Auren had never been to the main temple before. On Sundays, they usually attended the branch temples in their estate—that was if he was even unlucky enough to be found. The doors of the main temple opened only once a year.
And that moment was now.
The air inside the temple carried a solemn chill, fragrant with incense and something metallic, like freshly polished steel.
Glass chandeliers stretched like luminous constellations across the distant ceiling, scattering cold, shimmering light over the pristine white walls.
The hall seemed endless, its grandeur almost suffocating.
"Hey, hey, hey... if it isn't the talent of the empire himself," a red-haired boy whined as Auren entered the hall.
A small frown fell on his face. "Lucien," he muttered.
"I can proudly say that this entire day was specifically prepared for you. We could hear the sound of the crowd shaking the ground. No one had to take a guess; we all knew the Talent of the Empire had arrived."
The red-haired boy, with a content grin on his face, walked closer to Auren.
Beside him to the right stood a deep green-haired boy with downturned eyes—the kind of face that stuck in one's memory. Freckles blemished his face across his nose.
To Lucien's right stood a completely normal boy, his gaze straight and ordinary. However, something slightly different about him was his size.
He was a bit taller than the other two; in a few more years, he'd probably grow to become a sturdy shield.
Auren was oblivious to both of them anyway. He looked at Lucien for a moment, his eyes sliding beyond the vibrant teen standing before him.
He was more concerned with something else. Something more important than some reunion with old friends.
"Excuse me, Lucien," Auren said detachedly and walked between Lucien and the green-haired boy without waiting for a response.
Rows of polished wooden benches flanked both the right and left sides of the hall.
A sparkling light danced around the hall. With the state-of-the-art furniture and marble statues that adorned the space, an air of impeccable luxury was carved without flaw.
Most of the children were lost in awe, turning their heads left and right as they admired the view.
Usually, they would come here on special excursions, but today was different.
Today, they were going to become something they had always dreamed of.
As Auren reached the middle of the benches directly facing the altar, he stopped, gazing long at the true marvel of this place.
The symbol of the Archon of Light and Hope. A colossal golden tree that stood ahead, in the center of the altar.
It The entire temple seemed to orbit the tree, as though it were its heart.
Golden rays spilled through high glass windows, catching the leaves in a dance of light and shadow.
The effect was both humbling and overwhelming, and for the first time, Auren felt the weight of this place pressing against his chest.
The Archon of Light and Hope.
Worshipped by more nations and having a larger domain than all other five archons.
All archon temples held their awakening ceremony—of course, the Rexxie Empire belonged to the domain of Light and Hope, so it was especially louder than other temples holding their ceremony.
It was likewise in other domains. But that didn't mean another Archon temple branch couldn't hold awakening rites under the Light Archon's domain, as long as they were licensed. It was acceptable.
But the Archon of Light and Hope took preeminence over the rest. Blesseds from this Archon had gone on to alter the course of the world in astounding ways.
A creaking sound of an old and decrepit door reverberated through the hall, immediately grabbing all the teens' attention including Auren.
An entourage of priests slowly walked inside from the right side of the altar. They were dressed in white apparel, with gold threads and ornamental complementations tapering off the edge and crest of their robes.
Somewhere in their midst was a pristine existence; her presence alone filled the hall with an aura of peace and longing.
The children stood on their toes, wishing they could steal glances at her. Auren, however, stood frozen; he had only read about them in newspapers and rumors.
He couldn't deny the authenticity of the hype, and a small frown creased his face.
'How can such an existence be allowed to be...'
The Pontifex, the closest mortal vessel to the Archon and spiritual leader of the temple, embodied so much divinity that it almost made no sense why any of them had not started vying for world domination.
'If only I was that powerful...'
Auren could not understand; they had so much power and yet they spread things like hope.
His thought train was interrupted as the entourage finally settled in front of the altar.
All the priests stood side by side, spreading along the length of the altar—almost thirty of them.
The Pontifex was somewhere behind, sitting at the feet of the golden tree.
Suddenly, a voice cut through the loud silence, like sharp steel cleanly slicing through brick.
"The 999th awakening ceremony shall now begin."
As the man's voice soared, a holographic projection shimmered to live outside the temple, projecting what was happening inside the temple for the crowd to see.
In a special guest room, the children's parents also sat, watching with different looks on their faces—some tense, some haughty, some smug, some happy, some nonchalant.
"Rondel Guttamaher. Step forward to receive the blessing of the Archon."
"Yes sir!"
A tall, slim boy with orange-colored rough hair, responded. He stumbled but quickly steadied himself as he hastened forward, passing Auren.
The boy stopped in front of the priest directly in front of the tree, obstructing anyone trying to peek at the mortal goddess.
The man gestured with his hand for Rondel to go down, which the young boy immediately complied with, bending one knee.
The priest raised both hands together, as if he wanted to drink water with them, closed his eyes, and muttered inaudibly.
Barely a second later, a golden leaf detached from the tree and drifted in the air, gently lowering towards the man until it rested in his palms.
The man then pressed the leaf on the forehead of the boy in front of him.
As the golden leaf made contact with the boy, a pillar of light extended from the ground, stopping slightly below his waste level.
The man then turned to the Pontifex, collected a scroll of brown paper, and rolled it open after turning around. Then he read out:
"Rondell Guttamaher. Rare grade Blessing of the Radiant Tempest."
The boy bowed, beaming with stars in his eyes, and turned back, jogging away happily.
The man's thunderous voice soared once again, however, no one was expecting it this time.
"Auren Veyne, step forward to receive the blessing of the Archon."