14 Ch 14 Of Dreams and of Changes

Esika, stood in a stupor for what felt like an hour. 'I Passed?'. He questioned. His very being would not allow him to believe so. He was but a slave. One, who slept on woven grass, Worked till sun rise to sunset, and ate the most decrepit food just to stay alive.

The heaven's had given him such a life. His, ancestors down his bloodline now to him lived such a life. What hope, What dreams. A slave should feel content just to eat the fallen scraps from a noble's plate. So Why?... Why was he still awake?. Why did the Saintess, a being who was not even in the same world as him.. Why did she look at him with that smile?

"Hey you" A gruff sounding voice resounded from his side. Esika, was jolted from his daze. He looked towards the voice and saw a frightening looking man who stood two meters tall Looking at him. The tall man was decked out in full armor, with the helmet of a usual palace guard on. He donned the Saintesses crest on his armor, a Milkweed flower with five petals.

His heavy armor Shimmied and clanged as he hurried towards Esika.

"Get with the other's" The guard pointed at a group of kids that were standing nearest to where the Noble's usually sat during ceremonies.

"Hah" Like an idiot, Esika could only point at himself with in agape mouth, he'd forgotten how to talk for second. At, the same time he looked around trying to see if the Guard might've been instructing somebody else.

" Child.. Stop your buffooneries and quickly walk your way to that group of awakeners.. Lest you waste the time of the Saintess"

Hearing this, Esika could no longer stand still. He awkwardly maneuvered around the tall guard, heading towards the area the guard had pointed at.

'Is this real? Am I dreaming'. He kept questioning as he got closer. His body, no longer felt like his own. The world felt surreal as he walked towards the group with a stiff pace, as if he was made of metal.

Soon he stood side by side by the other kids who had managed to stay awake during the test. In the presence of those he knew was of much higher status then him his eye's did not dare leave the ground. He felt out of place, as if he had entered a forbidden ground where he was not allowed to be in. These kids, whose bodies smelled of soap and with demeanors that foretold of class and wealth, were blatantly dissimilar from Esika.

With the coarse and unpleasant smelling rags that he had on, it didn't take Esika long to be noticed by some in the group.

He knew they were judging him. He could sense the change in the atmosphere of the group as soon as he arrived. Deciding to look up for a glance, he could see some kids staring at him with open contempt and curiosity. Some whispered in each others ears as they pointed and looked him.

One such kid, was looking at him with a wide opened gape. "You.. You.. Slave". Esika, who heard the voice flinched. He knew who the owner of it was, Lesym T Wasp.

It seemed like the boy had forgotten where he was. He looked at Esika with a stern but surprised stare. The other Noble kids had dared talk, but only silently. While, he basically yelled out.

He caught the attention of everyone in the group. Esika, having noticed the increased eye's looking at him once again lowered his vision. Louder murmurs eventually reached his ears.

"You.. how dare you.. Infiltra..." The boy still harped on arrogantly. His Noble title as well as his spoiled upbringing had made the boy very comfortable in expressing his feelings wherever he went. In his anger he had reverted back to his usual loud mouth self, forgetting that he was in the presence of the number one figure in the kingdom, the Saintess.

"Silence!!!" Came the dreadful, booming voice of another man who donned the Saintesses insignia. Unlike the previous man this man was not nearly as tall. His height was moderate and his face was handsome. He also wore a more elegant attire then the other guards that didn't hide his face. Esika, didn't know the identity of the man, but he could tell just from looking at him that he had a high status.

Even though the height of the man was regular, his presences was noticeably more daunting then that of the other gaurds. It felt as if his very Being demanded attention. Esika, was forced to look at him, drawn in by his unescapable aura. He noticed, with a second glance that the man didn't only have the Saintesses Insignia on his right chest, but another on his left too. It's design was of a bergamot flower.

'The Beesiline family" Esika thought. As a slave he hadn't much opportunity to learn much about the world outside of his slave village's ghetto. The only reason why he knew the Beesiline insignia was because the manor to which he was enslaved to were vehement enemies with this family.

Lesym, hurriedly shut his mouth. he had finally come to. He shot Esika, a final severe glance and walked away, stopping and standing with another group of Nobles.

As Lesym left, Esika felt a weight off his chest. He noticed that the previous gazes of the Nobles where no longer on him, but towards a woman who was now standing on the podium.

The women didn't look nearly as beautiful as the Saintess, but nevertheless she could be considered a very beautiful women. After all, the Saintess was blessed by the tree goddess, her out of the world beauty was given to her as an added benefit of that blessing.

"Before I begin I would like to introduce myself to all of the newly awakened... My title as most of you know is, Headmaster Bailey Icrus Quito" She started of strongly, She looked around surveying the crowd that was listening and with a confident air she then continued.

