RSTUM 112 (Patreon)

112: Let There Be Light

Things were going nicely, the temple was peaceful and Annabelle had a firm grip on the situation.

The baptism by light was a rather unique concept where magic is involved and it was like some sort of vaccination. During the process, the Ministers and Clerics would channel the Light into the body of the child very gently which fortifies their health and expels any harm they may have had.

It is guaranteed, like some sort of warranty, that children will have healthy lives for the following 5 years and the temple would do all it can during that period if they were to ever get sick or injured.

This is one of the reasons why many people gather around the Light faith since people would do anything for the health of their children.

Another reason is that the Temple would immediately adopt any common-born child with an affinity to the Light element and would also adopt those of the Shadow element to protect them from harm.

Having an affinity to the Light means that a child would be able to join the temple in the future and have a bright future ahead of him while having an aptitude to the Shadow may be a little bit tragic but the child would also need to be monitored by the Temple all their lives. Some would even go as far as offering their shadow-blessed children to the temple to raise them instead.

During the baptism ceremony, the Clerics would peek through the status of the children and copy it on paper before getting it sealed by the Minister's seal. This certificate would either be as disappointing as an E-rank talent or as promising as a B-rank talent for commoners.

As for nobles, having anything less than B talent is almost like a scandal and a sign that the bloodline of the family is falling. Only the ranks A and S would be celebrated greatly and across the last few generations in the Ducal House, most of the children were born with S rank talents.

Leon watched that and thought to himself how unjust this system was. Why would a child be born with a high talent and another with low talent?

It surely depended on the parents but even in the most messed up fantasy settings, each child was born the same. 

It must be depressing to those who had to go through the rest of their lives knowing that they will never be good enough and will keep envying others who are born blessed.

Would they blame their parents? Would they blame the World? It felt senseless to find nobody to blame for their misfortune and they would come later to punish themselves for it.

A really depressing thought.

But just as he was thinking like that, he noticed someone from the Temple intruding quietly behind the altar and talking to the Minister. Minister Clark seemed surprised but still greeted that person whose posture indicated their feminine nature.

Just as that person turned and faced the group, only then did Leon realize who she was and why she was looking at him as if she just found him after a long search.

"Ministress Minerva, I am honored to receive your assistance but…" Minister Clark spoke to her with a smile but wanted to question her further.

The woman, who wore the Stola of a ministress, thanked him and whispered something to him. He nodded and let her stay.

Leon turned immediately to Annabelle and the two started whispering. Annabelle kept her emotions and expressions in check as she started telling Leon what to do.

"Young Lord Leon, it seems that the Regional Temple is interested in your results as well." Minister Clark spoke, "If you please join us on the altar and let my colleague proceed with the ceremony."

Leon stood up after being called and fixed his clothes neatly. He straightened his back to appear as confident as possible and walked to the Altar where Minerva stood on the opposite side.

She is a gorgeous woman but her eyes were sharper than before and she seemed to have come seeking trouble. As she tied her hair into a braid around her head and looked at no one but Leon, the others were already questioning the Ministress and her motives.

She walked around the altar and stood beside Leon, who kept looking at her while maintaining the best poker face he has. She seemed to be measuring him up and down with her eyes while trying to find something about him.

"You seem like a strong man… Lord Leon, was it?" She spoke.

It is already unusual as it is to chat with someone coming to take the ceremony let alone walk and stand beside them.

"I hope I keep up to the standards… sister of light." Leon said.

"Heh!" Minerva let out a short laugh, "I thought your name was Ricardo."

"For you, dear sister, I can be any…"

"Ehem!"

Seeing as Leon was already smiling and about to be comfortable with her, Minister Clark cleared his voice.

"Sister Minerva, I think we should proceed with…" Minister Clark spoke but Minerva raised her hand for him to wait.

It was a disrespectful tone and a couple of Temple Knights seemed to be moving along with her hand gesture taking a couple of steps closer to the altar.

"And how is Master Yafim?" She asked.

"Well, although that is not the name he would go by." Leon replied.

"Yes, I've seen the posters on Fort Marth." She said and walked back behind the Altar.

The altar seemed like a table made of marvels but it was heavily carved with celestial shapes like the sun and stars.

"Place your hands on the Altar, Lord Leon." Minerva spoke.

"Here we go." Leon did as she said and maintained eye contact with her like she kept looking at him.

Yesterday when Lance Dark visited the Regional Temple, he requested an admission for his younger brother Leon Dark to undergo the Baptism Ceremony for the second time claiming that he is a late bloomer.

Now what kind of a late bloomer is 18 years old?

The answer provided by the Darks was vague and the High Minister of the Regional Temple summoned Minerva since she was the one who did an investigation about Leon.

