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Chapter 6 - Ceremony[1]

A week had passed since the fight with Oscar, and the Age of Becoming finally dawned upon the residents of Erithea. Aly had spent the majority of his time helping Grace with her regular household chores and even learnt to take care of her garden. Currently, he can be seen in front of a long white flower, its sweet scent lingering in the air.

"I wonder what's gonna hatch from this cocoon. Aunt Grace told me it might be a silver Monarch."

"I have never seen one before, they seem rare…" I muttered to myself

*Sigh*

"Today is also the day of the ceremony. I really hope I don't run into the other kids. Especially Oscar"

Vey suddenly appeared by Aly's side and looked at the child calmly.

"Well, you're gonna run into them whether you like it or not." ," he said

"Everyone in the city is gonna be there. It's a big day for everyone after all."

I turned my head around and looked at him. I haven't seen him or any of the other members of my "family" ever since the incident. They usually make an appearance here and there occasionally, but most of the time, it's usually when I am alone. Deep down, I knew they were never real. The doctors at the orphanage called it an "inner monologue" of mine, and that the figures I see were just a unique byproduct of the life I wanted. 

I guess my biggest mistake in my short life so far was trusting and believing my own hallucinations. It has led me to live a lonely life. I was cast out of the social circle of the orphanage and deemed a lunatic. I was looked down upon, treated as a cripple, bullied, and beaten to the point of death. I was and still am a kid. But does that mean I'm not human too? I feel fear, I feel sadness, and I even feel joy. I have my own problems and difficulties, but don't we all? What atrocious sin did I commit in my past life to deserve this? I have wished countless times that this nightmare of mine would end.

Yet here I am, still standing as if I were a frail, rotten tree clinging to its life. 

I gazed at the cocoon, its numerous silvery layers glistening in the sun's light. It looked fragile yet so beautiful. How can something like that protect itself? It too was a pitiful existence.

"I can't believe I just compared myself to a damned butterfly. I truly have gone mad." I muttered softly, a faint laugh escaping my lips.

***

"Saintess Lucia, are you ready?" A pale man yelled as he knocked on the door leading to the chambers of the young saint. He was dressed in a pure white tunic with a symbol of a sword set in the middle of a blazing sun. He belonged to the church of Idris, the goddess of light.

The door parted slowly, revealing a beautiful young woman with blonde hair and hazel eyes. She was dressed in a stunning silver dress, her every step marked by seamless, angelic grace. Many would have called her an angel.

"Yes. We are not going to be late, are we?" she said in a warm tone.

"No, Saintess, we should arrive at Kaelmoor on time for the ceremony."

"Wonderful! According to the prophecy, this year's ceremony will be filled with different talents. And someone might even obtain the blessing of Idris."

The cardinal stared at her, a faint smile appearing on his lips.

"Then we should try our very best to convince the chosen one to join us," he replied to the Saintess. 

If the Church manages to gain another chosen one, it would firmly cement its position as one of the largest churches on the continent of Pantheria, thereby strengthening its power. A being chosen by God was also a being of unprecedented powers after all. Each has the power to rise to the ranks of Saints and act as the direct messenger of the gods. They were the heralds of the god that granted the blessing—their Voice. 

That was why the Church had directly mobilized one of its saints and sent them to the City of Kaelmoor. They had to scout the being chosen by their deity at all costs.

***

Back in the orphanage, the atmosphere was lively, and the sisters taking care of the children had tried their best to calm them down, albeit unsuccessfully. They were all excited for this day, many of them even dreaming of the type of life they could live if they awakened a rare talent. It was no surprise to anyone that everyone here was filled with excitement.

Torren and his friends could be seen in front of the gate, readying themselves to leave. Of course, all three of them were filled with nervous excitement. Mark was currently looking in the distance, his thoughts in disarray. He was the most anxious of the three, and his face seemed aloof, a far cry from his usual mischievous self.

"Tor, what talent do you wish for?" he said out loud calmly.

"Honestly, I don't think I am suited for magic, to be honest. I am praying that I get something related to swordsmanship. "

"What about you?"

"I honestly don't know. I am not as strong as you are physically, and I am scared of fighting other people."

"Hmm, maybe you will end up with something related to magic then?"

Mark looked at his friend calmly and nodded.

"Maybe…."

Torren continued gazing at his friend, who was behaving rather weirdly, and decided that he should try to change the topic to something more light-hearted.

"Ah, Mark, I forgot to remind you, but today, I think I'm finally going to ask her out."

"Really? Look at you, you're finally growing a pair of balls," Mark said with a smirk on his face.

"Took you long enough."

In the end, nobody in the orphanage even noticed Aly was gone, except for the sisters.

(A.N. Also, most of the story will now be told in Aly's Pov except maybe for some chapters.)

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