Binding

Contract

Jimin had been forced to perform the spell, the summoning. A knife pressed to his throat as the king explained what Jimin would do for him. The price of his life and what the king planned to use his powers for. Having usually only worked in natural witchcraft, this had a terrible feeling pulling on his bones. Like betrayal. It made him tremble with fear. This magick was dark, unnatural in a way that made the energy of the cool outside feel some sort of wrong. Shadows were darker. The wind rustled whispers through the bushes and trees. Animals were still, watching silently.

A thick wand of incense wafted towards the center of Jimin's summoning circle (a pentagram of salt, a black candle at each point, small metal sigils carved between each one), the spell he was doing almost finished. It caused his protection sigils to wear down. Jimin wanted to do this safe, but there was no way to perform a demon summoning safely and that was the truth of it. It's most likely that Jimin, as well as the many guards, and even the king that stood behind the wall of human mortals, would die. Slow, gruesome deaths brought by a heinous demon, hungry for human souls.

When he had told his king this, the young ruler had scoffed and told Jimin to get to work. As if his title in the human realm meant anything to an immortal demon. Jimin was positive the king's arrogance on the situation would be the cause of all the deaths bound to happen on this night. And he was prepared for it. Not at peace, really, just in recognition of what could come from messing with the balance.

With a shake of his head, Jimin recentered himself and continued, pulling a ceremonial dagger from within his kimono. It was his favorite. The hilt was made of bone, carved into a scaly, wickedly fanged mamushi that curved perfectly with the contours of Jimin's palm. To the base of the hilt three stones were securely tied. One Crystal Quartz, for cleansing, Selenite, for spirituality, and Black Tourmaline, for protection, all caged together in leather knots, swinging from a short strip of material. The blade itself was iron, curled, not unlike what might come from a horrendously large hawk talon.

The dagger was placed gently aside, and Jimin shrugged his kimono off, leaving the entirety of his bare body open to the dark new moon. His protection talismans jingled among themselves, five pendants on two chains resting on the dead center of his chest. Skyclad was a practice he contemplated not using, but after consulting his grimoire, he deemed it to be necessary. Casting while skyclad is a symbol of trust in the moon, earth, elements, and to the energies of his belief. Since he is performing such dark magic, he'll take the security of his craft wherever he can find it.

Even so, the eyes of the other people were palpable on Jimin's naked skin, some disgusted, others hungry. He was uncomfortable in crowds at the calmest of times, but having to both perform his craft and be skyclad? Jimin was struggling to focus. The king in particular tapped his foot impatiently as his eyes feasted on Jimin's form. It was distracting. After taking a moment to re-center yet again, he took a deep breath. Holding the air within his lungs, Jimin took the ceremonial weapon back into his hand, kneeling to the ground just centimeters from the rim of his summoning circle as he exhaled.

The ground was cold.

Inhale.

The tip of the blade softly traced Jimin's thigh.

Exhale.

His head fell back.

Inhale.

The people around him faded into the static.

Exhale.

Jimin's mouth fell open, eyes closing.

Inhale.

Mind clear of anything but summoning him.

Exhale.

The dagger had reached the left side of Jimin's neck.

Inhale.

He tried to keep his exhale steady as he sliced the weapon into the flesh of his neck then set it back down. Small gasps and mumbling could be heard from his undesired audience. He needed this. Blood from the heart had been set up to be a pretty crucial element of the spell. He just hoped it wasn't meant to be taken too literally. However, he might have gone a bit too deep. Jimin  when warm blood gushed down his chest and pooled at his left knee, the dirt unfamiliar with soaking up such thick liquids.

Jimin began to chant the spell as he thought about what he intended to come of this spell. The things the king wanted. The portal Jimin was making, and the chanting he used to lure what he wanted. What might save him. What might destroy him. Who this ritual would summon.

Heavy breaths of a sudden cold wind blew out the candles, then everything went still. All was quiet. The only sound left was the witch's chanting. It seemed like it was echoing in harmony with itself. As the chanting continued it became strange, forced an uneasy feeling to rock in their stomachs. The air was charged like lightning and it stuck to everything like honey. Everything felt off-kilter to how things usually were. To how things were meant to be. Jimin could feel the balance between light and dark shift in the shadows favor.

Then something twisted in the air; something hot. It felt finalizing. Like things were finally beginning to fall into place. Wood cracked in the background, then what sounded like entire trees fell to the ground. "And as you say it, so mote it be," a foriegn voice said the spell's closing.