216 Ritual Trauma

Paul reentered through a red portal, his clothes heavily battered and cuts all along one of his arms bleeding like he was cut thousands of times. "Paul are you okay?" I instinctively asked him as he joined me.

"I'm okay, what happened?" He questioned.

"Did you deal with the bigger elemental?" I asked.

"Yes, just a moment ago, I came back as soon as it vanished." He answered.

"I don't what's going on! Jennifer did something to him and now they both looked as possessed as each other.

"At the very least the ritual has stopped." He answered watching them carefully.

"She was talking about their master and something about princes." I tried to recall what happened.

"Hmmm I really don't know what's going on," Paul answered.

"Is there nothing you can do? Whatever's happening can't be right!" I asked him.

"Well, I'll try this...." Paul hesitantly replied and thrust out his hand, the feeling of released Arcanum rippled out of his hand like a gentle wave that instantly made them both collapse and the feeling of the magic Paul place of us fade from assistance.

"What did you do?" I questioned in shock following Paul walking to them.

"I just done a simple dispel magic, I assumed whatever was happening was magical based," Paul answered rolling over Jay's body making him more comfortable.

"Do you really think their master was the reason all this happened?" I questioned in shock helping Jennifer turn over so she'd be more comfortable.

"I honestly wouldn't know," Paul answered.

"Ohhh I forgot.. we also pulled this knife from Jennifer," I said handing it to him. "It had white glowing runes when the ritual was active," I answered.

"Hmm..." Paul said holding it as his eyes flashed blue for a split second. "Interesting this is a very ancient blade... Doesn't originate from this plane and has its own sentience." Paul answered.

"Like it's own personality?" I questioned in shock.

"Yes... you'd have to attune to it to be able to communicate to it, but I guess that's what happened to Jennifer, so I won't risk it," Paul answered.

"So what happened?" I questioned looking for answers.

"So I'm guessing somehow Jennifer got this dagger and attuned to it, whatever is in here possessed her making her summon Air Elementals," Paul answered.

"Do they normally exist here?" I questioned.

"Normally no, they only get her when natural disasters like tornados or hurricanes or storms appear," Paul answered.

"But this time is different? Jennifer summoned them?" I asked.

"Yes... now the ritual has stopped so did the freak storm we felt the moment we arrived at the estate, let me guess just before I arrived you both disarmed her of the dagger?" Paul questioned.

"Yes, I think," I answered him.

"So the dagger did all this?" I questioned in shock looking at the rather mundane looking dagger.

"I assume so, it would also explain why her power level spiked so quickly, there must be something powerful embedded in here," Paul answered.

"What are you gonna do with it?" I questioned.

"I'll keep it for now, and hand it over to a couple of contacts that might be able to give me more information," Paul answered.

With a giant gasp, Jay woke up looking utterly terrified and in complete shock, "Wait what happened?" Jay questioned in shock clutching his chest.

"Don't worry everything seems fine now," Paul said trying to calm him down a little.

"Jennifer?" said looking around for her and tried to reach out to her body.

"She's fine, she's just unconscious," Paul answered him still trying to calm him down.

"Jay, what happened?" I questioned him hope to find out more.

"I don't know, when she touched me she sent me to a place... ravaged with fire unbearably hot and barren. I saw living raging infernos and firestorms, even hot ash filled the air both burning and choking me." Jay answered like he was in some sort of nightmare.

"Okay," Paul nodded listening carefully.

"Then a weird ominous voice spoke out to me in a weird language I didn't understand, then a red hot spark ignited inside me and began burning me from the inside out. It was so painful..." Jay describes his ordeal still holding his chest like what he felt was completely real.

"Jay's a blue flame caster and Jennifer is an Air caster, this can't be a coincidence," I asked Paul.

"Yeah, I know... and on top, their master is known to have always had no more than four disciplines, this must be connected in some way, but I've never heard of him doing anything bad like this," Paul answered.

"When Jennifer said Master spoke to her. I don't think she was talking about Master Dildamzed, he's never done anything like this before." Jay answered.

"She might be referring to whatever is in this blade or something else maybe she heard and understood the ominous voice that also spoke to you," Paul answered.

Jennifer slowly awoke from her slumber and instantly began screaming incoherently like a women-driven insane. "Jennifer!" Jay instinctively dove to her, making her look at him but did nothing to reach her.

Paul tapped her forehead gently as a yellow piece of paper with writing manifested on her forehead making her go drowsy and slowly fall asleep into Jay's arms. "Is she gonna be okay?" I questioned in utter shock.

"I'm honestly not sure... I'll have to bring her back and spend some time sussing what's ailing her." Paul answered.

"Let me talk to her," Jay demanded politely.

"..... I'll let you talk to her when she becomes a bit more normal. I promise. He answered him.

"I'll get through to her." Jay requested.

"And I'm sure you will, but right now I feel her mind is not quite herself right now, I imagine she was feeling the pain much similar to yours but for hours. "She's been through a lot of trauma, just give me some time to help her get back to normal." Paul tried to calm jay down and persuade him.

The moment she becomes normal I want to see her!" Jay requested.

"The moment she's back to normal, I'll personally bring you to her," Paul answered nodding understanding completely what he's going through.

"Paul are you sure she's gonna be okay?... her screams were... shocking," I asked him feeling a little scared.

"I know someone in the school that can help her, rest assured I'll give her the best help that's out there," Paul answered.

"Paul, are you gonna be okay?" I questioned holding his hand showing him his wounded arm that now stopped bleeding but still looked red and raw.

"It's just tiny wounds nothing serious." Paul smiled and opened a portal with Scarlet and the other, not the other side.

"Scarlet and Anna I need you now. Ashley contacts Mr Wayne and gets him to make his way here, tell him the Vancliff family needs assistance." Paul ordered them.

"Sure!" Scarlet and Anna walked through to us.

"Hey, guys you alright?!" Helen and Daisy shouted out to us.

"We're alright nothing to worry about," Paul answered as the portal slowly closed shutting them off from us.

"What happened here?" Scarlet questioned looking around.

"I assume it was some sort of summoning ritual," Paul answered.

"We'll secure the area." Scarlet and Anna nodded as if they knew what to do.

"Thank's I'm not sure how many are left," Paul answered making them both walk off. "Ohh and administer some potions and healing balms to the injured," Paul instructed to them before they vanished down the stairs.

"Due to Jennifer's already weakened mental state, I'll take her to Maynard and use the waypoint, I don't want to risk her safety using my portals," Paul informed us.

"I'll join you," Jay replied ready to leave with him.

"So, I'd prefer if you guys head back through my portals, I don't want you both getting in trouble leaving school grounds on a school day and late at night," Paul confessed explaining the situation to us.

"But..." Jay objected looking at Jennifer.

"Don't worry, she'll be safe, I'll look after her," Paul answered trying to reassure him.

"Don't let anything happen to her." Jay pleased.

"I'll protect her with my life." Paul nodded putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Okay.." Jay answered softly placing her into Pauls's arms.

"Don't worry, shes under the protection of Myself, Anna and Scarlet, even God's won't be able to harm her." Paul smiled with confidence.

"Please... help her." Jay pleaded.

"I promise I'll do everything in my power." Paul nodded and opened a portal for us.

"Thank's Paul." I nodded to him with a smile and placed my hand on Jay's shoulder to edge him with me through the portal.

"Take care of her..." Jay said taking a small look back before stepping through.

"With my life." Paul nodded as the portal slowly closed behind us.