Chapter 9 - A Magic Tablet and the Ceremony

As Charlie finishes a roar of noise erupts around the room.
"A war?!"
"Doesn't that mean we're almost guaranteed to die?"
"No way I'm fighting someone else's fight!"
Charlie looks panicked, unsure of where to go from here. In the middle of the chaos a hand is raised.
"Excuse me, EXCUSE ME! I would like to speak!"
Amazingly his voice carried over the crowd and brought a brief silence which he used to continue.
"You guys wouldn't be sending us into battle ill prepared. That wouldn't logically make sense. It sounds like we will be trained, however this awakening sounds like an important part."
A look of relief washes over Charlie's face. With a new confidence, he goes into a long winded explanation.
"Exactly, we would give you the ability to grow your strength beyond that of any normal human. After the awakening ceremony, you will be able to see 'stats', the number value for your physical attributes. The ceremony is done to gain a god's blessing so you can grow your stats. It's a lot easier to just see it and experience it, but people with a Status, as we call it, are sought out in tons of fields. After the war, if you give up on being an adventure, it would give you a head start in many industries. Questions?"
After no one raised their hand, he sighs in reliefs and moves on.
"Now, we're going to talk about classes and Clans. A class is basically the area of combat you specialize in, while the Clan is the organization that teaches that class. There are melee and magic classes, and sometimes they mix, but you will be introduced to those later."
He pauses for a breath and drink of water.
"Just know that there are several different classes within the general categories. The heads and representatives of the Clans will be choosing you based off of your stats and magic. Which brings us to the next step. If anyone wishes to leave now they may, otherwise we will begin the sign up process."
In the silence that follows, no one stands to go. With a happy nod, Charlie starts handing out a few boards and pencils.
"Write down your name and age. After you're done, pass it on. When everyone has finished, you will each be called up. Come grab your sheet then go to an open room behind me. There your magic affinity will be tested. Then you will move on to the awakening chamber.
"You will get your stats and magic back a little after that along with the bill for your ceremony. You will also your three class choices. These are the the representatives that won the bids to put their clan on your sheet. Whatever money they bid will be put toward the cost of your ceremony, so you will see what you're worth after you pick. This will also be the future of your adventuring career, so choose carefully."
Finally finished with his explanation, Charlie hands the three nearest people to him the boards, which happens to be me, Natalia, and Matt.
My name is easy enough, but I still can't remember my age. However, when I go to write it down I automatically put 18.
Surprised, I pass it to the next person.
It only takes a short amount of time for the boards to be passed around.
When Charlie gets them back, he puts the three sheets into a metallic cube with two slots, one on the top and a larger one near the bottom.
After a second, the cube spits out a stack of papers from the bottom slot.
Taking the top three sheets, he starts rattling names off. The people called stand up, grab their sheet, and each walk into one of the three doors behind Charlie.
After a few minutes, he calls for another three people and the process is repeated. He calls one more group, then I'm next.
"Alcone, Kairo, and Elizabeth!"
I snap my head up to look at Charlie.
I stand and make my way over. Matt and Natalia whisper me good luck as I shuffle past them.
Glancing over to my left, I see the hyper aggressive man also stand. Slicking back his hair as he saunters up to the front, he grabs his sheet excitedly and enters one of the rooms.
'I guess his name is Alcone. What an unusual name. Unless he was cursed with the name Elizabeth!'
I crack a smile and chuckle a bit. Confidently, I grab my sheet and turn to the doors.
Taking a deep breath, I find an empty one and step through to the room beyond.
The first thing that I notice is how dim it is.
There are no candles or lamps in the room. In fact, the only reason I can see is because of the soft glow coming from a clear tablet lying on a table.
Standing transfixed by the tablet, I jump a bit as a figure steps out of the shadows.
"Hello, I'll be the one assisting you today. Give me your sheet and place your hand on the crystal."
I do as she says and lay my hand on the tablet.
It's smooth to the touch. I can feel the cool surface pressing against my palm as red and yellow lights start floating around the clear tablet.
Small, green sparkles are mixed in. However, none of them are as large as the white light in the middle.
It doesn't move from the center, just pulses as the other lights seem to orbit around it.
The womans brow scrunches a bit, then she quickly scrawls something down on a clipboard and looks up at me.
"Peculiar. You can move to the next area for the ceremony."
She muttered the first part under her breath before handing me back my sheet.
Looking at the woman inquisitively, I don't have time to ask anything as I'm guided to a door on the opposite side of the room.
I walk through and into a long hallway. A man standing in white robes is facing the door.
It only takes a few steps for me to be standing in front of him.
Long sleeves hide his arms and hands, which are held in front of him.
"It's time for your awakening. Are you ready?"
His voice is strangely monotone, sending a chill up my spine.
I nod, even though I'm starting to have some doubts.
Without a word, he leads me down the hallway.
I try to strike a conversation as we walk, but he responds with short, one word answers.
Picking up the hint, I switch to walking quietly.
The hallway is incredibly long, but after a few minutes we finally enter a room that looks a lot like a temple.
Stark white marble columns stand on either side of a walkway that leads to a giant magic circle etched into the floor.
A circle of priests surround the circle, each of them holding a bowl full of a golden liquid. One is facing me holding a smaller bowl.
I'm instructed to remove my shirt. As I lift it over my head the cool air of the temple causes goose bumps to rise on my skin.
The priest in the front takes a brush and paints some pattern onto my skin.
The blue fluid almost feels like paint, albeit a bit thinner.
After they finish, I'm instructed to stand in the circle.
Doing as they say, I step into the center while the priests on the side pour the contents of their bowls into the circle.
It flows and evenly distributes fairly quickly.
Soon after, they start chanting in a language I've never heard before.
"Baeageas ghug na hilb em gha hethas raturb, na wuca u ravas ip jio. Trum ghes wirgul jior fingar umb seth. Dremt hew klisar gi tiblemass."
They repeat this a total of five times.
On the fifth one, the ring starts glowing, a golden ring on the outside and a scarlet red on the inside ring.
The paint on my body starts glowing as well.
I stare in wonder as it shifts to the shape of a cross until a sharp pain shoots through my body.
It happens again, but a lot worse than a prick this time.
I can't help but crumple to the ground as it hits me all at once.
My muscles are snapping and reattaching at the same time. The space behind my eyeballs burns like someone's pressing a hot iron into my eye sockets. It feels like my brain is going to burst apart my skull.
'IT'S UNBEARABLE!'
And it's gone, just like that.
I slowly peel myself from the ground, shuddering breaths wracking my body. A sheen of cold sweat covers me head to toe.
'What the hell was that?'
I look around and realize something strange. Everything is sharper, like putting on glasses that you never knew you needed.
My muscles feel stretched out and rubbery.
When I look down at my hand, I can see a glowing yellow light on my wrist, where I would normally feel for my pulse.
Right as I'm about to press my fingers into my wrist, the priest that lead me here steps into my vision.
"Congratulations on your awakening."
As he bows a bit, I scratch the back of my head and bow in return.
"Uh, thanks. I appreciate you guys performing it for me."
"It was no issue, now follow me back to the waiting room."
I step out of the circle and pick up my shirt. The paint on my skin melted away, so I don't hesitate to put my shirt on.
As we exit, the priests start excitedly whispering to each other.