??? POV
The boy was grateful that his incapacitated state seemed to be short-lived. Various sounds broke through the surrounding silence. Muffled voices filled the hazy air, with a gradual breath of golden white light splitting through his clouded vision.
"...yo...ul...how can...How could you do that!" he heard someone yell in the fog
"He's just a child! You might have killed him, you villain!"
"How dare you! I...I am acting on the direct orders of Her Majesty...to ensure!..."
'Ah the silver fox is being told off...ehehehe good-good, I only wish I wasn't too groggy to see it.'
"Cut the crap! You Villain!" A childish voice spoke
"So, our esteemed Queen is now in the business of murdering children, is she?" Another woman said
"You members of the church are all the same, bunch of scoundrels! You're as despicable as those demons. You...you...wait...is he...is he coming to?"
As the boy's vision gradually cleared, he was surprised to find himself lying on his back, gazing up at that same beautiful ceiling in the distance above. For one strange reason he felt rather well rested, as though he had just woken up from a lengthy sleep. Of course, he felt just as confused as ever with the lingering memories of that little red-eyed girl in a black dress. Thinking about that little girl in particular, the weird dark place he somehow found himself inside of, and the growing uneasiness that he had lost consciousness...again. He could only release a deep sigh.
'I really hope this isn't the norm with me. All this fainting can't be good for my health.' He vaguely remembered feeling an unfamiliar force overwhelming him. That terrible old man, and the smirk he gave him right before he saw darkness. The boy was growing more bashful as clarity returned.
'Did that old man poison me? tsk! I'm only a child as well that damn freak, who the hell goes around poisoning kids .' He gruntled inside, still feeling quite weak to even talk it seemed.
Once he set aside his vendetta, he recalled hearing voices nearby, concerned voices. Twisting his helm to one side he captured two new faces around him, The first and quite noticeable thing he caught on quickly was their gazes softly beholding him.
'Sheesh this is more like it, some concern!' He exhaled whilst patting down the loose tunic around his chest,
He scanned the younger of the two deeply, the round-faced girl had tears welled in her almond-shaped eyes. He also noticed their similar appearances, shared by their tan skin and curly reddish-brown hair, which led the boy to sense a familial connection between them.
The younger of the two, in particular, with her green eyes and dark freckles, seemed quite relieved once she noticed him regaining consciousness.
While he was momentarily curious about these strangers, his attention was soon captivated by a more bizarre sight taking place behind the trio.
' What in the world is that ugly thing...Am I still dreaming?' He rubbed his eyes a few times just to make sure, once he was sure this was not one of his dreams his jaw almost dropped to the ground.
Floating behind the trio were three conjoined golden heads, twice the size of a normal human head, with bulging wide eyes, a chiseled jaw line and a golden hooped ring attached to their right nostril.
Out of the three, only the middle head held its terrifying eyes wide open, staring into a vacant space against the air. When it finally spoke, it revealed a mouth full of white teeth and an odd purple tongue. Its face contorted in pain, and its eyes began to rattle manically as though it was having a seizure.
The boy looked visibly appalled, wishing he hadn't found the ugly thing intriguing at first, 'Someone put that thing out of its misery...deary me.'
Without warning a deafening sound broke through the air, and a haughty voice erupted fourth
"Talent Received… Rank…E!"
The golden heads declared with a thunderous voice bouncing across every tile within this place.
A flat silence ensued. 'Hm, Rank E? Why does that feel kinda...low' He lamented to himself, unsure whether this was good news or bad.
'How do these rankings work I imagine, maybe there are several ranks, A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I etc...so perhaps that means my talent is average? Ah-yes that must be it. Average Talent.'
"Buahahaha Rank E you might as well be Ranked O-Buahahaha I told you he's useless."
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'w-wait what did he say.'
The boy's mood sunk a little hearing that, he couldn't put a finger on why. But surely there were better letters than that he thought to himself.
He sunk into his own thoughts again, scouring his daydream before being quickly disturbed by the resounding murmurs from the nearby crowd, their expressions shifting between a mixture of surprise and amusement, especially among the younger onlookers, who he noticed standing by one side of the cathedral. The youths in this corner were the ones clothed in adventurer garbs whilst some wore finely woven silks.
"Buahaha! Can you believe it? After all that, he's only an E rank? What a joke," laughed one of the youths amongst the crowd.
He narrowed his gaze towards this youth, who looked every bit of the type of boy who would make such a comment. He carried neatly cropped blonde hair, piercing bright green eyes, and symmetrical features giving him the air of a boy band member, albeit one with an unmistakable arrogance.
