Professor Margarette of Thaumaturgic Anatomy firmly spoke as she stood near a ritualistic circle drawn on the ground.
"The Usurper's Circle—this is one of the rarest forms of magic known to mankind. To achieve success, what matters most is how we utilize this circle to redirect its target from the gods of the usurpers to our Death God."
She stepped forward, kneeling by the runes. With a fine-tipped quill dipped in ash and gall ink, she altered the sigils at the circle's heart, merging old script with new intent.
She now has modified the basic circle, replacing its design with the Death Symbol, the very emblem representing House Todesmal.
The circle began to glow in a dark swamp-green hue, with miasma slowly seeping from its edges.
"This is the Death Mark, or the Death Symbol of the God of Death and Purity, the ultimate Necromancer God and King of Dark Magic."
The circle started forming concentric rings, writhing and twisting like a worm. The grotesque patterns evolved into an array of esoteric symbols, now far removed from the original Todesmal House emblem.
She looked at the group of students, her gaze passing over all of them until it stopped on Abigail.
The genius heir of Moriarty stepped forward, standing tall, and stopped in front of the Professor.
I thought she was going to assist the Professor with the next step. However, that wasn't the case. The Professor simply called her to make the concentric rings in the circle react to her.
Just as the rings began moving toward her, she flinched and stepped back.
The Professor placed a reassuring hand on her back. "It's alright."
Abigail in return gave a faint nod and returned to the circle. This time, the concentric rings slowly moved toward her, engulfing her, changing and morphing her.
The Professor turned to the students. "This is the body-morphing Ritualistic magic of the Usurpers. It alters their anatomy to match their god's desires. Though temporary, this form can generate power far beyond normal limits."
She then turned back to Abigail. "Now, Ms. Moriarty will demonstrate the power."
Abigail's body had transformed; her once-pretty face was now dull, with a deep purple hue spreading across it, reminiscent of the Todesmal family, but even more intense. The purple tint and dark circles around her eyes made her resemble a specter, a dead woman. Her hair floated eerily in the air, and the miasma she emitted was abominable. Though it was less potent than Douglas's, it was just as strangely suffocating.
Although human, her form appeared slightly larger than her previous anatomy, giving her a more imposing presence.
Professor facing the students muttered, "Ms. Moriarity, try summoning as a necromancer would."
Abigail released her miasma and began to summon her family's unique creature, Crocoska, a wolf that lingered uneasily in the corner.
The Moriarity family was peculiar; they resembled beast summoner more than necromancers. The creatures they summoned were bound to them in a way unlike typical necromancers.
They were more like beast tamers, but without the use of mana.
The creature Crocoska was a dead entity, bound by the abyssal bond forged by its family centuries ago. What was most remarkable was that this creature served more as a weapon of psychological and mental rather than for direct confrontation. Despite this, the family managed to endure, and with the dwindling power of the other family, they were now rising.
The miasma lingered, slowly attempting to take form. The concentration of dark energy pulsated and convulsed as the creature, Crocoska, began to emerge.
Crocoska, a dimensional being, could only be perceived through peripheral vision or glimpsed in the corners of doors, rooms, and the world itself. While summoning this creature seemed straightforward, looking directly at it was an entirely different challenge.
However, this proved irrelevant as Abigail failed to complete the summoning. The miasma quickly dispersed, its concentration fading and diluting over time.
Abigail's attempt had failed, and frustration darkened her features as the circle's lines dimmed, its glow fading into silence. Professor Margarette clapped her hands softly, the sharp sound drawing the room's attention.
"That is alright," she said with calm steadiness, her voice unwavering despite faint smoke rising from the failed circle. "Now it is time for the others to attempt the alteration. Transform the Usurper's Circle into the Todesmal Sigil."
The students shared uneasy glances before moving forward, the air thick with tension, a lingering mix of distrust and curiosity hanging in their minds.
One student finally broke the silence, his voice uncertain. "Professor, why are we using the Todesmal symbol for the Death God?"
Margarette turned to him, her expression unreadable at first. Then a faint smile tugged at her lips, though her eyes reflected the calm weight of ancient knowledge.
"Because," she began, pacing slowly around the ritual circle, "they are the family closest to the Death God. Their name, Todesmal, means Death Mark. As you should recall from your history lessons, they were the first to receive the Death God's power."
She paused by the circle, her gloved fingers hovering over its fading runes. "To inscribe their sigil is to invoke the authority they once held. But remember, students, authority without reverence breeds corruption. The Death God does not forgive arrogance."
A quiet calm enveloped the chamber. The candles wavered, and even the soft hum of energy seemed to pause, as though the very air itself was listening to her words.
The chamber was no longer suffocating, as no one could deny the fact, but as the Professor finished her sentence, she turned to me with a smile. "I hope you can show everyone just how close the Todesmal family is to the death god," she said.
Her tone carried a hint of mockery, but whatever it was, it drew everyone's eyes to me, filled with disdain and hatred.
Even the Dark Mages disliked my family. There was no rivalry between us, yet their resentment ran deep. The grudge dated back to the aftermath of the Battle of Rine, when their main house was defeated and subjugated by the Todesmal family. From that day onward, they were forced to serve under our necromancers, bound by oath and blood.