Chapter 10: The Blood Moon Ritual
The night was eerily silent as Jace and Juniper found themselves standing at the entrance of an old, overgrown cemetery. A cold wind blew through the iron gates, causing them to creak ominously. The sky was painted in deep reds and oranges as the blood moon hung low on the horizon, casting an unnatural glow over the gravestones.
“Okay, remind me again why we’re here?” Jace asked, floating lazily next to Juniper as she scanned the cemetery.
Juniper sighed, tugging her jacket tighter around her as she walked carefully through the ancient burial ground.
“The Grim Reaper said there was another ghost here that needed help. It sounded like something urgent. We just have to find them.”
Jace floated beside her, his ghostly form shimmering in the eerie light. “Yeah, but this place is giving me the creeps. And that’s saying something, considering I’m already dead.”
Juniper rolled her eyes, trying to focus on the task at hand.
“Come on, Jace. It’s just a cemetery. What’s the worst that could happen?”
As soon as she said it, a loud chanting echoed through the night, sending a shiver down her spine. The sound seemed to come from deeper inside the cemetery, hidden among the tall, twisted trees that loomed over them.
“Uh, do you hear that?” Jace asked, his usually playful tone suddenly serious.
Juniper swallowed hard, her heart racing.
“Yeah, I hear it.”
Without another word, they cautiously made their way toward the source of the chanting. As they approached, the air grew colder, and the glow from the blood moon seemed to intensify. They soon found themselves standing in front of an ancient mausoleum, its stone doors slightly ajar. Inside, the eerie chanting grew louder.
“I don’t like this,” Juniper whispered, her breath visible in the cold air.
Jace nodded, his expression grim.
“Me neither. But we’re here now.”
Juniper hesitated for a moment before pushing the door open wider. Inside the mausoleum, a group of shadowy figures stood in a circle around a stone altar, their hands raised toward the blood-red sky. Their chanting filled the air, and at the center of the altar was something that made Juniper’s stomach twist—a human skull, surrounded by burning candles.
“These aren’t just regular spirits,” Jace muttered, his ghostly form shifting uneasily.
“These are evil spirits. Look at them—they’re performing some kind of ritual.”
Juniper’s eyes widened as she realized what they were witnessing. “It’s the blood moon... They’re trying to complete some kind of dark ceremony.”
Before they could react, one of the spirits turned, its hollow eyes locking onto Juniper. The chanting stopped abruptly, and the rest of the spirits slowly turned to face her.
“Well, this just got awkward,” Jace muttered.
The spirit at the head of the group stepped forward, its form more solid than the others. It pointed a bony finger at Juniper, its voice a low, hissing whisper.
“You… have come at the perfect time. The blood moon requires a sacrifice.”
Juniper froze, her heart pounding.
“Sacrifice? What are you talking about?”
The spirit’s eyes gleamed with malice.
“You, human, will be the sacrifice that completes our ritual. Your soul will open the gates to the underworld.”
Juniper took a step back, her pulse racing.
“Yeah, no thanks. I’m not interested in becoming a sacrifice today.”
Jace floated protectively in front of her, his ghostly form glowing with anger. “You’re not touching her!”
The spirits hissed in unison, their forms shifting like smoke as they moved closer, surrounding them. “She belongs to us now.”
Juniper grabbed Jace’s arm instinctively, though she knew he couldn’t physically protect her. “What do we do, Jace?”
Jace’s eyes glowed with determination. “I’ve got powers now, remember? Just stay close to me.”
With that, Jace summoned his ghostly abilities, his hands glowing with an ethereal light. He raised them toward the spirits, sending a blast of energy in their direction. The spirits screeched in pain as the light hit them, forcing them to retreat momentarily.
“Nice one!” Juniper exclaimed, her heart pounding with adrenaline.
Jace smirked. “I’m just getting started.”
But the spirits weren’t done yet. The leader of the group raised its hands, and the ground beneath Juniper’s feet began to tremble. Dark tendrils of smoke rose from the earth, wrapping around her ankles and pulling her toward the altar.
