After a day of hard work patrolling the barrier, Jonathan scored a pretty good harvest of corrupted beasts. Corrupted beasts originated in the years following the reopening of the Origin Sea. Many evil entities and other disasters descended upon this world through the passage. They sought to consume everything like locusts except thousands of times more terrifying.
Under the influence of these evil entities, ordinary animals became corrupted increasing in size and strength sometimes even gaining additional powers. The most basic job a guard has is to kill these beasts on a daily basis otherwise when their numbers go out of control, a beast tide could threaten the stability of the barrier. Without the barrier, the entire city aside from individual holy grounds would be susceptible to corruption.
Picking up the measly bonus for hunting extra beasts outside of his daily quota, Jonathan picked up some fresh vegetables and headed home. His above average combat abilities meant that the Hughes household lived a fairly decent life in the upper middle class.
Once home, a little figure leapt up towards him. Grabbing Adam out of the air and dangling him with one hand, he put the vegetables down and ruffled Adam's little head. With his sparse hair now all messy like a bird's nest, Adam asked about when he was going to school.
Jonathan considered the possibility of applying for an early entry into the city's foundational school throughout the day and inquired some colleagues with some connections. Discussing it with Maria for a few moments, it was decided that it was best to wait until Adam had his enlightenment ceremony after his first birthday.
All children older than one year old can attend the enlightenment ceremony once. Usually, parents would wait until the children become slightly older before letting them attend the ceremony. The average age to attend is around 5 but depending on how fast the child matures, sometimes odd cases of 2 or 3 year olds can be seen attending.
The enlightenment ceremony is a ceremony that communicates with sealed souls of previous powerful humans. These ancestors willingly sacrifice themselves when they reach the end of their lifespan to pass on experience and knowledge. Such a tradition started from the time this city was built and continued to this date.
The benefits the children receive vary but will definitely serve as a powerful boost in their cultivation. The souls of the ancestors must acknowledge the talent of the child in order for the child to receive guidance and how much the child remembers entirely depends on themselves. The older the child is, the more difficult it is for the souls of the ancestors to deliver knowledge and experience into their mind.
For the remainder of the year, Adam stayed at home growing and learning about the basics of this world. On April the fourth, 5 months after his his first birthday, Adam and many other children from the city gathered at the central cathedral. Before them, was a majestic and beautiful structure completely built from white marble. A constant beam of golden light shot from the middle spire up into the golden barrier high above.
A wizened old man exited the main doors followed by a cadre of priests and stood at the top of the stairs. The children down below in the square stared at the men dressed in embroidered golden robes with worshiping eyes.
A few of the older children in the group exclaimed: "Isn't that the Head Priest and all the other High Priests? Why are they out here today?"
A wave of whispering discussions broke out in the group. In past enlightenment ceremonies, only one High Priest would come and do the procedures. Little did the children know, three nights before, the Head Priest received a revelation that said: "The spear of humanity has descended."
That night, the Head Priest stared into the sky with tears. Finally, after many years, a revelation has appeared. With joy also came frustration. He wanted to swear, why the fuck did all revelations have to be so hard to understand?! Did the gods enjoy toying with mortals or did they just want to maintain their mysterious appearance?
Regardless of what the gods had in mind, the Head Priest decided to gather the High Priests from the churches around the city to discuss the meaning of this revelation. Thumping his staff on the ground a formless ripple spread out into the darkness.
In prayer rooms across the city, robed figures praying before murals stood up and disappeared under the dim flickering candlelight reforming in the main cathedral. Under the brightly lit lamps in a side room, the robed figured gathered in a circle.
One started complaining: "I was almost getting ready for bed, what emergency needs all of us to come here?"
"Patience was never your virtue Sephor, the Head Priest hasn't spoken yet." said a young man.
"Always talking back to me aren't you Jonah? Don't forget that I'm your senior." Sephor snapped back.
"I guess one's skin gets thicker the older one is, you..."
"Ahem!" The High Priest interrupted Jonah mid sentence with a displeased frown and continued to speak, "I gathered you all here to discuss very important matters, not for you to bicker. Moments before, I received a revelation from the God of Light. Give me your thoughts after seeing it."
One by one, the priests took turns looking over the revelation that appeared on the mural. Each one then gave their own analysis of the sentence. A long debate ensued over the course of action they should take eventually deciding upon allowing the enlightenment ceremony to extend over a period of 7 days instead of the original 3.
While this does put a greater burden on the souls of the ancestors, this is the only way that the priests could think of in helping the so called spear of humanity. Returning to the scene of the enlightenment ceremony, the Head Priest announced their decision which greatly surprised the crowd in the square followed by loud cheers of overjoyed parents.
This was a once in a lifetime chance and to have 7 days of time instead of 3 can make all the difference in the world. This batch of children and the next few batches will be the most talented people that the city has had in years.
After the announcement, the children followed the priests inside the cathedral.