Part IX
Grace was pleased with Buffy's decision. She knew all along that Buffy would need help. Of course, she had to wait until Buffy had said yes before she could release whoever's ashes were inside the urn.
"So how exactly are we changing this person from being little flakes to flesh and bone?" Buffy asked.
"Oh…it's a simple spell," Grace answered.
"Simple for you," Buffy mumbled.
Grace just laughed.
"Do we have to go anywhere special for this?" Buffy asked.
"I'm going to perform the spell right here."
Grace sat down right in front of the urn, folding her legs underneath her. To Buffy it looked like she was meditating. Of course that didn't surprise her at all. She knew that it had to be done in order to perform most spells.
Buffy listened carefully as Grace started to chant. She was very surprised that Grace didn't even need to read the spell from a book. It seemed as if she had known this day would come so she memorized the spell. Buffy noted that the young witch didn't hesitate once while reciting the chant.
Grace's pupils began to grow. That was Buffy's first clue that the spell was working. She faintly remembered seeing this happen when one of her friends would perform a spell. Buffy started to wonder why she couldn't remember who this friend was. Come to think of it, Buffy couldn't really remember anything from her past. She faintly remembered a few things.
All those thought were pushed aside when a cloud of dust and ash rose from out of the urn. The cloud began to swirl, overtaking the urn and the witch. Buffy began to panic. Grace, however, remained calm. She had expected this. She could feel the power within the urn. It was an immense power, almost as strong as the power in the amulet she used to bring Buffy back.
The cloud of dust and ash continued to swirl faster and faster. Buffy shielded her face with her arm as she tried to see through the storm. Suddenly a strong gust of wind blew her backwards into the wall of the cavern. She hit the ground with a thud. Looking up, she saw the cloud becoming larger and larger by the moment. She started to worry, hoping that nothing bad would happen to Grace.
Grace, from inside the whirlwind, looked on as a skeleton formed from the dust. Every time a strong gust hit the skeleton a new feature took form. First the organs formed, followed by veins and blood, followed by muscle, then skin, and eventually hair. As the dust subsided, the remaining features of the person appeared.
As quickly as the storm had appeared, it was gone. After realizing it was over, Buffy moved her arms away from her face. She slowly rose to her feet and looked ahead of her. There sat Grace, where Buffy had seen her last. The urn was in front of her. The difference was that there was a man standing before the urn.
"Bloody hell!" he shouted, "Where am I?"