“Greetings Master Ordos,” a middle-aged man said as the two stepped into the guildhall.

“Hello Jahani.”

“Oh, who is this? We don’t get many guests,” Jahani asked.

“A new Novitiate,” Ordos said flatly as he and Gaius continued to walk.

Jahani followed behind, “Seriously? That’s great news! This is cause for a celebration, I’ll go inform the others.”

“There’s n—ah, he left. Oh well, I suppose it’s a good opportunity for you to meet the others,” Ordos thought aloud.

Gaius was barely listening to the other two as he was overwhelmed by the myriad of auras that permeated throughout the guildhall. There were many auras that were familiar yet a great number of them were new. He closed his eyes as he walked, still holding onto Ordos’s hands. He could see sharp deep lines of aura etched into the walls, ground, pillars, ceiling, and doors. As he was focused on observing the guildhall he did not noticed that Ordos stopped and so he bumped into the Master Antimage.

“Ah sorry,” Gaius said as he looked up to find a new pair of eyes studying him.

“Guild Master, this is the new Novitiate I spoke of earlier. He is rather eager to join,” Ordos said with reverence.

“Mm, not bad not bad,” was all the old man said before he started to poke and prod Gaius to observe his physique. “You’re 10 years-old, eh?”

“Uh, yes sir,” Gaius stammered as he tried to remain calm as the old man squeezed, pulled, and poked his arms, shoulders, neck, cheeks, and torso.

“Haven’t been training long have you?” the old man said as he studied Gaius’s palm. “Hmm, you favor the spear? Good weapon. Okay, you ready?”

“For what sir?” Gaius asked with uncertainty.

“The ritual of course. Come, you may return to your post Ordos,” the old man said as he turned around expecting Gaius to follow.

Ordos lightly pushed Gaius to signal that he should follow.

The old man was quicker than he appeared to be, gliding through the hallway like a ghost. He turned corners quickly and kept on moving, never looking back to see whether or not Gaius was keeping up. After a few minutes of light jogging Gaius was finally able to catch up to the sly old man as he was standing still waiting for him.

The old man did not wait as soon as Gaius caught up and quickly opened the door before them. Within the dark room was a floating crimson stone with jagged edges. Beneath it laid several markings of an unknown language, though it hummed with power that pervaded through every molecule of Gaius’s body.

“This is an Oathstone, a blood one in fact. I assume you’ve never seen one?” the old man asked and continued without waiting for a reply, “Oathstones are ancient powerful objects from antiquity. The premise is quite simple: you make an oath with this present, and if you should break your oath then you die. There are only two oaths you need to make before you can be an official Novitiate.

The first, swear fealty to the Alirian lineage.

The second, swear loyalty to the Guild.

Understand that when you make these two oaths, you must earnestly commit yourself. The Oathstone will scour your soul through a drop of your blood to find any falsehoods, if all goes well it will resonate and the oath complete. Though if it finds any fluctuations then it will turn black, notifying me of deceit. Ready?”

“Uh, no. Wait, I have questions,” Gaius said quickly.

“Oh? All right, speak them. It’s not every day we get new blood. If we’re going to do this, then we should do it right, ask your questions.”

“What does it mean to swear fealty to the Alirian lineage?”

“You will swear to protect and serve them.”

“Does that mean I cannot harm them? What if I accidently hit my cousin? Does that count as breaking the oath?”

“Haha, no. It is very simple, the Oathstone will scour your soul. Do you know what that means boy? Your true essence, it will be able to see it. And as you swear your oath it will be able to see whether or not your true essence resonates with your words or fluctuates. Even if you wished your cousin harm and even thought of murdering him the Oathstone will tell me whether or not that is within your nature, your true essence. That Oathstone will absorb a drop of your blood and in that a connection is formed with your soul which will allow it to kill you if you break your oath, but you will be warned.”

“How will I be warned?”

“Haha, you’ll know it if it comes to pass. Any other questions?”

“Why is the oath phrased to swear fealty to the Alirian lineage and not the Alirian kingdom?”

“Ah, that is a long story. Though the short version is that the creator of this guild and the first Alirian king were siblings. Our first Guild Master established this guild to support her brother. I suppose you embody that relationship the most since our founding, considering the royal blood that flows within you.”

“Must I make both oaths at once?”

“Oh? What a curious question. You may make them separately, though you will not be a Novitiate until both are made.”

“All right, I’d like to take the first oath”

“Step within the runes and cut your palm along the shards of the Oathstone and let it drink your blood, though not too much,” the old man said with a wink.

Gaius slowly stepped within the runic circle and he could instantly feel the dense cluster of power the emanated within the space. Just by merely placing his palms upon the Oathstone was enough to deeply cut him.

