"Hey bro, is there really a need for me to go with you?" I asked Aiden feeling a little bored. My elder brother, Aiden, looked at me with a frown, "Don't argue William and come with me silently. I told you I don't feel that today's a safe day."
"Why?" I asked adamantly, a little puzzled too but Aiden was adamant.
"The circumstances leading to this day has been weird and everything has been regarding to this day. Something might happen today and I don't trust the City Watch with our protection. Our best bet would be with the other people and the priests of the Church of Craven." he said, even withholding his usual contempt of the church.
I giggled a little at his overreaction but to tell you the truth, I had no qualms with following him. Now, I might seem like a blind lover of my brother, which I already am, but truthfully, my brother is one hell of a genius. I know he didn't quite show his genius side of his character in the past few chapters but believe me, he is a born genius. An evil genius, in many areas but a genius nonetheless.
My proofing statements in his favor is his biggest achievements, he has never lost a match of cards, poker or roulette ever. Not between us or other players outside. In fact, he is more of a gambler than father is and this might lead you to believe that he has inherited a few genes from my father but don't ever think that. At least don't ever tell him that. He might chop you into pieces.
Our father is indeed a gambler but since he losses all his money to his opponents, he can't be called a good gambler. Whereas my brother is calculative and precise and always follows the Principle of Calculated Risk. I don't know what it is but in simpler terms, he says, that the gain would be more than the loss. I've been witness of some awesome moves of my brother where he singlehandedly defeated more than five veteran gamblers to their tears. His trick, read their faces to the most minute details, even poker faces.
Another one of his ingenious policy is to never receive money. Confused? Its simple, my brother gambles real Copper and Silver coins but after winning, instead of taking the money, he trades his money for IOU letters. Silly, you might think but my brother made good use of those IOU papers to make connections all around the town, especially in the commercial district. Due to this, we often get discounts far greater than the other populace. And we even planned to open a store in the commercial district if Aiden ever hit it lucky in the Adventure Guild.
He never told anyone that except me so that was our little secret. We planned everything, for starters we wanted to start a leather tanning or a shoe business. Mother was quite good at handicraft so it wouldn't have been a problem, I would've learnt a craft too and with Jovian and Aiden providing all the leather, we could've hit a jackpot to stable living.
But it seems like our biggest hurdle to this problem wouldn't be age or experience, no the problem would be father himself. He is a bloody living vampire (vampires are supposed to be undead by the way) and is sucking our lifeblood continuously. And to make matters worse, it seems like father is Aiden's bane.
No, I'm not exaggerating. Its true, whenever father is around Aiden, Aiden always loses his cool and acts rebellious and rambunctious, causing all sorts of childish troubles (AN: over here, 5years and plus is considered a man because after getting the Baptism done in 5 years of age, one can get access to several skill trees of the System making them half-adults. To us poor, there is no difference between half-adults and full). Yester night's small 'kicking' incident is one such examples.
It seems like the only way to release Aiden and our family from this living vampire's grasp, is to take this bloody bastard down. Hmph! I feel that if I could get my fingers across that cow-piss's slimy neck I would crush it in no time, relieving everyone from this weightless burden.
But who am I kidding, its not like a three-year old child could kill a full-grown adult without the assistance of the System while the opposer has a System custom build to be like a damn-fucking cockroach. Anyway, look at that! I couldn't even finish praising my brother before the wretched Church of Craven appeared infront of us.
The church was just like any other old catholic church with its rectangular body and conical towers with lookouts. The ramparts and the towers were being guarded by armed militia men which was quite odd for such an occasion.
"Look! There are soldiers here for our security! The church thinks so much for the poor!!" cried an old man piously, accompanied by his granddaughter or someone like that. Aiden looked weirdly at the man's sentence but didn't say anything. It was useless to argue with the fanatics.
"Come William, we will look at the procession from the aisle." Said Caitlyn sweetly as she took my hand and went towards a different line. I looked at Aiden but only saw him indicating me with his eyes to go with her silently. I gave a slight nod and followed her obediently. Whereas on the other side, father took Aiden's hand and went to the main line where other people, mostly men went with their children.
Other than that, I thought that I would see the disgusted expression of brother but for some reason, he was emotionless. Only a slight frown remained on his face but before I could deduce more from his expression, I was pulled away by Caitlyn.
…
Aiden's POV
"Please come this way." Said a pious-looking priest as he led us into the church. The inside of the church was crowded with people, mostly fathers who have come with their children for the 'free' baptism. On the way, I saw William and Caitlyn sitting relaxed in their seats in the aisle section of the church. William waved at me when he spotted me and I replied with a small wave. Can't be jumping up and down in the middle of a pious crowd now can I.
Biting my lips, I turn to the nearest priest and asked in a childish impatient tone, "When will our chance come, sir?"
The priest looked at me smiling and replied, "Oh! Not long little friend, you're special." He said in a teasing tone but the moment I heard it; my heart started beating faster than usual. I stood jittery in my place for a whole hour before my name was called.
