"Aren't angels long gone?" Aria asked in disbelief and Ronan nodded in agreement.
"Yes, but what I saw was real. The angel called himself an envoy of God. When he arrived, I couldn't move a finger. And the world around me went still." Ethan said seriously.
"Then… What happened?" Ronan and Aria asked in unison.
"Then… He told me that he'd give me power, and in return… I must do the work of God." Ethan said as he dramatically opened his arms in front of him.
"So you mean…"
"Yes, this strength that I have is the favor of that angel," Ethan said as he demonstrated the mystical power of the blessing once again, rendering the two children speechless.
"He told me that this world will soon fall into chaos. There are certain forces who wills destroy the world and are against the dawn of paradise. Before the world falls apart and the Disgraced One is released from captivity, everyone will die and the world as we know it will come to an end." Ethan said solemnly.
"This is why I can use the same method that the angel used on me to have me awakened. But…"
"But? What is it?" Ronan blurted.
With a sigh, Ethan replied, "The angel taught me the method of the old paradise when he used it on me. But the procedure is not easy. If you desire strength, then you must endure excruciating pain. Are you willing?"
The two children furrowed their brows as they weighed their choices. The kids weren't stupid and knew that if what Ethan had said was true, then he had revealed a huge secret to them. This also meant that even though Ethan was giving them a choice, he wasn't really.
Ronan suddenly remembered how Ethan had ordered for Gareth Hale to be killed if he tried to run away with his money and shivered as he realized that he really was deep into a sinkhole.
While at the same time, he felt invigorated hearing that he could also have the chance to use the miraculous powers just like Ethan. The memories of that day suddenly resurfaced in his mind, the memories that he had hidden in the deepest corner of his heart—the day when his sister was taken away and his parents killed.
'If only I had enough power to protect them…' Ronan thought to himself as something snapped inside him.
His expression became barbaric as his face turned red from anger. His insane drive for revenge compelled him to accept anything that could make his wish come true.
"Let alone some pain, i wouldn't mind selling his soul to the devil if I can personally kill all the church's dogs. Master, please give me strength. I am prepared to endure anything." Ronan said as he kneeled and pleaded, almost prospecting himself in front of Ethan.
"Then it shall be done, but you must remember. Once we begin, there shall be no turning back. You must see it to the end. This process will not be a short one, it took me a year to Awaken after the procedure began. Understand?"
Resolutely nodding his head, Ronan replied, "I understand!"
Seeing this, Ethan nodded in satisfaction and turned to look at Aria who seemed to be conflicted.
"And you? Do you not desire power?" Ethan asked, raising his brows.
"That… i- I am afraid of pain," Aria replied timidly in embarrassment.
Smiling softly Ethan said, "Listen, the world bends the knee to whoever commands power and authority. Those who are powerless, get preyed upon by those high above. If you endure a bit of suffering and hardship, you will fall into the first category. You should choose wisely."
Seeing Aria hesitate, Ronan had a very bad premonition. He wanted to tell her to accept as he knew that there would be no way that Ethan could allow her to live after hearing his secret. But he did not say anything as Ethan's meaningful gaze fell on him.
Suddenly, Ethan spoke, "Don't you want to have revenge against your brother?"
Aria flinched visibly, her entire body shaking and turning stiff as her eyes widened, "What- how do you…?"
"I don't know the specifics but I guessed this much. But that's not important, what's important is if you want something like that to happen to you again." Ethan muttered softly like a devil as he keenly observed Aria's reaction and body language.
This was his last bet, if Aria were to hesitate any longer, he would not hesitate to get rid of her. He didn't need weak trash who had no will to elevate themselves on the social ladder.
"Never! That… Never again!" Aria screamed.
Hearing this, Ethan sighed secretly with relief as he'd rather not kill children for no reason. With a gentle smile, he said, "Very well. Both of you, come here."
Aria and Ronan looked at each other with resolve as they anticipated what was to come. They felt like they were in some sort of unreal dream. Two days ago they were slaves on the verge of death and misery and now they stood in front of the Duke's son who also happened to carry a huge secret with him.
Both walked forward together and stood solemnly in front of Ethan in anxiety and anticipation.
