Gloria's Temple Complex [http://i.imgur.com/vyeldGF.png]

Others Me

Location: Gloria's Temple / Serina's Chamber

Time: Y1500 / 16th day of the Harvest Moon

POV: Liara

I've been in this world a few days. I sleep. I'm fed. I do my bodily functions and I'm cleaned by Mother. It's embarrassing. But this body is very weak, and I can do nothing about it.

I'm a new born baby, after all.

I can open my eyes now, but I can't see far. Everything is blurry.

[New born babies can't control their eyes properly. You won't be able to focus far objects for a while I'm afraid. Don't worry, that's normal.] (Doctor Me)

The answer comes from a version of me that was a doctor. Yes, that's a thing now.

As far as I understand, expanded my mind by merging it with many possible versions of myself. It was the only way for me to understand . Even than, most of its thoughts were beyond my comprehension.

Even with the knowledge from many versions of Me, I still have to learn how to control this body. Learn to speak, to walk and even to see, apparently.

Was supposed to give me an unique power. . A Virtual Helper that filters information from my primary power. The ability to see everything, everywhere and anytime.

Science Me and Gamer Me outdid themselves there! But I feel no traces of .

Maybe just made fun of me! So mean!

[To be fair spoke of possibility. I think we need to learn magic before we can access ] (Bookworm Me)

And that's fair?!? Of course I have to struggle to unlock my own power! Thank you ! You wouldn't want things to be too easy for me, oh no!

Just wait and see ! I'll master this power in no time! I'll be able to do whatever I want! Like winning the lottery. I'll be rich! Mwhahahahah!

[Uhm... gave us so that we could help people, remember?] (Doctor Me)

Ah. There is that. But it was a childish desire! Like you would wish for world peace if someone asked you out of the blue! This might be our combined innermost desire, but I don't want to spend all of my second life selflessly helping others!

[To me seemed more interested in getting an answer, any answer, rather than enforcing it. It's not like It made us swear or anything...] (Science Me)

This... Actually makes sense.

I wonder why rescued me... It can't be something do with everyone, can it? What does get out of this? What It wants from us?

[Who knows... And to be honest, who cares?] (Doctor Me)

[Since we have no data for a meaningful answer anyway, we should focus on our current situation.] (Doctor Me)

You have a point, Spock. I should just sit back, observe, and not worry too much.

As a baby, my actions are severely limited anyway. I literally can't do anything but cry and wriggle my stubby arms and legs.

I need to grow up.

I'm only a two days old baby. Who remember his past life. Who comes from a different world. With voices inside his head. And gifted with a broken unique power. Hopefully...

Wow.

[What can I say? Reality sometimes is stranger than any fiction.] (Science Me)

*yawn* (Me)

And I'm tired already. What a weak body!

I fall asleep.

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Baptism

Location: Gloria's Temple / Ritual Chamber

Time: Y1500 / 16th day of the Harvest Moon

POV: Liara

I wake up. Mother is carrying me somewhere.

We are in a corridor. It's dark, but not pitch black.

There are windows with colored glass on the stone walls, there, I can see the outside for the first time since i was reborn. Not that I can make out any detail, yet. Everything is so blurry. But I see the night sky, at least.

Is this building all stone? A church, maybe? What am I doing here? I thought I was in my parent's home.

[Don't take this too hard, but I think this woman is not our biological mother. In our world giving children to religious institutions was an established practice in many cultures. I believe this is what happened to us.] (Explorer Me)

It's alright Explorer Me. I was abandoned in my previous life as well. It's not a big deal if it happened a second time...

Damn it.

[Your situation now, and your situation back then are worlds apart. This woman might or might not be our biological mother, but she is caring about us. Isn't this what matters, in the end?] (Doctor Me)

... Maybe...

A small door. We descend a flight of spiral stairs. That's lots of steps. Our destination must be below ground.

There is a narrow dark corridor... Lighted by lamps? Another small door at the end, but this one is shining.

