There were multiple entrances into the HighTower.


    Each of them was centered around one aspect of the Tower''s inner machinery, and Sam, slightly behind his Father, was making his way toward the Warlock Department. The part of the HighTower responsible for all things conflict-related, whether internal or external, as Warlocks improved and strived through combat as was their duty to their Patrons Glory and HighTower who enabled the relationship in the first place.


    It was the enabling of this relationship that allowed the Tower''s continual existence to subsist for millennia, and the core of all that was the Initiation Ceremony, a Ritual of grand proportions that was set once a year, with every following ceremony being one year and one season later. Meaning, that the last ceremony happened during last Spring, the time when Spring Court Spirits preferred to come out and play out their inner natures while making the world bloom and flourish. This did not mean that, at that time, Seekers only got to Contract with Spring Court Spirits. Oh, no. Not at all. It just meant that a slight bias in the numbers of certain Pacts occurred once every four years before being reset and starting the cycle once more.


    For Sam, this meant his chance at Contracting a Spirit of Fire, Heat, Radiance, Light, War and a plethora of other categories increased while his chance at every other category remained the same.


    This was good for Sam, as Spirits of the Summer Court were known for their prestige and prowess in battle, and Sam would need every bit of advantage he could get.


    Regardless of the Pacts, being a Grand Ritual meant that Sam would be undergoing the ceremony with many other Seekers. Hundreds of Seekers potentially. However, considering the Ritual being an annual event, the more accurate number would be somewhere between fifty and a hundred Seekers. Additionally, since not every Seeker will get a chance to Contract with a Spirit, the eventual number of new Warlocks per year only ended up a third or a fourth of the number of Seekers present within the Grand Ritual.


    Spirits were picky in who they chose to Contract, after all.


    While Sam felt good about his chances, considering his youth, his background, and the preparations for the event, nothing was ever truly certain. His Wizardling legacy puffing out, like a dream not meant to be remembered, made sure that despite all the prep he had had in the last three years, his nerves could not help themselves but make his stomach flutter with butterflies. Worst of all, the more bureaucratic staff they went through the greater the tingling in his stomach became as if he was about to make a choice of no return.


    Even visiting that Grand Diviner had not made him feel this way.


    Probably because he now had more at stake than his oblivious and naive twelve-year-old self.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Whatever the true case turned out to be, around HighNoon, the best possible reservation for the Summer Grand Ritual, Magically speaking, had come around. That being so, Sam found himself alongside a few youths, and lots of older men and women, inside the giant Ritual Chamber.


    Before the ceremony began, however, an older and somewhat gnarly man, wearing a red robe and red pointy hat while holding an eloquent redwood staff, addressed the probable Warlock Initiates.


    “Some of you may know about this and some of you may not, but I will repeat it nonetheless.” Wizard Hotter explained. “The Initiation Ceremony will push your Souls out of your bodies and into the Spiritual Plane. As you are normally vulnerable like that, this Grand Ritual was designed to protect you as you bid your journey across the Spiritual Plane in search of a Spirit to make a Pact with.


    Know, however, that this protection will not last for longer than twelve hours, meaning right around HighMoon will be your limit.


    If you are not back by that time, the Ritual will pull you back, whether you have or have not already made a Contract by that time. If you have not, your chance for this year is over and you will need to apply once again next year, naturally provided you have not already reached your quota limit.”


    “Now, twelve hours here in the Material Plane does not mean you get twelve hours in the Spiritual Plane since Time is much less stable there. You could get more and you could get less. Most of you will get about two to three days inside the Spiritual Plane. Use that time wisely and do not rush for the very first Spirit you encounter. Instead, evaluate it for its strengths and weaknesses before deciding if you are to make a Pact with it or try your chance with another.”


    Ceasing for a single second, Wizard Hotter shared a glance with the gathered youths.


    “You kids should watch out for your attraction to Spirits, whether that be out of curiosity on the Spirit''s part or simply being seen as a wandering snack. Irrelevant of the cause, do not promise anything to any Spirit unless they are willing to make a Pact with you.


    I am specifically talking about the Pact you are holding in your hands right now.


    Us Wizards have gone through centuries of refinement regarding its Terms and Conditions and it will Magically stick with you during your journey, so have no fear of losing it.” That said, he paused one last time. “Alright… One last advice. Wherever you end up, after being pushed into the Spiritual Plane, avoid the Fractures you come across. Do not bother asking what a Fracture is. You will know one the second you witness one. Good, with that I have mentioned what needs to be mentioned. Now it is all about you and your actions in the Spiritual Plane.”


    “Good Luck!”


    “Start the Ritual.” Wizard Hotter announced to his colleagues, all spread out around the giant Ritual Chamber.


    Almost immediately, all of their Staffs lit on their crowns before taping their part of the Ritual to channel Magic wherever Magic ought to be. Not to power it up as that was implemented into the core structure of the Ritual since it tapped the Mana Veins beneath the HighTower. No, a Wizard''s duty was to start, maintain, and end the Ritual in all its complexity which few realized just why the Grand adjective was added to the Ritual.


    Sam knew about that as he had been taught about it, but he still failed to truly recognize the Ritual depths, even when he felt being squeezed out of his body and cast into a world of colors that made and made no sense to his Mortal Soul.


    Then, when it was over, he found himself inside a hot place, full of stones, sand, and distant mountains overlooking a harsh climate.