Are you an ... ? (3)

"I will not allow it."

'Why is he here?'

Lucas, following Rajia to a room which was a bit far from the main cathedral but as grand as the prayer rooms in the cathedral, was stunned gazing at the bulky man in front of him, rejecting his idea as soon as he entered the room. He didn't expect him to be here. He really didn't. It was then he knew that he was going to have to cross over another obstacle just to summon a spirit.

"Your eyes seemed to be asking why I am here. How am I not going to be here when my disciple is going to try to do something impossible? Huh?"

Brook stared at the young boy with his eyes being fierce and at the same time not being able to understand what Lucas was trying to do.

Brushing the hair behind that was covering the forehead, Lucas sighed and shifted his eyes to a person in white priest robes, looking at them while crossing his hands. Lucas instantly knew that that person was the culprit of this situation.

"Cardinal… Did you tell this to your brother?"

"I just had something to discuss about."

'Why do you need to discuss!? Did you have to ask for permission to let other people use the Book of Knowledge with your brother?'

Lucas sighed again.

"You sigh too much for a child."

"Then don't make me."

Giving a reply back to Brook instantly, Lucas held back his desire for 'his third sigh' for today. It was not easy for him to persuade his people, especially those three who he was closest with, to let him come to the cathedral again with the reason of 'Wanting to Pray Intensively.'

It was not like his companions were idiots so Lucas noticed that they were more or less suspicious of what he was actually doing. Ryosuke was already back to the academy which Lucas was glad because he knew that he would not be able to convince him if he followed.

Instead, Ryosuke might even offer to let him summon instead.

But Lucas couldn't allow it. Ryosuke would fail and would suffer from the mana over usage for some time and current Ryosuke didn't have the capability to endure it.

Finally he had to promise to let Carl and Tus follow around this time but only letting them to the public area of the cathedral and letting them know that he was going to stay all day with the most trusted Cardinal of the King, Lucas was able to get away from the eyes of them.

'How long does the spirit summon last?' Lucas really didn't know about that but he was sure they would not be able to interfere during the process. He would solve other problems later.

But then, here was his instructor, standing in front of him with an interrogative stare, telling that he would not allow Lucas to do what he wanted.

"Teacher, you know what is happening in Sansa, right?"

"More or less. But that doesn't mean that you had to try the impossible."

"But do you have any other way to stop it?"

Brook looked at Lucas, sending a glare once again. He knew how summoning spirits were like the most since their household was the one which had the nearest contact to such cases.

Mana depletion was the one of the many cases that people failed to do the spirit summoning. That was why only adults, with the bloodline of Housland, blessed with high mana potential from Lucian, tried to summon the familiar. Even with that, there had been many failures and in the worst scenario, death from mana depletion.

Brook didn't have any other way to stop the curse and as far as he knew the curse was starting to get worse although the patients were getting the best possible proper treatment. He knew that Lucas had potential but it was not the time yet. He was too young to do it and if he failed, the result would not be good.

"You know the consequences, right?"

"Yes."

"Then why are you doing this? You don't need to do it. Just let it be handled by adults."

Lucas was surprised that for once his instructor was trying to be gentle and negotiate with him. But he could not back down no matter what.

"I have my own ways, teacher. I promise that nothing bad will happen. I know my limits so don't worry."

Brook's eyes twitched hearing Lucas as his expression got darken. Should he just lock up Lucas? But what Rajia had told last night also restrained him from doing what he wanted. It was like his two minds were playing tug-of-war on what he had to do.

'Don't you want to protect this kingdom? The kingdom that she desired to protect?'

Brook didn't know what to do and he unconsciously tried to delay Lucas.

"Does your family know that?"

"Of course not. If they knew, they would never let me."

"I'm glad you know that."

The air in the prayer room seemed intensed and Lucas was going to talk back to explain but held himself again when Rajia coughed to gain attention to him.

"Brother, I understand that you are also worried but let's just wait and see if Young master Lucas can pass the first requirement."

Brook seemed to be thinking for a few seconds before he nodded and accepted Rajia's proposal which made Lucas rest assured a bit.

The first requirement.

It was the one which determined whether the summoner had the potential to summon a spirit as his or her familiar. It was simply to activate the Book of Knowledge by infusing their mana and if once could activate it, that person was said to be recognized by Lucian for the next stage. And it was not a dangerous step because a person could stop activating the book whenever they wanted.

'If I could pass it, they would not stop me anymore, I suppose.'

Lucas was surprisingly confident about that in this case.

"Young master Lucas, please follow me."