Mother opens it.

*eyes wide* (Me)

Wow.

We are inside a large room. I think the room is circular, lit by lamps all over the circumference. And the walls! They shine too! Are they coated in gold?!?

[I guess churches are rich in any world, are they?] (Explorer Me)

"***** **** *****" (Woman)

"*** ** *****" (Old Woman)

We are not alone. There is another woman waiting for us.

Her voice sounds older. They are talking about something, but I would be damned if I understand a single word!

Do my ears works badly too?

[Our ears work just fine. This is another world. Did you expect them to speak English?] (Doctor Me)

[The sounds of it is familiar. It reminds me of Mandarin...] (Bookworm Me)

Great!

Just great!!!

This keeps getting better and better!

I'm in a new world and now I have to learn a language as hard as Chinese on top of everything else? Thank you !!! I was afraid you made thing too simple for me, you know??? Stupid

[Actually, Mandarin is not that hard to speak. It's the writing and reading that are very complex as there are thousands of symbols.] (Bookworm Me)

Finally! Some good news, at last! Thanks for the assist, Bookworm Me! I'm counting on you!

[Babies takes from two to four years to speak. But with our knowledge and help, we'll manage it much faster. Rest easy.] (Doctor Me)

Thanks, Doc!

Having the others Me around is a helping me a great deal. And not just for their knowledge. Had I been here alone I would have freaked out by now!

sometimes get things right.

*dips Me in water* (Woman)

*cry* (Me)

Cold!

While I was focused on my inner monologue, Mother lowered me in a pond of water! What's the big idea?!? I even started crying.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

[Which is what babies should do. Well done!] (Doctor Me)

I wasn't acting!

Uhm... I'm on a pillar that reaches up to their waist. The older woman is standing in front of me with her hands hovering over me. She is staring at me.

Tell me this is not a ritual sacrifice!

Please?

[Calm down! I'm sure they mean you no harm. This is a ritual of some kind, probably just a baptism. Remember that we are likely in a religious institution.] (Explorer Me)

I believe him. Explorer Me was an archaeologist. He liked to roam the world. Understanding civilizations and uncovering the past. He'll be helpful in understanding this strange new world.

!!!

The older woman is surrounded a faint light! Is this magic?

*cry* (Me)

I feel power entering my body! It's like having water flowing inside of me. It doesn't hurt, but i don't like it one bit! I cry.

"***!" (Woman)

The women seems surprised that I cry. They speak of something, but the older woman doesn't stop. Just stop.

Please?

The scenery is mesmerizing. There are lights and shapes dancing around me. If only I could see better.

"***! ** ****** **" (Old Woman)

"***!!!" (Woman)

I feel the magic trembling inside of me. The older woman shouts something. She seems shocked.

I can only hope that what did to me is not considered a mortal sin in this world.

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About an half hour has passed. There were a few more shouting, but it seems over now.

The lights faded away and the older woman kneels on the ground.

It's not worship. She just seems exhausted. Serves you right! Don't use magic on me if you don't want to exhaust yourself!

I think the women are seriously concerned about something, but it doesn't seems like they mean harm to me. I'm relived.

Mother dries me up with a towel. We leave the large room and the older woman behind.

Mother is carries me back to my room. She smiles while looking at me! Her warmth is truly soothing. And this ritual really tired me out.

I fall asleep in her arms while she walks.

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Ceremony of Gifts

Location: Gloria's Temple / Ritual Chamber

Time: Y1500 / 16th day of the Harvest Moon

The sun had long set over the city of Victoria but within the Temple of Gloria, there was work yet to be done.

A Fair Skin woman, forty years of age with long red hair and a simple white dress was weaving magic in a special chamber in the lower levels of the Temple.

The Ritual Chamber was a large dome shaped room, fifty meters in diameters and ten meters of height. It was built deep underground, ventilated by a vertical shaft in the center of the ceiling. A large crystal, about half a meter in height, was floating just under the ventilation shaft. The walls were covered by plates made of solid gold. Small light crystals dotted the circumference of the chamber, casting just enough light to see.

