A Lesson of Chaos (INVITE ONLY)

Damian considered Seth's suggestion, peering thoughtfully at the contents of the vial. He didn't recall Asphodel being quite so leafy, though, he hadn't seen a lot of it - mostly just the roots. Then, again, perhaps it wasn't even a leaf. It could have been a petal. The boy had failed to consider that.

"Good a guess as any," Damian replied. "I know it grows around here..." He looked around, listening intently, trying to locate some of these clues he'd thought his mentor had alluded to.

He sighed and rolled his head as he got up. "Alright come here." He said beckoning them with his hands. "I did this exact test with my brothers on our first lesson. You know what we did? We sat down and took a break." He said taking the vial off them. "You see this." He said pointing to the leaf in the vial.

"That is your antidote. Lesson one, most things you are looking for are right under your nose. Ace figured that one out. He always was the brains of the operation." He smirked pulling out the leaf and splitting it in two.

"Now eat then we can move on to some real work." He said making the vial disappear mid air.

Damian turned a furiously shade of scarlet. How could he be so stupid?! He couldn't bring himself to look at his mentor. Already, he had failed and the mere thought made Damian feel horribly ashamed.

Obediently, and very much subdued, he ate the half of leaf that had been given to him. Damian then set his jar. He'd do better next time - he would!

Seth couldn't believe that the cure was there the whole time. Asric had made it seem like the cure was out there in the forest somewhere when it wasn't

Seth took the leaf and ate it hoping that Asric wasn't dissappointed in them.

This was not a good way to start an apprenticeship, he thought, but we just have to move on and try not to fail again.

"Oh come one boys don't look so defeated. You've just proved we are nothing alike. Me and my brothers took the easy option that just happened to be the right one where as you two decided to the longer route that lead to no where." He smirked. "The leaf was never planted in the forest, it was only here because i brought it here." He smiled.

"Right lets get onto some proper work now shall we? I think it's about time we enhanced your senses a little don't you? Which one would you like enhancing first?" He asked his eyes lighting up as he thought back to the time he had his enhanced.

Seth looked at Damian before he turned back to the professor.

What sense would I most want to enhance, he thought. Sight to see better? Hearing to hear more even though someone may be super quiet? Taste hmm well taste would not do much that I know of. Touch to feel more? That could have worse side affects then I want. Smell to smell prey better?

"I have thought it over Master and I believe that the best sense to have enchanced would be sight. Taste and Touch really could have worse side effects then wanted although I could be wrong. I am not the master here. Hearing is all fine and dandy but what use is it if you can't see where that person is?"

"Of course," he said thinking, "if you heard where someone was then it would actually be better. To train yourself to tell where someone is by sound."

"Master I think that I would like to have my hearing enhanced," he said hoping that it was a good one to have enhanced.

Damian let Seth respond first, though, he was no longer studying the ground. He was already determined to do better. Theo always said he liked to do things the hard way, and he had just proven that. He would learn to think - what was it? - outside the box.

He, too, thought hearing would likely prove the most helpful sense to enhance, particularly if one was in an area with low visibility. Smell would also prove useful in helping to follow trails.

"Master Chaos," he asked by way of responding, "which do you think is the most useful sense to have in hunting and tracking?"

He smiled. "Very well but know this. Once you have enhanced them there is no turning back. You will eventually have most of your senses enhanced but it will be up to you and you alone which ones you want enhanced first." He said looking at Seth before turning to Damian.

"Each person is different Damian, each of my brothers chose a different sense to me because we all had our own reasons for why we chose that sense. Seth has chosen his, would you like the same or do you too have a different sense in mind?" He asked. "This is something only you can decide because it will be you that has to live with your decision. So what is your choice?" He asked

Damain thought about it a moment more. He wished he had answered first, now, because he didn't want to sound he was just picking the same sense as his fellow apprentice. But the more he considered it, the more he felt that enhanced hearing would prove the most useful to him. He still had to go home for Hols, after, and he didn't trust the muggle kids in his neighborhood to be smart enough to continue avoiding him indefinitely.

"I'll start with hearing, too, sir," he stated finally.

He nodded with a smile. "Wise choice boys. I too pick hearing first, Ace chose sight and Ares chose smell. We each had our own reasons and each was respected enough not to be questioned further about our choice." He said rubbing his hands together making a long metal needle appear in his hands.

"Fair warning this may hurt a little, it may even burn but ill take on most of the pain. Cause i'm nice like that..." He smiled holding his arms open. "...Right once this is done, for the first few days or the first few weeks depending on how fast you adapt everything will be loud. A pin drop will sound like a bowling ball falling to the floor. Voices will sound like a fog horn, you just want to hope no one shouts because that really hurts your ears." He smirked.

"Right Seth first since he decided first. I'd ask you which ear but it makes no difference i think we're better off doing both together don't you?" He said duplicating the metal needle so he had one in each hand.

"When i say now take a long deep breath alright? Try not to scream for gods sake, you'll end up deafening me, scaring off the wildlife in the forest and probably make me stab you in the wrong places. Those places most likely being somewhere deep inside your brain." He said positioning the needles so he had one by each ear.

"Now Seth look me in the eyes and don't move take Damians hand to squeeze if you have too just do. Not. Move." He took a deep breath himself and placed the tips of the needles just inside Seths ears ready for when he started.

He closed his eyes and began to mutter some ancient spell repeating the words from memory from when his master did this too him. The rods grew hotter and started to glow a bright red, he gritted his teeth as the rods burnt into his hands. "Now!" He muttered before plunging the rods straight through Seths ear drums making them burst. The rods however traveled right through his head and connected together in the middle to become one.

