Jake was standing in an open field with grasses everywhere that reached up to the knees but where he stood, there was no grass because it had been cleared by the elders of the true mages.
His whole body was bloody – a mixture of red blood from Jake and black blood from the beasts – and his clothes were ripped apart. They still covered up parts of his body and his hair was stiff, stuck to his face with the dried blood. His hair was long enough to cover his eyes so he had to force it to the sides.
The elders had just finished chanting a spell after Viesagol drew a symbol on the ground and after the whole thing was over, Jake saw the light from the symbol on the ground shine out of his right forearm and now the symbol was on his right forearm.
It looked as if it had appeared from beneath his skin and it had the exact appearance as a regular tattoo except it looked different from the tattoos people would normally get.
It was a triquetra symbol with three circles forming from the three arcs that made up the triquetra itself. Three lines formed a triangle around the triquetra, joining at the tips where the arcs meet.
It was a strange symbol but there was something oddly fantastical about it as Jake stared at it.
"What the hell just happened?" Jake asked angrily. They had not mentioned anything about him feeling excruciating pain nor had they mentioned the fact that he would have a tattoo when the spell was over.
"I do apologize for the slight inconvenience." Zedron said unapologetically. "There was no way around you experiencing the pain."
"That wasn't a 'slight inconvenience'." Jake said. "And what's up with this mark or tattoo on my arm?"
"That is the symbol of the existing binding contract." Viesagol explained. "But to the ignorant, it is simply an ordinary tattoo."
"You guys didn't tell me anything about getting a tattoo." Jake said.
"Do you want to get back to your planet or do you want to remain here?" Daeriela asked.
"Alright fine. What next?" Jake asked.
"Now you get the enchanted armour before we send you back." Serryl answered.
"Do we really want to do that now?" Mithral asked. "We are yet to even confirm that the binding contract works."
"Are we beginners when it comes to casting spells Mithral?" Viesagol asked. "Of course the binding contract works."
"Rheya." Zedron called out. "Bring him with us."
The elders began apparating and they each left the field while Rheya went to meet Jake and held onto his hand then apparated and Jake followed her as she apparated without a choice.
As he stood in the grand room where he saw himself after apparating with Rheya, he saw acolytes bustle about, their robes swishing softly as they attended to their tasks. The celestial ceiling above him twinkled with a myriad of stars, creating a mesmerizing effect that transported him to a realm beyond the confines of the room. The fluffy clouds drifting lazily added a touch of serenity to the ambiance, as if the room itself was a portal to a place of everlasting peace and hope.
Amidst the grandeur, a magnificent spiralling staircase caught his attention. Its intricate design spoke of craftsmanship and elegance, beckoning him to explore both its ascending and descending paths. Each step seemed to hold a story of its own, whispering secrets of the past and possibilities of the future. The staircase was a symbol of duality, offering a choice between reaching new heights or delving into unknown depths.
In this surreal setting, Jake felt a sense of awe and wonder wash over him, as if he had stumbled upon a place where time stood still and magic lingered in the air. The grand room with its celestial ceiling and spiralling staircase was not just a physical space but a manifestation of dreams and aspirations, inviting him to stay a while and explore.
"First you need to get yourself cleaned up." Sevanias said to Jake. "You can not and will not receive one of our greatest and most priceless artifacts looking like that."
"Oh I'm sorry." Jake apologized. "Is this not appropriate for the occasion? I didn't know that when I was getting mauled and torn apart by beasts."
"You need to stop with that." Mithral said. "You almost died but you did not because they did not want you to. Do not push your luck with us. I can still get rid of you right where you stand."
From the look on Mithral's face, it was obvious that he was looking for a reason to make sure Jake ends up in the ground. Dead. Jake was certainly not about to miss what might be his only opportunity to leave and go back to Veda so he decided to play along and ignore Mithral.
"Where's the bathroom?" Jake asked.
"I'll lead you to it." Rheya offered and began walking towards the spiral staircase then Jake followed after her from behind.
She led Jake up the stairs and to the door of the bathroom with neither of them saying a word.
"Thanks." Jake said when they got to the bathroom.
"You were impressive out there." Rheya said. "When you fought the beasts."
"Thanks." Jake replied. "I was trying not to get killed but I'm glad you found it impressive."
"I understand that you are upset." Rheya said.
"Do you?" Jake asked, his tone nearing one of anger. He could not really say how he truly felt to the elders because they were more powerful than he was and they were his ticket back to Veda so he could not risk getting them angry especially since some seemed to be on his side.
"I almost died out there and you all are in here telling me that the plan was not for me to die. And the fact that you're telling me I was 'impressive' means you were all watching me. What was going through your minds when I was split in half?"
Rheya stared at Jake and let him get his frustration out. She knew he could not say that to the elders because no matter what the were still the elders and if they were angered they could easily kill Jake but instead they chose to help him.
"Are you finished?" Rheya asked. "Are you satisfied with yourself?"
"I actually am." Jake answered, sighing after getting his near-death experience off his chest. How many times had he come so close to death? How many more times could he tempt fate? It was frightening.
"I will not claim to understand how you feel. I don't." Rheya said. "But you fighting those beasts and killing all of them proved to most of the elders that your life was worth sparing. That is why they decided on the binding contract. You did not ask for any of this. To be the Harbinger, to be the one who gets the magic mimicry.
"But some things are out of our control and we cannot change it. Instead of focusing on what could have happened, why not try focusing on what did happen. As it seems, you got something out of killing those beasts."
When Rheya was done talking, she walked away, leaving Jake alone with his thoughts. He went into the bathroom and headed straight for the shower.
Turns out that the true mages might be a different race from the humans but they still had similar tools like the shower.
As the water ran down his body, it washed off the dried blood on him partially and had pushed his hair to the back with his fingers.
Jake leaned on the wall and slid down to the floor, trying to control his swirling thoughts. 'Rheya was right.' he thought. He had leveled up after killing the beasts and thanks to him increasing his mental moxie, the true mages were no longer able to hear his thoughts.
After a very thorough bath, Jake got out of the shower and saw some clothes set in front of the mirror. Just like what the true mages were wearing, the clothes set out for him was the same hooded clothing they wore and something to wear beneath it.
With no other choice, Jake put on the clothes and left the bathroom, heading back downstairs.