The Peculiar Alchemist

40 || Acknowledgment

It was something Aubrey had thought about over and over again ever since that day he spent talking to Sammy about pointless things. Nothing about what had been said was pointless in his opinion, it was all just tragically sad and he believed that nobody deserved to deal with something like that.

Maybe he was being too emotional over this since many died unfairly like Sammy. He wasn't anything special, but the fact that some necromancer had killed him and kept controlling him made Aubrey feel sick. What is being done to him was very similar to what Briar had planned to do to Aubrey, and that made Aubrey resent her even more despite never meeting her.

So after a few days of pacing and thinking about it, he made a decision.

And once again, Aubrey found himself searching for the last person he wanted to speak with. He was avoiding the matter because he had to speak to him, but Aubrey needed someone who was experienced with rituals and there's only one person he knew who was awful enough to become an expert.

Kellen.

As if he knew Aubrey was going to seek him for help with a ritual, he was actually doing one right in the middle of the room just when Aubrey walked in looking for him. It was a small ritual drawn with a piece of charcoal Kellen often carries, and a smear of his blood marred it as Kellen proceeded to mutter the incantations.

Those foreign-sounding words often said in incantations held magical power, and each one had a meaning the same way every line in a ritual meant something. Some say rituals were connected with vengeful and sinister spirits, and some say it was another type of magic all by its own. In Aubrey's opinion, it was just another magical language similar to runes that some are fluent in.

And if his observations told him anything, it was that Kellen displayed an impressive fluency when it came to rituals.

There were no drawings to guide him, no written words for him to read, and no books for him to study whenever he attempted one. It was almost always done by improvisation and memory, so he was perfect for what Aubrey wanted to ask.

The only problem was that Aubrey had to speak to him.

The moment all the candles that were scattered all over Agnes' cottage went out, Aubrey decided this was the right time to finally speak. However, just before he could say anything when he opened his mouth to voice out his request, Kellen, who had his back to him, beat him to it.

"Do you come to me whenever you need something, or do you keep needing things to come to me?"

It was absolutely amazing how fast Kellen makes him regret ever approaching him, but Aubrey decided to just do what he usually does and just ignore the second part.

"I need something." He muttered, eyeing the completed ritual with mild curiosity. They were sitting in complete darkness now, but neither one of them really minded. "What does this ritual do?"

Kellen answered him with a very relaxed tone. "It's supposed to give someone night terrors. I wanted to try that myself."

"You cursed yourself with night terrors?" Honestly Aubrey doesn't know why he's surprised anymore, but he still couldn't understand why anyone would do that.

He should really stop thinking of Kellen as someone normal, maybe then his actions would make sense.

"Yes, and it already started." Kellen told him looking at something behind Aubrey before he shocked him by grabbing his wrist. The sudden touch made Aubrey tense up, but he was only being dragged to the side for whatever reason Kellen had. "Damn, they actually react to whatever is around them."

"Who are they?" Aubrey tried his best to not think about the hand still holding his wrist.

"The terrors." Kellen informed him as he let go, and he sounded too composed for someone who is apparently seeing night terrors. Aubrey was not disappointed about the loss of touch, and that was not a lie he told himself. "Anyway, what do you need me for?"