The Awakening

"First let us offer our thanks to our father or mother, the ones that have created us in their grand image," with those words she lowers her head, and everyone follows suit. I watch as even my parents also bow their heads.

I glance towards my brother, he's done the same, but he's got a slightly pained expression on his features. Following everyone else, I also lower my head. I didn't offer a pray to any God or Goddess, I think even without it. I was doomed to attract the attention of these Gods and Goddess.

At the moment, I wasn't about to pay allegiance to any one of them.

A minute or so passes, before the raspy voice of the woman draws our attention.

"Raise your heads, we shall begin," she says with a soft but firm tone. I catch a glimpse of a tear hanging in her eye. She made no move to wipe it away, it was as if she was proud of it.

"I'd like for all children of the age to step forward onto the stage," she says with a sweeping arch of her hand, and I notice to the side of the stone stage a staircase was carved into it.

"Go on," Salem whispers to me as he releases my hand. I turn to look at my mother and father, but they've got a look on their face that also prompts me to head forward.

Taking a small breath, I stand up and head out of the aisle and move towards the staircase closet to me. I wasn't the first child to reach the staircase, a boy with pointy ears reaches it just before me.

He was a whole head taller than me; his crystal blue eye looks down at me. His features are angular ad delicate, he was an elf. This was the first time that I had seen an elf in the flesh. I'd read about them in books, but I'd never seen them in the flesh.

His white eyes look into mine; he's got a stuck-up look to him, but as we continue to make eye contact a blush breaks out over his cheeks. He ducks his head and his long hair swishes around him as he quickly climbs up the stairs.

What a strange child.

I follow him up the stairs and stand next to him. Quickly following suit a small number of children flock forward, it was a smaller number than I thought it would be. But after looking at the races that had stepped forward it made sense.

None of the other races were like the human race, they didn't bare large swaths of offspring like humans. It was quality over quantity when it came to other races because children of other races were inherently stronger than humans, it was a balance to have less of them.

Looking at all the children, I notice that they are all nervous. The beautiful woman turns to us and looks over each and every one of us. At the same time, two other priests walk onto the stage. One of them waves their hand a stone table appears just in front of us.

The other one places a book onto the table and withdraws a clear glass bottle and places it onto the stone table next to the book. The glass bottle held a clear almost blueish tinted liquid.

I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, what did they have planned for us exactly?

"My lovely children, we shall begin the process of opening your life page," the beautiful woman spoke again. She was obviously the one that was leading this whole show.

"Dear please step forward, we'll start with you," she says beckoning the elf boy forward.

He steps forward towards her, there is a bit of hesitation on his features, but he grits his teeth and steps forward one foot at a time.

I mentally give him a round of applause that took a lot of bravery, there wasn't much written about the ceremony of five, in terms of what one went through.

Arriving in front of the woman and the table, the boy stands with a straight back in front of her. The two other priests uncap the bottle and pour it into a tiny cup before handing it to the lead priestess.

She hands the small cup to the boy and mentions for him to drink it. He looks down at the swirling liquid with a blue tint and raises it to his lips. He quickly finishes the small cup of liquid. Stepping towards the boy, the woman places her hand atop the head of the elf boy.

The eye that was covered by the eyepatch, opened, or it would be correct to say that the eyepatch opened, it turned completely clear. It was a little shocking at what was revealed after it turned transparent.

In place of the eye, a completely black eyeball was in its place, the black flames curled around the whole socket of the eye. A bright white symbol appears in the black flames of her eye, directly onto the completely black eye.

She began to murmur a few more words and as she did a bright black and white glow appears around the right hand of the boy. Soon it transforms into a bright light, almost so bright it was like the birth of a star.

But before the blinding light could grow anymore the light began to curl into itself. Condensing into a small ball of light, which swirls around his palm before, darting upwards and slamming into his forehead a bright light explodes on his head and then it vanishes.

DING!

The loud sound of a bell ringing echo's through the sanctum.

The woman removes her hand and the sound of a bell fades. He glances down at his hand.

"Now sign your name into the book of the God's," she tells him softly. He approaches that table and one of the priests hands him a pen and he quickly signs his name.

Once he's done, he takes a step back and bows to the three of them and then returns to his spot in the line, which is right beside me.

It would appear that it's my turn now, glancing towards the elf boy, I notice he's got a slight flush to his cheeks and a radiant look in his eyes. It looks like he was excited.

Stepping out of line, I make my way towards the woman, her eyes weren't glowing anymore, she'd returned to normal. She already had a small glass of the blueish liquid prepared for me.

She hands it to me and before I drink it, she opens her mouth.

"Young Princess Hollis," she spoke my name, and I feel an electric jolt of surprise run through me.

"It's truly an honor to be the one to do your ceremony of five," she says with a radiant smile on her features.

With that, she doesn't say anything more but waits for me to drink the small glass of liquid. Once I do, she places her hand atop my head much the same way with the elf boy. This time I don't watch her, rather I watch my hand.

The words pour out of her mouth and instead of bright light, deep and overwhelming darkness appears in my hand, from that darkness a mass of flames is birthed. It curls around the palm of my hand and beings to overflow falling down my body and surrounding me.

It was like a thick fog was pouring out of the palm of my hand. However, after a moment the seemingly uncontrollable black flames began to roll backward and fold inwards, much the same as the elf boys light.

It continued until it began to form a black spherical circle, it was like all the light had been sucked out of the space where the black sphere was resting. It lifts off my hand and darts towards my forehead as well.

A spine-tingling feeling rose from my spine and it felt like a wealth of information was being poured into my head. In my mind, I felt like a flower was taking root almost, it was the deepest of blacks, and its inky petals open and blossom in my mind.

It was beautiful.

"Please sign the book," she says softly removing her hand.

I quickly sign my name and give them a bow, before I shuffle back towards the line of children. My mind was still reeling from the information dump that had just transpired. It felt like I had just downloaded something into my brain.

Without wasting a second something appears in front of my eyes; it was a clear screen that displayed all of my information.

This was indeed a lot like a fantasy game that I'd played in my last life.

「Name: Hollis Grey Astley

Race: Pure-Blooded Vampire Level: 5

Title: Reincarnated Person, Trainee War Empress

Blessing: Blessed Child of Death, Kin of the War Goddess

Class: n/a Job: n/a

Strength: 27 Endurance: 22 Agility: 38 Vitality: 45

MP: 780 HP: 450 Passives: n/a

Skill(s):

Unique Skill(s): Appraisal, Devour, High-Stakes Dice, War Might (new)」

Heh!

This wasn't right, was it?!

My eyes zero in on the blessing's 'Kin of the War Goddess' you have to be kidding. The second Goddess that visited me today was the Goddess of the War!

I want to vomit; this was a nightmare.

Why would that Goddess give me a title, blessing, and a unique skill?

Was this some sort of nightmare…I wanted to shed tears at this point.

The other three skills that I'd gotten must have been the gifts from the God of Life. I wanted to look more in-depth at them, but the sound of clapping drew my attention.