Chapter 1: Divine Decree
"Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light."
- Helen Keller
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I grunted as I struck with my hammer one last time. Looking up at the red bar I was holding, I smiled and dunked it in a barrel of oil, hearing the satisfying sizzle that marked the end of hours of hard work. I lifted the blade and inspected my handiwork.
“Father! Father! I’ve finished!” I shouted to the other side of the workshop, where a man as broad as he was tall came stomping over. My father was the village blacksmith and my teacher in the ways of metal. He had dark brown hair, a stark contrast to my light blonde, cut short in case any stray embers tried to set him ablaze.
As an infant, I had been obsessed with learning the ways of magic, but hadn’t everyone? My friend Jacob and I had found sticks in the forest and pretended that they were magic wands, casting spells and generally being a nuisance to the adults around us. Now I was a 10-year-old – the pinnacle of maturity.
Handing the newly formed blade to my father, he stared at it for a few moments before looking down at me and smiling.
“Much better, my boy! The durability has nearly doubled since last time,” He boomed as I beamed with pride. My first attempts had been useless, so I grinned as he acknowledged my burgeoning skill.
“Wait,” I said. “How are you viewing the durability?”
“I’m using [Inspect Metal] of course, It’s a much-needed skill for every blacksmith.”
“Will I be able to get it some day? When? How?” I asked, attacking my father with questions.
“If you choose the class of blacksmith, then you'll be able to. As for other classes, I’m not sure. Maybe miner has it? Anyway, it’s only a rank 1 skill, so it’s easy to learn with the right teacher. As for when and how, you already know the answer, Daniel. Your system will unlock when you’re 18.” We’d had similar conversations many times since I had learned to speak.
“Ugh! But that’s such a long time!” I whined
“No it isn’t, son, everyone must wait that long. Good work today though, now you can go out with Jacob if you want. But be back before nightfall or your mother will kill you and then me!” He chuckled to himself as I removed my mini apron, hung it up, and sprinted into the cool air of early autumn.
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Jacob ran between the trees as I chased him through the woods. We took turns to see who could move the quietest and fastest. It may seem boring, but there's not much to do in our sleepy village in the south of the Kingdom.
He was the tanner’s son and we’d been best friends for as long as I could remember. His father was also grooming him to take over his trade, so we couldn’t get out as much as we wanted to. But we made every minute worth it.
After a few hours of adventure, we were resting by the river that ran through our little village of Pendale, enjoying the cool sun on our faces as it was nearing the end of its journey below the horizon. Our jobs' physical nature ensured we were fit and strong for children our age. We were rarely exhausted but enjoyed kicking back, listening to the birds and rushing water beside us.
“Are you looking forward to being a blacksmith?” Jacob asked me.
‘Not again' I thought.
“Of course. It’s what my father wants.”
“But do you really want to be one? Don’t you feel that there’s more to the world than this?”
“I suppose I would like to leave the village one day, if only for a short while. Some exploring might be good when I’m older.” I replied. Jacob occasionally did this. He had fantastical visions of wielding magic beyond belief, commanding armies and seeing the world. He was clearly struggling to grow up and see the world for what it truly was – boring.
My grey eyes looked up and bored into him, getting ready to set the record straight about the cruel world we live in. Of course, the gods decided to intervene at that very moment. Typical.
Collapsing in pain, I tried to scream, but no sound escaped my lips. I had been burned plenty of times when I was careless in the smithy, but this was unimaginable.
SYSTEM UNLOCKED
New Class Received – Saint
New Title Received – Lightbringer
[Magic] Potential Given. Go to the Cathedral of Ateria and be anointed to unlock [Magic]
I forced my eyes open, and those glowing white words were before me. None of this made any sense. It felt like crazy amounts of pure energy were invading my body, and it was somehow becoming even more painful by the minute! The gods were kind enough to send me into darkness at this point.
‘You could’ve done that a few seconds ago!’ Were my last thoughts. Pain always makes you cranky!
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I awoke to every muscle in my body screaming. It felt like I’d been run over by a horse.
'So much for “We were rarely exhausted”'.
I looked around my small bedroom. As my father was a blacksmith and my mother a weaver, we were wealthy in terms of the town, but still poor. A few children I knew still had to share a bedroom with their parents. However, all I had in my humble room was a bed, a small desk and some drawers.
Looking around, I found my mother sleeping on a chair beside my bed. Worry was clearly written on her face. It was night outside, so I must’ve been out for a good few hours; it felt like only seconds had passed.
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She awoke to my pitiful excuse for sitting up as I groaned and hugged me tightly, probably breaking a rib or two.
“I was so worried about you! There was a beacon of light in the woods and the hunters set out to investigate and found you unconscious next to the river. What on Earth happened?”
I wracked my brain to try and remember. But for the life of me, I couldn’t.
“All I remember is being in a lot of pain,” I said, wincing at the vague memory.
