy, their pain, and their hatred became tangible sources in the air, and for a moment, I feared this was what Metice spent so much time avoiding, the darkness that filled this room. And to save me, he ran back to it?

A rattling chain called my attention to a frail old woman sitting on the ground, dirtied and chained. Though she looked like she was just a few steps from death with her thin frame and matted hair, her energy felt warm and loving. She looked up at Metice and flashed a yellow smile full of rotted teeth.

“You came to see me again. It’s been so long. Oh, and a visitor!” She looked at me. “Ah, it’s you. You found her. You brought her to me.”

“Yes,” Metice said. “I’m sorry I haven’t come in a while.”

“Oh, I heard the rumors. You left the fold. Good for you. I’ll survive. I’ll pay my time.” She waved Metice’s concern aside and looked at me. Large eyes covered in grey film found me, and her smile grew wider. “It’s so good to see you, child.”

“Metice, what’s going on?” I asked.

“This is Floushal, the woman who told me about you,” Metice explained as he cradled me in his arms. “She is the one who can help you.”

“Oh?” I looked at her. “She saved your life.”

“Yes, and hopefully, she can save yours. Likosa said I would have to bring you to her. You’re not recovering, and I think this is why.” He looked at the woman. “Can you help her?”

“Yes, but when I do, you must know you will change,” Floushal spoke and reached her boney hand out to me. “I can heal you, but you won’t be able to go back to who you were before.”

“What does that mean?” I looked down at her. “You’re going to change me? How?”

“You come from a powerful bloodline. Your ancestors were originally from a world called Muniko, a world full of beings with wonderful magics and psychic abilities. They shifted through space and time like no other. Unfortunately, some ventured into worlds with terrible beings who sought to use their abilities for evil things.” Floushal looked at me like she could see the story she spoke playing out in my eyes. “Some were captured, most were killed, but a few escaped and went to new worlds. You are a child of those who landed in your world. To heal you, I must heal every facet of your being, including your psychic abilities, which I can feel you’ve tapped into already. I’m not sure what other magics you will develop or what changes will happen after I heal you. There could be some physical ramifications as well. When I do this, it will unlock that side of you fully.”

“And if you don’t do it?” I asked, not sure if I wanted what she described. I had to know the alternative.

“You will die.” She nodded with sad eyes. “The elixir will only keep your body going for so long, but your genetic structure is a unique and delicate balance. It must be repaired entirely, or your body will break down, and you will lose your life.”

“Rayna, please.” Pain broke through Metice’s voice, and his grip tightened. He’d already faced losing me once. Could I put him through that again? “Please don’t give up. Whatever happens, I will be there by your side. I promise. I won’t let you go through this change alone.”

“Do it.” Whatever the consequences, death was not an option. I looked at Metice. “You really are stuck with me now, you know that?”

“Do you hear me complaining?” He smiled.

“Likosa gave you a third item, yes?” The old woman held her hand out to Metice, who produced a small box. She opened it and pulled a vial from the box. “Perfect.”

“Do you have everything you need?” Metice asked.

“Yes,” Floushal confirmed then turned to me. “Can you stand on your own?”

“I think so.” I nodded, and Metice carefully placed me on my feet but stayed close enough in case I lost my balance and he needed to catch me.

Floushal pulled a pipe from her shirt, sprinkled what looked like red dirt into it and, with a quick wave of her fingers, the pipe lit. She put it to her mouth and inhaled the smoke. She then opened the vial Metice gave her and quickly blew the red smoke into the vial and sealed it again. The clear liquid turned gold, then blended with the red smoke, creating what looked like glittery blood.

“You must drink it.” She handed the vial to Metice. “Half for you, half for her when I tell you to.”

She then pulled a golden thread from her mess of hair. Those cold, boney fingers wrapped around my wrist, and she placed my hand into his before tying the thread around our wrists, joining us together. As she did, she recited a spell in a language I didn’t understand, but I could feel the weight of her words. My body felt heavier and lighter at the same time, and I felt something else, the spark of a tune in my mind. It was a soft murmur, and then a sharp high-pitched squeal before it settled again. Metice winced. He must have felt it too.

The more she spoke, the tighter the thread became, until it felt like it wasn’t just wrapped around my wrist, but my entire body. The pressure was almost suffocating. The invisible threads reached beneath my skin, and I could feel them weaving inside me. They twisted with my veins, threaded through my ribs, and coiled around my heart.

My lungs felt hot, like they were being ripped apart and recreated at the same time. I looked at Metice, and if he felt what I did, he was good at keeping it from his expression. One wince, that was all, while I had tears streaming down my face and gritting my teeth.

Then, I couldn’t take it anymore. The pain I felt made my bones feel like brittle glass. I dropped my head back, expecting to scream, but instead, a stream of golden thread exploded from my mouth. My voice was a gargled mess as I cried from the pain. More threads formed, making my throat feel like it would rip apart.

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