Chapter three. Restoration of a Lady.
Daniel’s eyes flicked back to the book, his hands trembling slightly as he turned the page. His breath felt shallow. This had to be the part that explained how to fix things.
"To complete the illusion, return each section to its proper place before removing the blades. The performer will be restored, whole and unharmed."
He exhaled. Okay. That sounds simple enough.
"Good news," he said, trying to keep his voice steady. "According to this, we just need to put
everything back the way it was and then take the blades out."
"That’s it?" Veronica asked, raising an eyebrow. "No spell? No special movement?"
Daniel scanned the text again. "No, it just says to return each section to its proper place."
Elizabeth, still separated into three pieces, let out a breathy laugh. "Well, that’s reassuring. I’d rather not stay like this forever."
Daniel swallowed, gripping the middle box firmly. It still felt wrong—unnatural—to be able to move part of Elizabeth like this.
"Alright," he said. "Here goes nothing."
Slowly, carefully, he slid the middle box back into place, aligning it with the rest of the cabinet. The moment it clicked back in, Elizabeth let out a small gasp.
"Oh," she murmured. "That feels—" She shuddered. "Okay. That was weird. But in a good way."
Daniel and Veronica exchanged glances.
"Uh… good, weird?" Veronica asked.
Elizabeth nodded, blinking rapidly. "Yeah, like… warmth rushing back into me."
Daniel turned back to the book. "Alright. Last step—removing the blades."
He gripped the first blade, the one that had separated her legs from her torso. His pulse pounded in his ears.
"Ready?" he asked.
Elizabeth took a deep breath. "Do it."
He pulled the blade free, no resistance was felt as it glided out.
The moment it slid out, Elizabeth shivered again, but she remained upright, her body whole from the waist down.
"One more," Daniel murmured.
He reached for the second blade, the one that had separated her head and chest. His fingers hesitated, then tightened.
With one swift motion, he pulled it free.
A rush of energy crackled through the air, like a quiet static charge. Elizabeth inhaled sharply, then let out a breathy laugh.
"I'm—I'm back," she said, patting her body as if to make sure everything was in place. "That was wild."
Daniel let out a shaky chuckle. "You're telling me."
Veronica crossed her arms. "Okay, that should have been impossible."
Elizabeth grinned, stretching her arms. "Yeah, but it wasn’t." She turned to Daniel, eyes sparkling. "What’s the next trick?"
Elizabeth smoothed her hands over her dress, eyes wide with wonder. “Okay, this is crazy,” she said. “Not only am I back in one piece, but my clothes weren’t even wrinkled. How does that work?”
Veronica, still frowning, ran her hands along the edges of the cabinet. “That’s what I want to know.” She grabbed one of the blades, testing its weight before carefully slotting it back into the cabinet where Elizabeth’s torso had been.
She leaned down, peering through the narrow space inside. “No hidden compartments. No false back. There’s no room for her to have moved.”
Daniel exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah, that’s what I was afraid of.” He flipped through the book, eyes scanning the next few pages. His breath hitched when he found something intriguing.
“Huh. The magician was working on a variation of this illusion,” he murmured. “A second cabinet.”
Veronica straightened. “So, there’s another one of these somewhere?”
Elizabeth had already begun looking around. “If there is, we have to find it.”
She ran her hands over a stack of old velvet curtains before something further back caught her eye—a tall, ornate shape half-hidden beneath a dusty cloth.
With a grin, she grabbed the fabric and gave it a firm tug.
A second cabinet stood before them.
This one was slightly different—its paintwork was more elaborate, the edges carved with swirling designs. The slots and holes for head, hands, and feet were still there, but its design seemed… more refined. More intentional.
Elizabeth turned back to the others; her eyes gleaming with excitement.
“I think we just found our next trick.”