Chapter 6: Baptism

The next morning, everyone who attended the party had the worst hangover ever. Still, they resumed their work. Thankfully, Xander asked the Alchemy Pavillion to provide everyone with free hangover pills. The day was an important one for the Clan. It was time for the Annual Ancestral Rites Ceremony. One day every year, every member of the Clan would pay their respects to the ancestors of the clan. 

Coincidentally, it was on Nyx's birthday. Because of this, many saw his birth as a blessing provided by the ancestors of the Clan. They hoped that he would have the talent of his father and the personality of his mother. Thinking of the Clan Head's ruined potential, a fire burned in their hearts. If hadn't been for that night, their Clan Head could have led them to even greater heights. 

Everyone washed up and got ready. Today, not only would they pay their respects to their ancestors, but also see their Young Clan Head. Although the position of the Clan Head depended on the capabilities of the candidates and not lineage, Xander's line had held the position from the beginning of the Clan's history. So, they already saw Nyx as their Youn Clan Head. 

All of the Clan members moved to the Ancestral Hall. As soon as they entered, they saw three thrones with four luxurious chairs on either side in front of them. Two of the thrones belonged to the Clan Head and the Clan Lady. They had added another for Amelia. The eight chairs belonged to the Council of Elders. Above them, hung the portraits of their ancestors. In the centre of the hall, was an unlit pyre.

When all of the clan members had gathered, the Council of Elders entered. After them, Xander, Amelia, and Bella with Nyx in her hands entered. To the clan members' surprise, Xander was actually smiling. A genuine smile and not a fake one. Only the old members had seen him smiling and it was a fresh sight for the younger members. 

They also wondered who the woman with the green hair was until they saw her face clearly. They realised that she was an ancestor because she had a portrait above the thrones. When everyone had settled down, Xander stood up. 

He said with a booming voice, "Members of the Ironheart Clan, I cannot express the joy that I'm feeling today in words. Last night, my son was born. And today, I get to pay my respects to the ancestors with all of you. It truly is a joyous day. Without further ado, let the Annual Ancestral Rites Ceremony begin."

The clan members cheered. Xander stood up from his seat and took out a token. It was the Clan Head's token. He walked to the pyre and put the token in a slot on the pyre. The pyre started humming as if it had come alive. Various intricate designs began lighting up. Finally, a bright white fire lit up on the pyre. It was the Ancestral Fire.

Amelia walked to the pyre and slit her palm above it. her blood dripped down in the fire and she said, "Glory to the Ironheart."

Xander and Bella did the same after her. They even dropped a drop of Nyx's blood in the fire. After them, the Council of Elders and the rest of the clan members followed. When everyone had paid their respects, they went back to their positions and sat down. 

It was time for the Ancestor's Blessing. The bright white fire suddenly became blood red. Everybody heard a heart beating and the image of an Ironheart appeared in their minds. They felt their bodies getting stronger. Soon, this feeling stopped. Then, the banquet began.

The Council of Elders and the clan members had prepared gifts for Nyx. Everyone celebrated the whole day. They retired in the evening as the celebration had gone for too long and they had to rest. That night, after Bella had fed Nyx, she lay him in his crib. 

The feeding process was very uncomfortable for Nyx but there was nothing he could do about it. Thankfully, it would just be another three months. Three months later, he would undergo his Baptism and could begin eating semi solid foods. 

The Baptism was something that every member of the Ironheart Clan went through when they became three months old. They would be bathed in a secret medicinal concoction created by the First Ancestor that would nourish their bodies. How much it benefitted them differed from person to person. 

Only people with Ironheart blood could benefit from the Baptism. Now that Nyx thought about it, his clan had many secrets. The Ancestral Fire, the Baptism, and even the layout of their Clan. They were just a high-level clan in the Outer Continents. But these things were too high level for them. Even in his past life, he had never come across something similar to the Ancestral Fire. 

Was the story about the First Ancestor really true? Was he really just a man with high ambitions and low talent? He would have to investigate this. This time, nothing would hurt his people. 

