They travelled back to the shrine and after a wait joined a queue of other candidates in the same room where their selection had taken place. There were five sections set up with assistants floating around them. Each section contained a collection of tables with the artefacts on top of them. One assistant at the entrance told them where to wait. Finlay was in one of the outer edges while Keira was in the middle section.
He wasn’t sure if there was any particular reason for their positions around the room and if it was random or something to do with their levels. Perhaps it was more about the spirit itself but then he looked at the amulet sitting in front of him and decided that was unlikely as every other possible weapon surrounded him.
As candidates filtered into the room and found their place, he looked around to see if there were any familiar faces. He recognised a few from the group he had seen before his interview, the louder crowd had dwindled down to only a few but they huddled together at the opposite side of the room from him. Everyone around him seemed nervous, which was understandable, but some of the artefact to candidate pairings surprised him.
He had tried to guess which person would stand in front of their respective artefact but so far had been terrible at getting them right. Whatever sense the spirits had to choose their candidate, he had no idea what they based it on but it certainly wasn’t related to the physical structure of the artefact. Keira seemed focused exclusively on her spear and he found himself laughing at the sight of people trying to get her attention and being ignored.
So much for recruiting people right from the start.
He smiled and welcomed the people who joined his little section; most were polite but everyone was too nervous to actually say much. A few people in the same white long coats came to their area and started to look over the artefacts while tapping away at their tablets. None of them spoke to Finlay or the others and the candidates had started to look at one another nervously, unsure of what to do.
But a familiar face appeared, though one he was surprised to see. Faye walked past the others in his section, deciding to immediately go to him. She looked the same as she had when she picked him up at the station and was still just as energetic. When she reached the table in front of him she slammed both her hands on the sides, pushing herself forward so she came face to face with him.
“Well look who it is, the lost boy.”
“Hi Faye, it’s good to see you again.”
“So polite,” she narrowed her eyes and leaned even closer. “I’m still not convinced. Ronan might be but I’m not so sure.”
“I don't know what to say to that.”
“Of course you don’t,” she grinned and spun around to face the others.
“Now then, my name is Faye—I’ll be making sure none of you kill yourselves while you form your contracts.”
The small group seemed shocked and a few of the assistants turned to her which suggested that wasn’t exactly the script she was supposed to follow. He was a little surprised she was still suspicious of him, especially after getting to this point but decided that was something to ask her about if he saw her again another time.
She explained to the group that they would not touch their artefact until she told them to. She was very strict about this point and informed them that she would personally throw them out if they did otherwise. It was a strong threat considering how lax everyone had been previously and he wasn’t sure how serious she was about it given her nature.
She continued on, telling them they were in groups to speed up the process and each group would be creating their contracts one at a time under supervision. The actual process involved focusing on one area they wanted to improve about themselves. Something they wanted to make stronger, faster, whatever they could think of. This would be the first core of the contract, they’d be able to build from this later.
The idea was that the candidates would offer their renewable, stable supply of Anam to the spirit; the spirit in turn would shape the reality of the candidate to suit the thing they desired. They had to be realistic about this and she assured everyone that as they got stronger, each of these cores of the contract could develop further and become stronger. But for the first formation of the contract, it was best to focus on one area and make it very clear.
She also suggested that while these manifestations of new reality can be quite abstract, it was best to focus on something that was intuitive and natural to understand right now for their first attempt. She used strength or speed as a simple example because these were easy to understand and fundamental aspects of themselves that would naturally be helpful.
“Now then, who to start—how about my favourite lost boy?” That name was going to stick.
He hesitated, more so because he wasn’t sure what he wanted to ask for. “I guess, I’m still deciding what to use as a core.”
She had turned back around and walked over to his table as he replied and now it seemed for the first realised what his artefact was. Her gaze was one of curiosity and some confusion. After a moment she picked up the amulet and looked it over as if searching for some hidden meaning within it.
“Is this really your artefact?”
There were a few snickers from candidates behind her, though her tone wasn’t one of disappointment or judgment.
“Yes, it was Sara’s idea.”
She raised an eyebrow at Sara’s name and smiled as she put it back on the table. But then she spun around to one of the other boys who had laughed and stepped over to his table, picking up the slender sword that lay on it.
“You laugh at others though you have no idea about the world you’re stepping into.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean anything by it,” he replied with a hesitant stutter.
“Tell me, what made you choose this weapon,” she had started to swing the sword around without paying much attention to her surroundings.
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“It chose me.”
“It was the only one that chose you?”
“Um… Yes.”
“Lost boy, how many artefacts chose you?”
“Well, other than this one there was a large axe,” Finlay replied.
“And what made you choose that artefact over the axe?”
“It had a strange effect on me, the spirit was aggressive, controlling I guess. This felt right, I can’t really explain it better than that.”
She put the sword down while staring at the other boy. “You have to open your eyes to the possibilities of the world. If you don’t, it might just eat you up.”
She spun around again with a cursive glance towards the other candidates who had laughed though didn’t say anything directly at them. Finlay wasn’t sure what to make of her actions though he did appreciate that she seemed to be defending him and his choice in her own unique way.
“Now Finlay,” her tone had shifted, quiet and almost caring. “Take your time, think very carefully about what you want from the spirit, and make it clear in your mind.”
She had placed both hands on the side of the table opposite him and indicated for him to do the same. She had been flippant, almost playful when she spoke to him before but now she was far more serious.
