Chapter 239 - The Sinner

Unlocking her dorm door, Julie stepped inside and closed it. On her way back, with no light spilling from the bottom of Melanie's door, she doubted Melanie was back, and maybe she was still in Conner's company. A long sigh escaped from her lips, and she walked straight to the table and turned on the table lamp. 

Julie then pulled the drawer and took out the spellbook, turning the pages one after another before sitting on the chair. Her brown eyes searched through the lines of each page, one by one, until it stopped on one of it. She read the words that was written on the page,

"Touch the ground, and touch the sky, breathe with your words as you sigh. A moment of dust can be turned back in time, and all you need to do is use the blood of a sinner, who has sinned from the beginning to the end since dust."

What was this about? Because these had no titles, and their purpose was. She continued to read through other such spells that barely held any meaning to it, and one could easily get lost on what it meant. Only if Cillian was here she would have gotten his help. 

"Where are you, Cillian?" she whispered, looking at the walls of her room. She then tapped her finger on the coarse page. "I need the blood of a sinner. How do I know who has sinned?" 

Julie pulled out her phone, taking a picture of that page before leaving her room again. While she walked in the corridor, she heard some of the girls who were in the corridor comment on her, "Looks like she gets a free pass in everything since she is Roman Moltenore's girlfriend." 

"I wonder what she will do next year, when he leaves this place after graduating," taunted another girl. 

Julie didn't bother to respond nor react and ignoring, and she stepped out of the girl's Dormitorium. While walking in the campus area, she met Donovan, who was busy staring at a tree, until he heard her footsteps. 

"What is my beloved daughter-in-law doing outside her dorm? I thought Roman and you must be up to no good," Donovan chuckled light-heartedly. "Did you two have a couple's fight?" 

"I don't know why everyone keeps asking me that," remarked Julie. This was the second time in the day where someone was asking if Roman and she fought. 

"Because it is fun," Donovan turned his body to look away from the tree. 

Julie wondered what this tree meant to Donovan, that he was standing here, staring at it. She shook her head, "We didn't have one." 

"How boring," hummed Donovan, even though he didn't seem disappointed with it. "Where is Rome?" 

"He wanted to talk to his friends and Simon," replied Julie, and Donovan gave her a nod. At the same time, she noticed how the Elder vampire's eyes subtly narrowed. "I should probably get rid of the ref-head." 

"I don't think Simon is bad," replied Julie. Though she agreed that he was weird, he was a good person. There was no way Roman's judgment could be wrong, she thought in her mind. "Do you have any idea whom he might be working for?" 

"Only if I knew. I was hoping that the tree would respond to me," Donovan said in a straight face that had Julie blink at him. "I am not making it up, it does speak." 

"If you say so..." Julie replied with a look of wariness. She took a glimpse at the tree, a place where students often liked to sit under the shade to study or talk. "I was actually wondering if you know anything about the spells." 

"Spells?" 

Julie nodded, and she pulled out her phone from her pocket and showed the spell that she had clicked a picture of. "I am trying to figure out who the sinner might be. Do you know anyone... who will fit the bill?" she looked at him, doubting if Donovan had sinned enough. 

Donovan stared back at her, raising his eyebrows, "I have sinned that much. I actually have a very good record, and I don't kill—" and when Julie continued staring at him, he slightly rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I have a bad record, but I am not the sinner. Lucky for you, I did spend some good amount of time trying to learn the spells. It isn't hard to find a sinner. Just check the one in the near vicinity. Everyone has killed someone by mistake." 

"But that doesn't fall in sin," replied Julie. It has to be a vampire, as they were the only dead beings related to dust. 

"That's true," replied Donovan. A thoughtful expression came to form on his face, and he said, "Maybe you should check with Remy." 

"Elder Remy?" asked Julie, and Donovan gave her a nod. 

"Yeah, he has the ability to check the death count on each hand in here. Will be your best bet," said Donovan. Julie quickly headed towards the infirmary, knowing she would find the quiet Elder there. On reaching the place, she went through the rooms before finding the man, who had his back facing her. 

Elder Remy turned to the side as if sensing her presence and turned around. 

Julie cleared her throat and said, "There is something I would like your help in, if you are free right now, Elder Remy." 

The Elder vampire stared at her for a few seconds before he gave her a nod. She then said, "Do you know who is the vampire here that has mercilessly killed people? That comes in the category of sin." 

"Donovan," replied Remy without blinking his eyes, and for a moment, he almost looked doll-like because of his shorter height when it came to the other Elder vampires and his petite figure. 

"He said he didn't kill many people out of sin," replied Julie, to have Remy continue to stare back at her. "Is there anyone else that you might know?" 

"He must be lying. But give me a moment," Julie noticed the man's inaudible sigh, and he raised his hand before asking, "Have you killed someone before?" 

Julie's eyes slightly widened, and she tried to recollect it, "Not sin... but yes." 

Remy took a step back and then said, "I think you should find a spot to sit down. It might wear you out." Julie didn't know what he meant, but heeding his advice, she decided to sit on the ground. The Elder vampire then closed his eyes for a moment as if he was meditating. And the next moment when he opened his eyes, they were blood red, and he snapped his finger. Julie suddenly felt weak, and a gust of invisible wind blew through the place in an outward direction as if it could move through the walls. Julie felt as if the ground wanted to mold itself with her, with the way it tried to pull her down. 

