Rebirth of the Fallen Zenith.-Chapter 4: The Blessing Ceremony Begins (Part 3)

Following prayer, the air vibrated with excitement as the congregants, such as Orion and Elara, sat on the icy stone floor of the arena. Legs were crossed, eyes shut, after Lady Selina's directions. The crowded arena had been silent, tense in anticipation, and the pressure of the ceremony laid heavy on every shoulder.

Lady Selina's voice grew loud once more, her melodious yet commanding tone resounding across the arena. "As you all know well, the Will of Eldora enables you to tap into the magical energy that permeates the world — Mana. To develop and strengthen yourself, to overcome your limits and claim your destiny."

Her sharp violet eyes scanned the seated youths, her face serene and unruffled. "But receiving the blessing is not that easy. The Will of Eldora bestows three kinds of blessings: Bronze, Silver, and Gold."

A murmur spread through the assembly, but Lady Selina's voice kept them in their place.

"The Bronze Blessing," she started, her voice rich and velvety. "When accepted, your body will radiate a brown glow. Those who take this blessing can tap into mana, but their cultivation rate is agonizingly slow. A cruel path, but nonetheless, a path."

"The Silver Blessing," she went on, "if given to you, your body will radiate white. The speed of cultivation is average, but yet a lot better than Bronze. Receivers can develop steadily with persistence."

Lady Selina's eyes glimmered with excitement as she reached the final, most desired blessing. "The Gold Blessing. When attained, your body will glow gold. Your cultivation speed will be exceptional, your potential unrivalled among most. Those who receive this blessing are often the most promising cultivators of their generation."

Cheers and murmurs rose from the crowd, their excitement building with every word. But Lady Selina was not finished.

"Presently," she spoke, her voice dropping to a whisper, attracting all eyes like moths to a flame. "You may have heard the legendary tale of the Platinum Blessing. A blessing so rare that it has become nothing more than a myth to many. Those who receive the Platinum Blessing will have their bodies glow a radiant purple. The Will of Eldora shall grant them unparalleled cultivation speed, the ability to harness mana at unimaginable efficiency, and a learning speed far beyond mortal comprehension."

Gasps filled the air in the arena. Wide-eyed competitors whispered in amazement, and the spectators in the stands were barely able to keep quiet.

Lady Selina's smile was serene, but something pointed underneath her peaceful eyes. "There has ever only been one individual in the past thousand years who has been granted the Platinum Blessing. our great Empress Shia Eldora."

Shock. Amazement. Unbelievable. All of these feelings raged in the faces of the crowd. How could it be that such a story was true? To be blessed as if a goddess herself? The very thought was enticing to many.

Orion, however, did not flinch. His expression retained its normal serenity, his blue eyes giving nothing away of what lay in his mind.

Platinum Blessing. Is that so mythic now? he wondered, his lips curving in gentle humor. In my previous life, it was scarce, I'll admit, but not divine by any means. Both I and Shia had the Platinum Blessing, if I recall. I suppose a millennium of reverence has made truth a myth.

His mind turned for a moment to Shia, his traitor. The supposedly goddess worshiped by these foolish idiots. His fists curled before releasing themselves. He had more important things to worry about.

Time crept on as the participants sat unmoving in their meditative stances, each one trying to connect with the Will of Eldora. Minutes bled into hours. Droplets of sweat streamed down foreheads, some brows furrowed in disappointment, others etched in resolve.

Lastly, the first player awakened. A weak, brown light covered him, pulsing like a dying ember. His eyes flared open, his face twisted in relief and victory.

"Bronze Blessing!" Lady Selina declared matter-of-factly, her gaze emotionless. "Move to the side."

The boy lurched upright, his legs trembling but his grin broad. He was only the first. Others soon started to awaken to their blessings.

Youth after youth glowed with the brownish color of Bronze Blessings. There was hope for many, but disappointment for a few. At least it was better than nothing.

The crowd murmured to each other, judging those who had received their blessings.

"Another Bronze... The bar for this city's talent is lower than ever."

"But at least they have potential. Even a Bronze Blessing lets them grow mana."

"I was told the neighboring city made five Silver Blessings and one gold last year!"

Lady Selina's voice went on proclaiming the results, her eyes periodically lighting up faintly when a white glow would surface.

"Silver Blessing!"

A youth jumped to his feet, bellowing his victory to the skies before soon running to the Silver Blessing portion of the arena.

Even more blessings kept happening. The Bronze Blessings were the largest group, and the Silver Blessings were significantly fewer.

Yet none of them had a Golden Blessing appear.

Elara's tall frame sat motionless, body still and peaceful. Orion looked at her out of the corner of his eye. His little sister's determination was reflected in her tightly shut eyes and regular breathing.

"Come on, Elara," Orion murmured to himself. "You can do it."

In an instant, Elara's body shook violently. The air around her became dense, thick with a tangible energy. Then—

A brilliant golden light burst from her body, clean and resplendent, illuminating her surroundings with a glorious radiance.

The crowd gasped, and even Lady Selina's calm face dissolved into audible surprise.

