Phantom Hunters | The Obsidian League

7 | The Moonlight Ritual

VII | THE MOONLIGHT RITUAL

The cleansing will begin under the next full moon.

Cleansing. It was the first thought that entered Kly's mind when he found himself in the middle of a clearing, surrounded by trees and bushes that isolated him. What had brought him here, into the unfamiliar woods? He knew just from the thick, dark trunks that these trees did not grow within the academy. He thought back to his last memory: compiling the amount of expenses the Silver Wolf had spent on food, staff, basic medical supplies, and other essentials, and the amount earned from any successful missions the dormitory mentors had embarked on for the monthly finances report to turn in to the treasury.

It was one of the more mundane jobs that Kly had to dredge through, and though it often resulted in many eyerubs, yawns, and extensive breaks for 'stretching,' Kly had never fallen asleep in the midst of it. And he certainly never sleep-walked to the middle of what he could only presume was the Osco Forest.

Kly recalled the mysterious woman he had encountered during his mission to the ancient city of Eyazim where he uncovered a terrifying object from the ruins of the ancient kingdom. He had ignored what the woman had said in hopes of squeezing out any hint as to who—or what—she was.

But it was at this moment, under the silver halo of the full moon hanging above the trees that he remembered those words. An uncomfortable tightness wrapped around his blighted arm, as if the bandage was a serpent coiling to suffocate its prey.

Had she cast some sort of spell that compelled his subconscious to come out here? But how would that even be possible?

Reveal the blight to the moon, the order came from within his skull. A thought that fired into his brain from some strangely obscured part of his mind. Kly somehow understood what the words were telling him to do—what they strove to achieve. Even as he questioned his sanity and the means he'd used to get here, he followed his own advice and rolled up his sleeve. He tore off the bandage that bound his arm, letting a black trickle of corruption and blood flow to his fingertips and drip into the musty soil beneath his feet.

The moon will provide the power. Kly couldn't believe it. Reason screamed at him that he was being foolish, that this was only a superstitious ritual practiced by believers of ancient religions. The Moonlight Ritual.

Though it was true the moonlight held some uthra energy, it could never be enough to achieve anything more than illuminating the night. The Moonlight Ritual had become a derivative of its original form, a tradition to celebrate the cleansing of blights from the mind and body, because it had long been proven that it had no true healing abilities.

And yet...

Kly surveyed the clearing, the near perfect circle of flat earth confirming his suspicions even before the next instructions popped in his head.

Create the sigil. Starting from the north point going in a clockwise direction, carve the glyphs that bring together the elements of the universe. Air, sound, smoke, fire, ice, sand, grass, rock, metal, water, poison, lightning. Harness the darkness of night in the west and the light of the moon in the east.

Using the stars, Kly located north. He followed the instructions, curiosity and something else compelling him to listen to the words appearing in his mind. Using his whip, he easily created the shapes with vines, cutting them off when the glyphs were complete. He completed the giant sigil, etching the glyphs of shadow and light in places where glyphs would normally go in any true sigil. The final commands that tapped his instincts sent a chill down his spine.

Stand at the center of the sigil. You are the core.

Impossible. It was impossible. Kly didn't know whether to feel disappointed or relieved when nothing happened as he waited. The moon bathed him in an ethereal silver glow, but nothing triggered the glyphs surrounding him.