Salomon had a dream of an immense tree growing in a calm ocean, with two giant snakes entwined around it.
He saw a huge crystal ring embedded at the very base of the tree trunk before him, with flowing lights of orange-yellow, olive, reddish-brown, and black.
Not only that, but as his gaze gradually rose, the rings on both sides of the trunk also lit up with various colors, though his vision seemed to blur as he ascended.
He barely saw the topmost ring, which was cast from diamond, enveloped by wings, and shimmering with white light.
He then looked down and saw the giant tree's reflection, deeply buried in the mist. Salomon couldn't make out the details of the reflection, only vaguely discerning that the giant tree's rings in the reflection looked very different. Upon closer inspection, those rings, along with the branches, formed five sections, corresponding to the pentagram formed by the rings and branches on the giant tree.
He heard a whispered murmur in his ear, a voice that wanted to tell him the key to the Kingdom of Spirits.
But before Salomon could listen closely, he found himself far from this ocean.
"You're awake? But you still need to rest." A peaceful voice reached Salomon's ears, and only then did he realize he had woken from his dream.
With exhaustion, Salomon forced his eyes open and saw the Sorcerer Supreme sitting beside him. The flames made of magic were gone, and his lips were no longer in that dreadful, cracked state.
He only remembered putting on all the rings and unleashing astonishing magic; he had no memory of what happened afterward.
He shifted his eyes and found himself in his own bedroom in Kamar-Taj Headquarters. After all, he was the only shut-in at Kamar-Taj, and a shut-in's bedroom was always a bit different; no one else's room had a game console.
He tried to lift his hand, but found he had no strength to do so. He wanted to speak, but couldn't open his mouth.
"You were too reckless this time, but the outcome was good; you finally tamed the rings of Vishanti. Don't worry, John is fine, and he hasn't told anyone about this. Everyone else thinks you were attacked by a Black Wizard." Seeing Salomon about to say more, the Sorcerer Supreme gently tapped his head with a folding fan.
"I originally intended for you to wear the rings after your soul became stronger, but I didn't expect you to do it first. However, it's good now; you can practice Vishanti magic properly." The Sorcerer Supreme said, "Alright, I also helped you feed that snake, so you can rest assured, right? Go back to sleep for a while."
Salomon blinked rapidly, struggling to say something, but the Sorcerer Supreme ignored him, instead using magic to fix the duvet in place, ensuring only his head was exposed from the covers.
Seeing this, Salomon had no choice but to give up struggling, resigning himself and closing his eyes. Anyway, the duvet was quite warm, so forget it, just like this. The duvet monster's seal was too strong, he might as well sleep a bit more…
Not long after the Sorcerer Supreme left Salomon's bedroom, another person stealthily opened the carved wooden door and tiptoed in, but it was like a dancing bear.
When he stepped on the creaking wooden floorboards, his weight had already betrayed his identity.
"Hey, Junior Brother Salomon, you scared me to death! You've been asleep for days, not even drinking water." A chubby figure appeared before Salomon, pulling Salomon back from his slumber.
He said, "I just saw the Sorcerer Supreme leave, so I knew you were fine.
Tell me, what happened? Is this something the Sorcerer Supreme doesn't want us to talk about either?"
Salomon opened his eyes, looking at John, his eyes revealing joy. He quickly blinked twice, but John just nodded. He patted his chest, "I understand what you mean, don't worry, I won't say anything."
What did you understand? That's not what I meant!
Salomon blinked twice again, uttering a muffled grunt.
"Let me… out…"
John leaned in closer. He ignored Salomon and just prattled on. And through John's rambling, Salomon finally pieced together what had happened after he put on the rings.
After the magic storm tore apart the ghosts and incidentally knocked John over a few times, the Trinity Vishanti appeared before Salomon.
They were high above, three powerful magic entities surrounding Salomon, immense magic like surging waves enveloping him layer by layer.
