Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

"Now to the ritual?"

Hearing the doctor's words, Shard suddenly became nervous; he hadn't expected it to be so direct:

"Here... in this place?"

"Of course, is there a problem with the doctor's clinic? Besides, isn't the 72-hour mark approaching?"

Ms. Luisa, the blonde writer, was puzzled, but Dr. Schneider understood what Shard meant:

"It is indeed here, oh Shard, let me emphasize again.

Remember, we are correspondence Circle Sorcerers. Saint Byrons Integrated Academy has no special emotional ties with us, only responsibilities and obligations, do you understand? As for assisting you, it's because I need a fifth Circle Sorcerer in the group, and the academy rewards the introduction of new Circle Sorcerers. It's not because I'm a kind person."

Dr. Schneider looked earnestly at Shard, his blue eyes conveying a warning:

"You lack common knowledge about this world, so I offer you the most crucial warning: Do not easily trust others."

"He's actually a good person, but he's always so stern."

The lady beside him shook her head and said.

Shard nodded cautiously, but he agreed with Miss Writer's viewpoint; Dr. Schneider was a good person... at least for now.

"Luisa, for the next part of the procedure, you only need to observe and prevent any unexpected deviations from the plan. Please do not speak."

"No problem, we've already been through this procedure twice before, haven't we? When Annette and Augustus were inducted?"

Miss Writer said, signaling Shard to pay attention.

"A Gifted One's awakening of the Ring of Fate first requires contact with the Four Elements, which is difficult for an ordinary person with no prior knowledge.

Now is the Sixth Era, not the chaotic and dark Fourth Era, nor the Fifth Era ruled by the Witch Empresses. In this era where the supernatural is not prominent, steam and machinery are the themes. There isn't much mystery here. Even if people are aware of the existence of mysteries, it's hard to come into contact with them. Moreover, ordinary people cannot imagine the dangers of contacting mysteries."

Dr. Schneider held up four fingers:

"So Shard, of the four elements, how many have you encountered so far?"

"I'm only missing 'Desecration' related to the Evil God."

Shard responded truthfully, and Dr. Schneider did not inquire further:

"Look at my Ring of Fate."

Three silver runes shimmered simultaneously, and Shard interpreted their meanings as "Wrath," "Mud in the Heart," and "Malice."

"You have touched 'Desecration'."

Following this statement, a whisper recited another phrase:

"Sixth Era, Common Era Calendar 1853, summer, the day of Silvermoon's dark radiance, you have touched all four elements. Outlander, the Supernatural Gate will soon open, and the Path of Sublimation lies ahead."

"Did 'your other you' give you any hints?"

Dr. Schneider let his Ring of Fate disappear into the steam, then asked.

"Yes, it gave me a hint, telling me that I have touched all the elements and the Supernatural Gate is about to open."

Dr. Schneider nodded in satisfaction:

"The other me is the core of the Circle Sorcerer System. It is the backside of your soul, it is you, yet not you. It shares your knowledge, it shares your memory, but it can feel and see more, thus it can serve as a bridge between Circle Sorcerers and the world, preventing us from directly contacting knowledge and information that can taint the soul. I'll repeat this hope you will remember."

"So, the other me cannot know what I do not?"

Shard asked, a thought striking him.

Dr. Schneider nodded affirmatively, and Shard blinked; he had long suspected that his "other me" was not normal.

"So it's actually you, but you don't know it. It shares your gender, so in my mind, it's a man's voice, while in Luisa's mind, it's a woman's voice..."

The lady beside him nodded in confirmation.

"It shares your memories, but it does not need sleep, so it may know more about the night than you do. But fundamentally, you and your other you are just different in thought processes and perspectives, so sometimes you might hear strange things; it can see more from the ordinary world."

Dr. Schneider added, and Shard blinked again.

Inside him, the light laughter of a woman seemed to nourish his heart, driving away the last traces of influence from the Poet-Level Relic.

"Who exactly are you?"

He asked inwardly.

"Outlander, for now, I am you."

"Element gathering" was just the first step; the subsequent ones are "Ringing Bell," "Ignition," "Pushing," and "Praise Song." The complete five steps are the most orthodox procedure for the awakening of Circle Sorcerers, used by both the Church of the Five Great Deities and the Three Major Academies.

"Ringing Bell" involves shocking the soul to initiate its initial sublimation. Although this sounds complicated, it really just involves drinking a Magic Potion."

The Three Great Magics Academies and the Church of the Five Great Deities have different formulas for the "Ringing Bell Potion," Dr. Schneider said. The potion from Xerxes Higher Medical Academy is said to taste the best, orange-flavored and very sweet; however, the potion from the Church of Nature and Malice of the Deity "Lord of All Things" is the hardest to drink, somewhat like chewing dry bark.

The Academy sent directly the "Bell's Potion" through a manuscript, a conical glass bottle filled with bubbling purple potion. It felt somewhat cold to the touch, but it was warm when drunk.

However, Shard felt that he couldn't taste anything.

