The Peculiar Alchemist

7 || The Dull Teacher

There was nothing notable about him at all. In fact, most people would not even remember his name or what he does, not even his friends remember much about him. He was just tragically uninteresting, a teacher who led a very dull life.

Once he's done with his students, and once he answered all their questions and observed their application to the branch of magic he taught, he'd return back home where his wife would usually not be waiting for him. She didn't care much if he returned or not, and lately they've been distant with each other like many other married couples who found themselves gradually getting tired of their spouses.

To put it simply, his life was pathetic and going nowhere.

He knew that, everyone thought that, and it was just a common miserable life that he couldn't help but wallow in his misery at one of the local bars. He never thought that the decision he made that day would add something to his incredibly dull existence.

This is how he found himself being led someplace familiar to him by someone he just met. It was one of the many chapels in the city that he used to go to. There was nothing remarkable about it.

What's remarkable was how they entered the chapel. It wasn't from its main entrance, but from a side door that led to a hatchet. Once opened, he walked down the slippery stony stairs alongside his suspicious companion. He had every reason to become apprehensive and alarmed, but he was told what to expect, and he understood the secrecy.

Necromancy is prohibited.

But it was also exciting, and it would cease the dullness engulfing his life. With every step he took, he found his excitement increasing alongside his anticipation. Controlling the dead is forbidden, it is new, and it is power. Finally, an average teacher like him can be something, someone.

The promises were so great, and he found himself amidst a group of people who welcomed him warmly before finally leading him to the one person he was dying to meet.

Briar, the leader of this whole thing. This cult.

"Welcome," She turned to him with a smirk on her face giving her back to some of her members who were drawing things on the walls. She was surveying them. "Seems like we have two new members joining us."

He frowned not remembering anybody coming with him, but a shy woman walked over and stood next him before nodding her head. Briar made a thoughtful sound before she grinned at them both and walked down a few steps to be on their level.

"Let's start the initiation then, follow me."

The two soon-to-be members could not see nor hear the dead Sammy following them when he let out a deep bored breath. "Here we go again."

The room they walked into was not what the dull teacher had expected, it was mostly empty save for a few strange trinkets and strange sketches lying about, but other than that there was nothing but a large circular chalk drawing with candles placed on certain sections of it. This was clearly a ritual.

Someone handed Briar a metal cup, and she glanced at him first before beckoning for him to come closer. Unsure on what was happening, and very nervous, he took a few steps forwards and held the cup when she handed it to him.

"Stand in the middle." Briar instructed, and he did so while the shy woman that came with him watched silently. She, too, was becoming nervous. Rituals were never anything good, but they were here to become necromancers. It was something they had to accept. "Now bleed into it, just a little bit."

Sammy shook his head. "Better not do it."

However, Sammy was a ghost, and only Briar was aware of him which made the little laugh she let out a little bit out-of-place to the other two. Still, the teacher found a sharp knife-like protrusion near the handle of the cup, and he pressed his thumb on it resulting in a little blood trickling from it.