Morningstar

[CH. 0032] - Go Home

"Then we create happy memories together." Baal Berith

Despite having been out cold for several long hours, it seemed to stretch on endlessly. Finally nestled in her bed, Nord surveyed the atmosphere of the house in her mind. Finnea and Kirara were already tucked away in their rooms for the night. As for Baal, he'd headed home, leaving her with the news that he'd be moving in with Merlin the next day, given that the room was set up and ready.

Then there was Adamastor—a lingering question mark. They hadn't crossed paths since their charged exchange, and the not-knowing gnawed at her.

Booting up her scarcely charged mobile device—it had only reached an 18% charge—Nord figured it was enough juice for a short dive into the unknown.

She pulled up the last video she'd watched, still paused in its final moments. Hitting 'play,' her past self filled the silence, answering the lingering question about who she had summoned: "Baal Berith."

Did she hear that right? Was this the same Baal that was becoming an ever-increasing part of her life? Gripped by a sudden urgency, she rewound the video, clutching her phone closer to her ear. Once more, she pressed 'play': "Baal Berith."

The name echoed in the quiet room, tangling itself into her thoughts like a troublesome knot, leaving her with questions she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to untangle.

Nord's fingers hovered over the trackpad, finally clicking on the next file labelled '03.mov.' As the video sprang to life, she was greeted by an image of herself, seemingly post-workout, with black hand bandages unspooling from her wrists. Her past persona was dressed in a sports bra, hair pulled back in a haphazard ponytail. When did she start to go to the gym? Or doing any sports at all?

"This is video 03. I'm Nord Morningstar, and I will travel from Earth to Nyu soon. Very soon," Her younger self panted, visibly trying to catch her breath.

Just then, a distant knock sounded, causing her to rise from her seated position. The phone's microphone was good enough to pick up the dialogue that followed.

"Hey, have you seen my lotion?" came a male voice, muffled by distance.

"Did you look in the drawer?"

"Yep, it's not there."

"Try my side of the bed, babe. I might've been the last one to use it."

"I looked there first!" came the frustrated reply.

Her previous self couldn't help but chuckle. "Then use mine!"

"But it smells like bubblegum. Ah, wait, found it!"

Her brows shot up, curiosity piqued. "And where was it?"

"I... rather not say."

"So it was exactly where I told you to look, wasn't it?" She stifled her laughter with her hand, barely containing her amusement.

A resigned silence was his answer.

"You can't lie to me, you know."

"I know," he finally admitted, the sounds of a faucet running filling the brief silence.

Her past self returned to her original seat with a grin that could light up a room. "Demons can't lie, but that doesn't stop him from trying to outwit me. Now, where was I? Ah, right. How did I summon Baal Berith? I was fifteen and possessed the book Witchy Things 101 by Merlina Maria Allatori."