Lucas nodded as Rajia led him in front of the statue of Lucian where a magic circle was engraved permanently to the white marble floor.

"This room is solely for those of Housland bloodline to summon the spirits. Not everybody can enter here."

Rajia started to explain the usage of the room as he led Lucas on the magic cycle. Then, he took out a small pouch kept under his robe and afterwards, pulled out something that was twice the size of a hand palm.

'Spartial pocket?' Lucas instantly guessed the identity of the first item which was a very rare one to be found. Of course, he also knew what Rajia had taken out from such a pocket.

A brown book wrapped in the leather strap of black and with a purple crystal embedded in the middle. Lucas immediately noticed that it was the Book of Knowledge that the novel had described.

"In this book, everything about the spirits is written here. Their characteristics, their power and the necessary magic circle to summon them and also spells to activate and communicate with spirits."

Lucas listened to Rajia carefully. It was exactly like the veteran had explained to Ryosuke.

"Just follow what I say for now. If you successfully summon a spirit, I will let you explore more about the contents of this book."

"You just have to simply chant a spell and infuse your mana to the Book of Knowledge and if the book accepts the magic, it will let the magic circle under you activate as well. For the exact description, you will know when it accepts you."

Rajia continued to explain while handing over the book to Lucas.

"Promise me that you won't overdo it."

Both the gaze of Rajia and Brook fell onto Lucas, waiting for his answer.

"It is not only for you but also for us. Our heads would properly have to say goodbye to the body if something happened to you."

Lucas cracked a smile on what Brook had said.

"I promise."

"If you pass the requirement and get to the second stage, there will be no turning back. But Brook and I will try our best to not let your mana be completely gone."

Houslands had the ability to help a bit during the process by transferring their mana to the summoner but it also had its limit which was why Rajia also called Brook to help him with the process.

"Yes, I know."

Rajia just smiled and told Lucas of what he had to say while he was infusing his mana to the book. Like the flow of the other spells, it also had praises for the god Lucian which Lucas didn't feel that comfortable to speak on since he was like a culprit for Ryosuke and his arrival to this world.

"O' God Lucian, who bless people for their needs,"

Lucas started to chant and infuse the mana as Rajia and Brook looked at him carefully from a few steps away from the magic cycle.

"Who watches over the people with love and care,"

Lucas refrained himself from saying 'Who draws people in from other worlds as he wishes.'

"Please approve my wish to open the path to the realms of spirits.

Let me encounter them, speak to them."

"O' god Lucian, I hereby request of this to you.

Please fulfil my humble wish."

Lucas finished the chant while he let the book to be wrapped around with his mana, his mind telling to the god with the words opposite to the polite ones that he spoke on outside.

'Hey Lucian,'

Lucas inwardly spoke in his mind, hoping Lucian would hear his thoughts as the one he was holding had also a function like requesting to the god.

'You want me to help Ryosuke, right? You don't want me to die soon, right?'

Lucas continued.

'If you don't want it, you know what to do.'

He hoped that Lucian would hear him.

'Assist me.'

A green light, mixed with purple rays in between emerged from the book, wrapping around the silhouette holding a book. The magic cycle underneath also started to illuminate in soft green glow, marking that the one holding the book was worthy of crossing the barrier between human and spirit world.

Lucas closed his eyes as a reflex from the immense light, innerly glad that Lucian had approved him. He felt that his body became suddenly drowsy but with no rejection he let his body do what it wished for which he knew the reason.

The two adults looked in disbelief and awe at the light surrounding. After a while, the light disappeared, leaving the unconscious Lucas in the middle of the cycle which was radiating a pale green light, softly.

"Are you really an … ?"

Unintentionally, Rajia let out a few words in shock. It had been around a hundred years that they last had a spirit wielder. And hundreds of years that they had a spirit wielder that was outside of the Housland family. And that person was said to be the god's apostle.

The dangerous stage was still there but his intuition was telling him not to be pessimistic.

"The First requirement had been met."

Rajia heard a rough voice and looked at his brother beside him who had a grumpy face, staring at Lucas

"Let's just pray that he will be alright."

Agreeing with his brother was rare for Rajia but at this time, he just simply nodded, hoping for the best outcome possible.

***

"Is this the spirit realm?"

Lucas looked at his surroundings, getting up and shaking off his drowsiness. Realizing that he had successfully crossed over the barrier, his lips curled up in satisfaction. He felt a bit of shivers of what was yet to come as he looked at the silhouettes around him. Since he was already here, there was not turning back.

'Now let's get the work done.'