Fragments of Alchemy: The Code Breaker

Chapter Five ~ Stella Part I

'You have to swear an Oath,' Tajana said, and Chadwick nodded. 'First, you must promise to keep the Alchemical knowledge you are about to witness a secret. Then you must promise to only repeat this Conversion on your Joint Trial with your Protégé and no one else. Speak the Code Word Praesum to complete the Oath.'

He set his jaw and nodded. 'I, Chadwick MacNamara, hereby swear to conceal the Alchemical secrets I am about to witness. I swear to only repeat this Conversion to help my Protégé, Althea Presten, create her own Chimaera at the time of our Joint Trial.'

'Good,' Tajana said, nodding with satisfaction. 'Now say the Word to complete the Oath.'

'Praesum!' he said, and his Kundalini responded with an intense rush of power. His Spiritual Essence channelled into the blood Insignia on the floor and then drifted back toward him. The power swirled around him and flowed back into his body through the crown of his head. It shivered down his spine, through each Chakra with a tingle. When it was finally done, his Kundalini had returned to its resting place, and the blood Insignia had vanished.

Tajana reached for Chadwick's hand, and he winced. She checked his palm to see that the bleeding was already stopping. Instead of healing him like he expected, she took the knife and sliced her own palm in one clean motion. She gasped and reached to hand the knife to him. 'We need to make an Amalgamation Conversion Circle drawn in our blood.' Tajana motioned for him to take the knife, and he realised he would have to cut himself again. He nearly rolled his eyes.

He sighed heavily and took the knife; gingerly, he set the blade across the palm of his hand and pressed it down into the cut, opening the wound back up. He practically dropped the knife. The cut started bleeding freely, while he clenched his teeth angrily.

Tajana reached for his hand and held tight. Their blood mingled and dripped to the floor. Chadwick gave Tajana the lead, and she slowly moved their hands to draw the Symbol, dripping their blood onto the floor, while she spread the blood with her free hand, tracing the Amalgamation Sigil.

Chadwick's arm started to shake, and Tajana began to quiver as well. When the Symbol was finally finished, they were both wincing in pain and Chadwick felt uncomfortably swimmy.

Tajana pulled away and slowly, she drew a Regeneration Conversion Circle on her palm. 'Confervo,' she said. Then she reached for Chadwick's hand and meticulously did the same for him. He had to put forth considerable effort to stay still so she wouldn't make a mistake with her Circle.

His hand tingled as she spoke the Word to heal him. The pain instantly diminished. 'Thanks,' he said.

'You're welcome. Are you sure you've got the sizes right?' she asked as she eyed the moth and then picked up the lizard.

'I think I managed to get it right. What do you think?' He smirked at her. 'She'll be yours as well. Don't want her to turn out deformed, right?'

Tajana smiled and set the lizard on the Insignia. Chadwick moved the moth to the lizard's back. 'She's going to be beautiful,' Tajana said. 'Okay, we have to say the Word together. Ready?'

He nodded and counted, 'One, two, three.'

'Unesco!' they both said.

Chadwick felt his Kundalini respond like normal, leaving his body through his Crown Chakra with a rush of bliss. But the moment his Spiritual Essence reached the Insignia, he knew something was different about this Conversion. It was almost like he could feel someone pulling him along, and he knew he was feeling Tajana's Kundalini. Oddly enough, he didn't feel any connection to her Energy. She felt like a stranger to him, somehow unfamiliar even though they had known each other for months now.