Ten years, it was surreal, to say the least. The time had gone by so fast that Theo was shocked when he was told what would happen on his tenth birthday. When someone turns ten years of age they are taken to the church to awaken their magics. Though you can find out what magic affinities you have before ten, it is impossible to use them. Ever since he had learned of this day, Theo had been waiting, and the day had finally arrived. Theo, a man from a magicless world, was going to be able to use magic. While thinking about the possibilities of what he could do with his magic, Theo had zoned out. Aegira saw this opportunity and took the chance to make her younger brother jump. While Theo was lost in thought she managed to go behind him, grab his sides, and begin to tickle him. This caused him to try and jump forward, but he was kept in place by his sister’s arms. He looked back while laughing to see who had grabbed him and saw Aegira holding him with Wolc laughing in the background. They were now preteens and had their horns growing in. It seems that the horns of a demon don’t begin to grow until they hit ten years of age. Aegira still kept her more outgoing nature, but she was a little more thought out in her plans now. Wolc on the other hand had stopped being as shy and quiet around his family. He was still shy around others, but it was an improvement. Maeve, sitting in a chair to the right, was now a young woman with tall, sturdy, spire-like horns that split at the top. She looked much stronger and more confident in how she held herself. She had been taking on jobs as a field cartographer in unexplored areas for the past few years, and it had helped her become more adventurous in life. Theo’s oldest brother, Branor was also in town today. He was not in town often, but the awakening ceremony of a family member was an important occasion that he would never miss. He had thick ram-like horns that would definitely weigh his head down if not for his strength. At this moment Elara entered the room and called for everyone’s attention.

“Okay everyone it's time to leave for Theo’s ceremony at the church. It's a big day for him so everyone be on your best behavior.” She said as she looked at Aegira and raised an eyebrow.

Everyone nodded while Aegira smirked and said,” I promise I'll be on my best behavior.”

With that, everyone got ready and left the house. When they finally got to the church Ranim was waiting outside for them. He was looking all around with a smile on his face. When he saw them his eyes lit up and his smile grew. Ranim had been teaching Theo all about the gods these past few years. There were currently hundreds and the number was ever growing. Apparently, it was even possible to become a god in this world. When Theo learned that, he was shocked, to say the least. Theo wasn't sure if he actually wanted to become one, but having the option to try was nice. Thinking about that could happen later though. Right now it was time for him to get magic.

Ranim walked up to the family and asked Theo,” So are you excited to finally be able to use magic?”

Theo quickly nodded and said,” I can't wait to use it. Dad told me all about magic and how fun it is. I am kind of nervous about using empathy magic though.”

Ranim smiled understandingly and nodded.

“Having rare magics can be exceptionally nerve-wracking. Especially when it does something like yours, but trust me, you will probably only be a little out of it for a week at most.”

After Ranim said that Theo calmed down a bit and started walking inside. There were fewer people inside than the last time he went to the church, but there weren't always a ton of people inside. In fact, it was probably better that there were less people. Even though people usually had their awakening ceremonies at the church, there were not many people with Theo’s affinities. It would just draw unnecessary attention. Ranim led the family to the largest crystal pillar that held pure white crystals engraved with the symbols of different gods.

Ranim looked at the pillar and said,” Touch whichever one calls out to you. That god or goddess will oversee your ceremony and possibly even speak to you if you are interesting to them.”

Theo was confused by this and gave Ranim a questioning look. Ranim just smiled and gestured to the pillar. Theo looked back to the pillar and saw one symbol that stood out to him. It was a group of masks showing various emotions. It looked similar to the reincarnation door he had walked through, so he touched it. As soon as he did the scene before him changed from a crystal pillar to an opera house. It was a very sudden change that kind of freaked Theo out. When he looked around to assess where he was he saw a lady hopping off of the stage and walking towards him. She wore a purple ball gown and an ever-changing masquerade mask. She walked like she owned the place, and considering that she was most likely a goddess, she probably did. When she eventually made it over to him she was smiling and bent down to speak to him.

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“Hello, child welcome to my domain. You are here to awaken your magic correct?”

