Chapter 2: The Choice
"Tommy! Wake up now and fetch me some water!"
Felicity's loud voice woke the sleeping Tom out of his confectionary dream.
After struggling to get out of bed. He wiped his saliva, grabbed the wooden buckets from his mother's side, and entered the iridescent foreign world.
Behind, he can hear her mother say "Be quick!" as his step and the buzzing of the people made it fade into the back of his head.
...
The humongous City of Ares is divided into 4 sectors. The north is The Heart of the Kingdom. It is where the palace of the current King Zerith resides, it is also where the most prominent live. The west is where the Golden Dragon Army of Ares, composed of 100 thousand fierce warriors resides. The east side is where middle to high-class family lives and is also called the Crown of Trading, for that's where the most money flows within the Kingdom.
And comes the South. The Commoner's place, the most populous place, and also the biggest. Largely because of the increasing population in the Kingdom. Farm, fields, granary, and other parts of the Kingdom's agriculture blooms here.
Their current King is a king loved by all. King Zerith is a just and fair man, loyal to his ancestor, the God King's virtue and strives for the people of the kingdom. A famous scholar and genius at the sword. His most famous saying, the one he spoke of when he inherited the throne, still reverberates on the streets today "The people are the most important resource of the kingdom, and I am just the treasurer."
His parents are pure-blooded Aresians. "We are born here, we have grown here, and we will die for the glory of the City of the Golden Dragon." is what his uncle Fred in his drunken rage often says. That sentence has stuck in the conscious and subconscious parts of the boy's brain.
While thinking about it, he came into a bustling street of people engrossed in their daily lives. In between the farmlands lay the well. The locals depend on it for their supply of precious water and wait in line for their turn to work the crank.
And it's his everyday task to draw their water here.
Though before, it's not as it is. His mother said that hundred years ago, at the time of the late King Arkan, father of the current King Zerith. The main source of water, the one used for crops, and the basic needs of the people and their animals, has been the Great Blaze River.
The river boasted a length that spans 3 kingdoms and dozens of cities. It's the river of life, the source of joy for the inhabitants of the continent of Arbaria. The one that contains The Blood of Angels, or so they say.
But due to a massive plague that swept half of the population. The Dark Plague which origin has been found and is caused by the water from the great river. Since then no one has taken water from the river, instead building wells at a certain part of the city.
Although it has already been cleansed, purified, and tested to be safe decades ago. The nightmare of the "Dark Plague" still made the people afraid of the Great River.
...
"Tommy! Hey, Tommy what's up!?" From afar, a cheerful and lean boy is running while holding two wooden buckets and a thick stick in hand.
Waving through the line of crowd, at times saying "excuse me, I have a friend there.", and cutting playfully in an experienced manner. Ryle came to Tom's side while smiling.
"I know that you're he-."
"Wait what happened to your face!? You look like shit! Who did that to you?" Noticing the faint black marks on Tommy's eyes and cheeks, Ryle asked with visible anger on his face.
Tommy just looked at him and shrugged.
"Is it the monkey trio!? The fat, thin, and tall dickheads! Yeah? I knew I was right! Wait here, I'll beat them up for you." Ryle took his stick, which is used to carry buckets of water by putting it on one's shoulder. He took a stance, ready to run.
"Nah, it's alright my friend. More importantly, today is the day of my star, would you celebrate with me?" Tommy grabbed Ryle's shoulder.
"Holy Mother of Learning! I forgot today is your birthday! Alright, I won't beat them today, instead, we'll do it tomorrow." Shocked, Ryle can only smile wryly.
"But have you decided what SKY to choose though?" Ryle asked.
Every man's 12th birthdate is the most precious and also the most important. Because on that day, they'll be able to choose what Sky they want their Star to be in. In this case, choose a God to serve, and that person will be under their protection and will be given a "blessing."
Tommy shook his head. "At the current moment, none."
At the conjuncture, Ryle's eyes shone. This is a perfect opportunity to increase the herd!
"You're a poet, you aspire to be a bard! You should choose the Great Mother of Learning, I'm sure you'll receive great blessings from her!"
