"No, no. I am going to answer that. Both of you, don't even think about stealing this chance from me."
"RASER, see for your answer. I am most suited for... so here it is," Benzo said.
"There are multiple types of rituals, like some for enhancement, some for transfers, summoning, but they are still not compared to the ritual of invocations. It's one of the most used ones."
"You know, since childhood, we wanted to do something extraordinary. Like flying high becoming invisible and to see the exam paper before it could even happen. This is our path, a chance to open our door of enlightenment."
"First, we perform a ritual, sacrifice something, and gain an ability. It's as simple as that, isn't it?"
*Slap.* A palm landed on his bald head.
"You drunk, how dare you. I explained it in detail."
"No, you didn't. Did you tell him about Auspicious Time, ritual ground, and enlightenment? And who told you invocation is the most used ritual?"
"I read it on the blink website."
"Ah, that makes sense. But still, you should have said that earlier." Impact took the beer bottle and started to gulp it down.
"And, he was right, Raser. Invocation is the most used ritual; every person performs it once in their lifetime; it's the only way to invoke the spirit body."
*Slap.* A slap came toward Impact's head.
"I was right, you idiotic dumbass. You slapped me on purpose, right? Here's my counter-attack."
Benzo's hand passed through because Impact had already ducked down, causing him to lose his balance,he fell on the ground from the car's deck.
*Thud.*
Benzo stood up and jumped on him, pulling him down, starting an imitation of an unprofessional fight on the street.
"Ah, they started again. Anyway, let me tell you more," Ricky said.
"The enlightenment is the nature of the ability., In the most simple way, think of it like each enlightenment is the next step and upgrade like leveling up in our ability. We gain it by sacrificing specific ingredients in rituals. Each enlightenment is a step forward, making our abilities stronger. It's a continuous process – sacrifice more, gain more."
"Do I have to explain about sacrificial ingredients? They are a type of catalyst to start a ritual," Ricky finished his explanation, waiting for Alex to absorb the information.
"Why would we need sacrifice?"
"Raser, imagine if the car starts to drive without any oil, food cooked without heat or cold, students passing the exam without studying. How would you feel about it? It's almost like a dream come true, isn't it?"
"The crux is if you want something, sacrifice another thing with same or higher value, It's a fair trade. You were the one that taught me that, I remember clearly."
"Everything has a price except help. Helpers pay the bill of help through self-satisfaction."
_That's a rather deep thing a teenager would say though.._
"Anyways, the next thing is Auspicious Time. To put it simply, you can think of it as a lucky time, a chance where you have more freedom in life. a frame where bad luck in your is weak,The universe itself helps you in your journey."
"That's why we calculate the position of celestial bodies like the sun, moon, Mars, and stars. It also has a time frame. The smallest one is 45 minutes, and the longest is 3 hours."
"Shit... what did you just say?" Benzo stopped the banter and turned to Ricky.
Both of their eyes are at the same level, like silently conveying a message.
"Fuck..."
"What time is it?" Impact quickly brought out his phone from his pocket, throwing Benzo away.
"It's 5:40 AM."
"Benzo, when did Raser call you.."
"Around 4 am no it's 3:40 maybe."
"Fuck, fuck... fuck." Ricky quickly jumped up. Impact and Benzo both ran into the car, seating quickly, leaving Alex in puzzlement, sitting on the front deck he was not only puzzled but there was also a feeling of calm in the presence of his familiar but unknown friend. It was a slight boost in his confidence..
"Hey guys, what happened?"He asked..
"Quickly come in. We'll explain. We have to hurry up and reach your house."
"Raser, you only have 30:min hurry up."
Raser quickly entered the car..
___
The black car raced with the wind in a shallow path behind in the background. The sun started to rise from the horizon, casting its warm glow across the ground.
The sound of a single engine echoed around the empty path.
"What do you mean I have 30 minutes?"
"Raser, I think that spirit has done something to you, probably eating away your memories. I remember. Clearly it has been exorcised, right? Why did she come back?"
*Slap*…
"Instead of asking ,WHY don't you answer him, dumbass."
The car suddenly took a turn with a smooth drift across the path.
"Both of you answer him or just shut the fuck up and stop moving."
"Ricky, why don't you focus on driving? We only have spare minutes, remember. If you don't drive fast, there will be no salary."
"Oh really, Bald Lord? It's good to know you hired me as a driver for my OWN FUCKING CAR!"
"Watch out, that's a police car."
"Speed upspeed up!"
"Yes, Ricky, speed up. It's now or never."
"Oh fuck! He's on our tail."
"I am not going to prison. Speed up, Ricky."
"It's already at 200."
The empty road was filled with only the siren of police trailing down a black car. The siren buzzed.
"Hey, can anyone explain about Auspicious Time?"
"FOR FUCK'S SAKE!, Benzo, it's not the time." Alex yelled.
"Yes, it is. Your time starts at 3 or 4 am. We are just wishing it's the longest one. You have got 10 more minutes to participate in the ritual. If you miss it, it may be possible you have to wait for an entire year. Anyway, did anyone put the timer on?"
"I didn't. I'll do it. Whose dumb idea was it to come this far just to take a beer?" Impact said.
"I clearly remember it was you," Ricky said.
"WATCH OUT, Ricky!" Alex yelled.
Crash... boom.
The car ran into the side lane, crashing deep instead of an accident. The lane transformed into a high ground, giving the car a path to jump up. Now, the car was in mid-air, rotating around, debris floating around.
The car flipped upside down, crashing onto the road.
Boom. Thud.
Alex's head bumped against the rough surface. Thud.
There was no time to regret the action, more specifically, they couldn't. "I don't want to die bald."
That's all Benzo was able to say, anything else was just screams .
_What kind of shitty luck do I have? I just transmigrated into this world, and without even knowing about it, I'm going to die again. Shit.,_
Ricky, Benzo, Impact, and Alex closed their eyes, only seeing darkness, afraid to open them, feared to be greeted by impending demise.
But the doom they were waiting for didn't come. Instead, the sound of flowing wind with police car sirens echoed.
Impact opened his eyes, witnessing the car hovering in the middle of the air, suspended.
"Hey guys... guys, we survived!."
One by one, the others also opened their eyes.
"We survived."
"But how?"