“Now, what is this Blooding Ceremony I hear of?” Ren inquired once Algor put away the stone.

“Oh?” A whitened brow arched comically towards the bald man’s scalp. “Where did you hear that? It matters not honored Ren. Now that you are my charge, and therefore an Acolyte of Luminous Temple, I might as well give you some basic lessons,” Algor continued as he hurriedly yanked on the reins of his Kefo, preventing the irritable Trixx from biting a nearby farmer.

The old man’s apologies were met with colorful insults from the farmer, who had stumbled into a steaming pile of shit while trying to avoid Trixx’s snapping jaws. Ren watched unamused as Algor responded to the insults with more apologies, but at a volume too loud to be considered anything but insults.

“I am no one’s charge,” Ren scoffed with so much venom, startling the old man from his screaming match. “Besides, you do not want me to be a part of your … faith. I am done signing binding contracts of any kind.”

“Ho, ho, it's nothing so serious, my honorable friend,” chuckled Algor amiably. “The Luminous Sangha does not seek to restrict anyone by force. We honor each person's decisions but believe that given the chance to bask in the splendor of Satori, most would eventually convert of their own free will!”

Ren tilted his head, as if looking at the old warrior with fresh new eyes. He noticed the gleam in his eyes and how passionate Algor became when talking about his religion. It seemed like he really was a devout practitioner, through and through.

[ Keep him close, brat! The more pious they are, the better it is when their faith breaks! ]

Luckily, Algor continued with his explanation, distracting Ren from the cackling voice in his head.

“Back to your original question. The Blooding ceremony is a traditional event for practicing Kringlian families. The youths involved, usually below 4th Tier of the Essence gathering stage, are sent into the Harosheth Forest to collect a set amount of essence stones. The exact amount is determined by the cultivation stage of the participant.”

“The purpose of this coming of age event is to get the youth some valuable life experience outside the safety of the walls. Also, the collected essence stones are offered up to Kringle in one of his temples, along with a dash of the participants blood. In return, the young warriors receive a blessing from the temple which usually raises their cultivation level by at least one Tier.”

“Just like that?” Ren asked suspiciously.

“Yes, honored Ren.” Algor chuckled. “The ways of enlightenment are endless. And the Immortal Venerable Kringle is a very giving deity.”

“I have heard you mention Kringle a lot over our conversations. Is Kringle your god?” Ren was curious to understand the dynamic of Algor’s religion.

“Kringle is just one of the Deva’s of the Luminous Temple, but he is generally accepted as the primary Deva for this region. He is believed to have lived in this very region of the world, several epochs ago and he holds a special place in the people’s hearts. After he rose to immortality, he never forgot his roots, and returned often, bringing gifts and blessings to his childhood region. Till this day, he sometimes sends his avatars to temples spread across the land, blessing people and clearing cultivation blockages from the masses.”

Ren looked doubtful as he stared at Algor, making the old man shake his head. Algor continued with his lecture as they gradually left the outskirts of the village and moved into one of the business sections. Ren kept a thread of his consciousness to absorb the old man’s rant, making the corresponding oohs and aahs to keep him engaged. Meanwhile he set another part of his consciousness to observing the beautiful neighborhood. The buildings here were very practical, with their glass window displays and beautiful signs. A few of the businesses were closing up for the day, pulling down protective coverings for their storefronts, while some customers hurried to make last minute purchases.

“... I’ll tell you a secret, honorable Ren,” Algor whispered, leaning towards Ren. “The Grand High Priest of our Luminous Temple in Greendale has been personally blessed by one of Kringle’s Avatars. He was once a young priest with middling potential, but he encountered the venerable Kringle one fateful day and received a greater blessing that has allowed him to reach the 8th Tier of Qi Core stage, before his two hundredth year.”

Ren nodded distractedly but paused as he noticed the expectant look in the old man’s face. Without any context, he wasn’t exactly sure how to respond. Was being at the 8th Tier of the Qi stage that impressive? Or did Algor expect him to be impressed by a measly two hundred year old? To Ren’s absurd scale of time, the Local Temple leader might as well be a toddler.

