Skyler Hall sat in front of the cathedral's altar.
She had her arms folded, deep in thought, staring at her necklace around her neck. She was overwhelmed by a mix of emotions that she could not even understand. It was as if anxiety and excitement mixed around her, sending a pang through her chest.
Before she could even lay her eyes at the copper key between her thighs, she quickly noticed a burly man wearing a green and white tunic step down from the altar.
The man, who had short camel hair, looked at Skyler with his hazel eyes. "Good afternoon, Miss Skyler."
Skyler nervously placed the copper key on the bench, leaning in front of the man. "G-good afternoon t-to you, Reverend Utaware!"
"You can just call me Father Utaware. We hear you want to be baptized." Revered Utaware said in a serious tone.
Skyler gently placed a hand in her chest. "T-that's right! I want to give my soul and body to the Son of Nature."
"Are you willing to surrender your flesh, your spirit and your entire life to the saviour Son? Once baptized, you will establish an intimate relationship with the Lord of Angels. Are you ready to be devoted to him?"
"Yea, I'm ready. I'm willing to give up my life to the god who guided humanity for millennia, and I'm sure that the Almighty Son will watch over me on my journey."
Skyler's voice was deep, filled with nothing but sincerity. Even though she would encounter difficulties, even if there would be pitfalls in her path, she will never regret her decision, no matter what.
"Dad, I hope you can be proud of me." Skyler bowed her head solemnly.
"Perfect, please come up to the altar. Soon my assistants will perform the baptism ceremony." Reverend Utaware said, raising his arm towards the altar.
Skyler nodded, getting up from the ground as her hands shook. Her heart was pounding as she walked up the stairs clutching her hands. Each echoing step she took increased the excitement within her.
Reaching the center of the altar adorned with a fresco of a cross and a leaf behind it, she came across five young women wearing green and white tunics elegantly exiting the side doors of the altar.
One of the 5 women raised her right hand, showing a golden ring with waving symbols engraved on it that was placed on her middle finger.
"Well, let's get started." Reverend Utaware exclaimed.
As the women nodded, a flash of yellow light dazzled Skyler, forcing her to close her eyes and cover her face with both hands. It was as if something mystical was about to come upon her.
Opening her eyes, she glimpsed something beyond all physics and logic.
The fresco that was on the floor, which symbolized the cathedral, was transformed in a second into a circled lake; the clear, bright blue water surrounded by tiles stunned Skyler.
"What is it? She managed to materialize a pond as if it were nothing. I haven't seen anything like it since my first meeting with Klein... and then it's very similar to the fountain in that ancient palace with the blue roses..." Skyler looked puzzled at the pond.
The pond in front of her brought back memories of the intricate majestic fountain of the ancient palace. She didn't know why, but inside she felt that the necklace she was carrying with her hid many things that were unknown to her.
"Please, you can enter the pond." The woman with the golden ring approached Skyler.
Skyler nodded abruptly, dipping her skinny food into the pond. She felt an intense shiver quickly run through every limb of her body, as if she had been suddenly struck by lightning, submerging her other foot.
As she felt the heat rising fiercely inside her like a boiling pot, the deacons raised their hands and stared at the ceiling as Reverend Utaware immersed himself in the pond, the rush of water sounding like an angelic song.
While a glimmer of light symbolically descended over her, Skyler looked trembling around. The light, the rush glittering water, and the deacons loudly murmuring prayers, it was as if all this profoundly marked the beginning of her adventure, making her heart beat faster.
Reverend Utaware placed his hands behind Skyler's head and left shoulder. "This water in which you immersed yourself represents the baptism that will now save you!"
Whilst the deacon's voices rose like a dream song, Skyler looked with both hands clasped into the Reverend's eyes, her body shaking like a leaf blown by the wind.
"Not the removal of dirt from the body, but the request for a good conscience towards the Almighty Son! It saves you through the resurrection of the Son of Nature!" Reverend Utaware narrowed his eyes.
After reciting a bible verse, Reverend Utaware gently dipped Skyler into the water.
