As the chanting grew louder, the room began to fill with a soft, green light. Jody felt his heart pounding in his chest, and he wondered if he was about to witness some miracle.
And then, all of a sudden, the chanting stopped. The shaman turned to Isis and Jody; his eyes now closed in concentration. Jody could sense that something important was about to happen, and he braced himself for whatever was to come.
"Lady Isis, your son has indeed awakened new powers within himself," the shaman said after a moment. "Powers that go beyond what we have ever seen."
"What kind of powers?" Isis asked, her eyes narrowing with concern.
"The kind of powers that can change the fate of nations," the shaman replied gravely. "Powers that can shake the foundations of the world itself. The brand upon his soul is something far beyond what we know."
Jody felt a chill run down his spine. He suddenly understood his mother's reservations. This was both great and terrible news. Having made such a big commotion after his breakthrough, his light may have shone a bit too bright. His mother was worried for his safety.
He now shared this worry.
Jody glanced at this shaman friend of his mother and could only believe in his mother's judgment. He focused very hard and managed not to let any killing intent enter his heart, his experience as Trill Jody screaming at him to eliminate this man for knowing too much.
Isis obviously didn't share her son's doubts about her colleague.
"Master Fugara, I need to get ahead of this," pleaded Isis, looking the Darkwolf Shaman Fugara Bomon in his eyes. "Can you perform a divination?"
With a reluctant nod, the shaman began to prepare for the divination. Although this was a risk, he couldn't bear the look in his favorite student's eyes. They may be living entirely different lives now, but fate had brought them together.
He lit several candles and scattered some incense around the room. Jody watched wide-eyed as the shaman drew a circle on the ground with a piece of chalk and muttered some ancient words under his breath. He could feel the energy in the room growing increasingly intense with each passing moment.
"Let me help you," said Lady Isis, already getting to work.
Master Fugara smiled and didn't decline her assistance. He nodded in agreement. "I can perform a divination, Lady Isis. But be warned, it may be dangerous. The spirits of the other world are not to be taken lightly."
Isis nodded, knowing the risks. "I understand. Josiah, stay close to me. We will need to be as one for this to work."
Jody felt his anxiety rise as his mother and the shaman began to prepare for the ritual. He had never seen anything like this before and found it fascinating.
Jody was confused about why his mother seemed so serious in her request. He didn't know divination was a high-class technique of the shaman that robbed them of something equivalent to what they saw.
Isis knew asking her former teacher to do something like this was more than just a favor, but she had her son to consider. She needed all the intel she could gather to make the proper plans. Their war with White Demon Castle was just over the horizon.
She couldn't afford to be careless, or else years of sacrifice and planning would fall apart.
The shaman began to chant, his voice low and steady as he called forth the spirits of the other world. Isis joined in, her voice weaving in and out of Fugara's, creating a strange and eerie harmony.
Finally, the shaman stood up and placed his hand on Jody's forehead. Jody closed his eyes, bracing himself for whatever was to come. As the room filled with a thick mist, all he felt was a presence begin to gather around him.
And then, suddenly, he was somewhere else.
Jody opened his eyes and blinked twice.
It was a dark and desolate place, with nothing but shadows and mist stretching out as far as the eye could see. Jody felt a sense of dread wash over him as he realized that he was standing at the edge of the underworld.
[The True Pharaoh of Death is watching you.]
Jody was startled by this announcement in his mind. He activated his mind's eye and immediately detected his proxy.
This relaxed him a lot.
A voice suddenly whispered in his ear, sounding both ancient and wise. [Welcome, young one. You have been chosen to bear witness.]
Jody turned to see a figure standing in the mist, its features obscured by the darkness. He could feel its eyes on him, even though he couldn't see any eyes.
"Bear witness too wha—ARGH!" Jody wanted to ask for more information.
Suddenly, he felt his mind being pulled simultaneously in a million different directions. He saw visions of strange creatures and magical landscapes and heard the voices of spirits whispering secrets in his ear. They poured into his body, trying to brand onto his soul.
He felt as if he was being pulled apart at the seams, every cell in his body being prodded and examined with an intensity he had never experienced before. He tried to scream, but no sound came out. All he could do was hang on for dear life as the shaman delved deeper and deeper into his mind.
Luckily for Jody, his soul had its own brand. Green and black flames erupted from the phoenix mark on the chest of his spirit. They seemingly devoured and assimilated everything around him in an instant.
And then, just as suddenly as it had all begun, it was over.
[You have received 50 Death Stars. Convert into twilight? (70% of essence will be wasted)]
[Yes/no?]
'No,' Jody thought immediately.
He didn't even know what death stars were, so why would he recklessly convert them? Blinking twice again, he realized he had returned. Jody felt the shaman's hand leave his forehead, and he gasped for breath, feeling as if he had just run a marathon.
"Well?" Isis asked eagerly, her eyes searching the shaman's face for any sign of what he had seen.
The shaman was silent for a moment, his eyes closed in concentration. Finally, he opened them and looked at Isis and Jody.
"There is much here that I do not understand," he said slowly. "What I saw was...unexpected."
"Tell me everything," Lady Isis replied to Master Fugara via telepathy.
"I cannot say too much, for the situation is far too delicate." Fugara hesitated momentarily before speaking, "I saw visions of great power, Ice. A power that could bring about destruction or salvation. I saw a great war, with your son at the center of it all, wielding the power of the gods themselves."
Isis gasped, her heart pounding in her chest. "What kind of power?"
"The power to control life and death itself," Fugara replied gravely. "The power to summon the spirits of the dead and make them fight alongside him. And...something else."
"What else?" Jody asked, his curiosity piqued.
"I saw a darkness in your soul, young one," the shaman said, his voice heavy with concern. "A darkness that threatened to consume you. You must be careful, for this power should not be taken lightly."