"I would first like to congratulate you on your awakening.... Congratulations" She smiled a smile that was not really a smile.

"In time you shall know that what you have done today deserves no praise...You will come to realize how inconsequential your existence is to this vast dangerous world without unity.... you will also come to understand your role and responsibilities to our Atman kingdom." The woman was very good at making people depressed with a few words. She, spoke no sentimentalities and stood with no ceremonies. Her figure looked relaxed, as she stood on the podium.

"With all of that being said... our first point of discussion for today is perhaps the most important one for the entirety of our Atman kingdom's existence. The claiming of the "The god's blood"

.....

Adam, nodded along as he heard the head masters explanation to the several thousand newly awakened. He could tell by how vehemently she spoke that she was displeased with the Nobles. She had caught his attention for a while. Adam, could tell ever since the ceremony had begun that she was disgusted by the lack of tact the Nobles had. They had dared voice their displeasures, in the most sacred of places, while the goddess herself was listening.

Though she was ticked off, she had still managed to succinctly explain to the newly awaked what she had to. She thoroughly divulged her knowledge about the 'Item' located in the Spine mountains. The god's blood.

Within five years an expedition would be taking place. This journey will only be allowed to this generation of newly awakened. Not only are the other generation barred from participating, they are also not allowed to help anyone of this generation in getting the item.

Whosoever Within this year Awakeners dreams of it, will be allowed to venture off into the badlands. If they manage this quest, they shall be awarded with incredible power and kingship of the Atman kingdom.

This quest was set in place by Adam, because he longed to rile things up for the Kingdom of Atman.

He had given protection and fertile lands, but this in turn created a civilization where the power imbalance was too great.

He had hoped that, when he introduced the awakening ceremony a thousand some odd years ago that his creations would bind together, learn from each other and create a great civilization, but he was wrong. For thousands of years even with these peaceful lands they had made no breakthroughs in technology nor martial arts. They had no ambition to venture out and claim their own lands.

They all lived just comfortably enough not to endanger themselves. Even the slaves hadn't the courage to venture out of the kingdom in search of a better life. If, he left them to their devices, he could see potential disaster. When, eventual overpopulation comes to effect, will the bugs band together and face the dangerous world? or will they create civil war and destroy themselves?

Adam had at one point, wished to allow the Bugmen to artificially grow in prosperity with his help, but he came to realize that this thinking was wrong. If, a population didn't trek out their own path in a world, then no real culture could be had. Everything would be hollow and fake.

This point had set Adams, next plan in stone. His, fantasy world was not even nearly completed. He still had so much animals and monsters to introduce. He still had the sea's and the skies to fill. He had given his favorite creation's enough time to develop. Now it was time for progression.

He stared, out towards his world and saw the tree that his creations called a goddess. She was still sleeping, while greedily eating the nutrients around her.

"Wake up Ari'" He spoke softly to the tree, whose aura outlined the shape of a little girl. She had been alive for a few thousand years, yet she still hadn't passed the age of adolescence.

Her brows winced in slight unwillingness. Adams sighed.

"Ari, Wake up" He said with a slightly raised tone. With that, the girls eye's slightly fluttered open with a few bats, to look at Adam.

"Daddy... what's going on" She lisped with a tired voice. If any of the Bugmen saw her now, they wouldn't believe it. The wise and beautiful mature face, they had pictured for their goddess was but a fanciful image they had all invented in their minds. The real, Aranyani, had the mentality of a lazy little girl who only wished to sleep and eat.

Adam, couldn't help but to hug the little one. While cradling her in his arms he finally said what he wanted to say.

"I want you to do something"....

...

Hours in the future....

Within the highest peak of the Atman kingdom, where the palace was located. A beautiful women was seen kneeling on the ground while facing a statue. Her brows were crunched up in a deep frown, and her face was sweating.

Ever since a few years ago when she was appointed Saintess by the previous Saintess, she could feel something bad was going to happen during her rule. With the Advent of the mysterious item, that was supposedly in the mountains and the goddess strange rules barring others but the newly awakened from participating, she felt even stronger like a change was coming.

It wasn't until she had gotten back from the palace after the ceremony that she had found out, by the goddess, that a change was indeed over the horizon and that the change was more horrifying then she could've ever imagined.

As the voice transmissions ended, her body collapsed . Seeing this the surrounding palace maods flocked to her side, the concerned church maids asked for her condition.

She couldn't respond to the many worried voices around her as she thought about what the Goddess had said.

'Within two years.. the force that surrounds the Atman kingdom... that keeps the world's terrible monsters out.. will be undone.'