Let the ride begin... the dull needles pushed into his skin with very little effort. He took a deep breath and without warning the needles passed his skin. He let out a small gasp, the pain was strong indeed, but he could handle it. Izumi felt his eyesight slowly leave him, fading into the darkness. Hour upon hour had passed, he noticed some of the other apprentices feeling pain. No one wanted it, but they were forced to take it. Izumi embraced it. After what seemed to be an eternity, Izumi felt his knees slam onto the ground. There was no difference within him, at least he didn't feel one. He looked over at the other apprentices while his head spun. There was a moment of forgetting where he was and why, but it came back quickly. He stumbled over to the girl that had saved him before, nearly crashing on top of her as he dropped to his knees. "Hey, hey are you okay?" His voice was small and quiet. As if he didn't want to be heard.

James just barely managed to stay standing through the whole thing using just raw willpower, and merely dropped to one knee once it was over. "Damn....that sucked," he said, looking up at the wizard.

Anna didn't panic over the pain. Sure, it hurt her as badly as it hurt the others, but she was so used to pain that it didn't really matter to her. Rather, her mind just... retreated, into memories. But these weren't peaceful ones. "I was just going to go buy some bread for dinner!" She said, softly. But her brothers didn't seem to hear. Andrew raised his hand as if to smack her and she fell silent. "You left without one of us as a chaperone. You broke the rules. And so you must be punished." He took off his belt and raised it high over his head. The rasp of leather on cloth told her that at least ten of the others had done the same. Not that she would know. She just buried her head in her arms and screamed until they left off whipping her. ~~~~~ "Andrew, you monster! Alex is your BROTHER! How could you have crippled him? How could you have?!" She was screaming at him, her fury overpowering her fear, and a good portion of her rationality as well. But Andrew was coldly dismissive of it. "We told you. His horse reared and he fell and the other horses trampled him." He loomed over her, and her urge to flee welled up. But she stood her ground. "Oh? And horses have boot-shaped hooves, now, do they? There are twenty-four bruises in the shape of YOUR hiking boots on his back, and you say that he was trampled by horses. I don't believe you." She turned on her heel and started to march back to the house, but spun around again. "Andrew, you will NEVER be my brother again. I don't know how I ever loved you." And then she spun and fled. But he found her, not even an hour later, before his temper had a chance to calm down. And what they did, him and three of the others, was something that Anna would NEVER be able to forget. On and on the memories went, she didn't even know for how long, until she became aware of the ground under her knees and someone's broken sobs. It took a while for her to realize that she was the one crying, and even longer before she was able to get it under control and get to her feet.

As he looked around, Ventus spotted Anna, slightly relieved that she was able to endure the pain. He had no idea just how badly it hurt her, however, for during the seemingly endless four hours of pain, he had recalled his countless training sessions with his uncle. They had been demanding, but he lived up this uncle's expectations each and every day. He decided to try and talk to her, stumbling towards Anna's location. "Hey, Anna..are you alright?" He asked, genuinely concerned about how she was holding up.

As he looked around, Ventus spotted Anna, slightly relieved that she was able to endure the pain. He had no idea just how badly it hurt her, however, for during the seemingly endless four hours of pain, he had recalled his countless training sessions with his uncle. They had been demanding, but he lived up this uncle's expectations each and every day. He decided to try and talk to her, stumbling towards Anna's location. "Hey, Anna..are you alright?" He asked, genuinely concerned about how she was holding up.

Anna tried to smile, though she failed miserably at it. "I think I'm okay. How about you?" She took a couple of stumbling steps (apparently she didn't have good muscle control yet) in Ven's direction and put her arm around him lightly. To change the subject, and to distance herself from the memories, she asked, "Am I doing this right? This being a friend thing?"

Cas was lying on the ground, she could taste blood in her mouth from biting her cheek so hard from the pain she had to endure. "Well that was fun." She said sarcastically, sitting up.

The wizard would clap at them "surprising so many of you are even awake..." he would say then looks to bristlebane "technically no.." he would look to the rest of them "you have all unlocked the power to let magic pass through you.. but that is all you've down, you must constantly train... both in intense demanding physical and magical training.... from now and on" he grins evily "but your bodies are weak so you must rest for now" he would wave his hand and all those still awake would feel extreme drowsiness and then collapse passed out. By the time they would awaken they would wake in a big room where beds line two walls, all injuries from the ceremony would be healed, but they still feel very sore from the experience, Their clothes would be all changed from their usual wear to almost like the uniform to training under the master.. Cotton/Wool Tunic and Trousers for the men and bit more like a Robe for the women. The Lights would be dim as they sleep but as they awake the lights would brighten. There would be a sign on the door, stating to wash up in the room on opposite end of the room... it being the bathroom/restroom/what ever. Then it gives instructions on where to go to meet the master. [I could be a big D here lol]

Bristlebane fell into unconsciousness disappointed. All that pain, had only enable them to have the ability to train magic, what kinda deal was that. Then he woke up groggily and looked around finding himself in new clothes and in what looked to be an infirmary. Bristlebane looked around curiously to see no one else was up yet and got up himself with a yawn. "WAKE UP TIME!" he yelled loudly and then walked over to the washroom to splash his face to fully wake himself up. The icy needles hitting his face fully woke him up and he shook his head. He looked at the sign again and decided he should probably follow those instructions but decided to wait for everybody else to wake up first. The wizard probably wanted them to all come in at once anyway.

