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"And just like that, Jonathan Joestar and Dio Brando sank into the depths of the ocean…"
Seated inside the quiet chapel, Ronen gently held Meteria's hand as he recounted a tale from Earth—
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood—a story of golden resolve and shadowed ambition.
To Ronen, Meteria perfectly embodied the term a true golden spirit. As for himself… did calling his ambition "black will" give himself too much credit? Then again why am l even compering myself with Dio??
Still, he couldn't deny the similarities he shared with Dio: the same burning ambition, the same fierce desire to defy fate, to surpass the gods themselves.
Meteria's terminal illness, in a way, was a cruel manifestation of fate. To conquer it was to defy destiny.
"To finally find happiness, only to have it stolen away so cruelly in the end… it's far too tragic," Meteria murmured, still lost in the bittersweet ending of the story.
"Jonathan was unlucky," Ronen said, offering his perspective. "Meeting Dio turned his life into a prison of fate. But he was also lucky—he protected his wife and unborn child."
"For mortals," he continued, "what's scarier than loneliness… is basking in light of hope only to have it ripped away."
"To Jonathan, the ending was tragic yet noble. To Dio, it was the absolute defeat written in his fate. And to Jonathan's wife, Erina… living on was the greatest pain."
The ones left behind suffer the most…
Meteria finally understood the second meaning behind Ronen sharing this story.
"…Don't worry. I'm not going to leave you behind."
She tightened her grip on his hand and smiled softly. "Aren't we both working so hard to make sure of that?"
"Hmm… I wasn't worried," Ronen replied, then sighed. "Okay, maybe just a little."
"You're always so gentle on the surface," he said, "but you've got your own opinions—strong ones. All I ask is that no matter what happens, no matter how troubled you feel, think of me and sister first. Don't act on impulse. Don't make any terrible decisions alone."
"Eh? I'm not that silly, you know! " Meteria pouted, puffing her cheeks in mock protest.
"I know, I know. It's not that I don't trust you," Ronen chuckled. "But even the wisest person can be have limited view . Even the strongest person has limits. That's why we need to rely on each other—combine our knowledge, view and strength and face everything together."
"Then whether high mountains or deep oceans… even Slay Gods—we'll surpass through them all. Together, we'll rewrite our destiny."
"Mm…" Meteria was visibly moved. She pressed her index finger gently against Ronen's lips and whispered, "I love your speeches, but you shouldn't speak of slaying gods so casually…"
To slay a god—that is a taboo of the highest order. In the Lower World, even uttering it is taboo. If anyone overheard…
"I understand," Ronen replied calmly. "But if a god ever stands in my way—I won't hesitate, not even a second! ."
Meteria had already accepted everything—his resolve, his recklessness, his unwavering will.
"Then let's keep going," she said, smiling warmly.
And so, their studies continued—especially their magic studies, which progressed smoothly.
There was only one issue: Ronen didn't have magic.
Without magical energy, he couldn't cast spells. He could only understand theories—no practice.
In this world, magic was Mind transformed—a mana refined to the point of producing real, tangible phenomena.
The easiest way to obtain it was to become part of a Familia.
But there was another way—the Magic Awakening Ritual.
To practice innate magic, two conditions had to be met:
1. Repeated training and ritual-based learning—long-form chants that originated with the elves and other magic-based races.
2. An initiation ceremony that catalyzed spiritual energy into true magical force.
Magic wasn't something that just popped out of nowhere. Even Bestowed Magic was rooted in the framework laid by Innate Magic.
The five core stats—Strength, Endurance, Agility, Dexterity, and Magic—all had a basis in real, underlying principles.
So with Meteria's help, Ronen began preparing for his magical awakening.
The challenge of learning magic aside, gaining magical energy and understanding its essence would elevate his grasp of the arcane.
Of course, this could have all been skipped by simply becoming an adventurer…
But Ronen wanted to test the value of the ritual itself.
He gathered five rituals from different races, studied them, compared their structures, and slowly began to understand the underlying logic behind them.
After adjusting them to suit his own body, he was ready to begin.
These rituals had been refined over a thousand years—they weren't something a human like him could just improve. But he wasn't trying to innovate for the sake of others.
He needed a version that worked for him—a human, not a magical race.
"You really want to go through with this?" Meteria asked, worry in her voice.
"Of course," Ronen smiled and rubbed his cheek gently against hers. "The ritual is safe. Low risk. I think it's worth trying."
Still, this path did carry more risk than simply joining a Familia.
"Let's begin."
Ronen cleared the center of the chapel and began his preparations.
He took out a wooden basin and poured a silvery, liquid metal into it. Then, using the basin as a marker, he began tracing the glowing metal across the ground.
With a taut string anchored in the middle, he carefully formed a perfect circle, then carved intricate magical runes into its inner edge.
Next, he placed nine magic stones at fixed points around the perimeter. The ritual circle was complete.
Three hours later, he stood up, wiping sweat from his brow, and nodded in satisfaction.
His version of the ritual used mythril and magic stones as core components—a deviation from traditional practice.
The magic awakening ritual wasn't actually complicated. It was fundamental—basic.
Ronen sat cross-legged at the center of the array and turned to Meteria.
"Light it."
"I understand," she nodded gently. Then, she recited the activation phrase:
"Begin."
The phrase, part of an ancient chant, was the ignition switch of the ritual.
It was a type of innate spell—simple, without any real power—but still requiring magical energy to trigger.
Even someone like Meteria, who hadn't trained in combat magic, could easily perform it.
As she spoke, Meteria released her magic into the array. The moment her energy flowed into the formation, the ritual circle came alive, glowing brightly.
The magic stones b
egan to hum and pulse, drawing in energy to fuel the process.
And so, the ritual to awaken Ronen's magical power had begun.
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