The Ritual (TW: Self Mutilation)

Rituals are a very unique form of magic. They could in a sense be considered non-attributed magic, however that would be a gross over-simplification of the truth behind rituals. While normal magic can theoretically break the fundamental laws of existence with enough talent, a ritual can very easily do that. Even if the one performing the ritual has no talent to speak of, if they know how to perform the ritual they can break the laws quite easily. Of course there are limitations on rituals as well, with the main restriction being that each ritual only has one specific purpose.

Each ritual has three requirements to proceed: A Sigil, A Chant, and lastly, A Material Component. A ritual will require at least one unique sigil either marked on the ground or carved on the skin of the body of the caster. Some rituals require higher amounts however, with the strongest ritual said to have easily one thousand unique sigil's required. Each ritual also requires a chant unique to the ritual, the chant cannot be interrupted or stopped at any point either. If the chant of a ritual were to be stopped then the caster would risk backlash depending on how far into the chant that the caster made it. Finally, most rituals require a material component of some sort, this material may be consumed permanently or it may be changed into something else entirely depending on the unique purpose of the ritual. Sadly, a ritual cannot be found through research and can only be discovered through a unique insight made by a genius or someone chosen by the ritual itself.

Note: In my research, a combination of multiple rituals all at once has never been performed or attempted.

- Charon's Research Book 2, Page 115

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"Hmm, I see. In that case will you be going right now brother?" Adams face contorted to think, his thoughts known only to him.

"Yes! So, Father, Siblings, Uncle, and Cousins, This will be the last time you see me as human before I become whatever the combined ritual will turn me into." As Charon states this, all those gathered has a serious expression on their face, with the Wraith's smoke which is flowing out from his figure becoming almost rigid and only rising up instead instead of spreading out.

"In that case, here. For the ritual to become a vampire." Vlad pulls out a vial containing a blackish red liquid inside, and hands it to Charon.

"Here Cousin, The finest Diamond for your Phylactery ritual." The Lich, Charon's cousin Drake Calypso, handed over a clear diamond the size of a fist.

"You should know Charon, you already have the best material component to become a wraith. No matter what happens, just know that we are proud to call you family." A raspy voice comes from the Wraith, Redd Eternius, as a smoke covered arm reaches out and points directly at Charons chest.

"Now, You better come out as you and not some monster or I will beat you up for taking such a dumb risk." Elizabeth's hands both glow purple for just a second, before the glow disappears as she lowers them.

"Well, it seems time for me to go make history. I just hope being the first to perform the rituals for each of the undead houses of Nekronis will give me some sort of benefit." Charon flashes a grin to everyone, a grin made up of excitement towards the unknown and the curiosity of the unknowing.

Charon proceeded to turn and leaving, making his way to the room for rituals in the Vertigo castle. When he arrived he pulled out several items. The vial that Vlad gave him, The diamond given by Drake, A scalpel, A piece of chalk, and a diamond tipped blade. Charon proceeded to pick up the chalk and began making ten sigils arranged in a circle around the middle of the room. Once he was done with that, He picked up the diamond tipped knife and slowly carved six sigils onto the big diamond. Finally, he grabbed the scalpel with a look of reluctance.

Charon had slowly trained his pain tolerance in preparation, however he never could fully prepare himself. He gave himself laugh before beginning to mentally prepare for the pain.

Charon then popped open his vest and button up shirt to reveal his chest as he slowly brought the scalpel to the middle of his chest, and began carving as a scream could be heard resounding out from the room.

After finishing most of his preparations for the ritual and cleaning the blood from his chest and clothes revealing sigils carved onto his chest as gave a grunt of pain from the still healing wounds. He began to put the vial of blood and the diamond in the middle of the circle made of sigils. Charon then crossed his legs and meditated, focusing on himself and his mana. He proceeded to pull out two clumps of mana and converted them into soul mana, a mana which glowed purple instead of the normal blue mana. The two clumps were then guided through his body and arms, until they reached his arms. He then formed the mana into something vaguely similar to a mouth just under the skin of each of his hands before he let the spell take its course.