"Aiden Archard!" the High Priest of the church called my name with zeal. The same priest who said that my name was near, looked at me with a smiling face, a smile which was too wide and said, "Go on, child. Don't make the High Priest and all your brothers and sisters wait."
"Go." My father too chimed in and thus, I walked towards the altar where the High Priest was. Everyone made way for me and looked at me with their zealous gaze, making me more and more embarrassed. In addition I became extra embarrassed when I thought what I was to do when coming at the altar.
Coming near the altar, I saw the Head Priest, a fat middle-aged man with saggy skin and whitish-grey eyes.
"Aiden Archard, I presume." He asked me with an interested gaze. I was a little taken aback at this conversation because in the previous baptisms, the children headed straight for the bath and the Head Priest hardly ever noticed them.
I nodded my head meekly as I headed towards the bath but I was stopped once again.
"Wait!" he said and I froze on my spot. Turning my head, I saw him smiling evilly at me. "Clothes," he said with an evil grin on his face.
I nodded my head and immediately started to undress myself. Now this isn't some kind of child harassment, it is indeed a rule. The children must take bath without a piece of dress on them. Just like how babies get their first baptism.
But the fact stands that I'm five now and undressing infront of nearly one or two hundred people is a little daunting. Even though a few dozen or so children already had their baptism naked, I couldn't help but feel a sudden rush of blood to my face. I bet I looked redder than a red-faced monkey taking a steam bath. And thus, my embarrassment turned into adrenaline and I stepped into the white baptism bath, making a small splashing sound.
Plop!
Sszziii…
"Ouch!" I cried inadvertently the moment I stepped into the pool. A warm feeling coursed through my feet, a large contrast to the freezing temperature outside, for the first few seconds but before I knew it, this warm feeling turned into hot, sizzling feeling.
'Ouch' I gritted my teeth, trying to preserve through this feeling but the moment I looked at down at my feet, I felt my heart jump into my mouth. My feet seemed like they would bleed any moment and blisters started appearing but I felt nothing more than the pricking sensation of stepping into hot water. This isn't normal.
"Y-Your e-exc—"
Fwoossh!!
I tried to call the High Priest but an invisible gale blew past me giving me the cold goosebumps. My hairs stood on its end and my words were stuck in my throat. I clutched myself and shivered madly, the redness started to rise up from my feet along with a rising steam. Within moments, I found myself in a strange predicament with a shivering cold covering my upper part and a blistering hot spreading from my feet.
The Head Priest also saw the condition in which I was, quite thankfully, but instead of stopping the procedure, he only smiled at me and explained in a patient tone. "Everyone's path with the Heavens is different. Some can get onto the Path quite easily while others have to face difficulties, like you. But not to worry for the Lord would show you the Path and you Shall walk on it."
He emphasized a little on the 'shall' word but I had no leisure to think about it. I felt like my skin was burning from within as if a magician has tricked my mind to think that where I am is not Holy Water but Holy Fire burning me entirely.
In the last moments, my eyes darted towards the place where William was sitting. I caught a glimpse of my father looking at me but I didn't have time to look at his expression. I only saw William looked aghast and worried but before I could scream or shout, my legs became soft all of a sudden.
Plop!
I fell onto the knee-high Holy Water Bath, half of my body submerging into the water and in an instant the searing hot feeling eradicated the coldness and spread through my upper body like a fire nation's conquering army. By this moment, my head was spinning like a whirlpool, unaware of what was going to happen.
"Face the Fountain of Holy Water." Came a rumbling voice in my ears and like I puppet I turned towards the fountain mouth which I had previously noticed. Right that moment, a burning sensation erupted a little under my right breast. A pure-burning sensation as if someone was branding me with a hot-iron throng but before I could scream, a gust of Holy Water escaped from the mouth of the fountain.
FWOOOSSHHH!!!
The moment the gust of Holy Water touched my head, it turned into a silvery white flame and came cascading down on me like lava. The fire touched the surface of the bath and instantly even that erupted into a majestic silvery white flame. A bath of flames replaced the initial bath of Holy Water.
"AAHHHHH!!!" a desperate scream rang from my throat but before I could feel anything else, a death-like darkness covered me.
…
3rd POV
"Caitlyn! Caitlyn! What the fuck just happened?!!" cried William as he tried to push his way into the front but it was futile in the sea of men and women that had formed following the strange incident of Aiden. He tried to jump up but behind the towering adults, he had more chances of wiggling through their legs.
"William! William!!" cried Caitlyn in a stern tone as she pulled him into her bosom. "Don't you dare run away! What will I say to your father if you get lost in this sea of heads?!!"
"I don't care about that bloody bastard!!" he screamed as he tried to fight but then a sudden shake rocked their ground.
Ggrrruuummm….
"Ahh!" cried Caitlyn as she fell on her hips with William in her hand from the sudden shaking of the ground and so did hundreds of other people unlucky enough to stand.
"Earthquake! Runn!!!!" someone cried and no sooner did he or she said it, men, women and elderlies of all age started to spring up from their seat and head towards the nearest exit.
Almost immediately Caitlyn's face turned white and she clutched William tightly in her arms and uttered a small spell, "
…