The Bad Offspring 7 Starry Night 2/2

Just before the group broke up Samuel, with whom Algos had managed to form a bond, gave him a flyer. He had proposed to Al to join him at the Academy, where he would learn the handling of several types of weapons, magic while learning the basic courses for any self-respecting rich person; generally, the Academy didn't accept a commoner, but as he was beginning to become famous, it would make the Academy stand out, so it was a good plan... moreover it would give Al time to know what he wanted.

Algos went to say goodbye to Elizabeth; apparently, she and Lise had to go to the cathedral, both being young adults, daughters of religious parents, so... they still had to do one last ceremony: the Link.

It's a long process that lasts 8 days, where little by little, individuals bonded with 8 divinities of the Clouds, the highest ranks like Elizabeth could choose themselves which G.o.ds and G.o.ddesses would energetically accompany them throughout their lives, sometimes, in very rare cases, some of these people reached such a level of faith and energy that they could join the Clouds and live with the G.o.ds, this is how the New G.o.ds appeared as they went along.

The rest of the population, all races included, couldn't do this, the only way for the rabble and even for the rich to connect with the G.o.ds was prayer or offerings… for the craziest, sacrifices.

Algos tried to rea.s.sure Elizabeth about this ceremony, but she seems overly stressed out. Different stories said that it was a painful and memorable part of the religious life, they don't get enough sleep during these 8 days, they eat almost nothing, and see no one. The people who helped them during these eight days were the Blowers, they were the only support given to the young people during the Link.

Elizabeth just asked Algos to give her something of him, so she wouldn't feel too lonely with a touch of irony. She seemed to be a more fragile girl than she wanted to make her look... without thinking more, he simply gave him the ring he had kept on his finger; it was his totem, but it didn't matter to him, he didn't have faith for the Clouds after all.

"Were you really sure it was a good idea to pa.s.s him your totem pole? Your mom's gonna freak if she finds out." asked Felicia after they both spent all day outdoors strolling around town before returning home at sunset.

"I didn't have anything else on me, I wasn't going to give her my s.h.i.+rt or underwear." he sneered. "Anyway, it's not like my mom's gonna find out, she's busy for the next eight days with the Link ceremony."

"Yeah, that's the thing, Elizabeth's going to that ceremony too, you idiot."

"Well... that true..."

"Otherwise, you're going to have to explain this to me. To get so close to a girl you barely know... and she looked at you with those eyes. What happened in the bedroom exactly?"

"Isn't that supposed to be my privacy?"

"I just want to know how you managed to get so close to someone in such a short time! I remind you that you weren't going to talk to other women than me and our parents!" she exclaimed, giving him another headb.u.t.t.

"You, a woman... ahaha. You're closer to a manly bulldozer than to a wom-" he received another header and stared at his cousin with an annoyed look. "You behave like when you're jealous, do you know that...?" he grunted, rubbing his head. "If you want to tell me or confess something, you might as well do it instead of hitting me..."

"Shut it."

"She's jealous !"

"Shut it! Shut up or I'll tell the other nun you got pounding yesterday, the things you did when you were a kid to get hot."

"Please not." he finally said, after stopping at the front door of his house.

Mag tries to hide her excitement when she sees the two young people coming into the house; Felicia dropped off her jacket and started talking to her mother to explain the s.h.i.+tty situation she'd gotten herself into. The atmosphere in the house changed all of a sudden and shortly after the sound of a slap was heard, it was while predicting what was going to happen that Algos preferred to go upstairs and take a shower, this discussion was the one of a mother and her daughter.

Even as he tried to clear his mind, the water running down his body, Algos couldn't manage to forget the events of the day, there were, of course, all the good things, but also the bad ones.

This n.o.bleman had been ejected with the 96 others outcasts and, to tell the truth, no one really knew where they were sent. The image of the carriage moving away in the distance came to his mind. To get young people out of their homes, to take them away from their families, to make them live alone in nature with nothing, whether it be a n.o.bleman, a religious, or a member of the populace, how could people close their eyes to that? Or, what was it that people didn't want to see the injustices of this world? Faith or fear? Algos couldn't choose between the two, for him, faith is the madness that every human being shares and fear is the feeling that every human being feels. Two very similar things, but at the same time radically opposed.

Rayan Obinski had saved Felicia from her own stubbornness by sacrificing himself, even if he had used unconventional ways to achieve his goals; Mag, Philia, and Algos could only thank him.

However, Felicia was going to have to repeat the ceremony next year, so one thing was almost certain, she would become an outcast next year unless she fell in love with someone. He was going to have to find a way to get her out of this mess...

Maybe he could get help from Elizabeth, but it seemed unlikely, as the Salvatrix's daughter, she must have been very conservative. As for Samuel, he probably couldn't do anything on that side, neither he nor his parents had access to anything religious, his family was famous merchants. The only thing Samuel could do would be at the moment, was to enslave her to protect her, but it would require taking a big risk for the n.o.ble, it could make it look like an intrmarital relations.h.i.+p, given that he already has Lise in his life and it's a very taboo thing, not to mention that he could simply refuse. Besides, Felicia wouldn't let that happen.

The solution had to be found by Algos alone, if he talked about it, it could spread like a rumor and he would have big problems now that his name was known, but if he didn't, he wouldn't do for his mother, his aunt, his grandfather and even less his cousin any honor, in addition to being a coward.

However, the acts of rebellions were punished by hanging, so this somewhat curbed the young man's ambitions.

After all his thoughts, the young man rinsed his body and called Tom in the hope that he could help him.

[Satisfied with your statistics?]

[I don't know. They're just basic and unevolved..]

[Yes. That why joining the Academy would be a good idea. You'd raise your stats, I think it would enhance your special abilities.]

[Special abilities?]

[It seems you have special abilities, but everything seems to be locked for some reason.]

[Do you think you know how to unlock them?] he asked, pressing the tab: capacity, but what he saw were blue rectangles with [???] inside.

[Not at all. However, some of the capacities are already released. I can advise you to take a look at them, but avoid using them here.] the ent.i.ty waits a little while before starting to talk again. [So, that reminds you of something.]

[Yeah... but I don't remember well, the two capacities name are Vega and Deneb... I can't remember what it is...] he sighed and come out of the shower.

"I gonna have to investigate that."

He dried himself off before drying and dressed in clean clothes. He had a tired head, maybe he had thought too much. Before leaving, he stopped at the door for a moment when he heard Mag and Felicia arguing from the kitchen.

Before closing the bathroom door, he set his eyes on the stars he could see through the window. A simple starry night.