[Kitsumi]

It was difficult for Nyssa to find the supplies she needed to cast spells in her small little hometown. Most of the area was farmland, and there were only a few shops set up near the center of town. If you wanted something special, you would have to travel to the nearest big city to get it...

Or at least, that used to be the case. Now that she had managed to get Wi-Fi set up in her house, the woman was finally able to shop online. It opened up a whole new world of opportunities. Doors that had once been closed to her were now swinging wide open.

[Kitsumi]

The sight of a cardboard box on her front porch sent Nyssa into an excited frenzy. She barely bothered to put her old beat up truck in park before she was hopping out the door and sprinting towards the package. It felt as if she had been waiting for years, even though the shipping time had really only been ten days. Not an outrageous wait, considering the fact that she lived out in the middle of nowhere.

Snatching the box, the woman's eyes scanned the shipping label. There was her name, and right underneath it, the name of the shop that she had found online.

[Kitsumi]

As impatient as she was, the woman didn't bother waiting to look around for something sharp enough to cut the package open. Instead, she punctured the tape with one long, deep purple fingernail. Dragging her finger across the edges of the box, one big tug on either flap was enough to finally reveal the contents hidden inside of the cardboard.

Unceremoniously shoving past the packing peanuts, Nyssa felt around for the items she had purchased. Eventually, she ended up seated cross-legged on the porch, several objects spread out in front of her: a book, several crystals, some dried herbs, and a few other random spell components.

[Kitsumi]

Her hands were practically shaking with excitement as she picked up the book. It was one that she had chosen because of it's focus on performing magic with the use of crystals. The cost of shipping ingredients would quickly get expensive if the witch continued to focus on potions. But crystals could be reused time and time again, allowing her to practice magic without having to spend an arm and a leg each time she wanted to try a new spell.

Flipping through the pages, she looked for a particular spell. It was one that had been advertised in the summary of the book, and had also played a part in her decision to buy this particular book.

[Kitsumi]

"Here it is!" she shouted triumphantly to no one in particular as her finger tapped the paper. There, at the top of the page in elegant text, was the word that she had been looking for: Summoning.

Nyssa wasn't a fool. She knew that summoning magic could be incredibly dangerous if not performed with the necessary precautions. But she also knew that it would be a sign of her growing abilities as a witch if she could successfully summon something. She would take it slow, start with something simple and harmless. As long as she didn't try summoning a demon, she should be safe.

Right?

[Kitsumi]

Honestly, she probably should have done a more thorough read of the book before attempting to perform any sort of magic. She had completely passed over the chapter about preparing the crystals, not realizing that she needed to cleanse them of any malicious energy first. And even the spell that she had chosen was only skimmed, just enough for her to memorize the incantation and know which of the crystals she had to use.

It was impatient and careless, but at the moment Nyssa only had one thing on her mind. Once she finally managed to pull off such an intricate spell, maybe she would finally be allowed to join the coven that had rejected her!

[Kitsumi]

Her 'study' as she referred to the room when she had company, was a large, mostly bare room. The floor was wooden, perfect for drawing chalk symbols. There was a table with a mortar and pestle for grinding ingredients, and a few shelves with books and glass jars of various sizes. One of these shelves had been cleared in anticipation of her new arrivals.

Nyssa carefully arranged the crystals on the open shelf. She left a few empty spaces, for the ones that she planned on using immediately. The sight of all of them, various shapes, sizes, and colors, filled her heart with joy. Finally, this was beginning to look like a proper witch's workspace.

[Kitsumi]

As careless as she was currently being, the witch at least had enough sense to check the book frequently as she prepared her space for the spell. The symbol was drawn slowly and cautiously in white chalk. She made sure that the candles and crystals that were placed down were set in the appropriate positions, none of them were placed out of order. Glancing over everything one last time, she made absolutely sure that everything had been prepared correctly.

Once she was sure that the conditions for the spell had been met, she sat down in the center of the circle. Eyes closed and hands held up on either side of her, she began to speak the incantation.

[Kitsumi]

As she began to speak the words that she had only recently memorized, Nyssa felt a breeze pick up around her. Cracking open one eye, she glanced over at the window. It was closed.

Her heart began to race, knowing that what she felt was actually a manifestation of her own magic. Goosebumps had risen on the bare skin of her arms, as it suddenly felt as if the temperature had dropped several degrees in the room. It felt as if little prickles of electricity were crackling across her skin.

She felt powerful, unstoppable as her voice raised in volume to finish the spell.

[Kitsumi]

An eerie silence filled the room as the last word faded into silence. Things were nice and quiet out here in the country, but never this quiet. Usually there was the chirping of birds, the croaking of frogs, something along those lines.

But there was currently nothing but complete, absolute silence.

Frowning, Nyssa looked around. There was no sign that the spell had worked. But she had felt it. She had felt the energy leaving her; even now she still felt shaky from the loss. It was clear that something had happened. But where was the ghost that she had been trying to summon?

[Kitsumi]

The spirit was aware of nothing. Any semblance of life had long since passed away, leaving behind an empty husk without purpose. There were no thoughts, no memories.

There was, however, a strange tugging sensation. Like an invisible thread pulling them forward, they began drifting towards the source of the feeling. A woman stood in the middle of a chalk circle, surrounded by candles and pretty stones. She was speaking in a language the spirit didn't understand, yet somehow she knew that it was these words that had called her here.

The only problem was, she was stuck. When she tried to pass into the world of the living, it was as if an invisible barrier was stopping her.

[Kitsumi]

With nothing else to do, the spirit simply watched quizzically as the woman grabbed a book. She plopped it in her lap, rifling through the pages in search of... something. Something very important, judging from the desperation in her gaze.

Being this close to the realm of the living was beginning to have an effect on the spirit. She could feel thoughts and emotions returning to her, something she hadn't felt in... well, she wasn't quite sure how long. There had been no way to tell the passing of time within the void. The first thing she felt was curiosity, as she questioned why and how she was here... and why she was so close yet unable to pass into the other realm.

[Kitsumi]

"Gods above and below, I could have sworn I did everything right!" The woman, who was clearly some sort of witch if the spell components were any indicator, spoke in a frustrated tone of voice. "Let's see. I got the candles, I know that I used all the right crystals." She began checking things off on her fingers, trying to understand where she had gone wrong. "Did I mispronounce a word of the incantation? Or maybe I didn't draw the circle quite right." She once again studied the book in front of her, brows drawn together. "Why didn't the summoning work?"

[Kitsumi]

Summoning? That word stood out to the spirit. Something clicked in her mind, a reason for her presence here. The witch had obviously attempted to bring her back to the world of the living, at least in ethereal form. Yet obviously something had gone wrong, as she was now stuck in between worlds. It wasn't as if it were uncomfortable, but she didn't like the thought of being stuck in limbo. What if she stayed like this forever?

"Ridiculous," she sighed tiredly. "If you were going to summon me, you could have at least done it right. Will I ever be able to return to the void, now?"

[Kitsumi]

Immediately the woman stiffened. Sitting up straight, she whipped her head from one side to the other, looking for something. "Who was that?" she asked. "Ghost? Are you here?"

The spirit paused, curious. Was it her voice that the woman had heard? Was it possible that even in this state of in between, she was still able to communicate with the living? It was worth a shot at least, she decided. So, moving closer to the woman, she spoke, "I prefer the term spirit, thank you very much."

As suspected, the woman practically jumped out of her skin. "S-spirit! So the summoning worked! I did it!"