Chapter 38: The Ritual Begins

Leslie's POV: 

My head throbbed as I tried to piece together where I was. The cold, damp air clung to my skin, and the faint glow of candlelight flickered off the rough stone walls. I was lying in the center of something—a circle. As I blinked my eyes open, trying to make sense of my surroundings, I saw them.

Six women stood around me, their faces shadowed beneath the hoods of their robes. They wore expressions of eerie calm as they murmured ancient words in a language I couldn't understand. Their voices rose and fell in a strange, melodic rhythm, sending chills down my spine.

I tried to move, but my arms and legs felt heavy, like they were weighed down by an unseen force. I tugged at my wrists, but the invisible bonds held me tight. Panic bubbled up in my chest as I realized I couldn't break free. What were they doing to me? And why did I feel so…drained?