A few seconds passed, where Elder Remy looked less calm, appearing as if he was capable of destruction. Julie was able to breathe when whatever Remy had set up, and he pulled it back. 

Elder Remy's gaze moved to look at Julie, and he said, "It is the counselor of Veteris. He's the one." 

"Mr. Evans?" Julie confirmed, and Elder Remy gave her a nod. "Thank you for your help," she offered him a slight bow before running out of there to find the counsellor, who once used to work for her mother. 

On meeting him in the hallway, Mr. Evans asked her, "Where are you going in a hurry?" 

"I need your blood," she blurted, and he raised his eyebrows. 

Sullivan Evans didn't question Julie why or what she was trying to do. He asked her, "Where would you like me to pour or spill it?" There was not a hint of hesitance in his voice. 

"I need to run a spell and see if I can fix things that were broken," said Julie, and Mr. Evans gave her a nod. 

"We can do it right here then." 

If there was one thing that Julie had started to learn about witchcraft, a person didn't have to stick to the old spells. One could always improvise or create new spells, but one had to master them for it to be put into effect, or there could be repercussions. 

Mr. Evans, who stared at Julie, asked her, "Do you have enough soul energy to be able to pull through such a massive spell or make the wrongs as right?" 

"I think I do," replied Julie, pulling out the little vial of glass that held the souls of the deceased witches. Soon, Julie tapped into the magic, and she started to whisper the spells. Touching the ground before moving her hand to point towards the sky. "Fix what was broken, things that were charred goes back to its time when it was nearest to new." She then moved both her hands on either side of her, opening her palm. The soul energy in the vial started to pull out, and she then touched the ground back for the ground to shake. 

Mr. Evans pulled a knife out of nowhere in his hand and ran the sharp surface across the palm of his hand. Blood fell on the ground. 

People who were afar, not knowing what was going on, asked, 

"Is it an earthquake?" 

"It is still moving!" 

Mr. Evans stared at Julie, who effortlessly pulled out the magic, manipulating the energy for her own benefit. The souls that had come out from Veteris, which Ms. Dante has mentioned, were soon pulled back into the existing vial along with the other souls. But it didn't stop there. The building that Roman and Griffin had fought in, the charred objects started to renew itself. 

"Did it work?" Julie turned and asked Mr. Evans, who gave her a nod. 

"But it wasn't the best. Was the worst use of magic. You brought out many people's attention," pointed Mr. Evans, and Julie awkwardly smiled. "But not bad either. You finally figured out one of the spells." 

She gave a nod while looking at the counsellor, wondering how he had topped the list of being a sinner. She was sure it would have been one of the Elder vampires. 

"Everything okay?" he asked her. 

"Yeah, everything is okay," replied Julie. She saw the man starting to walk away from there, and she stopped him, "Mr. Evans?" 

The vampire turned and asked, "Yeah?" 

"Did you ever do something... that you are not supposed to do?" inquired Julie, her brown eyes staring into his red eyes. 

"Many of us have done many things, I think your question is quite vague. Would you like to rephrase your sentence?" he asked her in a polite tone with a faint smile on his face. 

Though Julie was more than curious to know what Mr. Evans' past held, she wondered if it mattered. After all, the fact was that he had stood by her and her family for the longest time. She shook her head. She replied, "Maybe some other time. Goodnight." 

"Goodnight to you too," replied Mr. Evans, with the smile still intact on his face, walked away from there. 

On reaching her dorm, Julie noticed Roman in there. He was standing in front of the desk, staring at the spellbook. "Did you just get here?" 

"I did. Did you go to fix things that I damaged?" Roman turned around, letting his back lean against the edge of the table. 

Upon his words, a smile appeared on Julie's lips, and she said, "It was a little shaky, but it worked." 

"Look at you, already able to spin spells and get things fixed with a snap of your fingers," praised Roman, and he stretched his hand towards her. Julie placed her hand in his, feeling him enclasp it with his, and it felt warm. "Evans told not to use much of your soul energy," he spoke in concern. 

"I made sure not to use mine much, I have been mindful about it," replied Julie, and she felt Roman's hand gently squeeze her hand. A light electric current passed from her fingertips to her toes. 

She found Roman staring at her with seriousness in there. It felt like he was about to let go of her hand when he pressed on one of her fingertips, putting a little more pressure, he said, 

"Mm, I don't want you hurting yourself over the expense of others. You are always free to refuse them." 

Julie nodded, "The souls from Veteris, they must have come out as a domino effect from Willow Creek—"

"Still," Roman's tone was curt, as he continued to put pressure on every fingertip of Julie, moving from one to another. There was something very sensual, the way he touched and pressed her fingers and the way he gazed at her. "You will always prioritize yourself first. I want you alive. Not that I mind you being a Corvin if things turn worse, I will still love you the same, even though you look like the other Corvins." 

Julie cleared her throat, "Thank you for loving me…" her words came out as a whisper. 

"Thank you?" teased Roman, and Julie's lips lightly quivered. "Let me love you more then," he said, tugging her fingers closer to him…