Adonis did not correct him.
They stopped walking as they reached an opening in the wall ahead of them. It was darkest here. Even the blue glow was almost too faint to see. There was a ledge that they stood against as they looked over a smooth, hard substance just below Jaden’s chest.
‘Take off the loh-korah. Make sure your clothing is not touching your feet and put your arms here,’ instructed Adonis, standing to Jaden’s left. Jaden did as requested. ‘Rest your elbows on the side. When I tell you to, let your hands go under the surface. I will then tell you to walk up the steps that are on your right. You will then repeat the process with your feet. Do you understand?’
Jaden nodded, his eyes still fixed ahead of him.
Adonis put his own hands up on the substance after rolling his sleeves back. ‘This will hurt,’ he said, and Jaden turned to him questioningly as a fiery glow appeared under the Daijuarn’s hands.
The opening was revealed in the light, seeming endless as it stretched far beneath the mountain. Jaden could now see the steps next to him, but quickly looked back to the smooth surface. It appeared gold, and felt to be loosening beneath his fingertips. The smooth surface was becoming molten, heated by the energy being released into it by Adonis.
‘Now, let your hands sink.’
Jaden reluctantly pushed his hands beneath the surface, feeling strangely cool underneath, but as the energy continued to pour into the pool, it became even colder, and soon felt as if it were freezing his lower arms.
‘Keep them there!’ said Adonis as he realised Jaden had begun to pull away.
The pain was becoming too intense. It felt as if sharp shards of ice were now slicing into his skin. He thought to back away, to stop the process of getting the endobraces. This was a mistake, a terrible mistake. He started to wish he had never agreed to allow the Daijuar to help him. The sickness seemed a better choice now. Anything was better than leaving his hands in the golden substance. The pain was becoming worse with each second that passed.
‘Take them out, now,’ said Adonis finally, and Jaden quickly pulled his arms away from the pool, cowering low to the ground as he allowed his hands to dry in the air.
‘Now your feet.’
Jaden held his hands in front of his eyes, watching as the molten gold melted into his skin. He looked in disbelief at Adonis, as if he had to have been crazy to expect him to now put his feet into the pool, but Adonis was unflinching, and waited patiently for Jaden to do as he wished.
‘Shouldn’t I wash them first?’ asked Jaden, hoping for an excuse to return above.
‘This won’t take long,’ Adonis comforted, as if seeing straight through Jaden’s words. ‘The pain only lasts while it sets.’
‘How long will that take?’ asked Jaden.
‘It depends on how long you take to complete the dipping.’
With a horrified look, Jaden made his way slowly up the steps and then moved his left foot toward the pool.
‘Only the soles of your feet,’ said Adonis. ‘That is all you need. There is a ledge for you to sit on. You will not be able to stand afterward.’
Jaden sat down on the ledge and moved both feet to the pool. ‘Why do I need to put my feet in?’ he asked.
‘Our feet are what connect us to the Earth, there is more essence there than the air. Do not be afraid. We have all had to do this.’
Jaden closed his eyes, bracing himself for what he was about to feel, and with a deep breath, he put both feet onto the surface. It felt warm on top as before, but cold as it was broken. He tried to escape from his mind, to be away from the pain he knew was coming. But it was no use. He could not escape. The feeling of sharp shards slicing into his skin was too much to bear, and he almost screamed out to release the pain, but before he could, Adonis told him to take his feet away from the pool. The dipping of his feet had been much faster than his wrists.
‘We are done,’ he said. ‘Now you must wait. Do not try to walk.’
Adonis allowed the pool to return to its previous hardened state before walking over to Jaden.
‘Try to relax,’ he said. ‘I will do what I can to ease the pain.’
Jaden nodded with his teeth clenched, and Adonis stood next to him, a white glow with golden flares coming from his hands and floating into Jaden’s lower arms. As the glow increased, Jaden could see the strange substance draining away underneath his skin, and hugging tightly against his veins, moulding itself to fit around them as if somehow drawn to them through the tissue.
‘So I’m of the Daijuar now,’ said Jaden.
‘Soon,’ said Adonis. ‘When you learn of our ways, you will be one of us.’