Valeric was greatly disappointed.
The Heavenly Ritual had failed.
The glow of the runic circle has long since faded, and the anticipated transformation has not occurred.
He first hoped that it would come back, that it was just charging up for the ascension that he aimed for.
But he was left like a hooker on the sidewalk.
Yet, he wasn't that surprised.
It was an incomplete Heavenly Ritual that he had found in a suspicious ruin. What else did he expect?
Maybe it was all fake from the start, and the wretched gremlin that had made it thought: 'haha! I'll make the stupid person who would one day find my leftovers sacrifice multiple people! Isn't that funny?'
He silently looked down at the corpse below him with his golden eyes, his wavy hair fluttering in the snowy wind that carried the approaching storm.
Lady Etherea...
She was exceptional.
She had been a Heavenly Ascender with Dual Pathways. She was a Nightmare Elf, one of the apex races that spread terror through the world. Not only that, but she had a calculating mind and a formidable spirit that yielded to none. All while being what? Fourteen years old? Fifteen?
She had been as talented as he, if not even more.
And now?
She was on her knees, her arms hanging limply at her sides. Her ugly tunic was drenched in her own blood, her throat cut open by her own hands.
Her mesmerizing face was now still, and her unnerving eyes were distant as they locked on the bloody snow.
Not only was he disappointed that the Heavenly Ritual failed, but he did so as well because her life was wasted just like that.
What heights would she have reached if she continued walking on Aetheria?
She was just unlucky, extremely so. Who would expect that a Calamity who had one of her Pathways would randomly intervene in her fight and capture her? And that, after weeks, she would meet with someone who had just so happened to need a Nightmare Elf for a sacrifice? Any other commander would've recruited her or at least kept her alive.
They were almost identical in their uniqueness, yet one of them had died today.
It made him even more wary of falling into the same fate as hers and assured him of the truthfulness of his goal.
Also, even though he didn't like to show it, it left a bad taste in his mouth that he had to kill such a beautiful girl.
He was a man, after all.
But it was just that, a bad taste. Like drinking tea and finding out that it was cold. Unpleasant, nothing that actually moved his heart.
Soon, his familiar smile came back to his face. He looked to the side, at his soldiers who were silently watching.
They didn't look disturbed, it wasn't the biggest massacre that they had witnessed. They were even curious. But some of them were a bit nervous, would he sacrifice them as well? Unaware that he didn't put any of them in his eyes.
He approached Sergeant Flameclaw and put his hand on his shoulder.
"Flameclaw, you can rest now. The Witch had gotten what she deserved."
It was no use getting mad at spilled tea. He had to move forward, like he always did. What does it matter if he filed? He can try something else later. But for now, he had to capitalize on his losses. He began by making the sergeant feel that he was indebted to him.
"Thank you, my lord..."
Flameclaw nodded with a complicated expression, his eyes fixated on the corpse that had terrorized him for long enough.
Valeric nodded in response and walked past him. He commanded without turning back:
"Start cleaning up the mess. Although it's not likely to happen, the stench may attract some unwanted guests from the Wailing Mountain."
All the soldiers yelled in response.
"Yes sir!"
They all got to work, and he then reached his office. He wasn't worried that they would report to the higher-ups his attempt to ascend; he had already cast a silent spell on them.
It was strangely empty without Lady Etherea...
Shaking away the strange thought, he sighed and sat back in his chair.
He eyed the other poor chair that had been left in a corner of the room, it looked pitifully lonely there...
Bzzz! Bzzz! Bzzz!
Valeric's thoughts were cut off when he heard a buzzing noise coming from his desk. He opened a drawer and took a pink crystal that could fit in a palm. It had a pink light in its center that was glowing rhythmically with each vibration.
He injected some of his heavenly essence to know who the caller was, and what he found out made him draw a cold breath.
"Oh... Shit..."
He couldn't help but cuss as Lady Etherea did; the caller was troublesome.
Bzzz! Bzzz! Bzzz!
Should I reply? I could act like i didn't notice it...
Bzzz! Bzzz! Bzzz!
Wait, how long was this ringing for? Did it start now, or was it a while ago?
Bzzz! Bzzz! Bzzz!
Sigh... It's of no use, I should pick up now. Postponing the inevitable would just make it worse...
Finally, he cleared his throat nervously. He lifted the crystal up and injected a steady stream of heavenly essence into it.
"Hell–"
He couldn't even voice one word.
[WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?!]
A raging feminine voice came from the other end.
Valeric smiled crookedly, not that the other person would see him. He knew that he was in deep trouble, and why that was.
"Wait! I can expl–"
He was cut off again.
[DIDN'T I TELL YOU NOT TO LEAVE THE ACADEMY?!]
Valeric groaned, but he soon slapped his face and regretted it once her realized that the other person had heard it.
[OH! YOU DON'T LIKE IT WHEN I CALL YOU NOW, HUH?! AM I SUCH A PAIN IN THE ASS FOR YOU?!]
He clenched his fist and closed his eyes, trying his best not to voice another groan.
"It's not like that, sister! It's jus–"
He was cut off for the third time.
[WHERE. THE. FUCK. ARE. YOU?!]
The voice went silent after that, seemingly giving him an actual chance to respond. But he knew that it was just an illusion. After taking a deep breath, he spoke slowly.
"I'm in the Imperial Fro–"
[THE IMPERIAL FRONTLINE?! DIDN'T I TELL YOU NOT TO GO THERE?! ARE YOU TRYING TO GET YOURSELF KILLED!?]
Valeric hissed to himself.
"Wait! It's not that simp–"
[YOU BETTER COME BACK NOW OR I'LL COME TO DRAG YOU HERE MYSELF!]
His face went pale, envisioning what it would be like.
"Hold on! I–"
His words were stopped again, but this time, it wasn't because his sister cut him off. No, it was something else...
The world fell into silence as he felt an imperceptible shift in reality. Like a drop of water that fell in an infinite calm lake. On that lake, his soul rested, and it was hit by the faint ripples that echoed through it.
... And it wasn't pleasant, far from it. It felt like a foreign entity had claimed everything that he was without his consent. He didn't feel more violated in his life.
His heart skipped a beat, and an uneasy feeling crept into his mind.
[Valeric? Are you there?]
His sister asked after calming a little.
"I'm sorry, but I have to go."
[Wait! Don't you dare–]
He cut off the connection and put the crystal on the desk, he didn't bother to look at it even when it began buzzing again. His gaze narrowed as he stood up and eyed the window.