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Using magic was always a risk, and sometimes there were unforeseen consequences to their actions. Both of the boys knew that, but magic was necessary sometimes in order to close the cases they were working on. Usually, the consequences were small, like a burn when Edwin didn't perform the firespell correctly, or the binding rope not wrapping around the intended target, but Charles, as he got in the way. Sometimes, they were bigger. Edwin would never forget the time that he was forced to spend in Port Townsend for using a binding spell on a cat, an action that he didn't quite regret, despite what happened next. None of the consequences they faced, however, prepared them for when the spell Edwin was trying to perform bounced back, causing him to become stuck in his own nightmare.
For three days, Charles desperately sought a solution that would allow Edwin to find his way out of the loop as he watched Edwin squirm unhappily on the floor, crying out at unseen attackers. They had tried putting him on the couch, but Edwin just ended up on the floor again as he fought to escape whatever entity was after him. Not even Crystal was able to figure out how to help him, as he was able to block her from entering his mind somehow. It was only as a last resort that Charles had gone to see help from one of the Green witches. He normally avoided dealing with witches, especially without Edwin there to back him up, but this particular witch had helped them in the past. She also had a soft spot for children and had provided them with blankets that they were able to feel as she felt all ghost children needed a comfort object, whether that was a stuffed animal for younger children or a blanket for the teenagers. She did make exceptions, of course, and quite a few ghosts had both or had convinced her to charm a special shirt or coat for them, but it was because of that generosity that Charles decided to seek her out.
She wasn't hard to find as she lived in a small clearing on the edge of the forest. Ghost children played in her yard as they waited to be able to move on to their outlives. Charles wondered if the Lost Children's department knew of this place and were just unable to access it due to the wards that surrounded the property. He wouldn't ask, though, as he didn't want to draw attention to the witch or the ghost children she protected.
"You won't be able to touch or talk to him. You will only be able to observe what is happening within his mind." The witch had informed Charles. Charles thought he was ready for it after helping Edwin escape from Hell for the second time. There couldn't be anything worse than watching Edwin's lifeless body be torn apart by a giant spider made from baby dolls. He still saw the spider when he tried to close his eyes to rest sometimes. The only thing that brought him comfort was to hold Edwin while he rested. The feeling of Edwin in his arms reminded him that they had escaped. That Edwin was still there with him.
Charles didn't actually realize how horrible that would be, as it was another thing that Edwin had never elaborated on. He was taken back to a dorm room that he didn't recognize in the building of St. Hilarion. The dorms had changed by the time he had gone to school there, as the large sleeping dormitories had been remodeled to rooms that held either two or four students, depending on what their parents could afford. During Edwin's time, all the boys had apparently slept in one room, making it easy for them to sneak up on him and pull him out of his bed, because how could he defend himself from his attackers when they were already sleeping in the room with him?
Charles felt fury flow through him as he followed the boys down to the basement wishing that he was able to give them a taste of his Cricket bat. Charles couldn't stand to see the look of terror in Edwin's eyes. He stepped forward as he automatically reached out to take Edwin's hand in his. To his surprise, Edwin wrapped his fingers back around his, holding on tightly to the invisible hand.
"Can you see me?" Charles asked, but there was no reaction or any sign that Edwin knew he was there beyond the tight grip on his hand. Charles leaned down so that he was close to Edwin's ear as the boys around him called him a Mary Ann and talked about giving him a right scare. Charles listened, taking note as he began to whisper.
"I know you think you are alone, but I am here, Edwin. I wish I could keep you from going to hell, but I promise that you will eventually escape, and when you do, I will be there waiting for you. On that day, you will never be alone again. We will have forever together," Charles informed Edwin as there was a flash of movement, and a demon that Charles had never seen before appeared in the room. The demon looked similar to a misery Wraith, but unlike the wraith, it had a face and powers that Charles had never witnessed before as the boys burned quickly, leaving nothing but ashes behind.
Edwin's grip tightened on Charles's hand as the demon turned to look at him.
"No, please," Edwin begged, and Charles's heart broke hearing the words come from Edwin's mouth.
"Sorry, technically you were sacrificed, so technically I have to take you to hell. But it's really not that bad," the demon told him. Then Charles watched in horror as it killed Edwin. Edwin's own death wasn't as quick or kind as the boys who sacrificed him, but it was drawn out as Edwin screamed in pain while his body slowly turned to ash. Charles continued to hold onto Edwin until the hand he was holding turned to ash in his grip and trickled out from between his fingers to join the rest of the ash on the table.
Charles let out a gasping sob as he fell to his knees, hanging his head as tears streamed down his cheeks. He sobbed as the room around him faded, and he once more found himself in the brightly lit office that he called home. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Edwin sit up, looking confused. He wasn't sure what caused Edwin to finally wake up, but that didn't matter as he immediately flung himself into Edwin's arms burying his face in Edwin's shoulder as he wrapped his arms tightly around him.
"I'm sorry," Charles cried not sure what else to say. Edwin didn't deserve to die so horribly while alone in a basement after being sacrificed by the other students. He deserved to grow up and live a long, happy life before finally passing away in a soft, comfortable bed surrounded by his loved ones. Instead, he had passed away, terrified with no one to hold his hand, and Charles wasn't sure his being there and finally offering Edwin a bit of comfort would change anything for it in Edwin's perspective. To Edwin, there hadn't been anyone else there that night, let alone a reassuring hand for him to hold onto while terrified.
"You need not apologize, Charles. It was a long time ago," Edwin cood at him softly. It had been over a century since he had been sacrificed, but that didn't matter, as sometimes it still felt like yesterday that he had been alive and hell had only been a nightmare. Then other days, he felt almost every single one of the days that had passed and the scars that he had gained on his soul since that faithful night. He had wept for the boy that he once was, but this was the first time he knew of someone else crying for that boy.
"I hope they are still in hell," Charles seethed against Edwin's neck.
"Simon was, I don't know about the rest," Edwin admitted.
"Good," Charles answered, sounding more normal than before, even if his voice was still thick with tears. Edwin didn't have the heart to tell him that Simon was only in a room surrounded by books, receiving papercuts as a punishment for all eternity. He just held on to Charles, offering him comfort as Charles continued to cry against him. Edwin rocked him softly as he ran his hand soothingly along Charles's back.
"Promise me you won't ever cast that spell again," Charles finally whispered as the tears began to slow.
"I promise," Edwin lied softly. Whether or not Charles believed him, he wasn't sure. Charles finally pulled away, getting slowly to his feet but making sure not to leave Edwin's side. And Edwin would pretend not to notice if Charles was a little more clingy the next few days, as he had witnessed something Edwin never wanted him to see. Yet, he couldn't completely regret his death as it had led him to the boy that he loved and had given him a way of existing that he would have only dreamed about back when he was alive. Smiling softly at his partner, he made his way over to the desk as he still had a case to solve.