The Sanctum

Over the next month and a half, Damon spent each night toughening up William's mana veins. Unfortunately, William's mana stat did not increase, but his mana veins were much more robust than when Damon had started. Two weeks before the end of the month, Damon stopped the treatment, to allow William's mana veins to fully heal in preparation for his awakening. 

Eventually, the day of awakening came. At almost six months old now, Damon was able to crawl around the manor, but this was the first time he would be able to leave.

Lady Ariel carried Damon out of the building. She wore a green dress that was simple in design but still had a regal air. Her jewelry was, as always, minimal. 

Lucy and William were already waiting for them, wearing their official uniforms.

Lucy wore a white shirt, with a grey tie and black skirt. Over her attendant uniform, she wore the standard black petticoat.

William wore a grey shirt, paired with black military style jacket, trousers and boots. His jacket was only adorned with the patch on his chest showing he was a royal bodyguard squire. 

Both stood at the main doors, with the manor grounds behind them. The manor was like a castle in its architecture, but it was smaller in size, closer to a large mansion than a true castle. The grounds were well kept, and a cobblestone path lead from the heavy gate at the front of the compound, cutting through the well-maintained lawn and leading to the main doors.

A carriage was waiting at the top of the path. The carriage was a rich burgundy colour, with black and gold highlights. It bore the crest of the Aristum royal family – A black lion head imposed on a burgundy field and was pulled by two large horses with silky black coats. Being pure bred Aristian horses, they were almost as large as the carriage itself.

The journey from the manor to the Sanctum was quite uneventful. Being in a carriage with a clearly marked royal crest, they were given right of way, so the horses trotted on with an unbroken pace.

Lucy fell asleep in the corner of the carriage. It was likely that she had been up the night before from either excitement or fear. It was hard to tell which.

William, however, spent the whole journey looking out of the window, a nervous expression on his face. 

Both of their moods were to be expected. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that one's awakening was, perhaps, the most important day of their life. And if not their life, most certainly of their youth. One's future career path would be decided based on their awakening class, and their stats post awakening would be clear indicator of their true level of talent. 

For William and Lucy, as future attendants of a Prince, there would be some scrutiny on them and their awakening results. 

Eventually, the carriage pulled up to the Sanctum. The coachman parked and a regiment of guards walked up towards them. 

"Are you ready?" Asked Damon's mother.

Her question was met with silence, but both Lucy and William nodded at her.

She sighed.

"Relax, as far as I am concerned, your attitude towards myself and my son are far more important than the outcome of your awakening. Regardless of what happens, I consider you my people. Your jobs are not at risk, and I won't be disappointed in any outcome, just try to do your best, okay?" Lady Ariel spoke to them a tone more serious than was usual for her.

"Yes Aunty Ariel" Said Lucy, giving a weak smile. 

"I… but," started William.

"It doesn't matter what you heard at your selection dear. As long as I am queen, I have the final say in these things. To your trainers, this awakening is your final test, but to me, the time you have spent with us has been the true test." Lady Ariel interrupted.

"I… thank you my Lady!" said William, with his fists balled up. He tried to bow whilst seated but seemed not have much success.

"Remember, try to absorb as much of the energy of baptism as you can, but do not force yourself to the point of pain. If you damage your mana veins, the outcome of your awakening won't matter much because your progress will be stifled." Damon realised that whilst she was talking to both, her gaze lingered on Lucy, who shrank back slightly.

Did his mother know about the original state of Lucy's veins?

KNOCK KNOCK!

Two sharp raps came at the door to their carriage, and Lady Ariel gave Lucy and William one last reassuring smile.

"Once we are down, you two will follow the attendant to the front of the queue. Damon and I will be waiting for you. Good luck, and remember, no matter the outcome, you have a home with me."

The carriage door opened, and they were greeted by the sight of a group of ten or so guards in pristine silver armor who saluted them. Standing with the guards was a rather rotund woman wearing an official attendant's suit. 

Similar in style to what Lucy wore, her skirt and top were much the same, but her tie was burgundy in color and shade two black lines on it, showing that she was a grade two official. Rather than a petticoat, she wore a black jacket that was like William's. Her jacket bore a badge at the breast pocket that was a long burgundy rectangle with two black lines – again showing her rank.

"Lady Lucy Marlow and William?" She asked.

She seemed unperturbed by the fact that William was a commoner. 

"Yes Ma'am" replied William and Lucy.

"This way please." She said, leading them towards the Sanctum. 