“Try to push everything else out, the clearer you can envisage it the stronger the effect will be. Once you have that image stuck in your mind, pick up the artefact and request a contract with it. Keep focusing on the idea, the image you have, there will be feelings and experiences that pass over you and the spirit will create a mark on you. We all have them, it is the sign of the contract, don’t worry—just focus on that one thing and the spirit will do the rest.”
He nodded but she only offered a slight smile in return. She had an intense focus and there was a presence around her that matched Sara’s when she had taken the axe from him. It was hard to judge from how she spoke but there was a difference to her as she fulfilled her protective role.
He had questioned what he wanted from the spirit, questioned what he wanted. If he had the axe he could see the benefit to being stronger, having faster reaction time or being able to move better in some other manner but he wouldn’t be using a weapon like that. He didn’t know how he was going to use the amulet, he knew next to nothing about invocations and what would benefit them. He could focus on being more dexterous, if he had to draw symbols like the man on the boat that might help but was that all he really wanted, it seemed so small, so insignificant for what was possible.
He wanted to be able to protect those he cared about. The image of Keira falling from her bike, the guardian swiping at her from above. The sight of his sister and the barrier the man created to save them was all he could think of. He didn’t know how the spirit in the amulet might do it but that’s what he wanted, to protect others, to keep those in need safe from the dangers of the world.
He kept his eyes closed, imagining a barrier, a shield of light, an image of himself covered in an aura like the one that had come over him with the axe but one to keep him safe. He focused on the image and extended it to another, Keira, his father, he thought about the others around him, those he cared about and wanted to keep safe. He picked up the amulet.
The spirit responded immediately, a welcoming touch, a comfortable, happy feeling that was distinct and different from his own. He thought the words, the desire to form a contract with it and could feel it hesitate but then another surge of happiness filled him. It accepted, he hadn’t considered that it might not before this moment but now he felt relief that it had.
There was a shimmer of light, a pale blue aura shrouded the amulet and without thinking about it he pulled it over his head. It dangled comfortably in the centre of his chest and he looked down to see the light around it brighten. He touched the front of it and the light shrouded his fingers and then continued over his hand. It was dancing, a playing flicker that felt joyous in an indescribable way.
That light deepened from a faint aura into a pulsing, flickering tone that matched the heartbeat of the amulet and he could see a trace of that light below his shirt. It was creating the mark on his chest, above where his heart would be, three swirls in the same shape and design as the amulet started to form. It only brightened as the design continued to be drawn on him and he watched the light beneath his clothes; there was no pain or real sensation, just a warmth as though someone had pressed their hand over his chest.
The heartbeat continued alongside the lines that drew the shape until it finished and both the light and presence faded until they were silent and still. He lifted the amulet up in his hand and looked at it, the blue aura continued to fade away until there was nothing left but that simple dark black shape.
“Well that was surprisingly easy,” Faye said once the light had vanished.
He looked at her, dropping the amulet. “Is that it—it’s done?”
“You would know better than anyone, how does it feel?”
“I’m not sure, I don’t really know if I feel any different, though I can feel it here with me.”
“What did you think of, what was your core?”
“I guess it was a bit more vague than you suggested. I wanted to protect people, like someone who protected me when I was young, to be able to create a barrier, a shield of sorts.”
“I distinctly remember saying to keep it simple.”
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t think of anything else, at least nothing else that seemed useful to me at this moment.”
“You don’t need to be sorry, whatever you thought up seemed to work,” she grinned and reached over to pat him on the shoulder. “Good job lost boy, you’re officially contracted and are now a real member of the guild.”
It turned out that Faye’s surprise at the ease of his forming the contract was warranted. The next candidate beside him; a girl who had a wide-bladed sword, broke the contract formation three times and needed to rest to recover before trying again. Faye reminded them how important the image they wanted was and that the reason the contract broke was because the girl struggled to communicate that to the spirit.
It made him question why his felt so easy to form given the lack of certainty he felt about what he wanted. He had been able to talk to previous spirits so even with his vague communication he felt that might have affected it but it wasn't as though he'd been able to talk with this one.
The other people in his group had similar problems. None of them managed to form the contract on their first try. While many managed on their second, a few had to take a break after exhausting themselves. He also realised the process hadn’t tired him at all, in fact, the opposite was true—he felt more alive, and more energy than ever after he formed his.
He was mulling over the meaning behind those thoughts when a scream came from the central group. There was a burst of red light that swayed aggressively in the air like the flicker of a flame. In the middle of that dark red aura was Keira holding a large glaive and people were backing away from her as though she was a threat.
He panicked and almost ran to her but Faye stopped him with one hand and told him it was okay and to wait. Keira wasn’t moving and she didn’t seem to be in any pain from what he could tell from this far away. The scream had come from another girl after the sudden burst of energy that erupted from Keira surprised her. It felt as though it lasted an eternity, far longer than the other contract formations in his group but eventually, the flickering red light died down.
She turned her new weapon over in her hand and lowered the end to the ground as she looked back to the rest of the group. Everyone relaxed and while the entire room had turned to watch what was going on, they soon went back to their business.
Show off.
He smiled thinking of how everyone was going to want to join up with the obviously powerful girl in the centre of the room that lit the place up in flames. He was happy and relieved until she turned to look at him and he saw the anguish in her face.
Something was wrong.