5 Lost in the dark forest

"What happened? What's going on?"

Dahlia quickly looked around and her already high anxiety suddenly reached a new peek.

"Anybody? Hello? Please!"

There was no response. Her eyes were still covered and she couldn't see clearly. She didn't remember exactly what happened, but after the abbot began the ceremony, all she could recall was suddenly feeling alone and that something was wrong. At that moment, all of her senses went on alert and her inherent fears multiplied.

Everything felt wrong.

Finally succumbing to the fear of the unknown, she ripped off her hood. Her desperation to have it removed seemed to make it a hundred times harder to take off and the cowl hooked and snagged on every little thing it could. It seemed the world had it out for her today.

Finally removing the cloth, she looked out and saw a forest instead of a church. That's when it clicked.

'This… this is my hallucination? That means I'm still in the ceremony and I'm totally safe. Things will just pass in time.'

She told herself this but… this hallucination didn't let her be fully rational. It was as though every part of her mind and body screamed this was real. Even as one part of her said that it was like a dream, the rest of her refused to listen. It was as if she was completely dissociating from her rationality. This hallucination didn't let her think straight and it was terrifying.

There was something that seemed to constantly raise her anxieties and fears. She was in a beautiful forest, a place she would typically call a haven, yet she was trembling where she stood. To take her mind off what she was going through mentally, she turned her full attention to the surroundings.

The forest was dense in both its undergrowth and its canopy. Sunlight hardly filtered through the tightly packed branches and yet rather than the barren forest floor one might expect, she instead found the underbrush to be shockingly verdant. It was as if the plants here fed not on sunlight, but the shadows that surrounded them.

Dahlia tried to gauge what exactly was going on here. The forest was most similar to a temperate rainforest. The trees were largely comprised of dark needled conifers and the forest floor was dominated by lush moss, ferns, mushrooms, and brambles. Despite the temperate surroundings though, exotic plants were also present, ranging from thick verdant vines climbing the trees, to beautiful flowers with every colour of the rainbow. It was like this forest was in the land of the fey. Something so mystical and beautiful that there was no way it could be found in an ordinary place.

Honestly, she wanted to talk to the plants around her. Maybe they would be her new friends and family? But starting a conversation wasn't possible. At least not while the atmosphere here remained so cloying and stressful.

As if guided by some internal power that pushed her forward, Dahlia felt the gradually increasing urge to escape. Her heart began to race and staying stationary was beginning to make her short of breath. Mote time passed and the urge increased more and more until finally her rationality collapsed and fear won over. She wanted to find safety. No. She *needed* to find safety. She needed to find a way out or a safe haven at least.

It was in this mental state that she began to thoughtlessly rush through the woods. Stumbling. Tripping. Getting back up only to run and fall again. The sensation was dreadful and she felt she was living through a nightmare where the more she tried to maintain her balance and sense of direction, the more she fell and the world spun around her.

"P-please. No more. I can't take this! I need out please. I… I can't breathe… please someone help!"

After what felt like she was running for hours she finally started to lose her mind. The forest's shadows cloyed at the corners of her vision and the roiling mists seemed to dance with hidden shapes just slightly out of view.

The towering trees seemed to warp her vision as a strange sense of vertigo overtook her the moment she tried to regain focus. It felt like the world was spinning, and all the while, roots, vines, brambles, and bushes constantly ensnared her, wrapping her limbs in a sharp unforgiving web.

By now Dahlia was sobbing and struggling to reign back her hyperventilation. Her anxieties were naturally so high that this place was a poison to her, and she could feel it slowly killing her off. Already, she was so exhausted and dizzy that standing wasn't an option. Still driven by a deep seated fear, she continued to flee to an unknown destination only now that she couldn't maintain her balance long enough to even stand, she crawled instead.

Branches, rocks, and thorns all dug into her, tearing cloth and flesh as she pulled herself along. Having already run for so long and now crawling for what felt like even longer, she felt that some form of progress must have been made. Then she saw it. Broken branches. Torn cloth. A spattering of blood. She had been here.

A small accidental circle would be one thing, but Dahlia recognized the local area. She knew and despised that branch for how it jabbed into her and she glared at the rotten mushroom that had cushioned her fall. She was here back when she could still stand upright. It felt like a day ago, and yet she was still here. She had made such a huge circle. It was such a huge waste of time and energy.

This event alone was enough to flip the switch. She understood.

It clicked in her head just what her new reality had become. Despite her rationality not holding much sway in her mind, it had still been working overtime throughout the whole hallucination. All while panicking and running away, a portion of her mind was analysing what was happening.

This forest existed for one purpose. It only needed to be one thing, and it needed to be that thing perfectly. The fears, anxieties, vertigo, and confusion. They all were innate to this place. They were just as natural as the bushes or trees, or the dirt beneath her feet. Just as the dark mist enshrouded everything here, so too did the sense of being lost and wishing to escape.

Coming to this understanding, Dahlia could feel her nerves ease. She still felt scared and alone, but that was inevitable so long as she stayed here. But coming to terms with it felt better. It was like accepting that a volcano was erupting right beside you. There was a peaceful acceptance that came from it all.

