32 Gods and Goddesses

"Welcome children of earth and sky." The priest was a round-faced man with gentle facial features. He was neither tall nor too short and emitted the aura of a wise man. He sported a familiar priest getup—Alb—which was a long white robe-like vestment. There was a black belt wrapped around his waist with a cross-shaped buckle.

He pointed his hands toward the ceiling before gently lowering his arms. "Today, in the Worship Ceremony, we are going to pray toward the important gods in our romantic culture."

Everyone in the church clasped their hands together and prayed.

Jason looked around in confusion before clasping his hands together and lowering his head. He didn't really know any important gods in the Romance Realm. Thus, he prayed for the Goddess of Angels, since Lauraine mentioned 'Her' before.

'Uh, Goddess of Angels, give me happiness?' Jason cringed as he shook his head. It was common for the prayers to wish something to gain the attention of the gods and goddesses. However, it was common to stay quiet as well. However, since it was Worship Ceremony, wishing something was traditional.

The priest soon lifted his head and opened his eyes. He smiled as he spoke. "God of Sun and Light—God of Sky and Fleeting Clouds—Goddess of Love and Feelings—Goddess of Marriage, Happiness, and Childbirth—'They' have heard our prayers."

"Amen," everyone said in chorus. They stopped praying and looked toward the priest with smiles. They thought that they could feel the calm and peaceful presence of their gods everywhere around them.

Jason, on the other hand, couldn't feel anything special. He sighed as he resisted shaking his head. There was a slight hope that he could also feel the presence of God, as many had claimed to have felt. It was also common for praying men and women to feel something as if they were touched by their gods.

But he had never felt anything like that. It made him feel like he was abandoned by gods.

"I can feel 'Her', she is blessing me with happiness and a successful marriage. I can feel it." Lauraine closed her eyes as tears streamed down her beautiful face.

"She is getting married?" Jason whispered to Ma'am Layfey.

"No. But the blessing will last a lifetime. When she finally finds a good man to settle down with, the blessing will still work." Ma'am Layfey said with a gentle expression.

"Oh." Jason nodded as he wondered whether the blessings were true.

"What about you?" Ma'am Layfey looked at the side of his face. "Has any girl taken your attention? Praying to the Goddess of Marriage, Happiness, and Childbirth could help you."

Jason wryly smiled as he shook his head. There wasn't anything special in his heart yet. Also, he didn't believe he would receive the blessings like the others. He had visited church several times, but never got answer from the deities.

Their attention was then shifted back to the priest, who continued the ceremony. It lasted another two hours before the ceremony ended. Lastly, there were dinner servings, which were held in another building that was a walking distance away.

As Jason walked beside the two beautiful women, they chatted with the other church visitors. They soon arrived at the dining hall, where Jason grabbed a plate, filled it with food, and found a seat on the corner of the building.

He watched as everyone spoke. They were all beautiful women and handsome men, which meant that there was still a lot of flirting around. It was common to search for a marriage partner in gatherings such as this.

Lauraine stood with Ma'am Layfey and the priest as they chatted with smiles. There were several handsome men approaching the beautiful Lauraine, wanting her attention. They still seemed inexperienced as they stumbled over their words.

Jason took a sip of the coffee as he sat alone at the table. The surrounding tables were getting filled, but not his, as if there were an invisible wall around it.

He then looked over to the priest and remembered the Vampirification Potion. The last ingredient was the blessing of a holy man, and the priest fit the description perfectly. He finished his food and the drink, gave the plate and cup to the kitchen's caretaker, and left the hall without saying goodbye to anyone.

...

He soon arrived at 13 Silvers Street and took a seat on the terrace. He didn't go sit on the chair, as it was slightly hidden from the moonlight. Instead, he sat on the terrace's steps, where he could see the moon clearly.

Jason closed his eyes and felt the moonlight soak him. His potion started digesting even quicker. After ten minutes, the potion had fully digested!

He opened his eyes with a smile and returned to the house. It's time to concoct the final potion—the Vampirification Potion.

After returning to the potion-making room, he checked on the blood-stained fang. It had faded greatly, and the blood color had almost disappeared. However, it would still take from thirty minutes to an hour before the color was entirely gone.

Therefore, he quickly started concocting the potion.

After putting 500 ml of bath water, which he bought from merchant store, in the flask, he picked up 50 grams of blood-red rose powder and scattered it across the liquid. Then, he dropped two healthy red strands of hair before finally putting in the blood-stained fang.