'Hmm, he has a face I want to punch. But...probably best I ignore it.'
Feeling the weight of humiliation, he refused to remain seated against the ground. And with little effort, slowly attempted to carry himself upright. Despite his body still very much sore, and waves of pain throbbing against the side of his temple he was finding stable footing and felt his body getting used to things.
"Let me assist you," offered a woman with a mature visage, the boy moved his gaze towards her hand, staring at it for a short while before tracing up her face. She wore a compassionate smile affixed against her slightly aged features. The boy noticed her eyes reflecting pity and yet an unmistakable show of warmth as she watched his every movement until he could move fairly properly on his own after taking a few paces away from the altar.
He glanced at the silver-haired man again, who seemed exasperated, pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head in disapproval.
"Waste of time...bloody waste of time." He heard him say. Surveying the hall, he noted the mixed reactions of the crowd—some jeered, others urged him to vacate the ceremonial space at once. Whilst others, simply couldn't care less.
'Was my rank that bad? I mean...E does seem somewhat...low but what's the big deal anyway? Maybe I was right, and this place is some kind of cult?'
His body tensed up a little when he thought about those odds, if he was somehow involved in some kind of demonic ritual, perhaps the low rank might be a blessing in disguise.
"Su-suta...we must go," whispered a voice tinged with worry beside him.
'Huh, Suta? who the hell is that?' He asked himself taking another look around himself.
Turning slightly towards his right side, his gaze met the concerned green eyes of a girl with reddish-brown curls again. Her smile was gentle but he could still see looks of worry against her childish features, she was also holding onto his arm quite tightly, afraid to let go.
Her touch did surprise him at first, he even slightly felt embarrassed for a little while.
'More importantly, that name...S-u-ta...didn't that grumpy old fox call me that as well. Which means...I guess...my name is...Su...ta?'.'
Speaking of that fellow, it was his distinctive gruff voice that drew his attention towards him again.
"The Golem has made its decree!" the silver-haired man interrupted the loud murmurs, his voice cutting through to silence the crowd.
"E rank. The boy is unqualified...return to your place," he sneered with disdain towards Suta. Despite the sting of those words, the boy wasn't that saddened by it. Why would he be? In truth, he held no recollection of anything right up until this moment. He was glad he could now step away from the spotlight though.
Suta felt a gentle tug against his sleeve from the girl beside him.
With a resigned sigh, he allowed her to lead him away, stepping gingerly beside her, watching his feet carefully to avoid tripping over and incurring even more embarrassment. They walked past the sea of mocking faces. The jeers and foul insults continued to rain upon him, but Suta couldn't help but admire the marble flooring beneath their feet. He was truly lost in awe over this place. Despite the disappointment of the awakening ceremony, the splendor of the surroundings dutifully cheered him up, making him muse about the opulence of this breathtakingly grand place, it was akin to a king's residence. Somewhere only the wealthy could step place their feet into.
Which again steered his mind into a small wonder.
'I can remember things such as Europe, African kings and queens, and the Asian dynasties, ancient history, wars, and slavery. Those memories certainly don't feel like they belong to this world. And yet, I know they to be true. Damn it...what's going on here. Why do things feel out of place in my head ?' And what about that strange little girl with red eyes? ' All suta could do was wonder and wonder.
Along his way, his footsteps came to a gradual standstill. Standing in his view was a towering statue of a slender and gracefully crafted woman, carved from marble and ivory. Suta noticed one of these things earlier, precisely when he first awoke here, only now did he have the opportunity to admire one up close.
The statue was depicted of a goddess, carrying an open book in one hand, and a bowl that seemed to contain snakes in the other, but most strikingly, two blood-red eyes adorned in her perfectly shaped almond eyes, that glittered like rubies soaked in glittering blood. The glowing gaze was starkly contrasting with the rest of the statue's grey stone composition.
'Th-thats a Goddess?" Suta queried unsure, "She looks more like...a devil.'
He swallowed harshly whilst he tried to busy his eyes elsewhere. For some reason, there was a strange reluctance within him to observe that statute again. Dare he could say, it almost felt like hatred towards it. Even that thought in itself made him feel annoyed, Suta could only massage his temple again. Wondering what on earth had happen and why he carried so much difficult things to process. Not only with the world around him, but also the things trapped inside of him.
'By the Gods, I am either going Mad or hallucinating on the strongest strain of drugs known to man. Either way.' He took a pause and twisted around his neck to face the statue again.
'Either way, I better start finding answers...quickly.'