‘Well, I guess that is impressive for a human,’ Ren thought to himself, and with that he contorted his facial muscles into an awe-stricken expression. The smug look of satisfaction that appeared on Algor’s face in response almost had him laughing out loud. Instead, he disguised it with a cough, playing the part of a thoroughly impressed idiot.

He watched as Algor made another turn with his cart, bringing the group towards a street housing outer hubs for the Alchemy, Adventurers and Transportation guilds. The old man had mentioned that their destination was the Transportation guild hub, which contained the mini-teleportation formation that would be transporting them to the Temple district.

Algor had grumbled tirelessly at having to use his Teleportation allowance transporting them back to the Temple district, when they could have otherwise traveled by road. Alas, due to all the negative attention Ren had garnered in his few hours at Greendale, the old man had felt it prudent to avoid unnecessarily crossing paths with the Greendale guards.

In moments, the group was waiting their turn to use the teleportation formation. The guild hub was built like an open coliseum with seven large pillars containing intricate carvings. Ren tried to focus on the carvings but a loud bang reverberated in his head, his vision rapidly flashing white then black in a disorienting medley. It felt like he was at the epicenter of a flash-bang grenade and his internal system was blazing with alarms.

“What?!” he yelped, startled.

“Honored Ren!! Close your eyes and breath deeply. One must not stare too long at the words of divinity.” Algor replied worriedly.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

“What? Divinity? You’re telling me the pillars were created by gods?”

Ren’s curiosity took over distracting him from the absurdity he just experienced. He ran an internal diagnosis and was surprised that he had damaged 40% of his video sensors from that quick peek. That alone was enough deterrence to fight against his natural instincts of examining the pillars once again.

“No, no, honorable Ren. We have diviners who specialize in crafting. They enter a state of enlightenment, letting the will of the divine flow through them as they perform the carvings on the pillars. Only with high enough cultivation can anyone decipher the messages hidden within.”

With the after images all but gone, Ren managed to look indirectly at the teleportation hub, and noticed that the seven pillars were spaced evenly over eleven meters. A bored mage sat on a desk just before the pillars, with guards dressed in Temple robes flanking the table on each side. The mage was taking payment and information from patrons, before putting in the coordinates and activating the formation to the desired destination. Soon it was their turn.

“Next” the mage called out and Algor stepped off the cart, followed by Ren.

“Greetings, honored mage. I am an Acolyte from the Temple on an assigned mission to procure meat. I am returning back to the Temple district to turn in the results of my efforts,” Algor called out, pulling out a scroll and presenting it to the mage. The mage read through it, then glanced at Algor then the belt on his waist.

“Who is this besides you? There is no mention of him in the slip,” the mage countered pointing towards Ren.

“I found him injured and without his memories in the forest. I am bringing him back on Kringle’s Mercy” Algor said quietly, but the last 2 words seemed to have some weight, as the mage straightened up with focus.

His eyes flicked over Ren multiple times before returning to Algor. “...In that case, I just need his name for the record,” the mage continued.

“My name is Ren, of clan Turing”

“Clan Turing … Never heard of them,” the man mumbled in confusion. “Has a new minor clan been formed in the Village?”

“...Something like that honored mage,” Algor interjected and the bored mage shrugged, seemingly satisfied with that information. He wrote something down in his books then waved them through to the teleportation pad.

“If your Kefo is frightened easily, please make sure to blindfold it before stepping onto the pad,” the mage called out as they walked by.

Ren stepped onto the pad, as Algor led Trixx over by the reins. One moment Ren was standing on the teleportation pad in anticipation. In the other, he felt a weak pull like he had felt with the blackhole, only much, much weaker. And then, he was standing in a similar hub but the surroundings were completely different.

Looking through the spaces between the grand pillars, he saw a magnificent complex of temples with gorgeous brass roofs. The temple district was breathtaking, containing unique buildings with multiple peaks. Rhythmic music filled the air adding a hypnotizing element to the surroundings.

Ren did not see the choir, but the voices drifted around him, sounding both incredibly far as to be barely audible, and somehow intimately close, like the whisper of a lover. The air was buzzing with palpable energy, short circuiting some of Ren’s peripheral scanners when he tried to scan everything as he was used to.

