Today was the day every fourteen-year-old of the Sterling Orphanage was looking forward to. It was a day that marked their coming-of-age ceremony, and most importantly, it was the day, the only day, they could come close to divinity and gain powers that could change their lives.
It was not just the children of this orphanage but all the kids of similar age in Veloria City—no, the entire Velmire continent.
No matter if they were rich or poor, weak or strong. They all dreamt of this day their whole life.
But not all of them are lucky enough to receive the grace of the gods, which would allow them to awaken the slumbering powers within their body.
Within the main hall of the orphanage's academic building, every fourteen-year-old was present.
The huge hall supported by stone pillars and carved with the engravings of seven different insignia was waiting for a high priest or priestess from The Order of the Seven, a joint organization of the seven churches that lead the supernatural world of the Velmire continent.
They were all taught about the seven Chakra Points in the human body and the slumbering energy at the base of their spines by the teachers at the orphanage.
The seven chakra points were unique and mystical spaces within the human body. It was both real and intangible at the same time.
When the first chakra point is awakened, one could access the dormant energy sleeping within them from birth. And once someone awakens their first point… their body, mind, and spirit go through a qualitative change—like a rebirth.
But what exactly those changes would be, no one knew. They only understood one thing. Their lives will be turned upside down depending on the outcome of today's ritual. The importance of receiving the god's grace was very high; it could determine their future.
Those without the grace were deemed as useless in many jobs related to the government sectors, which were ruled by the churches. And those who received the grace of the gods… They directly become high-level citizens of the country, making names for themselves and earning big Tulas, the currency of the Velmire continent, made from gold.
So it was understandable why the kids were fidgeting in their seats. Their eyes would flicker towards the tall open gates of the hall from time to time, as if they were waiting for someone to arrive.
'This is taking longer than I originally expected…' Unlike the other anxious kids, one of them had the most unique reaction.
Jinn, leaning against one of the tall pillars supporting the grand cathedral with his arms crossed, looked around the room, taking in more than what anyone could think of.
His clear sapphire eyes analyzed every person standing in the room. For a long time, Jinn had developed a habit of doing this every time he was in a room with someone. He could also sense when others looked at him, even as subtly as they could be.
Jinn was an honor student in the orphanage. He was a master of knowledge, always scoring the first rank in every theoretical test. But when it came to the practical tests, he was only a little above the average.
Unlike the others, he did not mope much over a thing he had no sway over and believed in making luck of his own.
'Up until now, the difficulty level of the world has been lower than my previous one, but…' As Jinn was thinking about his situation, his finger tapping on the stone pillar behind him rhythmically, someone broke into his personal space. 'The chances of my secret being exposed will be much higher from here on out.'
While he was immersed in his thoughts, a cheerful voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Jinn!" Following the voice, a young boy appeared in his sight. The boy looked at him with a gentle smile on his oval face. Brushing his long black hair aside, he leaned against the same pillar as Jinn and whispered quietly. "Why are you standing here all alone?"
Jinn looked around while replying, "Those kids are so annoying; even from here I can hear their stabbing voice ringing in my head, and you want me to stand close to them? Why not just ask me to commit suicide?"
Jinn looked back and saw the forced smile on his face. The boy was having trouble thinking if he should even reply to his words or not. Fortunately, Jinn changed the topic on time.
"What about you, Gearalt? Why did you join me? I thought you would prefer to talk to those fan girls of yours rather than coming to some deserted corner."
Gearalt blushed and chuckled wryly, "Come on, they only come to me when they have some doubts related to our studies. If not for the look you always have on your face, they would come to you instead of me."
"What look?"
Gearalt laughed at his genuine bewilderment before replying, "The look that says, 'You annoy me, and stay ten feet away from me.'"
'Well, that's true, I hate kids.' Jinn shrugged while thinking, 'But I never knew some of my thoughts were still easy to read. Looks like I still need some training.'
"Don't flatter me. You have handsome looks and that 'please throw all of your worries and yourself on me' look. Even if I wanted them to annoy me, they would still prefer you over me."
Gearalt's giggling died as he forced out a smile. Compared to him, Jinn was not much of a looker, but he was also not ugly to look at as well.
Dressed in his neat, the same uniform as him—the neat black pants, pressed shirt, and a sleeveless gray striped sweater—Jinn looked much more presentable than himself.
Even after trying so many times, Geralt could not bring himself to show that presence or aura.
Before he could take the conversation forward, Gearalt realized that the hall had turned ghostly silent, sending chills down his spine. Then, he heard sounds of footsteps coming from his right.
Shivering, he glanced at Jinn before following his gaze. From the main gate of the hall, two figures entered. It was not their words that silenced the ever-so-restless children.
But it was their presence.
The one in the front was the textbook definition of a high priest. Plain white robe so smooth that some even felt the urge to stroke it. The robes had complex symbols and runes embroidered all over them. Over the robes, the head priest was wearing a silky purple gown that reflected the light in the room itself.
In one of his arms, he held a thick leather kit. It showed the wear and tear of time. On the hand of the same arm, a bracelet hung loosely. It was made of big golden circles that clasped around his wrist, and in the middle of the seven circles was a pendant hanging in the air.