As the Darks were saying that Leon's registered status was faulty and he had awakened late, this meant that he must have awakened at any age between 5 to 8 or 9. This inaccuracy of documentation had to be penalized especially when a Minister was already investigating Leon for practicing the Dark Arts.

Minerva put her hand on the other side of the altar and focused all her senses. It was time to uncover the truth.

Just like that, Leon's status appeared in front of her and she started going through it before pausing and opening her eyes.

She had to check if it was really Leon standing on the other side of the Altar before going through the status again.

It is there… The Shadow Element was listed very plainly on Leon's status just as she guessed but it wasn't the only thing there.

"Sister Minerva, what is this delay for?"

But at that time, Minister Clark approached her and he seemed pissed about her attitude.

"It is… just…" Minerva was at a loss for words and almost about to panic.

She held the paper from the stack above the altar, took out a quill, and wrote down everything as she saw it.

Minister Clark was already huffing and puffing because of Minerva's attitude but just as she saw what she was writing, he kept looking between Leon and the paper a few times.

It was a lengthy one.

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[ Leon Dark ]

Level: 22

Race: Human

STR: 32 (10) [(Athletics) (Blades)]

END: 33 (11) [(Pain Res.) (Poison Res.)]

AGI: 33 (11) [(Riding)]

WIS: 33 (11) [(Archery)]

INT: 38 (16)

Class: Mage [The Mage manipulates magic to achieve control over the elemental powers and the arcane arts. (+10% INT)]

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Talent: S (118%) (Shadow, Light, Fire, Air, Water, Earth)

Magic: (Arcane Arts [F]) (Martial Arts [C]) (Shadow Element [F]) (Light Element [E]) (Fire Element [F]) (Air Element [D]) (Earth Element [C])

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Here's how normal people have it.

The Earth element is a lucky element and its user can become a construction mage which is a very good job for a commoner with lucrative pay. The Air and Water elements are uncommon to appear but their users get to be hired by nobles and live a very good life. The Fire element is luckier than most and unlucky at the same time as the military calls dibs on it. The Light and Shadow elements are some of the rarest elements that may appear and the Holy Light Temple is the one that oversees them both according to an international agreement. As for the Space-Time Element, the Kingdom calls dibs on this rarest breed of mages and gives them endless benefits for them to become court wizards in the future.

Aside from that, the number of elements one is born with varies but the more they are, the scarier that talent is. So far, no one in history was ever born with all the 7 elements and it is an impossible thing to happen according to all magic theories. Being born with 6 elements, however, is the thing that is right beneath the impossible.

But the good things were yet to come. The Magic skills Leon has used were also listed in his status and there it was, the thing Minerva was sure she would find.

"Lord Leon… have you been practicing… the…" Minister Clark said as he looked very carefully at Leon's paper while trying to be very careful about what he was going to say.

"The Shadow Element?" Leon asked, "I suppose this is what it is really about, right? Since Ministress Minerva is here and all."

"Yes." Minister Clark replied, "It is very disturbing news to have anyone, even a person of your status, practice the Magic of Shadows. It is dangerous and irresponsible."

"I hear you. I hear you." Leon nodded, "I haven't been practicing out of my own volition, with all honesty, esteemed Minister."

"It exists, young lord, here in your status." Minerva spoke as if trying to hold Leon accountable for it.

"As I said, the handful of times it was used didn't happen by my own volition." Leon said, "I don't know how to explain it but it comes to me unnaturally."

"That's not how…" Minerva wanted to refute but Minister Clark stopped her from speaking by raising a hand in front of her, the same as she did with him.

"Young Lord. I will hear your case calmly." Minister Clark said while trying to be a bit diplomatic with this sensitive situation.

At this point, the people behind Leon seemed to be on edge and they are some of the strongest people in this part of the world, especially Lance Dark, the heir of the Duchy, who is known to dote over his younger brother. Moreover, the citizens witnessing this situation seemed to be invested in this scene and it started to attract the attention of the people in the other circles.

"It is a situation that is not known yet but I have lost a great deal of my memories after surviving an poisoning attempt in the Royal Academy at Karanberg. The best evidence for this is the Poison Resistance skill you can see in my Status. During that assassination incident, I was attempting to escape from that Academy since I knew there were killers on my tail and just when I was about to get captured, I felt like… this strange feeling that I am suddenly enveloped by something that hides me and I can always move away without being seen."

Leon said these words very carefully and kept track of Minerva's expressions.

"Sounds like a Shadow movement spell to me, don't you agree, Sister Minerva?" Minister Clark turned to Minerva and asked her.

She had her suspicions about his story but so far, it lined up with what she witnessed during their travel together at the caravan.

"It seems to be the case." She said.

"And does it come to you naturally?" Minister Clark asked.

"Only when I want to escape and hide. It does just that but it leaves me with terrible nausea afterwards." Leon replied.

