Chapter 77: Ritual

Emery was stirring the new alchemical concoction inside the cauldron that Granny had just come up with while Lanzo was standing by the side counting the stock of herbs in a basket before heading out to look for more of them. Granny warmly smiled at him but when he looked and saw the reflection of Granny in the cauldron's content, the gentle old woman's face was replaced by a greasy white-haired woman with a face full of boils and wrinkles, and with eyes seemingly about to pop out of their sockets. He turned his neck toward her and it indeed was the nightmarish old hag. A black smoke emerged from her hand and the Granny started cackling with a wicked smile. Emery then jolted awake back into reality.

Here Emery lay on the table staring at the rounded ceiling composed of straw and wood. It was just like when the first time he had awoken in Granny's hut. There was the strong scent of medicinal herbs but there was also a foul stench, which probably came from the corpses outside. Still, this moment was unlike his first experience, that time had a warm atmosphere but now it had a cold, dark and a deathly aura permeating the surrounding. It was the total opposite, his distant memory was, compared to his present situation.

Waves of prickling needles like ants crawling through his whole body. The poison was still in effect as he tried to move his whole body, but only his pinky finger was able to make small movements, nothing meaningful. He could move his eyes though and was able to faintly see on the edge of his vision four silhouettes lit by the faint several candles standing on the edge of the table and the burning furnace where the cauldron stood.

One of the bodies was that of a woman, lying next together to another burly man, which were most likely Obed and his dead wife. As for Jacob and Lanzo, they were closer to him and after looking carefully at their chest, he saw they were slightly heaving with eyes closed.

Once more he struggled to break free from the bondage but it was for naught no matter how hard he ordered his body to move. Then Lanzo's silhouette rustled, Emery whispered, "Lanzo! Hey, Lanzo! Wake up!"

"He's fast asleep, my dear. I'm quite surprised to see you already recovered. Your body's healing truly is a marvel, "said Granny with a wicked grin while entering the alchemy room. She first went to Lanzo, caressed his cheeks, before moving to Emery. "Anyway dear, it seems like you're not a simple boy found in the woods, are you?"

She then pounced on him and grabbed his cheeks, forcing his eyes to gaze directly into hers. After she seemed to have confirmed what she wanted to know, she released her bony hand and said, "A tint of green. So, that's why. You're a Fey. Care to tell me the name of your parents?"

Emery stayed silent as he was now able to wiggle his toe.

"What about your mother's name instead?" asked the old hag.

He initially had no desire to answer but when Granny asked for his mother's name specifically, he said, "Why does it matter?"

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Granny raised her hand and said, "Actually, you're right. Don't bother. It doesn't even matter."

"Granny…" he said tiredly. "Why are you doing this?"

For a moment, Granny looked about to answer but only the dull thumping of the wooden floor against her feet replied in return. She stood before the unconscious Jacob and grabbed the container sitting beside him. She lifted it up, scooped her hand inside then rubbed it on Jacob's arms, legs and head. Emery watched as the red watery substance from the container, some of them seemed to have already formed chunks, was smeared on Jacob. It didn't take long for Jacob to be covered all over except for his chest when a new metallic scent traveled in the air. Granny moved closer to Jacob and then drew a circle with a six-sided star on Jacob's chest and proceeded to grab a small, jet black dagger.

As she raised the dagger, she chanted a spell that was foreign to Emery's ear before fiercely puncturing Jacob right in the center of what she had drawn. Emery wanted to close his eyes but refused to avert his gaze while watching Jacob suddenly waking up and grimacing.

Jacob's body started convulsing violently and a few seconds later, a screeching white stream flew out from his orifices; mouth, nose, ears, including the eyes until it got sucked into granny's wide open jaw. After nothing more came out of Jacob's orifices, only then he stopped shaking and became dried up, looking similar to the corpses Obed had buried beside Granny's hut.

The ungodly ritual sent goosebumps up Emery's spine for only one explanation made sense in his mind. She had just sucked a person's life. Jacob's wailing reverberated inside Emery's head. The village elder of Mistshire died just like that.

She placed the jet black dagger carefully on the table and even though the room's visibility was close to none, Emery had seen how her body shook in delight.

"You… you… What did you do to old man Jacob?" he demanded.

Granny lifted the lifeless corpse of Jacob and turned to Emery. Her greasy white hair had become richer and a bit darker after she had consumed a person's soul. She said with a less nasally voice, "I am a plague, my dear. A curse towards all living things."

Her lips curled upward before going out of the room. After returning with no Jacob on her arms, she kneeled before Lanzo and placed him on the table. She tore his shirt with the dagger.

"No, please no… Granny, stop. Don't do this. Not to him…" pleaded Emery. Again Granny worked in silence and didn't heed any attention to Emery. She hastily scribbled the blood from another container she had prepared and once all preparation had been finished, she licked her lips and raised the dagger.

"Granny! That's Lanzo, he cares about you more than anyone. Don't do this to him!"

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Granny pierced down but stopped midway. She then said, "Ahh… my dear Lanzo… I see that you're awake. Why didn't you say anything?"

Emery was finally able to turn over his body to the side and saw Lanzo had his eyes open.

Lanzo was shaking, his eyes wet. "I-I am afraid…"

"Aww, it's okay to be afraid, child. Don't worry it will be over soon…" she said with a patronizing tone.

"Granny, I am afraid to die. But I am also terrified to know the truth. Still, will you tell me?"

"Of course, go ahead and ask me anything, deary Lanzo," Granny answered.

"Tell me the truth this time. Was it you?"

"Yes, you are correct," said Granny.

"I… see…" These were only the words that Lanzo seemed to get out of his throat.

At first Lanzo was as still as a rock, then it became a slight tremble, but now, he was calm again. And just like a volcano, Lanzo erupted, "I treated you like my mother!"

"Kekeke, I never was your mother! Be happy now that you can reunite with your family!" she replied and struck down the jet black dagger straight into Lanzo's chest.

Lanzo was able to spare a glance into Emery's eyes who had turned his head to see, and Emery could feel the fear and despair in Lanzo's. Emery shouted, pleading Granny to stop this madness, but the knife stayed punctured in Lanzo's chest. And in his last moments, Emery and Lanzo stared at each other as Lanzo's face slowly paled. Emery's heart dropped. Lanzo was dying.

He howled in torment as the white stream also exited his body and got consumed by Granny's inhumane opened-jaws before falling limp, lifeless. She burst out laughing after she looked at her reflection in the cauldron. Once more she turned to Emery with her face now clear of wrinkles and eyes no longer bulging out.

"Why, Granny, why!" Emery shouted in tears.

"Isn't it obvious yet? All this work just to gain my youth hahaha—huh?

Granny stopped laughing madly and touched her cheeks with her finger that looked less bony.

"Why do I have tears?" she said to herself before wiping it. "No matter, you're next, my dear Emery. You'll accompany my poor Lanzo."

The numbing feeling still covered Emery's being but the raging fire inside him didn't die down. He now could feel Granny's grasp, which felt stronger than an average adult male.

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At this moment, he was starting to hate himself as she slammed him down on the table. He hated how helpless he was as Granny tore open his shirt, revealing his scarred chest; he hated how that all he could do was watch as she smeared blood on him; he hated how naive he had been as Granny raised her dagger and was getting ready to kill him.

Emery roared while the blood in his veins started to boil. A surge of energy exploded within him. His body grew hair rapidly, teeth were turning sharper, ears were starting to be that of a wolf and nails were turning into claws. Then his bare chest started to emit a black light before it formed into some kind of wavy engravings spreading from his scarred chest up to his cheeks.

[Fey bloodline activated]

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