Felmer stood in the middle of the grassless ground and looked at Wetiska. She came forward and handed her a sword.
"You will use this sword." She said, handing him the sword.
"Okay…" Felmer replied and grabbed the sword.
"Your objective is to shove this sword into the ground and generate a magic circle. Your work is to generate enough magic to summon the circle and maintain it."
"I don't know how to summon one."
"Don't worry about it. You just have to imbue the blade with magic and transfer it to the ground. I have adjusted the ground so that a circle appears for people like you."
"What will happen then?"
"You will find out when you pass the trial."
Felmer nodded and looked at the sword. It felt old. The sword was dull. Felmer held it tightly and shoved it into the ground. He concentrated his magic into it and tried to generate the magic circle. The magic got into the blade and then travelled to the ground.
"I advise that you sit."
Felmer followed her advice and sat on the ground. He closed his eyes and generated the magic. The sword glowed with magic, and then a circle appeared. Felmer was in its centre, and it glowed with cyan light. It glowed for some time and then disappeared. Felmer opened his eyes and looked around him.
"You have to maintain it as well," Wetiska said.
Felmer again concentrated his magic and again generated a circle, but it disappeared again.
'C'mon…Focus…' Felmer said to himself.
He closed his eyes. He calmed his mind, then his heart and blood flow. Then transferred the magic into the blade. It travelled through it and then to the ground.
'Focus.' He thought.
The magic circle appeared and remained longer than before. It began to fade.
'Focus…Focus…Focus…' Felmer said to himself.
As he concentrated his magic, the circle didn't fade; it began to grow more brightly. The light increased, and the circle took its full form. It gleamed brightly, and soon two things emerged near Felmer.
A rock and a scroll.
He had passed the fourth trial.
Deris looked at the Cerfisians from a distance and understood what they were doing. Soon, a soldier came near him. He was Falvarian.
"Deris…The package has arrived."
"Oh…" Deris said and turned.
In front of him, a tall and big-figured man stood. The big man had metal knee and elbow pads. A metal collar was present around his neck. He wore metal underwear and a metal mask. His neck was glowing with red light. He wasn't human. He was a behemoth, a monster.
"What is that?" His second-hand man asked in fear.
"A gift for our prey. Once they obtain the badge, we will unleash him."
The beast snarled and looked Deris in the eyes. Deris wasn't scared; he was delighted with the beast he had gotten his hands on.
Felmer stood, placed the rock in his bag among the others, and opened the scroll. On the scroll were patterns and magic writing written in Algerim.
"Well done. You have passed the trial and earned the right to obtain the badge." Wetiska said and walked towards Felmer. "Place the scroll on the ground and transfer your magic. Use your blood."
"What will happen now?" Felmer asked.
"This is the key to open the gate for the location of the badge. A realm where the Alore clan lives and guards the badge with its life."
He looked at Wetiska and then at the sword. Wetiska went back and stood at a distance.
Felmer placed the scroll on the ground and placed the sword vertically on it. The tip pressed it into the ground. He cut his palm with the blade, and the blood ran down the blade and fell on the scroll. Then he transferred his magic, and the real magic happened.
The sword began to glow with an intensely bright light. The rain-guard extended horizontally, and the pommel extended vertically. A beacon of light emerged from the sword and rose high into the sky. Felmer pulled his hands back and walked away. The sword stood still on its tip. He looked up and saw a large four-star badge, coloured gold, appear in the sky. The figure glowed brightly, and a strong gust of wind emerged from the sword. The sky turned grey, and all light vanished. Only the beacon lit the area.
Deris and his men stood and watched the action unfold. The wind arrived and stood firmly. It was strong enough to push them back.
As Felmer and the others looked at the beacon, a door emerged and opened. In front of them stood an old man, wearing a lime green robe over his white clothes. He looked wise, old, and powerful, all at the same time. As the gate opened, the beacon and the shape vanished. Then the sky returned to normal. The men took a step and looked at Felmer, smiling.
"Welcome, master Felmer…The Badge of Ascension awaits you."