Time flew by as the aspirants shed their blood on the altar. However, most of the results were rather ordinary. The only outlier so far is Torren himself.
Soon, I saw a figure with gorgeous blue hair approach the Altar and, using the knife, she shed her blood on top of it.
The altar, which remained silent, shuddered once more, and this time, a brilliant white light appeared, making the white stones of the cathedral shine even brighter than before.
The white light remained still, and then, as if suddenly recognizing her, it soon moved and formed a white status screen.
[ Alyssia Groves
Age: 12
Rank: Mundane
Blessings: Favored child of Idris, God of Light
Talents: Wizardry, Photomancy
Attribute: Space, Light
Skills: Must awaken to unlock
]
"Holy fuck…the prophecy was true…" The saint's words lingered in the air. Her face was now pale and filled with shock. 'Two fucking chosen ones…just what are the gods planning'
It was rare even to have a single chosen one appear at the Age of Becoming; the gods were notorious for being stingy with their blessings after all the people whom they chose shared their powers with the nebulous deities.
If the hall before was silent, it was now once again lively with many people chattering amongst themselves. I even found myself pretty excited, and soon the boy ahead of me looked back at me.
"This is pretty nuts? Two blessings in a row are unheard of."
I nodded my head and gazed at the girl. I was jealous. That I was sure of. I also wanted a blessing. And a dangerous thought entered my head. 'What if I do manage to gain the blessings of a god? Will I finally have the means to cure my Illness?'
Soon, hope blossomed in my heart, and for the first time in my life, I prayed. I wish I could receive some decent talents and attributes.
The crowd soon managed to calm itself down, and soon a figure I knew all too well appeared.
'Oscar'
My face, although still retaining my usual smile, was red with Anger.
'I need to calm down. I hope he doesn't receive anything good.
That would be really fucking bad news.
Surely not right.
The saintess looked at him and gestured for him to move forward.
With a smile on his face, Oscar walked forth. His thoughts are only clear to himself.
He repeated what the others did.
And as soon as he did, my heart sank.
The hall was once again blessed by divine light. This time it was the color green.
"Am so fucked" I softly muttered.
He had been blessed by the God of Deceit, Fraus.
'Fuck, his attributes are good too.'
Unfortunately for Aly, not only did Oscar gain the blessing of a god, but he had also gained the attribute of space.
'Can this get any worse. At this rate, I might have to run away with Aunt Grace if I am not blessed.
While Aly was shaken by disbelief, the rest of the people gathered in the Hall didn't dare to say a word. Out of seemingly nowhere, three chosen ones had appeared. And instead of being nobles or commoners, they were mere orphans.
The saintess, who was once calm and aloof, was now visibly shaken. She had to calm herself down. But how could she, when she had witnessed a miracle?
Eventually, everyone gathered managed to calm themselves down, and the ceremony resumed.
Numerous aspirants went ahead; some had bad results, while others were impressive. If not for the fact that there were three blessing holders, everyone would have paid them more attention.
The line was slowly diminishing, and eventually it was my turn. I started moving forward nervously. My body was filled with a strange itch as I was making my way towards the altar. Great, one more thing to ignore.
I nervously took the knife from the Saintess's hand and drew a clean cut across my thumb. Slowly, the blood trickled down onto the altar.
I waited to see its reaction.
….
Why is it not reacting?
My heart immediately sank.
'Oh fuck no. This has to be a joke.'
Instead of the all too familiar status, there was nothing.
I turned my head towards the saint slowly, my mind desperate to believe that the altar simply malfunctioned. Her face had returned to its usual cold look.
"Err… Maybe you can try again," Her calm voice lingered heavily in the air.
'Right. Second Time's the charm, they say.'
I once again made a clean cut on my thumb, and a drop of blood poured onto the altar.
And much to my frustration, nothing had happened.
'Well, shit. I am fucked'
'Doubly Fucked'
'Fuck'.
My smile twitched on my face, as if trying to change into a frown. I bet it only made my face seem even more twisted and unnatural.
I could feel the gazes of the people lingering on my back. Turning around, I could see their looks contained traces of pity; some even looked at me with contempt, as if I shouldn't exist. Their stares seemed to make the itching sensation I had even worse.
I made my way past the crowd. I didn't even bother to look back. I knew damn well how doomed I was. I had failed to awaken.
"Haha…I certainly didn't expect this."
I made my way out of the entrance to the cathedral. The city was now lively as the evening approached, the warm orange glow of the sun slowly bathing the buildings.
My mood was rather…unstable. I felt weird; I did not know what I was feeling. It was as if my mind went numb, and I was no longer in control of my body.
I made my way through the streets, with seemingly no purpose. The faces of people appeared blurred and distorted, their casual chatter seemingly growing louder. I felt as if everyone was staring at me. I was…slowly going insane.
Soon, I had arrived at an all too familiar spot. I was back in the garden. The little house where Grace and I lived was not too far from here. But I decided not to go back home. At least not yet, anyway.
The scent of the garden drifted gently around me, as if trying to calm my troubled mind. Slowly, I made my way towards the particular flower with the cocoon. Its silvery shell now faintly reflecting the moonlight.
I calmly stared at it for a couple of minutes until Nyth's pale form shimmered into being; her voice soothed me.
"I love moonflowers," Nyth murmured.
"They bloom only under the moonlight."