This gave him a start as his self repair function automatically kicked in. He was lost in a trance for a moment, until he came to his senses and manually stopped scanning the environment with anything other than his eyes. As awesome as this new world was, he knew that he only had a finite amount of resources and he needed to reserve them for emergencies. Until he found a substitute for his nanites—which could rebuild missing parts as needed—he would have to be more cautious.

“I win!” a deep joyous voice reverberated through the teleportation hub, disturbing the sense of tranquility for a moment. In his disoriented state, the loud voice jolted Ren out of his stupor, flaring his danger-sense into preparing for imminent peril. Luckily, he was able to rein in his sudden spike of bloodlust and let it slowly fizzle away.

Algor spun around with a wide smile on his face, as he stepped forward, hugging a short man wearing layers of maroon robes.

“Honorable Brynjar! It’s good to see you too.” Algor replied, smiling genuinely at his friend.

“Ohohoho, I knew you wouldn’t last a fortnight without mead. Easiest silver I have won in a long while,” Brynjar laughed out loud in his gravelly voice. The man was probably only 4 ft tall, but he exuded so much charisma and gravitas, that he commanded respect by his mere presence.

“Well that is good, Honorable Brynjar. You won the bet fair and square,” Algor drawled, miserably shaking his head. “This old man has worked up quite a thirst, from his hunt. I am sure you will not mind buying tonight’s drinks, with your hard earned winnings of course”

“Ohohoho. Of course! But before that, who is this young man you have brought with you?” Brynjar said, tilting his head towards Ren, his eyes raising in slight surprise as Ren intently stared back at him. “He has been staring at me since you got here. I am sorry young man, but I am too old to be taking up any sparring challenges,” Brynjar laughed heartily at his joke and Ren joined him in laughter for a moment before responding.

“Hello Brynjar, I am Ren of clan Turing”. Ren said with a slight bow. “And thank you for having me at your Temple.”

“Oh?” Brynjar raised an eyebrow, turning to Algor before looking back at Ren. “Are you here to join the Luminous Sangha?”

“The honorable Ren is here at my request. I found him in Harosheth Forest, after his party was attacked by a pack of direwolves,” Algor responded.

“That explains the bloody clothes,” Brynjar replied casually. “Did no one else survive?”

“Unfortunately no. My friend was killed during the fight. Luckily, before he died, we were able to kill enough direwolves, to make the pack retreat,” Ren replied with a sad shake of his head.

“I am sorry to hear that Ren. The forests can be unforgiving. I am sure Algor here helped you send him off properly,” Brynjar replied, walking up to Ren and patting his shoulder.

“Yes, honored Brynjar. We performed the adventurer’s rite. The other reason I brought him here is to have the diviners heal him,” Algor confirmed. “You see, he must have received damage during his fight with the direwolves, because he does not remember anything from before the fight.”

“Huh?” Brynjar looked deeply at Ren and the latter felt a momentary buzz of energy. The feeling subsided as quickly as it came. “But you know your name?”

“That is one of the few things I still recall. But I can't even remember how I got to the forest. Or where my clan is,” Ren replied sadly, then looked away. He had his tear ducts produce just enough tears to make his eyes red, then whispered “I don’t even know if I have a family”

There was a moment of silence as the joyous mood in the hub dampened after Ren’s performance. Eventually Brynjar cleared his throat before speaking.

“Well, you must have Kringle’s blessing to be found by a member of the Temple. Our diviners and healers are some of the best in the village. Rest assured, you will be getting the best care possible,” Brynjar said in his rich reverberant voice. He spoke with such conviction, Ren actually believed him, even though he knew his amnesia was a farce.

“Honorable Brynjar, I think it's best if I show Ren his accommodation so he can settle in. It is getting late and I am sure the healers have turned in for the night. Before we leave, Do you need any more information from us?”

“No need. I already have his name and I know yours as well” Brynjar smirked, receiving a wry smile in return. He pointed to the Acolyte manning the desk behind him and said. “I will have the trainee log your arrival and send word to the butcher so he will be expecting you.”

“Thanks honorable Brynjar. Once I am done, I will be headed to the Giant’s Mug. You had best be there early if you want your silver.”

Brynjar laughed at that and bid farewell to Ren and Algor, returning back to the Acolyte at the desk.