If there ever was a better time to wander off into the woods north of Lawton, it would never be during the dead of night. The trees and the shrubs all mesh into a thick wall of darkness with only a flickering flashlight, which would need to get its batteries changed quickly, guiding their path. The air has grown colder, even more than before, now that there are only a few more months remaining until the year closes. Only insect noises could be heard from a distance, which is good news because this means there are no large animals nearby... for now. The forest surrounding Lawton had long been a terrifying place to get lost in, especially on a dark moonless night, and yet somehow, Matt had not slowed down on his way to Beacon Lodge.

"I just think we're lucky," Matt said, sounding out of breath but with no plans of stopping. "If werewolves and witches have been in town for forever, it's a miracle we've never had to deal with them till now."

"I wish we never had to deal with them at all," Morgan said, sounding bitter. "Especially after everything that just happened. Our lives would have been much easier, and you know, normal."

"Normal is boring," Matt said, parting away a bush to make a path. His jacket and pants have already caught leaves, sticks, and mud, but he does not seem to mind.

"Normal, is our family still having Crimson," Morgan responded.

"Oh, yeah." Matt finally made a full stop, looking apologetic. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way. Has your dad heard back from the insurance agent yet?"

"Not yet, but we're expecting news by next week." Morgan had to stop himself from thinking about the fire that destroyed Crimson Cafe. It was not only their family's main source of income; it was also the dream that his parents shared. Now it is burned down to ashes, all because of those werewolves. An all-consuming rage sparks inside him as soon as the thought returns to his mind.

"Look, I know things are bad. But you guys can always stay with us. I mean, we have at least four more empty bed rooms you guys can use."

"Thanks, but I think my father's pride is gonna get in the way of your offer."

"Then pay us back in cakes. Bake in the house." Matt smiled at the thought of Crimson cakes, fresh and available in the kitchen. "It's gonna be a welcome change for the manor to get filled with the aroma of real delicious food and not, you know, crusty dust. Greyson can cook, right? And you know what Kira always says, right? Everything's going to turn out for the better."

It was all great until Matt mentioned her name, and suddenly, the fantasy was whisked away. "I don't want to hear that right now. Words from liars don't mean a thing."

"You're really planning on totally icing her out, huh?" Matt said. Morgan stared back at him, growling, forcing Matt to move forward in playful fear. "Alright, alright. You really gotta wonder if being this pissy is part of the werewolf thing." Matt did not wait for Morgan to react and quickly changed the topic. "This little trip of ours should keep your mind off the bad things."

"And we had to do this in the middle of the night, because?" This is another thing worrying Morgan. Matt is on this crazy binge. Magic has been the only thing running through his mind and getting out of his mouth the last few weeks. There is a pile of medical books and journals on his desk that he should have finished reading a few weeks ago, but he has barely touched them in favor of anything related to magic. It's a very Mattheus thing to do, to obsess, but something Doc said during the last full moon has been bothering him.

"I was more like you when I was younger. Lucas was more like Matt. I knew what the risks were, and I should've known better then to keep magic away from us. I let Lucas. Do not let magic consume you."

Doc has never made it clear what happened to his best friend, Lucas. It is quite possible that magic created a rift between them, and they are no longer on good terms. But it is difficult to tell because every time Matt mentions the name, Doc clams up and turns silent before smiling again, as if a computer were rebooting to the last state it was functioning in after a crash.

"Because it is more exciting! Gives more of a sleuthing-around vibe doing it in the darkness."

The forest was beginning to thin as they moved forward until they reached a forked path. One path leads to a clearing near the mountainside where a cave, said to be haunted by vengeful spirits, is located. The other path leads directly to an old abandoned house, which was slowly reclaimed by nature.

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Vines have crawled on the decaying walls and boarded up windows, as if the forest were slowly absorbing it. The two-story building, which used to be the Franco's rest house near the mountain, was where they hosted family and friends for celebrations and holidays. But now, the top had been scalped, and even in the dark, it was easy to see the pieces of wood sticking out, half-burnt pillars that were at least still strong enough to keep the house standing. Inside, the vines have reached to cover the walls, almost looking like veins crawling about. The floor and the walls were blackened where the fire had seared through, leaving ash and dirt mixed with anything else the wind guided through the broken doors and windows.

