Chapter 86: Prayer

Suspension-style ritualistic magic refers to the ability to pause a ritual at the practitioner's discretion, allowing them to attend to other matters and then resume the ritual later, still achieving the intended effects.

This technique developed over a thousand years of ritualistic magic evolution. Many high-level rituals require numerous steps, and completing them can take anywhere from an hour to half a day. During such prolonged rituals, disturbances or unforeseen events are almost inevitable.

Through hard-earned lessons from past failures, often paid in blood, practitioners gradually developed the suspension technique, which became a standard practice for advanced rituals and later influenced simpler ones as well.

However, suspending a ritual isn't as simple as stopping and resuming whenever one wishes. The practitioner must follow mysticism principles and apply the proper technique; otherwise, failure—and even severe backlash—may result.

As Klein understood, if one managed to attract the attention of a divinity and then suddenly decided to say, "Hold on, I need to use the bathroom," they might just receive a permanent invitation to skip that need altogether.

Klein composed himself.

Although Klein had previously performed luck enhancement rituals and even crafted attempts at rituals for Justice and The Hanged Man, this was his first true ritualistic magic that adhered strictly to mystical rules.

After glancing at the silver-inlaid cane by the bedside, Klein placed a third candle at the center of his desk to represent himself. He set a silver ritual bowl—a tool used by Selena—in front of the candle, replacing the usual ax with a Sacred Emblem. To the left, he arranged pure dew and essential oils from Moonflower, Slumberflower, and other mystical plants. On the right, he positioned a plate of salt, a small silver dagger, a piece of imitation goatskin, and a quill dipped in ink.

Fortunately, Selena had an extensive collection of supplies, enabling him to complete the ritual's intricate setup. Without it, he wouldn't have been able to proceed. Unlike the simpler, faster rituals Old Neil could perform, a Seer's magic required detailed preparation.

From the looks of it, Selena had considerable knowledge as a mysticism enthusiast—she was only sixteen, yet she'd been practicing for at least a year... Who had mentored her? Klein wondered, lifting Selena's cup from the bed and filling it with plain water, placing it beside the salt.

With a glance at his pocket watch, he decided it was time. He let the layers of a spherical light visualize in his mind, quickly easing into meditation.

The room, thick with floral scents, became charged with an invisible whirlwind. Klein's eyes darkened as he held his palm over the candle in the top-right corner and chanted softly, "Evernight Goddess, you are the Lady of Crimson!"

He extended his spirituality, lightly touching the candlewick until it flickered into a calm blue flame within the dim yellow light.

"Evernight Goddess, you are the Empress of Disaster and Horror!"

He lit the second candle in the top-left corner.

"I am your loyal guard—the shield that fends against danger in the dark night and the spear that strikes at evil in the silence!"

Whoosh! The third candle, symbolizing Klein himself, ignited.

He took the silver knife and followed Old Neil's purification steps, using incantations, salt, and water. His spirituality surged from the knife's tip, blending naturally with the ritual's energy.

With the silver knife in hand, Klein walked around the room. When he reached the bed, he kneeled, sealing the space with a faint, invisible barrier.

Outside, the street lamp's light vanished, but the red moon cast its quiet glow through the window.

Returning to his desk, Klein picked up the quill, drawing symbols and incantations with ink and spirituality to ward off disaster.

Once this was done, he put down the quill and carefully dropped pure dew, flower essence, and essential oils onto each candle.

Sizzle! A delicate mist filled the room, adding an extra layer of mystique.

He burned a few herbs to enhance the blend of fragrances, then stepped back, reciting the incantation to activate the suspended ritual magic.

"Nobler than the stars, more eternal than eternity, Evernight Goddess."

"I pray for your loving grace."

"I pray for you to extend your grace to a devout believer."

"I pray for the power of the Crimson."

"I pray for the powers of Disaster and Horror."

"I pray that you cleanse your faithful follower, Selena Wood, of evil's corruption and shield her from danger."

"I ask that you wait—just a moment longer—for that unfortunate girl."

"Moonflower, herb bound to the red moon, lend your power to my incantation!"

"Slumberflower, herb of the red moon, lend your power to my incantation!"

...

Klein closed his eyes and silently repeated the incantation seven times.

He observed the altar, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. Lifting the silver dagger, he stepped back toward Selena's bedroom door.

