"Young man, you have truly opened these aged eyes of mine." The Old Man gazed upon Daniel with a soft warmth in his eyes. 'You were correct indeed, my son. We may stand a chance against fate, so it seems.'
'I don't know who this weird-ass old man is, but he gives me the 'village elder' vibes. Wait... Could he be-?'
"Old man, are you the Architect Of The Hearthfire?" Daniel's eyes were peeled wide open as he observed the old man's every expression.
"Oh??" The Old Man was visibly shocked. "Bwahahahaha!" The Old Man began to laugh up a ruckus as he clutched his stomach and wiped a tear from his eye.
"Tch, I knew it. I've only heard such an obnoxious laugh once before. There is no doubt, you are definitely My Teacher's Father." Daniel shook his head as he smiled. Although the time he's spent with Enfred hasn't been all that much, the two got along well.
"I'll have to be careful around you, boy. I can already tell you are a troublemaker." The Old Man commented, before continuing.
"I know you wish to be an Architect, but you are still too wet behind the ears. My son will definitely train you well, so do your best. If you are able to exceed his expectations... Then perhaps, I could also take you on as a disciple." The Old Man smiled at Daniel.
'How the two are related is beyond me, but they are definitely of the same mold.' One was old but handsome, the other? Like a face that was poked a thousand times while being dragged across a gravel road whilst it was set on fire.
Daniel remembered how similarly his teacher took him as a disciple. Even then, he couldn't deny the excitement he felt within his chest.
The Old Man then shifted his attention to the boy that stood next to Daniel.
"Adora, it's nice to meet you. I've heard of your achievements, after doing a bit of digging. You've done great work training up that team of yours." The Old Man Smiled at Adora.
"Thank you, Sir. I will do my best in proving my worth during my stay at this Academy." Adora saluted in an extremely serious manner.
"At ease, you are no longer a sworn knight, you are a Myriad Candidate." The Old Man walked back into the pitch-black room for a few moments before coming out with two needles.
"You both have dawdled enough, so let's start the ceremony." The Old man asked both of them to remove their upper body armors and layers.
Daniel thought it a but weird but still followed his request. Adora simply followed instructions.
After the boys were done, The Old Man stood before them, while holding two needles, one in each hand.
His expression quickly became serious, with even the surroundings dimming due to the severe oppression.
"In tenebris, quae nos omnes caecos reliquit, Sacram lucem invoco. Frigidus errat, et in quemque defluit porum, Tibi praebeo lare patenti foribus. Semper habeatis voluntatem tueri et pugnare. Ignis ad focum incolumem servare lumen." The Old Man spoke in a steady tone as he raised his fist slowly into the air.
Adora and Daniel heard a voice in there heads that echoed. Yet, they could understand the voice in their head and not the old man.
"In the darkness that has left us all blind, I call upon the sacred light. Though a cold wanders and seeps into every pore, I offer you a home with an open door. May you ever have the will to protect, and to fight. To keep safe the Hearth fire's light." The Old Man brought his burning fist down and patted his chest three times.
Every time he thumped his fist against his chest the flame splashed out, almost like a two dimensional splash of water against a glass panel.
The flames, embers and smoke wrapped around the two needles causing them to glow a deep orange.
The Old Man looked at the two boys who had a 'O_O' expression. 'Their faces are always so amusing to look at.'
The needles began to spin, their speed increased exponentially as they turned into glowing orange disks.
"This will a hurt a little bit, please endure." The Old Man winced as he finished the sentences.
'Oh Sh-' Daniel didn't finished the thought due the intense pain that caused him to black out.
Both boys passed out due to the shocking pain, yet the needles didn't stop. Into the very fiber of their being, the needles engraved a tattoo that would hold an immense value to their futures.
As the Old Man gazed upon them, he was surprised to see Adora's tattoo. 'So, you have been chosen by the druids. Very interesting.'
Adoras tattoo was that of a vine that wrapped around his shoulder down to his elbow, the vine had purple flowers. At the center of the tattoo two branches intersected. This was the tattoo of the druids.
The Old Man then gazed at Daniel. His eyes bulged.
'T-the... Nebula Fire?!?!' The Old Man almost fainted as he bore witness to the tattoo which kept evolving.
A purple fire was located on the left wrist, the flame went up to Daniel's elbow. What made this flame special was the galaxy it contained. The stars in the sky morphed into the Embers that flew above the fire. The smoke turned into brush strokes which turned into a geometric pattern similar to infinite triangles. The back of his hand was marked by an intricate pattern, with the fingers having tattoo bone fingers.
The tattoo was finished.
'The Twist Of Fate, the tattoo of those who bend the world to their rule...' The Old Man resisted the blackness that was threatening to consume his sight.
'This lucky bastard!' The Old Man's veins bulged as he looked at the sky with a face full of injustice. His chin trembled as a single tear threatened to fall.