In center of magic circle, Elisabeth and Herlin were standing face to face.
"Are you all ready?" (Elisabeth)
"Ready." (Misha)
"Yes." (Arc)
"*Nod*…" (Raina)
"Then we start." (Elisabeth)
After divided the tasks to children, Elisabeth started Herlin's awakening ceremony. Honestly, if isn't for the urgency, she wouldn't asked children help for such important task.
Elisabeth closes her eyes.
[Oh, Great Darkness, Rouse the Slumbering Strength Inside Her]
[Awaken]
*Zuun*
The magic circle glowed bluish.
"…" (Arc)
A while ago, Arc asked Elisabeth why not doing it in city. Apparently, there'll unnecessary disturbance if the ceremony done in city, as big phenomena will happen during the Magist Awakening.
That time, Arc not understand why that matter. Now he understood what she meant after seeing this.
What a big show.
The wind strongly whirling around them with magic circle as the center, as though the area around them was hit by storm.
"What is this!?" (Misha)
Shocked, Misha yelled out.
"This the disturbance I told you." (Elisabeth)
"This!? Nothing like this happen when I awakened!" (Misha)
"...Miss Misha, we should close our mouths now, and please deploy the barrier!" (Elisabeth)
With her command, Misha sent her mana to staff in her hand. The staff is a magic item Elisabeth lending to her. It could form a remote barrier that big enough to cover the entire magic circle.
"Ugh!" (Misha)
As soon the barrier formed, a grunt escaped from her mouth.
"Are you okay?" (Arc)
"This thing draining my mana!" (Misha)
The barrier looked no different than [Sanctuary] magic. However, as a Magist, Misha could tell the barrier was higher tier than [Sanctuary]. The barrier can cut off the connection of outside and inside. Although the barrier transparent, Arc and Misha no longer could hear anything voice inside.
*Shush!!*
"Ah, wind annoying." (Misha)
Misha supporting herself with barrier staff from being blow by strong gust.
She glanced at Arc and Raina. Wondering how they seemed didn't have difficult to stand in this small storm.
"Looks like the ceremony started." (Arc)
Inside the barrier, Elisabeth grasping Herlin's hands. Both of them were glowed like the magic circle.
"Wow." (Misha)
From Misha's perspective, she could see Elisabeth's enormous mana seeping out, gently wrapping Herlin. She astonished with Elisabeth's mana control proficiency. It showed how skilled Elisabeth is as Magist.
"Um, is it my imagination or our surrounding getting dark?" (Arc)
Arc noticing the light in surroundings dimmed.
Afterwards, from Elisabeth and Herlin's feet black shadow flowing out, covering the magic circle. Inside the shadow, countless luminous dots twinkling like the sight of starry night.
"…" (Arc)
"…" (Misha)
"…" (Raina)
The children breathless with the unexpected beautiful phenomena.
"What a beautiful sight." (Misha)
"Pretty…" (Raina)
"This is definitely not something could be done in city." (Arc)
Whirling storm, surrounds darkened, then this mysterious pretty sight. These phenomena would cause chaos if suddenly appeared in middle of city.
"Hmm?" (Raina)
Raina's ears twitched.
"...Master, they are here." (Raina)
"Finally." (Arc)
"It's your turn, Arc, Raina." (Misha)
"True." (Arc)
"*Nod*…" (Raina)
Arc and Raina readying their weapon to welcome their uninvited guests.
*Gigi!!*
From forest, a small humanoid creature jumped out.
It's a goblin.
Before the ceremony started, Elisabeth has informed them the ceremony will attract monster to come. So, Arc and Raina tasked to protect the ceremony from monsters. Even there's barrier, the monsters attack itself may disturb the ceremony.
Elisabeth alone enough to easily eliminate these monsters in snap, but she couldn't do that as she must focusing her whole attention to ceremony.
The goblin saw the children.
*Gya! Gya!*
As it thought found an easy prey, the goblin laughing viciously.
*Swish*
Before it could land, a blade flew through its neck. The goblin's head detached from its body, rolling near Arc's feet.
"…That was fast." (Arc)
Shocked, Arc commented Raina swift act.
"There more coming." (Raina)
As soon she warned, several goblins revealed themselves from bushes.
*Gya!*
*Hya!*
*Roar!*
Not just goblin, several other monsters also came out. Arc observing their uninvited guests with somewhat shocked expression.
"Aren't their number somehow too much?" (Arc)
"About 30." (Raina)
She added after a brief observation.
"Dammit! Hold them all!" (Arc)
"Roger!" (Raina)
Fortunately, all of them just ordinary monster. None of them were Ranked. Still, the monster number were little bit too much for them to handle.
Arc took out his second sword out his Spatial Pocket, using a crude dual sword style to eliminate the monster. Raina covers her spear with ice, mowing down all the monsters before her.
Misha who can't move to maintain the barrier, observing the battle in puzzle and anxiousness.
"Eh, isn't the number little too much?" (Misha)
Elisabeth has said there not much monsters residing in forest. However, looking at situation, she might have wrong information.
"Arc, can you do it!?" (Misha)
"We could! Don't worry about us!" (Arc)
"Okay." (Misha)
For now, Misha chose to entrusting them and continued with her task. When she returned her attention to barrier, her expression twitched.
Inside the barrier, darkness filled entirely.
*****
***
*
The world inside the barrier was dark, unconnected from outside.
No matter how much commotion happening outside, no sound will reach inside. As dark fog filled the space, the connection to outside cut entirely.
Inside the dark world, Herlin closed her eyes, entrusting her being to Elisabeth.
"Could you hear me?" (Elisabeth)
Herlin nodded.
"Then follow my instruction." (Elisabeth)
Elisabeth guiding Herlin.
