23: Skeleton and Ritual

"With this, the blood familiar is now only under your command and has no connection with the Academy, this is one of the services the Academy provides to the new apprentice's, the familiar can be used as a scout and also to send an emergency message during risky missions" after saying that the old man took out the token from the bowl and tossed it towards Wade.

" Now you can take back your token the contract between you and the academy has been fully settled, you can only break away from the contract by two methods.

First, if the academy breaks it after your period of studying inside the academy is completed with is usually after 10 years.

Second, you break through the 5 rank apprentice realm and break it from your side, as for the information that the academy was giving you through the familiar it's job will be taken by the crystal ball that we provided you as it's function is the same as your modern phone, do you understand till here?" the old man asked after explaining the academy's contract in short.

"Yes Sir!" Wade answered.

Nodding the elder rummaged through the shelves behind him before looking towards Wade and said, "Take this! A set of acolyte robes and an identity badge! A crystal ball which contains an elementary meditation technique and keys to your room containing its number is there too!"

The old man threw the black sack containing the items to Wade, and then snapped his fingers. *Bang!!!* A brown doll suddenly formed from the dirt in the room and floated in midair.

"Follow this earth golem, it will bring you to where your mentor is!"

Then the old man made a gesture to send him off, and Wade quickly followed the golem.

The golem was in front, and would occasionally spun in a circle. Its speed was too slow and with Wade's body, he was getting bored because of such speed.

From time to time, there were people in black robes passing, but they did not look at Wade in astonishment.

Wade followed the dirt golem and passed through several corridors, large halls, and a huge pond. It then stopped in front of an area designed for experiment labs.

The dirt golem turned into fine dust, and immediately passed underneath the door, leaving Wade alone outside.

Wade was helpless, yet he did not dare knock on the door, so he just waited outside patiently.

After a moment, there came a middle-aged man's voice.

"Wade, huh? Enter!"

"Yes!" Wade pushed opened the doors of the experimental lab. A ripe and sour aroma filled the laboratory room, mingling with the odour of rot and various poisonous liquids, which made Wade fell at home.

A gigantic metal table took up the space of almost half the lab, and placed on it were various organs, skulls and blood, as well as some other apparatus that Wade could not identify, this made him recall his previous life experiments.

In front of the laboratory table, there stood a middle-aged man, half his face was white skeletal, while the other was normal he wore a black robe. His collar was embroidered with red patterns, and his eyes emitted a blue light, like two oceanic gems.

"I'm Fred, and I've heard about the arrangement from the crystal ball. So then, Wade, are you willing to become my apprentice?" The middle-aged skeletal man put down the skull in his hands and said while giving a bright smile towards him which almost spooked Wade because of the atmosphere.

"I am willing!" still Wade answered without any hesitation.

"That's good! Since these are the arrangements made by the academy, so I'll accept you as my apprentice!" The middle-aged skeletal man stroked his beard.

"Although the environment here is relatively gory, it's enough to let you undergo the procedure!" Fred swept his eyes over the examination room. "At least it's very quiet here and we won't be disturbed!"

"What procedure?" Wade had some doubts.

"The procedure to start on the path of Sage!" Fred replied.

replied.

"Now tell me, Wade, what is your understanding towards Sages?"

"An unusual person with the ability to call forth snow and storm, manipulate flames and other forces of nature!" Wade said the definition he understood from Larry's books.

"En! However, it's a little off!" Fred stated.

"A Sage is actually the title we give to people with ability in chronological times. These Sages all learn the laws of nature and how to control and manipulate the energy within. They are never-ending in their pursuit of knowledge and truth no matter the cost for it!"

Fred explained the definition of Sage to Wade.

"So it is to say, the title of Sage is actually not limited to only humans!" Wade had a better perception now.

"Indeed! Other kinds of demi-humans, and even other intelligent beings, have Sages existing among their kind, for example, a Sage of the forest tribes, even we are not from the Sage world are known as Sages"

" Mentor, do you mean our world is another world under the Sage world?!!" Wade was quite shocked by this discovery as this world was already 10 times big than his previous world, he couldn't even imagine the size if Sage world.

"Yes, this world is just another world that has been taken over in the ancient times by those powerful Sages, you know that the other half of the planet cannot be explored by any means by humans.

The reason behind this is that some of the Rank 2 and Rank 3 Sages had fought there before and caused that side to become inhabitable for normal humans." Fred said reminiscing about something.

After a second or two Fred said, "Alright! Now let us begin the ritual! Don't be afraid and lie down, it's a very simple procedure!"

After rummaging around Fred found a flask from the drawer in the table, and then using it he drew on Wade's body some sort of spell formation, and slowly a strange energy came spreading from within the formation.

The surroundings turned dark, with only the flame lit in the centre of the formation.