Secret World of Occultists-Chapter 25: Occultist

East Newport Shipping & Customs House.

In the secret underground chamber of this warehouse, the people gathered and watched with bated breaths.

Emily Thompson, Henry Mercer, and his grandfather, Edmund Mercer stood outside the observation chamber, silently watching everything unfold through the thick glass.

Meanwhile, John Kensington, the Director overseeing all the containment sites in the city of Newport, stood inside the circular chamber.

He was standing right in front of Abel, his one hand holding a cane, while his other hand held a revolver, aiming straight at the youth's head!

After all, even if Abel passed the First Trial, it was unclear whether he still emerged a human.

This was also the reason why Abel was strapped to a chair inside a highly secured chamber located deep underground in the first place.

While several days had passed in the Spirit Crucible, no more than a few minutes had passed in the real world!

Suddenly, John felt a shift in the air and the spirit energy that was leaking out of Abel in large amounts immediately retreated inside his body.

The old man's eyes narrowed and his grip around the pistol's handle tightened ever so slightly.

In but a few moments, Abel's eyelids slightly trembled and he finally showed some signs of movement.

Slowly, he opened his eyes, trying to get used to the massive change he had just gone through. His vision was blurry, and it took a few more moments to get used to it.

One moment he was inside a temple on the moon, the next moment he found himself in a dimly lit chamber.

A tall and burly figure stood before him. When his vision finally cleared, he realized that it was none other than John Kensington.

But suddenly, Abel's eyes widened in shock and horror when he gazed at the barrel of the gun pointing straight at him!

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" Abel blurted out in a panic, trying to lift his arms to guard his face. But much to his disbelief, he found that his hands were strapped to the chair.

Fuck! I forgot, he thought to himself in alarm. Damn it! Just how long has it been?

Immense panic gripped his heart as he nervously spoke, "Sir! Wait! Wait! Wait! No need to resort to violence, alright? Let's talk this out!"

However, John's hand didn't budge. His pistol was still aimed at Abel's forehead as he coldly asked, "What was the day you entered the Crucible?"

"What?" Abel frowned. "What is that supposed to mean? Is this some joke—"

But his words got stuck in his throat when John pressed the gun to his forehead. The man repeated his question in an icy tone. "Answer me or I shall blow your brains."

Abel loudly gulped at this insane turn of events. What the fuck?! Does he suspect me to be someone else? This crazy old man!

But he quickly gathered his thoughts. He knew he had to cooperate or else John would shoot him. He could see it in the old man's eyes.

He was definitely not bluffing!

"Monday!" He said after some thought, "July 14th of the year 1030!"

"Your date of birth," John asked again, his voice cold as before.

"What? Uh, June 30th of the year... 1012!"

"Hmm." John's grip around the pistol loosened slightly. "Who is the first person you met from the Ministry?"

"Uh, if we're being technical then it's Henry," Abel answered awkwardly. "If not... then it's Miss Thompson."

John finally lowered his hand, putting away the pistol in his underarm holster. His tone softened and he asked, "Why didn't you name Henry's grandfather."

"I, uh... I don't know." Abel spoke after some thought. "That's not the vibe I got from him."

"Vibe?" John asked with a raised eyebrow. He then scoffed in amusement, "That peculiar turn of phrase. Yes, that is unmistakably you."

Abel was finally able to relax his shoulders. When he saw the old man begin to unstrap his limbs from the chair, he couldn't help but grumble, "Sir, did you really have to point that gun at my head? I nearly pissed my pants, you know!

"You've got no idea what I went through inside. And then, to suddenly have a gun pointed at your head? That's... crazy!"

John Kensington ignored his ramblings. "Well then, how do you feel?" He asked as he walked towards the steel door and started to undo all the security mechanisms.

Abel slowly got to his feet, stroking his wrists. He then looked at his palms and clenched them into fists. "I feel a little tired, but other than that I feel great!"

"Your body will need time to adjust to the spirit energy coursing through it," said the old man. "So, I would advise you to take it slow."

"Yes, sir!" Abel followed behind the old man, exiting the observation chamber. He saw Henry, Edmund, and Emily waiting outside, looking at him with welcoming smiles.

Henry was the first to step forward and offer a handshake. "Congratulations on overcoming the First Trial, Mr. Bishop!"

"Hehe!" Abel couldn't help but chuckle excitedly. He shook Henry's hand with a firm grip and nodded. "Thank you! Thank you!"

"Well done, Mr. Bishop!" Emily smiled radiantly.

Abel scratch the back of his head while smiling abashedly, "Hehe, thank you, Miss."

Finally, Edmund stepped forward and warmly shook the youth's hand. "Splendid work, my boy! You've become an Occultist at last!"

As Abel shook the old man's hand, he recalled all the obstacles he had to overcome inside the Spirit Crucible.

He had to go through a daily torture of burning in flames. He had to fight with a supernatural monster with his life on the line. Then, he had to go through a literal identity crisis.

After having nearly died on numerous ocassions, he was finally able to overcome all hurdles and climb the mountain, therefore, completing the true objective of the trial.

Abel's lips curled up into a brilliant smile and he proudly said, "I'm finally an Occultist!"

Suddenly, he thought of something, his eyes flashing with excitement. "Speaking of... You guys wanna see something really cool?"

Seeing the youth's expression, Henry understood what Abel was trying to do. He couldn't help but speak up, "Mr. Bishop, you might want to—"

"Henry, look at this," Abel interrupted him as he walked toward the section of the observation chamber that was made from glass.

"Look how cool my Hallmark is!" The youth grinned from ear to ear.

Hearing him say that, even Edmund couldn't help but step forward in order to stop Abel. Only Emily remained in her position, her lips curling up in amusement.

As for John, he struck a match and casually began smoking from his pipe.

"Here goes!" Abel excitedly ran forward. Then, he jumped straight at the reflective surface of the mirror.

BAM!

However, things did not go as planned.

Abel slammed against the thick glass before miserably falling to the ground. His nose started bleeding and he was beginning to see stars in his vision.

"What? What the fuck!" He cursed out loud.

Edmund shook his head, sighing helplessly. Whereas, Henry tried his best to prevent himself from laughing at the situation.

As for Emily, she burst into laughter, unable to control her bearings.

Abel looked at everyone with a dumbfounded expression. "What the hell is happening? Am I tripping?"

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It was then that he heard John Kensington's voice as the latter exhaled a plume of smoke.

"I told you to take it slow, didn't I? This is what happens when you ignore my advice."