Seeing the two, Ethan finally pulled out the purple-gold ornamented box that was specially crafted for safe-keeping important stuff.
Ethan then opened the box after secretly activating its coded machinations and the two glass vials were revealed to the two.
Holding one of the bottles, Ethan said calmly with a grin. "This is a potion made with secret recipes and expensive ingredients. It's called the Potion of Awakening and these two doses are the only ones in existence at this moment. You will be taking this potion once a week until you undergo the Ancestral Awakening. However, there will also be a medical procedure I will do on both of you and only then you will have your ancestral awakening."
Seeing the golden, serene-looking liquid inside the bottles, Ronan and Aria gulped and thought to themselves, 'Can this really work?'
"You don't have to worry, it's safe as I have taken this potion many times myself. Gulp it down in one breath. It should be fine." Ethan said with a playful smile as he handed the two vials to Ronan and Aria.
'What do you mean 'Should be fine?' Ronan and Aria thought in horror as they looked at Ethan's playful smile.
After staring at the bottle for a few moments, Ronan opened the cap and without wasting any more time, he gulped down the potion in one breath just as ordered with squinted eyes.
As the liquid entered his system, he felt his body warming up as if he had taken some kind of intoxicating beverage. The taste of the liquid which they had momentarily felt was rather bizarre and indescribable.
A few more moments passed as Ronan suddenly felt his heart skip a beat. His body began sweating like buckets and he felt something stirring inside his entire body. Soon, the irritation gradually turned into excruciating pain he curled up in agony.
At this moment, Ethan moved and forcibly made Ronan sit on the chair. Looking into Ronan's reddened, squinted eyes full of misery he instructed calmly, "Endure and try not to move around much. Hold onto the chair and sit tight."
Ronan nodded amidst the soul-wrenching pain as he grasped onto the chair tightly while gnashing his teeth. His entire body was shaking, giving off tremors. The sight horrified Aria and she began having second thoughts.
Ethan once again calmed himself down as he then brought out a set of silver needles. Seeing that Ronan was moving too much, he coldly touched Ronan's forehead with his finger, sending a thin thread of frigid energy and muttering, "Frigid Force - Paralysis."
Suddenly, Ronan's expression became even more miserable as the muscles on his face contorted strangely as they were bulging out and turning stiff at the same time. However, strangely enough, his entire body had become paralyzed.
Ethan quickly sprung into action without wasting a single second more, he gripped the silver needles by his fingertips like a skilled physician and with great precision, began piercing into certain points in Ronan's body simultaneously.
His movements were slick and quick, his hands moved skillfully as he pulled in and out the needles from the acupuncture points in a specific pattern. While at the same time, the images of the procedure moved like a slideshow in his mind, guiding him throughout the procedure.
Even though Ethan was putting out needles in Ronan, no blood flowed out. Instead, Ronan's expression seemed to be shifting to a less horrendous one.
At this point, Aria was totally shaking in her boots while holding the precious bottle of the potion in her hands. It was already a miracle that she hadn't dropped the bottle.
As time passed, the speed, precision, and pattern of the needle jabs changed as Ethan began pouring his internal energy into the needles, opening and closing Ronan's seven chakras, as if to engineer his vessel and make it stronger.
The potent essence of the potion, the medical procedure of acupuncture along with Ethan's controlled flow of internal every activating the seven chakras and forty-two mudras in the body, created a systemic procedure that was doing miraculous wonders to Ronan's body.
Soon, a pungent smell began to itch the noses as Ronan's body started oozing out a black tar-like substance. When Ronan, who was almost going insane from the pain felt his body becoming lighter, flowing with a new sense of vitality and rejuvenation, his faith in Ethan skyrocketed.
Approximately about three hours after the procedure began, Ethan finally stopped jabbing the needles into Ronan. The room had become filthy and smelly but there was a sense of peace and serenity, as Ronan was sleeping unconscious with a peaceful expression on his face.
Ethan smiled tiredly as he saw this, he was exhausted but also excited seeing that the potion seemed to have worked. Turning his head, he looked at Aria and said, "Now it's your turn."
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