Lament

The sun's first rays, typically a sign of hope in the village of Lament, hesitated to touch Aeff's mansion that morning. The walls of the grand residence throbbed with a mesmerizing energy. Inside, the atmosphere brimmed with anticipation, the air dense as though it dared not exhale.

Aeff, his face etched with lines of concentration and fatigue, stood at the center of the ritual circle, the freshly sewn doll beside him. The room was filled with the remnants of the night's endeavours: The cauldron's mixture had transformed into a profound crimson, the herbs and salts of the circle radiated an ethereal luminescence, and the shadows, while withdrawn, observed with vigilant intent.

Tapping into the wisdom of the ancient tomes, Aeff initiated another invocation. This was not merely to breathe life into the doll, but to tether it to his will, to make it his extension. The incantations, older than the village itself, echoed through the palace. Words of binding, of servitude, of loyalty.

But as the verses flowed from Aeff's lips, the atmosphere began to shift. The room grew colder, the candle flames turned blue, again, glitches shredded the ritual – ephemeral disturbances surrounding the witch doctor and the doll. These glitches were deeply wrong — a stark sign that something from the netherworld had been inadvertently summoned.

The doll, once lifeless and inert, now looked around with eyes that held the vastness of the cosmos. But there was an emptiness there, a void. It lacked the amulet, the anchor to stabilize its existence in this realm. Aeff, in his haste and desperation, had overlooked this crucial element.

As the final verses of the invocation were uttered, a deafening silence enveloped the room. Aeff, drenched in sweat and exhaustion, looked at the doll with a blend of optimism and unease. He had invoked forces beyond his comprehension, and the consequences of that act were yet to unfold.

Outside, the village of Lament remained oblivious to the events within the mansion. But the ancient oaks, the silent witnesses of time, rustled uneasily. They sensed a disturbance in the balance, a rupture in the tapestry of fate. The drama of Aeff's endeavours had just begun.

Hope you enjoyed today's piece. I'd value any feedback on the third chapter on my pinned post on X.

See you tomorrow!