Chapter 19: Cathedral.
Omni POV
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Over the next three days, Leon experienced far more of the Capital than he initially expected.
Sometimes he explored alongside his father. Other times, Olivia showed him around the city whenever she had free time.
And on one occasion, things became a bit embarrassingly awkward.
While Leon and Balcus were walking through one of the crowded streets of the western district, a familiar voice suddenly called out from behind them.
"Mr. Leon!"
Leon turned slightly. "…Huh?"
Balcus immediately narrowed his eyes at him suspiciously. "…Leon."
"What?"
"What did you do?"
Leon blinked. "…What kind of question is that?"
Balcus casually pointed behind him. "There's a cute young lady running toward you with a smile on her face."
Leon immediately looked back. "…Olivia?"
Sure enough, Olivia hurried toward them before stopping in front of Leon with a bright smile.
"Mr. Leon, how have you been?" she asked happily. "It's been a while, huh?"
Leon stared at her blankly. "…A while?" "We literally visited the park together yesterday." "And didn't I already tell you to stop calling me 'Mr.'?"
Olivia immediately looked embarrassed. "S-Sorry." "I'm still not really used to it yet."
Leon sighed dramatically. "You're apologizing again."
"I'm sor—" But before she could finish, Leon casually patted her on the head."Hahaha, I'm messing with you."
Olivia's cheeks puffed slightly in annoyance. "…You're being mean to me again."
Leon immediately burst out laughing. "Hahahaha!"
"Ahem."
Both children turned toward Balcus, who had been quietly watching the entire exchange with an amused expression.
"…Leon," he said slowly, "are you planning to introduce me to your friend?"
"Oh— right."
Olivia immediately straightened herself before bowing politely. "M-My apologies." "My name is Olivia. I'm Leon's…" she hesitated slightly before glancing toward Leon awkwardly.
Leon casually answered in her place. "She's my friend." and for some reason, Olivia's expression softened slightly after hearing that.
Balcus smiled warmly. "Well then, it's nice to meet you, young lady." "I'm Leon's father."
Olivia bowed once more. "It's nice to meet you too, sir."
Meanwhile, Balcus slowly looked between the two children before quietly grinning to himself.
"…I see."
Leon immediately frowned. "…Please don't start."
"I didn't say anything."
"You were going to."
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A few days after arriving at the Capital.
Outside the Grand Cathedral of the Central Capital.
Omni POV.
Thousands of people filled the enormous courtyard of the Grand Cathedral.
Most were children of noble families accompanied by their parents or retainers, though a handful of wealthy merchant families could also be seen among the crowd.
Elegant carriages lined the streets outside the cathedral grounds while knights and church personnel maintained order throughout the massive gathering.
The atmosphere itself felt heavy with anticipation.
Because today would determine the futures of countless children.
Most would fail to awaken their Graces.
A few would receive weaker abilities and quietly disappear into obscurity.
While only the chosen few would awaken powerful Graces and rise within the kingdom.
For nobles, this ceremony could make or break the future of an entire family.
Leon stood silently among the crowd while slowly looking around at the overwhelming scale of the gathering. "…So this is where the Grace Bestowment Ceremony happens," he muttered quietly.
He couldn't help feeling slightly impressed.
The Grand Cathedral towered above the surrounding city like a monument built to rival the heavens themselves. Massive white pillars stretched toward the sky while enormous stained-glass windows reflected countless colors beneath the morning sunlight.
The church alone looked wealthy enough to fund a small nation. "…What a terrifying amount of money," he whispered unconsciously.
Beside him, Luxion floated invisibly while scanning the surrounding area. "The concentration of magical energy within this structure is considerably higher than throughout the rest of the Capital," Luxion observed calmly.
"That probably has something to do with the ceremony itself." Leon quietly nodded while continuing to observe the crowd.
Then, the massive cathedral doors slowly began to open.
And the ceremony was about to begin.
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Inside the Grand Cathedral of the Central Capital.
Omni POV.
The moment Leon stepped through the cathedral doors, the sheer scale of the interior nearly made him stop walking.
The inside of the Grand Cathedral was even more overwhelming than the outside.
Massive white pillars stretched upward like the trunks of ancient trees, supporting a ceiling so high it almost disappeared into darkness. Golden patterns were engraved across the marble floors while countless crystal chandeliers floated overhead through the use of magic, illuminating the entire hall in soft light.
Colored sunlight poured through enormous stained-glass windows lining the walls, painting the cathedral in shifting shades of light red, blue, yellow among a few.
And at the far end of the cathedral stood seven enormous gates.
Each one towered nearly three stories high and had been crafted from white stone covered in glowing golden symbols resembling ancient Greek lettering.
