He walked past Amon and the others, moving beyond the altar until he stood before the mysterious figure seated upon the silver throne veined with gold.
"I greet you, O Mysterious One. Messenger of the gods. Ruler of the Black Castle and Great Ritualist," the man said as he knelt, lowering his head in reverence.
The veiled figure inclined His head in acknowledgment.
"Stand up," The mysterious man commanded.
The man stood up and let out a warm smile as he opened his eyes. He then stepped aside and gestured his hand toward Amon and the others.
The man continued, "With me today are ritualists from other organisations across the Western world. The leader of this six men with me today is El." He raised his head slightly, as if awaiting permission to proceed.
The mysterious figure nodded once more and spoke. His voice thundered across the white chamber.
"Come forth, El. Tell me about yourself."
El stepped forward with measured calm, the hem of his robe brushing lightly against the bed of flowers beneath his feet.
As he advanced, his gaze passed over the ritualists seated upon the stools. They continued dipping their trembling hands into the bowls of water, scrubbing at their stained skin. His eyes lingered only briefly before shifting away in quiet distaste.
The only things clean in this room are the flowers and the throne, he thought. El stepped forward and lowered his head slightly.
"I greet thee, O Mysterious One. Messenger of the gods. Ruler of the Black Castle and Great Ritualist."
He remained still until the veiled figure inclined his head in acknowledgment.
"My name is El, the Righteous Ritualist," he began. "I come from a ritualist organisation in the Western World. My organisation was betrayed by the government of the Berlin Citadel, within the great nation of Germany. It was eradicated. I and the companions who stand behind me escaped the Berlin Citadel-"
The mysterious man raised a hand.
"What is the name of your organisation?"
"My organisation remains with me until death," El replied evenly. "A ritualist does not reveal his organisation to anyone, not even to family."
He paused, awaiting permission.
"You are indeed a ritualist," the mysterious man said. "Continue."
"We travelled across lands and crossed the Red Waters to the south, eventually arriving at Valereith Citadel. During our journey, we stopped at an inn known for information. The man who spoke with me introduced himself as Nuez. He claimed to work for the Erith Order, so I concealed my identity."
El's tone remained controlled.
"He informed me about this citadel and about various organisations. At first, I judged him useful. I believed he might be a Crow or an Archivist, as he possessed extensive knowledge and did not appear aligned with any specific faction. Although I still disliked him because of his association with the Erith Order."
(AN: Archivist: Keeper of knowledge. Crow: Finder of knowledge.)
He paused briefly.
"As our conversation continued, I sensed something was amiss. He knew too much about this particular organisation. I asked whether he was affiliated with it."
El's gaze remained steady.
"He said yes. So, I killed him. As you know, once part of an organisation you cannot tell another about that affiliated organisation.
He took a breath.
"Using the information he provided, I came here. Now I kneel before you." He has to believe this, El thought.
Yet he sensed no real danger of rejection. The Righteous Ritualist was, after all, an unparalleled operator, a flawless combat learner, an unmatched marksman, a master memoriser, a persuasive speaker, and a precise manipulator.
The mysterious man did not nod. He did not offer approval or recognition.
He simply looked at El.
His gaze was direct and unwavering. He examined him carefully, searching for the smallest irregularity. A skipped heartbeat. A tremor in breath. A twitch in muscle. A fracture in tone.
He found none.
"Welcome, El, Righteous Ritualist, to the Descent of the God's Domain," the mysterious man declared. His voice rolled across the white chamber, powerful enough to silence every ritualist instantly.
"Thank you, O Mysterious One," El replied.
So, I was correct, he thought. If a ritualist wears the attire of the organisation he seeks to join and presents others as his party, he is regarded as their leader. If he is accepted, they are accepted with him. It only functions if one bears the proper attire. Without it, all are questioned together. I thank Nuez for that information. And I thank myself for withholding details of the attire. Otherwise, we would have appeared as independent spies.
El rose and returned to stand before his group.
"Since you are the father of your group," the man said, gesturing toward the altar, "you will complete the ceremony. Step upon the altar. We shall chant, inscribe symbols upon you, and pour the water from the bowls that line this room. When it is done, you will be fully accepted into this organisation, and your Ritual of Awakening will begin."
His voice was low and resonant.
El moved without hesitation. He stepped onto the golden altar, sat upon its surface in a lotus position, and closed his eyes.
The moment El closed his eyes, the ritualists seated along the left side of the chamber rose in unison.
They approached without hesitation.
Rough hands seized his outer robe. They tore at the fabric, ripping it from his body. Some spat upon it. Others dragged the cloth across their stained skin, wiping at the dark streaks beneath their eyes as though attempting purification through defilement.
When they finished, they returned to their stools and lifted the bowls of water with both hands. One by one, they carried them to the altar and arranged them upon the ground in a circular formation around its platform.
Then they sat, legs folded beneath them, forming a ring.
Their voices rose together.
"Araaraehah is the Mysterious Man above rituals, the pope of the false church, healer of the sick, messenger of the gods, anointed of the King!"
The chant echoed through the white chamber, reverent and fevered.
At the same time, the ritualists along the right side stood and advanced. They began to circle El, moving in rhythmic steps, their robes sweeping across the flowers. Their voices shifted into melodic praise, rising and falling as they danced around the altar.
