《Master of Cards. *Reborn*》Chapter 26 : The Summons.
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Kael was now standing by the entrance of the Adept Training Academy. The aura was putrid, he could feel Black Symphony being annoyed by all the rattling she made by his hip. Radiant Sonata was fine, this was due to the elemental contrast. Black Symphony does better when things are grim and dark while Radiant Sonata preferred the
"Hear me..."
"Why did you leave me?"The voices were warbled, distorted and desperate. Clearly not a good sign.
"Nobody hears us." The voices were beyond recognition of human hearing. They were broken that much.
"Were we flawed creations?" Kael heard the screams, the voices of the weapons that had suffered. Blades that had been broken, their sheathes that could no longer hold their forms. A Grey Gem forces an awakening, but it comes at the cost of the Weapon Spirit or Living Weapon's control. It is not common for such swords to fall apart. A forced awakening is unnatural with unrefined power. Such unrefined power may cause the blade to cut someone else or to kill its user during use. It can turn many blades into a cursed blade if they weren't careful. Standing even at the entrance itself Kael could feel the anguish of these weapons. Even the firearms were mistreated.
These people were playing with fire and they had no idea. Kael was just standing by the entrance, if he could feel this much from here. There is definitely more inside. Kael stepped in, where he could see Ardjent waiting for him inside.
"Mister Kael Webster." She greeted Kael as he stepped through the doors. Watching them shut as fast as they opened.
"Please... Stop this pain." Kael shook his head, there was too much darkness as a result of the pleas that fell on deaf ears. Kael clenched his fists, this is what happens when you have fools that wield tools far stronger than what they can withstand. Kael heard a scream from beneath the ground.
"I take it underground is where you have the summons?" Kael asked, where Principal Ardjent nodded to him.
"I'll go to the summons. Open the door for me." Kael said as he approached a gate with a goat skull as its handle. Ardjent opened the door for Kael, tapping Radiant Sonata and Black Symphony as they both stepped out beside him.
"Master?"
"Go back to the house. There's far too much for both of you to handle." Kael said as he put on a different mask and wore white robes as his right hand held ritual staff that had 50 rings on its piece. The mask he wore was pure white like the innocence of a pure heart. Kael took his first step, he watched as 50 rings turned to darkness. His mask turned to black.
This was a clear indicator that there was more than summons down here. Possibly horrors or souls that could not gain rest. Kael began his descent down the flight of stairs where he saw a creature that crawled up the staircase. Merely a torso with hands and long hair. The hands touched Kael's shoes. Looking up at him, it could not be called a face. It was rotting, decaying, putrid flesh that had human skin stitched to it. Kael continued walking down, seeing the walls having humanoid eyes. Blinking as they followed Kael's every movement. Kael lifted the mask as he lit a cigarette. Watching human hands rip open a sort of portal from above him, as a humanoid torso emerged. Grayed out skin with eyes that teared black.
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Kael lit a cigarette as he took a deep whiff of it. They appeared, they were floating and their hands reached out to Kael. It went pass Kael as he continued to venture deeper. A human child with twisted limbs appeared before him, it was twisted to the point beyond recognition. Kael could see the blood stained bones stick out from the sides.
"Have mercy..." The voices spoke up as Kael continued to venture deeper and deeper. Seeing a curled up figure who was crying loudly. Kael's footsteps awoke her, she turned to Kael. Her teeth was showing through her skin, eyes were writhe with white. Body like a corpse that had been taxidermied with the skin looking stiff. Kael needed to find the source of all of this. Kael took off his white robe, letting his skin be seen by these creatures. Their hands touched Kael's skin. Leaving behind their marks, scratches and bruises. Kael continued onwards, the horrors kept on with their acts. Not hearing Kael scream or even cry of pain. Not a grunt, not a word. He merely kept smoking the cigarette.
Kael then looked at a skeleton appearing before him, it was pregnant and yet it was still alive.
"Kill her! She is a demon spawn!" The creatures stopped trying to grab Kael, it was like they were frozen in place. Kael stepped closer.
"Her husband, that Sylvain bastard has left. She will be vulnerable! We must do this for it is the order of God as conveyed by our Priest!" Kael knew who this skeleton was, this was painful even for him. His heart was writhing with all the pain.
"Josephine Chevalier." The skeleton twitched to look at him, her flesh appeared. She was going to fall, Kael caught her.
"Sylvain." She held Kael's cheeks. Now this was a poor taste in Kael's mouth. This was his wife and unborn child. Kael was told that she was murdered by a group of bandits. Well the life of Sylvain Chevalier was that of medieval times. Kael carried her up.
"Where'd you like to rest my love?" Kael asked, Josephine pointed to the direction Kael needed to proceed. Kael looked to all the horrors before him.
"Do whatever you want to my body, but if you even touch a hair over my wife. I will be sure to make you crawl back to the hells you came from." Kael warned as the horrors stopped, letting Kael walk past them. They twitched, they stared and they just kept looking at where Kael went. Josephine leaned on Kael's chest, she was crying tears.
The path led Kael to a bed where he laid her down. And holding her hand, he realized what she was. His wife had been turned into a summon along with his child. He remembered hearing Lucius say that Josephine was bearing two children so perhaps they must have been twins. Kael wondered if it was like or unlike twins.
