The town of Lawton was founded by two brothers and their families who were fleeing a great evil that had destroyed their home. Moving south to the mountains of Tagaytay, the brothers created their new home. They found land that was said to be a convergent point of the earth's six natural elements, where they settled and grew a community of settlers.

There, of course, was another part of the story hidden away from the normal citizens of Lawton.

The brothers were witches, and not only did they founded the town of Lawton, they also founded the Tala O'Ra Coven. The coven is said to invoke the power of the red moon, allowing safe passage for when it is their time to move to the afterlife. The practice of cremation—removing one's ties to the mortal world—that is held up by the townspeople is a tradition that was started by the coven itself.

"You don't look surprised hearing all these," Kira said as she led the way through the forest. The only way to go undetected is through a path behind the mountainside east of town that leads to an old abandoned church.

"You forgot to mention that they're ancestors, but yeah, I read some details from a couple of family books," Matt answered, almost out of breath. They could have at least rode up to a point near the mountainside, but Kira insisted they had to be on foot, starting from Crimson. "One brother had power over darkness, and the other, no wait... I think I'm getting it wrong. Both of them had magic over shadows, correct?"

"Actually, no." Kira stopped for a moment, looking at the vicinity, making sure that no one was about to see them as they were about to exit the dense forest. Matt could already see the old bell tower. Its old wooden frame withered away from the elements. "From what they say, the one brother was powerful with strong light magic, but he later turned to the darker arts, while the other brother had no power of his own."

Matt immediately noticed the family resemblance. "He's the one who disappeared during a blood moon sometime back in the day, right?"

The stars had settled on the dark sky by the time they reached the old church. Parts of the brick ruins have thick vines crawling on them, almost concealing everything. It was the left tower, the only remaining one, that was visible from the distance earlier. It was easier to see how damaged it was; it is a wonder how strong winds coming from the mountains have yet to crash it down. It was difficult to see now as it was almost pitch black darkness, but Kira easily summoned glowing balls of light and flickering light fireflies. The back door was chained shut, but Kira was quick to point out that it was not even locked at all.

It was quiet darkness inside except for the creaking floor that makes a noise every few steps. It is easy to know that no one has been here for quite a long time. Every surface was covered in a thick layer of dust and if Matt wants to, he can create a dust storm if he starts swiping his hand everywhere. He even got cobwebs on his face, twice. Everything about this place is unsettling, and yet Kira remained calm. Obviously, this is not the first time she has been here; otherwise, any normal person would be full of jitters. Like Matt.

Quiet moments like these make Matt question why Kira is even here with him. Anytime she smiles at him and Matt wants to smile back, he remembers the fact that her parents are gone because of his parents, and then the smile fades.

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The Beacon Lodge incident happened nine years ago. It's been almost a decade since Matt's parents are said to have killed every one of their friends and tried to cover everything up with a fire.

This is the reason why everyone in town hates their family. Hates him. Everyone believes that his parents are murderers, and they are a family of killers. It is not the truth that Matt believes in, but without proof of his own other than his strong belief in his parents' good nature, it is the truth that everyone in Lawton believes in.

"You said the meeting was of about a hundred witches," Matt tugged on Kira's arm. "Is this the right place, or are you just planning to dispose of me and hide my body here?"

Kira chuckled in response. "When have you developed such a dark humor?"

"Well, considering my upbringing, it's either be dark and funny or be dark and depressing."

"Make sense." Kira reached inside her jacket and pulled out two rings with dark stones embedded in them. She handed one out to Matt. "You won't find anyone here, at least in this dimension. The coven is in another---"

“This is a grimstone!” Matt was quick to grab one of the rings and play with it on his palm. No human would give it a second look because of its dull appearance, but that is usually how grimstones are worn to hide them. “The gathering’s being held in a pocket dimension. That’s so cool.”

“You really have been reading a lot, have you?" Kira said, "See, this grimstone was cut from a larger one, fashioned into accessories, mostly rings, and given to members of the coven. It's the only way you can enter the right pocket dimension.

"Like needing to tune in to the correct frequency." Matt was fascinated by the ring's very design and could not help but notice the stylized 'C' engraving, hidden inside the base.

"That's a special ring. It was your lola's."

Matt was taken aback. He did not expect Kira to say that. She did mention that each member of the coven is given a ring. Aside from acting as a key to joining the gatherings, it might as well act as a special token, unique to each member.

"I had to steal it from Lolo's study at home. Your uncle was supposed to have it, keep it as an heirloom, maybe pass the ring or the stone down to the next family member, but I was told he rejected anything that had to do with the Coven."

Matt had no control over what he did next. His arms just opened themselves as he reached for Kira, bringing her into a tight, grateful hug that lasted for a long time.

"Thank you," Matt mumbled, hoping that he was not tearing up too much so that he would sound like he was crying. "Really, thank you."

"You're welcome, really." Kira was holding herself back from sobbing as well. Morgan always described Kira as a kind angel, and he cannot disagree. "Are you ready?"

Matt took a deep breath and nodded, knowing what Kira was about to do next: activate the grimstone. The rumbling in his stomach grew stronger, but there was no reason to stop now. Kira reached for his hand, which was wearing the ring, and started chanting words Matt could not understand. It may be in Latin, like most of the spells he saw in the books. That must mean this is a very old spell. Spells can be in any language, but older, reliable spells are still used in their original forms.

The dull gem on the rings began to glow a brilliant green, and in an instant, Matt’s feet left the floor he was standing on as his insides began to swirl. His head began to feel light, then heavy, and then light again in quick succession. Then his feet returned to something tangible, and his organs tried to catch up to where he was, slowly falling into their proper places. So many things happened at once in just a matter of seconds, and it almost made him shout. Kira cupped his mouth to silence before he could make a sound, and it was a good move on her part.

The dimensions have twisted, and they have entered the pocket realm of the grimstones they are wearing.