章 30: The activation ritual

Hugo first practiced the Psykhe-Mental-Exercise, for a few minutes, out of habit.

And as he felt his mind return to its peak, Hugo closed his eyes, regulated his breathing pattern, and emptied his mind.

He then placed his left hand over his heart and stretched out his right palm like he was readying to grab at something. Concurrently, he started visualizing the Grimoire leaving his spiritual world and materializing in his hand.

All of a sudden, his outstretched hand trembled as the huge Grimoire materialized neatly in his grip.

Hugo remained seated in the cross-legged position as he let the joy of his achievement soak right into his bones. He had prior to this only felt such delight on the day he finished fabricating the prototype of the AC induction-motor in his previous life.

Hugo wanted to experience this feeling countless more times in this new life. His eyes remained closed as he savored the moment, never loosening his grip on the otherworldly blood-red book that was Infinitus - the Grimoire of All Beginnings.

For the first time in two years, his body and mind wholly relaxed.

At that moment, there were no expectations imposed on him, no self-set deadlines, and no compulsive-obsessive thoughts to become a powerful mystic occupying his mind.

Hugo was experiencing one of the most tranquil states in his new life. He had successfully summoned the Grimoire and had taken his first step on the path to becoming a powerful mystic.

"When did I become like the others?" Hugo mumbled, his eyes still closed. His left palm was still on his chest feeling the rhythm of his heartbeat while his right still held onto the huge Grimoire in his grip.

"When did I become no better than an average man incapable of thinking out of the box?" Hugo questioned, as he began recalling incidents from his previous life.

By the time he retired, he had already invented hundreds of electrical devices that he was sure would alter the course of earth's civilization forever. Hugo was sure that he was unparalleled in his ability to harness electricity in bizarre new ways.

[My way of thinking in the previous six years hasn't been much better than that of my guileless adversaries back on Earth?] Hugo pondered as he began recalling the saga involving Edison and his band of thieves back in the USA.

[If I hadn't reached that settlement with Westinghouse, what kind of life would I have lived in my later years? …Amidst the Great Depression and the world war, what would have become of me?]

"And those obsessions of mine… What caused them? The mysterious pyramid? Or my paranoia?"

Hugo couldn't help but ponder his inexplicable obsession with the number three, which prompted him to request for room 3327 on the thirty-third of the New Yorker hotel. His fixation had led him to select a room and floor number divisible by three.

[Was it just my aged mind playing tricks on me…]

[…Or was I under constant surveillance, which exacerbated my obsession and paranoia? And that apprentice of mine, why did he make me feel so apprehensive?] Hugo started to seriously scrutinize the last years of his previous life.

[Were those men really German secret agents? They shouldn't have had any idea about the death-ray blueprint or even the 80 something trunks of notes containing my decades of research!]

[The leak could only have come from my apprentice… No other person knew about what I was working on at that time…] Hugo contemplated as he felt dejection threatening to sweep away his newfound sense of accomplishment.

"As I scrutinize the events of my previous life, I appreciate how delicate the stimuli that shape a man's destiny are…"

"Have I become one among the many that crave new sensations but soon become indifferent to them?" Hugo pondered, his voice like a whisper.

"Am I now indistinguishable from the common people who are so absorbed in the contemplation of the outside world that they are wholly oblivious to what is passing on within themselves?"

"…No! This won't do… I have to try my best to break free of all the chains that shackle me to my old mindset when analyzing challenges in this new life."

[I shouldn't follow the footsteps of the scientists back on Earth, who think deeply instead of clearly. I understand that I must be sane to reflect clearly and logically…]

[But with my grand goal of pursuing the elusive mysteries of the Cosmos, I need to follow the 'principle of insanity'.] Hugo contemplated, his eyes still closed as he maintained the lotus position.

[Not the 'insanity' of doing the same thing over and over again whilst expecting different results… But the 'insanity' of thinking and imagining the impossible.]

"There is nothing wrong with acting insane…" Hugo muttered trying to persuade himself. He needed to change his mindset as soon as possible.

[Moreover, I concur with the Dutch philosopher – Erasmus' hypothesis … I doubt that a single individual completely free of insanity could be found from the whole of mankind. The only thing that varies is the degree. A man who sees a gourd and takes it for his wife is called insane because this happens to very few people.]

"…But in the same sense, a genius could be tagged an insane person. He can only escape this label by hiding his insane thoughts from the jurors that are the people around him…"

"Only by thinking and acting like an insane person will I have a chance of succeeding in my endeavors. No rationality or scientific logic is sufficient when dealing with mysticism." Hugo mused as he shook his head to break out of his reverie.

Hugo then slowly opened his eyes…

He once again reeled in delight after seeing the huge Grimoire still in his grip. It was a carbon copy of the one that had been his spiritual world.

"Ehhh…!"

He was once again taken aback as he realized that a reddish hue covered the walls, ceiling, window, and the wooden door. The entire small space of his room was enclosed by this mist-like reddish hue.

[This should be the barrier created by summoning the Grimoire. I am now reassured. If this ability is intrinsic to the Grimoire, the Matriarch and others won't be able to spy on me when I get on with my experiments.] Hugo pondered as he activated his magnifying-sight by reflex.

Sets of unfathomable ciphers appeared in his sight. Infinity, yin-yang, pentagrams, hexagrams, and several other symbols completely alien to him hovered in his room.

The symbols seemed to be connected by illusory threads to form a network of arrays that were enclosing the entire space of Hugo's attic room.

[Very soon I will be able to use my intellect to investigate this knowledge… I need to become a mystic as soon as possible.] Hugo reflected as he forcefully deactivated his magnifying sight. He was already starting to feel giddy.

[This ability seriously impairs my mind. … I should get on with absorbing the contents of the Kratos-Body-Yoga scroll today evening. Only through practicing it and becoming a mystic will I sustain this ability and benefit from it.] Hugo sighed as he cast his attention back to the Grimoire still in his grip.

He slowly withdrew his hand. However, the Grimoire remained floating right-above his bed.

"A mystical Grimoire indeed…" Hugo sighed and jumped off his small bed. He nimbly walked to his reading table – just next to one of the bookshelves and opened its bottom drawer.

From the drawer, he withdrew a small carving-knife which was one of the gifts he received from Miss Fox.

Taking a deep breath, he calmed his mind and made a small laceration on his left forefinger. Hugo didn't even flinch as he wounded himself. This was an unexpected benefit of the torture he had endured at the hands of secret agents when his previous life expired.

He went on to place his bleeding forefinger on the picture of the child inscribed on the cover of the Grimoire and then began intoning an ancient chant that had been imprinted in his mind as part of the information from Infinitus -the Grimoire of all Beginnings.

"Cum Infinitus - Quod Grimoire Omnia initia…" Hugo chanted in ceremonial ancient-Latin with his bleeding forefinger placed on the Grimoire's cover leaving a small spot of blood impressed on the head of the child in the picture.

Hugo then traced his bleeding forefinger along the geometric-lines forming the pentagram and hexagram, before placing it on the infinity symbol at the bottom of the Book.

This was all part of the mystic blood-spell required for activation of the Mystic-Grimoire.

Hugo then closed his eyes and continued the ancient chant of activation while trying to project all his positive feelings into the Grimoire…

"*With Infinitus - The Grimoire of all beginnings**

*I will tread upon the sacred path of mysticism**

*In my pristine form, without greed or evil temptation**

*I will pursue the mysteries of the cosmos, but honor this pact with Infinitus**

*Let the entire Universe become my witness, as I vow to set upon this path in the company of Infinitus...*"

NB: *.....* Other language chants.

[....] Thoughts.