The sun rose over Blueren, sunlight illuminating the houses and fields of the farming town. The sun was a bit late today, as merchants had already set up shop before dawn, and farmers had been hasty to get their work done.
The reason was that today was the hallowed day. Where a new generation would find the path gifted to them by the Goddess. The children would reunite inside the Church of Beginnings, a place where all of them had been instructed since they were toddlers.
It was a special day for a particular boy, called Lucas. The sun hit his snoring face, popping the sleep out of his mind. His room was revealed as the sun intruded. Wooden shelves, a desk, and walls were decorated with articles. Upon the shelves, were old toy swords, shields, and capes. On the desk were pages of Lucas wielding different types of tools or magic.
Lucas slowly blinked, rolling out of bed. He shook his head once, then slowly walked towards the mirror in his bedroom. He stared at a brown-haired kid, average height for his age, wearing a passed-down shirt and pants with a hole in his knee. One yawn, and a glance at a calendar gifted to him by the daughter of the bookstore owner finally rose him up.
“It’s the day!” He exclaimed to himself. He started running around the room, opening drawers and closets. Adding clothes to the piles on the floor. “What do I bring? I never ended up deciding on a proper charm. Randy gifted me a sword he made in his dad’s forge. Clara gave me a necklace with a holy figure,” he scrambled his head, staring strongly at the bottom of the closet. Full of gifts gathered over the years from the kids of the town. “Father John said charms didn’t help, but Ron always said tilting the odds in your favor never hurt,” he muttered to himself.
He ended up picking something he could trust. A faded spear-shaped necklace. Any metal coating rubbed out from years of use, only leaving a smooth accessory. They had been made when a popular spear-wielding adventurer came to town when Lucas was younger. He didn’t know his name, but he remembered the presence he exuded as he walked away from the town.
Lucas put on the clothes his mom had put away for this day. A brown shirt and green pants. Simple colors, but then, his father had a lettuce farm and his mother had a gift for enchanting soil. He wasn’t embarrassed about their Jobs. After all, it helped feed the city as much as any other.
But of course, if he had to choose, he would rather pick something more exciting. Solar Blade, Star Whip, or maybe Mountain Shield! Something that had an impact. Something that when heard made people look at Lucas and sigh in awe.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
“Lucas, breakfast is ready!” His mother called from downstairs.
“Coming, Mom!” He answered. He brushed his brown hair back with his hands, and ran out of the bedroom, jumping down the stairstep two by two.
The kitchen for dining, and a counter along one of the walls, containing all the appliances needed for cooking, washing dishes, and other daily things.
Lucas’ Mom, Sena, was plating the food. She had a long braid, and hair the color of mature wheat. She turned to Lucas with a smile. “You look so precious, dear! Come here, I will use my good brush.”
A good brush meant she would use one of her little projects. While Sena spent most of her time enchanting the fields to increase their fertility, get rid of plagues, or make them more resistant to bad weather, sometimes she liked to use her Job to enchant trinkets and tools.
When the brush, which was made of varnished wood, touched Lucas’s bed hair, his brown locks bent to the brush’s movement without any resistance. Sena styled his hair into ruffled waves, as she knew any more formal styles would be undone by the time he got to the church.
“Where’s Dad?” Lucas asked, eating the veggie soup. Father John had said it was best to not eat much, as the ceremony sometimes could be a bit intense, provoking upset stomachs. Nobody wanted to puke after being blessed, both for bad luck and because it was gross.
“He’s busy at the fields, dear. But he will be free by the time the ceremony is over. No worries, he told the butcher to save him a good chicken from the shop,” she reassured Lucas.
Lucas nodded and kept eating in silence. He stared into the dirty bottom of the bowl, bouncing the question inside his head. “Mom…how are Jobs chosen?”
Sena gave her son an understanding smile, hugging the back of his head. “Well, you see. It’s said that, depending on your upbringing, your Job will be chosen. But back in the city, people got Jobs that had nothing to do with their lives. After all, the current King doesn't have the King job remember?”
Lucas had been told that yeah. Something about how Jobs didn’t have to be predetermined by your life. That only the Goddess would ultimately know.
“What if I get a sucky Job?” Lucas rested his cheek against her mother’s body.
“Dear, no Job will be sucky if it’s yours. I’m sure you will be able to make it work. Why, if only you knew the first uses people thought of my Job back in the day. But I made it work because I met your father when I moved to this town.”
Lucas smiled. That was true. Dad had also shown him very cool tricks with a hoe. His Job was Farmer, but the blacksmith couldn’t make the donkey calm down with some quick words like his dad.
“Thanks, mom.” Lucas turned to give his mom a full-on hug. He turned to run at the door, waving at her. “See you after the ceremony!”
As Lucas ran into the main street of Blueren, Sena sighed.
“Please, Goddess. Give him strength for the trials of the future. I know I have tried all I could to make it easier for him…I just hope it was enough,” She prayed, rubbing her belly.