Page 25 of A Soul’s Awakening

I nodded, leaving George in Stella and Ivy’s care. Then I shrugged off my heavy winter jacket and set down my black backpack, just in case Ivy needed it to treat anyone.

Frantically, I raced down the hallway toward my mother’s room. Ren, Alex, and Nick chased after me. Shrill screams filtered out from the residents’ rooms and common areas. Magic was flying everywhere. I hesitated, wanting to help them, but Nick grabbed me and forced me onward. My sister and my mom had to come first.

A blazing fireball soared past my shoulder, its magic erupting into a burst of magical flames as it engulfed the phantom in front of me; a controlled fire that only subdued its target.

“Watch where you’re going, Theo.” Nick had already readied another attack in his hand. “Stay focused.”

The phantom writhed on the floor, screaming as fire consumed him. I had never seen Nick use his magic before, but I knew these were no ordinary flames. They didn’t burn flesh or leave scars. They fed on magic and corruption, consuming any spell the phantom might have been under. The sinister magic that clung to the phantom refused to release him, and the fire pressed on, relentless.

Alex reached for my hand, gripping it tightly as he watched. He didn’t say a word, but I could sense the turmoil roiling inside him, as if the flames were devouring him as well. I was feeling it, too.

The noise attracted several other phantoms, and within minutes, we were surrounded by four newcomers, attacking both residents and staff. The rift wardens had already arrived. I could hear their heavy footsteps and screaming coming from ‌down the hallway we had just come from.

Nick kept hurling his magic, careful not to get innocents caught up in the chaos.

“Why can’t I get through to them?” I pushed Alex behind me, protecting him while Nick fought. These were no ordinary phantoms. Something was off. Caspian’s magic was flaring inside me, but I couldn’t reign it in.

“Ghosts aren’t supposed to have magic.” Nick hurled another fireball. “When they passed through the veil, traces of that sentient magic absorbed into their new bodies. They can’t control it, and it’s taking over, scrambling their minds and actions.”

I flicked two fingers outward, then slapped them into my palm. The phantom charging toward us tripped and fell to the ground.

With the rift wardens about to take over this place, I continued on with Ren and Alex while Nick stayed behind to buy us some time. After a few twists and turns, we reached the end of the hallway where my mother’s room was.

A loud crash echoed out into the hallway, making my stomach tighten.

“Paige!” My heart thumped wildly in my chest. Being deaf, my sister wouldn’t have heard me, and my mom was in no shape to answer. It didn’t stop the panic from tearing through me anyway.

I rushed into the room, only to be met with a chair soaring toward my head. I went to stack my arms to create a shield, but it hadn’t been fast enough.

Small hands wrapped around me, a shimmering barrier shattering the chair into splintered wood. Alex released his magic, panting heavily like that single action drained all of his energy.

My sister’s honey-brown eyes widened at the sight of her brother barging into the room, but the welcome didn’t last long. She was fending off a phantom, a middle-aged female wearing a loose brown cardigan. She had thin, pale brown hair tied into a stubby ponytail that fell down her back. She raised her hand to my mom, ready to strike.

Paige, much more proficient with sign language magic than I was, thrust her hands forward, fingers splayed wide. She traced the signs with desperate speed—Away. Push. Force.

The phantom attacking her was violently shoved back, slamming into the nightstand and tumbling to the floor.

Discomfort stirred in my chest as Caspian’s magic came to life. At the same time, Alex dropped to a knee, pressing his fingers into his head as he gritted his teeth and screamed.

“Alex!” I cried out.

“You don’t have time to play nurse, Theo.” The phantom was already up and attacking again, this time lunging at Ren. “If more phantoms arrive, or if the rift wardens find us, we’re fucked.”

Torn between who to protect, I grabbed Alex and shoved him behind me. Both Paige and my mom seemed unharmed, but my sister must have been fending off phantoms for a while. Her strength was draining before my eyes, each breath more labored than the last. My mom trembled uncontrollably in her wheelchair, her hands shaking harder than I thought possible, and an icy dread coiled tight in my chest.

“Ahhhh!” Tears streamed from Alex’s eyes as he heaved for air. He pointed to his head. “I can’t … I can’t stop it! The veil warped their minds, their memories. Listen, Theo. Listen!”

I had been ignoring Caspian’s magic churning inside me. I had no idea how to control it, and I was wary of its rapidly evolving nature over the past few months. But when I forced myself to focus, voices brushed the edges of my thoughts. Not sound, but pressure; memories bleeding into my mind. Names, faces, unfinished stories. They reached for me through my magic, angry, desperate and afraid.

I’ll kill you for this! You told me everything was fine and let my grandmother die alone! You deserve a life in hell!

“I hear you,” I told the woman. “Let me help you. These people are innocent. They don’t know anything about your family.”

For a brief moment, she hesitated, but her lucidity only lasted seconds before magic gathered in her fist and my hand burned like I had touched a hot stove.

“Theo, what’s the plan here?” Ren jumped in, using small bursts of strength to fend off the phantom with minimal touch. Most of Ren’s magic was destructive and unstable. Using anything else in this tiny room could cause disaster.

“A-Alex, I don’t know how to do this! What do I do? How do I send them home?”