CHAPTER 101: FIRST CIRCLE CEREMONY (2)

"The procedure takes place in the Sanctum of Binding, a special room designed to contain and control the magical energies involved," Darius explained. "You will be positioned inside a formation circle while teachers guide energy flow around your heart using controlled magical fields."

Darius moved to a wall diagram that showed a human figure surrounded by complex patterns. The drawing looked complicated, with lots of lines and symbols that hurt to look at for too long. "The process usually takes six to eight hours of continuous magical work. During this time, you must keep perfect mental focus while your body adapts to the new energy pathways being created."

Renard studied the diagram with growing worry. The magical formations shown were incredibly complex, involving multiple layers of energy work that would put enormous stress on the person’s entire spiritual system. For someone with his dual blood crests, the extra strain could be deadly.

"What are the success rates?" another student asked, her voice shaky.

"Historically, about seventy percent of students successfully complete their First Circle on the first try," Elder Miriam replied. "Of the remaining thirty percent, about half succeed on a second attempt after more preparation. The others usually pursue non-magical careers."

The numbers sounded okay until you did the math. Seventy percent success meant thirty percent failure. Half of the failures got second chances, which meant fifteen percent were eliminated entirely on the first attempt. And "pursuing non-magical careers" clearly meant being sent away, if they survived.

But the real worry was what those numbers didn’t include. How many of the "successful" formations resulted in damaged students who could never advance beyond basic levels? How many suffered permanent health problems from the procedure?

Renard looked around the room at the other students. Ian sat several rows away, his scarred face showing no emotion as he listened. But Renard could see the tension in his posture, the way his hands gripped his preparation bag. The boy was probably already planning how to maximize his chances of success.

"The ceremony will begin at dawn ten days from today," Darius concluded. "Use your time wisely. Your future advancement depends entirely on successful completion of this stage."

As the meeting ended, students gathered in small groups to compare their preparation materials and discuss the upcoming challenge. Renard joined his fire magic group, participating in their nervous chatter while his mind worked through what he’d learned.

The First Circle ceremony was both an opportunity and a potentially deadly obstacle. Successfully completing it would give him access to restricted areas and advanced training that could be crucial for his mission. But attempting it with his dual blood crests could trigger a deadly reaction that would kill him before he could rescue anyone.

He needed to find another way that would let him fake having completed the ceremony while avoiding the actual procedure. And he had exactly ten days to figure out how.

***

That evening, Renard sat in his small room reviewing the preparation materials while Boa coiled around his wrist. The herbs were designed to strengthen natural energy flow and improve spiritual toughness. The crystal would help control magical energy during meditation. The scroll contained detailed exercises for mental strengthening and pain tolerance.

All useful for someone planning to undergo the actual ceremony. But Renard had a different kind of preparation in mind.

He thought about one particular ability he had: Devour. The power that let him absorb abilities from others by consuming their essence directly. Disappointingly enough, Renard had only used the ability twice!

There were multiple reasons for that but the main one was the moral battle! To use his devour ability—he had to kill! And if he wanted to gain some useful ability, he would have to kill people who were strong and possibly had done nothing to him.

It wasn’t easy to make such a decision even if he was the Beast Sovereign. If it was just killing his enemies then Renard of course wouldn’t bat an eye, but when the matter came to people who had nothing to do with him, it became harder. What right did he have to take their life?

The question was something he still hadn’t resolved, but that wasn’t important now. He was inside the Silent Monastery right now. Everyone inside was scum in one way or another, so he decided to put that hesitation away.

And thought about a plan!

So far, he had only used the Devour as providence supported to steal abilities, but what if, just if he could devour someone’s knowledge and skills?!

If he could target someone who had already completed their First Circle formation, he could potentially absorb their magical abilities and knowledge through Devour. That would give him the practical knowledge and spiritual changes needed to fake having undergone the ceremony himself.

The plan was incredibly dangerous. Using Devour on a target would require killing them, which meant committing murder within the monastery itself. The target would need to be someone he could overpower and eliminate without being detected. And the absorption process would need to be completed without leaving evidence that could trace back to him.

But it might be his only option for avoiding the First Circle ceremony while keeping his cover.

Renard spent the next hour reviewing everything he knew about the monastery’s staff and layout. He needed a target who had magical abilities worth stealing, was weak enough to eliminate safely, and whose disappearance wouldn’t immediately trigger intensive investigations.

Elder Thomas came to mind immediately. The man who had guided him to his room on the first day was clearly a trained mage, but he wasn’t one of the senior teachers who would be closely watched. His duties involved routine administration and student management—important enough to have access to magical knowledge, but not so critical that his absence would cause immediate alarm.

More importantly, Thomas followed predictable routines that Renard had already observed during his exploration of the monastery.

Regular schedules, established patterns, moments when he was vulnerable that could be used by someone with proper planning and preparation.

Still, the plan would require careful preparation and perfect execution. One mistake could expose his entire mission and doom not only himself but also Hobbren’s daughter and everyone depending on their rescue operation.

Ten days to plan and execute a perfect assassination within one of the most heavily defended magical facilities on the continent. It seemed impossible, but Renard had accomplished seemingly impossible things before.

As he settled down for the night, Boa curled against his ribs, Renard began working through the details of what would need to be done.

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