"Name unmake thy tether. I undo you by thread, by breath, and by blood," Aliza chanted, reciting from a small book in her hand.
Alwyn was strapped to the table, upside down and propped up against the wall. Candles formed a semicircle around him, serving as the only illumination in the dark room. The sun had already risen, but Aliza drew all the curtains, blocking any outside light from getting inside.
She spread ground bone dust around the floor in a ritualistic circle, and drew sigils all over the walls. The golden artifact was at the center of it all. Though Linnie wasn't convinced this was doing anything, he was proven wrong when the thick smell of copper filled the room.
"Uh... naah-tehn vel, naah-tehn vel, naah-tehn vel...? Na-nana boo-boo? What the hell is this...?" she muttered, flipping through the pages.
"Do you even know what you're doing?" Alwyn asked, red-faced and bloated from the blood pooling in his head.
"Why would I!? I'm not an exorcist!"
"Didn't you take exorcism one year?"
"Oh, right, because one year of a class makes you an expert. Are you a certified botanist?"
"Yeah, actually, I am."
"Tch, don't speak, it's distracting." She took a deep breath. "By the twelve breaths of the world, by the ninth that never exhaled—okay, this can't be real."
She closed the book and threw it aside, sifting through a pile of occult books she grabbed.
"Aha, this one had great reviews!" she said, opening a large, dusty book. "Break pattern. Cease recursion. Exit vessel. Fold yourself inward. Collapse the echo..."
"Isn't this the same as the other book!?" Linnie thought, watching her spout gibberish. He had a bag of pork skins that he had to eat very slowly, as to not annoy Aliza with the crunching.
The candles started to flicker, leaving the room in pitch black darkness for seconds at a time.
She was incredibly focused now, reciting every word. "I revoke your claim. I close the gate you entered by. Twelve lights witness. Nine lights blind. Seven seal. One cuts."
Once she said this, something changed in the air. Even Linnie noticed it, temporarily putting a stop to his snacking. Alwyn winced, and droplets of sweat dripped from his forehead. The artifact was hovering an inch off the ground, vibrating with energy.
Aliza clapped, but the sound was muffled. She clapped again, and Alwyn screamed in pain.
"What... the—OW!" he screamed. "Lin, cover your... fucking ears!"
Aliza placed her palm on Alwyn's chest and leaned forwards, whispering something through her teeth. Her words came out like mist, as if it was a cold winter day. Then she snapped, and the various medical mirrors' reflections all shifted, turning to face Alwyn.
"This is kind of spooky... I'm not gonna have to fight a demon, am I? I wonder if I'd win..."
Alwyn started screeching unnaturally. No, it would be incorrect to say it was him. The strange guttural sound came from inside him, sure, but it was not he who was making the noise.
Aliza quickly flipped the pages. "Silence your mouth and the mouths beneath it. I cast you past the edge of thought. Be nothing again!"
Alwyn pulled and wriggled at his binds, foaming at the mouth. His veins glowed shades of purple, red, and black, pulsing faster as she continued, and his skin rippled like water as if something was trying to get out.
The entire room seemed as if it were spinning, and Alwyn started to violently gag. He retched and retched, until finally, he vomited up a tangle of silver threadlike objects, which writhed like worms before dissolving into nothing.
The artifact dropped to the floor with a clattering, and the entire room went quiet.
"Is it done?" Linnie asked, breaking the silence.
"Uh, I guess so?" Aliza said, scratching her head. "How do you feel, dude?"
Alwyn blinked a few times, then smiled. He broke from the restraints and rolled backwards off the bed, flipping through the air and landing on his feet.
"I've been better. Don't feel too bad, though. Not too terrible a job, I suppose, for a scorned witch."
"Is that supposed to be a thank you...?"
"Ah, is that what you wanted? Come on, then, Linnie. Let's get out of this place before you get sick, too."
"What!? So soon? Can't we at least get dinner first?"
"No. Actually, I am kind of hungry... but she's not coming."
"Why not?" Linnie moaned.
Alwyn looked at Aliza, and then back at Linnie, who had such a sad expression.
"How did you seduce my apprentice's young and innocent mind...?" he asked.
"Oh, what is your problem? Seriously, I just totally saved your ass, and you can't even treat me to dinner?" she scoffed.
"You want me to treat you to dinner?"
"It's for Linnie. We bonded, today. It'd be sad to leave it off like this."
Alwyn groaned, but gave in. "Fine. We're not going anywhere expensive, though. I trust you know a place with half-decent food?"
"Just follow me," she said, smiling.
The three left the operating room and returned the shop's main area. To their collective surprise, it was bright out.
"I totally forgot it was morning already!" Linnie said. "Then does that mean we're getting breakfast...? Or would it still be dinner?"
Linnie mumbled to himself, staring at his feet. Aliza pushed past him and approached the counter. There were customers. One was wearing a full-face cloth mask, and the other wore a knight's helmet. Both faces concealed completely.
"Customers? Did I leave the sign on 'open' again? Sorry for the wait, you two, but I'm not actually open. I'll be back later today," she said. "Probably only an hour or two. I hope it isn't urgent?"
Linnie and Alwyn continued ahead to the door, and Alwyn started chatting about some frivolous thing, probably about how his body felt good as new.
"Oh, no. Not urgent at all. Please, take your time," the masked one said with an audibly smug voice.
Aliza froze for a moment, not sure if she was hearing things correctly. Linnie didn't share her hesitance, and turned back towards the counter with his hands raised.
Linnie acted for a simple reason. That man's voice—it had an accent.
The bandages on his hands caught fire, and he yelled: "FIREBALL!"