He took a deep breath pushing the pain he was draining from Seth to the back of his mind in order to finish the job. Three, two... one. With one fluid movement he pulled the rod out of Seths right ear so the work could begin. Where Seths ear drums used to be, a new set were being made. This set would allow him to hear everything but not without a price. The price he had to pay was pain and this pain Asric could not take away.

He held his finger to his lips motioning Damian to stay quiet because he knew only too well how much it hurt to hear even the most quietest of noises once it was first done. He sat down on the grass just watching as he caught his breath and energy back. It drained alot out of you doing this, the spell and the pain. He understood now why his master he let them feel the burns of the rods.

Once the most of it was over he passed Seth two ear plugs which would allow his hearing to return back to normal until his new ear drums had settled in. Once the ear plugs were in he spoke. "Now your ears will feel like they are throbbing for a while, this is normal. Just make sure when sleeping you sleep on your back for at least two nights. Hurts like hell to put any pressure on them just yet." He said turning to Damian.

"Now it's your job, i'm afraid it's worse for you because you know whats coming." He said making a new rod appear before duplicating that one as well. "Same applies to you, look me in the eyes and please do try not to scream, my ear drums might have had time to settle in but they are still sensitive to loud noises." He said before performing the ritual again.

"Now how do you feel? I know it hurts right now but it will be worth it in a few weeks believe me. The best thing thats ever happened to me, makes our job so much easier." He said pulling out a tub of cream to help out his burns on his hands.

(OOC This hurts like hell so please don't make out that you can handle the pain as if it was nothing. Also your ear drums are popped for at least 5-10 minutes whilst new ones are built so you will be temporarily deaf. Oh and one last thing, the ear plug dampen your hearing but because your hearing is now more advanced the ear plugs just bring your hearing back to normal (how it was before all this).)

Damian's eyes had grown wider and wider as he watched the process occur to Seth. Even Asric looked pained. Well, man said he'd take on most of it. The boy remained completely quiet throughout, going so far as to remain perfectly still. A trace of unease knotted his stomach.

When the man said it was his turn, Damian swallowed and gave a quick nod of understanding. He made an effort to prepare himself...

It was utterly futile.

Damian couldn't even begin to think of words to describe the pain - and the boy knew quite a few more than others his age. He'd suffered broken bones, a dislocated shoulder, punches and kicks practically everywhere, but not one of those could equate to the agony he now experienced.

Tears sprang to his eyes and trailed in earnest down his cheeks. He'd only just managed to hold back a cry by biting down on his lip, but pained whimpering escaped from him despite his best efforts. Not that he could actually hear his own whimpering.

Once it was finished and the ear plugs were in place, Damian crouched down, eyes scrunched shut and hands cupped loosely over his ears. He might have still been whimpering - he wasn't really paying much attention. What he did know what that he didn't care how he looked. It wasn't weak to be in bloody, friggin' agony.

Damian rocked slightly in his crouch, waiting for the pain to subside.

As Asric plunged the needles into his ears it felt like hell was entering his head. It burned like coals and felt like his head was burning from in inside out. He constantly kept his hands clinched so they were almost white as a ghost.

He barely had enough control to keep still and he felt like at any moment he could lose it. To hell with even thinking while it was happening. It was too much pain to even do otherwise. There was only one thought during the whole process and that was "Let it be over or let me die."

Just when he thought it wasn't going to end it was over. At least part of it anyways. His head still felt like it was going to explode. He still couldn't think. To add to all the confusion he couldn't even hear now. He hoped it was just a side affect and not the procedure gone bad. Now all he could do was sit there with his eyes closed and cry, waiting for it to end.

(OOC Thanks posting after Damian made it a little harder trying to make it sound cool and not copyish lol. Hope I did good!)

He sighed and dropped down into a sitting position to rest. The flesh on his palms had all but burnt away and he couldn't heal them until he got back. "Sit down boys." He said nodding to the spot of grass in front of him.

"I could give you something to ease the pain but i won't. How will you ever learn to live with pain if you never get to feel it?" He said wiping his face with the back of his hand since he had potion on the palm of his hand.

"My master believed in giving us unnecessary pain to teach us how to cope with it but i wont be doing that. It's a pointless exercise because you never get used to pain. There are that many different types of pains, you'd have to face each one of them daily to even stand a chance of becoming immune to it." He explained.

"I think i'll take you both back now so you can get some rest. I don't think you're up for a hunting lesson right now if i remember correctly. Hunting whilst under the influence of pain is another lesson for another time." He said getting to his feet.

"Right boys take hold of my arm." He said he too needed to sort himself out before his hands ended up scaring.

Damian moved his hands away from his head, darting the tears from his cheek. Now that the pain had eased a bit - or perhaps, he'd merely started to grow accustomed to it; it was difficult to tell - he felt able to think again. He agreed with what his mentor said about pain. It made a person stronger. Didn't mean it was enjoyable, but it was a part of life.

His ears presently disagreed, of course.

The boy also stood to his feet (Ow...), his gaze moving to the man's hands when he told them to take his arm. They looked really sore.

"Are you alright, sir?" he asked, wincing slightly. His voice sounded really loud.

He gave Damien a quick glance and smiled. "This?" He said looking down at his hands. "Nah! I'm fine this is nothing compared to what i've had to face. It's just a scratch." He smirked waiting for Seth to talk his arm.

Seth was still in pain and all he could think about was going to bed and getting some rest. He didn't even want to talk still so when Asric told him to take his arm he did just that without even saying a word.

Damian and Asrics voices were loud enough, no need to add mine to the fray, he thought.

He nodded and spun on the spot taking them all back to the castle where the boys could get some sleep. He on the other hand would be paying his drinks cupboard a visit as he still had a lot of paper work to be done.