Autumn sat up woozily, hand to the wound on her head that was steadily dripping blood to the ground. Before she could tell the boy who had carried her she was fine she saw the Wizard wave his hand and she slumped back to the ground. A ringing filled her ears and the corners of her vision started to darken. She struggled against it weakly before finally her world went black. When she woke it was to a stiff body and a sore head. She sat up carefully, fingers raising up to touch the spot that had been cut. There was no sign of a wound but the spot was tender and she had a headache pounding behind her temples. She rubbed her eyes before focusing on her surroundings. It seemed the Wizard had moved them all to a room and changed their clothes. She fingered her new outfit before gripping the bed-post on the bed and standing carefully. She swayed dizzily as the blood rushed down from her head and made her headache even worse. After a few moments the dizziness passed and she was able to release the post and stand on her own. She gazed around the room again as the others showed signs of waking.

Anna tried to smile, though she failed miserably at it. "I think I'm okay. How about you?" She took a couple of stumbling steps (apparently she didn't have good muscle control yet) in Ven's direction and put her arm around him lightly. To change the subject, and to distance herself from the memories, she asked, "Am I doing this right? This being a friend thing?"

"I'll live, for sure." He responds at first, smiling tiredly. Then, he had barely noticed Anna slip her arm around him. "Of course. You're perfectly fine." He responds before hearing and listening to the words of the Wizard, only to shortly afterwards feel a heavy wave of drowsiness hit him, causing him to sway. "So..sleepy..." He utters before, collapsing to the ground, falling into a deep sleep. The next thing he knew, Ventus was lying in bed, all of his injuries gone, save for the dull ache of his head and muscles, after gathering his bearings, he swung his feet off the bed and was now seated on his bedside, looking around to see if anyone else was awake. He then quickly spotted the girl Anna was speaking of prior to the ceremony. "Hey there. Good to know I'm not the only early bird around here. The name's Ventus, but you can call me Ven." He states, deciding it'd be best to start off by introducing himself through a bit of small talk.

Cas's eyes had closed. She hadn't been standing so she just fell asleep on the floor. She awoke on a bed. She flailed, freaking out about the robe she was dressed in a robe like outfit and fell on the floor with a loud thud.

Anna's eyes opened and she found herself lying on a bed. Funny, she didn't even remember falling asleep to start with. She looked around to see Ven and the other short-ish girl chatting with each other. She decided to join them; she stumbled to her feet, only to trip over her own robe. She was wearing a robe? Eh, at least it wasn't as indecent as her dress, with it's torn-off skirt and shredded petticoats. She righted herself and walked over, periodically stepping on her hem. The robe was far too big for her, but then the master had probably never had to provide a robe for such a little girl. She waved at Ven and the other girl, trying to be friendly, but sinking inwardly as she realized that Autumn, as tiny as she was, was still about three and a half inches taller. She went to go onto tiptoe, her usual height compensation, but her feet were too cramped to even try. Timidly she glanced at Autumn under her bangs. "Hello there. My name's Anna."

Autumn jumped in surprise when one of the boys approached her. She had been so wrapped up in her thoughts that she had not seen him coming towards her and therefore was very startled when she blinked and there was a face in front of hers. The boy introduced himself as Ven but before she could reply the short girl she had seen earlier came up as well. Now faced with two people she didn't know Autumn found that the words wouldn't come. She blushed and looked down shyly, noting that the robe she was wearing completely swallowed her. Not good. A long hem plus her clumsiness and she would bee falling flat on her face for sure. "H-Hi. I-I'm Autumn. It's n-nice to meet you." She replied quietly, peeking up at them from under her bangs. She shifted from foot to foot nervously before she spoke again. "S-So a-are y-you ok? A-About w-what happened in the c-circle I mean." She was sure they were all sore after their ordeal. But why did she had to be the one that hit her head on a rock. Now that the previous injury was brought to mind she could feel the headache grow worse and she automatically brought a hand up to her head. She hoped she didn't have a concussion but wouldn't the Wizard have healed it if she did? She hoped so anyway.

