Mal let his anger fade as he took deep breaths and focused on the throbbing of his knuckles. He began to walk away whilst rebuking himself he knew he was better than this and after all it wasn’t Nath’s fault that her bloodline twisted her actions. Shaking his head and putting Nath out of mind Mal walked with a purpose to Falreath. Mal makes his way along the thin dirt path through the trees towards the town trying to avoid thinking of the awakening to come or his fight with Nath. As he approached the town trees made way to farmland. Dozens of farmers were toiling in the fields their rakish figures bowed from years of hard labour. The crops in the fields were gnarled stunted things with barely any edibles to be seen. Behind the rag clothed farmers Mal could make out crude huts and sheds for the farmers to live in, and behind the huts lay a towering two story building of wood and stone where the overseers lived. Mal pitied the farmers they were unlucky enough for Semphine to bestow upon them the farmer class and too lazy to become proficient enough at it to become self-sufficient or become an overseer themselves, instead they chose to be the burden that they were.
The town of Falreath was in a pitiful state as Mal reached the outskirts of it. A couple dozen huts of old wood and dirt surrounding what was essentially a single square where the wealthier citizens lived as well as Falreath’s pride the church to Semphine lay. Mal made his way through the few rough dirt paths through Falreath’s slums until he reached the main square. The dirt path turned to cobblestone as the entire atmosphere of the town changed. Whereas before the rough houses and dirty empty streets gave a sense of hopelessness now standing in a crowd of people in a clean square surrounded by opulent houses of stone there was a sense of anticipation and hope. Today was the awakening where people aged from as young as twelve and usually as old as eighteen would be given a class. This was the chance that people needed to move out from their shacks and into spacious warm houses. There were crafters and workers alike gathered to see who would learn their trade as well as members of the military for those bestowed with combat classes. Mr Hebero who owned the general goods shop was even there selling meat skewers to those who could afford it. And in front of all of them stood the monolithic doors of the church, the doors alone stood eight feet tall with the structures spires towering thirty feat into the air. The building was as long as it was tall and had intricate stained-glass murals in its many windows, needless to say the church was the pride of the town standing even larger than the Delvin’s mansion.
After an hour or so of milling around, admiring the church and making casual conversation with those in the village who he was on talking grounds with the church doors slowly opened. Six acolytes could be seen pushing the thick doors open with the high priest and Damian Delvin walking side by side through the doors. The high priest wore ornate white robes with gold emblazoning in the trim, he was an older man who held himself with poise and confidence, looking every bit the part of a righteous servant of Semphine. Damian on the other hand was every bit the young Topenthne noble he wore a stiff doublet with tailored breaches all in the Devlin’s greens and reds as well as fashionable leather boots and a rapier on his waist. Both the high priest and Damian held contemptuous smiles on their faces as they looked out upon the peasants in front of them. The high priest began to speak
‘As you all know today is the blessed day of awakening. Semphine has granted us this day so that we can all find our true callings. Whether you become a priest, a soldier, a mage, a crafter, hunter or even labourer.’ The distain towards those professions the priest viewed as less valuable was clear, ‘then you know that Semphine will love you unconditionally so long as you abide by the natural laws and Semphines tenants.’
The high priest continued to speak for long minutes about duty to Topenthne and Semphine as well as what classes to pick if you were offered choices, he then talked about how the most pious would be offered the most prestigious classes and those who were straying from the true path would be punished in the form of undesirable classes. Finally, he led the gathering in a communal prayer. Mal throughout this, short for the high priest, sermon entered a rapt almost trance like state where he soaked in every word spoken as if starved for knowledge. As the high priest wrapped up the sermon Mal looked around to see the familiar sight of the other villagers coming back to themselves and preparing for the day to continue.
‘Now if all those to be tested would make a line from most worthy to least we may begin the awakening’ spoke the high priest.
Lowering his head in shame Mal made his way to the back of the line, he had been proven unworthy five times already making him by far the most unworthy of all the ‘children’ to be tested for awakening. A couple dozen children stood in front of him with most ranging from fourteen to sixteen and only a handful seventeen-year-olds and a single eighteen-year-old girl in front of mal, she was called Rachel and they, both being unworthy, had a kind of mutual empathy for one another as they gained years and lost respect respectively. All eyes were on the high priest as the awakening ceremony finally begun.
