“Getting a job now?”
Hearing the doctor’s words, Shard suddenly became nervous. He didn’t expect it to be so direct:
“Here?”
“Of course, is there a problem with the doctor’s clinic? And isn’t the 72 hours almost up?”
The blonde writer, Miss Louisa, seemed confused, but Dr. Schneider understood what Shard wanted to express:
“Of course it’s here. Oh, Shard, let me emphasize one point again.
Remember, we are correspondence-based sorcerers. There isn’t any special emotional connection between us and Saint Bylons Comprehensive School—only responsibility and duty. Do you understand? As for helping you, it’s because I need a fifth sorcerer in the group, and the academy rewards introducing new sorcerers. It’s not because I’m a kind-hearted person.”
The doctor looked at Shard seriously, his blue eyes full of warning:
“You lack common sense about this world, so here’s the most crucial advice: Don’t trust people easily.”
“He’s actually a good person, but always this strict.”
The lady shook her head and said.
Shard nodded cautiously but agreed with the writer’s assessment that Dr. Schneider was, at least for now, a good person.
“Louisa, you only need to observe the next process to prevent any unanticipated accidents. Please don’t speak.”
“No problem, we’ve been through this process twice. Wasn’t it the same when Annette and August started the job?”
The writer urged Shard to listen carefully:
“Sorcerers awaken their life rings by contacting four elements, which is difficult for someone who knows nothing.
This is the Sixth Epoch, not the dark and chaotic Fourth Epoch, nor the Fifth Epoch ruled by witch emperors. In this era of technological innovation, steam and machinery are the main themes. There is less mystery here. Even when aware of the supernatural, it’s hard to encounter it. Moreover, the dangers of engaging with the supernatural are unimaginable to ordinary people.”
The doctor extended four fingers:
“So, Shard, how many of the four elements have you encountered?”
“Only [Blasphemy] related to the evil god is left.”
Shard straightforwardly said. Dr. Schneider didn’t ask further:
“Look at my life ring.”
Three silver runes flickered at once, which Shard deciphered as [Rage], [Mire of the Heart], and [Malice].
[You have encountered ‘Blasphemy’.]
Following this, murmurs voiced another text:
[Sixth Epoch, 1853 AD, summer, on the day of the Silver Moon’s dim radiance, you have encountered all four elements. Outsider, the gate of transcendence is about to open, the path of ascension lies ahead.]
“Did ‘the other you’ give you any hints?”
The doctor dissolved his life ring into steam and then asked.
“Yes, ‘the other me’ indicated that I have encountered all the elements and that the gate of transcendence will open soon.”
The doctor nodded in satisfaction:
“The other me is the core of the sorcerer system. It is the flip side of your soul, it is you, but also not you. It shares knowledge and memory with you but can perceive and see more. Therefore, it acts as a bridge between the sorcerer and the world, preventing us from directly contacting knowledge and information that could taint our souls. Let me repeat this one more time, hoping you remember it well.”
“Does that mean, the other me, cannot know knowledge that I don’t?”
Shard had a sudden thought, asking this question.
The doctor affirmed, and Shard blinked. He had long suspected that his “other me” was abnormal.
“So that is you, but something you don’t know. The voice in my head is male, while Louisa’s is female.”
The lady beside them nodded to confirm.
“It shares your memories but doesn’t need sleep, so it may know more about nighttime happenings. Essentially, though, you and the other you just think differently and have different perspectives. Therefore, you may hear strange words since it can see more from the ordinary world.”
The doctor continued, and Shard blinked again.
In his heart, the gentle laughter of a woman seemed to soothe him, dispelling the last effect of the poetic relic.
“Who are you?”
He asked in his heart.
[Outsider, for now, at least, I am you.]
“Gathering the elements” is only the first step. Then there are the steps of “Ringing the Bell”, “Ignition”, “Pushing”, and “Hymn”. The complete five steps are the most orthodox sorcerer awakening procedure, used by the god churches and the three major academies.
“Ringing the Bell” means shocking the soul, making the first ascension of the soul. Though this sounds complex, it simply means drinking a potion.
The three major mystical academies and the five godly churches employ different recipes for the “Bell Ringing potion.” The doctor mentioned that Circe’s Higher Medical Academy’s potion is said to taste the best—it’s orange-flavored, very sweet; whereas the potion of the godly church [The Lord of All Things], the [Church of Nature and Malice], is the hardest to drink, somewhat like chewing bark.
The academy sent the “Bell Ringing Potion” through the manuscript—a glass bottle with purple, bubbling liquid. It felt cold to the touch but warm to drink.
