The light from the magic stone lamp inside the camping tent cast a dim orange glow, providing a sacred nuance that contrasted with the hustle and bustle of Orario outside. The air inside the tent felt heavy, as if space and time were holding their breath.
Venti stood in the middle of the room, holding a small silver needle that reflected the light. He looked at the four elves before him, then smiled understandingly.
"Since the Falna carving ritual requires you to bare your backs, we will divide this into two sessions to maintain privacy," Venti said casually, breaking the tension. "The men first. Dina, Vena, please wait outside the tent for a moment."
Vena glanced at Hedin for a moment, holding back her wild nature to maintain politeness in front of their god. Dina nodded politely and immediately led her sister out, closing the fabric flap of the tent tightly.
After the two elf girls stepped out, Hedin and Hogni began to take off their clothes. Even though they had tried to kill each other in the past, the two now knelt side by side on one knee, completely surrendering their backs and souls to the God of Wind.
"Take a deep breath," Venti said softly. There was no longer a playful tone in his voice. He pricked the tip of his own index finger with the silver needle. A drop of red blood appeared on his fingertip.
Venti stepped behind Hedin first. The god's petite finger touched the skin on the former White Elf King's back.
Sshhh...
Instantly, Hedin flinched slightly. The sensation wasn't like being pricked, but rather a surge of warmth seeping directly into his bone marrow. Sacred texts, in the form of intricate black hieroglyphs depicting Cecilia flowers, a lyre, and feathers, began to appear and spread across Hedin's back. Venti then did the same to Hogni's back.
As decreed by the absolute laws of the Gekai (Lower World), the first letters and numbers that appeared on the back of any child who newly received a Falna were:
Level: 1 | Strength: I-0 | Endurance: I-0 | Dexterity: I-0 | Agility: I-0 | Magic: I-0
However, before Venti withdrew his hands, the hieroglyphs on Hedin and Hogni's backs suddenly glowed with an intensely bright blue and purple light.
The 'I-0' characters on both of their backs began to spin like broken clock hands. The numbers skyrocketed absurdly in a matter of seconds.
I-0... G-250... C-600... S-950... SS-1050!
"What in the world is this?!" muttered Venti, his eyes widening in awe.
Venti stared at the phenomenon and immediately realized the trigger. The Ego-Calyx implanted inside the chests of the two elves throbbed violently. The Ego-Calyx that Venti had given them during their liberation in Hjaðningavíg had long since merged with their souls.
Now, the moment the Falna touched their bodies, the system read the massive pure elemental energy from the Calyx and converted it into Excelia (experience/growth points) in an insane amount! This was purely due to the anomaly of the Calyx, not just because of their past experiences alone.
"Hedin, Hogni! Hold your breath," exclaimed Venti. "The energy from your Ego-Calyx is being translated by the Falna system!"
The texts on their backs could no longer contain the pile of Excelia. Venti immediately placed his hands on their backs simultaneously, focusing his will to rearrange the hieroglyphs and open the limit gates of their vessels.
A holy light blinked brightly on their backs. The glowing hieroglyphs flowed rapidly, piercing through the layers of their souls.
Level Up!
Their statuses returned to zero, then instantly skyrocketed again because the remaining Calyx energy was still stored. The light blinked again. Venti continuously updated the hieroglyphs in succession. Only after the second update did the flow of the anomalous energy subside.
The holy light on their backs slowly faded, locking Hedin and Hogni's Falna at Level 3 with their basic statuses returning to I-0.
The two elves bowed their heads, panting heavily with sweat soaking their bodies. Exhaustion, relief, and a massive new power now coursed through their veins.
"Incredible..." murmured Hedin, staring at his own hands which trembled slightly from the surge of power that felt much more stable and unified than before.
Before they stood up, Venti took two sheets of blank parchment from the table. He pressed the paper against Hedin and Hogni's backs, tracing the imprint of the still-glowing divine hieroglyphs directly onto the paper.
"Quickly, put your clothes back on. Now it's the girls' turn," Venti sighed, giving a small smile while shaking his slightly numb hands as he stored the two printed parchments.
After Hedin and Hogni put their clothes on and called the twins inside, the exact same process was repeated with precision.
