Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 352 Ava: Purify

"What do you mean?"

You'll need to draw the energy into yourself, he explains, and then overpower it with your own magic.

This is not what I expected. "Draw it in? Like... absorb it?"

He nods. Exactly. The resulting friction between your magic and the taint creates a sort of burning purification. It neutralizes the harmful energy and can even bolster your own reserves.

The idea of pulling this dark, ominous energy into my body makes my skin crawl. "And what if there's too much? What if I can't handle it all at once?"

Grimoire's ears twitch. In those cases, you'd need to purify in stages or enlist help from other magic users. The stronger you are and the more magical capacity you have, the more efficiently you can handle these situations. This amount should be easy for you, especially with your recent expenditures at the wards.

I grunt, still uneasy about the whole concept. The thought of willingly drawing this taint into myself feels wrong on a visceral level.

It's relatively easy magic, Grimoire assures me. It just requires fine control, which you've been improving lately.

His words are meant to be comforting, but they don't quite hit the mark. Maybe because it feels kind of like he just told me to eat evil. It's just wrong. "Does it hurt?"

Grimoire pauses, and that hesitation speaks volumes. It can cause fevers as your body fights against the toxic nature of the taint, he admits. But it doesn't necessarily hurt in and of itself.

"Fevers," I repeat, my voice flat. "Great. For how long?"

As long as it's required.

can't just leave a mass of aggression-inducing taint—which really doesn't sound right—around. It's invisible. None of our wolves would be able to avoid it,

visually there, and reach out with my magic. It surges to

on water, but light and fluffy, like clouds. It's

drawing that energy towards

eyes snap open. "Wait, literally inhale it?"

quickly. It's just a visualization technique.

even as I let my magic touch the strange,

magical siphon as it flows over my magic

tendrils of tainted energy touch my magical core, I gasp. It burns, a cold

going, Grimoire urges. You're doing

push through the pain, breathing slow and steady, continuing to draw the energy in. It feels endless, like I'm trying to drink

back with your

me. It crashes against the taint like a wave, and for a moment, I'm afraid it won't be enough. It's like being too full after drinking way too much water, magic sloshing this way and that

and suddenly I'm flooded with

body feels

spins around

Only there's no snow.

and yellow grass in a wide circle

is there in an instant, steadying me with a strong hand on

alright?" he asks, concern etched on his

yet. My whole body aches, and I can feel the beginnings of a fever setting in. It's like my very bones are aching, and my teeth chatter, despite feeling as