Chapter 2 - Hear . . .

The Blacksite looked like any other none descript Harbour warehouse, the only difference was the single guard placed on the front gate. Of course, there were far more inside but not that anyone that saw the building would know. Seeing our car approach the guard stepped out of his booth. He looked like a standard rent a cop, beer belly included and I had no doubt that was exactly what he was. If there ever was an attack on the site there were far more terrifying people inside to stop it.

“Excuse me Ma’am’s do ye have an employee badge? Otherwise I can’t let ye through.” He spoke with a thick American accent, how someone like him had ended up here I couldn’t even fathom.

“Claustra aperio!” I basically threw the pass phrase at his head and held my AF Employee card in his face.

“Oh, sorry! I didn’t know Miss, I’ll let you through immediately!”

On the inside I our car was immediately stopped again, only this time by heavily armed and armoured guards. Looking over them I was almost certain that the small slim one without a weapon was a combat mage, and either very gutsy or very powerful to not rely on a sidearm. While they didn’t train their weapons on us, their body language clearly told of them being not very amused. I mean one of them was tapping the trigger of his gun. A little twitchy aren’t we? I’m a nineteen years old teen and the other one is a maid, we’re not much of any danger now are we? I was ripped out of my musings by what seemed to be the leader approaching our car. He knocked on the window to indicate for Tanya to lower it.

“Who are you and how did you get into the Compound!?” ‘Wow not even a hello? Fuck those guys!’ I only glared at him and got out of the car.

“I’m Valerie Sherman, I intend to go inside so don’t even think about stopping me!” Without awaiting his answer I threw my card towards him and walked past the group.

Looking back it seemed as if the Leader was using his Com to speak with someone. Sadly the only thing I could make out was, ‘yes’ and ‘Very well, Sir.’ Before he cut his call short and came back towards me.

“Okay then Miss, what is it you want?”

“I need a Summoning Room with Level 4 clearance, I don’t care how small it is, but I need it right now!” He used his communicator again and gave through what I wanted.

“Okay, you have clearance; we will escort you straight to it, don’t go off the path and don’t attempt to stop. Follow us!”

The Summoning room itself was nothing special, a seven by seven metre square room with titanium floor and walls. The only entrance was through a set of two double doors that locked behind the mage and were only operable from the outside after quarantine was in place. The ceiling was filled with sprinklers, for whatever reason, as the magic suppression fields would work way better against anything that could happen in there. A grin spread across my face as I took in the sight, it was almost time and I just had to get rid of the annoying guards. I walked up to the air lock and turned around to my ‘protection’.

“From here on out you can’t follow me. The ritual would be deadly if interrupted by any outside source. So, all except for the mage have to wait outside. She can wait in the air lock, understood?” The guards didn’t answer but instead looked to their leader who went back to whoever was on the other line.

“Sir, she wants to be isolated.” “I understand, but we can’t do that, the regulations say ...” “Yes, Sir.” “Yes, understood.” “I . . . will inform her.” With that he faced me again.

“Miss you have clearance to do as asked. But I must inform you that we have orders not to interfere under any circumstances. I’m . . . I’m sorry kid. Good luck.” I couldn’t see his expression under the helmet, but he seemed to very much disagree with his superiors orders.

“Tanya, wait here for me. I really can’t have anyone in there other than myself.”

“Ah . . . okay. I’ll wait for you outside Miss. You can do it!” She smiled and gave me a thumbs up and this despite that she didn’t even know what I was attempting. ‘Hah~ un-initiated are so carefree.’

With one last look back I stepped forward, from here on out my new life would begin. No one would be able to stand against me! If I had the kind of magic that was promised I would be without equals, so there was no question, I needed it. It had to become mine . . . I breathed in an out again to mentally prepare myself. For the first and hopefully last time I would draw on the same disgusting power that bitch Miranda had used to humiliate me. It would use Bloodmagic, only that I would use it on a whole other level than anything that stupid little girl could ever comprehend at. It would be more than glorious! And yet at the same time there was a tiny little voice at the back of my head that told me what I was trying was lunacy. That tiny voice was almost certain that the ritual would kill me. Thankfully my desire for power quickly overwhelmed whatever resistance it could offer and I went to start my task.

