Echoes of cries and laughter rung across the halls of the old temple, bouncing on the gray stone walls and pillars, as dozens of children barged in, barely letting enough time for the aging and stout priest who opened the huge wooden doors, to stand out of their way.
A few mothers, all dressed up in fancy white dresses and shiny accessories, soon followed, desperately trying to get their sons and daughters to behave on such an important day. Despite their hurry and worry, all of them respectfully and apologetically saluted the church representative, who was now huffing and puffing, and comically mumbling about how children had no respect for their elders, as he stomped towards what seemed to be a small office.
A few instants after the initial chaos of the crowd's entrance, a lean and elegant woman stepped into the temple, kindly encouraging the hesitant boy holding her hand to move along with the rest of the group.
The delicate fabric of her pale, white gown wavered, as a gust of wind rushed into the temple. She respectfully removed the ample and flower-covered straw hat that was protecting her pale figure from the crushing sun outside, letting her silky white hair loose for a moment before neatly tucking it behind her ears.
Her child, on the other hand, was half hidden by his mother's slouchy robe, but in a manner that hinted he was cautiously trying not to be noticed. His fine clothing and pale skin could have helped blend in the dress, if it wasn't for the bright red lace ornamenting his white shirt, and his black shorts and shoes.
The puzzled expression of the kid, as well as the fact his fingers were fidgeting and twirling the single red strand of his normally bright white locks, showed the clear discomfort and anxiety he was experiencing.
The mother slowly crouched down to her child's eye level, to pat his head and wait for him to explain what was wrong. Soon enough, his heterochromatic eyes peeked at his mother, as he hesitantly spoke up.
- Mommy… what if I don't receive a calling like everyone else, and I stay Powerless?
A sad smile lit up her face as she lovingly hugged the boy.
- Listen up, Shouto. No matter what happens during the Calling, even if you are Powerless, Mommy will always love you, okay?
Despite the reassurance, the kid's head only dropped further, as he clarified the source of his concern.
- What about Father?
The mention of the man almost made her flinch, but she managed to prevent the sudden movement, to not alarm the child. Still, she was at a loss for words, as she knew well enough the unease of the white-haired boy was most certainly justified.
However, almost to her relief, a kind but strong voice echoed inside the building, marking the beginning of the so-called Calling ceremony, and hailing the participants to gather around further in the temple.
It took but a few seconds for the mother and child to move past a few wooden benches and find a place to sit near the center of the room, as it was quite small. By the time the two of them were comfortably seated, the last excited children settled and quieted down, and everyone was waiting in a comfortable silence for the man they knew as the Pope of the Holy City of Rheylu to speak up.
The Pope, despite clearly being an elderly man, exuded an otherworldly strength that struck Shouto enough to leave a strong impression on the timid boy. The holy figure was standing right below a massive hole created in the ceiling after probably a few centuries ago. Since the powerful sun rays that entered the room were the only light source, the scene had an eerie feeling to it, impressive to leave every child in awe. Sometimes, the sunlight would strike the golden crown sitting on his head, blinding the spectators for a few instants, but no one would look away, afraid to miss whatever would happen.
Almost theatrically, the holy elder in his white and red robe cleared his throat and started to chant his story of the world.
"A long time ago, the Void was filled with drifting beings, unable to think or feel, the Souls. They were just… here, endlessly wandering around the infinite space. That is, until one of them evolved by itself, and gained consciousness. The first instinct that guided this newly born being was to search for something akin to them. 'If I exist, so others must as well', the being thought. And thankfully, they found two more sentient Souls."
As the Pope marked a pause in his narration, a boy sitting right behind Shouto softly but eagerly whispered to his mother:
- He's talking about the Holy Goddesses, right?
Shouto couldn't hear the mother's response, or perhaps she simply nodded, but regardless, he knew the answer. The story of the Three Goddesses breaking through the void and creating life on Earth was his favorite, so he already knew everything about it.
"Despite not being like the Souls they used to be, three of them felt deeply connected to their fellow Souls and wished to help them grow.", continued the Pope. "Therefore, they together created our world, the Earth: a round-shaped aggregate of matter, at first devoid of life. They brought Souls from the outer space and gave each of them a place to live. Then, as they were almost extinguished from exhaustion, the three beings each added a final stone to the edifice."
"These three beings we refer to as the Three Holy Goddesses, as their contribution to the world made them worth following and worshiping."
He waved at the massive gap above him, or rather the massive painting all around it, depicting beautifully the story of these three sisters creating the world.
"The one now known as Orfrea, and the most loving one, created life, and allowed the Souls to take a body thanks to which they could grow and evolve as well. Then, she built herself a little piece of heaven, and disappeared from the World.
The one now known as Runya, and also the wisest one, knew there was not enough place for the infinite number of Souls to live and happily grow in their World. Therefore, she created the life and death cycle, giving each the ability to create life then die and return to the Void after a fulfilling time of existence. After her job was done, she went back to the Void, where she rested among her dearly loved fellow Souls.