Matt did not seem to mind the state of the house and strutted inside as if it were the manor or the mausoleum. After all, they own the place, but most people would be wary of entering an abandoned house as dirty and creepy as the Beacon Lodge. Then again, Matt is unlike most people. He has a warped sense when it comes to dealing with the macabre.

"This place is creepy. Tell me again why your lola never bothered to have this place cleaned up and renovated? Seems like a waste," Morgan said, running his finger against the wall, just to check how thick the dust has gotten. It was at least a half-inch thick.

"Best guess. They never properly processed their grief and never wanted to step in here," Matt answered nonchalantly. "I'm the other way around. I hang out here a lot."

"That sounds about right. What are we looking for again?" Morgan said. Matt stopped by the narrow staircase that was missing a few steps.

"Well, anything and everything, really." Matt shrugged as he stepped on the remaining steps, which creaked as if they could break at any moment.

"So we're basically on a scavenger hunt."

"A scavenger hunt! Yes. That's the word!" Matt exclaimed. He pulled out another flashlight from his backpack and handed one to Morgan. It is a Matt thing to do to always carry a spare. "Wait, do you even need this? Don't you have night vision or something?"

Morgan shook his head. "I can see, maybe sense, things much better than before, but I could appreciate some light." He took the flashlight as Matt headed upstairs until he stopped for a while, turned around, and headed to the back instead, shouting that he would check the kitchen and for Morgan to look around for himself and just shout if he finds something interesting.

How Matt thought this little excursion would help keep Morgan's mind off what happened to Crimson is baffling. Morgan was reminded of everything as soon as they stepped in, especially after he entered the living room area. From what he read, the fire started down in the basement, and it spread to the first floor and some areas on the second floor. The living room is one of the more damaged areas, with it just being above the basement room. The fire is said to have burned so hot below that some items began to melt up here before the fire could even crawl out of the basement. Melted candle holders, frames, and a lopsided shelf were among the melted items. Cabinets, chairs, and sofas, although not completely burned, were seared and were missing pieces, effectively unusable.

This is exactly how Crimson looked the day after the fire. Some things seemed like they were still good to be salvaged for another purpose, but every time they tried to pick up anything, the item crumbled to dust.

Morgan sighed and then could not help himself from chuckling at how absurd his best friend's idea of 'comforting' is. The only difference is this place also smells of wildlife. But hey, it worked, if only a little.

"Morgan!" It was Matt's voice, although a little muffled. It seems to be coming from below. The kitchen has a staircase that leads to the basement, so that's where Matt could be. Morgan found his way downstairs, expecting to see a storage room filled with burned-up items, consumed by the fire almost a decade ago. But the place was not stuffed with a pile of junk, and instead, it almost looked like a second living room area. Although the items and furniture have all been damaged, you can still easily see where the shelves, the tables, and the sofas are supposed to be. There was even a fireplace, most likely connected to the one above, in the living room area.

"I thought this was a basement storage area."

"I thought so too." Matt sounded perplexed, as if this was the first time he had seen this place. "You know, I was never really allowed to enter here, or at least I don't remember being here."

"What do you mean? You're here at least six times every year."

"Yeah, but the basement had always been closed," Matt said as he continued to walk around to examine the spacious room.

Morgan only noticed by now, but Matt was holding a book in his hands. "Where'd you get that?"

"It's a book of spells... and curses. You're never gonna believe where I got it, though." Even Matt did not seem to believe that he was holding the book right now. He pointed to a large cabinet filled with books, candles, jars of various animal parts, dried herbs, powders, roots, and others that reminded him of the apothecary at the shed in the greenhouse.

"Magic huh?" Morgan said, looking at the cabinet, which was still in great condition, although looking old. Everything inside was covered in dust, but it did not seem like the fire that supposedly burned everything touched it at all.

"Hey look," Matt exclaimed, finding himself behind a stone platform, adorned by various rocks, gems, and a rusted cauldron. There was a book on one side left open that Matt had begun to read. "The werewolf that attacked us at school. Didn't he say something about breaking chains?" Morgan nodded yes as he walked closer to Matt, who had a curious look on his face as his eyes went from side to side, reading. Morgan's eyes widened as he read the page Matt was on. It was clear what caught Matt's curiosity.

"A curse of immeasurable power. This binds a person to a space dictated by the moon's light while the shadows siphon a fraction of their power, leaving them weak and vulnerable. Not unlike most curses, this curse draws power threefold: from the moon, the shadows, and a betrayal. The Chains of Prometheus."