He tapped his chest in four places, forming the shape of a crimson moon, then turned, raising the silver dagger.

His spirituality surged from the tip, slicing the shape of a door into the unseen barrier.

Klein knew that even with the door opened, the tranquility and holiness of the altar would remain undisturbed.

Drawing his silver vine-leaf pocket watch, intricately patterned, he checked the time and reviewed the steps to come.

...

In the dimly lit living room on the second floor, Elizabeth's body trembled now and then as she kept glancing up at the wall clock, silently counting down under the glow of two gas lamps.

"It's almost time..." she muttered, casting a sideways look at the lively, wine-red-haired girl beside her. The girl's bright smile and cheerful chatter with friends seemed normal, but this only heightened Elizabeth's anxiety. The image of a cold, terrifying Selena from the mirror haunted her mind, refusing to fade.

I can't wait any longer! I have to act now! Elizabeth abruptly stood and forced a stilted smile. "Selena, I... I have a surprise for you. Could you come with me?"

"Really? But you already gave me a birthday gift!" Selena replied, flipping a small mirror face down as she rose with an intrigued smile.

"True surprises never come with warnings," Elizabeth stammered, feeling her lack of skill in acting. She quickly walked towards the bedroom, with Selena following, her expression puzzled.

At the doorway to Selena's room, Elizabeth took a deep breath. "Let's go inside."

"Elizabeth, why are you so nervous?" Selena asked, noticing her friend's tension.

"Just... excitement!" Elizabeth shot a nervous glance at the mirror Selena held, then turned and knocked on the door—one long knock followed by two short ones.

"Why are you knocking on my bedroom door?" Selena asked, even more perplexed.

Creak. The door opened to reveal Klein, dressed in his black tuxedo and half-top hat.

"Surprise?" Selena asked, bewildered.

Without another word, Klein reached out, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her into the room. In the same motion, his silver dagger shot forward, releasing his spirituality to seal the doorway with an invisible barrier. The door slammed shut, muffling Selena's shocked screams.

Klein rushed to the desk, ignoring Selena's crying. She stopped suddenly as her expression shifted, her gaze turning icy. Her skin grew pale, and her fingernails sharpened like claws.

Already in a meditative state, Klein trickled drops of Moonflower essence onto each candle and chanted, "Supreme Lady of Crimson, Great Empress of Disaster and Horror."

"I pray for you to bestow your grace."

"Grant your grace to your lost follower, Selena Wood!"

With each line, he held the goatskin over the requester's candle. As he felt a sudden chill behind him, he thrust the goatskin into the silver bowl, its edges igniting in blue flame. He crouched just in time to dodge a lethal strike as a fierce wind roared through the room.

Klein felt his spirituality pouring out uncontrollably, like a river's torrent.

Through his Spirit Vision, he saw dark green wisps from Selena's aura dissolve into the bowl, vanishing into shadow. The sounds of collapsing weight thudded behind him. When he turned, he saw Selena sprawled on the floor, her silver mirror shattered into fragments across the carpet.

The broken mirror shards no longer reflected Selena's face. Her aura was free of the wicked green taint, though she looked weaker than before.

Phew... Klein had barely exhaled in relief when a stabbing pain pulsed in his head, nearly dropping him to the floor. Clenching his fists, he fought against the torment, his mind assaulted by distant, maddening whispers.

After nearly twenty seconds, the agony finally subsided. Cold sweat soaked his forehead and vest. The ritualistic magic had drained him, nearly pushing his powers to the brink. Yet he sensed he had digested more of the potion's energy.

Tapping his forehead, Klein wiped his brow and turned to the altar, tapping his chest four times. "Praise the Lady."

He extinguished the candles, cleared the altar, returned the items to the desk, and used his silver dagger to dispel the barrier.

The wind whistled, then ceased. Klein exhaled deeply, feeling a tremor of lingering fear.

If I hadn't prepared every step beforehand, things might have gone terribly wrong... And I still don't know who—what—I'm truly up against. At least, thankfully, there was carpet. Saved my clothes while rolling around... He shook his head and reached for the door handle.

"How did it go?" Elizabeth asked anxiously.

Removing his half-top hat, Klein replied, "I've corrected the disturbance from her magic mirror divination. It's resolved now."