Something in the air changed at once. It hadn't become warmer or colder. It was a different kind of change, one that Noah couldn't quite describe or put his finger on.
At first, he had only furrowed his eyebrows, but it had been such a strange sensation that Noah couldn't help but open his eyes.
"What is… What is this…?" He muttered, blinking aggressively.
The whole world around him had disappeared, or had been painted black.
All that was visible were shiny purplish floating words.
[Such an honest prayer must be answered.]
[Will you accept my Blessing, Noah Thornfell?]
His mind had almost gone blank. "Yes." He answered without giving it a thought.
Noah had spent his whole life waiting for this, and he wasn't about to delay it for even a second.
There was much to think about. How could this tiny forgotten Pillar be an Altar? Why would everyone have forgotten about it? How many generations has it been since this Altar was last used for it to have been forgotten completely? More importantly, who had this Altar been made for? Who was about to Bless him?
All of the former were legitimate questions that required thinking, but all that could be done later.
[You won't even ask my name?]
This time, the floating words were accompanied by a voice that seemed to resonate directly inside Noah's mind.
"I'm just… Thankful for the opportunity." Noah said honestly.
Not only that, but he had trouble coming up with a question. The voice weirdly reminded him of one he hadn't heard in a long time, that of his mother.
[Such honourable commitment.] The voice chuckled. [Unfortunately, commitment alone isn't enough to deserve one such as me.]
The words immediately sent a shiver down his spine.
Lesser Spirits Bless humans without testing them, as had been the case for Dwight.
"You mean that…" Noah gulped with anticipation and slight worry. "You're going to give me a Quest?"
[Of course.]
While some might think of this as a negative, it absolutely wasn't.
It was the purest proof that the Spirit or Deity was a powerful and influential one.
[Will you accept my Quest, Noah Thornfell?]
Going in blind was dangerous, but Gods and Spirits always test one's faith.
"Yes." Noah answered confidently, fists clenched. "I accept." He said and stood to his feet.
[You won't regret your choice, will you?]
The more Noah focused on those words, the darker his eyes became.
"I will not." There wasn't an ounce of doubt in his voice.
[Good.] The voice chuckled. [Let's start by looking at what we're working with.]
[Status Window.]
The two words were uttered in such a way that Noah felt compelled to repeat them.
"Status Window."
[Name: Noah Thornfell
Blessing: (null)
Level: 0 (0/10 Experience Points)
Health points: 160/160
Endurance Points: 160/160
Mana Points: (null)
Skills:
-Heat Resistance [F Rank]
-Fire Resistance [F Rank]
-Endurance Points Regeneration [E Rank]
Stats:
-Strength: 14
-Agility: 13
-Perception: 11
-Vitality: 16
-Endurance: 16
-Mana: 0
]
The silence lasted even a couple of seconds after Noah was done reading.
[The fact that none has swept you away by now… Is most surprising.]
[A very small minority obtain Mana Stats without a Blessing.]
[The rest of your Stats are impressive.]
"..." Noah simply nodded.
[The average person will have an average of 10, yet your average is 14, Mana Stat not counting.]
[You must have worked very hard to make it this far.]
Noah clenched his fists as hard as he could to hide the trembling of his hands.
[Well done.]
[I'm glad to have been called by one such as you.]
With his hard work and effort acknowledged so directly, Noah was moved deeply.
Unfortunately, he did not know that the Being's appreciation was a double-edged sword.
"Thank… Thank you."
The next second, the snapping of fingers resonated, and a shining piece of paper appeared along with a quill.
Noah took hold of the two.
"What do you need me to write?" He asked since the page was blank.
[I'll dictate.]
"Sure." Noah nodded.
[Dear Auntie Naomi…]
"Huh?"
[Come on, write.]
Noah followed the voice's instructions perfectly.
The message wasn't too cold or too warm.
It was exactly the way Noah would have written it.
'Exactly the way I would have written it… Had I decided to leave the village earlier.' He took a deep breath. "I'm guessing that I will leave the village."
[Correct.]
[Don't worry, you will come back soon enough.]
[There is much to do in the Village of Ona.]
"I'm guessing that you have something to do with our Village too, since your Altar is at the entry." Noah scratched his cheek. "Isn't that right?"
[I thought you weren't going to ask questions.]
[Now, let go of the letter and quill.]
Noah stared at the letter for a bit.
Following the Quest likely meant leaving the village without seeing his dear aunt. But,
'But that's just the way it has to be.' Noah thought to himself and let go of both letter and quill. 'When I come back…' The two disappeared, swallowed by the darkness they fell into. 'Everything will be better.'
[Good.]
[Now…]
The darkness that surrounded Noah faded and,
[Let's get to the juicy part of this ordeal.]
"Why…" He frowned. "Why is it night?" Noah asked. "It wasn't even noon just a moment ago." He shook his head quickly. "That was your doing, of course. But I'm still standing in the same spot, why skip a couple of hours?"
[It is not a couple of hours, but three days we have skipped.]
[Don't worry, this won't become a habit.]
"Still, why…?"
[It was necessary to strengthen your body.]
[Three days passed in a moment.]
[To you, it was only a moment, but it is as if you have been standing here, covered by my Divine Energy for three days.]
Noah stared at the words for a moment.
"Status Window."
[Name: Noah Thornfell
Blessing: (Quest Ongoing…)
Level: 0 (0/10 Experience Points)
Health points: 170/170
Endurance Points: 170/170
Mana Points: (null)
Skills:
-Heat Resistance [F Rank]
-Fire Resistance [F Rank]
-Endurance Points Regeneration [E Rank]
-V*y******** Eyes [E Rank]
Stats:
-Strength: 15
-Agility: 14
-Perception: 13
-Vitality: 17
-Endurance: 17
-Mana: 10
]
"A new Skill."
[Yes, aren't you glad?]
Noah wasn't too sure. After all, he couldn't even read the Skill's name.
[Now, let's go see your dearest Auntie Naomi, huh?]
His eyes grew wide immediately.
"Alright." He nodded and started moving towards the village.
Noah had assumed that soon didn't mean this soon, but he certainly wasn't about to start arguing.