"Relax you body, relax your mind. Let this energy flow through your body." (Elisabeth)
Elisabeth sending a bit of her mana. Receiving the mana, Herlin feel warm flowing throughout her body, crawling to her core.
"Ugh!" (Herlin)
Perceiving foreign sensation entering her body, she got panicked.
Mana starting to rampage. Herlin felt her body like will explode.
"Calm down. Don't reject!" (Elisabeth)
"Un…" (Herlin)
Because Herlin instinctively rejecting Elisabeth's mana, the ceremony disturbed. Fortunately, Elisabeth managed to calm her before too late.
After she calmed down, Elisabeth continued the process. Mana slowly accumulated inside her core, then engulfed by darkness.
"Ngh!" (Elisabeth)
Elisabeth grunted.
This not first time she helping Magist Awakening, however, this first time she felt Magist Awakening was this difficult after her first try.
She must be more careful than other awakening since her disciple more delicate than anyone she helped. One step wrong and her disciple might crush by her mana or explode at worst.
Cold beads flowing down on her brow.
…..
…
The process hasn't reach ten minutes, yet it felt like been hours.
W-Wha…
Elisabeth was little surprised and excited.
She knew from experience.
The harder the process was, the greater the latent talent that slumber is. That always the case of awakening.
But at same time, the greater its risk
"…" (Elisabeth)
Recalling the danger, her excitement subsided down.
There something she didn't tell to children. While Herlin's life highly not in danger or explode, if the result of awakening was failed, she might life disabled for her entire life.
That's the true horror of Magist Awakening.
That's why she very surprised when she heard Misha awakened at such young age and without any assistance. Attempting to do same like her calling yourself to suicide.
Elisabeth took short deep breath, gather her resoluteness, then proceeded.
Slowly, but not too slow, her mana gently wakens the slumbering mana.
Here is it!
Using all her capacity, Elisabeth strengthening Herlin's body.
*Boom!!*
And explosion burst out her core.
Herlin trembling all over her body.
It's her slumbering power, the mana inside her was wakening.
Elisabeth contained down the excessive bursting power with all strength. If all the power bursting all at once, Herlin will explode. She sustaining any possible effect that could harm her disciple.
"…" (Herlin)
Weirdly, Herlin was silent. She gazing her teacher in haze, seemingly clueless to her state.
Elisabeth had casted a hypnotic magic on her, put her in sleep during process to ensure she wouldn't throw into panic again. Even while her body was trembling on verge of burst, she didn't have any reaction.
...….
…..
.
Elisabeth don't know if it been already ten minutes, half-hour, or already hours.
She feels as though her time was slowed down and chaotic.
Her face looked very wearied just to maintain her posture.
She has to say; this is most her difficult job to help a Magist awaken.
But that isn't matter.
She spotted Herlin trembling has considerably died down, gradually came to stop.
Once the tremble stopped entirely, Elisabeth relaxing her stance.
There no longer need for her to do anything.
It's over…
Lowering down her hand, she smiled.
She could feel it. Mana gathering inside her disciple's lower internal portion, forming a mana core. The essence of Magist.
A deep feeling swelling in her heart.
Her disciple that she long taught, her disciple that long living with her, now advanced to a full-fledged Magist. Albeit, a small part of her slightly soured when she comparing her age when she was awakened with her disciple.
"Congratulation Herlin, you are a Magist now." (Elisabeth)
Undone the hypnotic she casted, Elisabeth congratulated her. Slowly, Herlin consciousness returned.
"Huh?" (Herlin)
For a while, she not understands the situation.
"I… I'm a Magist… like Auntie Eli?" (Herlin)
"That's right." (Elisabeth)
Elisabeth said while patting her white hair.
"Huh?" (Herlin)
How? She didn't remember anything about awaken.
Her thought swept by Elisabeth next word.
"Let's greet them. They may bored have waiting outside." (Elisabeth)
"Ngh!" (Herlin)
Hearing what her teacher said, Herlin strongly nodded.
Elisabeth lightly waved her hand.
*Crash!!*
Then the dark world cracked and begun dissolved.
"!!!" (Elisabeth)
"!!!" (Herlin)
Soon the barrier darkness dissolved, Elisabeth and Herlin's expressions cramped up.
What greeted the pair of master and disciple outside was a very gruesome sight. Piles of monster corpses filled the surroundings.
Elisabeth wondering if she illusioned. She saw a portion of forest was burning. Herlin take a look to side, spotted an exceptionally big corpse laying on nearing ground.
"What happened here!?" (Elisabeth)
"W-W-What!?" (Herlin)
Pair master and disciple shocked.
Since the connection to outside was cut out in barrier, they didn't know the current situation.
A blonde little girl approaching them.
"Ah, Auntie Eli, Herlin, you finally here!" (Misha)
"Miss Misha, what was with these corpses? Where your servants?" (Elisabeth)
"They over there." (Misha)
She pointed a tree.
Under the tree, Arc and Raina sat, visibly too exhausted.
"Over?" (Raina)
"Seems so…" (Arc)
Sensing the sights directed to them, they look back then continued to rest. Both of them were dirty with dust and blood.
"For what happened, these all were monsters attracted by Awakening." (Misha)
"All of them. These too much! Where they come from? Did you really take care of them?" (Elisabeth)
"Could we discuss later? We very tired now." (Misha)
Among three of them, only Misha is clean since she didn't fight. However, she also visibly tired, as her mana drained out to maintain the barrier even with mana potions Elisabeth given.
Seeing their condition, Elisabeth agreed.
"Okay, let's back." (Elisabeth)
She waved her hand and they vanished from spot.
The group returned to Vermilioness Atelier.
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