Three months later, 

It was time for his Baptism. Unlike the Ancestral Rites Ceremony, it wasn't something high profile but it was still very significant. The Clan Head Candidates would be chosen after the Baptism. There were a total of twelve Baptisms. The baby would be put in the medicinal concoction and their body would start absorbing the medicine. 

When the concoction turned clear, it would mean that the baby had completed one Baptism. Then, the concoction would be replaced with a stronger concoction. This would go on until the baby's body no longer absorbed the medicine in the concoction. Only those who had completed at least seven Baptisms would receive the title of Young Clan Head Candidate and all the benefits that came with it. Currently, there were two Young Clan Candidates apart from him. The grandson of the First Elder and the daughter of the Third Elder. They were a month older than him.

The highest record was held by the Fourth Clan Head of the Ironheart Clan, Valerion Ironheart. He underwent 11 complete Baptisms. After Nyx woke up, he was taken to the Alchemy Pavilion by Xander and Bella. Amelia had already returned to the Palace of Life because an emergency had come up. 

Inside the Alchemy pavilion, he was taken to the Baptism Hall. The Ironheart Clan had an entire team of alchemists and doctors dedicated to the Baptisms as they were related to the prosperity of their clan. Outside the Baptism hall, a man was waiting for them. He greeted them and took Nyx from Bella's hands. 

Only the baby and the team were allowed inside. Nobody else, not even the Clan Heads was allowed inside. Only when the baby completed seven Baptisms, was the current Clan Head notified and allowed inside. The man took him inside the hall. There was a small empty pond the size of a large bathtub inside. The man looked at Nyx and said, "I wish you luck, Young Lord. I hope you break the record of Ancestor Valerion. The whole team is cheering for you."

Then, he placed Nyx in the centre of the pond. He activated the formations and a dark green liquid with a strong aroma filled the pond. Strangely, Nyx didn't have any trouble breathing even after being submerged in the liquid. He could feel his body absorbing the medicine in the liquid. The liquid quickly turned clear. 

The man activated another formation and the liquid was drained away. Then the pond was filled with another concoction. If one looked clearly, one would find that this concoction was slightly darker. This went on until seven Baptisms had been completed. The concoction by this time had turned completely black. Twenty four hours had passed. After the second Baptism, Nyx had entered a deep sleep.

The man sent an attendant to call the Clan Head. Xander entered and saw the man smiling at him. He said, "Congratulations, My Lord. The Young Lord has completed seven Baptisms and it seems that he is still far from his limit."

Xander nodded. The man quickly resumed his job and continued with the Baptisms. As he was continuing his face began changing. Not only him, but even Xander was the same. This was because Nyx had already undergone 10 Baptisms and still showed no signs of stopping. 

After the eleventh baptism had been completed, they were completely dumbfounded. Nyx's body was like a ravenous beast and absorbed everything. Finally, the twelfth Baptism began. The medicine concoction for the twelfth Baptism was so black that it seemed to devour all light. 

This Baptism was the longest of them all. But in ten hours, it soon turned into a clear liquid. As soon as the twelfth Baptism had been completed, the man's expression became very serious. He activated a formation and the Baptism Hall entered a complete lockdown. 

Xander was first surprised then confused. The man looked at him and said, "My Lord, please forget everything you will witness from now on. This is a secret protocol of the Baptism Hall, only meant to activate when a baby has completed twelve Baptisms. It was a direct command of the First Ancestor that has been passed down."

Xander remained silent. The man stopped paying him any heed and activated a formation. The size of the pond suddenly increased. A black slurry suddenly filled the pond. It was the concentrated version of the medicinal concoction used for the twelfth Baptism. The man produced a pill bottle from his space ring. From the pill bottle, he took out a red pill and threw it in the pond. 

The concoction instantly boiled and became blood red. Xander could smell an intense smell of blood from the pond. Another 48 hours passed. The blood pond had turned clear. The man sat down on his knees and tears appeared in his eyes. He laughed and said, "Our mission is complete."

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