B1C3: The Awakening of Lightning
Tobias saw his Rank 3 Water Blessing awaken, and he felt an unexpected rush of excitement fill his heart. Even he was surprised by the scope of his accomplishment. Clan members and elders' eyes were filled with a mixture of amazement and pride, and their chorus of adoration swept over him like a wave. The clan leader said, "Well done!" while unable to suppress his delight. Tobias gently left the altar and basked in the adoration of everyone in attendance.
"Tonight, let's throw a lavish feast to celebrate the young master's awakening of a Rank 3 blessing. The ceremony cannot be delayed any longer. Kids make your way to the altar and do what young master Tobias did" The priest yelled silencing the excited crowd.
The main family's youngsters joyfully walked up to the altar, hoping to awaken their individual blessings. Through the hall, a chant of blessings resounded:
"Rank 1 Fire -- Yellow Fire, Rank 2 Earth -- Stone, Rank 2 Metal -- Copper, Rank 2 Wind -- Gale, Rank 1 Wind -- Breeze, Rank 1 Metal -- Bronze, Rank 1 Wind -- Gale,"
Pebbles, Red Fire, Bubbles, and Silver Water make up Rank 1 Earth, Rank 2 Fire, and Rank 3 Water, respectively.
Although Each child was able to awaken their blessings, none of them reached a Rank 3 or above.
The youngsters from the branch family were placed next in line. There was yet a glimmer of optimism that, given the right incentives, people with high-ranking blessings would be adopted into the main family despite the lessened attention they got. One by one, the kids walked over to the altar to perform the ceremony.
Sadly, the bulk were told to work in the clan's workforce because they were unable to awaken a blessing of significance. There were a few rank 1 blessings identified, those with Earth or Fire blessings were assigned to the Clan military to undergo guard training. Only one child received a Rank 2 Silver Water Blessing, which caught the priest's attention. She was quickly appointed as his assistant, against the will of the rest of the main family.
"Clan leader, remember the agreement you have with my master" the priest mentioned
Knowing it was not wise to go against the priest. The clan leader yelled. "Quiet! It's just a member of the branch family and you all are making such a scene. It is the clan's fortune for her to be selected as a priest assistant. Priest please continue with the ceremony, we have a celebration to prepare for"
It was Caleb's turn to advance at that point. Knowing full well that Caleb, who had put up with their abuse for years, lacked the guts to defend himself, some of his tormentors couldn't help but laugh. He was probably going to be forced into the workforce like the other kids, or worse, facing exile.
Oh, God, bless me so that I might alter my mother's life, Caleb silently begged in his heart as he hesitantly set his hands on the platform.
To everyone's surprise, including the priest, the altar released a bright white light and a thunderous-sounding rumble. Miniature lightning snakes began to dance across Caleb's flesh from head to toe as he became fully absorbed in the awakening process.
"What's this?" Even the experienced priest had never seen anything like it.
The blessing of lightning? In this Free City?"
The priest was perplexed by the sudden turn of events. His predecessor believed that a visual thunderclap should appear on the altar when a Lightning Blessing is awakened. However, in Caleb's case, the lightning encircled the boy rather than striking the altar directly.
The event ended with a few minutes of stunned silence as the crowd stood still in the middle of the square. While gently stepping down from the altar, Caleb looked at the stunned clan members' faces. He experienced a brief pang of grief, mistaking the absence of a statement for failure, not realising the blessing he had awoken. He started to move in the direction of the group of youngsters being taken to the workforce.
"Stop, little one, what's your name?" The highest elder yelled.
Caleb responded, "My name is Caleb, Son of Thomas.
"Very wonderful indeed. The senior said, "It appears that God has not abandoned our Levi Clan.
The priest then proclaimed, "Lightning Blessing."
Caleb's world swirled around in horror and dismay, and he immediately passed out.
Rank 3 blessings were regarded as remarkable talents that only appeared once every ten years. Special blessings like Light, Darkness, Lightning, or Space were thought to be celestial gifts that only appeared once in every generation.