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The high priest led everyone within the church, a rarity for most within Falreath as the donations to normally enter were high. The Priest led the procession of children through the vaulted chamber and rows of polished wooden benches to the back of the church where he stood in front of the pulpit. He then ushered the first child forward, the daughter of the towns blacksmith the first girl was well dressed and unlike most the children in the line obviously not malnourished. The child stepped close to the priest who whispered something in her ear before she walked towards the large gold plated and jewel incrusted alter which she lay her right hand upon it and subsequently vanished. The vaulted chamber erupted into cheering as Semphine accepted a new chosen at such an early age. Mal felt sick even a fourteen-year-old girl was more worthy than he had been for five years.
The line moved slowly as most the younger children were not chosen, they walked away with disappointed faces to disappointed families. As the children grew older more and more of them were awakened, vanishing as they were accepted by Semphine. However as the children grew older those who were not accepted were shunned harder by both the community and their families, Mal knew well the feeling of hopelessness on the faces of those who had been yet again rejected by Semphine. Finally as Rachel the girl in front of Mal vanished at the alter it was Mal’s turn to step forward to the high priest.
Mal moved hesitantly to the priest and leaned his head close to hear the prayer to Semphine. ‘If Semphine rejects you once again then I will know for sure that your pet half breed is the one calling down Semphine’s ire and causing our problems for the last decade.’ The priest snarled in Mal’s ear ‘now go and touch the alter so we can rid our village of your filth.’
Mind reeling at the venom in the priest’s words Mal slowly made his way towards the alter. He stopped a pace away closing his eyes he prayed and touched the alter. Nothing happened, there were no cheers, no nothing just silence. He had failed once again, opening his eyes to see the disappointment of everyone Mal saw darkness. Not complete darkness but more of a black hallway with the alter in front of him and many statues lining both sides of the hallway. He, he had made it, he had been chosen.
After more time than Mal would admit even to himself he got over the shock of actually being chosen and properly looked around. At a closer look he realised that he was not in some sort of void but instead in a corridor hune of impossibly smooth black rock. Looking down the corridor he could see countless statues of what he assumed were gods each statue let out a varying glow which allowed him to see. Not exactly knowing what to do Mal walked towards the closest statue. It appeared to be some sort of lizard man with wicked looking fangs and claws and beady eyes. Mal had the distinct impression whichever god the statue represented was watching him and that it did not like what it saw. Mal hastily stumbled backwards away from the terrifying visage, remembering what he had been told about these false gods Mal determined himself to find Semphine and redeem himself in the eyes of the villagers, the priests and the god Himself. Yes, Mal would gain a powerful class and prove them all that he was worthy, maybe then he would be able to make Nath see the error in her ways as well. Resolved Mal began to walk down the corridor.
As he walked he saw many different statues some were of beautiful men and women others of ambiguous gender and still more of different species ranging from the familiar to utterly bazar, there were tentacled monstrosities next to winged creatures with delicate limbs who stood next to what looked like a large fish. Finally after seemingly hours of searching Mal found the visage he had been looking for. Semphine had the look of a tall man in his mid twenties his shoulders were broad and his physique muscular, his face was chiselled and almost uncomfortably handsome.
Mal stepped towards the statue of his god full of religious fervour, he had been waiting for this moment his whole life. This was his destiny, his birth right he had been dreaming of this day for years. So why did something feel so terribly wrong and, looking down at himself. Why was he glowing?
Looking down at himself and back up at the statue and then down again he watched as a deep blue light was coming out of his skin. As he watched the light intensified and he began to feel a light itching all over his body. The itching began to intensify, Mal looked around in horror and confusion having no clue what was happening and definitely not enjoying this turn of events. The light coming off his skin intensified as the itch turned into a burn growing stronger and stronger until all he knew was pain and then blackness.
If Mal had been conscious after the light faded from his skin, he would have seen a pungent smoking green liquid ooze out of his skin before evaporating into nothingness. If Mal had been conscious and had extraordinary senses, then he would have noticed the impotent rage coming off of the statue of Semphine. However Mal was neither of these things so instead Mal slept as his brain rewired itself.