The Great Mother of Learning, The Benevolent Teacher. The 2nd largest religion in the city. And the God that Ryle's family worship.
Felicity once told him that the City of Ares has three main churches that control a big part of the politics, economics, and military aspect of the kingdom, particularly the Church of Justice.
Justicar is the God of Justice which the late God King Ares worshipped and prayed to. They say that Justicar chose God King Ares as his champion and that he will lead humans into a new era. Which he had done, unifying all kingdoms of the Continent of Arbaria in his 100 years of reign, through his overwhelming strength and blood-fist rule.
And because of the glory of the late God King, almost 60% of Aresians worship The God of Justice. Just like the bald middle-aged man who heard their conversation just now, and is currently coercing his ideals to the young Tommy that "The Church of Justice is the greatest church of all Arbaria. Glory be to Justicar!"
And it's not just him, many more flocked at Tommy, trying to persuade him to join their respective Church after hearing the commotion.
...
Felicity threw a relatively clean red tunic to her son. She wears a wimple covering her hair and a long gown coupled with a ruby necklace. She is ready for his son's Conferment.
"Quickly Tommy, we'll be late for the mass."
Tommy hurried. His movement was somewhat different and clumsy.
After a while, he got ready to go.
But something's still bothering his mind.
"Son, you look a bit pale. Are you ready to choose?" Arthur who was sitting on the reclining chair asked his son the most important question.
"But Pa. I feel lightheaded like I'm up in the clouds, my thoughts are not in place since this morning. I can't seem to decide and feels like I'll forever be blind once I open my mouth." At that moment, Tommy rubbed his tired eyes, he felt eternal slumber caressing his back.
"You don't want to worship any God?" He heard his father in a low voice.
"What!?" Blurted her mother.
Suddenly, Tommy felt the temperature suddenly jumping, making him sweat and his mouth parched. Still, Tommy has already decided, which means he will never deceive himself and turn in from circumstances. With a strong will, he forced himself to stay awake.
With a pained expression he said, "Yes, I will not worship any Gods. Ma, Pa, help, I'm in pain." His breathing became rugged.
... For a moment, an eerie silence filled Tommy's ears. The feeling of his eyeballs burning made his eyelids unusually shut. For a moment he felt like he can hear everything, every sound from thousand miles away.
Ding! Ding! Ding! They say i-, every-, dr-, com-, Krrk! Krrk! Shhhhhhh!
He can hear the sounds of the bell from the tower, muddled voices from somewhere impossible to point, animals screeching.
Then suddenly everything faded as he felt a familiar, hiraeth form of warmth coming from his finger.
"Open your eyes, son."
Tommy opened his eyes.
The feeling just now faded into nothingness like it never existed. He saw on the index finger of his right hand a ring of the darkest color with some runic symbol. It has tribal designs he often saw decorating their mugs and vases. The design is spiral, and inside the spiral are spikes.
"Oh, God! What happened to your nose Tommy!?"
Blood came pouring from Tommy's nose. Felicity immediately wiped it with a cloth.
A couple of moments later, the family came out of the house and attended the Church of Justice mass. The Church is rather far from their house and is located in the middle of the south sector.
After the mass. A rather aged pastor named Pastor Rodrigo started Tommy's Conferment. Besides his family, his friends Mary, who escaped from her house, and Ryle, who's happy for his friend are there. Some believers and his mother's friends also came.
At the top of the white podium, Pastor Rodrigo holds a book, the Book of Justice, and is praying with their hands closed in front of his chest.
"Oh, merciful Father of strength and virtue, morality and system, shield and blade. Today, on the 3rd day of the 4th month of the year 378 within the 3rd Cycle. With the power to open the gates of heaven you've granted this humble servant. This child Tommy Border, child of Arthur and Felicity Border, from now till the end of time shall be a part of your heavenly kingdom!"
"Repeat after me." The pastor looked at Tommy.
He nodded.
"I, as a son of justice,
Shall offer my life,
To the greater good,
Of the people of this world.
I will be the bearer of hope,
The carrier of justice.
Righteous living,
Sons of Justicar,
Sons of Men."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone