บท 4: Saint Eric
Seeing that the goddess had left, the King stood and ordered everyone else to stand as well.
Languid quickly resumed his role.
"Now that the awakening ceremony is over, please state your ability name and demonstrate your powers."
First was Sylvia. A bright smile lit her face as she revealed her ability.
"Aura Manipulation!" Pink colors began to emit from her as she controlled them, wrapping part of the aura around her hand before punching a wall.
The wall had a deep imprint while her hand remained completely uninjured.
Next, she applied the aura to her legs, and her speed increased drastically.
"Hehe, this is my amazing power! As I get stronger, I'm sure I'll find more ways to utilize it. But for now, I can enhance myself and others or use it as a defensive measure!" She flashed a smile toward Eden and gave him a thumbs-up.
The King and Queen seemed impressed by her ability and nodded in approval.
Sylvia returned to the line, and others continued to showcase their powers.
Three students could control different elements: fire, water, and earth.
Some others had powers of healing, while some had powers that made them stealthy.
Languid didn't find anyone interesting until he got to Eric.
His eyes shot open in surprise as he saw the light glow emanating from Eric's body.
"Y-you!" Languid's shout caused everyone to focus on Eric.
Everyone went silent as Languid ran toward Eric and asked him about his ability.
"…Uh, the goddess just said she has high expectations for me. I feel a type of holy energy within me, but I don't really know what I can do with it."
Eric was confused by everyone's stares, scratching his head in embarrassment.
"Bring in the sacred stone…this may be our biggest blessing!" King Wyster commanded, his booming voice filling the room as guards quickly followed his order.
Three minutes later, they returned, holding a massive chunk of stone with a beautifully shining sword embedded in it.
The guards placed the stone in front of Eric and stepped back.
"This is the Holy Sword Deidros! Bestowed upon the first Saint of our kingdom by Goddess Celestia herself!" the King announced.
"Possessing holy energy is extremely rare. Since it was given to you personally by the goddess, we believe you may be able to wield this sword." Languid added, stepping aside for Eric to try.
"I don't think I'm anything special…but I'll try." Eric was nervous as he approached, hearing whispers from his friends wishing him good luck.
Standing in front of the stone, he asked, "Is there a special way to do this? Or should I just pull it—"
*zzzZZZZ*
His words were cut off by the sword humming as it shot out of the stone, shattering it, and landing perfectly in his hands.
Eric felt warmth radiating from Deidros, and confidence immediately filled him.
'Haha! I'm truly the chosen one! With my abilities…everything could be mine!' Eric rejoiced, fearing these events were just a dream.
"Praise Celestia! We have a new Saint!" the King declared, rushing toward Eric with outstretched hands.
"The evil Goddess Lumaria's forces won't stand a chance against us now! Saint Eric, we would love for you to stay and talk with us for a while!"
Eric smiled and shook the King's hand.
"Of course! I promise to defeat that army and save you all!"
Eric followed the King into another room, while the Queen remained, taking charge since her husband had left.
"Let's wrap things up. You may continue." she said.
Hearing her words, Languid resumed the examination.
He was no longer interested in the remaining two students and wanted to finish quickly.
Next was Alycia.
She stepped forward without speaking, holding up her hand as a small fireball hovered above it.
"Fire elemental. It's stronger than the other person's at least. Next—" Languid began to move on, disappointed, before another surprise occurred.
The one fireball suddenly gained a companion as a ball of ice appeared next to it, unaffected by the fire's heat.
Before he could react, more elements began to converge in her hand.
Sparks of lightning formed into a ball and joined the display, followed by a compact ball of air and a floating clump of dirt.
Alycia perfectly controlled the elements as they spun and danced in her palm.
"Elemental Dominion." she said simply.
Languid felt his worldview shatter. There had never been a single person in their world who could control more than one element, especially not lightning and wind.
Queen Faelia was fascinated by the girl.
"Well then…next!" Languid turned to Eden, waiting for him to begin.
Eden knew he hadn't received an ability from the goddess, so he used the one he already had and made up a name.
"Gravity Magic."
He looked in Alycia's direction and asked her to shoot a fireball at him.
She complied, and within three seconds, a giant fireball was hurtling toward him.
Languid didn't know what the boy's plan was, but he prepared to intervene.
"Relax." Eden held out his hand, signaling Languid to stop.
As the fireball approached, it suddenly slowed down, gradually losing power before fizzling out completely.
Languid, numb to the constant surprises, nodded absentmindedly.
Eden then demonstrated other uses of his power by having guards attack him, only for them to fall to the ground as they neared.
Many students cheered for Eden.
Alycia smiled at their reactions, but three people caught her attention: Mike, Kei, and Eli.
Those three didn't seem happy. They looked jealous.
'Why do they look so angry?'
Alycia was confused but was interrupted by the Queen descending the steps with a younger woman following her.
"Alycia and Eden, you two are extremely promising! Would you be interested in staying behind and speaking with us?" Queen Faelia asked.
They both nodded and followed her into the next room.
…
Entering the room, they saw the King sitting at a table with Eric, the two of them talking and laughing.
"It seems lively in here. How is everything going?" Faelia asked.
"Gahaha! I like this kid! C'mere, let me introduce you to my daughter!" King Wyster stood up and grabbed the girl who had followed the Queen.
She had long green hair and sapphire blue eyes. She kept her head down as she followed her father's lead.
Stepping in front of Eric, she introduced herself.
"Greetings, Saint Eric. I am Princess Lyria." She politely bowed her head and stepped back.
Eric was stunned by her beauty and stammered as he stood to greet her.
King Wyster saw his reaction and smiled, an idea forming in his mind.
"Now, let's get to the real topic of this meeting." Queen Faelia said as everyone sat down.
King Wyster then proceeded to speak.
"As you all know, a war is coming. Now that you have awakened, it's time to train. Your friends are being taken to another part of the palace, where they will be assigned rooms and shown around."
"Your jobs will be to take responsibility for the group. Saint Eric will lead, ensuring the safety of the team and leading in battle."
"Alycia, I've heard of your abilities and would like you to provide close support to Saint Eric. I suggest you two strengthen your bond, as you'll be fighting alongside each other."
Eric's smile grew even brighter at the news.
Alycia's face, however, twitched with dissatisfaction.
"Eden, your abilities will be useful for the team's defense. You can act as a shield during retreats or advances." the King added.
Eden smiled and nodded.
Eric sat next to him, sneering inwardly.
'This King is brilliant. After my earlier words, he knows just how to subtly jab at him. That's right—be a tool for my rise!'
Eric, chosen by the goddess, felt invincible. No more living in the shadow of his friend.
The rest of the meeting covered training. Since there's no leveling system in this world, they would need actual combat experience to enhance their abilities.
The current plan was to learn about the world and study their powers before entering a dungeon to fight.
After the meeting, they retired to their rooms to rest.
~
/Eden POV\
I entered my assigned room, and immediately, the smile fell from my face.
I went to the bathroom to wash up.
Even though this world was behind in technology, they had a normal bathtub instead of a basin.
After washing my hands, I reached toward my eyes.
Carefully, I removed my contacts and looked in the mirror.
My irises were restored to their original golden color.
As I gazed into the mirror, I saw the roots of my hair. They were silver, and the color was beginning to take over.
*Sigh* 'I won't be able to dye my hair or get new contacts here.'
I shook my head and left the bathroom, sitting on the bed.
*Bang*
As I sat down, the box I received from the goddess fell to the floor.
'What even is it? I've tried opening it, but I can't.'
Picking up the box, I tossed it in the air, and the next second, it completely disappeared.
Gravity magic? Well, that was just a lie.
My powers seem closer to Void or space, but I don't really know the difference.
For years now, I've been aware of my abilities but never had an explanation for them.
Earlier, I used the suction force of the void to slow and absorb the fireball and to crush the people approaching me.
I also use it as storage—that's what I did with the box. Though I'm sure there's more to the power, it just feels like my brain is missing a few pages.
I rubbed my temples, realizing life was about to get complicated.
I mean, I'm not really interested in this whole war thing. I'm not even interested in returning home.
The King trying to randomly disrespect me earlier only lessens my desire to help the kingdom even more…
'Whatever... we'll have a busy few months. I should get some rest.'
And so, I drifted off to sleep, leaving my problems for future me to deal with.
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