“I swear my fealty to the Alirian lineage. I swear to protect and serve them to the best of my abilities.”

The Oathstone softly hummed a beautifully tone as it resonated. Gaius felt naked and defenseless in the true sense of the word. His soul was bare before the Oathstone, and though he should feel scared at the vulnerability he only felt comfort. For some reason he knew that the Oathstone would not harm him. The crimson color of the Oathstone pulsed once before it grew dim again. The cut within his palm somehow closed, leaving no evidence of the cut.

“The first oath is complete. You sure you don’t want to do the 2nd one right now?”

“I . . . don’t know. To be honest, I’m fearful that the Oathstone will reject my 2nd oath,” Gaius said with unease as he thought about what would happen to his soul if the Oathstone discovered deceit.

“Oh, quite the honest fellow, eh? Though I suppose it is within your best interest, with the Oathstone here and all.”

“Before I take the 2nd oath, is it possible to observe the guild a bit more?”

“Hmm. You’d like to know what kind of guild this is before you swear your life to it, eh? Can’t say I blame you, but the answer is no. There are many secrets within these walls that must only be revealed to those who will not betray the guild.”

Gaius thought to himself, “I do not want to swear my life to a guild that is evil, though I don’t know what I’d do with my life without this guild.” Gaius did not even realize how important the guild was to him until this very moment. It was part of his identity, without the Aspect of the Void, he was no one; he was just a boy who couldn’t condense an Aspect. As Gaius mulled over his dilemma, the old man approached and pushed him out of the circle.

“Listen up boy. If you tell anyone what I am about to do, I’ll make you regret it. You hear?” the old man said to Gaius—much to his confusion.

Then the old man placed his hands upon the Oathstone and said, “I swear that my words ring true. The Antimage’s Guild is sworn to protect the Alirian Kingdom from those who wish to harm it. We do not commit fratricide. We do not intentionally harm innocents, though collateral damage is inevitable in any conflict. Ask me your questions to dispel any concerns you may have.”

Gaius was stunned by the display of trust, though he did not fully realize what it meant for a Guild Master to be bound by an Oathstone and given the opportunity to ask him anything, though part of the old man’s plan was reliant on this fact.

“I have no questions for you. You have shown me a measure of trust I did not deserve, so I will return the favor,” Gaius said as he listened to the beautiful hum of the Oathstone. He slowly approached it again as the old man left the runic circle.

“I swear my loyalty to the Antimage’s Guild and in their mission to defend the Alirian Kingdom from those who wish to harm it. I swear to not commit fratricide, and I swear to not willfully harm innocents.”

The Oathstone pulsed with a bright crimson light before it grew dim, once again letting out a hauntingly beautiful hum.

“Good. The ritual is complete. You are now officially a member of the Antimage’s Guild, even if you are a Novitiate. As a Novitiate you are accorded very few privileges as is common within every other guild. Novitiates, if you did not already know, are viewed with little respect. They are errand workers, laborers, grunts that do menial tasks within a guild to learn how it functions. This is also true within our guild. 2 years boy. You will not be initiated until you turn 12. In this time, you will learn how this guild functions by helping out wherever you are called, understood?”

Gaius nodded as he felt excitement for the coming days. He finally had what he desired: an identity. He was now on his way to become an Antimage.

“You have the rest of the day to yourself. We will arrange for your tutelage so come back tomorrow. Though you will need to have someone walk with you through the labyrinth. If you’d like to get to the palace that door over there is the quickest way,” the old man said as he pointed to an unsuspecting door.

Gaius bowed as he said, “Thank you Guild Master.”

Back within the palace grounds, Gaius emerged through a door within the inner walls of the castle. He stepped into the afternoon sunlight as a cascade of aromas assailed him. The royal gardens were currently filled with his two cousins. Nyah and Bray were sitting and chatting nearby from where Gaius exited.

“Gaius?” Nyah was the first to notice.

“Ah, hello. Nyah was it?” he asked.

“What are you doing within the gardens?” Bray asked as he noticed him too.

“I got lost,” Gaius softly chuckled, “how did your competition go? Did my brother help any?”

“We actually haven’t started yet, seeing as how the teams were uneven. Your brother joined Tali and Dante as all of them practice the Aspect of Light, they won’t interfere with each other. So we told them that you’d join us when you were ready, to balance it out,” Nyah said.

“Are you sure? I don’t have an Aspect,” Gaius lied confidently.

“It’s all right, besides your brother told us that you have a knack for sensing auras,” Nyah said.

“Well, let’s go,” Bray said as he couldn’t wait to find his presents.