Chapter Forty-One: Blood Ritual and Mission

"Hmm?" After reading the letter Billy had left him, Hughes began to form his own suspicions about the upcoming wizard secret realm.

"It seems I really can't go to this secret realm," Hughes murmured to himself.

Still, Hughes continued to brew his natural potions as usual. In truth, there wasn’t much he could do now. Unlike Billy and Lindsay, who had their own family networks for information, Hughes could only wait for news from them, all the while considering how to extricate himself if he wasn't permitted to go.

Time flew by, and only two days remained until the opening of the wizard secret realm. In these days, the apprentices of the Shadow Ring were all unusually excited.

Every secret realm’s unveiling was fraught with both danger and opportunity, but it was exactly this that drew them in.

After dinner, Hughes returned to his dormitory only to find, just like last time, a letter had been slipped into his room.

"Meet me at Lindsay’s shop — Left by Billy." Recognizing the familiar handwriting, Hughes set the letter down and hurried out of the dormitory.

Night had fallen. Dressed in his black wizard apprentice robe with the hood pulled over his head, Hughes was not worried about being recognized.

“Knock, knock!” Hughes arrived at Lindsay’s shop. The door was tightly shut, so he rapped twice.

The door opened just a crack. Lindsay, illuminated by the lamp inside, recognized Hughes and quickly let him in, shutting the door behind him and peering around anxiously, afraid of being seen.

Entering, Hughes saw Billy sitting to the side, his face clouded with gloom.

“Any news?” Hughes sat down as well.

One look at Billy and Lindsay’s faces told Hughes the outcome was not good.

“Hughes, we can’t go to the secret realm this time.”

“Tell me everything,” Hughes replied, genuinely curious.

“Several wizard families sent people to investigate this secret realm, and what they discovered was entirely different from what anyone expected,” Lindsay said, his face dark as he sipped his coffee.

“Is there some great danger in the realm? Or is it…”

“The Dean intends to send us to our deaths. The so-called wizard secret realm is a sham; it’s actually the former base of a sinister wizard cult from three thousand years ago, called the Soul-Slaughter Sect. They gained power by sacrificing human souls.” Billy spoke through gritted teeth, fury evident in every word.

“And there’s more. We bribed the people who will enter the realm alongside the Dean, and from their reports, it seems the secret realm was once the site of a failed sacrificial ritual. The backlash killed all three hundred members of the Soul-Slaughter Sect, leaving their corpses kneeling around the altar.”

When Lindsay finished, silence fell over the room, the atmosphere turning tense.

“So, both Deans wish to claim the Soul-Slaughter Sect’s legacy?” Hughes realized that Billy and Lindsay knew more than they let on, but he wanted to hear the whole truth.

Lindsay hesitated, then decided to share all he knew.

“There isn’t actually much of value left in the realm,” Lindsay began. “The Deans must have uncovered something in ancient records, learning that the Soul-Slaughter Sect’s failed ritual was meant to obtain an object of power…”

“So both Deans covet this object?” Hughes now fully grasped the real purpose behind the expedition.

“That’s right. They plan to use the apprentices to complete the ritual from three thousand years ago and claim the item for themselves. In fact, I’ve heard the Dean has secretly had many ordinary people kidnapped—most of them young girls and children—in case the number needed for the sacrifice falls short.”

For the first time, Hughes understood the true brutality and bloodshed of the wizarding world, the utter ruthlessness in pursuit of power.

“And how do they plan to cover it up? So many would die—it would be a stain on their reputations!”

“Tap, tap, tap!” Hughes drummed his fingers on the table.

“They’ve already worked it out. The ranks of first- and second-tier apprentices are the official entry levels for the Shadow Ring and Moonlit Garden academies. If everyone dies, all they have to do is claim some rule-breakers snuck into the secret realm and caused it to collapse. In the whole Northern Wastes, besides the two big academies, there are plenty of small wizard organizations—they can easily pick a couple to frame, and that’s the end of it.”

