25th of the 5th month, Year 725.
At the heart of Iveri City, where a huge crowd was gathering around the City Hall. Within the crowd, boy and a father rushed through it.
"Today is the day the virtue of Humility is selected, right?" The shabby little boy asked his father, as they breezed right through the crowd.
"Thats correct, Janex," His father replied, turning back down towards the boy. "The final Virtue will be selected today." He never stopped for a moment, though, knowing if he did, they wouldn't get front row seats to witness a moment that happens once every century!
The boy widened his eyes, visibly excited. However, he quickly frowned, as his father began dragging him even further into the crowd, pushing people and getting into arguments because of it.
Eventually, they had reached the very edge of the crowd. At the center was the City Hall, a large building made of gold and white, standing at an impressive height for the day and age. The most unique factor was that the City Hall was actually really just a church, for this ceremony, for this ritual.
The crowd was surrounding the church, moving around it in circles, waiting for the priest to appear at the balcony and begin the ceremony. However, it was abnormally taking quite some time.
"Father, what's taking so long?" Asked Janex, a slight strain in his voice.
The father looked down and signed. "That, I don't know. It's supposed to...."
Before he could continue, someone slapped him right on the back.
"Jermaine, long time no see!" A loud, ruffly voice was heard from behind. Jermaine quickly turned his head to see, a burly man with grey hair, a stupid grin plastered all over his face.
"Charlie?"
"Yup, that's me. Surprised?" Charlie chuckled, then turned his head down towards Janex. "Ah, there is the mini-you. Though, it seems you have gained a bit of weight!"
Janex was stunned, he was about to open his mouth to retort, but his father stepped in before he could.
"You're in good spirits, Charlie. How did you heal so quickly?"
Charlie smiled, flexing his shoulders. "It wasn't that serious of an injury, im just getting a little old, haha!"
Jermaine narrowed his eyes. "Really? Almost snapping you're spine in half is a small injury for you?"
Charlie rolled his eyes. "Stop overreacting, im fine." Then, he turned his head towards the City Hall. "Besides, this is a ceremony i can't miss. The Heavens deciding the next Virtue? The final one? This is a life-changing moment."
Jermaine was still skeptical, but he decided to let it slide.
"You're right."
"The person could be me!" Janex chimed in.
Both Charlie and Jermaine stared down at the boy with wide eyes.
"Uh...." Janex suddenly regretted saying that.
Suddenly, Charlie laughed out loud. "It most certainly could be you, little Jermaine! It could be you're dad, or even me! Who knows? We might just be humble enough for it!"
Jermaine joined in on the laugher, patting his son on the back.
"Perhaps you could. There is a chance." But then, his face crunched up a little serious. "But I do think that girl has the highest chance of being chosen..."
Janex deflated slightly.
Charlie raised an eyebrow. "I know who you're talking about. She's practically a walking angel. It's obvious she would be the one."
Jermaine nodded his head in response. "Exactly."
The crowd continued being loud. Almost everyone of the entire city has gathered in the location, but luckily, the three of them managed to gather themselves front row seats to when the ceremony will begin.
It was silent between the three of them, until Janex chimed up again.
"Who could be the Sin chosen?"
Both Charlie and Jermaine tensed up, looking around if someone heard Janex, before Jermaine covered the little boy's mouth with a hand and whispered.
"Don't ever say that in public, Janex."
Charlie gave a nod, but then his face fell into contemplation. "He's right, though. Who could be chosen for that?"
Jermaine narrowed his eyes. "We better not think about it, nor even discuss it. Who gets chosen is chosen. Thats none of our business."
"Relax, buddy. It's nothing serious. We are just..."
"No, Charlie." Jermaine shut down with a sigh. "I know you're just curious. So be paitent and you're curiosity will be satisfied."
And they both went silent. The crowd didnt though, it remained as loud as ever, until a sound was heard from inside the large church. A light bell sound.
The sun had set, so everyone within the crowd could see a flicker of light coming from a window.
"It's starting!" Someone yelled.
"Finally! I have been waiting for hours!" Another complained.
"Me! Choose me for Humility!" Yelled another.
"No, choose me!" Yelled back another.
It was like this, growing louder and louder.
"Dad, why do they want to become a Virtue?"
Jermaine looked down at Janex and sighed. "For the fame, the power and money it brings. There is nothing virtues about wanting to be picked as the one of Virtue. People like that are never chosen."
Charlie nodded. "Only the one with the most humble heart will be chosen by the Heavens this time. It's always been like that."
"Atleast that's how we know how the ceremony works in stories," Jermaine added.
Janex nodded thoughtfully. "Look, it's starting!"
He pointed, as the doors opened, revealing the insides of the City Hall, where a slender man was walking out.
The man was wearing a clergyman's robe, he looked ancient with wrinkles all over his face and he barely had any hair left, even he walked with a limp, signaling poor health.
"The priest?" Janex inquired.
Charlie nodded. "Thats the priest, alright. The man who has been holding this ceremony since it first began 700 years ago from today."
Janex gasped. "He is that old?"
"He is able to live that long because of the blessings granted by the Heavens," Jermaine clarified.
"But his use will be over after this ceremony. I wonder what will happen." Charlie stated.
"Will he just drop dead?" Janex inquired bluntly.
Jermaine slapped the boy. "Be quiet."
Janex gave a weak nod.
The crowd suddenly began quiet as the priest approached the edge of the stage surrounding the City Hall. Following the Priest was a group of much younger men and a single Nun, helping carry something covered by a blanket over towards the priest.
