Hou was floating in the air above his body as Yue was moving it. He was manipulating his mana with his quasi-Nascent Soul starting the very foundations of the magic circle he needed.
Not only did he have the magic circle itself, he needed to use Hamar's aura and many different ingredients, for now he did what he could while Yue was working.
He created strings of mana and in the astral world he starting drawing the base magic circle which would be complimented by a physical one in the material world.
Once the privacy bubble grew to the full size Yue notified Hou and he returned to his body. He activating scrying vision and looked into the astral world at his magic circle base.
"Hamar, time for your help now!" Hou shouted for Hamar to come back, his aura would be used not only for the main activation but also the create the physical magic circle which would compliment Hou's own.
Hamar walked over but suing his technique each step went much further than it appeared and within only a few paces he was next to Hou.
"Just tell me what I need to do." Hamar nodded and pulled his finger over his sword. As he did the sword became bright blue with aura.
"Just follow my orders, draw exactly what I need on the ground with aura or with the sword. Just do as I say..." Hou recalled Araxis' plan as he guided Hamar.
Hou began to build the ritual circle. He instructed Hamar to cut the ground into different figures with esoteric symbols which were the base of magic.
This was a purely magic ritual and so did not include Flowing Divine Script, it used magic symbols which were much different.
Along with this he also got Hamar to draw with physical aura, painting the glowing energy in the air or on the floor as prescribed.
Over time this did put a strain on Hamar as he needed to control all of his aura manually while doing everything else Hou needed.
Occasionally Hou also used his own methods to place in the different ingredients I to the circle. These ingredients all had corresponding laws which Hou needed to integrate into the magic circle to allow it to work despite Hou's non-existent circle.
This was only possible thanks to Araxis otherwise a beginner mage who didn't even have a circle anymore would not be able to do anything close to the effect of the magic circle.
Finally after a full day of work the magic circle was finished. The whole clearing was full in both the material and astral world. There was floating aura and mana strings, ingredients on fire or frozen or moving.
The whole place was alive as the formation was finished. But that didn't allow Hou or Hamar any comfort.
This was because both of them didn't stop, they couldn't stop, they still needed to maintain the magic circle and endure the ritual effects at the same time.
"Let's do it, on three pour in your aura at three times the rate you are now. Just maintain it as steadily as you can, I'm relying all on you."
Hamar nodded and he bit his lip. Hamar was holding on using all of his mental faculties in maintaining the flow of aura.
His aura reserves were significantly drained but he had enough, he endured despite shaking and sweating.
"1..."
"2..."
"3!"
Hamar poured in aura, his reserves dripping at three times the rate as before. The whole circle shook and spun.
The ingredients, aura threads and mana threads all began waving. It moved like a chaotic monster as it activated. The ingredients dissipated and the floor began to turn to dust.
Everything on the circle was being used to activate the ritual effects. Hou and Hamar's bodies burned.
A searing pain began from their very core and radiated outwards, like being stabbed with a thousand swords mana entered them.
The ritual began and the bodies became one, for a while they morphed. Their bodies flickered between forms, to an outsider it would look like they were teleporting to each other and back.
They morphed becoming one person, then split becoming many. They were standing. They were flying. They were in the middle of the magic circle. They were buried underground.
They became a pair of paradoxical figures which were everywhere and nowhere, one but two. They only started to become stable as the circle shook and shrunk.
The whole circle shrunk around the two and split. The circle turned into two linked by strings. They covered each person, stabilising their being.
By having a circle over each other the one became two. Hou and Hamar became separate entities linked as one.
They screamed as they endured this state. Their minds were incoherent and still they endured. They peered into each other's minds and they felt everything the other did.
They felt the connection they had, then when they were contained by the two magic circles they began to stabilise and maintained the ritual much more easily.
The magic circles covering each of their bodies dissipated and then fell back to the ground. With the impact they fell unconscious and did not therefore maintain the ritual.
They laid on the floor still and seemingly safe. Another day went by as the sun rose and set. They stood up with a huge headache, "My mental energy is completely drained" Hou touched his head and he wobbled on the spot.
Hamar held out his hand, "It...worked...?"
He didn't understand how but somewhere through the experience of becoming one, Hamar just 'knew' how to use laws.
Connecting with Hou's body he felt the fire laws inside. He used his mental energy and through an esoteric connection the laws went from Hou's body and appeared in front of Hamar's hands.
He created a fireball with the laws, a very crude technique. All he did was let out the very basic impression of fire and release some laws by themselves.
There was no special impression or body cultivation just raw, primal movement. He smiled, "It worked!"