"Golden Blessing!" Lady Selina's voice was laced with an unusual note of excitement. "Incredible! We have a Golden Blessing!"

The crowd erupted into cheers.

"Amazing! That's the Lord Viscount's daughter!"

"As expected of Lady Elara!"

"Truly worthy of her position! Such a unique talent!"

Orion saw his sister rise to her feet, her lovely face flushed with joy and excitement as she glanced at him with shining eyes. "Brother! I did it! I really did it!"

Orion smiled warmly, his eyes kind. "Well done, Elara. I knew you could do it."

As Elara approached to join the Golden Blessing division, two more young people also received the Golden Blessing. But even their golden light was fainter than Elara's brightness.

The ceremony went on. Those who had been blessed congregated on one side of the arena in order of their rankings—Bronze, Silver, and Gold.

Orion sat back, though, his eyes closed. His face was serene, his breathing deep. Even when murmurs crept from the crowd.

"Is he attempting it again really?"

"It's his third go. If he fails this time, too, the humiliation will be awful."

"Hmph, another failure, just another. Not everybody is born with genius."

"How shameful... His own sister won the Golden Blessing and he got nothing?"

The voices of the audience were laced with contempt and derision. Even some of the contestants who had already been blessed gazed at Orion with pity or disdain.

Lady Selina's eyes were on him; her brows were slightly furrowed. "Still nothing. Could it be that he really has no talent?"

Orion tuned out the whispers, his awareness plunging into the vacant stillness deep inside. His senses extended out, reaching all the way into the very substance of Eldora itself. Then, he detected it—a throbbing, pulsating heat that welcomed him in.

The earth shook. The crowd let out a unison gasp as a resplendent golden light burst forth from Orion's form, illuminating the area with a blinding radiance. Its glory was more than anything the crowd had previously witnessed, much greater than even Elara's own stunning awakening.

Lady Selina stared aghast. Her voice shook with incredulity, "This. this light. Never have I witnessed so pure, so golden a light."

The crowd went wild. Cheers and whoops filled the atmosphere.

"Incredible! So bright!"

"He's actually. Unbelievable!"

"The strongest golden blessing I've ever seen!"

In the VIP balcony above, Celia's fists were pressed over her mouth, her eyes welling with tears. "My son. He's done it! He's finally done it!" she breathed, her voice shaken with emotion.

Sera's smile grew wide, pride emanating from her. "That's our Orion," she whispered, her violet eyes sparkling with delight.

Butler Walton bowed his head in respect. "Congratulations, my ladies. Young Master Orion has done something remarkable."

Celia and Sera nodded thankfully, but the face of Lord Theo was unchanging and stoic, his eyes fixed solely on the arena below. Whether he was in awe of his son's achievement or not, he made no attempt to let it be seen and no one saw.

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Elara was bubbling over with excitement. She smiled at Orion, her eyes almost aglow. "You did it, Brother Orion! You actually did it!"

But in the blinding golden light surrounding Orion's body, there was something more—something invisible to all eyes. Underneath the shining gold, a soft but unmistakable shade of deep purple glowed around his body.

Platinum Blessing.

Orion's lips twisted into a faint smile, his eyes slowly opening as the light surrounding him dissipated. No one else appeared to see the momentary flash of purple—except him.

The ceremony ended in Lady Selina's loud voice. "The Blessing Ceremony has come to its conclusion! Those who have successfully awakened, your rewards shall be given tomorrow at this very arena. Congratulations to all of you!"

Her words also brought another surge of applause and cheers from the crowd, even as those who had failed slunk away, cursing their bad luck. Orion was cool, his face impassive as he went back to his sister and together they headed for the door.

The golden blessing. That's what they would see. And that's what they would believe.

"Today's ritual is over. Let the sacred ones tread the way of cultivation proudly and carefully!"

The crowd started to disperse, with the onlookers' gossip flying around like birds in mid-air. The Vale family stepped out of the VIP room as Elara beamed, hanging on to Orion's arm.

"I can't believe it, Brother! Both of us made it!"

"Yes, we did," Orion smiled thinly.

Celia and Sera's eyes never wavered from him, pride inscribed on their lovely faces.

The family exited the arena surrounded by whispers of admiration and envy from the onlookers. But Orion barely noticed them. His thoughts were on the future.

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Somewhere in Eldora.

Inside a rich, dark chamber, there was a stunning form seated cross-legged, her eyes closed. Her slender, long fingers were placed on her lap, her chest heaving and falling in rhythmic respiration.

Abruptly, the ring on her finger shook. Her body convulsed, and a single tear rolled down her perfect cheek. "Finally. finally you come again after very long time." Her voice, though gentle, resonated with yearning and despair, hauntingly echoing in the vacant room.

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Somewhere else, deep inside a dark cave.

A beautiful woman sat in front of a huge, blood-soaked casket. Blood flowed from above, magically running and covering the surface of the casket.

Suddenly, her red eyes flickered open, and a peaceful smile adorned her lips.

"Finally, after 999 years, you have arrived, my dear." Her voice was a song of love, concern, and longing.

The smile on her face stayed, her eyes filled with infinite devotion.