"It is only natural." Minister Clark replied, "While the Light Mana exists in all of the planes of order and is good for health, the Shadow Mana is rather harmful to the body of its user and it comes from the primordial darkness that appears with the night. Blessings of the Holy Mother as she wards us from the evils of night, young brother Leon."

"Amen." Leon replied.

"Your aptitude for the Shadow seems to be strong, young lord, to the point where it comes instinctively. It seems that it has blocked your potential from blooming but we don't really know enough to judge so quickly. As for now, we will leave you with a warning to never get close to shadows ever again and always maintain a positive mentality." Minister Clark said.

"I thank you for your advice, esteemed Minister." Leon nodded.

As it seemed like nothing and the situation wasn't escalating badly, the people around praised the young lord for being truthful about the shadows that touched him.

"This is all fine but the procedures need to be taken."

What she meant by the "procedures" was the fact that Leon needed to be registered as a user of both Light and Shadow elements. This wasn't a unique case or the first of its kind but it is one of the rarest things that may happen. On top of that, Leon's Shadow skill needs to be purged and he will be monitored by the Temple every now and then to check if he were to use the Shadows.

"Would you step into the circle, please?" Minerva said and pointed at a circle carved on the ground outside near the altar. It was the same place those five-year-old children come to be showered by the blessing of light.

Above the circle was a large crystal of quartz hung into the air and it would direct the energy of Light after condensing it from all parts of the temple and turn it into a blessing.

Leon stepped into the circle followed by the careful gazes of his family that were already buzzing to each other with the "Message" spell while trying to keep Lance from lashing out at the two ministers. Once Leon stood still in the light, Minerva came and stood behind him.

"To purge the Shadow, we would need to draw the light with large quantities. It will be painful but it is necessary." Minerva said.

"Don't worry about me, sister of light. I have the Pain Resistance skill." Leon said and then smiled as he turned, "Treat me gently."

Minerva rolled her eyes as it seemed that Leon was trying to tease her since she teased him back that day when he loaded her wagon with grains at the caravan. She looked at his status and despite his high level, his stats were bad and he can't be the one who fought the Medjay that day, that's why she didn't pressure him more than that and after inquiring about his situation from the Temple's information network, she was a little bit in mixed emotions when it came to him.

But at the end of the day, duty is duty.

She put her hands on his shoulder… non-gently… and channeled her Light Mana through him all the way down to the carved circle on the floor. This was enough to activate the circle and call forth the magic wards all around the temple to channel the Light to the quartz crystal above Leon.

In that second, a dense pillar of Light came down on Leon and he almost dropped to his knees from the weight of the intense mana pressure.

It was not painful, it was mind-numbing and extremely painful. It was like that time when he went into a hole in the desert of Egypt and his drill sergeant had to pour hot sand into that hole because he broke the arm of a fellow recruit.

This pain started to make him shiver and sweat but it seemed like Minerva was also in pain as he is.

< Authority Resisted! >

< Authority Resisted! >

< Authority Resisted! >

< Authority Resisted! >

The system started to flash red messages for him but he was already in so much as if he was being burned by fire. At that moment, he had a flash of genius in order to ease the pain.

"Photosynthesis!"

Leon cast the Light magic spell, which he created back at Karanberg. Just as he imagined, rather than being pressured by the Light, he began to react differently to it and it was unbelievable.

He started to siphon this high Mana pressure into his body and it mixed with his essence. Photosynthesis was a spell that Leon named after discovering that he can siphon the light of the sun to rapidly charge his Mana Pool with Light Mana. It was a good spell since he could regain his Mana quicker but the tradeoff is that it would be impossible to use this Mana and it would make other elements difficult to use as well.

But in the situation where he's at right now, this spell may have lifted the burden off him but it caused something he didn't expect, something no one could even expect.

"By the Light!" A person exclaimed.

Something about Leon started to change and it caused even Minerva to step back and look at him with pure shock.

"Holiness!" She exclaimed and looked at Minister Clark who was out of his wits as well.

The pillar of Light should have stopped channeling the Light but its power kept increasing bit by bit. The patterns of light on the temple wall started to flicker as the output of the Mana started to be a burden on the temple itself.

Suddenly, and without any warning, the Temple blacked out.

The entirety of the temple faded away in a second, all the illuminated patterns on the wall turned dim and all the artifacts, altars, and magical items bound to the temple simply ceased working.

The light didn't go away, however, and as the pillar of Light faded as well, the only light in this place came from Leon who stood right there radiating like a human bulb.

"Oh, look at me." Leon looked at his own body and felt like the amount of light coming from within made his skeleton appear under his skin and flesh.

But just one look around him and he knew not only was he the center of attention but he might as well start a cult now.

"Fine, I'll do this just one more time." Leon said and aimed his finger at the crystal above him, "Let there be… Light!"