The floor was a single large sheet of stone, upon which there were concentric circles and elaborate carvings engraved. In the center of the room there was altar made of wood. It was about one meter tall and two meters in diameter. A shallow bowl was carved in it.

The Ritual Chamber was the end result of centuries of experimentation in magic. The perfect place to weave intricate spells. The pride of the Temple of Gloria.

The spell that the High Priestess was weaving tonight was one of the most complex spells known. was a spell that under the guidance of a skilled caster, could map each and every magic channel within the body of a living creature.

It did so by carefully injecting a small amount of magic inside the body, detecting where the magic would flow from there and etching the result on a crystal. This process was repeated over and over until a complete map is produced.

The spell required sharp focus and precision to be sustained for a long time. Hours even. If the caster by mistake inject too much magic, or inject magic in the wrong place, it could permanently damage the channels of the patient, or outright kill them. Sometimes, even the caster could receive a backlash.

was a dangerous spell to weave.

It was used for therapeutic reasons. To reveal the aptitude for magic in an individual, or to discover the function of an enchantment already engraved in an item or a even person.

This time the High Priestess was using the spell on a child only days in age. Something that would usually be not only reckless, but useless as well. The human body starts growing magic channels only after the first few moons of life.

[But Liara is different. I can't wait one year for a proper ceremony to be performed. It has to be today.] (High Priestess Meridia)

As the High Priestess was done checking on the intricate magical circuits she engraved in the floor of the chamber as part of the spell, another woman entered the room. She was a tall beautiful woman. A Fair Skin, twenty years of age with long silver hair and blue eyes. She was carrying the young Liara.

"Blessed One. I brought Liara. As you instructed, I told other Sisters I was helping you perform a cleansing ritual over the chamber. No one saw me carrying Liara here. She has been good, and didn't cry." *smile* (Sister Serina)

Cleansing rituals were meant to remove incomplete magical circuits and enchantment from the Ritual Chamber, a leftovers from continued use. They were performed at night, when magical interferences were minimal.

It was the perfect cover.

The timing of the ritual, just after the Seer's death, was suspicious, but it couldn't be helped. Good thing that the High Priestess had almost absolute authority. As long as her actions are justified, the Council of the Church will not even ask her Meridia for an explanation.

"Well done, Sister Serina. I have completed my preparations. Everything is ready. Put Liara over the altar, and step back." (Meridia)

Serina gently placed Liara in the shallow pond of on top of the wooden altar.

*cry* (Liara)

The two weren't surprised by seeing Liara crying in this situation. The chamber was deep underground and no one would hear her. Serina and the Meridia patiently waited for liara to settle down. It took less than a minute.

"I'll start with the ritual." (Meridia)

Taking her time, Meridia started weaving magic. One after another she activated the magical circuits she had engraved in floor and on the altar.

After five minutes, preparations were complete.

[Beautiful...] (Serina)

Those with aptitude could see patterns in the grounds lighting up in a faint glow of many colors. Symbols were rotating and dancing both on the ground and in the air.

[Isn't Liara looking at the magic? No. Don't be silly. She can't possibly see magic. She is a newborn!] *shake head* (Serina)

Meridia too noticed Liara's gaze, but paid no heed. She weaved the final step of her spell.

(High Priestess)

The large crystal floating near the opening in the ceiling descended, taking its place one meter above the altar as the spell fully activated.

**cry** (Liara)

*shock* "Blessed One!!!" (Serina)

Serina was worried that the magic was harming the child.

"The... The magic is working perfectly. I'm sure she is not being hurt... She must have felt magic entering her body. Somehow." (High Priestess)

"But how?!? A newborn couldn't possibly feel the flow of magic!" (Serina)

High Priestess Meridia agreed with Serina in her heart. But it was either that, or a coincidence.

