Chapter 12
The newest Empowerment Ritual would need to have a diameter of four feet in order for Zeth to draw it. Well, it would actually need to be 3.8 feet in diameter, thanks to Vile Focus’s discount, but the difference wasn’t very large when the Skill was so low-Rank. Thankfully, a circle that wide was still able to be held by the walls of the shed he worked in. But soon enough, that would change. This whole ‘working in the shed’ thing was a temporary arrangement that he’d have to find a replacement for rather soon.
Zeth was struck with grandiose thoughts of a massive, sprawling base full of rooms for rituals to be set up in, defenses to fend off intruders, and animal farms to create and store blood. Then he arrived back in reality, in the shed in his mom’s backyard. Certainly not ideal.
But for now, it worked just fine. So he got to work. He figured he’d spend a couple hours out here in the dead of night getting started on the ritual circle, then cover it up, go to bed, and when he woke up way later than everyone else, pass it off as him recovering from his injuries. His mom probably wouldn’t be a fan of him sleeping in, but as long as he got some stuff done later in the day she shouldn’t have had a problem with it.
With the adrenaline from his recent battle still powering his body, he knelt and began tracing lines along the floor. The methodical work of drawing the ritual circle was somehow relaxing and engaging at the same time, able to perfectly fit what his mind needed, and he easily sank into his work, painting the pastel red magically coming from his finger across the stone.
Zeth continued working, losing himself in the ritual magic as he slowly, neatly drew the lines on the shed floor. With the curtain drawn to separate this back section of the shed from the entrance, he was blocked out from seeing the outside world as he labored—though, he probably wouldn’t have even noticed anything going on outside, with how razor-focused he was on the circle.
That focus was broken when a knock sounded out from the door.
“Zeth?” Sophie’s voice called from outside. “Zeth, are you in there?”
He blinked, feeling like he’d just been broken out of a trance. What was going on? Where was he? He glanced down at the ritual circle. It was…almost done. How long had he been—
“Zeth, did you fall asleep in there? It’s time to wake up! Mom made breakfast!”