Feeling the pressure crushing her like a rock, and the complete lack of breath, Skyler felt a pang deep within her, but it wasn't a pang she was used to it. It was like something in the depths of her spirit, her conscious and her subconscious was unlocking.
Albeit her eyes were closed and her eyebrows narrowed, the images of a dark place lit by torches, a door with carvings of her with a cross, the emerald necklace, the figure with a crown of thorns, and the ancient palace with blue roses resurfaced vividly in her mind like fragmented memories that were forming a wall.
All the fragmented images converged into a small sphere that gradually disappeared into the depths of her mind.
Suddenly, she felt a force push her rapidly upwards. Realizing she had come out of the water, Skyler gasped loudly through her mouth, breathing in and out as she filled her lungs with air.
Hearing deafening sounds of clapping, Skyler reopened her eyes with difficulty, seeing Reverend Utaware and the other members of the deacon applauding rhythmically at the successful baptism.
"Congratulations!"
"Congratulations, Miss Hall!"
"Congratulations, you are now a devotee of the Son of Nature!"
"I did it, I managed to get baptized! Now I can finally read the grimoire! I want to know what powers I'll have once I become a Daredevil…" A smile formed on Skyler's lips as she watched the Deacon members smiling at her.
As Skyler's cheeks reddened, a group of people dressed in rose suits and semi-long hats entered the cathedral, their serious looks that gave them a professional and reserved air, caused the applause to cease.
"If I'm not mistaken they should be the Hermit Exorcist. I wonder if they came here because of a request from the senior members of the cathedral." Thoughts raced through Skyler's mind as she pressed her wet lips together.
The woman with the golden ring came down from the altar, approaching the Hermit Exorcist.
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North Mennork, at 15 Angel Lane Street.
Skyler was sitting at her desk in her bedroom. As the hands of her pocket watch ticked to 4:00 pm, she stared trembling at the grimoire that was on the desk.
She swallowed hard, feeling a mixed turmoil of emotions battling each other within her–anxiety, and curiosity were gnawing at her from the inside. With rock-hard fingers, she opened the grimoire, the smooth leather texture sent a shiver through her.
Flipping through the first page, she saw that the yellowish-brown page had been written in the ancient language of Creria with complex characters. She narrowed her eyes, focusing solely on the writing as the weight of the grimoire in her hands became oppressive.
"To read and learn the contents of the grimoire you must draw a circular pentagram with your blood on the ground and light six candles. Then you must sit in the center of the pentagram with the grimoire in your hand and pronounce the verse on the next page three times."
"A pentagram with my blood? This must be a frolic! How much blood will I have to use to draw it!?" Skyler's mind was foggy as she gently massaged her temples with her fingers.
Seeing the pentagram drawn on the first page, Skyler wondered how much and where she would draw blood. From her hands? From her arm? From her legs? The idea of harming herself made her instinctively raise her hands to her lips as the feeling of nausea was rising inside her like a flame.
While struggling intensively with her thoughts, she let out a short gasp as she raised her eyebrows.
"What if I mixed my blood with water? The idea in itself isn't even bad, also because I don't know if a single wound would be enough for me. And then once I acquire the powers, there's the possibility that my wounds will heal." Skyler jumped up from her chair.
She walked quickly out of the room, opening the door to the next room which creaked sharply. The room was completely lit by the blue sky, and was perfectly tidy, as if no one had entered it.
Skyler opened with a trembling hand the beige wooden drawer that was next to the made-up milk-white bed, seeing six candles inside it.
"Thank goodness Benson finishes at 9 pm, otherwise he'd have scolded me as usual if he saw me performing a ritual." Skyler breathed heavily, reaching for the candles that were inside.
She hastily walked to her room, placing the candles on her desk, her heart beating faster with each passing second.
Taking a deep breath, she walked out of her room once more, walking down the stairs with heavy steps as her mind was overwhelmed with anxiety.
It could be said the anxiety was growing more and more inside her, and that every step she took weighed her down.
Skyler reached the kitchen. She looked around quickly, her blue eyes moving to the kitchen sink. She narrowed her eyes, seeing an object of vital importance to her.
A long, sharp knife, with a gleaming silver blade and bronze handle was placed near the sink. Next to the knife was a gold-rimmed glass cup filled with water that she had earlier before going out with Benson.