The first thing I got out of my bag was a spray can, it wasn’t just any kind of spray colour, but instead a mixture of wishtree sap and fairy-silver powder bunched together as an aerosol. It was one of my own mixtures, as I had found it conducted mana far better than any of all the drawing materials I had tried so far. Fuck chalk, this stuff is like weed compared to a designer drug, and it also was equally more expensive. The next was a bunch of drawing templates, because let’s face it, no mage has a hand steady enough to draw a perfect circle in one go. There were already circle patterns on the chamber ground and walls, but for the realy detailed circles on had to get a little creative. After that followed a small bottle with heavy duty instant pain relievers, all ready crushed and mixed together with a few millilitre of vodka. The last two things were special, one was my own ten centimetre Athamé, the other a so-called ‘Fairy Heart’. The Athamé was a short blade made of fairy-silver and the ‘Fairy Heart’ was actually the core of an ancient Wishtree, both had been gifts to my 11th and 13th birthday from my father. Back then he had still cared for me and my talent, a year later my mental illness had started to manifest, and he had completely abandoned me as the failure I was.

Were I not so angry with him I would have probably cried a few tears for what I was about to do, but I cared little for my parents and the other people around me. As far as I was concerned they could all rot in the hells! As soon as someone found out that I wasn’t the super smart rich girl they took me for they turned their backs on me. Each of my boyfriends had abandoned me when they had found about my medication, it simply wasn’t okay for someone of the upper class to show their damages so openly. Every one of those cocks had some sort of dirty secret that when it out came would destroy their life. But no for me it was disgraceful to be mentally ill. ‘Stupid fucks I would show them all!’ Well the only one that would probably care if I were to die was Tanya. Eventhough she wasn’t blood, she was the best big sister I could have ever hoped for, if a little clingy.

I huffed when I finally got off the ground. Drawing the circle had been hard work; it was the biggest one that I had ever drawn, around two meter diameter on the inside and six on the outside, with several planar circles all around the inner rings. Adding the runes alone had taken me a good twenty minutes. Wiping the sweat from my brows I went to get the rest of my things. The first one I needed was the medicine; I took off the bottle cap and chugged down the painkillers, no matter what, this would hurt. Then I grabbed the ‘Fairy Heart’ and the Athamé and walked into the inner most circle, the one usually reserved for the creature that one summoned and pulled my clothes over my breasts, there was no point in getting them dirty. I shot a last glance to the mage in the air lock, she had watched the entire time and apparently only now realised what I was about to do. And because she knew, the Mage started to frantically bang on the bullet-proof glass in the hopes of dissuading me. The panicked woman was just about to press the emergency release button when several of her colleagues stormed into the air lock and pulled her away. They were so occupied with her that they didn’t notice Tanya knocking her guard to the ground and run up to the door, she hammered several times on the button, but nothing happened, she didn’t have the necessary clearance for it. Realizing that she couldn’t do anything she pressed her forehead against the glass and gave it one last kiss, before she too was dragged away.

Despite having made up my mind, I still sighed. I could still turn around and accept my mediocrity, with keeping the study regiment I had going on I would surely get a good job in my fathers firm, but with the medication suppressing my magic I would only ever make it as a researcher. I would never become a legendary mage for I was simply not special enough. No! I couldn’t and I wouldn't accept it! The grip around my blade tightened as I said the incantation.

Great one! Old one!

I give myself to you,

my heart, my soul, my body.

Great one! Deep one!

I give you all I am,

so that you can remake me.

Great one! Wise one!

Take what I offer,

for it is all that makes me!

Great one! Ancient one!

I fill myself to become like you,

for I am one of your children.

The people outside of the air lock cringed in pain as the speakers transmitted my words, they could not understand them for they had not been touched. They had not been initiated. I was the first of my generation, the first of the Sixth World, but I would not be the last. And as always the first time was the hardest. I felt my magic surge as I prepared the final step of the ritual. I had not taken my medication today, my magic was free, even with out the ritual it would have destroyed me on release. The circle lit up so brightly that all the people outside or behind their screens could see was the vague humanoid shape of someone floating inside. By now I had lost control of most of my body functions. My vision dimmed and my hearing cut out and all I could focus on was the knife in my hand.

