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Chapter 15 - The Trip

Everyone had already gathered by the time Damian got there. Deimus waved to him, and he joined his friend. The headmaster was giving the details on how they were going to proceed with the awakenings. So, it was like this: a series of trials were going to be carried out and whoever awakened would be removed, it would be done in this manner till no one left and also it would be conducted at places of high mitra, hence, it will be more like a trip. Everyone then left to pack their stuff. The next morning, they once again assembled, but this time two professors stood side by side where the orb was supposed to be. After a head count was made, they recited an incantation and tore through space and time to form a, portal—a huge one at that. They were herded through it accompanied by three professors: Prof. Nix, Touka and Amon.

The portal closed with a ping as they all went through. Their first stop was at a field, and just before that graveyards which lay in a valley. "This is the Valley of the Dead." announced Professor Touka. "Here's where mages of high caliber or rank are buried. They're bodies were considered too valuable to just be six feet under anywhere". This particular place's defense was equal to that of the academy's. When such mages die, they're bodies continue to exude incredible mitra that more than rivals an awakening stone. One by one the professors walked the students through and most of them awoken easily. And as soon as they did, a light flashed around them and were instantly teleported back to the school. This is because one of the many spells casted into this place was like a living organism. It detects mitra from strangers and immediately sends them back to the school. It was also capable of recognizing and differentiating friend from foe. This was because friends or those with clearance had signs weaved into their mantles.

Soon there were only ten students left, Deimus and Damian included. "Ahh, the lucky ones," said Professor Amon. "You guys get to stick around for the next place we will be going. We're not in a hurry so let's take time to enjoy ourselves," he said while gesturing with wide arms. Amon teleported the rest to a more cheerful place than the gloomy one of the graveyards; that day they had a feast unlike never before. The professors had already started picking out favorites and betting on those who would awaken the next day. (See, the play was the more difficult it was to awaken your abilities, the more powerful you're likely to be, and let's face it, almost any teacher wants to mentor someone with talent or potential, which is why they were doing all both these things simultaneously.) Deimus and Damian were on nobody's list. Khorpius and Aydha were very silent during all this because they both basically had limited knowledge on this.

She went out hunting as usual, while Khorpius encouraged Damian to go on meditating, something he now did once in a blue moon. This time he obeyed though. The blood vessels still absorbed the nimbus, so there is still no progress there. Damian and the rest of the students participated in a lot of stamina-consuming activities. By nightfall, they were all very tired and slept like rocks while their teachers took watch. Morning arrived, and soon they were once again teleported. A huge temple graced their eyes as they reached their destination. This time though it was Prof. Nix who spoke, "Welcome to the Azel Temple. A place of ancient magic that has played a lot of important roles throughout history. The Stele of Gandor, which you're yet to learn about, was created here; this temple served as a refuge for most of the five royal families of Nervanah during the first great mage war, as most of the royals were being hunted to create chaos and confusion at that time. I could go on and on, but that's not the purpose of this visit." A number of men came to greet them and show them inside. Though none of them leaking any pressure or aura, the atmosphere around them made the small party (excluding Amon, who offered to stay outside.) shiver in dread. These people were the real deal and one of the students even awakened on the spot after coming near one. Everyone else was taken to a room where a huge statue of the Grylock was placed in its center. Pure gold with emerald eyes, this statue of the famed beast rivalled the academy's own easy in pure aesthetics; it was sculpted laying down in a bed of real flowers that were planted round it. Around it was a pond that had been dug, which showed a very queer shade of blue; it looked very serene and at the same time unnatural. Huge drops of water came out of it and formed strange signs like the one on the giant tree in the library. The walls in the room told stories of the past—history of Eldenheim; it was very mesmerizing and had some sort of calming effect on them. Here Khorpius was particularly alert and even whined; when he did, Damian could have sworn, he saw the big statue move. He looked around and saw everyone was busy whispering among themselves. The mages had gone inside to prepare for whatever ritual they had in store for their awakening.

Damian, closest to the statue, quietly stole towards it. He was right; the grylock shifted ever so slightly to look at him; its emerald eyes beckoned him to come. Khorpius could not contain his excitement and urged him to go on. As his handman made contact with the statue, he went into a trance; Khorpius did also. If one were to pay attention to the walls, particularly the one behind Damian, it showed three lines—and a ball breaking through the first line and being stuck on the second one. The ball fragmented itself into four pieces, which disappeared, leaving one. Meanwhile, Damian and Khorpius were on another plane; it was the same as one of the places Damian had been meditating in, the only difference being the behemoth Grylock battling with the tendrils. It had ripped a considerable amount of the blood tendrils and had engulfed it. Khorpius bounded towards it to offer assistance; its eyes flashed a dangerous gold and shook its head—it wanted no assistance. It gave a loud roar and burst into pure energy and entered the nimbus, which turned dark. The blood tendrils once again wrapped themselves around the nimbus, but this time the nimbus resisted; it grew in size, and when the tendrils coiled and sucked it down, it grew again. Damian felt fluctuating power coursing through his veins.

Then he was pulled out of the plane and came back to his senses. He looked around feeling dizzy; everything was spinning, and before he realized the world had gone dark, Damian had collapsed.