"Futile bloodshed is nearly guaranteed when two sides of an equal match clash. The taste of blood in the air, the ringing of metal on metal, and the screams of conscripted warriors, full of regret, meeting an untimely end."
"The horrors of war are many, staining the plains and forests with endless flows of blood, while the rich and powerful sleep soundly in their warm beds. Their bellies full, their pockets jingling, and their lives continuing undisturbed by the horrors outside their walls. Every day was a normal day for the group known as the worthy."
"In this land, the only fairness is that all lives are expendable — unless you can earn recognition as being valuable. Or, that’s what I’ve learned at least. You could say I’m somewhat of an expert on being expendable. That is, until my 17th birthday. In a flash, everything changed. Well, almost everything changed."
bloody divider [https://i.imgur.com/yTIGwtI.png]
Sitting on my bed, I stared at the rotting walls around me. It was hard not to be grateful for having food and a place to sleep, but my home was not fit for a king. Or anyone in general, really. I had long outgrown the bed, my feet stretching past the end, and the rest of the room was holding itself together by sheer willpower.
My fate was much more dire than this poor room though, I was destined to be awakened that very day and sent off to the war front. My birthday had been 4 days prior and once the local administrator got wind of my age and dead-end career, my fate was decided.
Now, all I could do was sit here and wait for the morning bell to ring. Once it did, I would be expected to rush off to the church for my awakening. Me, finally acquiring the power of a class. It would be a dream come true if I wasn’t being sent off to die the same day. The power of the gods, at my fingertips!
It’s not that I minded going off to war, it seemed like a reasonable ask from the kingdom, but it was a bit of a shame I didn’t have a choice. What if I wanted to be a merchant or a magic craftsman? I don’t, but think of the options I had before now!
Hearing the bell tolling in the distance, I knew it was time to set off on my journey. The sooner I was at the church, the sooner I could face down my future. I still had a chance to pull through this, I just needed to be gifted a class worthy of someone of higher standing than a soldier.
No big deal, right? I’m sure some people get prestigious classes every day. All my bad luck up until now is going to pay off in this moment, I’m sure of it.
The weeks of eating nothing but stale bread, the hole in my roof that dripped on my floor during rainstorms, and the abusive employers who underpaid me for odd jobs as I grew up. All of that? That was just the karmic balance preparing me for this moment. Or, that’s what my sarcastic optimism would like to think.
Racing out of my house, if you could call it that, I hurried down the empty street in the slums where I lived and moved towards the city’s common district. Normally, people from the slums weren’t invited to go to the common district unless they were working — but the slums lacked a church to do the awakening ceremony. So, this was necessary for today’s events.
You’re probably wondering what the awakening ceremony is anyway, well… let’s say it’s a communion with the gods where you pray, ask for their blessing, and in return they unlock the power of your guide. I haven’t done it myself before, but it sounds straightforward enough.
Apparently, at the awakening, you get the right to pick your first class from a list of compatible options and are given access to some sort of god-given assistant that helps you understand your growth. ‘Levels, skills, and the ability to gain power beyond the mortal domain.’ Or, that’s what the adults liked to say anyway. Who knows how much of that is true and how much is the talk of drunken fools?
As I arrived at the end of the street, I approached the guards at the gate of the city proper and showed them the card that marked me as a citizen. This was the only real blessing of the jobs I had worked all these years, I had earned full citizenship from the city over these many years.
After being waved through, I set my eyes on a large white building stretching above the buildings around it 200 meters down the road. This was the ‘Lesser Church of the Creator’, the smaller of two churches here in the city of Rhondale.
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I dodged around the diverse people flooding the main street as I headed toward my destination. There were people of all heights, skin tones, and races. There were also a few carts and people carrying crates, it was obvious the merchants were busy at this time of day — most shops would open in less than an hour after all.
Taking in the sights, I smiled to myself. This might be the last time I lay eyes on the city proper, being sent off once I get my class. My dad wouldn’t miss me, but I think I’d miss the city a bit — my friends, my mom, and my quiet life.
As I strode towards the giant building, I took a look at myself and tried to convince myself I had dressed nicely enough for the occasion. I looked like any respectable lower-class citizen, right? Totally.
