The kind Nun picked up the tray with two cups and a kettle along with a small tub full of star-shaped cookies. She walked back to the table and placed it down on it. Pouring a cup of warm tea, she passed it on to Jinn.
"Sugar?" She asked, already dropping three cubes in her cup. Jinn looked at her with slight distaste and shook his head. Sister Agnes shrugged and added another cube. She was not ashamed of her choices; everyone knew how much she liked the sweets.
"I know you did not intend to join either the church or the empire, but whatever you want to do with those powers, the Nightshade Academy might be able to help you." Sitting down, she pushed the box of cookies toward Jinn after taking two for herself. "And even if—"
"Calm down, Sister Agnes." Jinn could not take it anymore. He placed the cup down and started scolding her. "You are overthinking again, and when you do that, you start taking sugar like water."
"I never said I did not want to go to the academy." He picked the cup back up, hiding his mouth behind it, and continued, "As for my unwillingness to join any church-oriented or even the Kingdom's law enforcement troops… I will wait to see how things turn out after the academy."
After a long silence, the kind matron wiped the corner of her moist eyes and spoke with emotion, "Jinn, you have really grown, but then again, you were always so mature. I can still recall the day I found you in a basket—"
"Why do you always bring that up?"
The raven-haired boy let out a long sigh, which made her laugh. She laughed so hard that she started choking on the cookie she ate before.
"Cough!! Cough!"
"What are you, a kid?" Jinn groaned in annoyance, "drink your tea."
The Sister's cheeks flushed in embarrassment, but she did as he had asked and silently sipped her drink. The warm tea helped her calm down.
Jinn picked up the letter before going over the details once more.
By the time Father Augustus knocked on the door, the two had finished their teas, and a certain someone had finished all of the cookies.
Hearing the knock, Sister Agnes panicked. She practically threw the empty cookie bowl inside the drawer in an attempt to hide it and slammed it shut.
"…Come in, Father."
Standing up from her chair, she moved to make another cup of tea for the priest.
With a tired look on his face, father Augustus walked into the room.
He had started taking off his overcoat when his eyes landed on the letter in Jinn's hands. "Sorry to keep you waiting, my child—ah, are you thinking of attending the Nightshade Academy? What an excellent choice; if you want, I can write a letter of recommendation."
The man immediately recognized the dark and mysterious-looking seal of a shield with a delicate flower etched upon it. Behind the shield was a concealed sword, its hilt peeking out at the top.
"Are you sure, Father Augustus?" Sister Agnes expressed her shock and disbelief at his offer. "Won't that be too much to ask of you?"
Caught by surprise, she even forgot to pass the tea to him, so the man had to pick up the cup himself.
"It is nothing." He waved his hand in the air lazily before taking a seat beside Jinn. "Given this child's bright future, I am confident that the order would be more than happy to provide a positive recommendation." After all, it is not every day you see a starless awakening, not to mention he was blessed by one of the seven major gods."
"Starless?" the matron gasped in shock and turned to face Jinn with worried eyes.
Although she might not have been aware, Jinn suspected that the order was willing to help him for a specific reason. 'Is it because I used the image of one of the major seven gods? The very gods the order represents and worships… they want to get on my good side to recruit me or something.'
From what the high priest said and the reaction Sister Agnes showed, Jinn realized that being starless was not all good. Maybe they want to use the time at the academy as an observation period to see how I and my powers grow.
He was sure this was true, but he didn't mind if it was.
"Thank you for the help, Father Augustus." The matron sighed in relief when Jinn accepted the priest's help.
"Just make sure to live up to the blessing that the gods have bestowed upon you, my child." The smile of the middle-aged man reached his eyes as he patted Jinn on the shoulder. "That is all the thanks I need."
Placing the cup of tea on the table, he pulled out a notebook from his robes and reached out to give it to the boy. "This is the reason I asked you to stay. This book is a basic manual on how to control the power in your body. You must keep using your power to get familiar with it since your body's dormant energy has just been awakened. Eventually you will be able to use the skill you receive from the blessing."
'I can already use it, but ok.' With a serious nod, Jinn took the manual and flipped through the pages. There were some drawings and many words, all describing how the serpentine energy was to be drawn upon and used properly.
"This is a very closely guarded secret of all the churches, so it's best to keep it to yourself and do not show it to others." The priest warned Jinn with an unusually serious tone.
Although the boy agreed with his words on the surface, his thoughts were in stark contrast to them. 'Like the churches would even hand out such manuals to all the awakeners, no matter if they joined them or not, if it was such a big secret.'
'I can already do half of the things written here.' Rolling his eyes inwardly, Jinn closed the book and tucked it away in his pants.
"Father Augustus, why is there nothing about how or when I can unlock the next Chakra?"
When those words left Jinn's mouth, the lazy smile from the Priest's face faded. He stayed silent for a moment, a silence that made the matron visibly nervous.
No one spoke anything until a bell rang in the background.
"Ah, Jinn, you should return to your class, or you will be late. From what I recall, it's Mrs. Walker's class. You sure you want to be late?" Taking the opportunity, Sister Agnes smoothly shifted the weight of the conversation.
Jinn saw the forced smile on her face and sighed before standing up. "Thank you for the manual and this Father." He raised the letter in his hands.
"This is what I should do, my child. Go attend your classes." Father Augustus also seemed relieved, even though he tried to hide it.
Jinn walked out of the room, leaving the two adults alone in there.
After leaving the Principal's office, Jinn walked down the hallway and then took the stairs to the lower floors.
After he disappeared from the floor, a figure walked out from behind the shadows of one of the thick stone pillars.
His bloodshot eyes shifted from the empty stairway and moved towards the closed door on the opposite end. His disheveled hairs were sticking to each other as if he had not taken a bath for days.
He moved to the stairs as well, but instead of going down, he took the stairs leading upwards.
The Restricted Area!
Only Staff Members Are Allowed!
Ignoring the warning, the boy twisted the old knob open as it made some creaking noise and stepped into the darkness beyond the gate.