Seven stars forming a pattern of a shield shining on the black stone, as dark as night. The oval-shaped accessory dangled in the air as he walked past several orphans in the room and made his way towards the stage.
Following behind him was a woman who appeared to be in her early thirties. She had a serene smile on her beautiful face that had the power to calm the most disturbed hearts.
Just like the high priest in the front, she was also someone affiliated with the church, although not with the order of the seven.
She wore a golden ceremonial robe over a royal blue gown that covered her from head to toe, leaving only her face out in the open. Her livid eyes scanned each face in the crowd, brightening up as she moved toward the end of the hall.
Walking up the uplifted platform at the end of the hall, the duo turned back to look at the children.
The high priest assigned by the Order of the Seven looked like he had been forced to come here. His droopy eyes and lazy posture made others catch his contagious yawn.
"Ahem!" Noticing their slacking postures, the nun coughed dryly.
The smile on her face never vanished, but suddenly it did not look so benevolent. The kids felt a chill running down their spines, taking away their sleepiness.
"I am Father Augustus; I will be responsible for helping you reach out to the gods. If you have enough devotion in your heart and you believe deeply in the seven righteous gods, you will have a chance to receive their grace." The lazy priest spoke, his voice plain and stretching.
"Pray to the gods in your hearts and step on the stage one by one." He continued while suppressing a yawn that almost escaped his lips.
Father Augustus walked towards a table on the side and placed his worn-out toolkit on it. Opening it revealed the several tools inside. One of which was a vial filled with red liquid, a piece of wood that looked like a stake.
There was another peculiar item among the several other things.
A twig of what looked like a root; it was old, withered, and brownish in color.
When he saw the root, the high priest's fingers twitched, and for a second, the look of laziness vanished from his eyes.
From the side, Jinn watched it all in silence.
"One by one, bring them on the stage; I will guide them." Turning to look at the matron, he instructed. The nun nodded and walked down to the stage before gently guiding the closest kid up to the stage.
The priest waved his hands in the air, causing a magical sight to appear before everyone. They gasped when the contents of the leather pouch floated out of their restraints without even being touched by anything or anyone.
"Is this the power of a god?"
"Will we be able to do all this as well?"
The dreamy children watched in awe as the priest used his powers to mix several ingredients.
Jinn studied each ingredient carefully as they were crushed by an invisible force and mixed with different liquids to form a brown paste.
The high priest formed a praying seal with his hands; his thumbs and forefingers were touching each other.
He started chanting under his breath with his eyes closed, and the mixed concoction flew towards the floor. Soon a pattern was drawn on the ground.
Jinn had to stand on his toes to clearly see what it was.
Broken circle with closed triangle. Within the triangle was the image of a human body, with seven orbs placed in a straight line within the outline of the body. The first orb was in the head, and the last one was at the base of the spine.
"Come, stand in the middle of this circle." The priest opened his eyes and signaled the boy to come forward.
The matron nudged the boy from behind and then moved to take the withered root-like herbs from the priest's extended hands. She turned around and walked down the stage to the side and disappeared behind the curtains.
The boy, now standing in the middle of the circle, panicked when he felt all eyes turning to him.
Without offering any words of comfort, Father Augustus moved back towards the table.
"Hold this…." He took out something, a bracelet, identical to the one hanging from his hands and passed it to the boy, who took it with shaky hands. His nervousness eased a little when the kind nun returned with something in her hands.
She handed the cup in her hands to the boy at the father Augustus's instruction. With trembling hands, the boy took the cup and looked down inside it.
The matron was also holding a bottle, which she placed on the table.
Like the bottle, the cup was also filled to the top with portions of vines or roots along with warm water. He had no idea what this concoction was for, but he clenched his eyes shut and took a sip of the water.
Silence filled the air once more as the boy tightly held on to the cup, his eyes still closed. A second passed, then another… A full minute had passed, but nothing happened.
The boy opened his eyes only to see a disappointment in the eyes of the priest beside him. He understood what had happened without needing anyone to tell him.
Father Augustus took the cup from the boy and glanced at the matron. "Bring the next one."
And just like that, the children in the front went up on the stage one by one. But none of them were successful in receiving the blessing of the gods.
Among the first 29 aspirant youths who went on the stage, one ended up falling to the ground and trembling as if an evil soul had taken over his body.
But it was not an evil soul.
He was having a seizure!
Rolling on the ground in excruciating pain, the boy kept uttering some incoherent words over and over again. His eyes rolled back, and soon he lost consciousness.
Had Father Augustus not intervened on time, he would have died. The girl who had the seizure was sent away by the matron herself.
"No one told us it would be dangerous…" The incident had scared many; they started to waver, but the allure of the power—a chance to be more than just an orphan—made them stay.
"Next one!" The father continued; Jinn realized he and Gearalt were the only two left in the front. Just as he was about to step forward, a voice stopped him.
'Don't go!' Jinn froze, realizing the voice was coming straight from his mind. Before he could do anything, the voice continued.
'You can awaken without going through the sham of a ritual.' The voice sounded colder than ice. With a more sinister tone, it continued, 'Let the ugly bastard beside you go first.'