The dome that was around Penny suddenly broke into fragmented crystals before they started moving up in the air and disappeared. Penny wheezed for air as the sudden overexertion of magic and exhaustion hit her body.
She could hear some more gunshots but apart from it, the chaos that had been going on started to dim down while leaving the forest deserted. Penny turned to look at Damien whose body leaned against the tree and when his eyes opened this time to look at her, they were red in color.
Pushing herself up, she made her way towards Damien and she saw him cough out blood that was black in color. It spilled out from his mouth and she quickly turned worried.
“Damien?” she called his name anxiously.
He puked out some more blood on the ground and wiped his lips with the back of his sleeves, “I think my chest feels lighter right now.”
Penny moving closer to him, she placed her hands on either side of his face to take a look at him. When she saw no change in there, she bumped her forehead to his without pulling away and closing her eyes with a sigh of relief.
“Your hands are back to normal,” she heard him comment and Penny opened her eyes to see he was right. She had hoped it would turn to normal, “The portal is locked again with the black magic in there. Congratulations, Penny.”
She put her arms around his neck and hugged him. She was tired and she wanted to stay like this forever without moving her limbs, “I am tired,” she whispered to him.
Damien hugged her closer and he said, “Let’s get back home,” after a while they finally gathered everyone except for one of the council members who lost his life against the black witch. With their mission complete to what they had come here for, everyone headed back to the village.
The next day, everyone had started to pack their bags ready to leave and head back to Bonelake in their carriage or sharing a carriage with each other. Damien and Penny, like others, left the town to go back to where they were lodging since they had arrived in the land of South. The towns and villages that were under spells were finally free and more council members were being assigned to handle things there for now.
Reaching the inn, Damien and Penny wished the innkeepers goodbye as it was time for them to head back. Of course, the innkeepers were still under the impression that the couple had eloped. The woman who was speaking to Penny said,
“If ever you need a place to stay you can always come here. I wish you could stay here. I won’t make you work,” hearing this Penny smiled. The woman had welcomed both Penny and Damien warmly after thinking they had run away from their houses.
“Thank you for looking after us,” she hugged the woman and pulled back to say, “I hope we can meet again,” and the woman nodded.
“Good luck on both of your endeavors. I am sure you will be able to build a better-looking inn than me,” the man patted Damien’s back.
“That I will,” Damien replied back with a quick smile. When the young couple left the inn by foot, the innkeepers returned back inside the building to get back to their daily life. It was when the couple was cleaning rooms did they find a small pouch that appeared to be sitting on the bed.
“Dear, I think they left something behind,” said the man going to the bed and picking up the bag that slightly jingled. The wife came around to see with a hunch and when they opened the small pouch, they found it filled with gold coins. A note was placed that was held by the pouch and they picked it up, which read ‘Thank you for your hospitality.’
They looked at each other in surprise at what was going on.
Penelope and Damien after walking far away from the village had disappeared from the land of Mythweald and was back in Bonelake, in the mansion of Quinn’s. Back in their rooms, Penny and Damien took the needed rest without letting anyone know so that they wouldn’t be disturbed.
“You did great back there, mouse. I am proud of you,” Damien said to her, “I am sure a lot of the council members would agree to it.”
“We lost a person though,” she said, exhaling the air out from her lips.
“Nicholas will give the report directly to Reuben,” she nodded at this, “How are you doing?” he asked her. Last Night things had gone out of control and in a direction they hadn’t expected when it came to each other. Damien’s corruption had hit high along with Penny who was showing the signs of a black witch.
Penny had been so scared when she had seen her hands changing at a speed she didn’t know it excited but in the end, she had managed it in a nick of a time.
“The portal enhanced what we already had. While closing the portal, I sent some of them away,” she said, noticing him listen to her, “I tried separating the black witch which is second nature as I am a white witch. I sent it away in the portal hole when I closed it. I also tried taking away your corruption but I think it was taking quite a lot of time compared to me,” she placed her hand on his chest, trying to feel his heartbeat beneath her palm.
“The corruption will affect you less,” she let him know to see a grin on his lips.
“You did so many things. How did you know it would work?” he asked her curiously.
Penny shook her head, “I didn’t know if it would but it felt like the portal was trying to hold in things which we receive here. Elemental ability, magic, corruption I thought there was a way to put it back in that window of time,” and she had taken the jump, hoping it would work and it did.
She was back to being a white witch again without a hint that showed that she had used the forbidden magic. Who knew she would have been able to do it.
She heard Damien say, “I think you surpassed Aunt Isabell with what you did yesterday,” Penny couldn’t help but smile over it. To be at the same level as the lady she looked up to, she felt rather privileged and if it weren’t for the lady’s books and the help she had received from the mysterious butler, she wouldn’t have been able to come this far.
“I am happy that everything has come to an end. What are we going to do about the other two witches?” She was speaking about the young girls who they had met and spoken to.
“They might try to attempt to run another ritual soon,” Damien murmured and Penny shook her head.
“I don’t think they will be able to do it. Compared to the rituals and locks that were placed by the first generation witches I changed them a bit when I closed the portal. They will need to figure it out,” she informed him.
Damien gave it a thought and then said, “Then they will not come out and will hide for some months or maybe years before they resurface. Right now the council will issue the drawings of their faces and send out a high bounty. If they are smart, they won’t be stepping out of the light for a very long time.”
