Day 10: The Past Revealed

The sun barely rose over Thornwick on the tenth day. A deep, oppressive gray hung over the town, and the chill in the air felt sharper, as though the curse had tightened its grip overnight. The death of Mr. Abbott weighed heavily on Eira as she walked through the now eerily quiet streets. Every time she blinked, she could still see his lifeless body slumped over his desk, the cracked spectacles lying on the floor like some twisted omen.

Lucas walked beside her, silent but tense. The town felt more deserted than ever. Fewer people were out, and those who were moved quickly, heads down, trying to ignore the weight pressing on Thornwick. Eira could feel it, too. The curse wasn’t just targeting the people anymore—it was consuming the town itself.

“We’re running out of time,” Lucas said, breaking the silence, his voice low but urgent. “If we don’t figure out how to stop this soon, there won’t be anyone left.”

Eira nodded, her throat tight. “I know. But we need more information. There’s still so much we don’t understand.”

They had come so far, but the curse still felt like a puzzle with too many missing pieces. The deaths were growing more frequent, and the disciples’ twisted gifts were becoming darker, more malicious. Eira couldn’t shake the feeling that they were building toward something—something much worse than they had anticipated.

“Do you think it’s true?” Lucas asked, glancing at her. “That the curse is tied to our individual pasts? That... we’re part of this?”

Eira swallowed hard. “I don’t know, but it feels like it. My family, your family... we all have roots here. And Evandra’s curse was about vengeance. She’s punishing the bloodlines of those who wronged her.”

Lucas nodded, his jaw clenched. “Then we’re next.”

The words hung in the air between them, heavy and terrifying. Eira knew it was true. The disciples wouldn’t stop until they had claimed everyone connected to Thornwick’s dark past.

“We have to find the binding spell,” Eira said, her voice trembling. “The one Alden used to trap Evandra’s spirit here. If we can break that spell, maybe we can sever her connection to the disciples.”

Lucas frowned. “But how do we find it? We’ve searched through so many records, and there’s been no mention of it.”

Eira shook her head, her mind racing. “I think it’s hidden. Alden wouldn’t have left it out in the open. He knew what he was doing—he knew that one day, someone might try to undo what he had done.”

Lucas was silent for a moment, thinking. Then his eyes lit up. “What about the church?”

Eira blinked. “The church?”

Lucas nodded. “It’s the oldest building in town, and it was a place of power back in Evandra’s time. If Alden wanted to hide something, he might have buried it there.”

It was a long shot, but it was the best idea they had. The church had been at the center of Thornwick’s history for centuries, and if there was any place where Alden might have hidden the spell, it was there.

“Let’s go,” Eira said, her pulse quickening.

The Forgotten Chamber

The church was even more foreboding in the gray light of day. Its towering stone walls loomed overhead, the tall windows dark and shadowed. Eira couldn’t shake the feeling that the building itself was watching them, as though it held the secrets they were so desperately searching for.

They stepped inside, the door creaking loudly as it swung shut behind them. The interior of the church was cold, the air thick with the scent of old stone and candle wax. The pews were still overturned from the chaos of the other night, and the twisted wreath they had found remained in place, a haunting reminder of the curse’s reach.

“Where do we even start?” Lucas asked, his voice echoing in the vast emptiness.

Eira walked slowly down the center aisle, her eyes scanning the walls. “There has to be something hidden here. A passage, a room—something.”

They split up, each taking a side of the church, searching for any sign of a hidden chamber. As Eira ran her hands along the cold stone walls, her heart pounded with the urgency of their mission. They were running out of time. The next disappearance could happen at any moment.

Suddenly, Lucas called out from the far end of the church. “Eira, over here!”

She rushed to where he stood, at the back of the church near the old altar. Lucas pointed to the floor, where the stone tiles beneath their feet seemed slightly uneven, as if they had been disturbed.

Eira knelt down, running her hands over the tiles. They were loose. With a quick glance at Lucas, she pulled one up, revealing a small metal ring embedded in the stone beneath it.

