Writetober 2025, Coven of the Quill, Day 5: The Un-Terrifying Terror
On a Tuesday night that smelled like pizza and poor life choices, a group of college students—Liam, Maya, and Charlie—gathered around a crudely drawn chalk pentagram in the center of their shared dorm's oak floors. “Okay, this is the last step,” Liam whispered, his voice trembling as he held up a small, crystal decanter. “The ritual calls for a ‘living sacrifice of blood.’ This is the vintage pinot noir we swiped from the dining hall. It’s… close enough.” Maya, who was wearing a vaguely grime-stained apron, frowned. “The spell said ‘Dark Lord’ and ‘eternal torment.’ We need to get this semester’s term paper extended. Let’s not overdo it.” Charlie, leaning against a tower of empty ramen containers, just shrugged. “If we summon a demon, maybe it’ll just major in Business and do the work for us.” Liam poured the red wine onto the pentagram’s central star. There was a faint pop, and a whirlwind of glittery, black smoke coalesced above the spilled wine. When the smoke cleared, perched a...