But Shard found that he didn’t taste anything.
“Look behind you.”
The doctor reminded.
Shard swallowed the last sip, wiped his mouth, put down the bottle, and turned around. A layer of white mist behind him already formed, and the bell tolls were faint but audible in his ears.
He indeed felt the so-called vibration of the soul, but it could also be a stomach illusion caused by drinking too fast.
“Ignition” means lighting the collected elements, igniting the initial soul spark. This step merely requires assistance and technique from a sorcerer with three or more rings. The doctor placed his right index finger on Shard’s forehead, and as a cold stream entered Shard’s body, the bell sounds became clearer.
He turned his head, noticing the thick white mist behind him gained a scorching temperature, and the steam grew more profound, seemingly containing infinite possibilities within.
“Pushing” signifies enabling the soul to drive the lit weak spark, allowing the sorcerer to feel the spirits, gaining the ability to manipulate the four elements. Specifically, this required Shard to feel the power, experiencing idealistic forces influencing matter.
Therefore, Dr. Schneider fetched a coverless book:
“For a sorcerer, there are many ways to contact the four elements. But inscribing [Soul Runes] in your life ring does not encourage contacting gods, mysteries, or weirdness. Although this works, it’s quite hazardous. The orthodox way is reading books, learning old stories; other methods are more about luck.”
“Reading books?”
This reminded Shard again that the organization he joined was an academy.
“Yes, churches, academies, and a few sorcerer organizations hold unique books documenting highly dangerous knowledge and stories from past epochs. These books, copied and translated from dangerous ancient languages into modern tongues, weaken their power. Therefore, reading the original or those copied or translated only once is the ideal way for sorcerers to inscribe soul runes. And for you, this is enough to perceive your power.”
He handed Shard the book:
“This is the first volume of the ‘Fire Worship Book,’ a handwritten copy. It is at least six layers removed from the original and the least dangerous I have. It’s impossible to gain a soul rune by reading it. Take half an hour to read it through; ask me if you have any questions.”
Thus, Shard spent another half an hour reading, aligning the journey on his extraordinary path with learning from books. He had to maintain his current identity, asking about a few words occasionally to blend in.
During this, both the doctor and the writer kept quiet, knowing this was an important moment for Shard.
“Finished? How do you feel?”
The doctor asked.
“A bit warm.”
Shard put down the book, answering cautiously.
“Ignite it.”
The doctor handed Shard a piece of paper. Shard held it for a few seconds, waited for further instructions, but when none came, he asked:
“Did we skip steps like spells or gestures?”
“Don’t understand, feel it, guide this power. Unless your core soul rune is something like [Extinguished Flame], this shouldn’t be difficult.”
So Shard closed his eyes. He came from another world filled with more knowledge and fantasies despite no supernatural elements. Relaxing, he imagined the warmth flowing in his body, eventually reaching the fingertips, sparking and igniting the paper.
Opening his eyes, the paper in his fingers had turned yellow due to the heat.
A booming sound came from the steam behind, and black shadows symbolized the hammer about to strike Shard’s soul.
“The last step is the hymn. You need to acknowledge your identity, declaring to the world your transcendence from the mundane.”
The doctor’s tone became solemn.
“How should I do that?”
Shard asked nervously, understanding he was about to enter the extraordinary, touching the mysterious realm of the steam age.
“Say anything. I recited my name. Louisa recited a well-known short poem. Rath August prayed, and we don’t know what Luvia Annette did since she was silent.”
At this moment, the doctor’s words sounded like they came from a distant place to Shard. He stared at the thick white steam behind, where the hammer was about to fall.
The woman’s voice, reciting murmuring verses, echoed again.
Thus, Shard, almost in sync with the murmuring woman’s voice, muttered the declaration:
[Sixth Epoch, 1853 AD, summer, on the day of the Silver Moon’s dim radiance, I came to this world. I pushed open the gate of transcendence, stepping onto the path of the four elements’ ascension. Shard Owen Hamilton, the road of fate diverges at my feet. I will witness, I will experience, I shall see it all.]
The giant hammer, carrying immense wind pressure, swung from the depths of the steam, striking Shard’s soul.
Boom~
The soul was struck, sparks flew, spiritual light flickered, and elements overflowed. In the wildly spraying white steam, bringing strange radiance, the brassy circle became clear.
It rotated, spraying sparks everywhere. The brass circle, carrying high heat, fully appeared in the steam, the life ring floating behind.
In the spinning circle’s center, two brass-colored, shining core runes signified Shard’s upcoming fate—
[Time-Space], [Silver Moon].