It was with that sense of acceptance that Dahlia's eyes shot open and the church was back in sight.

~~~~~

"Let us begin."

The abbot tried to say it in as stately a voice as possible. He wanted a ceremony such as this to be filled with purpose and the righteous will of god. He was well aware of the ill intentions the Baron and Baroness held towards their daughter but he didn't care. So long as this sacred ritual proceeded without issue, he truly wasn't concerned with what would happen later.

With the censers burning and herbal smoke floating in the air, he took a deep breath. Decades ago he had developed his schema he named "ritualism of holy entanglement." He had built a massive and complex system that combined three different ritualistic schema from different cultures and he made it into his own. Formed from the Sultanate's alchemy, the Theocracy's shamanism, and the Republic's regionally distinct rune crafting, the final product was his magnum opus.

The abbot used the smoke and unique elements therein to bind his energies to those in the surrounding air. Not only the air, but all others present who breathed the fumes would secretly lend their power as well. From there, he would then sculpt and direct the gathered energy while maintaining a steady stream of mana. The sigils on the ground channelled and shaped all energy into the target and the rubs on her skin and the uniquely woven cloak would refine and channel it directly into her newly developed organs.

Each stage was complex in its own right, and unlike others who simply tossed down a magic circle and called it a day, the abbot refused to settle until he had total unyielding control of the process. It was because of this perfect control that he immediately sensed some things. He continued the ritual but his guard was immediately raised.

"Dear lord of magic, hear our prayer. This child now becomes one of yours. Her heart, body, and soul are yours to have and yours to guide. Let this child see the beauty of your creation. Let her bear witness to her life becoming anew!"

His voice was still hoarse and suffering from the long talks he had only just finished, but he remained steadfast in this part. Magically speaking, the words weren't necessary, but for someone so devout to not recite the ceremony's invocation, the thought was inconceivable.

He briefly glanced over at Dahlia who was standing still as a statue while the crystal she held released short intermittent bursts of energy. The Alraune's Crystal wasn't necessary, but the pulses and wavelength it produced caused much better results. Some people only awoke a portion of their aspect and the crystal would help prevent that.

Seeing it was all going smoothly, the abbot set aside some of his concerns from earlier. So long as he finished the initial stage of the ritual, he had nothing else to worry about. With that in mind, he sped up his chant, hoping to speed things up before anything got out of hand.

"Son of the moon, daughter of the sun. Vestaluna, please guide us and this child so that we know our truth. Grant us with your presence and let this young one know herself the way those in tune with magic know themselves. Please, oh god. Oh goddess. Deliver her unto your heavenly embrace!"

The abbot was finishing the main chant as he felt a sudden wave of pressure run through the entirety of his ritual. Those he was secretly stealing mana from felt the sudden backlash, with some staggering and most falling to their knees, gasping for air. To his credit, the abbot didn't waver. Maintaining the ritual, he felt around his mana paths until he found the source of the disturbance.

'This girl… Is she so tuned into mana that she can cause such a strong rebound? Also, taking a closer look, it seems she has-'

*Thud*

'It appears I was right. It seems she has already fallen unconscious. We were only three minutes in! We were lucky I rushed the procedure or else this could have been a problem.'

Letting out a sigh of relief, releasing the breath he didn't even realise he was holding, he turned to look at the Baron who had a scowl on his face.

"She entered the hallucination seven minutes earlier than anyone else I've ever worked with. It's a sign that she has an incredibly high affinity for conducting mana.'

Seeing the father's troubled face he continued, hoping to alleviate some concerns or confusion.

"This is a separate matter from what her aspect is or anything like that. We won't know that one until she wakes up. But this is a sign that, regardless of aspect, she'll be able to hold more mana, conduct more, combine it, and shape it to an incredible degree. Even if she had the most insignificant aspect, she may be able to turn a molehill into a mountain once her abilities mature."

He chuckled a bit to himself at the thought of a literal 'molehill' aspect creating massive rocky mountains.

'Heh, now wouldn't that be a ridiculous sight?'

His thought was caught off as the girl on the ground started to shake, sob, scream, and whimper. His eyebrows raised again. Such strong emotion? This girl might be a genius.

The abbot watched the entire time with growing interest all while her parents stood to the side, clearly bored as time slowly passed. Watching their daughter writhe in fear and agony on the ground was interesting for a few minutes, but both grew tired of the sight quickly.

"Abbot! You said this wouldn't take long so do you care to explain why it's already been well past two hours? I waited to say this because I trusted you and your reputation, but this is getting absurd."

The Baron was nearly fuming at the waste of time. Why should he have to wait around for someone so pathetic? If it weren't for putting on airs, he would have left long ago. For his part, the abbot just gave him a consolatory glance before refocusing on the collapsed and crying girl.

"Vincent. The reason it takes so long is because of the aspect's complexity. Everything about her is honestly remarkable from a magical perspective. But if you are truly concerned, don't be. She will wake soon. I can feel the mana flowing more and more through her and she has already shifted her behaviour from earlier. It's just a matter of time before her hallucination comes to an end and she tells us what her aspect is."

Vincent Lionysus only nodded. He was angry, but at least his offspring didn't possess some pathetic common aspect. By this point, he was truly wanting everything to be over. While the ceremony was ongoing, a group he had hired took a sample of Dahlia's blood. Now with mana flowing in her, a more accurate blood test would be done and it was just a matter of time until they found out what exactly she had in her veins.

True to the Abbot's words, only another quarter hour passed before a noticeable shift was seen in Dahlia. Her body started violently shaking as the loudest anxious screams yet were released, only for her to go deathly still and silent a moment later. Everyone in the room held their breath when she suddenly opened her eyes.

The abbot knew she would still not be fully lucid at this point, but now was when he could ask for the aspect and it would be impossible for her to lie. Her critical thinking at this moment was simply too low to even consider it as an option.

"Well girl? What is your aspect?"

The old man was giddy. This event was truly unique to him in his entire fifty year career!

Dahlia blinked a few times, trying to wrap her head around reality. She mumbled something, but it was impossible to make out.

"I'm sorry dear, could you say that again?"

She shuddered as if she was recalling a harrowing past event.

"Lost in the dark forest. That's my aspect."