"Testing, Charon left hand speaking." Charon's voice rang out from a newly formed mouth on his left hand.

"Right hand testing." Charon's voice again, this time from his right hand.

"Okay, I already know the order I have to do this in, or rather the order that my instinct told me to do it in. Hopefully my theory about this instinct of mine is correct. start by chanting the Vampire ritual, then Lich, and finally Wraith at the end." Charon's voice, this time from his normal mouth, echoed in the sealed room before he uncorked the vial and downed it.

His head then began to speak in a strange and almost ancient dialect as the ring of sigils surrounding him began to glow blood red. Still chanting, He felt his blood begin to burn as two fangs proceeded to replace his canine teeth. His left hand then hovered over the diamond before his voice echoed out in an ethereal language from his left hand's mouth. His vision began to split in two as he could see his own body with two of three mouths chanting in a strange language and with another set of eyes he could see a clear ethereal version of himself slowly floating towards the diamond under his left hand. His eyes becoming bloodshot, he quickly raised his right hand over the sigils carved upon his chest as his voice could be heard chanting in a barbaric language coming from the mouth on his right hand.

As the third chant began, his main mouth finished it's chant. A small black fire, however, began to burn starting from the sigils carved into his chest and quickly spread throughout his body, causing a black smoke to begin emanating from his figure. The ethereal version of him, his soul, could only watch as the diamond began glowing brightly before floating directly where the heart would be if his soul had one. At this moment, Both versions of Charon could feel something happen as their eyes simultaneously meet and widen at the same moment. Suddenly, A chain made up of a blackish red liquid burst through his chest before wrapping around his soul. The flames begin to speed along the length of the chain before covering his soul as well. At this point, the left mouth finishes its chant, the phylactery shoots out of the chest of Charon's now obscured soul. Instead of a diamond, it now has the form of a diamond ring which promptly shoots onto Charon's ring finger.

Charon's soul is abruptly pulled into his body by the chain as two of his mouths begin to scream in pain as the fires covering both his body and soul merge into one stronger fire which begins burning both at the same time. Charon could watch on as his legs turned into ash, followed quickly by his left arm. Having to close his mouth as the fire begins to burn the inside of his mouth and stomach, tears escape from his eyes. His right mouth still chanting even as his face burns away. His chest begins to turn into ashes as his head slowly turns into ash.

'DAMNIT! I WAS A FOOL! IS THAT IT? I JUST WANTED TO BE STRONG! I WANTED TO PROTECT MY FAMILY!!!! CURSE THIS INSTINCT OF MINE! FUUUUUUUU....' Was Charon's final thought as his head and chest turned to ash as well, with only his right arm still fine and still chanting.

A couple minutes after most of his body turned to ash, his right arm finished it's chant before it too succumbed to the black fire and all that remained of him turned to ash with only a lone diamond ring sitting on top of his ashes. Slowly, his ashes begun to spin. Picking up in speed, faster, faster, and faster, his ashes begun to spin like a tornado. The ring began to float about his spinning ashes as a blinging white light flashed throughout the room. The ashes begun to form something, first legs, then a chest, until a whole body was formed from his ashes containing a white light which shone from the middle of the chest. Slow at first but picking up speed the light began to cover Charon's ashes, faster and faster. When the light left an area, all that was left was skin which glowed like that of a newborn. Until someone who resembled Charon stood there, made from his ashes. He looked different however, Long white hair with black sigils moving and twisting across it's surface and Eyes which where only white like they were carved out of marble and placed in his eye sockets.

As this being looked at his hands in shock, a diamond ring fell onto his ring finger. The being had a shocked look pass over his now handsome face as he realised something.

'This connection... It's not like that of a Lich and his phylactery, its more like a connection between a person and their finger.' The being thought in surprise before looking all over the room and finally at the sealed door.

"It... worked?" Charon's voice came out from the being as a mixture of shock and pure joy could be heard from that voice.