When Raia woke up the day after, someone was gently shaking her up, "Raia are you awake?" asked her mother, "No another five minutes" Raia said still a bit sleepy, "If you don't wake up now we are going to be late to church for your 5th birthday," when that was said Raia bolted up and frantically searched for her chair so that she could dress and head to church.
"Raia calm down, it's ok you don't have to be that quick to not be late ok?" said Siena a little scared that she was going to hurt herself trying to be quick, "OK Mom," replied Raia, now slowing down a bit, still going faster than normal but it was ok, she was excited and that was sure, "Oh, we made you a little surprise but that will have to wait a bit" now Raia was even more excited, but at the same time she couldn't think of anything that they could do to surprise her but still, a surprise is a surprise and she was all for it.
When she finally got out of bed she dressed up and headed for the carriage which was waiting on the rear side of the castle.
When she arrived, as everyone started to enter and Raia said, "Wait a minute there is one more person here," "See I told you that even if we all walked at the same time she would notice me anyway," "Capitan Olaf? Shouldn't you be at work" said Raia really surprised, "Well aren't you glad I'm here Raia," said captain Olaf, "Yes I am," said Raia, nearly starting to cry but managing to somehow stay calm, she was really happy that he managed to be there but still she didn't know how he did it and when she asked just that captain Olaf responded, "You enter now and I will explain it to you during the ride".
When they were all inside he started his explanation.
"So, yesterday after dinner your mother talked with the queen and the king about what you told her had happened at our encounter at the gate, and by leveraging on security reasons she managed to convince them to take me with them," now she really started crying and thankfully she wasn't wearing any makeup, everyone started calming her down while all she was doing was thanking her mother her aunt and her uncle for making this possible, she was really sad that who she considered to be the person that the most had taken a fatherly role in her life would not be present on her most special day, and this made her sadder than what she would have liked to admit, and now that he was there and that her mother fought for her to have someone she cared about was something that made her go over the edge and cry.
Finally, she calmed down and composed herself, "Thanks really to all of you and more so to you Mom for fighting to make my whim come true I love you I really really love you," said Raia trying to convey all the emotions that she was feeling right now, "I love you to my dear," said her mom while hugging her.
The ride continued in silence apart from the occasional bump, when they finally arrived at the church the coachman announced, "We have arrived ma'am," referring to the queen, "Thanks," she responded making everyone exit and head inside the church which was already packed with peoples as the noise suggested, by the time they arrived at their bench and seated in it was nearly the time to start the ceremony.
When the tim
e came to start the ceremony all of the people quieted down and began to be silent, so much so that the Priest footsteps entering from the back of the church were audible, then they suddenly stopped and so he began the ceremony.
"Good morning everyone, today, we are here for the annual Magic Conferment Ceremony today in the day of the spirits number 20 of Penkta,
(which is the 5h month the other months are: Erst, Dyti, Tridi, Daks, Penkta, Seu, Bakwai, Asie, Khre and last Sampu),
a day to give our sons and our daughters a way to defend themselves from the dangers of our everyday life monsters, and sadly even other humans, I hope that they will use it to do what is good to defend our city and country if needed, while I hope this never happen, monster are unpredictable and we never know when they will be able attack in a tide like has already happened in the past. It's true that intelligent monsters are rare, but rare is not impossible, it has happened and it will happen, again it's just a matter of when it will, I just hope that when it happens we will be ready.
What has happened in the past never has to happen again."
In the meantime Raia asked whispering to her mother, "Mom what is he talking about?" also whispering her mother responded, "It's not time for you to know, they will teach it to you at school, you are still to young to know," she responded, and Raia, as she believed in her mother, didn't pry further.
"And so, to make humanity free from fear, we empower the younger generation and we teach them in a way that they will become stronger than we are right now, to continue our legacy and one day be able to attain peace, and that is all for my preparatory speech, and I know the kids are probably asking what am I talking about but remember, there is a time and a place for everything and this is, not the time nor the place, let the school do what they are supposed to.now I will start calling every kid born from the twenty first of Penkta 924 till twentieth of Penkta 925 first Erica Grey born the twenty third of Penkta 924."
She stepped up, walked to the altar and kneeled, "Show me your hand," the priest asked, and when she did he read her blessing "God of Earth, 5000 magic points," the Priest said, and she responded with, "I'm grateful for the opportunity given to me."
She standed up and returned to her bench, after her a lot of people went and returned, no one that had the power to really change anything, they weren't bad but they weren't who people hoped arrived, then within five people, three had really good blessings, the first was "Theo Evergreen born second of Dyti 925," he did like everyone else, stepped up to the altar, kneeled and the priest became the medium for a deity to bless a kid, (the ceremony work this way a kid is judged by the numerous deities during their first five years of life and during this year's one deity decide to bless them if multiple do then they have to vote because only one can confer a blessing and even though they confer it even the god who bless you doesn't know exactly what you are gonna receive they only know that you are highly compatible for them. Also blessings are divided in 2 major categories damage blessings and support blessings damage blessings are those that either give you a very powerful spell outright, give you a boost to various types of damage or make damaging spells cost less mana; support blessings are extremely various because depending on the deity itself the blessings can differentiate.)
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
"Goddess of Healing, 7000 magic points," the highest till now, and Theo said what every other person receiving the blessing said, "I'm grateful for the opportunity given to me."
After only one other person, "Elio Garcia born twenty fifth of Dyti 925," when he arrived at the altar the Priest read, "God of Wind, 7000 magic points," "I'm grateful for the opportunity given to me."
