It was a charming morning in the quiet village of Egrish. Near the centre stood a small church, humble but well-kept. Above its entrance was a stone sculpture of the goddess Athena, carved with care and reverence, proof of how deeply the people worshipped her.
Inside the church kitchen, Sister Sarah hummed softly as she prepared breakfast. The scent of butter filled the air as she cracked a few eggs into a pan and stirred them into fluffy scrambled eggs. Beside her, five slices of bread were toasting slowly over the open flame.
"...I'm hungry!"
"When's breakfast coming?"
"Oi, don't push me!"
"Where's big brother Lux?!"
At the table, four young children, two boys and two girls, sat impatiently, their stomachs growling.
"Oh my, it's almost done," Sarah said with a gentle smile. "Can someone go wake Lux?"
"Okay!" the kids shouted and jumped off their seats, racing down the hall.
As they passed Father Alfrey, who was sweeping the floor, he looked up with a small smile.
"Hey! No running in the church!"
"Sorry!!" the kids replied in chorus, giggling as they ran toward Lux's room.
Lux's room wasn't really a room; it was a storage space he'd converted into a small bedroom. Inside was a simple bed, a wooden desk, a narrow shelf filled with books, and barely enough room to stretch.
"Wake up, big brother Lux!"
"Sister Sarah says breakfast is ready!"
"Hurry up, I'm starving!"
Memory from yesterday began to surface on Lux's mind the moment he opens his eyes. The adventurers who had come to rescue, Allan, Leo, and Elice, were staying in the village for a day, along with Will, Vox, and Lia who turned out to be Falin in disguise after returning to the village.
Today, they would all leave to the capital together to report about the incident, along with Blake and Lowel.
Lux, on the other hand, had gotten scolded by Lisa the moment he stepped into the guild. Still, he completed his guide duty and received his reward before returning home to the church.
He had meant to ask Father Alfrey a few questions about the goddess... but Sister Sarah insisted he rest first.
"Alright, alright! I'm up!"
Lux groaned as the kids jumped on his bed, laughing and poking him.
"Don't make us drag you out!"
Lux sat up, raising his arms like a monster.
"Grah! I'll eat you first!"
The kids shrieked in playful terror and ran out of the room laughing.
Lux yawned, stretched his limbs, splashed some water on his face, got dressed, and made his way to the kitchen, where warmth food awaited.
"Good morning, Sister Sarah," Lux greeted as he entered the kitchen.
Sister Sarah, in her mid-twenties, wore her usual nun's habit. It couldn't hide her gentle beauty and kind, welcoming smile.
"Ah, Lux! Did you sleep well?" she asked warmly.
"Of course! And with this amazing food, I'll be back to full strength in no time!"
Lux grinned and flexed his arm to show off his "muscles."
"Oh my!" Sister Sarah giggled.
"Wow! Big bro's strong!"
"Play with us after breakfast!"
The kids chimed in cheerfully as they dug into their food.
The breakfast was simple, just toasted bread, scrambled eggs drizzled with a bit of honey, and a small bowl of vegetable soup. It wasn't fancy, but for the children of the church, it was warm, filling, and full of love.
As Lux and the kids began eating, Father Alfrey entered the kitchen. Sister Sarah handed him a cup of black tea, and the two adults sat down at the table with the rest of the children.
Lux reached into his pocket and pulled out a small coin pouch.
"Here, Father Alfrey. I got this from yesterday's job," he said, placing the pouch on the table and sliding it over as he continued eating.
"I see. Thank you for your hard work, Lux," Father Alfrey replied with a warm smile.
"Sorry we can't help you out" Sister Sarah added with a soft, guilty look.
"Hey, don't say that," Lux replied with a grin. "You two are my family. Same goes for these little piglets."
"We're not pigs!"
"Stingy big brother!"
The kids protested with smiles on their faces.
Then, one of them asked something that made the room fall quiet.
"Wouldn't Brother Albert, Sister Olivia, and Amma help us too?"
Sister Sarah and Father Alfrey paused, unsure how to respond. The truth was, those three had left for the capital two years ago and had since cut off contact, especially with the church. The kids in the church right now had only heard about them from others in the village, as they came when those three left to the capital.
Lux leaned over and gently patted the child on the head.