With a decisive step, despite her initial hesitation, she reached for the knife and the cup. A strange pain began to pulse in her throat as she ran towards her room.
She closed the door of her room behind her, staring intently at the candles and grimoire that were on the desk.
Seeing the knife in her right hand, her body began to tremble. The pain in her throat throbbed more and more intensely, and her mind became heavy as if it had solidified into a boulder that she was struggling to support.
"Calm down Skyler Hall! You're the daughter of Jurgen Hall, one of the most respected explorers of the Northern Continent. I know full well that I'm afraid to do this, but I have no choice but to do it." Skyler stared at her left palm.
Setting the glass full of water on the woody floor, she sat down on the floor. She narrowed her eyes, a bead of sweat running down her thin face as she placed the blade of the knife in the palm of her left hand.
She pressed the blade against the delicate skin of her hand, and began etching on her hand. Droplets of red blood were oozing from her hand as she let out a voiceless scream. The cut across her left hand jabbing into the depths of her skull like an electric shock.
"Holy Son of Nature if it hurts terribly!" Skyler gritted her teeth tightly, trying to contain her screams and excruciating pain.
She felt the pain shaving away her nerves as drops of blood dripped onto the glass. The clear, pure color of the water was contaminated by a liquid, spreading red color all over the glass.
With her hand bruised and throbbing with pain, Skyler placed her index finger in the glass, and began rolling her finger clockwise and counterclockwise, drops of blood continuing to fall as she continued stirring.
As the contents of the glass turned completely red, she began to draw the pentagram on the wooden surface of the floor, drawing two large circles and then finishing with complex lines inside the first circle.
Finishing drawing the pentagram, she walked slowly to the desk with pointed feet, and picked up the candles and the grimoire.
After placing them on the floor, she opened the drawer, taking out a small box of matches that were inside.
While silence reigned in the room, and the only noise that could be heard from the closed window were those of the people passing in the street, Skyler lit one candle after another, placing them in various points of the pentagram as written in the grimoire.
"I'm finally done! Now all I need to do is open the grimoire and read the verse on the next page aloud!" A sense of satisfaction made a smile form on Skyler's lips.
Breathing a sigh of relief, she walked carefully with grimoire in hand towards the center of the pentagram, her legs trembling as she walked on pointy feet.
With her left hand aching and burning, she sat in the middle, and turning to the next page of the grimoire, she saw three sentences in a row written in the ancient language of Creria.
Taking a deep breath, Skyler spoke in ancient Creria. "In the name of the Doomed World, I am willing to risk my humanity for power! In the name of the Doomed World, I am willing to risk my humanity for power! In the name of the Doomed World, I am willing to risk my humanity for power!"
As she repeated the phrase three times, a gust of wind formed from the grimoire as the great pentagram was glowing crimson, its fluorescent color began to glow brightly. The flames of the candles, once a normal yellow-orange color, turned crimson, the flames growing noticeably larger.
While her long straight black hair braided at the ends fluttered in the air, Skyler's consciousness was gradually dissipating, her eyelids growing heavy as her upper body fell headfirst.
Skyler Hall's vision went completely dark.
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Feeling something cold and wet all over her body, Skyler struggled to her feet.
Tinkle! Tinkle! Tinkle!
Shaking her head slightly, the water that had accumulated in her hair and pajamas dripped to the floor. Coughing, she spat out dirt which had gotten into her mouth.
"Ank! Pthu! Huh! Where? Where I am??" Skyler was dumbfounded.
Rubbing her eyes, she checked her surroundings. Beneath her feet, vast water expanded on a hall. The place she now stood in was surrounded by intricate pillars rising majestically. The floor was the same color as the pillars, and the only source of light were the torches hanging from each pillar.
As the scent of debris falling from the ceiling grew strong, Skyler walked slowly down the hallway looking around. She hugged herself tightly, seeking some warmth from the freezing cold of the place she was in.
"Where… did I end up?" Skyler murmured to herself.