“There are rumours already spreading throughout the village. Duncan will be coming here soon to test you.”
“Test me for wha-”
As if she’d summoned him, Father Duncan, the Priest of Pendale, entered my already cramped bedroom. He looked like he’d run from the church all the way to our home on the outskirts of the village, but considering his age, it could’ve been our stairs that did him in.
“Sorry I’m so late, I came as soon as I heard. Many are saying that the beacon of light was divine. The gods must have made a decree regarding you, young Daniel.”
He held up a perfect grey cube the size of my palm and gently placed it on the desk. My mother helped me sit up and I looked at the Priest in confusion. I had no idea what the cube was.
“This is a testing stone,” he said. “It will unlock the ability to view your status, especially now that it seems like your System’s been unlocked early.”
“But father said that Systems are always unlocked when you’re 18.” I stated, bewildered.
“Systems are a gift from the gods. They have the ability to circumvent the usual rules that govern it, although it’s extremely rare. We’ve wasted enough time, place your hand on the cube. I promise it won’t hurt you.
I tentatively reached my hand out to the cube. As soon as my skin made contact, a flare of colour erupted in the air above the stone.
Name: Daniel Lightbringer
Age: 10
Class: Saint
Health: 100/100 | Mana: ?/? | Stamina: 83/100
Skills: None
Spells: ?
Strength: 15
Agility: 8
Dexterity: 13
Intelligence: 22
Charisma: 7
Wisdom: 12
The Priest looked in awe at the status shown to us. He immediately fell to the ground and prostrated in front of me, leaving myself and my mother in confusion.
“There’s no need to bow, Father Duncan, what’s this all mean?” I asked him.
“Young Daniel, you have been marked as a Saint! Chosen by Luminaris himself! This is a momentous event! Truly momentous! But why is your mana locked? It’s always been written that Saints have access to seemingly unlimited mana! Even I have magic!” His voice rose with each sentence spoken.
That’s when I remembered.
“Go to the Cathedral of Ateria and be anointed to unlock [Magic]” I recited, recalling the words that had been emblazoned in my vision. My memories were already vaguely coming back.
“The Cathedral of Ateria? That’s days away. You’re now a target of the other churches and that beacon of light showed everyone where you are. We need to leave for Ateria immediately!”
“But I don’t want to go! I don’t want to be a saint! Can you reverse this?”
“No, I’m sure you know that I cannot. But you should consider yourself lucky that you were marked as Luminaris’ Saint, otherwise I’d have had to kill you.” He chuckled with a menacing undertone, while my mother glared at him. “You need to be brought to the cathedral and taught the ways of the church if you are to lead us. I will take you and protect you myself, don’t worry”
I had so many questions, but I was beginning to accept that my life had changed forever now. There was no going back, but boy would Jacob be jealous!
“Can I pack at least? How long will I be gone?”
“I’m afraid not, the other churches have had hours to set out for us, we must leave at once. You’ll be gone for a while so we can buy things for you in Ateria. Come with me.”
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The excitement had worked most of the pains out of my body, so I stayed as close to the Priest as possible while he hurried through the village to the stables. People’s eyes were on the two of us, still questioning what had happened and wondering if I was a threat to their families. That beacon of light must have shaken everyone quite badly.
‘If only they knew’
Jacob was nowhere to be seen but he must’ve told his mother that I’d caused the light. I didn’t want to leave without at least saying goodbye to him, but Duncan left no time to argue as I began to lag behind.
We arrived at the stables and Father Duncan quietly whispered to the owner while I shivered in the cold night air. After handing a small bag of money to the man, the Priest turned to me and handed me a cloak, I had absolutely no idea from where. The cloak was warm, if a little big, and enveloped me in its embrace.
A stable boy, clearly tired, having been woken up for us, brought around a large, white horse. As I slowly approached the magnificent beast, I held my hand out and placed it gently on its face. The mare seemed reluctant at first, but eventually settled and nuzzled my palm.
Your very presence calms those around you, making them feel at ease.
New Skill Gained - [Calm]
Those white words appeared in front of me, clearly visible to my eyes only. Now that I’d touched the testing stone, Father Duncan said that I should be able to call up my status now. Mentally willing it to appear, my status came and hovered before me, with a few additions:
Name: Daniel Lightbringer
Age: 10
Class: Saint
Health: 100/100 | Mana: ?/? | Stamina: 81/100
Free Points: 1 (+1)
Skills: [Calm] Lv1 (+1)
Spells: ?
Strength: 15
Agility: 8
Dexterity: 13
Intelligence: 22
Charisma: 7
Wisdom: 12
‘This will be extremely interesting' I thought to myself. I was in for a long journey ahead. Maybe I would get to wield great forces of magic, lead armies, and explore the world like Jacob and I had dreamed of as children. But I’d have to survive the next couple of days first.