"Brother Albert, Sister Olivia, and Amma must be really busy," he said with a calm smile. He looked around at the others and added, "Living in the capital costs ten times more than here!"
"Whoa, really?"
"I heard everything's expensive in the capital!"
The kids nodded and accepted his words.
Father Alfrey and Sister Sarah exchanged a quiet glance and smiled gently.
Ever since those three left, Lux had been the one working hard at the Adventurers' Guild. Even when he earned very little, he always gave something back to the church. He hunted monsters, gathered herbs in the forest, whatever it took to help support the place that had raised him.
After they finished breakfast, the children ran outside to play. Sister Sarah stayed behind to do the dishes. Father Alfrey and Lux remained at the table, sipping tea in the calm morning light.
After a short pause, Lux broke the silence.
"Father Alfrey… have you ever seen the goddess?"
The old priest blinked in surprise at the sudden question. As the head of the village's church and the one who oversaw the class awakening ceremonies, he had heard many strange things, but this caught him off guard. He turned to Lux thoughtfully.
"…Only her voice," Alfrey said with a soft tone.
"When someone devotes their life to the goddess, like me, we can sometimes hear her voice during the class ceremony. It's gentle… like a whisper in the wind. As the child begins to glow, she speaks, telling me what class she has bestowed upon them."
He took a slow sip from his tea, eyes reflecting distant memories.
"I see," Lux replied, but his tone was more serious than curious. "I mean… outside of the class ceremony. Like... if you were about to die."
That made Alfrey pause, confused. Sarah, who was nearby at the sink, stopped what she was doing and turned slightly, listening more closely.
"What do you mean, Lux?" Alfrey asked cautiously. "You're not thinking of dying just to meet the goddess, are you?"
His voice rose with concern, his eyes narrowing as he leaned forward.
"No, no, no! I'm just asking," Lux quickly waved his hands, trying to ease the tension.
"Don't scare us like that!"
Sarah chimed in from the sink, her voice filled with concern as she glanced over her shoulder at him.
They both stared at Lux for a moment, their eyes searching for any hidden meaning behind his words.
It was understandable, Father Alfrey and Sister Sarah knew how deeply Lux struggled with the fact that he never received a class during the awakening ceremony. Ever since then, he had been full of questions, always wondering why he was left out. Why him? Why didn't the goddess answer him?
The thought that he might be so desperate as to risk death just to meet the goddess wasn't completely out of the question.
"…It's just something I've been thinking about," Lux said, his voice softer. "Don't worry. I'm not going to do anything crazy."
Alfrey let out a long sigh and leaned back in his chair.
"…You've been through a lot, Lux. But promise us, if you're ever troubled, talk to us. You don't have to carry everything alone."
Lux hesitated for a moment, glancing at Father Alfrey's face, then at Sister Sarah who had paused mid-wash, listening in silently. He wasn't sure how much to say. But something in his chest told him he couldn't keep it to himself any longer.
"Well… I had a dream last night," Lux said. "I think I saw the goddess."
Alfrey blinked, slowly setting his teacup down.
"A dream, you say?" he asked gently.
Lux nodded, keeping his expression neutral. "Yeah… just a dream. It felt so real though. The light, the voice, it was her. She stood before me, and she said something strange…"
"She said something about the Aspida people."
The moment the word left his lips, Alfrey froze.
His eyes widened.
"...Aspida?"
Lux raised an eyebrow at the older man's reaction.
"Are you sure?" Alfrey asked again, this time more urgently. "She really said that?"
"Yeah," Lux replied, now more serious. "She called me the last soul of the Aspidan people. Said I had their blood."
The silence that followed was heavy. Sarah had stopped moving entirely, her eyes wide with disbelief.
Alfrey slowly stood from his chair, placing both hands on the table, his brows furrowed deep in thought.
"This can't be… it was true all along…he must be awakened" he murmured.
"Father Alfrey," Lux said cautiously. "You know something, don't you?"
Alfrey looked at him, and for the first time, there was a flicker of something in the priest's gaze, fear and awe.
"…Lux," he said slowly. "We need to talk. But not here. Not where little ears might overhear."
He glanced toward the hallway where the children's laughter still echoed faintly.
Lux's heart began to pound.