Meera stifled a giggle, but the moment passed quickly as the locket in her hand began to pulse with light—soft at first, then blinding. The ground stopped shaking, and an eerie silence fell.“Okay, no more interruptions,” the stranger muttered, regaining his composure. “Time to unlock the pact.”“But how?” Meera asked, eyes wide.He pointed to the carvings glowing on the trees. “You already have. The locket just needed your touch… and your laughter.”Just as Meera was about to grab the locket, the stranger's phone suddenly rang with a loud, off-key rendition of "Thriller." He frantically silenced it, muttering, "Sorry, I forgot to put it on silent – it's my mom, she doesn't understand 'I'm in the middle of saving the world' isn't a valid excuse." Meera raised an eyebrow, "You're getting calls from your mom while fighting supernatural forces?" The stranger shrugged, "She's a force to be reckoned with." Your turn!....
“Wait, my laughter?” Meera blinked.
“Magic is strange like that,” he said, winking. “Sometimes, the most powerful spells are awakened not by fear… but by joy.”
Next one...