Finally, the last one and also the first one to awaken, Nid, also known as the most righteous and fiercest of the goddesses, stayed behind to see how their World evolves. Soon, the creatures of the Holy Goddess Orfrea evolved into hundreds of thousands of different species, just like she wanted to. The ability to give birth that the Holy Goddess Runya granted them certainly accelerated the process."
"Most became the floral life of the planet, living as trees and plants. Some gained enough consciousness and grew into beings of flesh, also known as animals. And finally, a fraction of them became able to think, and communicate just like the goddesses used to. Overtaken by emotion and happiness, the Holy Goddess Nid saw a new light of hope for the future of their world. She gave these sentient creatures the name of 'Humans' and appeared in front of them."
Another painting, a bit further, showed the extraordinary being hovering in front of a group of people, some praying, others bearing baskets of gifts and offerings.
"The humans were afraid of her, but soon grew fond of her presence. She managed to regroup a few hundred of them, thus creating civilization and the first city: the Holy City of Rheylu. For more than fifty years, the Holy Goddess taught them how to create tools, how to use the elements, and how to work with the other life forms to become stronger."
Shouto, completely engrossed in the story, forgot all about his worries, and was now nodding along with the narration. Around him, the children were starting to understand the tale of the Holy Pope was not a simple legend.
Of course, they all knew about Rheylu, since it was the name of the city they all lived in.
"Finally, as the Holy Mother was running out of strength, she gave the humans the mission to rule the world and protect its balance at all cost. In order to help them, before returning to the heavens, she decided that every child after reaching their seventh birthday will be given a virtue to uphold during their life, as well as a special power called a Blessing.", concluded the crowned man with a smile. "Therefore, the time as come for you all to step forward to the altar, and pay your respects to the Holy Mother."
A tall woman, dressed in the same fashion as the Pope and as … ancient-looking as his Holiness, suddenly appeared at the right of the former, and politely handed him a paper roll.
Her severe figure, as well as her black hair neatly organized in a tight bun, went with a very prim expression that commanded respect to the easily impressed children. Darting her dark green eyes on the crowd, she spoke up with a firm and stern voice:
"For this year's Calling Ceremony, the thirty-one children who became seven of age will be given their single chance to be granted one of the seven heavenly virtues as well as a blessing. Receiving a virtue will open up a new path for the chosen children and allow you to join one of the Seven Heavenly Schools. As you may already know, the seven schools are as followed: the School of Chastity for those lucky enough to join the church, the School of Humility for the future rulers and bureaucrats of our nation, the School of Diligence for the soldiers trained to protect, the School of Charity for the merchants, and the School of Temperance for the farmers, workers and craftsman that all ensure the people miss of nothing, in their own ways. The School of Patience where the scholars work to improve our lives, as well as the School of Kindness with their healers and doctors, complete the pantheon of the Seven Heavenly Schools."
She paused, for an instant, as if hesitating on which words to use next.
"But remember children, whether you are destined to become a holy knight, one of our farmers, or even if you fail to receive a calling today, everyone here in the Holy City has been chosen by the Holy Goddess to become a worthy member of our society, and must do his earnest to live a life devoid of sin."
Shouto shivered, remembering what was at stake for him. Not wasting a second, he prayed to the Three Goddesses not to end up powerless, and be given a calling able to appease his hard-to-please father.
Blind to the distress of the young boy, the priestess continued to explain the Ceremony to the children.
"His Holiness will call each of you to come forward and start praying at the altar. If the prayer is answered positively, one of the items on the altar will light up, and you will be given both a Calling and a Blessing."
As to illustrate her explanations, she pointed towards the altar, behind which both her and the Holy Pope were standing. The stone monument was small enough to be looked at by small children. Despite being a holy monument, it was actually quite simply dressed. A pain red silk-woven piece of cloth was covering the stone edifice, and, as the priestess said, a half-dozen of trinkets of various forms and size were laying on it.
Shouto recognized a sword as well as a scale, but couldn't figure out exactly what the others were from where he was sitting.
"Let's get started, shall we?" smiled the Pope.
As explained, the children were called one by one to stand by the altar and start praying. For some, it took but a few seconds to light up one of the trinkets of the shrine. For others, a few minutes were needed before the Goddess answered their call and granted them her light. Alas, to Shouto's dismay, some of the children had to wait what seemed to be an eternity, only to be stopped by the two elders. Every time, the conclusion was met with a razor sharp silence: the child didn't receive any calling nor blessing and ended up Powerless.
- Shouto, son of Enji and Rei.
Shouto was stopped in his thoughts when he heard his name being called by the Holy Pope. His mother gave him a last encouraging hug and softly pushed him towards the aisle. The kid felt like his legs were going to give up on him, but he showed nothing of it, bravely heading towards the altar, perhaps in a more precipitated manner than the previous children.
Then, he started praying.