The Sanctum was located on the outskirts of the capital, and it stood tall and grand. It was composed of a massive central dome, surrounded by four sturdy towers. The unidentifiable white stone it had been built with was visibly weathered by the passage of time. Where some buildings would have look worn down, the weathering gave the Sanctum a feeling of permanency. As if it was guaranteed to stand there as it always had, regardless of what happened around it. The white stone was finished off with marble highlights, meticulously carved into intricate patterns, and the dome was covered in a shining layer of beaten gold.

The path leading up to the Sanctum was flooded by a crowd of children. Some were chattering to each other in groups whilst others stood solemnly on their own. A team of official attendants wrangled the crowd of youths, ensuring that there was some semblance of order in the chaos of the horde. The large crowd became more organised as it grew closer to the entrance, eventually becoming a single file line leading to a booth that stood by the great doors at the entrance. 

It would be like this for almost the whole day, as every child in the Royal capital who had turned ten in past six months would make their way here to the Sanctum. For those living outside of the capital, they would go to the central church of their nearest Duchy capital. Unlike other kingdoms, Aristia had a policy of free awakenings. The mana stones needed for the process were subsidized by the state, and the priests in charge of the process were also appointed by the state, as such awakening days were extremely busy as everyone who as of age, be they peasants or princes, would attend the Sanctum.

It was still early in the morning when they arrived, and this was the first wave of children to enter the Sanctum. They were almost all high nobles, the children of Dukes or Marquises, or children hailing from clans with family members in very high government positions.

Even the in-training attendants of those from these families would be in the second or third wave of awakening, so both of Damon's attendants were outliers here. 

As they followed the official attendant to the front of the queue, they drew a lot of attention.

Lucy was not so polarizing, though the Marlow family head was only a Viscount, the second Queen was her family member, her being here was understood. Added to this was that, even in her young age, it was clear that she would become a beauty. Many of the young Lords were nudging and whispering at each other as she passed, with some of the bolder ones trying to attract her attention.

William, however, was a true commoner, and the derision he drew was plain to see. Despite this, he walked with his head held high. To most, he looked unbothered, but Damon could see the fierce glint of determination in William's usually inexpressive eyes.

At the entrance to the Sanctum, a seating area had been cleared just outside, with a few hundred seats placed in semi-circular rows, under a canopy of thick fabric that had a rich, blue hue. The air between the stilts holding the canopy up slightly shimmered, showing that there was probably a defensive spell casted.

Filling this seating area were many of the most powerful and influential people the Kingdom had to offer, here to witness the awakening of their children.

A grade one official, sporting a tie with a single stripe, announced them as they approached. "Welcoming Her Majesty, Lady Ariel Aristum, Queen of Aristia, and his highness Prince Damon Solis Aristum, long may they live."

The presence of Damon and his mother drew whispers from the crowd. Some cast them with a pitying gaze, whilst others wore gloating smirks. The grip that the first Queen had on the nobility was clear.

Damon's mother was escorted to box seats at the front of the canopy that were separated from the rest of the seating, blocked of by guards in full armor. Regardless of her standing, his mother was still a Queen after all. 

When they entered the canopy, Damon realized that a few magic circles were overlapped here, as the temperature was regulated and there was even a slight hint of a flowery smell in the air.

They had just settled down, when, to Damon's surprise, a man that he did not recognize approached. He was tall, slightly taller than even Damon's mother, but had a spindly build. He had the same golden blonde hair and green eyes as his mother, and they two were obviously related. He was handsome, that was very well dressed, though the golden pocket watch and cane, paired with frills at his collar were slightly excessive. Despite this, something about his features gave of a 'smarmy' feel. Somehow the features that were gentle and regal on Damon's mother came off as sly and arrogant on this man. 

The guards at the box moved to block his entrance, but he paid them no mind, fixing Ariel's mother with a wide smile, he called out.

"My dear Sister, what a surprise to see you here!"

Damon heard his mother sigh under breath. "Let him in." She commanded.

At this, the guards stepped aside, and the man sauntered in, a proud look on his face.

Through this interaction, Damon felt his mind racing with confusion. He knew his mother's brother. He knew him quite well. He was a proud but cowardly man who was an opportunist as his best, and a traitorous as his worst. 

More importantly though, the man that Damon remembered had been huge. He was famously fat and employed a pallbearer for mobility. 

Just what in the world had happened for him to change so much in the next few years?

As Damon pondered, the man took a seat next to them.