The dark ritual

The basement door creaked open, and sunlight pierced through the darkness. The old man commanded Gorr to dispose of Aiden's body. Gorr unlocked the prison door and cautiously peered inside. Aiden lay motionless in the centre of the room. At the far end of the prison, in darkness, many pairs of scarlet eyes stare at Gorr who entering prison. Fear contorted Gorr's face as he tightly gripped a bell. He rang it and stepped into the prison, causing the scarlet eyes to flicker with fear and unease.

Gorr approached Aiden, grabbed his leg, and dragged him out. Aiden murmured, "Dad... mom... Clea..." He was miraculously alive despite numerous bites and was in a semi-conscious state. His body was riddled with bite marks, the areas around them darkened and the veins were in a mix of blue and black colour, infected by something malevolent. The pain he endured was beyond human comprehension.

Gorr was shocked to see Aiden alive in such a condition. He rushed to his master, who had just woken up, exclaiming in his halting way, "Master!... Master!... He... alive... ghost... bite..."

"What? Bite? Impossible!" the old man responded, and his remaining sleepiness vanished. "Norticles only suck souls, not bite... unless the opponent is strong!"

"Did you see well?" the old man asked urgently.

"Master... come... see..." Gorr urged, beckoning his master to see the truth.

The old man hurried to the basement. He saw Aiden who was on the verge of death, and inspected the bite marks and the glittering black and blue veins around them.

"Miracle! Marvellous!" he exclaimed. "Gorr, bring him upstairs."

Gorr obeyed, carefully lifting Aiden and carrying him up the stairs with the old man following. On the top floor, Aiden was tied securely to a stone table, unable to move. Nearby, the old man flipped through a collection of sorcery books, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

The old man frantically searched for a reason why the Norticles had bitten Aiden instead of sucking his life force. His frustration grew as he found nothing, but he refused to give up. Finally, he stumbled upon something that made him ecstatic.

"Oh my god! Fate is with me!" he shouted in joy. He took a potion from his pouch and fed it to Aiden. The potion temporarily controls any kind of poison. Slowly, Aiden's mind cleared.

"Don't kill me... don't kill me..." Aiden jerked awake. "Am I not dead?" he wondered, looking around. The darkness and zombies were gone. He saw only the old man. "Oouuuch!!!" His entire body was in pain. He noticed his hands and feet were chained to the table, making him impossible to move.

"What the! Monster! Psycho! Beast! Who are you? What are you doing to me? I want to go home! I want to go to my mom!" he wailed. The old man didn't understand his language but pondered for a moment. He went downstairs and returned with a small box. He Opened it and revealed a translucent, green centipede about 10 inches long. He placed it on Aiden, who was terrified and struggled desperately but couldn't move. "Release me! Move it away! Move it away!"

The centipede crawled toward Aiden's neck, arched its body upward, and bit him with a sudden thrust. "Argh!" Aiden felt a sharp pain, but it wasn't as severe as the Norticle bite. The centipede coiled around his neck, glittered, and then vanished, leaving a black tattoo of a centipede around his neck like a collar. Aiden felt dizzy as the effects of the bite set in. "Hey, brat! Can you hear me? Can you understand me?" the old man said, lightly tapping Aiden on the cheek.

"You soulless monster! You'll pay for what you've done! You will rot in hell!" Aiden wailed venomous curses. "Absolute miracle!!!" The old man was stunned. This brat survived the bite of the Centipede ruin, which had killed 50 of my subjects. Hehehehe... I've got the perfect sacrifice," he thought, smiling evilly. Aiden cursed nonstop, struggling to break free from the chains. "Noisy!! σιωπή," the old man chanted. Aiden's wailing ceased, his vocal cords silenced despite his attempts to scream. "Gorr! Prepare for the ritual," the old man ordered. "This time, nobody is going to stop me!" He laughed maniacally. Aiden was scared. "What is this bastard going to do now?!"

Preparation for the ritual took place outside the cottage. The old man drew a magic circle on the ground with blood. Gorr placed a large cauldron at the centre and positioned statues at seven points around the magic circle, following his master's instructions. Aiden was tied to the same stone table but moved to where the ritual would take place. φωτιά the old man chanted, and a fire ignited under the cauldron.

Gorr brought various items in a small wooden cart. The old man took a smoking glass jar. "Leaf of Vilefire tree," he said, putting it into the cauldron. He added many ingredients to the brew. "Rib bone of siren," "branches of Deathwood," "freshly plucked eye of an enemy," and "Hunger of someone who was born and died from hunger," he murmured, taking a black jar and dropping its contents into the cauldron. Lastly "Holy heart of Holyfians," he announced, placing a golden heart from the jar into the mixture. He then took several steps back, watching the concoction bubble and swirl with anticipation.

The black concoction slowly turned silver. He narrowed his eyes. 'It is the right time,' his gut feeling told him. He closed his eyes, extended both hands and began to chant a spell. A white light flashed in the eyes of the seven statues. They began to chant spells: Επτά παιδιά της έβδομης έβδομης γενιάς στη γραμμή αίματος, τραγουδώντας την αποθέωση, υποδέχονται θερμά τον Κύριο με τη σάρκα, την καρδιά και την ψυχή μας. The magic circle glowed blood red, and a silver beam shot out from the cauldron into the sky. The bright morning gradually turned into night. The change in the sky happening all around the world.