Anna bit her lip, remembering the pain of the circle, and remembering what the circle had caused in her head. "I don't actually know what okay is. I've not been okay for at least ten years. But I don't think I'm any worse off than I was before I was put in there." She saw Autumn rub her forehead. "Are you alright? I saw you hit your head pretty badly." She remembered the blood on the ground in the circle. And then blood on a different ground in a different circle. "You're possessed, Anna. It's for your own good. A demon's controlling you and we're going to help you get it out." James called from his vantage point, outside the circle. "Of course, it will hurt quite a lot, the way we have to do this. But I've read up on it. People actually have a ten-percent chance of surviving the ritual." Adam was standing closer, thumbing through a thick book. A spell-book, he'd told her. "Is it that good of a chance when it's a sadist doing the ritual?" Anna asked. Her arms and legs were tied to stakes so that her body was in the shape of a cross with her head facing north. A circle was inscribed in the dirt around her. "Oh shut it. You can't scream during the ritual, remember, otherwise we'll have to do it again and cut twice, not just once." Andrew was not being compassionate. He was inside the circle, and he was the one with the knife. "Andrew, please! What did I ever do wrong?!" Her hysteria bubbled up and she begged him, begged all of them to untie her and leave her alone. "You're too outspoken! It's unnatural! You must be a witch! We must let the demon out of your heart where it resides!" Connor all but shouted at her, standing by his twin outside the circle. "Please, don't do this to me! Don't!" Tears were streaming down her cheeks, dripping onto the earth, as she fought her bonds but it made no difference in the end. "Get ready, my dear!" Andrew sneered. And then the knife slid down her sternum, crossed her chest. The blood sprayed into the air and hit the dirt all around her. A deep cross on each wrist, on both of her heels, and then she was flipped over and a cross was carved on her back. And as quickly as it started it was over and she was left in the sun while the "evil spirits" left her body.. ~~~~~~ Anna, you idiot! Get a grip. Get a grip! She thought to herself, over and over again, until she regained enough control over her mind to smile, if a little weakly, at Autumn. She had no idea WHY all the memories were resurfacing today, only that they were and it kind of sucked.

@XxLyraxX @RomanAria "It's nice to meet you as well, Autumn." Ven says, giving her a warm smile. He then notices Anna out of the corner of his eye, waving at them only to then walk towards the two of them. The smile remains on his face as he waves back, happy to see his partner in crime once again. Once she joined in on the conversation, he turns back to face Autumn. When she asks about how they feel after the circle ceremony, Ventus begins rubbing his chin in thought, at first unsure of what the best explanation would be for his current condition. "Hmm..well, aside from my body being still sore, having a dull headache, and having my gear and clothing taken, I'd say I'm doing alright with what I have." Ven lightly jokes as he points out his new attire. Looking towards Anna to listen to her answer, he notices that she seems a little zoned out after she asks her own question, as if she were possibly daydreaming. He gently places a hand on her shoulder once more. "Hey, Anna, are you alright?" He asks, hoping his words may snap her back into reality.

Bristlebane stood by the doorway brow furrowed in concentration with his hands held toghether attempting to create a fireball. To his great dissapointment nothing happened and he dropped the act, it seemed that they would have to actully do some work. Well, it appeared everyone was FIANLLY waking up. Bristlebane sighed, everybody was ignoring him, but that was okay, that's what usually happened. So he just opened the door and began to follow the instructions on the door hoping they lead him to the wizard and not into some wierd wizard trap. He walked remorsefully thinking about all the cool stuff he had in his clothes that he would probally never get back. Like his top, Bristlebane had loved that top.

Cas pulled herself off of the floor. "Ow." She mumbled, rubbing her sore arms.

@ShadowVentus Anna flinched when Ven touched her shoulder. She shook her head to clear the fog, then realized that wouldn't be taken as an entirely good answer. "Oh. Right. I'm fine, Ven. Just missing all my musical instruments that were with my stuff." Not entirely a lie; she loved her music. After dinner sometimes she and Alex and Jacob and Thom would all play music. And they would dance and sing, and all fourteen of her other brothers would join in for the innocent fun (even Andrew, when she didn't vex him too badly during the day) and for a few minutes she could almost be happy.

Izumi was expecting an answer from the girl, but in an instant he was feeling drowsy and he eventually collapsed right beside her. The first thing that came to his mind when he awoke was the wizard. He needed to get back to training. But when he sat up and looked down at his clothes, he scratched his head. He was confused as to how this could be possible. Izumi didn't think he was out for a long period of time. It seemed some of the others were already up and moving. Quickly reading the sign, he spun around and noticed a small conversation. Izumi kinda scrunched up and went towards the corner. The shyness that he has always had caught up to him rather quickly. He didn't want to meet anyone new. As his anti-social trait kicked in, Izumi slid down the wall and bent his knees. His elbows rested on his knees and he rested his head on his hands.

[as of no one has been progessing... guess it's time to push ahead] As the apprentices was lazing about talking with each other... they would suddenly feel a falling sensation, before they would see the area around them change and suddenly they was all standing in what looks to be a canyon like area, the master would be sitting on a stone "..took your bloody times.. I was getting bored..... been asleep for a few months you all have...." he grins slightly "hope that doesn't do any problems to your plans" he laughs "o ya.. those with emotional problems.. please step up... yes I am mainly speaking about you.. Anna" he says.. somehow knowing her name though he shouldn't