Page 82 of Magic in My Bones

I wasn’t alone.

A figure emerged from the shadows, ethereal and shimmering like a wisp of smoke. Its shape shifted, an indistinct blur of limbsand form, but it wasthere. It hovered just beyond my reach, its presence drawing me in, tugging at something deep inside me.

I instinctively reached out, feeling the pull of magic, of necromancy. My own magic resonated with it, responding to the spirit’s silent call.

“Help me.”

The voice was faint, like a whisper carried on the wind, but it pierced my mind with painful clarity. It sounded desperate, trapped. I felt my heart tug in response.

“Please... I need you. You’re the only one who can set me free.”

I froze. My stomach twisted with an odd mixture of fear and sympathy. The spirit’s voice was so fragile, so full of suffering. It tugged at something inside me. Something that had always been there: my empathy for the lost, the forgotten. My connection to the dead.

“Who are you?”I asked, my voice trembling despite myself.

The figure shimmered again, its form shifting like smoke, and then the spirit spoke.

“I was once a student at Blackstone Academy, like you. Trapped by the chain, bound by dark magic. I’ve been waiting, waiting for someone like you to come... to release me.”

I took a step forward, drawn in by the sadness in its voice. The spirit’s glowing form flickered with what felt likehope.

“I know you’ve felt it, Ren,”it whispered, and I felt a cold shiver run through me as it called my name.“I know what it is to be lost... to be bound to something greater than yourself. I can feel your magic. You have the power to set me free.”

I swallowed hard, my heart racing. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. But the voice... the presence... it felt soreal. It felt like a plea for help, and something deep within me ached in response.

“The chain,”the spirit continued,“I was bound to this world through it. But if you bring it to the old academy, the place where my bones rest... I can be released.”

The words wrapped around my mind like a net, drawing me in deeper. I could feel my pulse pounding in my ears, my hands trembling as I held the chain tighter. The weight of it had shifted somehow, no longer just metal butalive, vibrating with the pulse of this spirit’s desperate need.

“In exchange,” it murmured, extending a spectral hand.“I can give you what you’ve always wanted. The power to be whole, to be complete. The body you’ve always felt should have been yours. No more hiding. No more doubt.”

A shiver ran down my spine. My breath hitched.

“You’ve fought with it, haven’t you? That sense that something’s wrong, that your body doesn’t match who you really are. I can make it right. I can show you how to move into a body that fits you, one that aligns with who you truly are, one that will never be questioned.”

It was as if the spirit had seen into me, into the deepest parts of myself that I barely acknowledged, even in my own thoughts. The struggle, the doubt, the frustration of never fully feeling at home in my own skin.

“You'll have everything, Ren,”it whispered."The body that reflects who you truly are. No more dysphoria. No more explaining yourself to people who can never truly understand. Even your magic would flow more naturally through a form that matches your soul."

The words were like silk, wrapping around my thoughts, weaving a spell of promise, of hope. It wasn't just the promise of change that drew me in. It was the understanding in the spirit's voice. The way it spoke of my struggles without judgment or confusion, the way it saw past all my carefully constructed walls to the truth I'd barely admitted to myself. Even Dorian, for all hiskindness and acceptance, couldn't fully understand this part of me. But this spirit... it knew.

It was so convincing. So tempting.

I could feel the warmth of the chain, its pulse echoing like a heartbeat beneath my fingers. The power thrumming through it wrapped me in a sense of belonging I hadn’t realized I was searching for. I closed my eyes, letting the spirit’s promises wash over me. It was the answer to everything, the power, the confidence, the sense of being seen fully for the first time.

“Just bring the chain to the old academy,” the spirit urged, its tone soft but insistent.“Bring it to where the magic began. Set me free, and you’ll be free too. You’ll have everything you’ve ever dreamed of.”

I felt the weight of the chain growing heavier, but my heart felt lighter, filled with something I hadn’t felt in so long: hope. It was the kind of hope that filled the dark corners of my mind, sweeping away all the doubt, all the insecurity, all the fear that had clung to me for as long as I could remember.

It was too good to be true. Too simple. Too perfect.

But I didn’t care.

I opened my eyes, gasping for air, my heart pounding in my chest. The room was dim, the shadows of the cottage pressing in around me. But Dorian was there, kneeling next to me, his face etched with worry.

“Ren,” he said, his voice soft but urgent. His hands were warm against my shoulders, grounding me in reality. The familiar scent of his cologne helped clear my head “Whatever you saw, mo stóirín, whatever it promised you...” Dorian's voice was gentle but firm, his Irish lilt thickening with concern. “Spirits are like badly edited books, showing only the parts of the story that serve their purpose. And sometimes the most tempting promises hide the darkest costs.” The academic metaphor was so perfectly Dorian that it almost made me smile, despite everything. Histhumb brushed against my cheek, and I realized I had been crying.

Dorian’s gaze flickered from me to the chain, his expression shifting between awe and concern. “You... activated it, didn’t you?” His voice was filled with disbelief, and he glanced at the chain again, as though he couldn’t quite process what had just happened. “Ren, this is... it’s incredible. I’ve been working with this thing for months, and no one’s been able to do what you just did. How did you—?”

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