Every eye was now fixed on Jinn as he moved to stand in the middle of the circle. A few were curious about the result, while others were cursing him to fail in their hearts.
Their gazes filled with envy and jealousy were all ignored by Jinn. He closed his eyes without taking a sip of the concoction.
And then it happened…
Faster than it did with Geralt.
The gates of the hall flung open, and the windows started banging loudly as if a storm had arrived. A gust of wind rushed towards Jinn like a swirl of power, drowning him in a flood of energy.
Geralt's eyes widened as he saw the illusionary silver energy gathering behind Jinn and forming a symbol.
A sinister eye appeared within the shadows, standing vertically tall behind him. The power radiating from the sigil made even the priest lose all of his sleepiness.
"The One-Eyed Goddess…" he uttered the name in awe as the insignia grew brighter and brighter. "Glory to the gods… not only did he receive the blessing of one of the seven, but it's a starless awakening."
Unlike Geralt's awakening, where he saw two glowing stars come to life, Jinn had none.
"Is that a good thing or a bad one?" Jinn, who had already opened his eyes, asked hesitantly.
Father Augustus answered with a complex look on his face, "it can be both. Having no stars means your future is not set in stone, but it also means—"
"I can even fail to awaken the Sacral chakra." Jinn finished the sentence for him, and the Clergyman nodded with a look of pity in his eyes.
But he quickly replaced his expression with a cheery one and patted Jinn on the head once more. "No need to dwell on what may or may not be. You should go to the matron and wait for me to finish here. I will find you there and explain everything about the power you possess and the responsibilities it entails.
"Yes, Father." Jinn bowed slightly, placing a fist on his chest as a formal greeting. When he turned around, Jinn saw many evasive eyes and forced smiles.
But he did not care about them; he was more curious about where a certain boy had disappeared to. Geralt was no longer among the children in the crowd.
'I should head to Sister Agnes for now.' Ignoring the kids in the hall, Jinn made his way to the exit. He could still hear the priest's lazy voice calling out for the next boy.
"What did you do?!!" The moment Jinn stepped out of the hall, he heard the startled, raspy voice ringing in his ears.
Jinn closed his eyes slightly but did not say anything, so it repeated itself.
"What was that power you used?! It does not belong to any of the orthodox gods."
This time Jinn's steps faltered and his gaze sharpened. He quickly looked around the empty hallway and whispered back. "Not now; we will talk after I am alone."
And then, without giving the voice a chance to speak, Jinn rushed to the top floor and knocked on the door of the matron's office.
"Come in."
Receiving her permission, Jinn walked in. He had not even completely entered the room before Sister Agnes's voice sounded again.
"Jinn? What are you doing here?" Sitting in her seat, the kindhearted matron was going through some of the papers when she saw Jinn entering the room. Surprise colored her face at his unexpected arrival. "You should be in the main hall…. Did you not go?"
Concern marred her face as she recalled what he had witnessed yesterday. 'Is he traumatized by what happened?'
"You worry too much, sister Agnes; I already had my turn." Jinn sighed upon seeing her worried face and sat on the chair opposite to her. Before she could charge another series of questions, he decided to tell her everything that had happened after he went on the stage while hiding certain things like what his power was and what he did with it.
And after hearing all of that, her first reaction was, "Sometimes I wonder if I should fire Mr. Huggins or feel pity for him."
'After everything I tell you about in detail, you are really going to focus on that?'
Maybe his thoughts were bare on his face, as when sister Agnes looked at him, her face flushed with embarrassment. "The One-Eyed Goddess blessed you with her grace."
The matron pulled out the Rosary hanging around her neck and rubbed it between her fingers; her eyes glistened with reverence and relief while she whispered, "…she heard my prayers. Glory to the all-seeing goddess."
Jinn heard her faint muttering and just shook his head without saying anything.
"Father Augustus must have asked you to come here." Sister Agnes wiped her eyes and opened the drawers to her right. "Before he comes, I have something to give you."
Taking out an envelope, she pushed it towards Jinn and said, "This is a congratulations present for you."
Jinn slowly took the letter out of the envelope. As he read the contents of the letter, his eyes widened in shock.
He raised his head and saw the matron looking back at him with an excited smile on her face.
"This is an enrollment letter for The Nightshade Academy? You know they only take in the nobles or the elites who are bound to serve the Kingdom."
Sister Agnes nodded; her bright smile dimmed a little, and she lowered her voice and whispered. "Normally that is true, but if someone from a powerful force such as the Order of the seven recommends someone…"
She did not have to speak anymore, as she knew Jinn understood what she meant.
"The academy will not only teach you how to harness your powers, but it will also help you refine your skills in several other areas."
"What kind of skills?" Jinn was genuinely surprised about this information, as he had never heard about it before.
'What could they possibly be training those students for besides fighting and acting like nobles?'
Even though he could not put a finger on the actual intent, he knew that it was nothing to scoff at.
"The power bestowed upon you by the gods can be used in many ways." Sister Agnes stood up from her seat and walked to the corner of the room. There stood a serving trolley with a kettle and some unturned cups arranged neatly on it.
"As they say, the power is neither good nor bad. How you use that power—that's what counts."