[Well, there is no point in speculating. I'm close to the answer thanks to my spell.] (Meridia)

was working as intended. Under the careful direction of the Meridia, magic was being injected, its flow traced and a map etched inside the crystal.

A new born child shouldn't have any channel at all. By all means, the map should have been empty. But Liara was obviously special. The High Priestess performed the ceremony precisely because she expected Liara to have some magic channels already.

[Here we go...] (Meridia)

As Meridia expected, her magic power found its way to one of Liara's magic channels. There, the channel branched. Than branched again. And again. And again.

First a few branches appeared on the crystal map.

Than dozens.

Than hundreds!

Then thousands!!!

*shock* "This child!!! I don't know how, but her body has tens of thousands of magical channels already fully formed and stable. No way! Her channel... appear to be able to sustain a strong flow of magic. In raw aptitude for magic, she already surpasses me!!!" (Meridia)

"???" (Serina)

The women were dumbfounded.

To have a few hundreds of channels inside one's body was the mark of an average magic caster. Top tier casters like High Priestess Meridia or the Queen could have about a thousand.

This news was shocking to say the least.

[I can't even see the finer details. A complete map will be impossible.] (High Priestess)

The circuits within Liara's body branched like roots, every branch getting smaller and smaller. While Meridia could see the overall structure and shape of the circuits, it was not possible for her to see the finer details. It was her limit as a mage.

"This is not all. I can see magical circuits engraved within her body. They are complex beyond my understanding. I can't even begin to guess at what their function could be." (Meridia)

The High Priestess had the ability to engrave magical circuits on a living being, like enchantments to increase the arm strength of a soldier or enchantments that allow lesser magi to cast greater spells.

But the enchantments engraved within Liara's body where on another level.

[Nobody in this world could possibly have engraved such circuits. Not even the High Elves of old should have had this kind of power!] (Meridia)

There were legends, High Elves performing incredible feats of magic. Moving mountains and bringing inanimate matter to life. Meridia had seen relics of such enchantments herself, but the complexity of Liara's circuits exceed even that.

[What kind of spell are those circuits meant to cast!?! No. I'll have time to consider this later. For now I must focus on creating the most accurate map possible.] (Meridia)

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Thirty minutes after the start of the ceremony, the work was finally done. The map itself was far from complete, but the High Priestess had run out of space inside the crystal.

[This will have to do. For now.] (Meridia)

One by one, magic threads weaved by Meridia left Liara's tiny body.

Magic circuits the High Priestess engraved on the floor over two days, flickered out of existence.

Finally, the crystal rose up, retaking its place near its original position just under the ventilation shaft.

*fall on knees* *pant* *pant* (Meridia)

Meridia fell on her knees. Her mind and body taxed after weaving such complex spell for so long.

"Blessed One! Are you alright???" (Serina)

*short breath* "... I will be, Sister." (Meridia)

The High Priestess collected herself. She had to give clear orders and look strong. Subordinates must not see her weakness.

"Serina, bring Liara back to your chamber. Then come back here and help me to mine. I will need a few days to recover." *pant* (Meridia)

"As you will, Blessed One! I'll inform the Sisters that the purification was a success and that you'll need rest. What will be done with Liara?" (Serina)

"Nothing. For now, at least. I need time to consider today's events. Time to examine the crystal. Time to decide Liara's fate" (Meridia)

*gulp* "Of course." (Serina)

Serina left the Ritual Chamber with Liara, leaving Meridia alone with her thoughts.

[This ceremony was meant to give us answers... And yet all I'm left with are more questions...] (Meridia)

Meridia stared blankly at the wall in front of her.

[Liara, a red eyed girl with the fairest skin. Born of Dark Skin parents. Her birth was predicted by the Seer. Her body has greater affinity to magic than my own and is enchanted with circuits nobody in this world could possibly have weaved.] (Meridia)

"Liara. Just who in the world are you?" (High Priestess)

There was no one in that chamber that could answer that question.

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