บท 47: Truly "Illiterate"
Aurore looked at the slightly stained white tablecloth and smiled at Lumian.
"If you're the target of ritualistic magic, it doesn't matter if the altar is dirty. But if you want to pray to a deity or a hidden existence, I suggest you change to a cleaner piece of cloth or remove the cloth and wipe the table."
"Anything works if I'm just praying to yourself, right?" Lumian teased.
Aurore chuckled.
"That refers to the environment, materials, and equipment, but the ritual process and incantations must strictly follow the rules of mysticism."
She pulled out an orange candle from her pocket.
"This is a candle mixed with citrus and lavender. It has nothing to do with their domain; I just like it."
Aurore waved the candle above the altar.
"Remember, the candle representing the deity is placed in these two places. It can be empty now."
Then she placed the candle close to her.
"Remember, this is the location of 'me'."
Next, Aurore brought a cup of water, a plate of coarse salt, and a small steel bowl from the kitchen.
"We need to create a clean and undisturbed ritual environment. Clean in the sense of spirituality. We have to construct it ourselves. Enter Cogitation and focus your mind. You can guide the spiritual power out through supplementary items and build a wall of spirituality around the altar.
"Mystery Pryers and Seers find this simple. Hunters need the help of other items before reaching Sequence 7. For example, incense to calm your emotions and make you ethereal, or a crystal ball to help you focus on your spirituality.
"The meditation I taught you before is incomplete. It's only the first step. It can only gather your thoughts and calm you down. I'll teach you the rest later."
Lumian was surprised. Why can I activate the dream's specialness and make the two symbols appear if the meditation method is incomplete?
Aurore pulled out a silver dagger.
"Watch carefully how I build the wall of spirituality."
Lumian was stunned and blurted out, "Why do you have so many things on you?"
First, there were various casting materials, a retractable telescope, a miniature ink bottle that stored the spirit world creature, White Paper, and candles for rituals. Now, she had taken out a dagger.
Aurore sighed in exasperation.
"Do you think I want to? It's just inconvenient for Warlocks.
"It takes me a long time to alter each of my clothes. Sometimes, I even feel like Doraemon. I can take out whatever I want."
"What —Amon?" Lumian asked, not understanding the reference.
Aurore hesitated for a moment before replying with a mixed expression, "You don't need to know."
Lumian suddenly felt a pang of sadness for his sister.
Aurore composed herself and reached for the orange candle representing her.
"In ritualistic magic, candles can't simply be lit. Of course, there are times when ordinary methods can work, but that's not always the case," Aurore explained. "The correct way is to extend your spirituality, rub it against the wick, and light it."
As she spoke, she lit the candle with a spark of spirituality, and it burned with an orange flame.
The dining table transformed into an altar, and the surrounding area was bathed in a deep, otherworldly light.
Aurore's light-blue eyes had darkened, and an invisible wind swirled around her as she plunged the silver dagger into the coarse salt and began chanting a mysterious incantation.
"XXX, XXX!
"…"
Lumian was bewildered as he watched his sister complete the incantation and draw out the silver dagger. She stabbed it into the cup of water and raised it again.
Aurore pointed the dagger outward and began to walk around the altar. With each step she took, Lumian sensed an invisible force emanating from the dagger. It was agile and lively, mingling with the air to create an impenetrable barrier.
As Aurore completed the circle, Lumian felt as if she had been transported to a different realm.
"Did you understand the steps?" Aurore's voice sounded distant.
Lumian nodded truthfully.
"Yes, but I don't understand what you mean."
Aurore could not help but laugh.
"You're completely illiterate when it comes to mysticism. Literally. That's Hermes. When translated, it's:
"I sanctify you, blade of pure silver!
"I cleanse and purify you, allowing you to serve me in this ritual!
...
"In the name of Warlock Aurore Lee,
"You have been sanctified!"
Lumian scratched his head. "It sounds ordinary."
"That's just the translation. The meaning of the incantation and the language used is what's important," Aurore explained, her eyes lighting up. "In Intisian, it might sound ordinary, but if you use Hermes, ancient Hermes, Elvish, Dragonese, or Jotun, you can tap into superpowers. That's what sets them apart."
Lumian asked curiously, "Are these the only languages that can communicate with the mysterious?"
"No, there are many other languages in the field of mysticism, each with its own specialties. For example, some are specifically meant for the undead, but most Beyonders won't be able to use them unless they want to study a unique and rare domain or perform the corresponding ritual," Aurore explained casually.
