Capítulo 190: Epilogue, Part III
The spell was in the old language, one that few people still knew. The strange sounds rolled off Rachel's tongue effortlessly. As everyone watched in amazement, red flames leapt to life in the obsidian bowl. Still chanting the incantation, Rachel began to add the ingredients one by one into the flames. With each addition, the flames grew brighter and deepened in shade. As Rachel sprinkled in the last powder, the flames suddenly erupted upwards and darkened to the exact shade of red as the portal that had destroyed Lord Victor and taken Katherine away. At the same time, the circle of symbols on the platform glowed and sprang to life. They slowly rose from the ground into midair, rotating in the air and encircling Rachel and Aaron.
The originally sunny sky darkened unexpectedly. Rolling, swirling black clouds gathered above the platform, accompanied by strong gusts of wind. The orange flames in the torches at each corner of the platform flickered dangerously. The cloak around Aaron's shoulders flapped as Rachel's skirt billowed. Still, the spell went on. Rachel was now drawing elaborate, curving symbols in the air above the flames, which manifested in the same glowing way as the other symbols and flew to join the ring. After seventeen symbols had been drawn, Rachel looked to Aaron, who was still standing at the top of the steps, and nodded.
Aaron approached. He picked up the remaining item on the altar—a jagged shard from the orb that had been destroyed five years ago. The most important part of the spell was the primer, the substance that would establish the link between this world and Katherine.
"I believe that the rosestone on Katherine's sword, which contains magic just as ancient as the orb did, will protect her from being killed and destroyed in the other world," Madeline had explained when they were all trying to understand the complicated ritual. "So, she is trapped in a limbo state."
"The spell calls for something to link the two worlds. What will that be?" Rachel had asked, pointing at one line in the book.
"That is an anchor of sorts," Madeline had clarified. "Something that still connects Katherine to our world. It must be something that exists both with her in the limbo world and here with us."
They spent a while trying to figure out what Katherine might have on her that they also had. It must be exactly the same. The best would be to have two parts of a whole. The problem was, when Katherine stepped into the portal, the only possession she brought with her was her sword.
Just as it seemed like they had gotten so far only to get stuck at the last step, Aaron jerked to attention. "My blood!" He had exclaimed. "When I was holding on to her, the portal left bloody cuts on my hand, and some of my blood got on her hand. Assuming she didn't have time to wipe it away, her hand should still be covered with my blood."
"Brilliant! Blood of one of the Destined Three will work excellently." Madeline had approved. They now had everything they needed for the ritual.
This was why, as Rachel's spell reached a climax, Aaron took the shard and slit his left palm over the flames. One, two, three, four, five drops of crimson fell into the red flames. At Rachel's signal, Aaron dropped the blood-tipped shard into the flames as well.
Lightning flashed. Thunder rumbled. The dark clouds above the platform rolled with turmoil. The symbols hovering in midair glowed brighter as Rachel continued the spell. The ancient language seemed to have a life of their own as they escaped from her mouth. Suddenly, the glowing symbols began flying up into the clouds one by one, illuminating the dark masses with flashes of red. When the last symbol disappeared into the clouds, the red flames on the altar rose straight up into the air just as streak of lightning struck down. The two forces met with a burst of light. The air crackled with energy and magic. Rachel never stopped speaking the spell; in fact, she was shouting now, in order to be heard over the roaring flames and howling wind.
Aaron's eyes were focused on the column of fire and lightning. Looking up, he saw a swirl of red within the clouds. Could that be the portal? Had they succeeded in opening it?
The flames began to flicker. Rachel paused briefly in her incantation to yell, "Aaron, we need more blood!" Her voice was laced with panic.
Madeline had warned them of this before. "If you feel that the magic is not enough, Aaron will have to add more of his blood," the sorceress had told them. "The anchor may not be strong enough in the limbo world. The only way to strengthen the link and cross the magical threshold is to give Katherine something to hold on to on our side."
Aaron stepped up to the flames again and unsheathed his sword. He cut his palm again, leaving a larger gash than before. He gritted his teeth against the pain as the blood rushed down the creases of his palm and into the obsidian bowl. Immediately, the red flames burned brighter, redder, and stronger than before.
Kracka-boom! Another bolt of lightning struck down. The flames rose up to meet the lightning once more, forming a column of lighting-fire as lightning and fire twisted around each other, writhing like a beast trying to escape its bonds. Up above, in the clouds, a giant elliptical shape, with a center filled with swirling red magic, could be seen clearly. The portal had been opened!