Dina and Vena removed the upper part of their clothing and turned their backs to Venti. The moment the drops of divine blood touched their backs, the energy from the Anemo-Calyx reacted violently with the Falna.
An emerald-green light glowed sacredly from the backs of the two sisters. Venti carefully updated their statuses, locking their Falna at Level 3. Just like before, Venti immediately pressed blank parchments to trace their statuses before the girls got dressed again.
After the ritual was complete and the four elves were fully dressed once more, they sat around the round table. A momentary silence fell over the room.
Venti unrolled the four printed status parchments on the table. Although written in divine hieroglyphs, the rows of rank letters and base numbers could be immediately understood by the four of them. As for the more complex explanations of Magic and Skills, Venti read them aloud for them. He handed over the sheets with a proud smile.
"Read and listen. This is a reflection of your souls, and how the falna translates the power of the Calyx you possess," said Venti.
Hedin Selland adjusted his glasses. His coral-colored eyes scanned the rows of letters and numbers on the parchment while he listened to his god's explanation. Instantly, his jaw tensed slightly.
Name: Hedin Selland
Level: 3
Ability:
Strength: 0 (I)
Endurance: 0 (I)
Dexterity: 0 (I)
Agility: 0 (I)
Magic: 0 (I)
Magic:
Caelus Hildr: Super-long chant magic that summons a massive-scale lightning storm to bombard a wide area.
Varian Hildr: Short chant magic that fires high-precision lightning spears to pierce a single target.
Fulgur Calyx: Super-short chant (chantless) magic that unleashes the pure Electro element from the Ego-Calyx in his chest for close-range explosions or highly lethal magic wand coating.
Skill:
Fairy Hildr: Drastically increases magic effects and power when leading or giving orders that are obeyed by others. Represents the commanding charm of the White Elf race.
Diu Hjaðningavíg: Significantly increases Mind efficiency when the user casts consecutive lightning magic.
Electro Calyx: Allows the user to manipulate purple lightning without excessively burdening their Mind limits. Ignores magic cooldown rules.
Development Ability:
Mage: Passive magic power increase.
Magic Resistance: Extra resistance against magic-based attacks.
....................................................................
"This..." Hedin murmured softly, his voice containing a mixture of disbelief and awe. "Level 3? Instantly? And the Falna system officially registers the power of this gem as anomalous magic with almost no Mind limitations?"
"Exactly," replied Venti casually. "The Falna system absorbed the energy from your Calyx and converted it into instant Excelia. That's why you all skipped levels immediately."
Beside him, Hogni Ragnar held his paper with trembling hands. His green eyes widened as he read the destructive power that was now officially recognized as a part of him.
...................................................
Name: Hogni Ragnar
Level: 3
Ability:
Strength: 0 (I)
Endurance: 0 (I)
Dexterity: 0 (I)
Agility: 0 (I)
Magic: 0 (I)
Magic:
Dainsleif: Short chant magic (Enchantment) that coats his sword blade with the darkness element, providing absolute slashing power that can even cut through magic, but drains his Mind and stamina very quickly.
Ignis Tenebris: Chantless magic that unleashes the Pyro-Darkness element from his Ego-Calyx, burning the target with pitch-black flames that will continuously erode the enemy's life like a curse.
Skill:
Fairy Nocturne: Increases base physical strength and instinct sharpness when fighting at night or in the darkness.
Dark In: When his combat personality (bloodlust) takes over, the user gains a massive increase in Strength and Agility, sacrificing a portion of his sanity and sense of pain.
Cruor Calyx: Converts physical damage taken by the user into an increased explosion range for his Pyro-Darkness magic. The more injured he is, the deadlier his black flames become.
Development Ability:
Swordsman: Increases mastery and attack damage when using a sword.
Abnormal Resistance: High-level resistance against poisons and status ailments.
........................................
"B-black flames that erode life... ah, the darkness embraces me tighter..." Hogni muttered quietly, sinking his face behind his collar. This time, Hedin did not reprimand him. Hogni's power on that paper was indeed extremely lethal.
While the two former kings analyzed their powers, Dina and Vena exchanged glances with sincere smiles after reading their respective status sheets.
.........................................................