The beating of my heart got faster and faster, had I been able to feel pain I would think my chest were about to explode. But instead I set the blade against my skin just above my solar plexus. Tears fell down my face and soon burned up in the ambient mana, my clothing suffered the same fate. But I did not waver, my blade charged with mana I stabbed down. I cut until I was in my body up to the hilt and dropped the knife; it had full filled its purpose and was no longer of any use to me. Blood spilled out of me in a steady stream, I wouldn’t have a lot of time now, if it worked at all. Having opened up the passage, I began to pulse mana inside of the ‘Fairy Heart’ and the rituals power flooded it. Almost instantly the crystal went black and started oozing miasma. With my free hand I pulled apart the edges of my wound and with the other I shoved the ‘Dark Heart’, my new core inside of me. At that point my vision gave out completely.

Around me was darkness. It was at the same time peaceful and terrifying, oppressive and elating, gentle and harsh, freezing cold and scorching hot. And in this darkness there was a single yellow eye.

Child. Young One.

Saw. Learned.

Hear. Know.

Speak. Understand.

Feel. Change.

Love. Become.

Devour. Embrace.

The words echoed inside of me but they felt hollow as if part of me or the message was missing. Each time they were said I forgot them just as quickly. It was a dreadful experience, right before me was knowledge and I could even keep it! I so wanted to remember though, scoffing at the indignation of keeping knowledge from me I turned to the big eye in the void.

“You brought me here old one so keep your promise! It is time for you to fulfill your part of the deal!”

A rippling went through the surface of the eye and around it countless of tentacles erupted into every direction before coming to a stop and tuning in on me. The last thought that went through my mind as I saw them was: Oh shit, that’s too big!

All around me were tentacles some with teeth and mouth others with smaller eyes in them. Everywhere I turned the wall of grey squirming flesh extended. I saw no escape for there was none. I didn’t know what he intended to do, but I had seen enough porn to know about the possibilities! Almost as if on cue to my thoughts, the cocoon of tentacles began to ripple and with each ripple the walls came closer. Little by little they enclosed around me. When the first touched me I pulled my arms and legs to my chest, hoping to make myself a small as humanly possible, but it was for nought. Sensing my intent, two tentacles shot out and wrapped themselves around my wrists. I struggled but I was no match for them, and as soon as I thought about kicking them two more shot out to wrap around my ankles. I was strung up like a deer for the blood letting and all I could do was to glare at the eyes around me.

“So!? What now, huh? Are you fulfilling your deal or what? I died for you; you know I gutted myself just so I could put that damned stone inside of me! Answer me gods damn it! Do something!”

“Hear.”

At once the tentacles began to move again. They slid across my body and caressed my flesh. Mouths bit where they had now right to bite and eyes watched things they shouldn’t see. I could feel a weak pulse emanating from them but I couldn’t hear it my mind or my ears were not made for it. The tentacles dug deeper, they lingered around my private around my head around every part of my body. The pulse got stronger but still I could not hear it.

“Hear!”

Now almost desperate the Tentacles pushed. They pushed inside of me, inside every available opening just so that they could reach me. One slid into my vagina so deep that it finally reached my womb. At the same time the second spread my ass open and drilled into my anus. I gasped at the sudden intrusion, despite trying my hardest not to, I felt myself grow hotter. My breathing grew shorter and turned into panting as the constant pulsing vibrated through me. But the tentacles were not done; still I could not hear their voices.

The ones around my head started to move. One squirmed its way through my mouth and down my throat. I tried to gasp but my air flow was completely cut off. For a second I panicked, but then realised that there wasn’t any logic in there actually being air in the dark void and I relaxed. The pulse intensified but even now wasn’t able to hear them. Around me smaller tentacle attacked whatever was left open. Some curled into my ears in the hopes of making me listen, other burrowed through my nose and through the bone all the way up to my brain. As the last tentacle set into place the pulsing felt more familiar and the moment the tentacles touched my brain a violent orgasm shocked my system. My body was rocked my spasms and seizures strong enough to break my bones but through the haze of both pleasure and pain I realized something.

I could finally Hear . . .