Ernestine Empire had three major events— The Anniversaries of the Royal Families, The Annual Crownshein Tournament and The Annual Reawakening Ceremony.
The Anniversaries of the Royal Families which included three major events: Birthday, Marriage Anniversary and Death Anniversary— were deemed as national holidays.
As for the Annual Crownshein Tournament, it was celebrated in the memorial of the First Emperor of Ernestine, Emperor Alfred Ernestine's birthday.
And finally the Annual Reawakening Ceremony, the event where every twenty-one year old gathered with the hope of obtaining a life changing ability.
And that was the reason Harry stood amongst the crowd with nothing but a little bit of hope in his heart.
'Just a tad useful skill, that's all I need.'
Most people were often given skills that were not useful to them in the least and even if someone had received a good ability, it went against their job which made it difficult for them to implement the skill in their lives.
And Harry wanted to avoid all that trouble. He wished for a skill that could help him maintain a peaceful life while also making it a little easier.
And maybe add a little bit of entertainment.
"Jonathan!" The Priest called out. "Please take a stand at the podium."
A young blonde man nodded before making his way towards the priest.
"You nervous?" Timothy whispered to his friend that stood two inches taller than him.
"Kinda."
In truth, he was hopeful. His job was predestined and he knew that he couldn't do much about it.
And the job was problematic as it was only popular in his youth, and once he grew older very few people would want his services.
However, money was also not an issue for him. Being the top gigolo in the kingdom, he made enough money to last him a lifetime.
"We can only hope that you receive a good skill." Timothy smiled. "But compared to me, you have better luck. So, everything should be just fine."
"I wish." Harry rolled his eyes.
The blonde man walked up to the podium and nervously stood atop it.
The podium was considered sacred and was surrounded by the statues of the first three Kings.
King Alfred, adorned by jewels and a golden sword standing at the top.
King Edward with a battle axe and a boar armour to the left.
And finally the third ruler, King Stephan with a robe and an empty extended arm standing to the right.
"King Stephan's statue had a massive book in his hand but it was stolen two centuries ago." Timothy reminded Harry.
"And they still couldn't find the book?" Harry asked and all he received for an answer was an unsure shrug.
"No one knows. And even if someone found it, they probably kept it for themselves."
Harry sighed at the loss of a beautiful historical artefact. 'It might have some important carvings on it other than the obvious jewells.'
"Well, it's starting." Timothy pointed at the man walking up to the podium.
The priest stood below King Alfred's statue with a staff in his hand.
"They call it the Staff of Guidance." The Brown haired boy said. "They say that it guides you to your future. Look closely."
The priest closed his eyes and raised the staff in the air. For ten or so seconds, nothing happened. But as the man atop the podium grew nervous, three rays of light emerged from the statues and fell on the staff.
The wooden staff covered by silver shone golden.
"By the blessing of the three holy Emperors and the Mother Goddess, I, Saint Anthony Paul, guide you towards your path." The saint slowly placed the staff over the man's head. "I beg thee Holy Mother to show this innocent soul light."
With the request, the golden light engulfed the blonde man. "On this occasion of twenty one successful years of belief, honesty and truthfulness, Holy Mother shall bless you with a reward."
Slowly the golden aura that had engulfed the man turned purple and a ray of white light fell from the sky over his head.
His pupils vanished which scared the people around him.
"Fear not!" The saint assured. "His soul is being tested by the Mother Goddess to see if he is worthy for the skill he is supposed to receive."
Harry frowned looking at the man who seemed more dead than alive.
"Is he really alright?" He softly whispered to Timothy.
"Yes, don't worry. I went through the same thing." Timothy assured.
Harry stared at the man skeptically who seemed like his soul had left his body.
After a complete five minutes, the man's pupils returned to normal and he looked around himself in confusion.
"What did you receive, child?" The saint asked.
'So, the saint doesn't know about the skill unless the person tells him… interesting.' Harry stared intently at the man.
The man after finally coming back to his senses nodded at the priest. "I received… <
The priest smiled kindly.
"He has been blessed!" He announced. "The Holy Mother has blessed him with the skill <
*Clap* *Clap* *Clap*
The place was filled with claps and cheerings. Everyone was ecstatic and happy for the man's newfound ability.
Even Timothy seemed pleased with the man's ability, however— Harry wasn't. He had a very different opinion.
He had seen the blonde man before and he knew what job the man had.
'A [Bard] with a mining skill.' He sighed internally. 'Not sure how useful that can be.'
Harry knew that the <
The man, happy with his newfound ability, went back to stand with the crowd— watching the others.
