"Kay pacha sachaqa, llaqta makinsi mana allinkunamanta harkawan, hinallataq allinta ch'iqirichin. Chayta ruwayqa kay pacha kamachiyninta, pachamamaq hayninta t'ikrachinmi. K'allku sachaqa mana allinta ch'iqirichin, hinallataq chinkanman kutichin, hinaspataq llapan awqaqkuna wiñaypaq chinkachisqa kanqa. K'allku sachata waqyaykuni awqaqniykunata wañuchinapaq hinallataq kamachiyta paqarichinapaq."
Mary's voice grew ever more powerful and calm as she chanted. A sudden coldness swept through the world, and wherever it passed, life seemed to end and yet, at the same time, nothing died. This confusing balance between life and death made the participants shudder, and they rushed to move further away from the stage.
Mary felt a moment of doubt, but she remained calm and continued chanting. The judges were uneasy about the spell's outcome, but they tried to keep their composure, determined to save face even at the cost of their lives.
Then, a terrible sound, as if the stage had exploded, filled the air, though the stage had only split apart slightly. From the cracks came a thin branch, soon followed by another. Mary's magic was being sucked out of her body at a rapid, uncontrolled pace.
Just as she began to worry, her magic calmed, and she felt a connection between herself and the black branches emerging from the stage.
"Pledge your heart to the Beast Tree, and your enemies shall become the enemies of the world tree. Blood shall flow, and the world shall weep. All foes will be vanquished, and order restored."
These words rang through Mary's mind. They were spoken in a language not heard on this mortal plane for thousands of years, yet Mary understood them perfectly.
Her heart stopped beating, and her blood ran cold. She had the feeling she was about to do something that would forever change her view of the world. She could feel the ancient power of the Beast Tree and grew to believe it was older than anything she knew. Even the earth and the human race itself were insignificant compared to this being. Mary began to lose herself in its endlessness when she suddenly remembered the warning Cate had given her.
Cate had created this spell, inspired by the now-dead Mateo. Before giving it to Mary, Cate had warned her of all the dangers she might face, and this was one of them.
"Nothing is free in this world. This was the mistake Mateo made. He wanted to summon the World Tree to fight for him, but even a god may fail to pay the price. The spell I'm giving you will instead summon the Beast Tree. Its price is simpler. The tree demands blood and a bond. Once you use this spell, you will become one with the Beast Tree. This will bring you countless benefits for the rest of your life. When you hear the Beast Tree answer your call, answer immediately and offer up your blood."
Cate's words rang through Mary's head, bringing her back to reality. She immediately raised her left hand and bit into her flesh. Her teeth were dull, but they got the job done.
"I welcome your divinity into my being," Mary said, letting her blood spill all over the black roots and branches.
By now, everyone was certain this was a dark spell. Dark magic was powerful yet unpredictable, which was why it was frowned upon. In some places, those who practiced it were hunted down and killed. Fortunately, this was the Avalon society, which openly used dark spells under the mandate of the High King. They claimed they had to use them to deal with dark magicians.
The branches absorbed every drop of blood. They then exploded from the earth and pierced into Mary's heart. Gasps filled the hall. They thought Mary would die the same way Mateo did. After a few seconds, something truly terrifying happened. The branches entered Mary's heart and never stopped. For over a minute, branches burst from the earth and entered her heart. It was as if she was taking in the largest tree imaginable, yet her body did not expand or change. She remained in place, just as scared as the others in the hall.
When the tree finally disappeared, silence filled the hall. Mary's eyes, which had been a simple blue, had completely changed. They were now entirely brown with a rough texture. When people looked into her eyes, they didn't see a person behind them but a tree older than the world and more fearsome than any creature.
Mary looked at a metal chair in the corner and reached out to it. Pitch-black roots shot out of the floor, and in less than a second, the chair was crushed into scrap metal. It was squeezed with such terrible force that it formed a smooth metal ball the size of a baby's fist, though the chair had been adult-sized.
The power Mary had just shown was truly terrifying. One could only imagine what would happen to a human body faced with such strength. There was no doubt that Mary had passed her test. The judges looked at her as if she were a gem to be treasured. They had set up the original test hoping to get their hands on a powerful spell, but this was beyond their expectations. These judges were all powerful magicians, and they understood the value of having a powerful spell in their arsenal.
"You have passed the test. Now hand over the spell, and you will move on to the next stage," the head judge said.
Cate, seeing the old man's greed, shook her head. "They shouldn't be so obvious with their evils," she said, moving toward the stage.
Mary was still confused and out of it .She seemed to be in some kind of trance and her mouth kept on moving as though she was communicating with something beyond the comprehension of man .Cate grabbed her hand and pulled on it .
"You will have enough time to figure out what you have gained .'Cate Said.
She nodded at the Mage Born who without question moved in and led Mary off the stage .
"She still has to hand over the spell ."the head judge said .His voice was colder this time around .The old man had realized that Mary had summoned the Beast Tree and instead of being killed by this evil primordial being ,she had survived and seemed to have benefited greatly .The old man wanted this spell at all cost .