Name: Dina
Level: 3
Ability:
Strength: 0 (I)
Endurance: 0 (I)
Dexterity: 0 (I)
Agility: 0 (I)
Magic: 0 (I)
Magic:
Allure Curse: Charm magic in the form of a visual/auditory curse that dulls combat instincts, lowers Endurance, and disrupts the concentration of affected enemies.
Ventus Canticum (Song of the Wind): Chantless area-of-effect (AoE) magic that manipulates the wind using her Anemo-Calyx to protect herself with an absolute wind dome and slowly restore her allies' stamina.
Skill:
Dis Resonance: Twin soul resonance. If fighting within the same line of sight alongside Vena, her physical reflexes, agility, and close-quarters combat coordination increase beyond her original level.
Anemo Calyx: Grants absolute mastery over the manipulation of air currents, allowing the user to control the movement of storm winds as a defensive weapon without the need for incantations (chantless).
Development Ability:
Swordsman: Improved close-quarters combat techniques using dual short swords.
Spirit Healing: Faster passive-level Mind and stamina regeneration.
...........................................................
Name: Vena
Level: 3
Ability:
Strength: 0 (I)
Endurance: 0 (I)
Dexterity: 0 (I)
Agility: 0 (I)
Magic: 0 (I)
Magic:
Ignis Gladius: Mid-range attack magic that condenses magic energy into deadly projectile slashes fired through the swing of her weapon.
Ventus Ruina (Ruin of the Wind): Super-short attack magic that focuses the Anemo-Calyx storm into microscopic, razor-sharp whirlwind blades, functioning to shred armor and pulverize enemy defense lines from afar.
Skill:
Dis Resonance: Twin soul resonance. If fighting within the same line of sight alongside Dina, her magic power and casting speed increase drastically.
Anemo Calyx: Forcibly increases agility by utilizing the wind element as a foothold, allowing the user to perform double dashes in mid-air or hover momentarily without using wings.
Development Ability:
Mage: Passive magic power increase.
Magic Resistance: Deflects or minimizes the impact of enemy magic attacks.
"Sis Dina..." Vena looked at her older sister with red eyes trembling in awe. She touched her left chest. "This Falna officially recognizes our bond. Dis Resonance... we are blessed to always fight together."
Dina nodded slowly. "Yes. And with this power... at Level 3, we won't be a burden to Him."
Venti set down his glass, his green eyes flashing shrewdly. "To avoid any troublesome commotion, I will lock all information regarding your Calyxes and anomalous magic. Tomorrow, on the Guild's paperwork, the four of you will be registered simultaneously as Level 3 adventurers from outside Orario."
Swish...
The sound of the tent's fabric door being pulled aside halted their conversation.
A girl stepped inside. She wore simple casual clothes. To hide her identity as the legendary Great Spirit of Wind while outside the headquarters, her original golden hair had been dyed a soft pale green, and the gleam in her eyes was dampened using disguise magic into a brownish-hazel color. In her right hand, she carried a rattan basket full of fresh vegetables and a bag of ripe red apples.
"Lord Venti, I'm home," Sylphie said in a gentle tone, placing her basket on the table. She then turned toward the four elves who were staring at her unblinkingly. "Ah, you're here! I'm sorry I wasn't around when you arrived. Since you'll be living with us, I deliberately bought a lot of fresh vegetables and fruits today."
Hedin, Hogni, Dina, and Vena could only freeze in place.
They had just been officially inaugurated as elite adventurers. Yet in front of them, the figure of the "Great Shield" who had once stood firm protecting the Elves from Evilus's attacks in the past, now stood with an innocent face like an ordinary civilian girl.
Venti burst into laughter seeing the blank expressions of his four new followers.
"Welcome to the Barbatos Familia!" exclaimed Venti cheerfully. "Now, since the Falna business is done... Sylphie, please prepare a grand feast! Of course, make plenty of salad and apples for our Elf friends here, and don't forget to open our best cask of wine! We have to celebrate our new members tonight!"
Behind the warmth of the canvas tent illuminated by the magic stone lamp, four new members of the Barbatos Familia had been officially born. With no intention of looking for trouble, yet equipped with a power unbounded by the reason of this world, the Barbatos Familia was now ready to live out their new days in the labyrinth city.
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