Chapter 370: The Cleansing Ritual
Foltest stood up and addressed his Royal Chancellor: "Let's leave off here for today. This afternoon... No, let's discuss this again tomorrow."
The Chancellor could see the King seemed genuinely unwell, so he said no more, found his cane, and rose. "As you command, Your Majesty."
The Chancellor opened the door, nodded to the two sorceresses standing there, and they stepped aside to let the limping, cane-wielding official pass.
Once the sorceresses entered the study, the guards outside closed the door once more.
Both women performed a curtsey. "Your Majesty."
"Please, be seated."
After Triss and Keira had taken their chairs, Foltest gathered his thoughts and recounted the strange dream he'd had the previous night to the sorceresses before him.
Triss and Keira exchanged a look.
Keira spoke first: "Your Majesty, may I use magic to examine you?"
"Of course, please do, Lady Keira."
Keira extended her hand, and a complicated golden magical array shimmered into existence before her palm. As the array appeared, Foltest was immediately struck by an inexplicable sense of light-aversion; his heart felt hollow, and he was filled with panic.
It was only after Keira dispersed the spell's glow, and a moment later, that Foltest began to feel better. He then noticed the extreme gravity on Keira's face.
Suppressing his inner turmoil, he asked, "Lady Keira, is something wrong?"
Keira did not answer immediately, biting her lip. She seemed to be hesitating, unsure whether to reveal the truth.
"Lady Keira, I am the King. I command you to speak."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Keira relented, forced to state the facts. "Your Majesty, you have been marked with a Deep Sea Mark. You have come under the gaze of an Elder God, and you have been contaminated by it."
"An Elder God?"
The term felt impossibly distant to a King preoccupied with matters of state. It sounded like a presence from another world entirely.
And in a way, it was. Though monsters still existed in this world, and Foltest occasionally received reports of creatures invading and wreaking havoc in parts of Temeria, these reports were often drowned out by others. As a result, Foltest sometimes forgot that, even though humanity had become the Continent's dominant power, the monsters that arrived with the Conjunction of the Spheres were not extinct and still caused destruction everywhere.
"If my knowledge doesn't deceive me, the only one capable of casting a Deep Sea Mark is that one, who is named the Elder God Dagon."
As the name "Elder God Dagon" left Keira's lips, Foltest's mind felt as if it were being violently stirred by a sharp knife; the pain nearly sent him tumbling from his chair.
For some reason, his brain suddenly understood the source of the pain: a non-believer had uttered the name of its Master directly.
"Keira!" Triss dropped to her knees before the King, releasing a gentle white light from her hands. Only then did Foltest feel the agonizing pain raging through his mind begin to slowly subside. "Do not speak that name directly in the presence of someone marked by the Deep Sea Mark."
Realizing her slip, Keira bowed her head. "My apologies, Your Majesty."
Foltest lay on the floor for a considerable while before his strength gradually returned, allowing him to stand. He first thanked Triss, then forgave Keira for her earlier indiscretion.
Sitting back in his chair, he recalled the information that had briefly flashed in his mind, saying with lingering fear, "Does that being, whose name cannot even be spoken, exist in this world?"
Keira shook her head.
"No. Aside from the gods born of this world, no deity resides in the material plane. At most, they can leave a mere projection. However, for non-divine beings, even a projection is overwhelming."
"Your Majesty, a mark has been planted within your body. If it is not exorcised immediately, you will eventually become a slave to this corruption."
Foltest nodded gravely. "Lady Keira, Lady Triss, when can we begin?"
"We can start now," Triss said. "However... Your Majesty, a complete exorcism of the Deep Sea Mark may require multiple cleansing rituals, but please rest assured, Keira and I will purge all traces of the corruption from your body."
The two sorceresses began by carefully drawing a magical array with intricate patterns on the study floor. They then took out casting components, placing them in various sections of the array before instructing Foltest to stand in the center.
However, after Foltest stood where the sorceresses requested, Triss and Keira exchanged a glance but did not immediately begin the cleansing ritual.
"Is there a problem?"
"Your Majesty, perhaps it would be better if you were seated," Triss said, shaking her wand, causing a chair to fly up behind Foltest. "Keira?"
Keira also brandished her wand, conjuring several ribbons that firmly bound the King to the chair.
Before Foltest could speak, Keira explained: "This is a necessary precaution, Your Majesty. The cleansing ritual will cause you immense pain. I do not doubt your will, but the body's survival instinct will compel you to flee. Every ritual is critical, and we must do our best to avoid any chance of failure."
Although Foltest was displeased, he did not lash out, understanding that the sorceresses' request was for his own well-being. Ignorance in one field is no shame; when you don't understand, listening to the experts is always the correct course.
Keira and Triss began chanting the incantations. The magical array on the floor emitted a blinding golden light, enveloping Foltest.
Within moments, Foltest felt like a fish dropped into boiling water, or a bird flying too close to the sun. He was now deeply grateful the sorceresses had been so thorough; if he hadn't been securely tied down, he might have lost control and instinctively fled the array, ruining the attempt.
Even with the correct preparations, the agony he was now suffering was unavoidable, and it seemed to intensify with every passing second. Foltest had once believed himself a man of steel, capable of enduring the stake without a whimper.
He was wrong.
For the next ten minutes, his screams continuously echoed through the study.
After what felt like an eternity, the golden light of the magical array finally began to fade. Foltest slumped in the chair, gasping huge drafts of free air. His body was completely drenched in sweat, as if he had just taken a swim in Lake Vizima, and the floor was covered in water stains.
......................
I want to take a moment to express my gratitude to those who support me on this journey. Your contribution make a real difference!
As a patron, you unlock:
Exclusive Access: Get advanced +120 chapters ahead of everyone else.
👉 Join now: P-a-treon/Chaos_God
(Just remove the- hyphen to access normally)
Thank You so much For your Support and for Reading!