"Oh. My. Gods. You really are something else Tyde. What was that? Were you going to tell us that you were this awesome fierce warrior guy?" Faye careens over my face in excitement.
I'm currently laying on Vatu's couch, eating Vatu's chips, and watching Vatu's holoscreen that is currently projecting my match.
We're watching it on playback from an illegal streaming service. I shudder at the sight of me standing over the mutilated corpse of the poor ghoul.
Faye, Vatu, and Vixus are now sober, using some magic pill to bring them back from their half dead state, and they are now marveling at the sight of what I did in the Hellhounds.
"Ya'know, I had a feeling about you when we first met." Vatu says, "I always knew you had that dawg in you." He reaches his hand out for a dap.
I ignore it and continue watching but Dior doesn't leave him hanging. I'm not sure if she did it to not make him feel left out or if she is just addicted to the dap up thing.
"Wow Tyde, you've really made a spectacle of yourself. Everyone on the web is speaking about you. The orphan ghoul whisperer is making headlines." Vixus is scrolling through his holopad.
Articles with my blood drenched figure spreads across his screen. The holo pad is a light projection that emits off of his watch, a much more high tech feature than what Dior and I used in the abyss.
"Damn Tyde why didn't you tell us you were already a vessel? It's so rare to be blessed outside of the culling." Faye, inching closer to my face, asks obnoxiously.
"The culling?" Dior interrupts and saves me.
"Oh do they not do that in the alter? It's a new years holiday where children who turn 17 enters the temple to align with their gods. It significantly increases your chance of becoming a vessel and helps you find the right god to worship." Vixus explains.
"What happens if you don't make it out with a covenant?" I ask.
"You get deported... obviously, duh!" Faye says.
Soza looks away, a tinge of fear in her posture. I can tell she's not like the rest here. She lacks the arrogance.
She's self aware of the potential danger of being discarded by the society.
The thing that doesn't add up for me is why I haven't seen any freshly deported 17yr old's out on the coast.
Most orphans we take in have been discarded not long after birth due to their genetic defeats or undesirable features.
"What's the success rate?" Dior asks timidly, afraid of the answer.
"About sixty percent are able to find a god that will make a covenant with them, all thanks to the new temple system that helps organize it. Only about five percent of our population randomly gets contracted outside of the culling ceremony, and usually the ones that do don't get paired with a powerful god." Vixus says.
"It's all starting to add up." Vatu says, "You guys got adopted into a sovereign family because you got really powerful gods. Any family would take you in to utilize that."
Everyone looks at Dior. The lively ditsy character she's been playing is starting to fade away. They recognize she must be of similar power to me to be able to be adopted.
Dior offers a friendly shrug and smiles off all the accusing looks. She still wants to maintain her timid and ignorant personality.
They all move on from her and look to me now as the program on the screen turns off the room grows silent.
"What?" I ask, nervously avoiding their glares.
"Well... are you going to tell us about your covenant and blessing?" Surprisingly it's Soza that looks the most curious.
Her shoulders bulges as she squeezes her crossed arms in anticipation for what I'm about to reveal.
I give a nervous glance to Dior but she is of no help. She has lost interest in the conversation and went on to examine the shelves in Vatu's house.
"I uhh... I'm a vessel of the god of Love." I lie, "Yeah I uhhh I get stronger the more I feed off of other people's love."
"Ewww! So you're like a succubus?" Faye backs away and gives me my much needed breathing room.
"Well I mean... not exactly. Nobody notices that I'm drawing from the love in the air, it doesn't have to be lust driven, it just has to be love. Sometimes platonic love has fueled me to be the most powerful I've ever felt."
I'm digging myself a hole, I'm a horrible lier; but for some reason everyone is interested and heavily invested in my every word.
"So... are ya gonna show us your mark?" It's Soza again, surprising me with this new side of her. I would've never guessed her to be the most interested.
This catches Dior's attention and she turns to face me. A look of concern is on her face, but I blush to sell my next lie.
"I would but... it's kind of... in a private location. If you know what I mean." I good lie to cover up me having to satiate their curiosity. I'll never have to show my mark if this really was the case.
The others look away in embarrassment, shy about their rude question. Faye breaks the tension with a laugh.
"Wow the god of Love really put her mark on your dong?!" She bursts out laughing and so does everyone else.
"What? NO! I did not say that. Why did you-" I try to defend myself but everyone just points and laughs.
My attempts at being defensive makes them actually believe that it is on my dingaling and I'm too embarrassed to admit it.
"Well... how come none of you guys have one yet?" I ask.
"I guess we're not as lucky. We don't have to wait long though, the culling is next week and then the academy starts its training." Vixus says.
"I'm guessing you all have already gotten accepted and enrolled?" Vatu asks.
Dior and I nod.
"So you all are turning 17?" Dior asks.
Everyone nods. Here in the peaks everyone ages based on lunar new year rather than their birthday.
Dior is a year older than me based on her birthday but here in the peaks we're the same age due to the timing of the lunar new year.
My holoband virbates, it's a notification from Perada. Fuck. He's probably seen the news. Even if it's an illegal stream, apparently the hellhounds is a popular entertainment that is secretly enjoyed by most of the garrison.
I give Dior a nervous glance and she reads it. Through a mental message I signal her to excuse us.
The others recognize something is wrong before she even begins and gives us a nod of approval to leave.
"I'm sure this thing probably blew up in your face." Vixus confirms.
"The sovereign hate attention on family matters." Vatu agrees.
"We had fun hanging out with y'all, don't be a stranger at the academy." Faye says, slipping me a comm with her holoband contact on it.
"That's if we survive the culling." Soza mutters.
We say our goodbyes and rush home, anixious to speak to Zara and Perada to know what kind of havoc we've caused on the net.
I keep sending hateful glares towards Dior as we jog home, letting her know I blame her for this bullshit.
She ignores it and acts distracted. I'm on the verge of throwing hands. She's gonna get a earful when we arrive. No way in hell I'm taking responsibility for this mess, this whole situation was her idea!