Church

As the midday sun beat down upon him, Eres wondered why he had needed to come and stand by the carriage for almost a full hour before his parents would join him. He had whiled away the first fifteen minutes thinking about all the absurd powers his Blessing could give him, before Eres's memories about what blessings truly were had come to the forefront putting a stop to delusions of instantly attaining unlimited power.

The next twenty minutes had been spent looking at the line of servants and maids standing next to the carriage and trying to remember all of their names. He failed terribly, only managing to name the Head Butler, Sylas, and the Head Maid, Bruna. No one else's faces looked particularly familiar, but he did see a pitying look on some of the younger faces. Eres did his best to remember those faces as people who could perhaps be swayed to his side. Already the extra life's worth of memories was at work, searching for advantages in a bad situation, just like looking for an easier examiner or interviewer in school applications to up his chances.

As he stood, trying to remember faces while squinting through the glaring sun, the doors to the entrance hall swung open once again, and two tall men in armour stepped out from inside the house. They stood to either side of the pathway, flanking in a saluting position. The bright sun glinted off their polished breastplates, and the long spears held at their side pointed straight up into the sky. Everything about them was as clean-cut and proper as the house servants who stood around the two carriages, from their tightly laced leather boots to the pressed collars of their jerkins tight around their necks. Beads of sweat began to form on the armoured figure's face almost instantly, but they maintained their posture with the grace of those who had done this many a time. Not long after the Guardsmen took up their posts, a large man with brown hair so dark it was nearly black and piercing blue eyes stepped through the door. Over six feet tall and as broad across the shoulders as anyone Eres had ever seen, Baron Kyer von Hytheiem looked more like a berserker in build than a lord. A long but well-combed and oiled beard covered the lower half of his face, the darkness of it making the paleness of his skin stand out further against the darker tans of all the servants and guards present. Garbed in a deeper blue and silver doublet with a duelling sabre strapped to his belt, he was a perfect dichotomy. The build of a warrior but the look and dress of a noble. The sight was so strange it almost made Eres laugh, but he choked it back down with difficulty to avoid making a fuss.

As Baron Kyer began to stride down the steps, gaze held high above his servants and only towards the carriage he would be boarding, a woman began to exit the doorway behind him. Adalia von Hytheiem wasn't a particularly tall woman, only coming up to her husband's chin. Her frame was slight and her long silver hair was pulled up in an intricate knot to keep her face clear of any obstructions. A long dress, coat and parasol all matched the Baron's outfit of blue and silver as she began to descend the short flight of stairs, her left hand being held by one of the guards to steady her. As she began to move towards the carriage, she looked at Eres and almost stumbled. She gathered herself quickly and moved to the carriage with her husband, but her demeanour was now icy, her face set into a cool mask.

Eres himself was baffled by this. She knew that he was going to be learning of his blessing today, so why had his presence angered her? His memories of his previous life were still at the forefront of his mind, he had to consciously search back through memories of his interactions with his mother, and they were startlingly few. The occasional formal dinner with the family or escorted walk around the gardens were the only close interactions he had with her, but she had always seemed cold and aloof, preferring to discuss his studies and how he had to best represent the house rather than emotional topics. These memories only confused him further, as she had never seemed displeased by him in the past, in fact, his mother had never shown any emotion to him at all. A quick glance down showed his tunic properly styled, both shoes well tied and even a brief run-through of his hands was enough to know his hair was all tied back neatly and properly. As various scenarios ran through his head, the smaller carriage door was thrown open by one of the junior butlers, who gestured to the interior wordlessly. Mind still searching for any answers, Eres clambered up the too-large steps and settled into the somewhat shabby seats, as the dull rumble of the wheels on cobblestones began.

* * *

The Hytheiem Estate wasn't large enough to have anything resembling a true Cathedral. For most children, they had to wait for a travelling Priest to come through twice a year and inform them of their blessings. A child of the Baron however was afforded special privilege, and the Holy Church had sent a Bishop with the required equipment to the local Church. This church was only a half hour away by carriage, so Eres didn't have long to get lost in his thoughts before the small spired building was visible through the crack in the curtained window. Eyes wide, he gazed out at the church in awe. A seemingly mechanical clock placed in the tower of the spire, tall glass windows and large double doors thrown open in welcome, it was unlike anything Eres had seen. The memories of Adrien had similar, and much grander, buildings, but this was his first time seeing it for himself. At ten years old he had only left the main house once and the memories were murky. He remembered nothing of the surrounding town, and this first glimpse of civilisation outside of his home and the pictures in the books he read made his blood race.