“Jace!” Juniper screamed, struggling against the dark force.
“I’m on it!” Jace shouted, diving toward her. He grabbed hold of the tendrils, his ghostly hands glowing brighter as he pulled them away from her.
But it wasn’t enough. The spirits began chanting again, their voices growing louder and more menacing. The tendrils tightened around Juniper, dragging her closer to the altar.
“We can’t let them complete the ritual!” Jace yelled, his voice strained as he fought against the dark energy.
Juniper’s eyes darted around, searching for a way out. She spotted one of the candles burning on the altar and an idea formed in her mind. “The candles! They’re fueling the ritual!”
Jace looked at the altar, understanding immediately. “Got it!”
With a surge of determination, Jace flew toward the altar, his hands blazing with ghostly power. He knocked over one of the candles, sending it crashing to the ground. The flame sputtered and died, and the spirits let out a collective screech of anger.
Juniper felt the tendrils around her weaken slightly, giving her just enough time to pull herself free. She stumbled backward, her heart racing, as Jace continued to knock over the candles one by one.
As the final candle was extinguished, the spirits let out a deafening wail. The leader turned its hollow eyes on Jace, its voice filled with fury. “You will pay for this, ghost!”
Jace grinned defiantly. “Bring it on!”
The leader lunged at Jace, its form shifting into a swirling mass of darkness. Jace barely had time to react as the spirit slammed into him, sending him flying across the mausoleum. He hit the wall with a ghostly thud, his form flickering for a moment.
“Jace!” Juniper cried, rushing toward him.
Jace groaned, rubbing his head as he floated back to his feet. “I’m fine, I’m fine. Just... a little dizzy.”
The leader spirit wasn’t done, though. It raised its hand, summoning more dark energy. The air crackled with power as the spirit prepared to unleash its final attack.
“We need to end this now,” Juniper said, her voice shaking with fear.
Jace nodded, his expression serious. “I’ve got one more trick up my sleeve.”
He floated toward the spirit, his hands glowing brighter than before. “Hey, ugly! Let’s see how you like this!”
With a roar of defiance, Jace unleashed a powerful blast of energy, hitting the spirit square in the chest. The spirit let out a bloodcurdling scream as the light engulfed it, its form disintegrating into nothingness.
The other spirits, now without their leader, began to retreat, their forms fading into the shadows.
Juniper let out a sigh of relief, her knees trembling. “That... was intense.”
Jace floated over to her, a cocky grin on his face. “Told you I’ve got this.”
Juniper rolled her eyes, though she couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah, yeah. You were pretty cool, I guess.”
Jace chuckled, floating closer to her. “Pretty cool? I just saved you from being dragged into the afterlife. I’d say that earns me some extra points.”
Juniper laughed softly, the tension in her chest finally easing. “Okay, fine. You were more than ‘pretty cool.’ You were... amazing.”
Jace gave her a playful wink. “I’ll take that.”
They stood there for a moment, the blood moon still hanging in the sky, but the danger had passed. The spirits were gone, and the ritual had been stopped.
“Thanks for saving me,” Juniper said quietly, her eyes meeting his.
Jace smiled softly, his ghostly hand reaching out as if to touch her cheek. “I’ll always protect you, Juniper. That’s a promise.”
Juniper’s heart fluttered, and for a brief moment, the world around them seemed to disappear. It was just the two of them—Juniper and Jace, standing in the glow of the blood moon, closer than ever before.
But as the moment passed, reality returned, and they both knew that their journey was far from over.
“We should get out of here,” Juniper said, glancing around the cemetery. “Before something else decides to come after us.”
Jace nodded, floating beside her as they made their way out of the cemetery. “Yeah, let’s go. But hey, we survived a blood moon ritual. That’s got to count for something.”
Juniper smiled, her heart feeling lighter. “Yeah, it does.”
Together, they walked through the iron gates and back into the night, ready to face whatever came next.