Immediately after, orange-red flames composed of magic spread outward like the wrath of Vishanti.
The asphalt pavement softened and bubbled, the trees by the roadside instantly ignited, expanding hot air whipped up a strong wind, carrying dust and burning ashes, immense energy shattered the stone walls of abandoned buildings, and everything around melted into an unknown stickiness under the intense flames.
John had already prostrated himself; as a member of Kamar-Taj, how could he not recognize the Trinity Vishanti?
Damn it! Damn it! What task did the Sorcerer Supreme give Salomon?! What were those rings?! Why were they related to Vishanti?! It looked like those rings must have desecrated Vishanti!
John kept cursing in his heart.
At that time, he already thought Salomon was dead. In such high temperatures, without protective magic, the only outcome was to be burned by the flames.
John felt that he would only see Salomon's charred, brittle skeleton in the end.
He had always liked Salomon. Unlike other children in Kamar-Taj, Salomon was never noisy. But now Salomon was dead—he couldn't care less about his sorrow; he just wanted to find a safe place to hide.
Kamar-Taj's Planetary Defense System would surely detect the magic fluctuations here. He could only wait for his fellow disciples to clean up, and he had already figured out how to bear the responsibility for this disaster.
But when the shroud on Salomon's body was torn off, that immense, uncontrollable magic suddenly subsided.
John found it hard to describe the scene he witnessed at that moment. He saw that amidst the flames, Salomon's body emitted an extremely dazzling light. When John saw that light, he felt as if he was seeing countless profound and complex pieces of knowledge.
It seemed the Trinity Vishanti began to communicate. John couldn't understand what they were saying, only vaguely discerning a few words: "Angel" and "Demon," two common occult terms. When he heard other words, he felt a flood of unfiltered information being crammed into his brain, making him dizzy and disoriented.
"In the end, I didn't remember anything but those two words." Afterward, John said with lingering fear, "Next time, you must tell me before doing something this terrifying. Don't look at me like that; I'd definitely run first."
"His soul is strong enough." Compared to the other two magic entities, whose genders and forms were not fixed, Agamotto, who had served as the first Sorcerer Supreme, had a much better attitude towards humans.
When Salomon put on the rings, this former Sorcerer Supreme actively defended Salomon, "And he is also the disciple of the current Sorcerer Supreme, you know what that means!"
"But he is a thief!" Hoggoth, with a tiger's head, roared, "If it weren't for the Ancient One, he wouldn't have found the rings!"
Agamotto looked at his mother, Oshtur, the source of white magic, but Oshtur remained silent. So Agamotto said, "Our rings must be used by someone, right?"
"Then why doesn't he sign a contract?"
"You know our limitations on contracts, and besides, as long as he takes off the rings, he will lose our magic. This might be a good thing, we can…"
Suddenly, the immense magic disappeared, and the phantom of Vishanti also vanished. John tremblingly raised his head; if it weren't for the residual hot air, the still-burning buildings, and the melted, scorched road, he would have almost thought that everything he had just experienced was an illusion.
He wiped away tears and sweat, protected by a protective spell, and walked on the softened ground towards Salomon, who was at the center of the disaster. He just wanted to bring Salomon back…
But as he approached, he saw a faint rise and fall in Salomon's already dry and charred chest.
Ecstasy instantly overwhelmed him.
As long as he wasn't dead, the Sorcerer Supreme could definitely save him! If not, there was still the Eye of Agamotto! That was a magic artifact that could reverse time!
"Then the Sorcerer Supreme opened a portal and brought us back; no one else saw you the whole time." John whispered, "The Sorcerer Supreme repaired your body with magic. Don't worry, tell me, I promise I won't say anything."
Salomon blinked, trying his best to convey his meaning, barely uttering a few vague words. But John didn't understand at all.
"Out… side…"
"Why do you keep blinking?" he asked.
You good-for-nothing! I haven't been to the bathroom in days! Let me out, you bastard!
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