As the class assembled for "How to Create a Ritual Circle," anticipation hung thickly in the air. The room itself seemed to whisper ancient secrets, its walls adorned with faded tapestries depicting legendary rituals, and the air tinged with the scent of old parchment and mystical incense.
The class was held in a large, candle-lit room, with intricate circles etched onto the floor and various ritualistic tools neatly arranged on shelves. The professor, entering the room, immediately captured everyone's attention. They were a striking figure, with a commanding presence and eyes that seemed to hold a depth of knowledge and secrets.
"Welcome, students," the professor began, her voice resonant and clear. "I am Professor Elarion, and I will be guiding you through the complexities of creating ritual circles. This art form is not just about drawing symbols; it's about understanding the flow of magical energies and how to harness them effectively."
"In this class, we delve into the heart of ritual magic, the creation of circles that are the foundation of all our spells and summons." The class was mesmerized as Professor Elarion demonstrated the creation of a basic ritual circle.
Her hands moved with fluid precision, tracing symbols in the air that glowed with a soft light. "Each line, each curve, has a purpose," the professor explained. "They are channels for magical energies, and your intent and understanding shape their power."
With a sly grin, she explained further, "However, even a simple structure such as this circle can become much, much more."
With a wave of their hand, a breathtakingly complex ritual circle began to form in the air, glowing with an ethereal light. Her fingers danced as she drew different lines with each of her fingers. The symbols and lines interwove in intricate patterns, each flowing seamlessly into the next, creating a mesmerizing dance of light and energy.
Her mastery over ritual circles became incredibly obvious with her technique, leaving the class in utter awe at what she could do. The thought of trying to have each part of their hand create a seamless portion of a complex circle sounded like a nightmare, they could barely craft a simple circle with a wand let alone their hands!
"This," Elarion explained, "is the Celestial Mandala, a circle that harnesses the power of the cosmos itself. Notice the precision of each symbol, the balance of every line. Creating a circle like this is an art, requiring not only knowledge but a deep, intuitive understanding of the magic it embodies."
The class watched, spellbound, as the circle's light filled the room, casting shadows that seemed to dance along with the rhythm of some ancient, mystic drum. Kendell, Celia, and Coli exchanged looks of awe and inspiration, each feeling a deep pull toward the profound mysteries of ritual magic that Professor Elarion so effortlessly unveiled.
Then a small gust of wind swept across the students toward the professor as she pulled an immense amount of ritual energy to the circle, so much energy that it influenced the very air around them.
The circle began to glow as energy filled it, and once it was complete she gave a small push of her hand and the room lit up with a mesmerizing scene of lights. Purples, blues, and greens danced together in a show of harmony displaying a story of how the cosmos themselves were birthed, from a large collision of stars to each of the planets spinning and forming mass, to the development of life of those planets as they spun around the twin suns. As the story was told it felt incredibly real as gusts of wind, shaking ground, and smells hit them making them feel as if they were there.
However, the situation became even more complex as all of a sudden each student lost sight of all the other students. They looked around and it appeared as if they were floating alone in space, surrounded by leagues of nothingness.
All of a sudden it felt as if all the air in the room vanished, and they couldn't breathe. They each tried to scream but could hear nothing. See nothing. Feel nothing. Nothing save the cold grip of space slowly crushing their windpipes and squeezing the last of their air out of their bodies.
In a flash, the room reappeared before their eyes and all the other students were in their seats around them gasping for breath, panting with panic in their eyes. They all whipped their heads around confirming that they were ok, only to realize they couldn't hear anything.
With another flash of white, they were back in the academy yet again with every other student going insane with a film of madness in their eyes. A cacophony of noise finally erupted as they confirmed they were ok and back in the academy surrounded by their friends with all their senses about them.
A gentle clap came from the front of the room and they all simultaneously looked back to the professor as the circle she had created began to fade from view.
"That is the power of our art. Within five seconds I had all of you entranced and put into a state where I could control the very reality you perceived. This is one of the most advanced curse ritual spell circles, and I am the only one in the country able to create it and use it in combat."
The students still gasping for breath, almost lost the little breath they had. Murmurs flew through the air at the news and all of them were wide-eyed and excited at the prospect of learning from this professor, but also terrified at what she was capable of.
'Holy shit, thank god I didn't try and inscribe that ritual tattoo- I might have died!' Kendell's panicked mind was still racing trying to put the pieces of reality back together.
"I apologize for the extreme measures used to show you my ability, but I figured this was the best way to show how dangerous the territory is, if someone attempted this ritual and failed to cast it the fey that are called to curse others would take a portion of your memories as payment."
The class was shellshocked. The penalties for failing high-level rituals were almost too serious, the confidence she must have to perform this ritual, let alone one-handed, must come from complete and utter mastery over rituals.
The remainder of the class was Professor Elarion showing the six most basic forms of ritual circles: The basic formation circle, and the basic devil, fey, curse, enhancement, and spell circles that formed the foundations for each type of ritual magic.
She drew diagrams of each type on the board and explained how one might attempt to modify or add to them for different desired effects. The class hurriedly copied down notes and did their best to keep up with the brisk pace.
The class concluded with Professor Elarion assigning them the task of designing their own basic-level ritual circle, a challenge that excited Kendell. They would have until next week to work on it and next class she would look over their preliminary designs and give them critiques before submitting the real thing. He could already imagine integrating the symbols and energies in unique ways, utilizing his growing knowledge and maybe his connection with Azmoth...
As they left the classroom, the trio discussed their plans for their own circles, as they headed back toward their familiar spot in the study hall to begin looking over the basic designs and choosing what they might use as the base for their circles.