Chapter 37 - The Essence

The sun was Blazing high; the trees swayed lightly as a gentle breeze passed. Elijah held a wooden sword in his hand, swinging it down with tremendous force; he smiled and then glared at Bargi. "Am…am I doing it right?" he asked, his voice shaking. "You're getting the hang of it….but to any expert, you look like a child swinging a stick like a lunatic." Elijah stopped his swing and then wiped his face; he had a calm expression, but behind those eyes was fury. (For god's sake, you're the one that showed me the dam stance!..if you want to see me improve, then help me!) he yelled inwardly. Elijah glanced at his hands; they were sweaty and red. Elijah calmed his breath and gently moved his sword across the air as if dancing with someone. Then, in the next step, he realised a deadly slash, it didn't hit anything, but the slash was still powerful. He twisted his body into an impossible shape and then stroked the air, all the attacks landed, but there was no enemy. Elijah then winced (Damit! My body hurts all over! What's the dam point of even learning this blasted sword style? The movements are impossible even to use. My body is in so much pain I don't think I can even make it to the ritual to gain my oath tonight) Elijah lampooned inwardly. His movements slowed, and then he collapsed to the ground. He was in a puddle of sweat. Bargi walked over and then took out a Skeleton watch. "Hmm…you did well, Elijah; you should clean up. There's a few hours left before the ritual starts," Bargi said in an even tone. 'the sword stance he teaches you is quite an unusual one….' Otto said in a curious tone. Elijah grimaced, then sat up, answering Otto, "Don't you travel? this type of style should have existed somewhere or someplace?" Elijah asked. He wiped his face, exited the floor, and headed to the restroom. 'I have traveled a bit but not too far, I only really traveled to the iron region of the Cluo Shari continent…so in a sense, I haven't seen a fighting style such as that' Over the past few days, Elijah learned that there are only three continents in the north called Fuwheyca the one we are currently on is called Agrington its in the east and the last one Cluo Shari which is in the west is quite a warm place. (I had originally thought that Solara was the name of continents, but it turns out it's not. That's what people call this planet Solara, which is quite a strange name. this world is slowly exiting the Victorian era…I think) Elijah thought inwardly. After a few hours, he got himself ready. His hair was slightly cut shorter; now, it reached his shoulder. Seliena had personally cut it for him; he wore a button-down shirt with a brown coat and some regular pants. His eyes were a turquoise color. However, his eye color was the only thing that had set him off. (But Why?…over the past few days, I've had this strange feeling boiling within me, but…what is it?) Elijah sighed and then went to his bedroom; he checked the usual spot where Head left his stash of money under the bed in a dark corner. it was in a small bag; at some point, the bag was very large but got smaller. Elijah realised a sigh then counted his cash (Two thousand pounds with twenty liros left…why did i have to spend so dam much on SImons counseling?) Elijah sighed and then took out a journal. He had used to need it, but now he didn't feel the need to read it. (the original Elijah was right; no one knows the original body… except for that weird guy who had called my name out a few months back. Other than that, no one else knows the original. Even if they ask questions, I could tell them that i went through a hellish experience ..) Elijah smiled faintly, then placed the journal back. After a few moments Elijah walked around his room recounting how he had met Elliot and Amala…and that other guy..He had tried to find him but he had left suddenly after Elijah came back, Elijah sighed then left the room. The long hallways brought about memories of Alice chasing him..(I wouldn't count it as a chase back then..). He remembered Seliena spilling a potion that amplified his emotion, and because of that, he realized that he had been ignoring the people. Elijah walked a bit faster, yet the memories kept flowing in. He remembered running to the church when he was originally brought here, and all those memories flowed into his head. Elijah stared at the large door. It was the door he had first entered when he was brought here and where he had met with a god somehow. A bright smile beamed across Elijah's face (I remember all those times. I love those times… I want to get an oath to protect the memories of those times). Elijah pushed the large door open. There, he saw Bargi and Daly. They were setting up an altar. It was black, yet it gave off a deadly aura. Elijah walked closer and asked, "How should I start this?" Daly looked at Elijah with her honey-brown eyes, then answered. "in mysticism, when an oath doesn't have a god, then to gain an oath, we need something of a high power that represents the oath itself; that representation has to be of a higher power such as a creature of the spirit world. Once we have an item such as that, we pray for it. We could use any god's honorific name as long as it's a safe being. "Then all that's left is you; I can't explain because this process differs for everybody. For example, when I had gained an oath, it forced me into a trial; I had to fight a Fallen Bowelclaw. It's a very powerful monster…at that time, I was forced to get through that…i can tell you about that later. "Anyway, the Oath will put you through some sort of trial," Daly said with an even tone; she had long curly hair that was in a bun, she wore black eye shadow, there was some red mixed with her eyelashes, and he lips were a faint red and her build was above average. The sun outside was slowly setting. It was at least 5:30 pm. Elijah walked to the alter; Daly then knelled to the alter, which Elijah followed, but before that, she gave him a sliver flask. "Follow everything I do. After I finish my movements, drink the flask and think of happy thoughts," she added. Elijah continued to shadow her moves. He wasn't that good at it, but he kept up Daly. Then, she picked up an animal bone from the alter and started to speak in the Umbrai language, " THE GREAT SYMBOL OF POWER, THE ALMIGHTY THAT MASTERS ALL WEAPONS, KING OF ALL KNIGHTS" Daly's voice lowered, then she started to speak in a new language, that Elijah didn't know of. Daly's body sweed lightly like a wraith in the wind. Her eyes turned a milky black as all the lights in the room went out, and then Daly released an inhuman whale. The sound itself was very hard to describe; it sounded as if a child had its head crushed by a large metal object, combined with the voices of countless other people. There were more, but that's all he could describe. After a few long moments, Elijah managed to stay conscious during that whale; before Daly stopped, Elijah managed to gather his thoughts. She stopped speaking, got up, and Elijah opened the flask and drank from it. The fluid inside felt like something slippery flowing down his through then there was a strong musk it smelled like something had died, then it twisted to something that was trying to claw up from Elijah's Throat (Fuck!, No one said it was going to feel like this!) Elijah mustered all of his strength to keep the fluid down, but was there even a need to keep the thing down? Finally, Elijah finished the flask and then huffed tiredly. "That tasted like ass…no worse," he said in a pained voice. Daly then walked over, patting his back. "You did well, but it's not over yet." She smiled gently; Elijah's vision started to fade slowly. It took all of his strength to breathe, and then he collapsed to the floor. (Did Selina go through this?) he thought, in the next few moments his consciousness was gone. (Pain, Pain) ELijah's head was filled with pain. He used all his strength to stand to one foot; he looked around the area. He was in a long and dark hallway. In his left hand, there was a rustic oil lantern. It was black, yet it had some green. Elijah waved the lantern close to his face it gave off a faint orange light he twisted the nub to turn up the light, the flame grew slightly bigger (that was a waste..) He sighed and then looked around the Hallway. "What am I supposed to do? just walk to the end of the hallway?" Elijah looked around for a few more minutes, then started walking down the hall. The orange sweet left and right unevenly. He walked past a window and then glanced outside. All he saw was pitch blackness, nothing.