“What a cunning scheme!” Billy fumed at the thought.

“Indeed. They don’t see apprentices as people at all,” Lindsay sighed, helpless.

“Who else knows about this?” Hughes’s fingers continued their steady drumming, echoing throughout the room.

“Very few. Only the families allied with the Shadow Ring are aware, and they dare not speak out. If word got out, the families themselves might be chosen for the sacrifice,” Billy answered honestly, and Lindsay nodded in agreement.

“Hughes, I came tonight to warn you. My family’s people are coming for me soon—I’ll be taken home and won’t return until the secret realm affair is over. I’ll beg my father to see if he can protect you. You should also contact your mentor—given your talent, perhaps your mentor won’t let you go.”

“Yes, Hughes, I’ll see if my family can help, but ultimately, it depends on what you decide,” Lindsay added. Both he and Billy looked at Hughes with deep concern. Lindsay wasn’t too worried—this didn’t involve him directly. Billy had his family to shield him. It all depended on Hughes now.

After leaving Lindsay’s shop, Hughes hurried back to his dormitory. As Billy had suggested, he now needed to find a way to avoid involvement in the secret realm affair—ideally, to leave the Shadow Ring for a while.

“But how can I get away?” Hughes felt a headache coming on; he hadn’t expected the secret realm to be this perilous.

He quickened his pace, only to find his dormitory door half open—he was certain he’d closed it before leaving.

“Someone’s been in my room!” Alarm shot through him. If anyone discovered the stash of potions under his bed, he would be in trouble.

Hughes prepared himself to cast a spell the moment he walked in.

“Since you’re back, come in,” a familiar voice called from within.

“Te—teacher, why is he here?” Hughes recognized Wizard Matt’s voice and hurried inside, hoping his potions hadn’t been uncovered.

“It was rather rude to enter your room uninvited. And this tea is rather mediocre,” Wizard Matt said, slowly sipping a cup of his own brewed black tea.

Hughes was a little embarrassed. He spent all his time making potions—he hardly ever drank tea and didn’t even remember where he kept it.

“But I can see you’re a diligent student,” Matt said, pointing to the makeshift lab Hughes had set up.

“I just tinker around with things here in my spare time,” Hughes replied, meeting Matt’s gaze as he sat down opposite him.

Wizard Matt gave a faint laugh and murmured, “Not bad—worthy of your reputation as a prodigy with potions.”

“I’m here because I need you to do something for me,” Matt said abruptly, setting down his cup and producing a letter and a map.

He handed them to Hughes, then picked up his tea again. “I want you to deliver this letter to the location marked on the map—it’s addressed to an old friend of mine. He has a daughter; once you’ve delivered the letter, test the girl for wizard talent. If she has it, bring her back with you. I’ve explained everything in the letter.”

“And of course, you can’t go to the secret realm this time. What do you say, Hughes?”

“Of course!” Hughes was overjoyed—this was the perfect opportunity to leave the Shadow Ring. He quickly composed himself, hiding his excitement as he accepted the letter and map.

“I’ll deliver the letter for you, teacher.”

“Good. Set out first thing in the morning. The sooner you go, the sooner you’ll return. Or, if you wish to stay away for a while, that’s fine too.”

By now, Hughes understood perfectly—his mentor must have learned about the secret realm plot and was sending him away on purpose, giving him a reason to be absent.

“That’s all I have to say. I’ll take my leave now; you should rest—tomorrow you have an early start.”

“Yes, teacher.”

Hughes walked Matt to the door, and as the wizard turned to leave, he looked back at Hughes.

“I know you’re close with Billy and Lindsay, and you must know something about this secret realm affair. I won’t ask, and I’m not curious. I’m helping you now in hopes of future repayment. So, whatever you know, keep it to yourself. If you say anything, neither of us could bear the consequences.”