“A trapdoor,” Lucas breathed.

Eira’s heart raced as they tugged on the ring, lifting the heavy stone slab to reveal a narrow staircase descending into the darkness below. The air that wafted up from the opening was cold, damp, and musty, carrying with it the scent of something long forgotten.

“This has to be it,” Eira whispered.

Lucas nodded. “Let’s go.”

They descended the stairs carefully, the only light coming from the flashlight Lucas had brought. The deeper they went, the colder the air became, and Eira could feel the dark energy pressing in around them. The weight of the curse hung heavily in this place.

At the bottom of the stairs, they found themselves in a small, stone chamber. The walls were lined with old shelves, covered in dust and cobwebs, and in the center of the room stood a large, ornate chest.

Eira’s pulse quickened as she stepped forward, her hands trembling. This was it. The chest had to contain the binding spell.

With Lucas’s help, she lifted the heavy lid, revealing a stack of old, yellowed papers inside. Eira carefully lifted the top page, her breath catching in her throat as she read the words written in Alden’s familiar hand.

“The binding of Evandra’s spirit is complete. Her soul is trapped beneath Thornwick, bound by blood and stone. Only those who bear the mark may undo what has been done.”

“The mark?” Lucas asked, reading over her shoulder. “What does that mean?”

Eira frowned, her mind racing. “I don’t know. But it sounds like only someone from Alden’s bloodline can break the spell.”

Lucas’s eyes widened. “Then that’s you.”

Eira’s stomach twisted with fear. She had suspected as much, but seeing it written here, in Alden’s own words, made it all too real. She was the key to breaking the curse. But the price of undoing what Alden had done was still unclear.

“There’s more,” Eira said, flipping through the pages. As she read, her heart sank.

The binding spell was complex, woven with layers of dark magic that could only be undone by blood. The spell had trapped Evandra’s spirit beneath the town, but to release her and sever her connection to the disciples, the one who cast the spell—or their descendant—had to offer something in return.

A blood sacrifice.

Eira’s hands trembled as she read the final line.

“Only through blood can the curse be undone. The blood of the living shall free the spirit of the dead.”

The Decision

Eira stared at the words, her heart pounding. She was the one who had to break the curse. But the cost—the cost was her life.

Lucas stood beside her, his face pale. “No. No way. We’ll find another way.”

Eira shook her head, her mind racing. “This is it, Lucas. The curse was created through blood, and it has to be undone the same way. If I don’t do this, the disciples will keep coming. More people will die.”

Lucas grabbed her shoulders, his eyes wide with fear. “There has to be another way. You can’t just sacrifice yourself.”

Tears welled in Eira’s eyes, but she knew the truth. The curse was bound to her family. Alden had started this, and now it was up to her to finish it.

“I have to,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “It’s the only way to stop Evandra.”

Lucas’s hands tightened on her shoulders. “No. We’ll find another way. There’s always another way.”

But deep down, Eira knew there wasn’t. The curse had been set in motion 25 years ago, and now, with the solstice fast approaching, there was no time left. The only way to stop the disciples, to break Evandra’s hold on Thornwick, was to make the sacrifice.

The Final Countdown Begins

As they left the hidden chamber and returned to the cold streets of Thornwick, Eira’s mind was a whirlwind of fear and determination. The next few days would be the most crucial. She had to prepare for the final showdown with the witch’s curse.

But there was one thing she couldn’t stop thinking about: the cryptic phrase from the spell.

"Only those who bear the mark."

What was the mark? Was it something she had but didn’t know about? Was it a sign that would appear when the time was right?

The questions spun in her mind as they made their way back to her house, the heavy weight of the curse pressing down on them both.

“We need to be ready,” Eira said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.

Lucas nodded, though his eyes were full of pain. “We will be. But we’re going to find another way. I promise.”

But as the shadows lengthened and the sky darkened overhead, Eira knew that the final days of the curse were fast approaching.

And she wasn’t sure she could survive what was coming.