Maester begins to speak in a deep voice, "You are going to be called by this name in this group." Then he takes a pause and observes everyone. He then begins, "You have to carry the significance of these names in future."
Aeries along with other members is listening to Maester carefully all the time. Aeries is observing everyone. He finds a young boy who chooses Shadowmark seems sweating. He is very tensed and frustrated with all these.
Maester begins, "First rule is you are all getting power based on your selected names. Second rule is almost no one can endure more than one power."
Aeries objects here, "Why is almost? Why is not none or everybody?"
Maester gives Aeries a suspicious look and orders him to wait for completing his rules. Maester continues, "If anyone from you obtained these powers before, then your selected powers will react your body. But there is an exception, if your obtained power is same with chosen power or lower than selected power, you will survive. But if higher or different from selected power you will blink for only a millisecond and die."
Aeries thinks in his mind, "This is really a big problem standing in front of me. I don't know either what Aeries did gain power or not because of his memory stolen. What should I do now? How can I get rid of this problem."
Torrent tries to speak in her melody voice, "Is this the second rule?"
Maester just stares at her and everyone in the room understands what he means to say. Neglecting the environment created among the members, he starts again with his gory voice, "The third rule you can upgrade your position from the selected hierarch to higher level in your selected authority only. It needs high stability, adaptation power and genetic modification in your body."
Everyone in the room gets shocked by the third rule. The third rule has already blown over everyone's mind except the Shadowmark. He feels like he is not satisfied coming in this secret group meeting. He is tickling his finger again and again. Sometimes he is doing in furiously or sometimes slowly. But his mental stability is erasing slowly and steadily.
Aeries gives all his fate into all the churches and temples in this world. He is plotting all the three rules in his brain. He is now very cautious what will be going to happen in next. He is determined to figure out the motto of this group and meeting anyway.
All the members come out of their own thoughts hearing the sound, a deep vocal sound, coming from the long chair. This is the voice of Maester but this time the voice is soft and delicate and convincing. He does not want to order this time.
"All you understand the rules."
Everyone in the room is looking each other face. They are trying to read what is lying in other's mind. They understand their words storming in their heads. All respond together in an accumulative voice, "Yes, Maester."
"Okay. These are enough for your current hierarch. The more your hierarch increase you will know other rules of handling the power and restrictions."
All node their head down to show the understanding.
"Now you all are going to get the source of the power and derive the power from them. Some will survive or not. This is a game of life and death. If you survive, there are responsibilities clouding over the heads." He then takes a pause. "Lets begin the main part of all these arrangements. Get ready yourself."
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The chamber feels quieter than before. The lamp is flickering. The lamp now cannot enlighten every portion of the room. Every participant goes through pressure. Maester's final words is vibrating and reflecting beside every participant's ears.
"Get ready yourself." These three words are more powerful than others. These words carry more aura than anything else.
Shadowmark seems baffling with all these. Something is going on over his head but it is hardly possible to figure out. He is twitching his hand and shaking his back and forth. He is looking around the faces of the participants. He is observing everyone's expression. He is dressed with a cloak. The cloak is charcoal black, oversized and hanging loosely from narrow shoulders. The cloth is rough, lightless, swallowing the glow of torch instead of reflecting it. The sleeves extend too far covering almost his palms. He has worn thin black leather gloves looking like not a common person's gloves. He repeatedly rubs his thumb against index finger. He is not looking like an ordinary person at all.
He can't control himself asking a question Maester, "Who will be first to get the power?"
This question puts everyone in the chamber to think broadly. Hence they find no solution and depend on the decision of Maester.
"Okay let the power give to Shadowmaker," Maester continues, "At first remember that you are going to be a fifth hierarch of the Shadowmaker authority."
Torrent asks, "What is authority and hierarch?"
This time Maester doesn't speak with bold expression. He lifts his head and continues to speak, "Hierarch means your level and the authority means which power system you want to carry. The more you earn experience and your body adapts with your hierarch, you can move on to next hierarch.
"How can I gain experience and how do I know I am eligible for next hierarch." Inferno furiously speaks.
"There are total five hierarchs in an authority. You have to always start with fifth hierarch."
All understand these lines vaguely yet they all want to follow the rules declared by Maester. They want to wait for the right moment to come.
"So the fifth hierarch of the Shadowmaker authority is Shadeborn," Maester doesn't pause. He is speaking with flow, "You have to be ready now."
Maester turns off the lamp and ignites the candles standing in the middle of the table. When the candles appeared here is really a good question yet what matters now the most is about Shadeborn.
The room except the table becomes pitch black having no light, only darkness. Any participant can't see each other. Suddenly a candle illuminates brightly in front of Shadowmaker, not enough to create a shadown behind yet a shade of his body can be reflected behind. Every participant now can see Shadowmaker.
Maester orders him, "Leave the chair."
Shadowmaker does what he is ordered.
Without any feeling of motion, Shadowmaker becomes blindfolded. But how he became is still a mystery. Maybe it is the power of Maester or the assistants of Maester are so experienced that they can make no sound.
All can see few things have appeared out of nowhere. They only see the things. A silver needle is lying in front of Shadowmaker. A cobbled stone cup appears in Shadowmaker's hand. There are some ashes inside the bowl.
Maester speaks, "Now cut thumbs with that needle and pour three drops in cobbled bowl."
As he does as he was ordered, a sigil has been drawn in the air even for a few moments. None of them can recognize what this was.
By the flame of the candle, a shadow seems to be approaching from the back. He is trying to merge with him. As the shadow touches Shadowmaker's body, something crazy is happening.
It likes the body is spreading his hand everywhere in fear. Hair stands like a high voltage is driven through him. Eye holes are becoming narrower but the pupils are becoming much bigger. The heart is beating so fast that sound of beating can easily be heard. The legs are shaking tremendously.
Torrent jumps from the chair and shouts out, "What the hell is going on?"
Inferno joins Torrent, "Are you gonna kill us all?"
Aeries doesn't speak any word still he observes about the incidents. Aeries recalls all his incidents from the very beginning to today.
No reply comes from Maester.
Shadowmaker's body is now full of wounds. Some wounds are so deep that flesh can easily be seen. Blood is flowing from his like a wave of ocean. But no sound is coming from Shadowmaker.
"Is he dying brutally? Why is he not expressing his pain?" asks Torrent.
But this question fades away in air.
Both lungs come out of the body and fall in the table. Every participant screams out. They know he is going to die. Sound of breaking legs can easily be heard. Her jaws get displaced and go to back side. His eyes come out of the eye holes. Yet he doesn't scream any time.
Then the skin seems to be burnt and red flash is seen from the surface of the body. His stomach has come out of. Yet there is no sign of emotion in Maester's eyes. Suddenly his head gets explodes and his cell has spread over the ground. Then the body falls on the floor and it feels like all the bones get crashed.
Everyone is in a trance what actually happened in front of their eyes. They are all frightened and want to forget this as a nightmare.
There is silence for two minutes until Maester breaks it. He speaks, "This is the punishment of greed and spy."
This one line shakes everyone's mind.
"So I now can spread the power among you all," Maester continues, "Don't worry I won't do like him with you. This is the punishment of betrayal." He takes a pause and then continues, "What I told about authority and hierarch, all are true except the name of Shadowmaker. There is actually no connection with your selected names to the authority."
But there is still pin drop silence in the chamber.