After An Apple's Death

XVII. The Second Ritual & The Explosion

Lady Savil grabbed my hand and almost pulled me over to a little area where nothing was growing and that was all flat. I was about to tell her that I wasn't a youngster anymore, and that I didn't need to be held by the hand, but then I remembered that she expected my respect, and so I shut my mouth.

"Here is where we shall perform the ritual," she said.

I nodded. I didn't know what else to do.

"Don't you have anything to say? Wouldn't you be happy? Maybe I shouldn't do your ritual if you're not going to be happy..."

"No! No!" I shook my head energetically. "I want this ritual! I'm...I'm just tired."

"Tired can be forgotten. A ritual cannot be."

I swallowed an impudent remark that I could've made.

Appel, you could've just told her, you know.

Yes! I'm going to say it!

My voice shook, but I said "Stop the stupid proverbs. They're not true anyway. If you're too tired, you can't forget it even for the sake of a ritual."

She smiled. "Right, young student."

I opened my mouth to ask if it was just another test, but she shushed me.

She started pulling the items out of her pocket - I didn't know she had one, since she was a human? - and laid them on the ground.
I put my hand into my own pocket, and realizing it was empty, my eyes widened.

"How did you get my items?!"

"A simple magic trick, Appel. Everyone can do it."

I doubted that, but I let it go.

You shouldn't let it go.

You're right. I shouldn't.

"How did you do it?! I want to know!"

"A magic trick, I told you!" She placed her hand protectively on her pocket. I rolled my eyes.

"ANYWAY! Place the skull down on the floor," she ordered.

Why would you order me around, I thought, but obeyed.

Down went the skull, on the ground.

"Now, place the sparkly stone on top." I took it from her and placed it on top of the skull.

"Then, take the crystal and place it to the right of the skull."

"But...but...it's not going to be symmetrical then..."

"I don't care! Place it there or you won't get anything from me!"

I placed it.

"Light your sword up." She gave me my Blazing Sword.

"How? It does what it wants! It doesn't even want to obey me!"

"Do it!" She gave me a sharp look, and I wanted to cower. I didn't though, because I knew that Leppa wouldn't approve.

I grabbed my sword. I didn't remember how heavy it was, and so I tried to lift it, but the tip still rested on the ground, no matter how hard I tried to heave it.

How the hell was I supposed to light it up?

Light, I said in my mind. Light yourself.

I glanced hopefully at the blade. It stayed silver and red, sending out sparks, but it wasn't lit up and it wasn't glowing. I was sure that this wasn't what Lady Savil meant.

LIGHT YOURSELF.

The blade stayed the same. I could almost see its face in my mind, smirking at my failures.

LIGHT YOURSELF UP, DAMMIT!

I imagined the blade's face to go scared and fearful. I saw the eyes close, the mouth change from smirking to screaming, and the eyebrows
shoot up.
I saw myself as the lord over the sword, the one who could tell it off, the one who could tell it what to do.
I saw the sword slowly lighting up, a red glow coming off from it, and a small flame emerging at the tip.

I opened my eyes. I didn't realize that I closed them. I looked at the blade...and it still looked the same.

DAMMIT! YOU LITTLE SON OF A BIRD! I screamed to the blade.

And it lit up. Exactly as I had expected it the first time. A red glow, a small flame...

"I knew you would be able to do it," Lady Savil said. She smiled, in a strange crooked way. She looked almost nurturing. "Now, light the skull with it."

"Won't it explode?!"

"That's the point."

I approached the skull with the tip of the blade, one Stem at the time. The skull seemed to grin at me. I closed my eyes, touched it with the blade, and ran off. I would've dropped my blade, but Leppa screamed at me not to, and so I held unto it.

I heard a fizzing sound, and an explosion. With my hands over my head, I threw myself on the ground, my eyes still firmly closed.
I could imagine Lady Savil doing the same.

And then...
BOOM.

When you hear about explosions, it's always described as one explosion. Just one, that destroys your ears and feelings, and that stops and leaves a dead silence.
Don't trust these people. You can still trust them, but not on that matter.
Actually, maybe it is better to not trust anyone. Everyone could always be a traitor to you, and betray you, and reveal your secrets, and ally your enemies. Not trusting anyone might be the best solution...but then you need to keep all your secrets to yourself.
I have found out, in my life, that it is better for me to not trust anyone, and it is better for everyone to trust me. Because then, I get to know their secrets, and I get to know all about them.
Then, if I feel like it, I can betray them, and ally their enemies.

The explosion wasn't one. It was many. The first one was loud, and I believed it to have destroyed my eardrums. The following ones were loud as well, but a bit less. They were aftershocks. But the last one was the loudest of them all.

The skull must be one hell of a good explosive to create that many and big of explosions, I thought.

"Your ritual is done, Appel. I can now give you your life back whenever you want," Lady Savil said and grinned.

I nodded, smiling. Finally I could go back.

***************
A/N
***************
Alright! Finally, the ritual is done! It actually got by quicker than I expected. I had thought that some character would stand in my way, but no. Although it can still happen.
Is everything finally going to work out for Appel? :D

Thank you so much for reading :) if you are enjoying it so far, please do leave a vote :) I'm also very grateful for feedback.
Enjoy your life & don't die,
~Fourminette