Putting that thought out of my mind, I dodged around an overly-ambitious cart that tried to rush through the crowd. Smiling at the man pushing it while giving him a slight wave, I raced up the steps to the grand white building as the front doors grew closer and closer.
Stopping at the top of the stairs, I took a deep breath to steady myself. My pounding heartbeat was threatening to jump out of my chest or through my throat, my hands were clammy, and my throat was dry. It was time to face the gods and see what they had in store for me. Hopefully, the gods wouldn’t mind a little nervousness.
With that, I pushed open the front door and walked through the entrance. Walking through the hallway, I entered the massive chapel and felt my breath catch in my throat. It was my second time in this building, but it was just as awe-inspiring as it had been last time, or maybe more? The white exterior didn’t prepare you for the endless colors of the rugs, tapestries, and paintings covering the walls. Not to mention all 15 life-like statues of the gods that were adorning the rear of the room, looking down on everyone who entered this place: their divine domain.
These statues represented the 5 major gods and 10 greater gods, the pinnacles of this world. While the world had countless minor gods and many spirits worshipped as gods, these were the pantheon that ruled over all.
Breaking the spell that was cast on me, an old priest walked over and placed a hand on my shoulder. “Welcome to the lesser church, boy. You must be here for the awakening ceremony, please follow me.”
Doing as he asked, I followed him towards the front of the chapel where he had me join a line of male and female youths. The oldest couldn’t have been more than 20, and the youngest looked to be younger than me. The nation’s war must be getting desperate to be calling on everyone this young from lesser regions of the city.
Holding back a sigh, I turned my eyes forward towards the statues and gazed upon their majesty. Up close, they were even more amazing. I could imagine them coming to life any minute, delivering divine wisdom or striking down someone with divine wrath.
Letting my eyes wander, I gazed across the myriad of gods in front of me. The creator god ‘Azalea’, the goddess of harvest ‘Tirea’, the god of death and rebirth ‘Shae’, the goddess of war ‘Kaerni’, and the god of knowledge ‘Hashfi.’ The major gods all looked powerful and wise, I could see why one would feel compelled to pray to these beings — no doubt partially thanks to what they represented.
A few moments later the older priest who had guided me cleared his throat and got our attention. “Hello, young ones. I am glad you’re all here to bask in the gods’ light today. An awakening ceremony is a sacred moment between you, us priests, and the gods. I’d explain more about what you can expect, but I’d rather let you experience it for yourself. The gods’ won’t leave you begging for answers for long.”
Looking around at all of us, the older man smiled. “My name is Timaeus and I am the high priest of Azalea here at the lesser church. If you have any questions after the ceremony, please feel free to ask me or any of the other clergy. Now, if you would please take a seat on the ground and clasp your hands I’ll lead us in prayer.”
As we all took to the ground, we did as he asked and waited for his words as we lowered our heads in deference. A moment later, he began.
“Here before the gods’ today, we ask for your blessing for these youth. Their country is in a turbulent time and needs great warriors with promising minds, unparalleled strength, and the wisdom to use both. We ask that you’ll look favorably upon these youth and unlock the secrets in their souls, revealing their truths and giving them options that will determine their futures. We doubly ask for the protection of Azalea and Kaerni for these youth, so that our nation might see future leaders born from these hostile times.”
Taking a deep breath, the priest continued. “In accordance with the awakening, we ask that these youth have their guide unlocked and that you might offer them your guidance. We thank the gods’ for any protections or blessings placed upon these young souls, and thank the creator for the food we eat, the air that we breathe, and the ground we walk on.”
With that, a bright light shone through the chapel and I felt myself beginning to fall. It started as a slight feeling, until eventually the world was filled with nothing but light and all I could feel was the rush of gravity pulling me towards the ground far beneath me. I could no longer feel the floor beneath my legs, and any attempt to move was thwarted by my body. I was a statue, falling to my death.
Feeling both terror and exhilaration, I tried to steady my thoughts as I crashed towards the ground. Slowly, the light faded and the world turned black. With that, I slipped into the nothingness of pure darkness.