<i>Blood. Bones. Obsidian. Soil. Moonlight.</i><br/><br/>Silver beams shone down on the earth, illuminating the intricate circle. Deep, inky blood seeped into the earth in strange patterns, demonic with their sharp angles and dark meaning. Gleaming black crystals created four distinct points, representations of the basic elements. To an untrained, ignorant eye it was a shrine to Satan himself, a sick and twisted monument of evil with crimson stained bones arranged in the center. To those well-versed in the true ways of the world, the natural harmony of dark and light, the circle was as rudimentary as a door. Complex to a mortal, but simple for a witch. Creating a portal to the netherworld was a task all witches and warlocks were familiar with. To do so was a rite of passage, a symbol of growth and maturity as one exited their youth and stepped into adulthood. With diligent study, hard work, and dedication, a skilled witch would summon a guardian to offer protection and guidance, assist them in navigating an unkind supernatural world of magic and treachery, splendor and wonder. The right words and the right amount of energy could make all the difference.<br/><br/>“Okay. Bones look about right. Crystal seem to be about where they need to be . . .” A soft voice muttered into the pages of a thick, worn leather bound book. Before sharp, blue eyes was an illustration that mirrored the dark display at her expensive boots. It was a wonder that the spikes of her heels hadn’t broken off in the many lifted roots she stumbled over, or that she hadn’t rolled an ankle on the stony path leading away from her home in a hurry. Tonight was the night. Not tomorrow, as she seemed to believe before receiving a much needed reminder from Oliver. She rolled out of bed in a tornado of fine sheets and pillows, donning the<a class="link link--external" data-proxy-href="/proxy.php?link=https%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2F2Aswzyp.jpg&amp;hash=41e903446d74a37b1910e46333bffea3" href="https://i.imgur.com/2Aswzyp.jpg" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank">attire</a>she left in a heap on the floor of her room on her way to bed. A long day of pretending to pay attention in class behind the dark lenses of designer sunglasses took a lot out of her. Wilhelmina Gregory always seemed to get by just fine, despite her lack of effort.<br/><br/>“Looks good.” She told herself, ignoring the much of the instructions written in near microscopic text on the page before the intricate drawing. “Just remember to close the portal and hope for the best.” For Mina, the bar she set for herself was quite low. She was so determined to get back to the comfort of her bed that she would have been perfectly content with a D-class or even a C-class guardian. It was all that anyone expected of her and it was all that she needed to pass for the assignment. Other witches and warlocks fretted over this night, burying their noses in books for weeks to prepare for the summoning, practicing incantations and chants to call forth the demon to outshine all their peers. Mina was winging it as usual.<br/><br/>With a powerful thud, she closed the grimoire. Wisps of her glossy black hair, thrown up into a flattering but haphazard bun, billowed from the force. She tossed the book aside and closed her eyes, long lashes meeting her lower ones as she exhaled softly. Lifting her hands and upturning her palms to the velvety night sky, she began to recite foreign words that rolled off her tongue easily, sounding rehearsed though she only learned the incantation mere minutes before. Magic came naturally to her and the power that resided in her was as abundant as it was potent. The circle erupted into flames, the fire lapping at the cool air that surrounded her. The bones shook gently as did the earth beneath her feet, but she held her position firm as the words that left her pink lips. The ground within the circle suddenly gave away, falling into a belching black void. Through the ring of wild fire a tiny form appeared, engulfed by flames as it bounced from the netherworld. Distracted, she severed her connection.<br/><br/>The incantation was complete, after all.<br/><br/>The four legged creature shook deliberately, vibrating away the fire that consumed it in a burst of glowing embers and black ash. What remained was a black feline, a kitten to be exact.<br/><br/>“Oh, a Hell Cat.” Mina lowered herself down, elbows resting on her knees. “I suppose you’ll do. Technically, you’re C-class.” A hopeless smile hung on her lips as the black cat hissed and its hair stood on end as she reached for it. “Mean little thing, aren’t you?” She chuckled, withdrawing her hand. When she followed its gaze, she realized the little hell cat wasn’t concerned with her at all. Looking over her shoulder, the black void was wide open.<br/><br/>“<i>Shit.</i>” She muttered, scrambling for the book to find the incantation to close the portal.<br/><br/><br/><br/><a class="username" data-user-id="585" data-username="@TheUnknown" data-xf-init="member-tooltip" href="https://blackdahliaroleplaying.com/members/585/">@TheUnknown</a>