Kneeling on the seat with his face pressed up to the window so that he could take in every detail, Eres almost tumbled head-first off the bench when the carriage came to a sudden stop. Luckily he braced himself against the other bench and instead ended up on all fours, but he felt the leather tie in his hair loosen and fall to the ground, his silver hair falling around his face. Wiping the sweat from his brow at the lucky avoidance of injury, he tucked the leather strip into his pocket and pushed the hair back from his face with his hand, leaving it flowing down to his shoulders as the carriage door opened once more, the same junior butler gesturing for him to exit, this time holding a hand out for assistance.

Eres ignored the hand and hopped off of the carriage and stepped onto the flat stone below, entranced with his surroundings once again. Various men and women in plain clothes stood beyond the fence to this stone courtyard, looking at the Baron's carriage in awe. Eres searched the multitude of faces at the boundary and realised he had never seen so many people in one place. Even when all of the servants at the house gathered, it was only maybe half of the people gathered here, and there were even more in the town than just this?! He had known it logically after reading reports on the area but knowing and understanding are different things entirely!

"Young Master, you must hurry inside!". Just as Eres was getting caught up in interesting thoughts, a strict voice cut through the air. The Junior Butler was looking at him with disdain and gesturing to the open doors just as the Baron's back disappeared from view. With a deep sigh, Eres began to cross the courtyard at a swift trot, briefly looking back at the displeased butler behind him.

"What's your name?" Eres spoke somewhat breathlessly as he walked as fast as he could without running, and he saw the butler's eyes widen.

"Um, my name is Ian, Young Master." His tone was still clipped and sour, but no longer laced with the same disdain. "Is there something I can do for you?".

"No. Just curious!" Eres smiled up at the man, barely biting back scathing words. Adrien's memories were screaming at him not to take this level of mistreatment, but Eres knew he had to keep the status quo as it was for now, even if it grated against him.

As he walked through the doors into the cool interior, he saw his parents kneeling at an altar deeper into the room, and all of the servants had taken up positions against the surrounding walls to let them pray. Eres began to walk forward to join them when a hand grasped his shoulder, the edge of a large ring biting into his skin through the tunic.

"This way, Young One, I will test you," The man who spoke wore deep green robes adorned with silver and gold thread, and each of his middle fingers had a large golden ring upon them. Wisps of grey hair escaped from a small hat that fell forward onto his brow and heavy-lidded eyes peered out from under wild eyebrows. "My name is Bishop Marcus, and at the Kingdom's request, I am here to help you determine your blessing. Now follow."

The imperious tone of the Bishop brooked no disagreement, and he had turned on his heel and marched down a side passage before Eres could speak a word. With a small shake of his head, he followed a few paces behind the Bishop, wandering down the dark hallway until he reached a small office. The door was already wide open and the older man was fiddling with a large golden dish on the desk, swirling some type of liquid in it as he crumbled some plants into it.

"Come, come, sit now!" The Bishop didn't look up as he spoke, but he gestured towards a chair in front of the dish. As the last of the plants left his hand a gold flash of light erupted from the bowl and Eres halted his movement towards the chair. At this, the heavy-lidded eyes once again met his and a harsh chuckle escaped his throat. "Scared of a little Divinity boy? Come on, sit down already."

Eres perched himself cautiously on the edge of the chair as the Bishop sat into a luxurious armchair. He tried to restrain himself, but curiosity weighed heavier than his common sense.

"So that is what Divine Power looks like then?" Leaning forward and peering into the bowl the liquid inside was opaque and metallic, a still silver surface with golden flakes scattered through it. His own eyes gazed back at him from the bowl, and the reflection seemed as clear as any mirror.

"Of course, I am a Bishop after all," The old man seemed tired, and the snap had left his voice, "Perhaps you will have talent in it too. Place your hand in liquid, and it should allow you to understand your blessing, both its type and its current strength. Come now, setting this up like this is a tiring process, so let's get a move on."

Eres watched the ringed hands gesture to the bowl and slowly extended his own hand above the surface. He looked up at the old man and felt a nervous shiver run down his spine. The old man's face softened.

"Any blessing is a gift from the God's child, and any blessing is useful if employed correctly. Don't worry about what you are going to get, just enjoy the gift you have been given," said the Bishop softly. "Let us see what Blessing you have been given, shall we?"

Eres let out a breath he hadn't realised he had been holding. His shoulders slumped as his whole body relaxed and he nodded to the Bishop. He lowered his hand under the metallic liquid, and it felt as if ice was clinging to his skin. First, a second passed, then two with no change. Just as Eres began to panic, his vision exploded in light, and he clamped his eyes shut against the sudden glare. Stars swam in his vision as he opened his eyes, and as he rubbed them away, he realised the ice-like liquid had faded, as had the hardwood he had been perched on.

Glancing around him, Eres saw nothing but empty white space. Looking down he could see ripples on the floor as if he was standing in a pond, but that too was an empty white void. He began to spin around in panic, wondering where he was until a voice boomed through the space.

"Calm yourself child, and look above you."