Rachel shouted the last line of the spell and drew one last symbol, which she sent spiraling into the clouds. Aaron looked up, his heart pounding. Where was Katherine? No one knew how she would appear. What if she got stuck in limbo?
He prayed to the heavens. 'Please come home, Kath. Everyone is waiting for you. I've missed you so much. Come home, Kath. Come home.'
The crimson flames suddenly turned azure. As everyone watched with their hearts in their throats and holding their breaths, a glowing blue sphere the size of a horse carriage slowly exited the portal and began descending through the column of lightning and fire. Aaron's heart felt like it would leap out of his chest. Was Katherine in there?
When the sphere was about halfway down, the portal, once a giant red eye in the clouds, closed. The lightning began to retract into the heavens as the tall blue flames began to shrink back into the obsidian bowl on the altar. The glowing blue ball, resembling an unnaturally large will-o'-wisp, unfurled its tendrils from the bottom like a flower blooming upside down. A young woman, with a sword strung across her back, a wine-red cloak fluttering behind her, a high ponytail, and black combat boots was revealed. Aaron's heart stopped. The young woman did not appear to be conscious as she hung there limply, suspended in midair. The now-opened blue sphere shimmered and disappeared. The girl fell towards earth.
Without thinking, Aaron jumped onto the altar and leapt into the air, using his wind powers to propel him upwards until he caught the her in his open arms. He could hardly breathe as they descended. 'Kath.' After one thousand eight hundred twenty-five days and nights of longing, the girl of his dreams was finally back in his arms.
"Kath?" Aaron asked uncertainly as his feet touched the smooth surface of the platform. Rachel rushed around the altar. Indigo, Lionel, and Lucian were halfway up the steps. The girl in his arms was limp. She looked exactly as he remembered her on the day they parted, five long years ago. Her clothes and face were still stained with grime and blood. She looked as if she was simply asleep.
"Kath?" Aaron shook her shoulders gently. He was so afraid. The prophecy simply stated that ancient summons will bring home a friend. It did not state whether that friend would be alive or dead. What if—
Katherine's eyelashes trembled. Her eyelids moved, and then two gray eyes, brighter than the stars, met Aaron's dark-brown ones. They focused on the young man who looked intently down at her, whose eyes were once again rimmed with red and shining with tears.
"Aaron." Katherine's voice was a soft whisper.
Aaron wrapped Katherine in a tight embrace. The tears came, slipping shamelessly down his cheeks. God, how many times had he dreamt of hearing his name in her voice? How many times had he imagined this moment in his mind, envisioning how it would play out, again and again?
"Kath." When Aaron spoke again, his voice was choked up. "Kath, you're back. You're finally back."
Katherine relaxed into the warm hug, into the strong arms of the boy who looked older but even more handsome than she remembered. The memories came flooding back.
There was red, and then there was darkness. There was darkness for a long, long time, and she floated in its depths, asleep, until a flash of blue light woke her up. She drifted toward the blue light, where a familiar voice was calling her home. "Kath," it called. "Kath, come home. I miss you. Come home, Kath."
Once upon a time, a boy with a brilliant smile and stars in his eyes called her Kath. She remembered how he refused to let go of her hand, how the tears overflowed in his pain-filled eyes, and how he told her he remembered. She missed him too.
Rachel, Lucian, Indigo, and Lionel crowded around, wrapping the pair in a group hug with a tangle of arms. No one's eyes were dry, but everyone was smiling widely.
"Katherine, you're finally back," Indigo said, wiping away the happy tears from her eyes.
"We've all missed you so much." Rachel added, smiling. Lucian and Lionel nodded eagerly, standing next to their beloveds. Katherine smiled at all of her friends, but her shining gaze was on the young man who still held her in his arms when she spoke:
"Yes, I'm back now. And I'm never leaving again."
~THE END~
PENSAMENTOS DOS CRIADORES 
SkyEmpress
SkyEmpress Wow. We finished! Thank you so much for sticking with the Rosewood Seven through all 190 chapters. I hope you've enjoyed reading this novel as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Please let me know your thoughts on this novel by writing a review, leaving a comment, voting, or giving a gift! It would mean so much to me <3
I wish you the best of fortunes in your future reading journeys. I know that you will get your happy ending like Katherine, Aaron, and Indigo did ^.^
Lastly, my second novel, "One Sword Binds Your Heart", is now published! It is an Eastern fantasy and transmigration novel, with palace drama and wuxia elements. If you would so kindly check it out and leave a comment/like/review, I would really appreciate it! <3
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