And each gate possessed a different appearance.
One carried engravings resembling stars.
Another resembled flowing water.
One showed towering mountains.
Others resembled nature, fire, light, and countless abstract patterns.
Before long, church officials began organizing the children into orderly lines. At the front of the cathedral, priests and priestesses dressed in luxurious white ceremonial robes stood beside the seven gates while calling children forward one by one where each child entered a gate alone.
Then several minutes later, they would emerge.
And slowly, a pattern began revealing itself.
Some children exited smiling brightly.
Others walked out looking confused.
Some appeared disappointed.
And a few were outright devastated.
One noble boy emerged with tears streaming down his face to which his father immediately turned away from him in disgust.
Leon frowned slightly at the sight. "…That's rough."
Slowly, hours passed.The lines shortened little by little as child after child entered the gates. And gradually, the atmosphere inside the cathedral began shifting from excitement into suffocating tension.
Because by now, everyone understood the truth.
Most of them simply weren't special.
The majority of children received negative results with one or two getting minor results at best. Only one so far had produced a reaction from the priests, and it was a minor one at that.
And when that happened, whispers immediately spread throughout the cathedral.
"A high-grade Grace…"
"No it's not, from the priest reaction, it might be a C Grade Grace"
"What is the world coming to, the number of high grade Graces is falling while the number of Dark Beasts is soaring".
Leon quietly watched all of it unfold while waiting in line. "…You know," he muttered internally, "this really feels like one of those cultivation world aptitude ceremonies."
"As I possess no information regarding these 'cultivation worlds,' I cannot comment," Luxion replied.
Leon sighed internally. "I seriously need to get that NerveGear project running soon. Your inability to understand my references is starting to get old."
"If you could refrain from continuously adding unnecessary modifications onto an already functional design," Luxion replied immediately, "it would most likely already be operational by now."
Leon frowned. "…I'm not having this argument with you again."
"Because you are aware you would lose."
To that, Leon merely snorted quietly to himself, ending the conversation.
Eventually, only a few children remained.
And before long, a priest finally called out,
"Leon fou Bartfort."
Behind him, within the section reserved for parents, Balcus immediately gave him a thumbs up while trying very hard to appear confident.
Leon instantly noticed the sweat running down his father's face. "…He looks more nervous than me."
"I would assume he fears you may become the only child born from Lady Luce incapable of obtaining a Grace," Luxion observed.
Leon laughed quietly before walking toward the gates. "He has no reason to worry," he said confidently. "After all, I am the main character."
"That sounded significantly less impressive than it did in your head, sir," Luxion replied instantly.
Leon's eyes narrowed slightly. "…Are you adding 'sir' to your sentences just to hide how condescending you're being?"
"I have absolutely no idea what you could possibly mean, sir."
"…You just did it again."
"The priests are waiting for you, sir."
Leon clicked his tongue. "…This isn't over."
Despite the pointless argument, Leon stepped forward calmly, his nerves steady as ice, while one of the priests motioned toward a gate near the far left side of the hall. "This way."
Leon shrugged slightly. Apparently, it truly didn't matter which gate someone entered.
The massive gate slowly opened with a deep rumbling sound. Bright white light spilled outward from the other side.
And without hesitation he stepped through.
The moment he crossed the gate, the noise of the cathedral vanished completely.
"…Huh?"
The world around him had changed entirely.
An endless white space stretched in every direction with no visible walls, ceiling, or floor.
It almost felt like standing within nothingness itself. "…Well that's ominous."
"…." Silence.
Leon looked around slowly before calling out, "Luxion?"
He waited, but no response came.
Luxion was gone, for the first time since their meeting, Leon was on his own.
Then suddenly, a soft feminine voice echoed throughout the white void. "Your friend cannot hear you here."
Leon's eyes widened slightly before he immediately turned around."Who's there?" taking a battle stance.
Behind him stood a radiant woman bathed in golden light, three pairs of angelic wings spread across the endless white void itself. A warm smile rested upon her face
.
And despite her overwhelming presence, there was something strangely gentle about her.
Then the woman finally spoke once more.
"Welcome," she said softly.
"Avatar of Origin."
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I am writing my A Levels this year so I'm already stumped and if you add the time I use writing I think I'm entitled to POWER STONES sooooooo give them to me, I mean by 6 I'm going to school, 1300hrs I'm going to extra lessons and I only get to come back home at 1900hrs, and after that I still need to study on my own, so help me stay motivated.
P.S
Let it be known that the Story is undergoing a Rewrite, hence if you read the unedited chapters its on you, they are no longer part of the story.