A Lonely World

A cool breeze blew through the overgrown streets, rustling the wild foliage that had reclaimed the abandoned cityscape. Sunlight filtered through a stained-glass window, scattering brilliant hues across the marble floors of a once-grand hall.

Inside, a girl with golden eyes scanned the various shelves in front of her. She had already spent the better part of an hour looking through them, but she knew that what she was searching for had to be somewhere.

Then finally—

"There it is!"

Her fingers closed around the prismatic quartz that had been nestled behind several other reagents. Relief swept through her, and for a moment, she simply held it close, steadying her breath.

This was it. Six years of searching, learning, and preparing had all led to this moment. She could finally bring her mother back!

She wouldn't be alone anymore.

With renewed vigor, she placed the crystal in her bag and exited the building, careful not to trip over a few of the vines and roots that had begun to creep more intrusively onto the sidewalks and roads.

A flicker of movement in the sky caught her eye. A flock of birds soared high above her; their dark silhouettes cut through the vast, empty blue.

It was a beautiful sight. Unfortunately, that was all this world had left to offer.

At one point, people had thrived here, but she only vaguely remembered it firsthand. What little she knew now came from salvaged books and the fading stories her parents had told her.

She glanced back at the building she had just left, and a wistful smile briefly graced her lips. Above the entrance, etched into the weathered stone, was a phrase written in an archaic script:

"Where words fail, the heart speaks."

If she remembered correctly, this had once been a place where people could learn and study magic. Now? It was nothing more than a lonely echo of the past.

Just like the rest of the world.

The thought made her heart ache but now was not the time to be dawdling.

She turned on her heels and began walking in the direction of home. While the streets were generally safe, she knew there were dangers here amongst the ruins, and it was better to avoid any trouble if at all possible.

As she navigated, her mind drifted to the ritual. She had meticulously planned out each step of it since she had found and deciphered that ancient tome. There was little doubt in her mind that she had accounted for everything. All she had to do now was get home safely.

She muttered a quick chant under her breath to speed up her steps, and the wind immediately answered. Her body lightened as the breeze pushed her forward with increasing speed. Soon, she was practically soaring through the streets with her cloak fluttering around her and her long violet braid streaming behind her back.

Windwalking. It was a rather simple spell, but it was also an extremely useful one. Ever since she had learned it from her father, she found herself using it at nearly every opportunity.

"…" The stray memory made her swallow hard. She missed her parents.

Her father had been gone since her eighth birthday and had since been buried in a small grave near their cottage. There had been no saving him then, and even now, no magic in the world could bring him back. He had warned her about necromancy, after all.

Her mother, though… She was a different story.

Unlike her father, her mother hadn’t died—at least, Valeria refused to believe she had.

She had been twelve when her mother walked out the door promising to return soon with supplies. The memory was still as vivid as if it had happened yesterday. The sound of her voice, the warmth of her touch, the way she had turned back for one last smile…

Under normal circumstances, six years of absence could mean only one thing. However, there was one singular factor that had made her keep faith in her mother's survival: her pendant.

It was a simple silver necklace with a teardrop-shaped gem that glowed a soft blue. Her mother had given it to her as a way to reassure Val when they had started to make supply runs into the city.

"As long as this shines, I’m alive."

It was enchanted to be linked to her mother's life force. And so far, despite the six years that had passed since her disappearance, the gem still shone.

Valeria clutched the pendant tightly to her chest.

That was why she had spent the last six years searching, and why she had scoured every ruin, read every book, and pieced together every fragment of knowledge she could find.

The ritual that she was planning on using was a summoning spell designed to bring forth someone from across vast distances—even different planes of existence. It was a complex spell, and she didn't quite understand everything about it, but she had come too far to doubt herself now.

All she had to do now was complete the ritual. Then, no matter where her mother was, she would be returned to her.

As Valeria traveled, the overgrowth and ruins of the city eventually faded behind her. Soon, the landscape transitioned into a grassland, and then again to a forest where her home was.

She slowed her pace and allowed the spell to fade as she wove through the familiar woodland path and up to the porch. Before stepping inside, she took some time to admire her handiwork. The cottage’s exterior was still well-kept, and its garden was still thriving under her care.

Behind it were some small fields and livestock that she tended to daily, along with the greenhouse her parents had taught her how to take care of.

Thankfully, everything looked to be in order. It would be unfortunate if she finally brought back her mother just to have everything around her house be a mess. The last thing she wanted was to bring her mother back to a neglected, chaotic home.

Satisfied, Valeria stepped inside, and her eyes adjusted to the dimmer light. The cottage wasn't the largest; it only had three rooms if you discounted the main space that the entrance led into. Still though, it had everything that she needed, and she wouldn't trade it for anywhere else in the world.

She set her bag down on the wooden table and carefully laid out the reagents she had gathered. She could hardly contain her excitement.

It was time to get to work.

The ritual had to be performed in a place of significance to the caster, but that was simple enough given the current living space. After moving the furniture out of the way and clearing a space in the middle of the floor, she began to draw the intricate patterns of the summoning circle.

She had been preparing for this moment for so long; it was hard to believe that it was finally happening.

She stepped back to examine her work once the circle was done. She couldn't tell any difference between the example in her book and the one on her floor; everything was in order.

Valeria took a deep, calming breath, and glanced down at her mother's pendant before continuing.

With trembling fingers, she lit the candles she had placed around the room and turned off the rest of the magical lights. The flickering cast eerie shadows on the walls, and she briefly felt a twinge of unease. But she quickly shook off the feeling and focused on the task at hand.

She raised her arms, faced her palms toward the center of the circle, and began to chant the words of power. As she spoke, the flames of the candles flared and the symbols of the summoning circle glowed with a bluish light that illuminated her pale skin. The air in the room became heavy with an ancient energy, and she could feel the hair on the back of her neck standing on end.

This was it. She poured all her emotions, hopes, and dreams into the chant, willing her mother to appear before her.

***

 "By the moon's light and the stars' might,

 I summon thee, from future or past.

 Through time and space, across fields vast,

 Come forth now, to this circle cast.

 Hark, the call of my heart's desire,

 Answer now, the call of fire.

 Bound by fate and magic's art,

 I summon thee, from this world apart."

***

The room was silent as the final words of the incantation echoed into nothingness. One by one, each component faded as the spell consumed them, leaving nothing behind—not even ash.

Valeria lowered her arms and looked around expectantly.

Then without warning, a blinding white light filled the room. Valeria instinctively shielded her eyes but fought against the urge to close them. Instead, she watched in wonder as the air in the center of the circle rippled like water and coalesced into a humanoid form.

She considered herself at most a novice when it came to spellcasting, yet she was tapping into something as great as this; it was a sensation both exhilarating and terrifying.

The hum of power was like a current, pulling at her very being and threatening to drag her along with it. But she held on as the spell continued to weave its way through the air and the summoning circle.

Eventually the power crested towards its apex, and a burst of energy filled the room. It was like nothing she'd ever experienced before. The air crackled with lightning, and she could taste the metallic tang of magic on her tongue.

And then, silence. Deafening and oppressive silence.