So many questions were going through her head, but all she could do was walk, hoping to find the end of the hallway.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Just at that precise moment, a light breeze of wind blew in front of her, sending tremendous shivers down her spine. Her teeth chattered, her eyes were narrowed as she focused on what was in front of her.
Besides, even though she was restless, she cannot afford to stop. After all, her life was at stake, and she had to find a way to get home.
Tinkle! Tinkle! Tinkle!
After a long walk, Skyler gawked at the end of the hallway. In front of her, there was a door that was twice as big as her.
Straining her eyes, she could see that there was a blunt engraving of a woman with long hair. Her face was covered by a tunic that reached her heels, and in her hands she had a cross that she was clutching as though she were fond of it.
"But who is she?" Skyler wondered.
Whilst gasping, she touched the door. And just as she did, the door frames lit up brightly, welcoming her visit.
"What is going on?" Skyler was stunned.
Upon muttering those words, the door slowly opened, sending out a gust of dust and debris that clouded her vision. She instinctively covered her forehead with her right arm, and leaning back, she walked firmly inside.
The gust was so strong that it could have even blown her away like dust, but she continued to walk with strong steps, resisting with all her strenght.
Once inside, the gust stopped instantly, and the door closed behind her with a loud thud that echoed loudly.
"Ank! Pthu! Thu!" Skyler spat out the debris that had ended up in her mouth.
She reluctantly scanned her surroundings as she wiped her pajamas from the debris with her hands. However, the view around her was not clear. Because it was dark, far too dark.
Amidst the darkness where gazing at his own hands was not possible, Skyler's eyes caught the presence of a bright light.
"Oh, a witch! Eh, I didn't think there would be anyone other than me holding the Trials."
A stern voice hit her, and the owner of the light snorted.
"Eh, what? A witch? Me?" Skyler was puzzled.
Looking up at her in dumbfoundment, she beheld a medium-sized boy coming down what looked like stairs. He had thick brown hair that was so light it looked gray, and brown eyes that made him look around 17 years old. He had bronze skin, and he wore a white-gray robe with a creased hem.
It was clear that he was not a person from the Republic of Steatha. But it was not just from the way he dressed. There was also another thing that left her in disbelief.
From behind the boy, there was a bushy brown tail dangling from his butt!
"A… demi-human? No, I can't… I can't believe it." Skyler muttered.
"Ooh, you can understand my language… this is incredible! Yet my father told me that witches couldn't understand our language. Well, for one of them, I must say that you're very pretty." The boy expressed, holding a torch in his left hand.
Skyler's cheeks blushed, but it wasn't because she was embarrassed or nervous. It was like the boy's omitted words had touched a part of her, an incandescent part that was erupting.
"But… h-how dare you call me a witch! I'm a human if you haven't figured that out yet!!"
As Skyler let out her negative emotions, the young boy laughed faintly. He was definitely making fun of her, and she could only glare at him.
"Whoa there. Love that reaction, but I advise you not to scream too much. There are monsters roaming around the tower, and I wouldn't want you to attract their attention."
"Monsters?"
"It's just like I said. There are monsters above us. What a drag, I only have an hour to complete the Trial, but those monsters are giving me a hard time. Well, now that we're in two, I've a chance to get out alive."
Coming down the stairs, the boy calmly approached Skyler with a smile on his face. Skyler took a few steps back, and watched the boy warily as she assumed her boxing stance.
Seeing Skyler keep her guard up, the boy waved his right hand. "Don't worry, I'm not interested in doing anything to you. My goodness, you witches sure do look scary when you make that look."
"Will you stop with these meaningless words? And above all, who are you? Where exactly are we?" Skyler asked.
For a moment, the noises rapidly stopped, and the tension rose between them. Skyler eyed the boy with the utmost caution. On the other hand, she ended up in a hostile place with possible threats around the corner ready to strike when she least expected it.
Therefore, there was no reason for her to let her guard down.
"Oh, how splendid! What an amazing question! Just as I expected from one of your kind." The boy said.
Almost like he was an actor in a theatre, he leisurely did a pirouette like it was natural, and bowed his back along with his head.
The boy then raised his head and added with a smile. "My name is Elijah Seinhorn, and I come from the Seinhorn Tribe."