In the bishop's mind, there was no way the young lord in front of him would pass. He simply smiled and held out the large tan book in his hand.
On it was symbols embedded onto the cover.
Unless one was taught how to decipher the symbols they would never comprehend what the symbols meant. 'Rebirth through fire', that was the name of the book. It was only volume one, but to the bishop, it changed his perspective of the world.
"Place your right hand on the words written by Mother Nessa herself. If your soul is true, you shall be baptized in the light and be born anew."
The way his green eyes glared at Jacob made him feel that this old man in front of him was a lot more dangerous than he realized. There was something off about the old man, but Jacob could not figure out what.
He was a bishop, so he was not dangerous in the sense that he would harm Jacob. Instead, it was like the bishop was going to take his soul and crush it in the palms of his hands.
An overwhelming pressure was placed on Jacob.
But, there was only one path ahead of him.
"Sir! This is a noble, he cannot go through the trial! It is against the rules!"
Once more the veiled woman spoke, this time her voice louder than before.
All that she was taught, all that she held sacred was being tarnished by the bishop.
The two people in front of her stood tall, way above her own status. One was a noble of the Valorian Empire, the other a bishop - someone who served in the name of Mother Nessa.
To voice her opinion against either of them would cost her dearly, but she could not stand by and watch this play out.
The trial the bishop was using was dangerous.
If your soul was pure, you would be baptized in flames only to be given the wisdom of Mother Nessa. However, if your soul was tainted your mind would be crushed and you would forget everything.
It was the ultimate cleansing to cause those who have sinned to repent. Forced to live a life as a puppet.
To use such a means against a noble was against the law, especially if it was not agreed upon by the upper echelon.
Yet, the bishop skipped the process of asking for permission.
Slowly, he turned his head to her and the way his facial expression was told her all that needed to be said. His eyes were dark, but she knew if she continued to speak out any more her days in the temple would be limited.
So, she took a vow of silence. She could only pray that things would turn out ok.
Even if she were to tell the archbishop about his behavior, she doubted he would believe her. After all, she was just a small priest that has been here for three years. The bishop has been here for more than twenty, his status and power were much greater than her own.
Jacob was not scared.
"In our darkest days can we find our true selves. Verse six, paragraph four."
Grinning as he spoke, Jacob placed his right hand on the book.
His words clearly stunned the bishop as he noticed the old man's eyes open wider.
"A mask is just a reflection of yourself, speak true and none shall doubt you. Verse, ten, paragraph eleven. Now, do you give your soul to Mother Nessa?"
"I do."
With those two words, the large tan book started to shine. The light was not blinding, but it was difficult for one to see what was happening.
In his mind, Jacob only saw a glimpse of a pair of lips. They were curled upward in a smile. It only lasted for a moment, but that was when he began to question some things.
Mostly things about this world.
He had no faith in Mother Nessa as she was a character they created who was essentially a god. However, those lips that appeared in his mind. Whose were they?
The concept of gods was always a mystery to Jacob, even in his past life. But now it felt as if he got a closer look at one.
As for the bishop, once the light dimmed down he could only blink his eyes mindlessly.
This was the first time he saw something like this happen.
His green eyes stared at the young lord in front of him, hoping to find an answer. However, nothing came to mind.
There was nothing out of the ordinary about him, in fact, he seemed to be the average citizen. So how was it his soul was pure, but filled with darkness at the same time?
Could this be considered him passing?
Let him choose, he would say no. If it was not due to that whisper he would have taken everything the Lezhalt family had to offer.
"Mother Nessa has blessed you, child. Be sure to thank her as not everyone is blessed. When you are ready, you can receive her teachings."
Jacob nodded.
"I am ready now."
"Leah, bring the young lord the scriptures."
The bishop told the veiled woman who was standing next to him.
She hesitated for a moment but soon walked off.
"I cannot let you take the scriptures from here, but you can study them as you like. What you are capable of learning is dependent on your faith in the lord above. Believe in her, just as she believes in you."
With that, the bishop walked out of the room leaving only Jack and Jacob.
Throughout the whole ordeal, Jack was silent. He had his own thoughts, but in the short time he has shared with Jacob he has learned a few things. Jacob had wisdom beyond his years, and Jack assumed he would not do anything without certainty.
He was not too sure what the light was, or any of the words the bishop and Jacob were talking about. Jack just knew who Mother Nessa was, and prayed to her. He never learned her teachings, nor was he set on learning about them.
"A noble huh?"
Jacob was the first one to speak as he grinned towards Jack.
Jack himself let out a small laugh.
"It was the only thing I could think of at the time. Praise Mother Nessa that it worked and we both lived to see tomorrow."
"Yeah… were there any other survivors?"
There was still a glimmer of hope left in his heart, but he was prepared for the answer. He already knew that none of the others survived, but as long as he clung on to the feeling in his heart he had to ask.
Jack shook his head.
"No. You were the only one I found, and the only one I could carry. I barely managed to do that, to be honest."
Sighing, Jacob still could not get over the guilt he felt.
He blamed himself a little bit, but he knew that it truly was not all his fault. His words may have changed some things, but at the end of the day, Lezhalt may have still killed them all.
"Well, it is not that bad. I have access to more information now, and a bit of sway here. What are your plans now that everyone is gone?"
Jack shrugged his shoulders.
He was still alive, and he was still young. Once he recovered, he may go find another lord to serve or travel to another city altogether.
"No idea yet. I go through the motions one step at a time."
"How about becoming a knight?"
Jacob suggested.
"This again? I already told you that it is expensive, I cannot afford it."
"You do not have to. Remember, I am a lord now."
Jack looked at Jacob in silence.
That was true, but could he accept the offer?
"Do not worry about anything, it is a small gift to repay you for saving my life. Just prepare yourself in the coming days."