"What..." Before Janex could ask another question, Jermaine just covered his mouth. Everyone's focus was drawn to what the Priest was bringing, yet nobody dared to open their mouths.
Eventually, it was brought to the center of the stage and placed. The blanket covering it wasnt removed yet. Instead, the priest began speaking to the audience, his voice was crystal clear and smooth despite his age. Very loud without a microphone too.
"Thank you all for coming to the Birth of Virtue and Sin. This is the seventh and final ceremony we will ever have. So, it will be extra special and very important," The priest stated. "Sorry for the wait, we had to prepare everything for this last ever ceremony."
The priest walked around, observing the crowd. Yet even still, not a single soul could open their mouths.
"As you already know, this has been a thing for the last 700 years. Where the Heavens selected the puriest and filthiest person, to be the Virtue and Sin during this ceremony." The priest said with a nostalgic smile, as he continued. "The final from both will be selected today. I cannot emphasise this enough."
His voice turned serious.
"You all must already know what this means. The heavens wont wait any longer, hell wont wait any longer. It all will begin after this selection."
The priest turned towards the device covered by the blanket, then flicked his wrist. Like magic, the blanket floated away, unveiling what it was hiding.
"This device will show the name of the person chosen. Their true name. They will feel it's call and walk here by their own will."
The device was square in shape, atleast 3 - 4 meters across. At the center was a single page, then a floating pen of ink. Slowly, it began to write by itself on the paper, writing out a name.
The priest watched intently.
Everyone watched intently.
The priest didnt expect for it start writing so soon. He did feel like something was wrong today, but due to his experience with the ceremony, he didnt think much about it.
"Ampho....?" The priest began reading out, but the pen wasnt done yet. It continued writing and writing, until suddenly stopping.
"Amphora."
The name was called out by the priest.
Nobody answered.
"Amphora, come forth."
But then another voice, from somewhere much farther away called out. It was like the divine voice came from the sky itself.
In the crowd, a girl with pinkish hair, purple eyes in ruggish clothes, went blank. Her body started moving by itself towards the stage, making her way towards the pen which was now glowing a bright green.
"So, it was that girl." Jermaine sighed.
Charlie and Jermaine wasnt surprised. This much was predicted. The Seventh Virtue was.... Emily, but it seems her true name was Amphora.
Many in the crowd groaned in disappointment at not being selected, yet strangely, they didnt feel any filthy emotions towards Emily, who was now on stage.
'This is out of the ordinary,' Thought the priest, finding this odd. The Heavens never interrupted the ceremony this way, even revealing their voice. What happend?
"Please, Amphora, place you're hand upon the seal." The priest continued the ceremony, despite the unease he was feeling.
Emily, this time, actually listened and began walking towards the statue of a golden horse within the City Hall. There was an x mark with a single eye in the middle drawn at the center of the statue, where it was glowing a green. It was the seal.
She slowly reached out and placed her palm upon it, then she.... vanished.
"What?" The priest blurted out.
"What just happened?" A concerned voice called out from the crowd.
"Is this supposed to happen, Priest Herman?" The crowd questioned.
"Nothing is the matter, everything is going as planned." The priest responded calmly as possible, by instinct. No matter what happend, he could sense that it wasnt bad. For now, the Priest made the decision to continue the ceremony.
Nobody dared to argue against the Priest himself, anyway.
"And now.... for the selection of the Sin." The priest continued. "The Sin of Pride."
The crowd grew tense. Who could it be? Was the only thing on their minds the moment the Priest uttered those words.
Turning towards the Pen, the Priest gave a nod.
However, as the Pen began to move, the Priest sensed something. Something dangerous. Throughout centuries of being the Priest, he had an instinct for these things.
"The Sin of Pride is...."
The Priest widened his eyes.
"Everyone! Don't look! Don't look at the page!!"
The sudden shout of fear from the priest startled the crowd. Some instinctively obeyed, but others who were defiant or too slow, stared directly at the page.
Charlie was one of them.
Jermaine and Janex looked away as quickly as possible, but Charlie's eyes were glued to it.
"What...? What is ####?"
And the next second, his head exploded. Heads began exploding one after the other, of everyone that saw the name.
The priest stood stunned. The crowd was too afraid to glance, yet nobody dared to even shout and run away. Fear has frozen them.
Jermaine and Janex saw from the corner their eyes, the Priest's mouth moving.
"Where is the Sin of Pride?"
Nobody stared at the name and yet the Sinner hasn't revealed themselves either.
The pen began turning like an arrow, it was turning the way of Jermaine and Janex.
Before it suddenly bolted all the way upwards, right towards the night sky.
The priest looked up towards the moon and then, he broke into a fit of laughter that didnt fit his character. A laughter that was taking his breath away, bones cracking and making him unable to breath.
"What is going on, Dad?" Janex suddenly asked, his little voice trembling from fear. "Is... is that blood?"
"No, son. It's nothing...." Jermaine comforted. "Everything is fine..."
Even though it wasnt.
The priest continued laughing and laughing, until his body suddenly went limp and dropped dead to the floor.
And the moment the Priest died, Emily appeared from thin air, right beside the Statue once again.
"The ceremony is over," Her crystal clear voice called out suddenly. "The war has begun."
...
On a barren wasteland of darkness, a slender man in an ancient astronaut suit slowly awoke from a deep slumber. He had a cracked visor and his oxygen tank was leaking, yet even still, he remained alive.
Slowly, he turned his head towards the earth in the distance, a hand coming up to touch his cracked visor.
"Who... am I?"