Chapter fourteen

My eyelids fluttered open, and an intense wave of pain surged through my entire being, as if every nerve had ignited in unison. My wrists were bound tightly behind me, and the restraints on my legs rendered any attempt to move nearly impossible.

With a determined effort, I tilted my head, scanning the dimly lit room around me. A long window framed the full moon, its silvery glow partially obscured by ominous, swirling clouds.

A sudden rush of hot air brushed against my back, and as I turned, my eyes fell upon a massive black cauldron, flames licking hungrily at its sides. Panic surged within me as I realized how close I was to the searing heat. I instinctively crawled backward, desperate to escape the inferno, but a brutal kick from behind sent me tumbling further into its grasp.

I glanced over my shoulder, my heart racing, and there stood Jungkook, draped in a flowing black cloak. Strange symbols adorned his face, and in his hands, he clutched a handful of dark powder. The air was thick with a foul stench, reminiscent of a place where life had long since fled.

Visions of the bottled bodies invaded my mind, and my thoughts spiraled into chaos.

"What have you done with the bodies?" I spat, my voice laced with defiance as he stepped closer, lowering himself to meet my gaze.
"Oh, sweet Elli! You really weren't meant to uncover that, darling!" he replied, his grip tightening around my jaw, his nails biting into my flesh with a chilling intensity.

I jerked my head away, and he let out a mocking laugh at my predicament.

"For years, I've sought a way to resurrect my parents. Yet, the necessary ingredients eluded me. It required the essence of the one who took their lives-your mother. But since she's already gone, I could settle for the remnants of her close kin. That means you," he said, a smirk playing on his lips as he tossed a handful of black powder into the flames, causing them to erupt in a dazzling display.

"Why would you bring my mother back only to have her kill your parents?" Confusion clouded my thoughts, swirling like the smoke rising from the fire.

"Oh, I craved power over my parents. They treated me like a servant, forcing me to cater to their whims, reducing me to a mere shadow of myself. If I were to eliminate them and they returned from the dead, they would surely seek my life. But if your mother were the one to do the deed, and I could awaken them, then I would hold the reins. They would become my puppets," he said, his gaze drifting to the moon, a sinister smile gracing his features.

"What about Rose?" I blurted out, the memory of her ghost lingering in my mind like a haunting melody.

"Oh, her! She was just like you. She uncovered the truth about the bodies before our wedding, so I had to silence her as well," he replied with a casual shrug, as if discussing the weather.

"You're a monster. All this just for a taste of control! And you took an innocent life simply because she stumbled upon your dark secret!" I retorted, anger surging through me as he stepped closer, delivering a sharp kick to my gut.

"Don't call me that. I am the master of my own fate, and you will be the sacrifice," he declared, loosening the bindings on my legs and forcing me to my feet.

"Are we ready to conjure some magic?" he asked, a glint of mischief in his eyes as he produced a knife from his pocket. With a swift motion, he plunged it through my hands, pinning them together. A scream tore from my lips as the blade sliced through flesh, warm blood seeping from the wound.

He gripped my arms tightly, my cries echoing in the dimly lit room as my blood dripped into the waiting pot. Once he had finished, he yanked me away, revealing the bottled forms of his parents, their lifeless bodies a haunting sight.

With deliberate care, he unsealed his father's vessel and submerged the body into the seething water. The skin began to peel away, the figure dissolving into the cauldron's fiery depths.

A chilling thought crossed my mind: if his father was vanishing in the pot, how could he possibly awaken my mother? Panic surged within me as I scanned the room for a way out while he focused on his grim task.

In the distance, I spotted a potential escape-the very door through which he had brought his parents. I crept toward it, heart racing, just as he seized my hair, yanking me back into the room. I struggled against his grip, but my attempts were futile.

The air trembled around us, and the moonlight spilled into the chamber, illuminating the pot's ominous contents. Jungkook released me, his voice rising in a chant directed at the bubbling cauldron.

"Oh the guardians of the dead!
I seek your favor!
I've offered you the diseased and the blood of the heir!
Rise him up from his deep sleep!
Bring his spirit back into the realm of my world!
I shall be his master and guide him from going astray!"

The water in the pot erupted violently, splashing over the edges as a figure began to emerge from its depths.

I stumbled backward, heart racing, only to feel a hand clamp over my mouth from behind, silencing my gasp.

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