"H-Heh heh" Merric nervously replies to Aubrey. Returning to Rae, he listens intently and nods, "I understand. For now, I'll strengthen your bond. Then, we can see where we go from there." Setting up ample space in the room for his ritual, he lays down the candles Rae provided, and takes out small pouches he brought to draw magic symbols on the floor. He asks Rae, "Could you please have a seat right there, just across from me?" He lights the candles and closes the curtains. "This will take a minute, please bear with me. Also, don't be scared." The ritual began.. The apartment was still. Blackout curtains sealed the room from the world outside, allowing only the flicker of several uneven black candles to define the space, their flames twitched not with the wind, but with unease. Merric sat cross-legged within a sigil etched in salt and charcoal, surrounded by a half-ritual circle stained with ash. At his wrist, a black-beaded bracelet, each rune carefully carved over weeks of intention, glinted dully, its leaden skull charm catching the candlelight like a dead star. Before him, the Soul Jar: a water bottle made makeshift-sacred, blotched with uneven streaks of ink, symbols half-dissolved, scrawled in haste, containing the ghost of the vampire’s victim. The pale face within occasionally surfaced, lips frozen in an unheard scream, body shivering with a memory it could not forget. Merric inhaled deeply and began to speak, not in any human tongue, but in High Speech, the raw, primal language of the Supernal. " Ek’therun umbra noxi… Anima coniunx umbris… " As the chant took form, so too did the space around him. The air grew heavy. A subtle, clinging gravity seemed to settle in the corners of the room, like the moment before a confession or the hush before a storm. Shadows around Merric thickened, not moving, but watching. It was as if death itself had been invited in, politely, and accepted the offer with a quiet nod. The black wisps of his Nimbus began to bleed gently from his skin and sleeves, slow, ephemeral threads of darkness that drifted against gravity. They touched nothing and yet rested on everything. The pressure of something unseen, ancient, and final spread through the room — not a scream, nor a whisper, but a statement. The weight of inevitability rested in the walls, the floorboards, and the dim flickering of each candle. " Oculum tenebrae exaudi… Fac meum verbum ligamen aeternum. " At the final word, the shadows gathered, not simply thickening, but drawing toward Rae with intent. They rose, wrapping around the base of the ritual circle, coiling upward, and then embracing the vampire, folding over shoulders, chest, and limbs in a soft, silent shroud. As they settled, the light of the candles dimmed, consumed by the shadows. Now extinguished, leaving only Merric’s silhouette and Rae’s outline bathed in shadow. The bracelet cooled against Merric’s skin. The ghost in the bottle stirred once, then stilled. The magic settled into the room like smoke in a cathedral. The spell was complete. "Phew..." Merric exhaled as his shoulders relaxed. "That's it. How do you feel?"
