Baptism and Beyond

The sun shone brightly as Luka awoke with a jolt of excitement. "Today's the day of my baptism! He thought to himself with a grin developing across his face, "I'll finally find out what it is that I'm truly capable of."

There was a tap on his door just as he was beginning to think about the day ahead of him. "Young Master, Ma'am instructed you to come downstairs," the woman added. Your baptism into the Racstoin community will soon take place at the Holy Church. Rose, who worked as the man's attendant, declared, "I've also prepared your breakfast."

"Don't worry, Rose, I'll be right down. Simply need to take a shower and get dressed," Luka replied.

"But, Young Master, wouldn't it be appropriate for me to assist you? What if you hurt yourself?"

Luka let out a soft chuckle and said, "Rose, I'm not a child anymore."

She breathed deeply, "Alright, sir, but call out if you need anything."

After a short while, Luka down the majestic staircase, looking every bit the part of the noble's son. The radiance of pride could be seen in Seraphina's eyes. "Would you look at my son, he's so dapper! "I'm sure your good looks come from your mother," she mocked.

In a fun manner, Luka rolled his eyes and asked his mother, "Mom, no jokes today, okay?"

They made themselves comfortable at the dining table in preparation for a big breakfast. After everything was finished, they boarded a carriage that was taking them to the church. The excitement that Luka felt could almost be touched.

After what seemed like the tenth time, he finally questioned his mother, "Mom, are we there yet?"

"Luka, we're only about a quarter of an hour away. Take a deep breath and try to enjoy the journey.

"But what are they going to do? What criteria will they use to evaluate my abilities?

Seraphina beamed at her companion with a warm smile and said, "Just like you to be curious. When I was your age, I had many of the same concerns and questions as you do now. But I won't spoil the surprise for you."

Luka was overcome with astonishment when she finally arrived at the enormous Racstoin Holy Church. "It's even grander than I imagined!"

Father Gomez extended a warm greeting, saying, "Welcome, Princess Seraphina, and young Duke Luka."

Luka quickly made a clarification, saying, "I'm not a Duke yet, just Luka is fine."

The Reverend Gomez laughed and said, "Such humility! Princess, you did an excellent job raising him.

Father Gomez didn't waste any more time before addressing the princess, saying, "Princess, if you could wait here. I beg of you, young Luka, please accompany me.

As they made their way around the church, Luka noticed that his pulse was increasing. They arrived at their destination, which was a colossal door. "You won't be able to bring anyone else inside this room with you, young master. It will test your strength and see how long you are able to remain contained within. "The ritual must be performed in its entirety before the door can be opened," informed Father Gomez.

After a brief period of reluctance, Luka finally said, "Why is it so dark in there?"

In response, Father Gomez stated, "The darkness assists in keeping the mana within the room contained." In this method, we will be able to determine with precision the amount of mana that your body is capable of handling.

Luka took a few moments to compose himself and then made an effort to summon his courage. "I'm not afraid, just... curious."

As he stepped inside, he murmured to himself, "Hello, darkness, my old friend." He attempted to bring himself back under control by closing his eyes, concentrating, and being aware of the mana that was all about him. However, as he focused more intently on his perceptions, he began to perceive a hazy figure in his mind's eye. It was difficult to make out the features of the face, but the voice was apparent.

The figure then started uttering words...

Luka was confronted by an unknown figure, and they had a secret discussion. He began by telling the young man, "Young fellow, don't you be scared for I am not here to hurt you or forsake you," and then he laughed and said, "Hahahahaha, what a stupid line! I've been told I have the voice of a saint. He then resumed his solemn tone and said, "You are going to have to find me after this baptism." After indicating a certain path of journey, he continued, "Go to this lake."

Luka strained his eyes in an attempt to identify the location, and finally asked, "Wait, is that the Lake of Eldoria?"

The figure responded in a dismissive tone, "Just a lake, don't overthink it," and then mumbled the phrase "Cupiscus Bacanos" before vanishing into thin air. "Don't overthink it," he added.

When Luka finally managed to get out of the room, he saw Father Gomez snoozing in the hallway. Luka asked him what time it was when he woke him up. The priest rubbed his eyes and shouted, "I can't believe it's already morning!" You've spent the better part of the day in there!

In his excitement to evaluate Luka's newly discovered abilities, Father Gomez started reciting an incantation that would quantify Luka's mana. "Luminis Potentia Revelare!" As soon as those words left his mouth, the entire room began to shake, and the door started to fall apart. The priest, who was looking at the youngster with astonishment, yelled, "By the heavens, what kind of boy are you? You make me question my humanity.

They went outdoors, where an anxious Seraphina had been waiting, and made their way there. She was awestruck by the events that took place within the church. She remarked, "You really do know how to surprise us, Luka," which was an exclamation point.

Her primary concern was to being sure Luka was safe. She then turned and begged with the priest, saying, "Gomez, I implore you, not as a princess but as Luka's mother, to never speak of what transpired here. Please." It is imperative that we keep him secure.

Father Gomez shook his head in assent and declared, "You have my word, princess." As they were getting ready to leave, Seraphina expressed her gratitude to him by giving him a sack that was full with silver money.

When Luka got back to House Alastair, he found himself unsettled since the vision of the strange man and the weird lake had overwhelmed him. While he was supine on his bed, he mused aloud, "What did I see? Or was I actually witnessing something, or was it just a figment of my imagination? And that strange man, who is indicating the location of Lake Eldoria. It's almost as if... it's trying to get my attention.

It became impossible to put off going to the Eldorian Lake any longer. He whispered an apology to his mother as he crept past her room, "Sorry, Mom," and then climbed down the walls of the castle.

As Luka made his way to the lake, the magic "Cupiscus Bacanos!" came to his mind. He repeated it over and over again, increasing the volume each time, but nothing took place. As his anger continued to grow, he grabbed a rock and flung it into the water of the lake. The water began to shake, and soon after, a doorway appeared.

Luka did not pause before entering, at which point he discovered that he had entered a another realm. When he saw what appeared to be a floating tower atop a hill, his natural inclination was to investigate. When he got closer and knocked on the door, it opened up to see an elderly sorcerer with a long white beard standing inside.

The wizard greeted him with "Hello, Father," adding, "You're right on time."