77 Ritual
Here Ery lay on the table staring at the rounded ceiling composed of straw and wood. It was just like when the first ti he had awoken in Granny's hut. There was the strong scent of dicinal herbs but there was also a foul stench, which probably ca from the corpses outside. Still, this mont was unlike his first experience, that ti had a warm atmosphere but now it had a cold, dark and a deathly aura perating the surrounding. It was the total opposite, his distant mory was, compared to his present situation.
Waves of prickling needles like ants crawling through his whole body. The poison was still in effect as he tried to move his whole body, but only his pinky finger was able to make small movents, nothing aningful. He could move his eyes though and was able to faintly see on the edge of his vision four silhouettes lit by the faint several candles standing on the edge of the table and the burning furnace where the cauldron stood.
One of the bodies was that of a woman, lying next together to another burly man, which were most likely Obed and his dead wife. As for Jacob and Lanzo, they were closer to him and after looking carefully at their chest, he saw they were slightly heaving with eyes closed.
Once more he struggled to break free from the bondage but it was for naught no matter how hard he ordered his body to move. Then Lanzo's silhouette rustled, Ery whispered, "Lanzo! Hey, Lanzo! Wake up!"
"He's fast asleep, my dear. I'm quite surprised to see you already recovered. Your body's healing truly is a marvel, "said Granny with a wicked grin while entering the alchemy room. She first went to Lanzo, caressed his cheeks, before moving to Ery. "Anyway dear, it seems like you're not a simple boy found in the woods, are you?"
She then pounced on him and grabbed his cheeks, forcing his eyes to gaze directly into hers. After she seed to have confird what she wanted to know, she released her bony hand and said, "A tint of green. So, that's why. You're a Fey. Care to tell the na of your parents?"
Ery stayed silent as he was now able to wiggle his toe.
"What about your mother's na instead?" asked the old hag.
Granny raised her hand and said, "Actually, you're right. Don't bother. It doesn't even matter."
"Granny…" he said tiredly. "Why are you doing this?"
For a mont, Granny looked about to answer but only the dull thumping of the wooden floor against her feet replied in return. She stood before the unconscious Jacob and grabbed the container sitting beside him. She lifted it up, scooped her hand inside then rubbed it on Jacob's arms, legs and head. Ery watched as the red watery substance from the container, so of them seed to have already ford chunks, was sared on Jacob. It didn't take long for Jacob to be covered all over except for his chest when a new tallic scent traveled in the air. Granny moved closer to Jacob and then drew a circle with a six-sided star on Jacob's chest and proceeded to grab a small, jet black dagger.
As she raised the dagger, she chanted a spell that was foreign to Ery's ear before fiercely puncturing Jacob right in the center of what she had drawn. Ery wanted to close his eyes but refused to avert his gaze while watching Jacob suddenly waking up and grimacing.
Jacob's body started convulsing violently and a few seconds later, a screeching white stream flew out from his orifices; mouth, nose, ears, including the eyes until it got sucked into granny's wide open jaw. After nothing more ca out of Jacob's orifices, only then he stopped shaking and beca dried up, looking similar to the corpses Obed had buried beside Granny's hut.
The ungodly ritual sent goosebumps up Ery's spine for only one explanation made sense in his mind. She had just sucked a person's life. Jacob's wailing reverberated inside Ery's head. The village elder of Mistshire died just like that.
She placed the jet black dagger carefully on the table and even though the room's visibility was close to none, Ery had seen how her body shook in delight.
"You… you… What did you do to old man Jacob?" he demanded.
Granny lifted the lifeless corpse of Jacob and turned to Ery. Her greasy white hair had beco richer and a bit darker after she had consud a person's soul. She said with a less nasally voice, "I am a plague, my dear. A curse towards all living things."
Her lips curled upward before going out of the room. After returning with no Jacob on her arms, she kneeled before Lanzo and placed him on the table. She tore his shirt with the dagger.
"No, please no… Granny, stop. Don't do this. Not to him…" pleaded Ery. Again Granny worked in silence and didn't heed any attention to Ery. She hastily scribbled the blood from another container she had prepared and once all preparation had been finished, she licked her lips and raised the dagger.
"Granny! That's Lanzo, he cares about you more than anyone. Don't do this to him!"
Granny pierced down but stopped midway. She then said, "Ahh… my dear Lanzo… I see that you're awake. Why didn't you say anything?"
Ery was finally able to turn over his body to the side and saw Lanzo had his eyes open.
Lanzo was shaking, his eyes wet. "I-I am afraid…"
"Aww, it's okay to be afraid, child. Don't worry it will be over soon…" she said with a patronizing tone.
"Granny, I am afraid to die. But I am also terrified to know the truth. Still, will you tell ?"
"Of course, go ahead and ask anything, deary Lanzo," Granny answered.
"Tell the truth this ti. Was it you?"
"Yes, you are correct," said Granny.
"I… see…" These were only the words that Lanzo seed to get out of his throat.
At first Lanzo was as still as a rock, then it beca a slight tremble, but now, he was calm again. And just like a volcano, Lanzo erupted, "I treated you like my mother!"
"Kekeke, I never was your mother! Be happy now that you can reunite with your family!" she replied and struck down the jet black dagger straight into Lanzo's chest.
Lanzo was able to spare a glance into Ery's eyes who had turned his head to see, and Ery could feel the fear and despair in Lanzo's. Ery shouted, pleading Granny to stop this madness, but the knife stayed punctured in Lanzo's chest. And in his last monts, Ery and Lanzo stared at each other as Lanzo's face slowly paled. Ery's heart dropped. Lanzo was dying.
He howled in tornt as the white stream also exited his body and got consud by Granny's inhumane opened-jaws before falling limp, lifeless. She burst out laughing after she looked at her reflection in the cauldron. Once more she turned to Ery with her face now clear of wrinkles and eyes no longer bulging out.
"Why, Granny, why!" Ery shouted in tears.
"Isn't it obvious yet? All this work just to gain my youth hahaha—huh?
Granny stopped laughing madly and touched her cheeks with her finger that looked less bony.
"Why do I have tears?" she said to herself before wiping it. "No matter, you're next, my dear Ery. You'll accompany my poor Lanzo."
The numbing feeling still covered Ery's being but the raging fire inside him didn't die down. He now could feel Granny's grasp, which felt stronger than an average adult male.
At this mont, he was starting to hate himself as she slamd him down on the table. He hated how helpless he was as Granny tore open his shirt, revealing his scarred chest; he hated how that all he could do was watch as she sared blood on him; he hated how naive he had been as Granny raised her dagger and was getting ready to kill him.
Ery roared while the blood in his veins started to boil. A surge of energy exploded within him. His body grew hair rapidly, teeth were turning sharper, ears were starting to be that of a wolf and nails were turning into claws. Then his bare chest started to emit a black light before it ford into so kind of wavy engravings spreading from his scarred chest up to his cheeks.
[Fey bloodline activated]
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