"Lord Kaiser. The age at which this ceremony is done is at age 6. No one has even done it when they're this old."
"True, but would you deny my flesh and blood over something so trivial?"
"Of course not my Lord."
The Sacred Communion was a special ceremony. A priest would prepare a special liquid called God's Blood. One would ingest the liquid and go into a trance.
The priest brought a small golden cup with dark red thick liquid.
Now, young lord, drink this liquid and we shall see if the gods answer your call.
This was the moment Jack was waiting for.
Would a God commune with him?
Would he get a double affinity? Maybe a triple affinity like his father?
'This is it. The moment I've been waiting for '
Jack took the small cup and drank the liquid. He fell to his knees and his eyes rolled into the back of his head.
The air was thick with tension as everyone awaited to see the results.
Jack's vision went dark and then slowly got brighter. His vision was blurry.
--
When he opened his eyes he noticed he was on top of a very large rock.
At first, he thought he was dreaming, but then 10 years of memories flooded into his mind.
Every time someone came to visit him, or when Octavia would read him books. The realization hit him.
'My family loved me. I haven't had this in my first life. But, I won't let it go to waste this time.' Jack said.
After leaving a sigh, Jack stretched for a moment before laying down.
Jack saw every single memory, every servant who loved him, every meal left for him, even some of the townsfolk sent gifts to Jack.
He was loved by all.
Truth be told, after waking up he was worried that he would be thrown out or realizing it's been 10 years that people would have forgotten about him.
More questions popped into his head. However, he knew nothing could be done about events that had already transpired.
Everyone in Elysium worshiped some type of God, but Jack never really thought about what God out there was the one for him.
He believed in reincarnation and the transfer of souls. But, never in his wildest dreams did he suspect that he would be reincarnated.
"Hello Jack. We've been waiting for you."
Jack was startled. A young man with a scruffy beard and jet black hair stood over him.
'Ah, you must be the god I'm supposed to meet.'
"No Jack. I am just a messenger. A helper for the God that wishes to see you."
'So, there is a God who wants to meet me.'
"Yes, there is. It's not every day that a God picks someone."
The young man gestured behind him. Jack got up and looked. There were now stairs leading downward.
It didn't matter if you had binoculars, you would not be able to see the bottom if you tried.
'So tell me, if I never worshipped a God, why does one want to meet me?'
"Walk with me Jack, when we reach the pantheon you can ask all your questions to them."
'One last question before we go. Can I die or leave this plane that I'm in before I talk to a God.'
"No, you may reject the God, but accepting their blessings only brings you greater power."
'You see, I was in a coma for 10 years. I should have been hurling dark fireballs, making a business, conquering dungeons with my father by now. I don't have time to wait, so let's make this quick.'
Jack turned around to look at the messenger with the stairs to his back.
"Uhm... what do you mean...."
Jack had a great idea. At least to him. If he couldn't die or leave until he spoke to a God. He would take the quick way down.
Without hesitation, Jack leaned back and fell down in between the stairs.
A couple seconds passed. Then a couple minutes. Then an hour.
Jack was getting worried that this would never end.
Next thing Jack felt, the world spun upside down and he was in front of a giant building.
It was a pantheon. But, there were no symbols or writing on it to determine whose it was. It stretched endlessly to his right and to his left.
He could feel the soft grass through his boots.
"You are an impatient one Jack." The messenger said.
'If someone wants to meet me, I shouldn't keep them waiting.'
"That's a good attitude to have. But just know you're not the only one in the pantheon. "
'What do you mean?'
"The Sacred Communion is a ritual performed by many people, In many worlds, In many different times."
'Ah, so I'll see people from my world and others.'
"That is correct. Trust your heart and it will lead you to a God that wants to bestow you."
Anyone who has the right to enter a pantheon, has the right to a blessing from a god. Each God has a fixed amount of blessings they can give out. If a God runs out, they must pass on a chosen one.
'So is there a Yelp review system on blessings? Or do I just walk around and hope I get a good one?'
"Quite the comedian I see."
'Yeah, yeah. I'll get going.'
Jack placed his hands behind his neck with his elbows in the air as he walked towards the pantheon.
The doors to the pantheon were enormous. Bigger than the five-story mansion at his home.
There was a profound and long creak as the doors opened.
When Jack saw what was inside he was disappointed.
There were humans, dwarves, orcs, and elves.
People were dressed in fine silks and heavy armour.
There were young children everywhere, but no Gods in sight.
Jack was perplexed. He was hoping to see some mighty gods, some cool magic, or something extraordinary.
But all he saw were children, weapons on the walls, books on shelves, and necklaces on stands.
'Yeah, this is a little disappointing.'
Jack sighed heavily, and then saw a little girl reach for a necklace and disappeared into thin air.
'Wait, what... she's gone.'
One by one, more children began to disappear until Jack was by himself.
'So touching something here must bring me to a God. I won't know until I grab something.'
'Well, I wasn't expecting much so let's just touch something someone hasn't.'
Jack walked around the room for a couple of minutes.
Nothing stood out or spoke to him. He saw a simple spear above the rest of the items.
Jack reached out and touched the spear.
One minute Jack was in the Pantheon and the next Jack was standing in a tall grass field. A beautiful purple and reddish sunset was in sight.
Luscious green trees and crystal clear water in a lake in the distance could be seen.
"Hello Jack." A voice came from behind him.
Jack turned around to see a frail old man in a toga. He had long white hair and a long beard.
"Welcome to my domain, I was the last person I thought you would choose."
'I thought there was a certain God who wanted to speak with me.'
"No, chosen ones have the right to choose which God they want, but they won't know which God they choose until they touch something in the pantheon."
'So tell me, what are you the God of?'
"I am a simple God. I'm frail because it's been so long since I had someone to worship me. Everyone goes for pretty or shiny things.
I want to offer you this pendant. It's a blessing from me to you. It will help you grow and you can achieve many great things in life."
'What's the catch?'
"There is no catch, just that if you don't take it your life will be exponentially harder."
'And what do you mean by that?'
"Jack, you were cursed. Stripped of your affinities. Someone went to great lengths to make sure you were useless. My blessing will give you a fighting chance in the world."
Jack didn't need a moment to think about anything. He took the pendant and put it around his neck.
'What do I call you? What do we do now?'
"You may call me Draven. You will finish your communion, and find out your affinity and Talent. As long as you wear that, I will regain my strength and you will get stronger."
'Thank you, Draven. I promise to live a full life. And if you ever require anything from me, you only need to ask.'