"Look behind you,"

the doctor reminded.

After swallowing the last gulp, Shard wiped his mouth, put down the bottle, turned around, and a layer of white mist had formed behind him. He could faintly hear the sound of a bell, though it was not clear.

He indeed felt what was called the vibration of the soul, but that might also have been an illusion in his stomach from drinking too quickly.

"Ignition" meant lighting the collected Four Elements to spark the initial Soul Fire. This step only required the assistance of a Circle Sorcerer above three rings and some skill. The doctor placed his right index finger on Shard's forehead. As a cold air flow slowly entered Shard's body, the bell sound in his ears became clearer.

He turned his head, the dense white mist behind him now held a scorching temperature, and the steam deepened, seemingly containing endless possibilities.

"Propelling" meant allowing the soul to drive the ignited feeble spark, enabling the Circle Sorcerer to sense the Spirit and manipulate the Four Elements. Specifically, this required Shard to feel the power, to sense the idealistic force of the mind influencing matter.

So, Dr. Schneider brought a book with no cover:

"For Circle Sorcerers, there are many ways to interact with the Four Elements. However, the method of engraving a Spirit Rune into one's Ring of Fate is not encouraged to contact Deity, Mystery, or Strangeness; although it could work, it's quite dangerous. The orthodox cultivation method is through reading books, absorbing stories from the past; other methods are considered to rely on luck."

"Reading books?"

This reminded Shard again that the supernatural organization he had joined was a school.

"Yes, the Church, Academies, and few Circle Sorcerer Organizations, possess some special books, containing considerably dangerous knowledge and stories from past eras. These books are copied by hand from dangerous ancient languages into contemporary languages, which dilutes their power.

Hence, reading those original or only once copied or translated forbidden books is the best way for a Circle Sorcerer to inscribe Spirit Runes. And for you, this will be enough to let you sense your own power."

He handed the book to Shard:

"This is a manuscript of the first volume of the 'Book of Fire Worship,' copied from the original at least six times, it's the least dangerous book I have, and it's not possible to obtain a Spirit Rune by reading this book. Take half an hour to read through it completely, you can ask me about any words you don't understand."

Thus, Shard spent another half hour reading, equating his future path in the supernatural to reading and learning in his mind. He needed to disguise his current identity, so he could only sporadically select a few words to inquire about.

During this time, the doctor and Miss Writer maintained enough silence, knowing this was an important moment for Shard.

"Finished reading? How do you feel?"

the doctor asked.

"Somewhat hot,"

Shard cautiously replied, putting down the book.

"Ignite it,"

the doctor then handed Shard a piece of paper. Shard held it, waiting a few seconds as the doctor did not say anything else, then asked,

"Uh, did we skip a step or something... like Spell Words or gestures?"

"Don't understand, feel, guide this power. Unless your Core Spirit Rune is a concept like 'Extinguished Fire,' this shouldn't be a problem."

So, Shard closed his eyes. He came from another world where the supernatural didn't exist, but there was more knowledge and fantasy. He closed his eyes, relaxed, imagined a warm flow moving with his senses inside his body, reaching his fingertips then bursting out sparks.

Opening his eyes, the paper between his fingers had turned yellow due to the high temperature.

From behind in the steam came a tremendous roaring sound, the black shadow representing the hammer about to strike Shard's soul.

"The last step is the anthem, you must acknowledge your identity, declare to the world that you have transcended the mundane."

The doctor's tone became serious at this moment.

"How should I do that?"

Shard was puzzled, his heart was pounding; he realized he was truly about to touch the supernatural, to enter the mysterious realm of the Steam Age.

"Say anything you like, I just recited my name back then, Luisa read a famous short poem, Mr. Lat August prayed to God, Miss Luviya Annette murmured, so we don't know."

For Shard at this moment, the doctor's words seemed to come from a distant place. He looked at the white dense steam behind him, watching the hammer about to strike from behind the fog.

A woman's voice reciting Whispering Verses sounded again.

Thus, almost synchronizing with the murmuring woman's voice inside him, Shard silently declared:

"The Sixth Era, year 1853 of the Common Era Calendar, summer, on the day of the dark shine of Silvermoon, I came to this world, I opened the Supernatural Gate, stepped onto the Path of Sublimation of the Four Elements. Shard Suren Hamilton, the path of fate branches out under my feet, I shall witness, I shall experience, I shall see all of this."

The giant hammer, carrying tremendous wind pressure, swung out from the depths of the steam, striking the area behind Shard in a whirlwind.

Boom~

The soul was shocked, sparks splattered, Spiritual Light flashed, elements overflowed. Amid that chaotic spray of white steam mist, with a strange luster, resembling the sun, a brass-colored Ring of Fate gradually appeared clearer.

It spun, scattering sparks all around, the brass ring heated up completely in the steam mist, and the Ring of Fate hovered behind him.

In the center of the rapidly spinning ring, two brass-colored, gleaming Core Runes, symbolized Shard's forthcoming destiny—

"Space-Time" "Silvermoon".