Allen was almost shaken by the mention of a "Ceremony." It was during the very moment the word was mentioned that a certain memory fragment became clearer and clearer. It was filled with the details of the plans for today.
This ceremony was not a celebration, but rather a "prayer" of sorts. Individuals who bear the ambition to wield the full extent of magic would eventually need to undergo this procedure.
Pray to the Gods that bless the lands!
Hundreds of Gods exist, offering as humanity's salvation in times of dire need. Through this prayer, they impart various characteristics unto their devotee, thus sprouting millions of unique combinations of magic that combines the basic magic that any person can use with the explosive characteristics of the higher existences!
Sifting through his memories, Allen made sure he hadn't already chosen a God already to pray towards just so he wouldn't make a mistake and misspeak about praying to a God despite showing favorability towards another.
Still, he made no move to speak--that was not in character with the person known as Grace Walker!
Instead he pointed to the door.
"Let us take a stroll."
When they exited the temporary housing, Allen was once again met with the gleaming sunlight that penetrated the world. The warmth of the sun made his skin tingle in the heat. However, it was a pleasant feeling, one that he welcomed with open arms.
The pleasantry of the world--
for a moment, in this guiding limelight, Allen could almost forget the full atrocities that would be to come in the following years. The earth-shattering horrors and the devastating unpleasantries that would sweep the three continents.
To Allen, it was not a matter of whether or not he could save the world, but rather if he could survive all the harrowing tragedies that were to come. As he and Abraham walked alongside one another, there was only the unsuspecting thought of the future.
If I want to survive until the end... anything less than the strength of the essential characters in the story would become my undoing. And considering it is still very early in the story and the gaps between each of the main story beats in the academy portion was separated by months to years, I'll be able to catch up to them. Moreover, Rank 10 is an ideal start as even currently I have more power than some of the main characters as of right now until later on the academy portion of the novel.
Despite the apparent lack of ability in comparison to his status, Allen could not deny the fortunate situation he has been granted by the unknown!
However, even with the constant reminder of the story taking place, there still existed the personal affairs that Allen must tackle on under the name of Grace Walker.
Royal duties and even to solve the underlying mysteries of my arrival to this novel. As much as it presents as an opportunity to grow in strength, I'm... still widely uncertain of my survival in the far future. Still, only those who had the guts to take the necessary risks in the upcoming disasters to cultivate the necessary strength will survive the eventual ruin that shall descend.
That is what Allen wholeheartedly believes. It was never explicitly said in the novel, but he knew that only those who were insane enough to delve into the unknown would be the one to retain their humanity and become stronger in the wake of it.
But...
"Am I that kind of person?" He muttered to himself. He took a glance at Abraham, gauging a reaction in case he heard anything by the mistake he had just uttered. However, he found no indication of a notable reaction.
Even if he heard my mutter... he has no reason to meddle in my own affairs. Even more so because us two will become separated once I move to the dormitories in the academy. Before that, though, he must choose a God that best suited his tastes.
At that thought his mouth began to water.
I don't know all of the prayers for the Gods, but I do remember the important ones that showed the best results in the novel! My, oh my! Can I afford being greedy?! His thoughts raced at the prospect of becoming a devotee to the exceptional Gods that proved to be important to the story.
He lightly shook his head, ignoring these thoughts.
No, I can't be too hasty with choosing. Despite the Gods openly embracing our devotion, I'd be stuck with the God I choose for all eternity. While the likelihood of becoming a Dual Devotee is a chance, it is not guaranteed even if I'm a transmigrator with all this unrestrained privilege. Truth be told, he has imagined himself in scenarios such as this one. However, the thoughts never went to extraordinary lengths.
He wasn't that delusional, he argued.
As they walked back towards the temporary lodging, and as they entered the housing, Abraham called out to Grace.
"Have you practiced the recital?"
The word "recital" churned something in his heart and mind, more fragments of memories that belonged to Grace Walker flowed all throughout Allen's - or Grace's - eyes. The split seconds of images of the past bombarded his brain, a painful song echoing within his newly-acquired noggin.
Instinctively, Allen responded with: "Yes, I have." Answering positively felt right, as the memories of the past flowed into the front of his brain. This "recital" that his butler spoke of--it was the grand ceremony of his awakening, the choosing of his God.
"Abraham, can I have a moment? I'd like to practice some more." His butler nodded, ushering himself out of the room without questioning the order from the child he's seen grown up all alone in the solitude of his ability.
Once he left, Allen finally let himself--the memory that surfaced at the very top of the ocean floors left him speechless, his breath deep and ragged as a new revelation became known to him.
"I'm... praying to the Creator?"
The Artisan of Creation.
The Ruler of All Concepts.
The body that Allen inhabited - Grace Walker - only learned a few weeks ago that the God he was praying towards was not some random God, but a God that has defined the contours of the Walker Family since the beginning of civilization.
No, even more than their family contours, it was an entity - a being of pure imagination and higher dimensional capabilities - that defined the very universe that they stood upon.
But... in all the chapters... the Creator has never been involved in the slightest. Even in the novel, the Walker Family did not receive this special privilege--no one, in fact. Just how many changes are there? He realized that the novel would certainly never truly align with this reality. Even as there are hints and pieces of the novel's fragments, there exist this unknown that looms overhead.
Very much so, this world would not be a one-to-one replica.
And that was worrying for Allen.
However, even if it was worrying, there are still things that he can grasp.
As long as there is some semblance of the original story, then I can still impact the reality that is to come forth. That much is for certain. Allen looked at the door then he cracked his neck.
He looked to a mirror not too far away, staring the flesh that was unfamiliar and foreign. Yet, as he moved, it became clear to him that this flesh was now his; he moved fluidly, as if he's been the owner of the body since the day he was born.
It disgusted him.
This was not him.
Even as he admired the beauty that Grace Walker held, the cold, even eyes that he wore and now masqueraded was not truly him. For he was supposed to be Allen Hart, an ordinary college student that sauntered through life one day at a time, indulging the common human experiences.
However, he knew that to survive this world, he must blend in. Allen closed his eyes, submerging himself into the fluttering, fleeting memories of Grace Walker. Every experience, every emotion, and every vulnerability--he sunk himself deeper and deeper into the body's consciousness.
To blend in, he must become someone anew.
For now, he must suppress the being of Allen Hart.
From this day onwards, the name 'Allen Hart' is but a fragment of yourself. It is there but also not there. It remains still, awaiting for the day you are free from the clutches of the novel. It is then will Allen Hart become alive once more. He opened his eyes, exhaling a deep breath.
I am Grace Walker.
And he must bear the sins of a dead man.