"Emilia!" The priest announced. "Come to the podium."
This time it was a brunette that walked towards the podium.
And following the same pattern, she was made to receive the blessing after the chant.
"Guess the skill she is going to receive." Timothy said, turning the ordeal into a game.
Harry's name was going to be called way later so he figured that playing a little wouldn't hurt.
"Hmm… She is a [florist]. But the skills are random and don't bother with the job. So… I say <
"That's quite a rare skill. But I say, <
The two stood in anticipation as the woman glowed white.
Like Jonathan, she opened her eyes and looked around her.
"Name the blessing, child." The priest asked kindly with a clam tone.
"<
Smiling, the priest announced. "This child has been blessed with <
*Whistle*
Timothy whistled. "That's a damn good skill."
"It is." Harry said in shock. 'That's one of the top skills possessed by a singer. It can even heal fatigue, cure depression and ignite lost romance.'
Harry took deep breaths imagining the future she could write for herself with that skill.
'A [Florist] with <
Next was a [Mason] who received a butcher's skill followed by an [Archer] who received <
"And just like that, none of our guesses were correct." Harry said.
"Bummer." Timothy exhaled before smirking. "However… You are next and I am more interested in that compared to the rest."
Harry raised an eyebrow. "I don't have any control over the skill I receive. So, we can only hope for the best."
As a redhead left the podium with a gleeful expression on her face, the priest looked at the list of names one more time.
"Harry." He read the gigolo's name. "Come to the podium."
"Good Luck." Timothy gave Harry a shove on the back. "You will need it."
Nodding at his friend, Harry walked towards the podium.
His expression was calm but his heart was racing. He hadn't expected to get cold feet when the time for him to receive the blessing would come. But there he was walking towards the podium with a heart that he felt beating at an unimaginable rate.
The statues seemed way bigger and domineering up close. And Harry wasn't sure if he liked the look they had on their face.
'The sculptor did know how to make a statue appear terrifying, that's for sure.'
As he walked up to the podium, the priest looked at him.
"Do not worry." He assured. "Mother Goddess is just."
Harry nodded while snickering at the thought of equality in his mind. Equality was a foreign term… a lie that he had been hearing since his childhood. But a concept that had never been true.
"Close your eyes and let the light within your soul guide you."
Following the priest's instructions, Harry closed his eyes. He calmed his heart as he thought it might affect the skill he was supposed to receive.
"By the will of the Holy Mother, may thy soul be guided towards light!"
The rays of golden light descended on him, making him feel a warm aura around him.
'It's… relaxing.'
Then came the white light from the sky which made him jolt forward. But with that, he felt his consciousness fade away.
The world turned pitch black. He lost all senses. He panicked and tried to scream but his voice didn't come out of his mouth, he tried to slap himself but he felt no pain.
He grew anxious.
'Calm yourself.'
He heard a whisper, a soft soothing whisper.
'Follow your heart.'
He was confused.
"What do you mean?" He asked, looking around. "And where are you?"
'Follow your heart and you will understand.'
He was confused as the voice echoed directly inside his ears.
"Follow my heart…" He repeated. "What do you mean?"
'Follow your heart.'
The voice repeated, confusiny Harry even more.
"Who are you?" He asked, calming his mind. 'And how does your heart even give you directions?'
Unable to come up with a deduction, he randomly walked straight for a few seconds then took a left turn and then a right. He walked for what seemed like a solid minute to him before stopping and sighed.
"Will this do?" He asked.
However he didn't receive an answer instantly, instead he was made to wait.
"Hello?"
'Extend your dominant hand and clench your fist.'
He nodded and did as told.
'May your choice be without regrets.' The feminine voice echoed. But before Harry could question what she meant, he felt a biting cold around his arm.
"Arrgh"
He furrowed his brow as the chill grew stronger.
"What was that…"
He mumbled and the cold that appeared around his arm, now traversed through his entire body.
His breathing hitched and body shivered.
'You have been blessed.' The voice said. 'By a skill that had been previously lost in time.'
Harry was battling the cold as she announced. But despite the cold, he was getting excited— excited by the probable life changing skill he was going to receive.
After a few seconds, the cold subsided and his body heat returned. He huffed as his body tried to recover from the sudden change in temperature.
"W-What *huff* Skill *huff* Did I receive?"
'Live your new life with honesty, child.' The voice said as Harry's mind got hazy. 'For you have been blessed with the skill <
With that the voice vanished and the darkness around him faded— leaving a confused Harry on his own.
<
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[A/N: Unedited]