Chapter 4 - The Veiled Threshold - Chapter 4: The Ritual Chamber

With Elias as her spectral guide, Sera began to explore the hidden depths of Blackwood Estate. He led her to secret rooms, forgotten chambers, and ancient tunnels that crisscrossed beneath the house.She learned that the Blackwood family had built the estate not just as a home, but as a fortress, a place of power designed to contain the spirits and protect the threshold.Elias showed her the ritual chamber, a circular room located deep beneath the house. It was here that the Blackwood women had performed the spirit-binding rituals, using their abilities to create barriers and seals that kept the entities from crossing over.The chamber was filled with strange symbols and arcane diagrams, etched into the stone floor and walls. Elias explained their meaning, teaching Sera the ancient language of spirit-binding.He also taught her how to channel her own energy, how to focus her mind, and how to control her emotions. He explained that spirit-binding required not just power, but also discipline and control.As Sera practiced the rituals, she began to feel a connection to the house, to the spirits, to the Veiled Threshold. She felt a surge of power coursing through her body, a sense of purpose she had never known before.But she also felt the growing darkness, the malevolent force that was threatening to break through the threshold. It was like a cold, empty void, sucking the life out of everything it touched.