Chapter 64: Life is Full of Rituals

“New world’s sun…”

Good so far.

“…reaching heaven’s brightness…”

Getting there.

“…that pierces through cursed clouds. I call forth the Sky Clearing Lance!”

With my pronunciation finally gotten good enough the layer of frost on my dark spear began to radiate the soft light of an early dawn. Worried the illumination would wake up Alra I swiftly, and quietly, left the room for the bare one a door over.

Inside the empty room I held my spear, twirling it as I felt the changes in the air. Where ever the air would be sliced a faint scent similar to jasmine appeared. Increasing the speed of a few forms I could better feel how the spell was performing. Faster and faster while adding in a few thrusts and swings the room became inundated with a purifying aura as if I had stepped into a quiet cathedral. An aura strong enough for me to hear phantom sounds of an organ playing and the muffled prayers from an elderly follower sitting in a distance.

Finishing a final movement, a simple dance meant to loosen muscles, I took a breath then sat on the floor cross-legged placing my spear on my lap as the sounds and auras slowly dispersed.

I had been successful with its casting. The small issue was the consumption of mana was larger than I thought. To confirm why, I sent my senses into the spear and, as I expected, could feel the opposing dichotomies of the necromantic nature of death tungsten struggling to coexist with the cleansing aura of Sky Clearing Lance without an intermediary like First Snow has with ice.

It did not have to work very well —I wouldn’t be using this magic for anything outside of learning — what was important was that I gained experience with magic that heavily uses ritualistic based pinches.

Sky Clearing Lance had been created using four ceremonies, one for each of the four major monuments of the figure of the Goddess Scale. The magic wasn’t in any way related to the church, but Scale’s existence in itself was enough for someone to create magic around. However, I was certain being directly affiliated with the Scale church would increase its effects because the intended reality was that much closer to truth, it just wasn’t a requirement.

[I recommended this spell for that reason Lucid for you to be able to study it for longer. To get a better feel for pinch creations with minimal materials. The most important part of the ritualistic based pinches are the ceremonies performed connected to the intentions.]

Hearing Eurval’s response I looked to reread the documentation in the ceremony section.

“So he took an on-foot pilgrimage never letting go of a lance as he traveled to the monuments. Then fell on his knees to raise the lance above his head at the foot of each one…”

Was it Scale that took pity and helped him?

[It would be safer to assume that those monuments are regarded as sacred from the combined beliefs of millions. Without Scale’s direct interference the ceremony for the main pinch would have come true. The only necessity was her existence and her people’s reverence.]

Agreeing with that conclusion I returned my concentration into my spear as I began to prepare to examine the remnants of intentions left behind in each sigil, each line, and each chant embedded in the spell.

“I’m pretty sure I’ll be alright but if it starts going wrong knock me out or something Eurval.”

[Of course, Lucid.]

Examining remnants of a spell wasn’t as cut and dry as casting it. Examining remnants, while it gave great benefits, it had the cost of forcing any non-creators of the spell to experience every single thought and will that molded the spell in a brief moment. It was taxing on not only the soul but the physical mind as well from the natural physiological mirroring of those emotions.

Adjusting the state of my mind, my world went pitch black followed by a rushing flooding river of intense feelings. Pain, sorrow, anger, hate, love, and a profound kindness smashed against my soul it wasn’t painful in the least —I expected this much from someone with a soul like mine— however, my mental state the moment I exited this was going to be in disarray.

With no words and no idea what events this spell was connected to I was able to sync my emotions enough to understand one thing. This spell was created to kill undead painlessly, pleasantly even, made to fill undead with bright and warm life energy that they viscerally wanted but could never obtain no matter how many living things or people they consumed.

How kind… how extraordinarily warm was the heart of the creator of this spell were my thoughts. I thought back to the thousands of undead in the Tole Forest Dungeon and made me wonder if the creator had experienced something similar, or worse, that it stirred his heart to create the Sky Clearing Lance.

With the easy part, for me at least, over it would be time to release myself back to the physical world. I gave myself a small countdown from three then I departed the will of the spell.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

I-I’m screaming?

I found myself yelling at the top of my lungs the moment I returned as if I had experienced an unfathomable hopeless tragedy. I held my head filled with a boiling rage but my eyes were hazy and wet as if I had cried for hours, and the pit of my stomach felt empty as if my soul had been sucked away.

Able to stop the yelling I tried to put a handle on myself but instead found it to be impossible. The only choice was to let my body run the courses of emotions. I was quickly reduced to sobs, then spasms from anger that came from nowhere, and empty chuckles laughing at some melancholy that wasn’t mine.

As my breath steadied my mind felt taxed from the hormones and chemicals my brain had released on the literal roller coaster of emotions. My mind felt tapped out along with my stamina.

[Are you okay now?]

“Yeah…” I said dryly my voice and throat hoarse, “it doesn’t get better no matter what?”

[No, every time you wish to dive into a spell to wield it as well, or almost as well, as the creator you’ll have to experience this.]

