When I woke up, I stretched and only then I noticed that it was already dark outside the window, quickly touching the emblem twice, I saw the time was half past eleven, getting out of bed and taking the keys.
I went to the door, opening it, going out into the corridor, looking around, inserting the key into the lock, hearing a click, I went downstairs there were few stufans on the first floor, someone was talking to each other, someone was reading a book.
Going out into the street, I went to the academy, I forgot to ask the dean if I would need to tell the guards why I came so late to the academy, or if it was free to visit it here, but there was no point in thinking about what could no longer be returned.
Magic lanterns illuminated the road right up to the academy. Approaching the academy, I noticed that the gates were open. After passing through them, I immediately went to the swordsmen's wing where the tests were carried out.
Clicking again on the emblem, I saw that I still had a couple of minutes left, and I didn't want to find out what would happen if I was late, so I didn't really pay attention to what was happening around.
Climbing the stairs, I went to the swordsmen's wing on the way without meeting anyone, it looked like the academy was empty, I didn't meet professors or stufons, maybe they somehow watched the academy, but it was still strange to see that at such a late time the gates were open and inside no one was in sight.
Approaching the inspection room in the swordsmen's wing, I knocked on hearing the voice of the dean that you can enter.
I entered and saw the dean sitting on an armchair in the corner of the room and circles were drawn in the middle and from each mana flowing near each circle there was a candle filled with some kind of liquid.
Seeing me, the dean stood up and approached me, he was dressed the same as when we first met in the afternoon.
- You were almost late, now let me tell you how you should activate the ritual. - The dean said in a cold voice, handing me a bottle with an incomprehensible liquid, he spoke again.
- You will have to mix this liquid with your blood and apply it all over your body, take it here, you will drain your blood until it is full, after that pour this elixir into it, mix it three times and apply it on your body, then sit in the middle of a large circle and If you meditate, you will have to fall where the god is and so that she awakens your mark. - While explaining, the dean handed me the elixir and also the container where I would need to drain my blood, the blood container was small but very deep, sighing from the fact that I would have to spill my blood again, I took off my uniform, remaining only in my underwear.
I began to think about where I could inflict a wound in order to receive such a volume of blood and not fall from losing it.
The dean returned to his chair and closed his eyes. I sat down on the cold floor with a knife at the level of the elbow and began to wait until the container was filled gradually.
I felt how my fingers and toes began to weaken, gradually my head began to spin, I had to put the container on the floor and rest my healthy hand on the floor so as not to fall, time dragged on slowly after a couple of minutes I stopped feeling my legs, a healthy arm began to sag, although I did not see my face, but I began to assume that it was becoming whiter.
Seeing that the container was almost full, I turned my head to Ama'Lane, who nodded silently, getting up from his chair, coming up to me, looking at the container, touched the ring twice and he had a pill in his hands, passing it to me.
I threw it into my mouth and swallowed, I felt like a wound on the hand is slowly tightened and tingling gradually began in the arms and legs, but I was not up to it.
I took the elixir with shaking hands and poured it into a container and began to stir with my finger. The substance was very viscous and it took all my strength to start stirring it.
After stirring it three times, I began to rub it on my skin, started from my feet, gradually rising up, I expected that it would be warm, but to my regret, it was cold, feeling like I was freezing, I began to rub it on my body faster and faster.
The last place was the face and neck having smeared my neck and face, I got up and staggered towards the center of the circle as I walked, it seemed to me that hours had passed, but unfortunately only a couple of minutes had passed since I entered the office.
Having reached the center, I sat down on my knees, straightening my back and closing my eyes, I began to hear different voices, first quietly then louder and louder until they began to scream in my head.
- Alurik you can open your eyes. - A melodious voice spoke, which I recognized when I opened my eyes, I looked around, we were still near the fire, but now I saw my interlocutor.
- Goddess Ges am I right? - I asked bowing to her.
- Yes, I'm the goddess Ges, but you can just call me Ges, I know why you came here. But I'll ask you, are you ready to become my messenger in your world? If you accept this, you may be in great danger. - Hes asked coming up to me and standing in front of me.
As I understand the messenger, this means being her elected dean did not say what they were called, and perhaps did not know.
Thinking about her words, I began to look at my life, I had no talent for magic, my parents disowned me and deprived me of the title of prince of the empire in which I was born, and without noticing, I began to get angry.
If I had the strength, no one would dare to stand in my way, knowingly they say that the strong rules the weak.
- Yes, I agree to be your messenger if you give me the strength to destroy our common enemies, which I am sure are or will appear in the future. - Answered her question with a confident voice.
- Strength you all ask for strength why not wisdom. - Hes asked carefully looking at me, assessing my behavior and what I would say to her.
- Wisdom will come by itself with time, wisdom without power means nothing. - I answered her question, she tilted her head to the side and smiled.
- But strength without wisdom is not worth much, strength can be outwitted and forced to do stupidity where strength will be useless against cunning. - Ges said, waiting for an answer from me.
- There is no experience without mistakes, and experience is wisdom. - I answered her.
- Even if it costs you your life, will it be experience or stupidity? Ges asked
- It will be an experience, first of all, you can reason by observing, but being at the epicenter you do not know what can affect the outcome. - I answered not quite understanding where these answers come from, whether it is possible that this place helps and gives wisdom, I did not know, or whether this presence of the goddess influenced my reasoning.