The moment Aeries has heard the question, a cold shiver has run through his spine quickly. The air around him seems to tighten, and the tiny hairs across his arms and neck slowly rises as if his body sensed a sudden danger; his mind yet to understand. Aeries cannot but reply in a trembling voice standing up from the chair, "Yes, Maester."
Maester then puts his hand in air and a portal shape made of cloud opens. He has put his hand in that cloud. He has brought five liquids containing in two cobbled test tubes, two muddy cups and one in diamond shaped wine cup made from silver, but every cup in a small size, holding highly hundred MiliLitre in terms of the Earth. It is hard to determine the color of the liquids from outside.
The smell coming from liquids is not healthy; actually the smell can make a person vomit on the spot. Aeries somehow manages him to stop from vomiting but Maskborn couldn't. The smell is both creepy and murderous. No person dares to drink these liquids in his lifetime. But Aeries has to drink in front of his group members. There is vapor blowing in the air. It seems like it is prepared recently or the signal of the smell coming from these five liquids.
Maester understands the environment but doesn't have any sign of emotion in his eyes. He drops a bomb saying, "You have to drink all these liquids, no matter how the worst they are. Remember you have chosen the most dangerous but powerful authority of all authorities. It is a only authority that no church or temple wants to supply. It is forbidden. Survival rate of getting power at the fifth hierarch of Eternal Fang authority is nearly zero."
There is no word coming from the group members even Inferno who seems to be aggressive all the time from the very beginning of the meeting, he stops asking question. But the power and aura of this authority is making him jealous. He is angry of himself to choose not the best powerful authority ever. Everyone in the room is staring at Aeries. They are all sharing same thoughts in their heads, "How will this young boy survive devouring the liquids at a row?"
But Aeries is feeling in a different way. He is thinking, "I was dead few lights ago, now I am going to be dead again. I think my life is full of surviving death. Even I didn't get happiness in the Earth nor in this world."
He calms down his mind and thoughts and meditates, "I can do this. I can do this. I have to survive. I have to survive anyway."
Aeries raises his head up and looks around the room and sees the liquids containing in the five items. He sees the liquid vapor blowing. Then he is gazing around the faces of the chamber to understand the emotions of them. Then he looks at Maester and replies in a convincing voice, "I accept my fate. I am ready to take all the liquids at one gulp. I have to survive."
"Then," Maester clears his throat, "Come to me to take the first cup."
Aeries does as he is ordered. Aeries holds the cup made of cobble stone, having no handle, a plain structure having no design at all. Aeries almost is going to vomit looking at the liquid. Words unconsciously come out of his mouth. "Eh, how can I drink this!"
"You have to."
Finding no way, Aeries holds his breath and pours the liquid at once. The taste seems to be disgusting to Aeries. His tongue most probably loses all its smell bud. He doesn't want to continue further.
Suddenly he doesn't feel good. He feels he is losing his control and falls down on the ground. Yet he holds the chair firmly. His cell is becoming dry and strong. He feels his hand to become wood like. He feels like his head is going to explode like Shadowmaker. He presses down his head strongly.
Seeing this, Inferno becomes furious. He jumps off from his chair and shouts at Maester, "Are you going to kill him like Shadowmaker again!"
There is no reply coming from Maester. He is just looking at Aeries. He just utters a single word, "Progressing."
After a few moments going through the tortures on his body, Aeries gets control in his body. After getting control he is determined to go through again torture. "Next cup, please."
This time Maester provides him the muddy cup. This time there is no bad smell coming from the cup. Anyway, Aeries becomes confident this time to engulf this.
But real problem starts after the liquid enters into its stomach. There is a reaction happening with two liquids. Something bad is happening inside Aeries' stomach. A bad pain feeling like stomach is going to be torn apart instantly, it seems that all flesh and foods are going to be out. But nothing happens to Aeries. But his pain in his face tells everything how much pain he is suffering.
Then Maester provides another cup, a cobbled one. Then Aeries takes the cup with his trembling hand and somehow he manages to drink the liquid. This time it feels like bold coffee. It feels like in a mini size cup filled with five hundred grams of coffee. Aeries is almost splitting out the coffee. He almost is going to say not more today. But he controls himself.
The muddy cup is cold enough to make hundred gram of water to ice by ten seconds, though the liquid doesn't get cold. It is warm. It feels like it is warm for eternity. No one can cool it in his lifetime. But when the liquid enters into the mouth of Aeries, it suddenly turns into ice. When he crashes it with his teeth, he shivers in a deep mourning voice. Everyone in the chamber hears that sound coming. All they can do is to watch torture of Aeries.
There is only a cup remaining on the table. It is diamond shaped silver wine cup. By the time, Aeries' body feels broken. He can't move his body freely. He is losing his balance. All he stands is because of his will-power and hard determination.
Aeries yells but there is a voice of losing and pain in his voice. "I won't lose. I need to drink only the last liquid. I will survive."
Maester supplies the diamond shaped silver wine cup to Aeries. Aeries doesn't think about the condition of the cup or liquid or the environment. All he knows he has to drink the liquid.
He doesn't stop. He takes the cup and drinks it.
After waiting for nearly five minutes, Maester shouts out jumping from his chair, "How can this be possible? How could he survive after drinking the last liquid? No one after the first Lord of Eternal Fang, the first Divine Throne owner, the Embodiment of this planet, first deity of this universe, survives after taking this drink. This is the first miracle, in my knowledge, in this reckoning."
Aeries is even in shock what happened to him. He is feeling perfect and no sign of pain or suffering. His face is perfect. He is breathing so well. He even doesn't understand what really happened with him. He knows he drank the liquid and then sudden calmness and cool air went through him. He was in a deep meditated setting in his mind.
"All are happening with me is pre planned or miracle?" Aeries thinks in his own mind.
Aeries gazes at Maester and other members of the group. He finds everyone is looking so much surprised as they were seeing Aeries was at the brink of death. All on a sudden he cured out of no sign.
Aeries starts to talk with Maester, "What power do I get from these liquids? What is the name of this hierarch?"
Maester hides his surprise and starts explaining Aeries' power.
"The fifth hierarch of the Eternal Fang authority is Scale Blood. Your primary power is physical strength. You have immense strength; you will find it yourself. Your gets toughened, in this level your body is mostly like a rock. Your body now can survive in extreme condition like heat, cold. natural calamities. Your nervous system sharpens more than a usual man. You can make a dead man your puppet but condition is there you have to put some of your souls in the dead body." Maester takes a pause and starts talking, "Remember you are now Scale Blood, second ever in history. You have to be responsible and eligible to take the place of mine."
Aeries stands up from his chair and nods down his head as sign of respect.
Aeries looks around and then asks, "Maester, can I ask you a question?"
"Yeah, for sure."
"What is the name of our group?"
All the members now lock their eyes on Maester and are eagerly waiting for Maester's reply. Many things happened since the start of the meeting. Till anyone out of the member didn't dare to ask this question.
Maester understands the curiosity among members and responds in a deep voice.
"THE OATHBOUND HOST"