"Sylvain... I'm sorry. I'm sorry I died... I'm.." Kael hushed her softly.
"I will always be proud of you as my wife. Forgive me Josephine... I was not there when you needed me the most." Kael said wrapping his hands over hers, tears in his eyes. His tears were turning red with his own blood.
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"I'll always be... Sylvain Chevalier... The wife of Lame Rouge." She spoke with a smile. Kael stayed still, as Josephine went into labour. Kael did not leave her, he stayed by her side as the other horrors came over. To aid Josephine in the delivery. Kael watched as more of the horrors appeared but they were hostile. Perhaps they were the spirits of the ones who tried to kill Josephine.
"Josephine. No matter what happens. I will be here." Kael said as he changed his figure to the blonde haired man that Josephine knew so well. Watching Kael ready his blade to face against these spirits. Kael roared as the spirits were pushed bakc. He stood by her side, his left hand held Josephine's. Hours past as Josephine was struggling, but it came to fruition as Kael heard the voices of two infants cry out. The horrors that helped Josephine had a more human appearance, still decayed corpses but they passed the children to Josephine. Kael knelt to Josephine, hearing the coos of the two infants. Two girls.
"Violette and Emeline." Josephine named the two girls, then looking at Kael.
"Thank you... For being here... Despite how I look.." Josephine spoke with tears in her eyes.
"You're still as beautiful as you were on our wedding. You're no monster, my dear. You're my wife and nothing will ever change that." Kael said as he kissed Josephine's forehead.
"Will you allow us to stay?Or will you want us to rest?" Josephine asked Kael where Kael looked at her.
"I've always told you. Whatever you choose, I will support you. Mon cheri."
"Then let us stay... So we can be with you again." Josephine spoke as a bright light blinded Kael. He found himself standing by what seems to be an all white room. Seeing the books on summoning, diagrams on creatures to summon. Kael found a pendant on the ground, it was skeleton that held two infants.
"Master... That summon... Is your wife. She is not an easy summon..." Kael understood why, this summon was clouded in darkness. Basking in it while the children were of light.
"Josephine Chevalier." Kael called out, where he saw his pale skinned wife wielding a pair of Estoc while wearing a black mask and white tailcoat.
"Violette... Emeline." Kael called out to see two figures that stepped out of Josephine's shadow, black armored knights wielding white blades while their helmets were half white on either right or left. Violette's was left while Emeline's was on the right. Violette and Emeline walked over to Kael, where Kael petted their heads.
"I will call you when I need you, Josephine. The same goes for you two. Rest first." Kael said as they three of them vanished. Kael then sat down where he pulled out a rolled set of scriptures. They were not in human language but in the language of Angels and Demons. A common tongue that was meant to help put souls to rest. Kael read through the scriptures as the horrors returned trying to stop him from doing it, yet some of them were stopping the others from attacking Kael as he read it.
The mantra of the scriptures turned the horrors into spirits instead, spirits with faces and human appearances from when they were alive. By the end of it, the spirits had been to rest. Kael watcheda s the scriptures turned to dust. When chanted by an Avatar of Destruction, it will leave behind nothing but dust.
Caveats for being an Avatar of Destruction. Holy objects that are not used for war or battle will turn to dust if Kael just held it. Kael went upstairs, where he opened the gate. There were students who were present, staring at Kael's chest which was riddled with wounds.. Kael lit a cigarette as he stepped out, staring at them.
"Erm.. Who are you?" A student asked, they could not be anymore older than he was. Maybe a few years younger or older, give or take. Kael did not answer as he walked away from the door. Then he noticed something, there was a prayer room in here. Which Kael decided to take a look, lo and behold there were statues of every God and deity that was here. Including the names of Angels or Demons that served them. Kael saw Lucius's statue being the biggest and then seeing the newly named Goddess of Destruction. It was a deity that was young and childish but Lucius was like that in the early days according to the scriptures. There were also instructions on how to pray to the Gods and the offerings that they accept.
Seems like this place was going to be an interesting work place for Kael. The newly named Goddess of Destruction was Velaya. A deity that was under Lucius's care when she was rejected by many others. Though a new Goddess of Destruction was named, Kael was still Lucius's Avatar of Destruction. That won't change unless Lucius wishes for it. Which Kael thinks it's a waste of time since certain Gods can only keep a few Avatars. Lucius was only limited to one.
"Came to make an offering?" Kael turned to a man who was sweeping the floor.
"You could say that." Kael said as he read an offering on Velaya. Which was actually quite simple. Crush an object. That was actually far simpler than whatever Lucius had Kael do. Kael then looked at Lucius. 'No offerings needed' I suppose being a Supreme God has its perks.
"Excuse me. Does the Supreme God Lucius have any offerings?" Kael asked where the old man nodded.
"He does, but from what I understand. Lucius already has someone who gives him offerings. According to the many Diviners and Prophets, Lucius is a Supreme God who does not answer the calls of others. He answers to the call of few but when the Gods require his aid. He will be there to assist them." The old man spoke, and Kael could tell that the someone who gives him offerings is none other than himself.
Perhaps that is why Lucius will never change Kael as the Avatar of Destruction.
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