— The guy seemed to be in a pretty good mood, and Henry just hoped it had nothing to do with what they had to do during the ritual.
— Good night. — Suellen said hello. Henry just nodded, still pondering his last thought, trying to either confirm or deny his hunch. — The girls are getting ready now, so we should be able to start soon.
— No, — the boy shook his head, surprising the couple. — We will begin the ritual in exactly forty and... — the boy looked at his watch. — ... seven minutes. Not earlier, not later.
— Hmm... — the man glanced at his wife and turned his attention back to the boy. — Why such a strange time? Does it have something to do with sacrificing people?
— No. — Hoshino shook his head again, and his good mood changed abruptly. — I think I missed something important when I told you about this ritual. — Henry wanted to be outraged because the Japanese didn't really explain anything, he just said that he knew a ritual that could be used to break birth curses, but he didn't go into details and later gave instructions on how to prepare. Therefore, the man's actual words could be interpreted in many different ways. — The main thing you should understand is that we will not sacrifice people, no matter what they are.
— In that case, why did you need those "black sorcerers" and "utter scum, villains, and scoundrels"? — Those were the words Sora used to describe the "necessary material". At that moment, the girls approached them, and the boy greeted them, apparently ready to continue this little briefing, for Henry did not withdraw his question.
— What do you know about reincarnation after death?
Answering a question with a question was not what the man had expected, let alone a religious debate in such a place and at such a time. But being a reasonable wizard, an aristocrat, Henry was in no hurry to start an argument in the middle of nowhere, so he told what little he knew, in public. The boy listened attentively and then spoke.
— In general, you are right, but in this matter, as in everything, there are nuances. For example, what happens to someone who was a cruel madman in life, who takes pleasure in torturing his victims? Or conversely, where do the souls of the righteous go who gave their lives to help others, to save people who were strangers to them? — Henry's brow furrowed a little more, and Sora noticed and hurried to explain.
— All of the world's religions are based on some sort of foundation, usually differing only in the way of life from which the religion originated, the local values that formed the basis for it, and the propaganda and mind-washing tools used to control them by the dignitaries and authorities. But the basis is still the same for all: everyone has a soul, and these souls, after the death of the body, go to be reborn in the next life... but not immediately. — This short pause made the man feel uncomfortable, he wanted to shrug his shoulders with a strange chill.
— Souls must be purified before they can continue their cycle in the wheel of Sansara. Heaven, Hell, Purgatory, Inferno, the World of the Gods, the World of the Asuras, and much, much more actually exist as separate planes of existence, or worlds. Depending on many variables, mortal souls spend time in some of these planes, and only after purification do they move on.
— This is all very interesting, but why don't you get back to the original subject, and we can talk about this sort of thing later? — Henry politely interrupted the boy, who had no desire to think about such a subject right now.
— Yes, of course, I apologize. — The boy even nodded, making a kind of mini-bow. — So, the essence of the ritual is that the souls of evil people always go to the dark levels, to the place where pain and suffering are the norm, even a necessity. With that, the man points to the clearing behind him. — We will create a kind of resonance, and the souls of evil people, when they leave, will take with them the evil that hangs over you in the form of family curses. — Everyone looked at each other in disbelief, not believing in such a thing. — In fact, the ritual is complicated by the fact that there are too many variables, and it is almost impossible to calculate them all... well, unless you are a prophet or a god. But if that's the case, no problem. — The guy shrugged indifferently, and the couple looked at each other again, clearly catching the strange reluctance.
— So will all curses be broken, or just one? Such uncertainty is a bit... unprofessional for such preparations, don't you think? — Daphne asked in a cool tone, ignoring her mother's sharp look, for which she would undoubtedly pay with a blue ass.
— That's right. — The Japanese agreed slightly and shrugged again. — But this ritual is really about higher things, and that's not the domain of mortals, so I can't say for sure if a curse will be broken completely, or if all curses will be weakened, or if only one will be cleansed at all. But completely. The result will be — that's undeniable, but what it will be — that's a lottery.
— That's not the answer I was expecting. — Henry commented dryly, looking at the expensive necklaces.
Hoshino shrugged indifferently again and checked the time on his watch. The man had been more serious last time; if he had been as serious on Samhain as he was now, the Greengrass family wouldn't have participated in this celebration. The man had summoned all his stamina to keep the idea alive at this point, but if the result was less than minimally satisfactory... what he would do, Henry didn't know yet, but he was sure he would think of something.
When the time came for the ritual to begin, Henry was full of skepticism and disbelief, but he didn't even think about interfering: magic was a very serious matter, especially when it was a powerful ritual, and everyone present could feel the power of the magical gathering. Well, the head of the Greengrass family would give this chance to his possible son-in-law...