Then he put it on the heating plate and started waiting. There was still one phase left in the potion-making process. Once the potion was done concocting, he would go ask for the blessing.

It didn't matter when he asked since he had already put blood-stained fang into the potion. It would dissolve slowly into the liquid. Even if the time limit was up, it wouldn't matter since it was already used. Therefore, he didn't have to worry about the blessing, but still, once the potion was done concocting, he would go ask for it.

After thirty minutes, the Vampirification Potion was finished. The liquid was blood-red and had an eerie aura. If he drank it directly, Jason knew he would turn into a mindless monster.

He put a cork on the flask and placed it in his small purse. Then he left the house and walked to the church. The ceremony and the dinner had finished some time ago, but there were still people lingering in the streets as they talked with their friends.

After arriving at the church, he entered while carefully closing the wooden door. The church was still lit, with deacons and nuns cleaning the seats and the floors. The light came mainly from the lanterns placed on the walls that had candles with flickering flames.

Jason walked to the platform and then saw a side door opening. The priest wearing the long white robe walked into the church with a gentle expression. Surprisingly, he was looking at Jason.

"I felt the presence of someone entering the church. I don't think we have met before." The priest clasped his hands together and said. "My name is Reverend Kaulus."

"Jason, I was here before in the ceremony."

"Yes... I sensed the presence of someone who was not Romanceborn." Reverend Kaulus smiled gently. "That must have been you."

"Yes, Father." Jason spoke respectfully. The priest's respectful name was Father. It was rude to call him by his name.

"Why have you come into the house of God this late?" Reverend Kaulus reached into a candle that was on the nearby wall and killed the flame with a simple wave of his sleeve. "We are soon closing for tonight. The Gods and Goddesses may never sleep, but we unfortunately don't have such magnificence."

"Yes, sorry. I came here for this." Jason pulled out the flask and showed the blood-red liquid. "Do you know what this is?"

"Yes, I indeed do." Reverend Kaulus smiled and scratched his chin. "You need my blessing, I presume?"

"Yes, I do, Father."

"Very well. But before that, I want you to pray." Reverend Kaulus looked toward the images of lofty-looking gods and slowly kneeled. He looked at Jason, motioning for him to follow his example.

Jason scratched his head, placed the flask on the priest's pulpit, and kneeled beside Reverend Kaulus. He clasped his hands together and lowered his head as he did every motion the priest showed.

"Now, pray aloud." Reverend Kaulus said before closing his eyes. "God of the Everlasting Moon, I wish that you bless me with your presence."

After speaking, a glimmer of moonlight seeped through the windows and bathed the platform in a bluish glow. Reverend Kaulus smiled as he murmured "thank you" under his breath.

Jason sighed and closed his eyes. "God of the Everlasting Moon, bless me with your touch."

As soon as he said that, the moonlight disappeared from the church as if it were sucked out of the windows. The whole presence of the moon had disappeared from the church, as if they didn't want to be in Jason's presence.

"What was that..." The Reverend Kaulus frowned as he turned to Jason. Both looked confused. Then he massaged his temples and prayed for the God of the Everlasting Moon one more time. Once he finished, the moonlight again grazed him, but when Jason did it, the moonlight disappeared.

"I guess I am not very liked among Gods." Jason mocked himself as he stood up. Now, he was certain that the Gods and Goddesses simply didn't like him. He didn't know what made them dislike him, but it was still quite hurtful.

"This shouldn't happen..." Reverend Kaulus shook his head. "The Gods and Goddesses do not dislike any of their creations. They had even listened to the prayers of criminals. This... is very strange."

Jason shrugged his shoulders and looked at the potion. "Father, may I receive your blessing now?"

"Yes..." Reverend Kaulus was still taken aback, but he still did his duty as he placed his hand on the flask and injected some of his golden spirituality inside. The blood-red liquid turned slightly pink as the eerie aura disappeared.

"Thank you, Father." Jason bowed and left the church with the potion.

The Reverend Kaulus looked at the back of the retreating young man, and then he turned to the altar. He kneeled and whispered. "New Gods and Old Gods, I need answers. What was wrong with the young man who was with me recently?"

He waited for an answer until he received one from the God of the Everlasting Moon.

The flower petals from the altar flew into the air before gently landing on the ground. They had formed words on the ground.

'You prayed alone.'

"What does that mean..." Reverend Kaulus covered his mouth in surprise. He was certain that the young man wasn't an evil spirit but a real living being. 'The gods couldn't sense his presence? To Gods and Goddesses, Jason is undetectable? I have never heard anything like this before happening...'