I chuckled hearing that.

“Then I should hurry up and continue studying to make my own.”

Being able to create a ritual based pinch was a major stepping stone into what mages would generally classify as intermediate magic. With access to all massive wealth of magical books for me to learn from, not just general overviewing books I had bought myself, I was glad at the chance to dive deeper.

With almost a year (over a year in Earth days) under my belt, intermediate books no longer looked like garbled lines and shapes filled with scribbled notes with gibberish that even Eurval, or old Eurval, could not translate. Because they were never really words, kinda, they were more akin to ideas and concepts along with the requested consequences.

I began to notice the kinds of magic I could read now had substantially increased. While good, a new fear sprouted.

With average talent, the mountain to understand higher tier concepts became much steeper compared to those with talent forcing many to hit a bottleneck even when putting in the same amount of effort. Right now I don’t feel the incline was harder than steps on a simple stair with a nice railing, but I was afraid a mountain would appear showing me the soft ceiling of my ability.

[Lucid, please you’ve just gotten over your insecurity about your combat ability… I understand because you came from a world with no magic that you fear you were inadequately created from birth to wield magic. However, I believe this is an unfounded bias. I would rather wish you to be arrogant about your ability than so humble that you’ll never find your true limit. I have logs down to the microseconds archived of you and from what I have seen, and what I understand now with my own will, you are adequate. Your ability to reach this point thus far only proves my conclusion.]

Feeling a little bashful after the pep talk, and realizing a little of it was from the expended energy from all the emotions I just experienced I simply nodded my head wishing Eurval would come out from inside me so I could embrace her tightly. We don’t think we would be found out if she did but we didn’t want to risk it.

Eurval was right, the needed insignias, axiis, and pinches formed in my mind naturally and sometimes so effortlessly that I’m surprised I understood it so intuitively. The closer to true pure magic I became the better I began to see the differences between mages and essence trainers. While neither were stronger or weaker in terms of pure combat only I do begin to see the rift in differences especially in non-combative areas.

Feeling better, but still feeling like trash, I felt only a hot shower could fix the disarray in my body. I got up and head for the bathroom. Inside I greeted my reflection with a small shock and a silent laugh. My eyes were terribly red, my lips were bleeding, and my face looking sapped in an ashy paleness.

“It's not just the crying but has my face changed too? Eurval, can you project a picture of my face the day after we melded.”

The image appeared and my face’s shape had truly changed it had been mostly my old, pretty, face from Earth mixed in with Lucid sprinkled in. But when Eurval began to playback a picture time-lapse of each hour from two weeks ago till today it showed me it had been changing.

[The biggest changes seem to be each time we meld so it has slowed down, but regardless if we do or don’t your face is gradually changing closer to Lucid from when you first arrived in this world. You’ll regress in two years without melding or one if we meld a few more times is my extrapolation.]

“Huh,” is all I could say with a shrug of my shoulders.

I wonder what other physical changes the process of fusing our souls will bring.

Humming, I undressed myself staring at the rest of my body. Not for a vain reason, though my physique was pretty attractive, but for Eurval to overlay images of my body over time. I was getting paler, my skin color was changing back to the ghostly white, and the texture of my skin was softening too. It was odd seeing such rapid changes happening and I felt if I stared long enough into a mirror I would notice it in real-time.

[Lucid you do understand if you start looking too much like the Lucid that is supposed to be dead questions might be asked, correct?]

“Oh shit.”

My mind was more exhausted from earlier than I had thought.

***

While I showered we decided that if I looked too much like my original Lucid appearance I would start covering my face with bandages and if my face needs to be uncovered I’ll boldly claim I had cosmetic reconstructive procedures done to look like Lucid because I had become obsessed with him. Laurent and millions of others had already painted me, or Lucid that is supposed to be dead, as a hero so something like this was extremely weird and odd but not unheard of being done by others for various famous figures.

With the warm waters washing away all that been built up, I felt refreshed of the emotions that had latched onto me. After getting dressed I checked on Alra, who was still sound asleep even through my episode, then head into the living room and took out the two gifts I had received from Obsense.

With the accessory in my hand, Eurval populated an overlay with its information sent to me when I received it; as a limited edition item this information wasn’t public like mass-produced products were and I doubt anyone who received this would want to release that information for their own safety should they ever need to use it.

[Name: Contender Bangle Limited Edition (#33)

Skills: Crestfallen’s Wailing

High Magic Field Affliction Reduction (Area Limited)

High Physical Field Damage Reduction (Area Limited)]

[Crestfallen’s Wailing: Once charged user gains the ability to summon a shield proportional in strength to the user’s ability and amount of mana placed into the charge. Recommend user no more than 5 uses over a 36 hour period or risk preemptive wear and risk of malfunction.]

Reading the description a small chuckle escaped me remembering that Star King more than anyone wished he could have brought this out.