Rigth after him the Priest called, "Seria Shane thirtieth of Dyti 925" she stepped up, repeated the same process and the Priest said "God of Fire, 10000 magic points" she said the same phrase that everyone said, and returned to her seat now everyone was shocked two new records in four people it was unheard of, but the surprises weren't finished "Kirya Blake first of Tridi 925" she arrived at the altar and the Priest said after she kneeled, "God of Wind, 6000 magic points.”
Now there were 5 people with 5000 or more magic points, there were few others years like this recorded in history and the generation that grew up from there always had good results, from then on the excitement died down, yes there were some 4000 here and there but nothing really special, till it was the last person turn.
"Raia Akira Twentieth of Penkta 925," now it was her time, she got up and started walking counting her steps so that she would not make a fool of herself, but it was difficult to concentrate when there was such a humongous amount of whisperings, nearly deafening in her ears, but she persevered, she managed to maintain her concentration and arrived safely in front of the altar, she kneeled and she began to pray, pray that what she knew her mother and everyone else that knew her wanted didn't happen, she didn't want to be weak, so that the fact that she is blind wouldn't matter much, even if it was selfish of her to think like this, cause she knew that if someone else inherited her father powers the world would be safer than with her, but deep down she also knew that she had a chance she didn't know how or why she felt like this but she just knew it, and her wishes didn't go unanswered, she was relieved, contrary to anyone else that knew her condition and heard what the Priest said.
“Goddess of Magic, 24000 magic points," this was an all time new record, and everyone that knew she was blind, apart from her family, that was just worried about what her life would be like with a power like this and her condition, was thinking the same thing, a waste, she stripped the world of the magician with the highest amount of magic power ever recorded in the history of humans, but what shocked everyone more than that is what she said when she was finally allowed to speak, "I'm grateful for the opportunity given to me. And for everyone that thinks what I am saying holds no value cause I am blind, then wait another five years, and you will see, I will learn magic and make full use of my powers."
Everyone now started to laugh out loud, but Raia didn't care she said what she wanted and she was fine with them laughing, because she knew that she would be the one that would laugh at the end, so she returned to her bench and seated, she couldn't see it but everyone was so proud of her for standing up for herself, now at the same time they were worried about what she said but with her determination they were sure that she would able to pull off something, and they were right, she was already plotting something in her mind.
"From the time I return home apart from sleeping and eating, no only eating, I will stay full time in the library with my blessing I should be able to see in the future how much in the future only depends on me, maybe I should ask auntie Laura to lend me a maid so that she can help me and the custodian can stay at his desk doing his work, well I will probably need a maid anyway for school so this solution shouldn't be a problem right? Well I'll ask Auntie Laura on the way home."
While Raia was thinking all of this the Priest gave his closing speech, "Well this day has been one of the best Blessing Conferment Ceremony that we have ever had, and I hope that everyone can maintain their promises and grow stronger, with this the ceremony has ended go home rest and start training tomorrow," those were his last world before he returned to the back of the church and everyone started to head home, this obviously included Raia and her family but she was lost in her thoughts and didn't notice so Siena lightly tapped her shoulder returning her to the real world.
"Dear the ceremony has ended we have to go home," she said to Raia, "Yes mom, sorry I was lost in my thoughts and didn't notice that everyone was heading out," Raia replied in a little bit embarrassed, "Don't worry now, let's go home ok," her mother said, "Yes mom let's go home," finished Raia, so now they were heading out, when they exited the carriage was there but the coachman wasn't where he was supposed to bem he was on the ground beaten half to death,thankfully they were at a church so they took the coachman and headed inside.
"What is happening mom?" asked Raia, "Someone beat the coachman so they are taking him inside the church to get him patched up," Siena said, "Is it my fault?" Raia asked, "I will be blunt because I don't want to hide anything from you, anything ok?" "Yes Mom," "Yes, it is most likely your fault if this happened. What you said angered a lot of people, and some of them did this, but this should only make you strive for success more," said her mother, hoping to lift her morale and not let her fall into deep sadness caused by the fact that her words made someone get injured.
"Don't worry mom I will make them regret looking down on me," Raia said, angered then she asked, "Aunt Laura could you please come in the carriage for a second I need to talk to you alone please?" "Right away my dear niece," the queen responded, when they were inside the carriage and the door was shut Raia started.
"Aunt I need your help, but you can't tell mom," she was a little concerned but she asked her niece to continue so that she could understand better and evaluate if she should stay silent or not, "I would like to start researching how to bypass my problems right away but you know I can't do it alone, and the custodian of the library can't always help me so being that I am still a noble technically, and I will need a maid at the academy could you please lend me one now so that while she help me I can get to know her before the academy. Please if you tell mom she will want to be my maid herself and I refuse to accept it," Raia explained, making the worries the queen had disappear, Raia was only extremely determined, and thinking about already solving future problems while also gaining something from solving them early, so the queen responded, "Ok, I'll help you but you have to promise me one thing, you will still eat with your mother at lunch and with us at dinner most of the times so that she doesn't get suspicious about you being busy all of a sudden ok?"
"Yes Aunt Laura," Raia replied, knowing how much her aunt loved being called that "When we return I'll pick someone I think will work perfectly with you, I have someone in mind already but I have to be sure so give me a couple of hours, in the meantime try to ask the custodian for help."
After queen Laura said this they opened the carriage door and made everyone enter, the coachman was already healed so they returned to the palace.
