"Yes, I wish to become the Saint," Keter says, hoping he didn't take too long to answer.' God, I'm going to regret this.'
Cardinal Jacob smiles joyfully and then exclaims, "That's great to hear. Hurry now, follow me, Azreal; we must prepare you for your training."
As Cardinal Jacob drags me to the main Citadel, I can only think of how beautiful the city is.'The pristine Gothic architecture looks amazing. It's too bad I'll probably flinch at the slightest thought of this place after this Nightmare.' Keter finds himself in front of the most prominent building in the city, a church.
"Come on, boy, there is no time to dilly-dally." The Cardinal brings him to the church's basement floor and says, " Inside the changing room, there are clothes for you; once you're dressed, you just need to walk through this gateway." As he says this, the white-gold arch flashes with immense light. It then dims down, forming a portal under the arch. "I will see you there, child." The Cardinal then walks through the gateway, leaving Keter alone.
Keter lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Well, at least I now know what Child of Light does; it makes me immune to flash bangs." Keter rolls his eyes and reconsiders. "That's a pretty nice ability, actually." Keter starts to change into the clothes he was provided. "It's just a pitch white hospital gown, huh. but still no shoes, no socks." Keter groans in annoyance. "Please don't tell me these people have a foot fetish." Keter jokes, trying to keep himself from running, then says, "Alright, let's just hope this isn't about to be what I think it is, fingers crossed." Keter walks into the gateway and then takes a step onto solid marble. He sees tens of church officials, but what draws his attention most is the fountain with the water pouring in from the walls. There is a spot In the middle of the pond, with about ankle-deep water, that's completely still.
"Ah, you're here, child. Are you ready to start your journey to become the Saint of the Light?" Cardinal Jacob asks as her walks towards Keter with his hands behind his back.
"I am your Eminence," Keter says, making sure to eliminate all nervousness in his voice.
The Cardinal nods and says seriously, "Then go to the middle of the fountain where the water is still, get on your knees, and pray no matter what you feel or hear. Do not open your eyes, do not say a word, and most importantly, never stop praying."
"Keter slowly walks over to the fountain, and once his feet hit the water, each step only makes him feel more dread. When he arrives in the middle, he slowly gets on his knees and puts his elbows against his lap and his conjoined hands against his forehead. he begins to beggingly pray. 'please, please don't let this be what I think this is.' Keter hears the water splashing as someone gets closer and closer to him. One of their hand grips his shoulder, and the other presses against his back like it's holding something. 'no, no, no no, please, no," Keter begs in his mind as tears begin to slowly form as his body quivers.
"shush, don't make a sound," An older voice whispers in his ear as the grip on his shoulder gets tighter. The other hand goes off of his back, and Keter feels a knife start to run gently across his back, carving into his skin."Pray with all your might; God is the only person who can stop this." his hand covers Keter's mouth as he whimpers and cries. Tears falling into the water as the man carves further into Keter's skin. As Keter's hands start to come undone the knife stabs into him and the man screams into Keter's ear."Pray, did you not hear me, Pray!" Keter hurriedly put his hands back together as he sobbed from the pain. Keter's blood and tears all ran together in the now muddy water. As time went on, it felt more and more painful. It felt like the water was climbing up his back and assaulting his wounds.
The pain began to consume him, so much more painful than he could ever imagine mere stab wounds would not be this painful. even as his mind was clouded by pain, he remembered that the water in the increased his sensitivity to pain, making it even more painful than it should be.
Eventually, his mind and body could not keep up with the pain, and he passed out, almost falling into the muddy water if not for the man catching him.
"he passed out your Eminence, "The man shouted.
"All right then, that's enough for today. We will pick back up tomorrow. Bring him to the healers and prepare his food for when he wakes."The Cardinal orders.
"Your Eminence, are you sure this is the right child?" he cried the entire time. Should his faith in a Saint Candidate enable him to bear this?" the man asked in disbelief.
"He is a child. Children never understand the true opportunity given to them, but he will get used to it soon, and when he does, he will be able to do the ritual himself."The Cardinal explains to the man.