"Take a seat," the priest's voice had a slight raspy tone due to old age. Aaron sat down and looked around the room. The room's walls were draped with a black fabric with golden strings weaving through it made by the gods' blessings. The fabric looked like it could take a full volley of arrows and be fine. It even had a noise absorption aspect to it so nothing said could leave the room.
"Is that what Grandpa left me…?" Aaron's voice was shaky. He was shell shocked, this had to be a dream he was only 16. If this was really happening then that meant his Grandpa expected him to lead the family.
"Yes, and everything inside. Arthur's will states that I am required to watch you imprint the ring and then activate everything inside." The priest pushed the ring towards Aaron.
"How… how do I imprint it?" Aaron carefully picked up the ring, afraid of breaking it somehow. The ring was a quarter inch thick and made of onyx with an oak tree made of gold as the centre piece. The tree's roots spread all over the ring creating an intricate pattern.
"I do not know. Artifacts have been known to ask for mana, the owner's DNA, memories or even a specific item to be nearby. All you can do is put it on and see if anything happens."
Aaron took a deep breath prepared for anything. He knew his Grandpa wouldn't put him in harm's way so he steeled his nerves and slipped on the ring.
"Nothing happened-" Aaron's voice cut off as his mind was overwhelmed with pain. His finger felt like it was being devoured by a swarm of blood drinking elephant mosquitoes.
Aaron watched as his blood filled the gaps between the golden roots and surrounded the tree. The blood slowly solidified into glistening crimson gemstones.
Aaron let out a pained sigh, "That better have imprinted…" Aaron's voice was shaky and his jaw hurt from gritting his teeth to not yell in pain.
"Yes I believe it did. Now can you please activate its ability." The priest's voice was calm. It appeared as though he didn't even notice the pain Aaron had just been in.
"And how exactly would I do that?" Aaron tried to keep the annoyance out of his voice and failed slightly.
"Sorry I forgot you haven't been to school yet." The priest's apology caught Aaron off guard. He couldn't sense an ounce of the condescension that most people had when mentioning his schooling. "Every time you imprint an artifact it creates a mental trigger to activate its enchantments. Seeing as this is your first time it might be hard to locate it. Every time after this first time, you will activate the ring as easily as breathing."
Aaron gave a small nod of thanks and closed his eyes. After a few moments he felt something in the back of his mind and mentally reached for it. He felt his body start to circulate mana, it was a strange feeling. He felt like the air he was breathing in was slightly heavier. The extra weight was taken by his body and rushed towards his ring finger.
Aaron felt the ring split open on his finger and fall off. His eyes shot open afraid he broke the ring. Instead he was met with a swirling crimson red portal. At the top was the golden oak tree, its roots holding shards of onyx. The blood the ring had stolen was now swirling with mana in front of Aaron.
"That's disgusting," Aaron turned to the priest, already aware of what he had to do next but unwilling to admit it. "Don't tell me I have to put my hand in that…" All he got in return was a nod.
Stealing his nerves Aaron slowly reached out to the portal.
'It's your blood it'd be much weirder if it was someone else's.'
His hand sunk into the swirling crimson with no resistance. Aaron felt as if his hand was submerged in water, definitely water and not blood. Aaron felt something change in the back of his mind. In the place where he had mentally grabbed earlier there were now three items: a book, a piece of paper, and what appeared to be a mountain of gold coins.
Aaron reached for the note in his mind and felt something materialize in his hand on the other side of swirling crimson. Pulling his hand back from the portal it closed, reforming into the ring on his finger.
Aaron looked at the note in his hand. The handwriting was unmistakable with its messy and almost painful to read calligraphy.
'Definitely Grandpas'
Hey brat, if you're reading this. Why am I writing this look I'm dead you little shit and because your father is a horn dog and Victor is well Victor I'm giving you the title of family head half of my money and a the skill book of my personal skill.
Do whatever you want I don't care just have fun and don't die okay. If I see you in the lands of the dead I'm going to whoop your ass!!!!!!!!
"Wow. He remembered to capitalize Victor. He even used punctuation. It's not grammatically correct but he used it at least once." Aaron chuckled gently; his grandpa always found writing stupid. "Why write messages if I can just say it to them?" He always said, Aaron turned to the priest with a smile on his face for the first time in a while.
"There is only one thing for me to claim inside, and I'd rather do it in private." Aaron slid the note to the priest. "He said I could do whatever I wanted. So I'll be using that as permission to do this alone."
"Very well." The priest stood up, gave Aaron a nod and left the room leaving him alone. Aaron took a deep breath and reactivated the ring.
'He was right, it's as easy as breathing now.'
Aaron felt the weight of the book materialize in his hand. Pulling his hand out of the swirling crimson Aaron saw the book that would change his life.
The book was bound in a mix of leather and scales. On the centre of the front cover held to it by bones was a gray almost see through orb. The orb caught the light and reflected it and weird angles causing Aaron to feel nauseous.
'That thing is not natural. Grandpa, how the hell did you make this thing?'
Aaron opened the book up to the first page ready to learn the ability. Instead of the word covered pages he expected the book to be filled with, he was greeted with blank pages. Aaron slammed the book shut and tossed it on the table.
'So it's an artifact then? Then what could be the activation key? I swear if I have to fill that orb with blood or something I'll lose it.'
Aaron walked over to the table and stared down at the book.
"Open sesame!" Aaron chuckled to himself. "Like that would work."
The bones holding the orb suddenly let go. The orb slowly floated into the air and hovered above the book. Starting to spin the orb created small wind currents in the room, Aaron's hair billowed and his shirt rippled in the wind. Then as if shot from an artillery cannon the orb smashed into his sternum shattering it. Aaron let out a scream of pain as the orb started to bury itself into his chest.
The high speed rotation of the orb shot bone and flesh out like a Gatling gun. Aaron didn't even have time to scream before his mind shut down from pain and his eyes rolled back into his skull.
A second later the orb stopped rotating and sucked mana as if it were a vacuum. Aaron fell to the floor in a heap. His veins flashing bright blue as flesh and bone reknit themselves closing the hole in his chest like it was never there.