บท 50: Ritual

"Old man! Old man! I'm here!" Adam walked inside the store and looked around for the old gnome. But he was nowhere in sight.

Lisa and Edward entered the store after him. The former looked around in curiosity and wonder; this was the first time she had visited this store. Meanwhile, the latter was panting like a dog.

Suddenly, a deep voice echoed in the store. "Come upstairs."

It was Berger's voice.

Adam excitedly led his friends up the spiral staircase and went to the second floor which was Berger's laboratory as well as his living quarters. There, he saw the old gnome instructing the towering adamantine golem to inscribe a mysterious formation on the ground.

Lisa approached the formation on the ground and curiously began studying it. She nudged her glasses and muttered, "This familiar binding ritual is very similar to the ones we used in the academy last week. Except, there are some minute changes in the first and fourth quadrants."

Berger, while smoking from his pipe, nodded. "Correct. The runes in the first quadrant open a portal to the Spirit World, whereas the runes in the fourth quadrant serve as an anchor."

"Anchor?" Adam was puzzled. "What for?"

"So that your spirit body doesn't permanently separate from your physical body and wander in the Spirit World for eternity." Berger chuckled in a threatening manner.

Hearing this, both Adam and Edward were scared. The latter whispered into Adam's ears, "You sure you wanna do this?"

"O-Of course!" Adam appeared brave, but his trembling knees gave him away.

"Heh!" Berger was amused. "Don't worry. Things won't go south. But if they do, Blackie will help."

"Woof!"

The little puppy appeared out of nowhere and pounced on Adam. But like all the times before, Adam didn't avoid him. Instead, he welcomed Blackie with open arms.

He hugged the puppy and asked with watery eyes, "Blackie, you'll help me right? I'm your friend, right? Right?"

Blackie dubiously looked at Adam with narrowed eyes, wondering why the stupid human was acting even stupider today.

"I'll reward you if you help me. I promise!" Adam tried to coax the naughty little thing.

Blackie turned its small head to look at Berger, seemingly asking for confirmation. Berger simply shrugged his shoulders. The puppy then turned around and reluctantly nodded.

Seeing this, Adam's eyes twitched. He couldn't help but inwardly curse, This stupid dog! He then placed Blackie on top of his head and watched the golem continue to carve the ritual formation on the floor.

Meanwhile, Lisa, Edward, and their respective familiars were curiously looking at Blackie who was treating Adam's head like a throne.

Lisa had never seen a Spirit World creature, so she was extremely curious. She stretched her hand to try and pat Blackie. But suddenly…

"Grrr!" Blackie noticed this and he looked at Lisa with a frown.

"S-Sorry." Lisa immediately took back her hand, her back drenched in cold sweat. Following that, Blackie returned to taking a nap on Adam's head.

So scary! Lisa cast a secretive glance at Blackie. She then looked at Adam and thought, How did the two of them get so close?

It took about fifteen more minutes before the adamantine golem had finally finished inscribing the ritual formation. The formation consisted of a pentagram enclosed in a circle, furthermore, the circle was enclosed inside of a square.

A total of 9 common ingredients from the Spirit World were placed on the formation. Five on each of the five points of the pentagram, and four on the four points of the square.

Berger pointed at the center of the pentagram and instructed Adam, "Go sit there."

Blackie jumped off of Adam's head and started jogging around the formation, seemingly scrutinizing it as he kept nodding his head from time to time. He then looked at Adam and gave him a thumbs up. "Woof!"

Adam gulped nervously and walked toward the formation. He then sat down at the center of the pentagram and looked to Berger for guidance.

Berger began explaining, not only to Adam but even to Lisa and Edward.

"Spirit World is a place of extremes. When you enter this dimension, your senses will be enhanced. Colors will appear more vibrant and sounds will seem more distinct. It is quite a magical place. But it is also extremely dangerous."

The gnome's voice turned solemn as he continued after a brief pause. "The Spirit World is made up of all sorts of abstract information and symbolism. If you try to make sense of all that you see in this dimension, you will fail miserably. Your head may even explode.

"Inside this mystical world, time and space have lost their meaning. One cannot discern the direction, nor can they distinguish between the past, present, and the future. That is why an anchor is needed when visiting the Spirit World!"

The three kids were filled with horror and disbelief. Just from this small description, the Spirit World seemed like a forbidden zone that a mortal shouldn't even dare to venture into.

Edward and Lisa couldn't help but glance at Adam in concern.

Adam, on the other hand, was so nervous that he couldn't stop his body from trembling. Noticing this, Berger taunted, "Say, boy, do you still wish to venture into the beyond?"

Adam didn't reply for a long time. He was scared. He was very sacred.

BUT SO WHAT!

He clenched his fists, trying to stop them from trembling. He looked into Berger's eyes and said with firm resolve. "Of course I will!"

Berger grinned. "Good! Very Good!"

The next moment, a ridiculous amount of mana gathered in the gnome's hands, shocking everyone present. They couldn't help but wonder just how powerful one must be to be able to command such a large amount of mana.

Berger reminded, "Also, remember this boy. The Spirit World is the home to spirits. Spirits can be good or evil. Either way, I recommend you not to interact with them.

"Furthermore, there are also some hidden existences residing deep within the Spirit World. Trust me, you do not want to attract their attention. They are powerful entities, far more powerful than me. So keep a low profile."

Adam didn't know whether to laugh or cry as he thought, Damn you! Did you really have to mention the last part?

Berger brought his palms together, resounding in an extremely loud clap followed by a wave of energy rippling outward. He injected mana into the ritual formation, following which, the formation lit up in a resplendent light.

Adam took deep breaths and tried to calm down his beating heart. The light of the formation completely enveloped him.

And then…

The space above the ritual formation was torn asunder and a direct portal to the Spirit World was formed!