Having regained MAGI capabilities with Eurval a prompt appeared in my vision after Eurval had permitted it to connect to me after sliding the bangle onto my ankle. With its authorization granted I felt it tighten snugly on its own with a path opening for me to channel mana into it. Feeling a sort of switch in my consciousness with the option to activate the embedded magic.

With so little mana charged in it when I called it forth a tiny shield appeared that looked to be made of glass the size of my palm. A clean circular shape that bulged like a lens. After studying it for a bit I dispelled it and took a closer look at the other options that appeared in my head.

The equipment was requesting where it should place the reductions showing me a model of my body to chose. After a moment I decided with the surface area it could cover it would be best on my legs and arms. With my choices finalized I was warned that the areas that I chose to be protected needed 72 hours to reach their maximum rated capabilities.

Finished with the bangle, I took out the earring holding the white ceramic C-shaped accessory. Eyeing it carefully holding it up to my eyes with my thumb and index finger. This one, this earring, I was still a little wary of but after Liion’s words, my probings, and Eurval’s probings we all had the same conclusion. It was fine.

[Name: Macrometer Eater

Skills: Striding On a Crescent Moon Illusion]

That’s it?

I wasn’t reacting in a bad way but my curiosity was truly piqued now. No defensive abilities in the least this single earring had a single skill, a skill from an earring personally crafted by Obsense.

[Striding On a Crescent Moon Illusion: Wearer of this earring can teleport two steps in any direction while moving. Mana consumption (~500AM +-50AM) increases exponentially every stride, consumption is reset to its original value after being exposed to Aller’s moonlight for 9 hours without being used.]

Accepting the authorization request and with only a small wince the earring flew up to the right side of my head and wrapped itself into the upper cartilage of my ear with a quick chomp.

With the helix earring equipped the documentation that detailed how to use it appeared in my vision. In it described a “step” as a unit of movement possible in a half-second of the wearer’s (my) current reality at the time of use, it was also why it can only be used while moving. Adding to that, if only one “step” is used then the earring can be used again so long as the charge of mana from its originating cast has not dissipated yet. The length of time the charge stayed depended on the user’s abilities and skills, the documentation told me to test it and calculate the time manually. Like the two separate “steps” multiple warnings were telling me to thoroughly test and familiarize myself with the distance possible at different speeds and the forms of movements I use before being using it in real combat.

“This earring… is pretty amazing.”

[Liion did say he was a good person, this was his way of showing sincerity?]

I think he truly was trying to make amends not just for me but to show sincerity to a cardinal too.

It wasn’t much for someone like Obsense, but it wasn’t anything casual either. It was the perfect value. After searching up its name there were hundreds of other listings up for sale and cadets at Laurent requesting this item new instead of used. With their bids ranging from 70-100 million ss used and 200 million ss new.

“For being the owner of a so-called lesser city, Obsense can sure rake in money.“ I mused as I felt the earring near the top of my ear after learning its price.

Now that I had one, I was curious to remember if Abigail had one of these and used it in the Tole Forest Dungeon to stay airborne for so long fighting the keeper. My intuition was saying yes. It was a shame I didn’t come from one of those families. A once no-name, and with statements I made about being poor growing up in the Blood Axis, having one of these would be too conspicuous

Unequipping it, I placed it into my storage treasure. I would practice using it only in private.

Checking the time I saw it was already evening meaning it was time for dinner.

“I wonder what kind of faces Alra is gonna make at new foods.” I beamed as I head into the room where he was sleeping.

“Alra…” I approached the bed and sat beside where he was sleeping. “It’s time for dinner, are you hungry?”

Alra gave no reply, he was truly in a deep sleep.

[He’ll probably be sleeping for a while.]

Hmm? Why do you think that?

[He probably didn’t sleep much, if at all, during the time I went to go get you. It's also why he gained so much weight after he ate. Alra probably expended a lot of himself during that time not eating or sleeping.]

The knife of guilt hit prodded me again. The entire time he was with me as I registered him and walked around with him so casually he was starving and sleep-deprived…

I should let him sleep then…

After I stroked his head I slowly scooted off the bed stepping out of the room while rolling my feet as to make no noise.

In library silence, the week passed with Alra asleep for the entirety of it. I ate and studied for that week experiencing various magics. Each day consisting of crying my eyes out, screaming my lungs out, and checking on Alra. Luckily his breathing and appearance were fine. More importantly, the bond that connected us told me his state was fine. He truly was just exhausted. Regardless, I was still worried and never left the apartment in case he woke up or his health changed.

The night before classes began as I sat in the living room reading more in-depth into ritual based pinches I heard small steps exit from the room, knowing how it was I turned to him.

“Are you hungry?” I smiled feeling elated seeing him awake with the relief of knowing he was truly okay.

Alra nodded his head.

“Then let's eat.”

After I got up from the sofa Alra followed me to the table sitting beside me as he rubbed his eyes and fixing his hair while we waited for the abundance of food I had ordered.

Happily, I wondered how much more weight Alra was going to gain from this second meal.

***