She went on to explain the incantation.
"During the sanctification ritual, the penultimate sentence should be in the name of a certain deity or a hidden existence, but as wild Beyonders, it's best not to use them to avoid unnecessary trouble.
"As a Beyonder, it's enough to use your name to sanctify an ordinary item. Although it won't be as effective as the original version, it can still be used."
Lumian nodded, then asked, "You came up with my name. Can I use it in the ritual?"
Aurore replied confidently, "Yes. A completely new name wouldn't work, but your name has been in use for several years, so there's a mystic connection."
She paused for a moment before continuing, "If you're in the wild and don't have many materials, you can complete the ritual with simple salt or clear water."
With that, Aurore pulled out a small silver-black metal bottle from her pocket.
"This is my own concoction of essential oil called 'Wizard of Oz.' What sets it apart is that it smells good," Aurore explained as she dripped three drops of light green liquid on the candle representing her.
The light of the candle flickered and sizzled, and a faint mist spread out, giving Aurore and the altar an air of mystique.
"Now for the important part," Aurore said, pulling a small faux goatskin from her pocket. "If you're holding a ritualistic magic that prays to a deity, you need to draw the symbol of what you want on the paper and burn it during the ritual.
"The first part is a prayer for someone's power. This 'someone' needs to be replaced by the symbol of a deity, an honorific name, or a domain ruled over by Them. For example, I pray for the power of the Sun or the power of Order. Remember, there are always two sentences that correspond to the two candles that represent the deity.
"The second part is 'I pray for the God's loving grace.' Remember, don't call Him by His name. Doing so in a ritual is sacrilegious. The Eternal Blazing Sun can be referred to as God or Father.
"The third part is what you want to pray for. You must be brief and finish it in one sentence.
"The fourth part is to give more power to the incantation. For example, 'Sun Flower, a herb that belongs to the Sun. Please bestow your powers to my incantation.' You can choose two to three types based on the materials used.
"After reciting the incantation, drip a drop of essential oil on each candle and burn the piece of paper that was used to draw the symbol. After the paper is burned, the ritual comes to an end. Then, thank the deity and extinguish the candles in the order of 'me', followed by 'god', right to left. Dispel the wall of spirituality. Oh, and remember to light the candles from left to right, beginning with 'god' followed by 'me'."
Lumian nodded twice in acknowledgement before asking, "What about praying to yourself?"
Aurore chuckled before explaining, "The incantation is even simpler. I'll use summoning spirit world creatures as an example. For the first part, there's only one word: 'I'. Remember, you can't use modern Hermes here. It has to be ancient Hermes, Elvish, Dragonese, or Jotun. The second part is 'I summon in my name,' which can be said in modern Hermes. The third part is the exact description of the summoned spirit world creature."
Lumian was curious. "What's an exact description?"
Aurore explained solemnly, "It needs to be limited to three lines to help us lock onto the creature we want to summon."
"For instance, if someone said they were looking for the prankster of Cordu Village, Aurore Lee's idiot brother, and a regular customer of Ol' Tavern, we know exactly who they're looking for because of the specific characteristics given."
"I get it!" Lumian was enlightened. "So, if we don't know the target's name, appearance, or address, we can use their characteristics to help find them."
Aurore said seriously, "That's the principle, but there are many problems when put into practice. For example, when summoning creatures from the spirit world, the first sentence is often fixed. It's either 'the spirit that wanders about the unfounded' or 'spirit wandering above the world.' Its function is to point to the spirit world and clearly state that we want to summon a spirit.
"The second sentence is also very universal. We don't summon spirit world creatures to harm ourselves, so we must restrict it to friendly creatures. Sometimes, we also add the word 'weak'. This is because some spirit world creatures may be very friendly, but their existence can bring great danger.
"Considering these circumstances, the description is fixed. 'The friendly creature that can be subordinated', 'the friendly creature that can be consulted', 'the weak creature that can be subordinated', and so on.
"But based on these two descriptions, the direction is still very broad. It doesn't reflect our needs. Therefore, the third description is very important. You need to use a sentence to clearly explain what creature you want to summon."
"Sounds very difficult." Lumian felt a headache just thinking about it.
Aurore nodded.
"Not only is it difficult, but it's also dangerous. When the direction is vague, it might summon a spirit you don't need or a creature that brings danger. Remember, being weak doesn't mean it can't kill you, just like being friendly doesn't mean it won't pose a threat to you."
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