The others simply watched in silence. Though thoughts and questions flooded their minds, the took hold of the thoughts and questions and simply stored It for later.
As the ritualists of the right side were dancing around El and the ritualists of the left side sat in a circular formation around El, the man stepped forward and appeared before El.
He picked up a bowl of water from his left and rubbed it across El's back. At once, a radiant light engulfed El, so brilliant that the dancing ceased, the chanting fell silent, and the white room itself seemed to dim before the intensity of that glow.
Immediately, marks began to appear on El's back. They were of seven colours and different symbols and they all completed, were the colours of a rainbow.
The man was shocked to his core and knelt immediately, bringing his hands up and down as if hailing a god.
The mysterious man also stood up from his throne and knelt before El, though he did not hail him in reverence as the man did.
Fe yuan and the others seeing this also began to hail El in reverence in accordance and in the way both the man and the mysterious man did it.
After a while, the intense light began to dim in intensity, returning back to nothingness. Only the pale light of the white room remained.
El slowly opened his eyes and summoned the status window for his identity.
== << [| Status |] >> ==
Name: El
Age: 0
Religion: Christianity
Identity: Righteous Ritualist
Title: Apostle of the Gods | Son of the Most High One
Marks: Mark of the Holy | Mark of the Abyss | Mark of the thousand threads | Mark of Transcendence | Mark of Creation | Mark of Destruction | Mark of Chaos |
Favourers: God of the abyss | The Holy god | The God of a thousand threads | The God of Transcendence | True God of Creation | True God of Destruction | The Most High One of Chaos
Class: Anointed one | Sealed
Talent: True Authority | Manifestation: 1%
Path: All Root | Stage: Bearer | Manifestation: 1%
Power: Finality | Manifestation: 1%
Flaw: Destined
== << [|-----------------|] >> ==
El studied his status window with a faint smile, inwardly rejoicing at his fortune when he saw the number of Marks of Divinity and Favourers he possessed. As his gaze moved across the window before him, countless questions rose in his mind.
Why is my class sealed? I have never heard of a class being sealed before, he thought.
Seeing the situation at hand and knowing that his awakening ritual had not yet ended and that he still needed to reveal something to the mysterious man, El chose to restrain his thoughts until he was free to consider them properly.
With a thought, the window blinked itself out of existence. His gaze shifted to his surroundings, settling on the ritualists that sat in a circular formation around him, the ones that danced, his group and the two men that bowed in front of him.
El was half naked. The upper layer of his robe had been torn away and lay scattered among the flowers; his necklace had broken and was tossed away. Cool air brushed against his bare skin.
His black hair had turned red, bloody and damned, as though stained by a restless hunger for war, conquest, plague, and sin built upon fountains of flesh and blood.
His red eyes had dimmed into nothingness, becoming mirrors of darkness and impurity. The colour of blood drained from his pupils and gave way to the colour of absence, the void itself, endless, depthless, and all-consuming.
Across his back, seven Marks of Divinity glowed faintly, etched into his flesh. His chest was exposed, defined and steady, his posture upright and composed. As the glow on his back dimmed in intensity until it completely left. The ritualists who had formed the circular lotus formation around the altar rose. They bowed their heads toward El in unison.
Then they straightened and retrieved their bowls of water, carrying them with quiet, measured steps to the right side of the chamber. They placed the bowls before the wooden stools and sat down again in lotus position.
The ritualists who had been dancing halted just as precisely. Their movements ceased in perfect synchrony. They bowed toward El, then withdrew to the left side of the room and seated themselves upon the stools.
This time, they did not cleanse themselves.
They did not touch the water.
They simply sat in silence, motionless, as if awaiting a command that had not yet been given.
Then, in a reverent manner, El raised his hand.
The Man lifted himself up, and casted his eyes upon El's glorious form with a warm smile.
The mysterious man also lifted his head, casting his gaze upon El. The group: Leon, Fe yuan and the rest of them also lifted themselves as they saw the men do so.
"So? Tell us El!" The man rejoiced, lifting his hands up. "What have you awakened! What did you see?"
El's eyes locked onto the mysterious man, glaring at him as he drifted back toward his silver throne and seated himself upon it once more.
Replying to the man's first question, El spoke without hesitation.
"The gods love me," he said lightly.
"The Gods love me even more," he continued, his tone growing steadier, his lips curving into a measured smile.
"The True Gods rejoice in me as their son."
He slowly lifted his hands and tilted his face upward.
"I am the Apostle of the Gods and the Son of the Most High One."
The chamber remained silent.
"I have received seven Marks of Divinity from the gods and the Gods who rule this world and this universe. I have seven favourers, Gods, gods, deities, and True Gods who desire me. I have received power, a class, a path, a talent… and a flaw."
The Driver immediately lowered himself and kowtowed once more before El, his forehead touching the flowers with deliberate care, as though unwilling to damage even a petal.
Lifting his head, he raised his voice toward the ceiling.
"We thank the beings above for entrusting us with their son."
He then turned his gaze back to El.
"What did you see?"
El rose slowly to his feet. The remnants of torn fabric slipped from his body, leaving him bare against the pale light of the chamber.
In a calm, measured voice, El answered, "I received a revelation from the beings."