Chereads / The Prodigy of the Elements / Chapter 8 - The Ritual

Chapter 8 - The Ritual

Axel followed his master to a hallway by the barrack. It was next door to the training room that he spent countless hours training and developing his magic and skills. His master waived his hand to the wall directly between the doors, and opened a secret door. His master made it look simple and proceeded to walk through, Axel following him closely as the door closed behind them.

"Most people don't react well to children's screams" ,Wilson said with a dark tone. Axel only knew trust in his master as he learned everything about magic and combat from him. They walked through a long, dimly lit corridor that had an occasional stair case. They reached a small room with a few binding tables of wood that could adjust to different angles. Wilson then stopped and turned to Axel, "Recite the ritual simply to me before we begin."

Axel took a deep breath and focused lightly, "The reciever of the ritual must be bound by their limbs only for their protection. They also have the option to be blind. A cloth is used to bite on to endure the pain of the ritual. Then a drop of their blood must be collected to use as a catalyst. Then using a substitute of the elements used by the reciever must be added to form the final product, making a potion to force the potential of the reciever to increase drastically. The body of the reciever must absorb the potion little by little. As the potion is absorbed, the receiver's gates of flow will convulse and reject it. This process takes a week and the user must remain conscious the entire time with no rest."

As Axel finished, he felt chills run down his spine. Wilson angled a table for Axel to easily mount and lay on his back to. He was then bound after removing his shirt and had a twisted cloth put in his mouth. Wilson then cut the tip of one of Axel's fingers, holding a bowl under to colect the drop of his blood. He then angled the table that Axel was bound till it was level. He then went to the other table and took a substance that resembled each of Axel's magical elements and stired the mixture till it glowed a faint light of various colors. Wilson picked up a brush along with the bowl and approached Axel.

Axel Squeezed his eyes shut as his master lightly brushed the potion on his torso. Immediately, Axel felt like the area brushed was on fire. The potion took an hour to be absorbed. The more it was absorbed by Axel, the more his gates convulsed. Axel screamed into the cloth as he pulled on his binds.

The effects lasted for half a day. After the effects went away, Wilson angled the table up. He prepared a cup of water and a ration of meat for his pupil and fed him before angling the table level again. "You must do this 6 more times. Do what you can to stay awake." It pained Wilson to see his pupil like this. The two talked about Axel's progress once he regained enough strength to speak properly. This cycle was repeated for 6 more days, 12 hours of pain followed by 12 more of conversation. Each time, Axel took longer to recover as he grew more exhausted.

After the last 12 hours of conversation between the 2, Wilson angled the table up and unbound Axel. He then carried him out of the hidden area and to his room in the castle without Elane noticing. Axel slept for 3 days straight as he recovered from what he went through, Wilson sitting by his bed the whole time making sure his recovery went smoothly.

As Axel woke from his rest, his first thought was his hunger. He then saw his master smiling at his bedside. He sighed of relief before asking his master, "Did it work?" Wilson shrugged and said, "Eat and meet me in the training room once you are done."

Axel then went to the other room as his master left to find a plate of fresh food prepared by his mother on the table. He smiled to his mom as he sat at the table, ready to enjoy her cooking once more. After he ate, he embraced his mother before heading for the door.

Axel went to the training room across the empty courtyard to find his master meditating. He then bowed to him before entering. As Axel entered, Wilson threw a training board at him. He broke it in half perfectly with an earth spell, shooting a rock out of thin air. Axel smiled as he noticed his reflexes had increased majorly.

Axel then drew his sword and rehearsed a basic technique to test agility while handling the blade. The sword felt light and he could feel his movents go through the forms effortlessly. He then jumped lightly, almost reaching the ceiling 18 feet above him. 'My abilities are over 3 times more efficient than before the ritual.' Axel then tried to activate 2 spells of different elements at once. The two spells joined making a black fireball.

Wilson smiled in amazement as he watched his pupil experiment his new abilities. "Its time for you to recieve a weapon of higher quality." He then pulled out a sheathed sword and handed it to Axel. Axel pulled the sword out of its leather sheathe. A rune, shaped as a triangle in a square, presented itself on the base of the blade. The design of the rune was intricate and complex. As Axel studied the blade, he noticed it had 3 edges parallel to eachother along the blade of the sword to its tip.