Theo nodded and started to speak up when the woman put a finger to her lips. She then touched his palm and he felt an energy that he never had before. The energy made him feel like he was falling out of a building in a dream, alarmed yet slightly curious to see the end of it. When he opened his eyes, which he hadn't realized were closed in the first place, everything around him looked more colorful. The Goddess pulled even more attention to herself than the surroundings however as she lit up like a beacon. Every color that Theo could imagine was shining blindingly off of her. When Theo closed his eyes again due to the sensory overload he heard the goddess speak once again.

“Allow me to introduce myself, child, my name is Thima and I am the goddess of emotion and performance. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

Theo tried to open his eyes once more, only to immediately close them again due to the brightness. Thima chuckled for a moment and began to speak words that Theo couldn't understand.

After roughly a minute of speaking gibberish the goddess said,“ You may open your eyes now child, I have made my emotions unable to be seen by you.”

Theo once again opened his eyes and saw the goddess standing tall in her noble-looking attire, and ever-changing mask. Now that Theo got a closer look he could see that her skin had a gray tint and that she had no mouth or ears. It freaked Theo out a bit, but his family had horns attached to their heads so he couldn't say much.

When Theo finally made his way through his thoughts he let out a small sigh to rid his nerves and said.” Hello Ms. Thima… Goddess Thima? I don't really know what to call you, but nice to meet you.

Theo heard another chuckle as the goddess stared down at him.

“You may call me Thima, though I may be a goddess I am as much a person as you. It is nice to meet you as well, may I know who I am speaking with?”

Theo blushed in embarrassment and said,” My name is Theo.”

“It is nice to meet you, Theo. I see that your affinities are aligned closely with mine. What are you planning on doing with them?”

Theo just shrugged and said,” I don't know what I want to do. I want to do something that is heavily involved with my magic though.”

Thima seemed to think for a moment before giving a few suggestions.

“ You could always be a performer like I was when I was mortal, or you could become a god’s or goddess’s helper once you're old enough to travel. Either option would work well with your affinities. Heck, you could even become an adventurer if you train well enough.”

Theo thought about those options before asking a question. “What is a god’s helper?”

With a cheeky tone, Thima explained,” The job of being a god’s helper can be very different depending upon which god you're employed to. If you are employed by a god of fighting you may be tasked with killing a hoard of monsters or fighting someone who has been going on a murder spree. If you are employed by a god of research however you will most likely be tasked with researching certain things or presenting the research of others through your illusion magic. The job can vary drastically depending on the god.”

Theo became curious after the explanation and asked,” What would a helper employed by you do?”

Thima covered her mouth and gasped after Theo asked that.

With a dramatic display and a playful lilt in her voice, she said,” You want to know what my helpers do? Well if you insist, I could give you the job description. I have two different kinds of helpers. One for each part of my domain. The first are my performative helpers. They usually act out plays or operas I’ve written so that others may see them. My emotional helpers on the other hand usually travel around acting as my hands and mouth in the mortal world and accomplishing tasks I ask of them. These tasks can range from acting as therapists in towns that have been ravaged by monsters to meeting the helper of another god to discuss an agreement. I usually pay in either help with magic, actual money, or connections depending on the person. Is there anything else you would like to know?”

Theo thought about it for a moment and asked, “Can I have another job on top of being your helper?”

Thima smiled and said,” Thinking of taking the job, are we? Well yes, you can have any other job on top of this one, and I will try to accommodate that schedule.”

Thima’s face then turned serious as she said,” This job will always take priority when I ask you for something though, as lives may be at stake.”

Theo thought about that for a moment before nodding to himself and saying,” I would like to become an emotional helper.”

When Thima heard that she smiled the widest Theo had seen her smile since meeting her as she said,” Repeat after me, I Theo Gaorgon will be a helper of the Goddess of Emotion and Performance Thima.”

“I Theo Gaorgan will be a helper of the Goddess of Emotion and Performance Thima.”

As soon as Theo said those words he felt a connection form between him and Thima. It felt as if he would be able to sense her and grab her attention at any time. Since the connection felt like it went two ways it probably worked the same for her. Theo felt like he finally figured out what he wanted to be in this world. A moment later Theo’s head began to hurt and his vision became blurry. The last thing he saw before passing out was Thima walking away from him as he collapsed to the ground.