Chapter 7
…
Those weaklings whose eyes met with hers flinched in fear, looking up, down, or to the sides, as they didn't dare to meet her sight.
They shrank their neck, trying to be invisible or pretend innocent to her anger, especially as they knew everything that they said beforehand was nonsense all along.
Kyren, who saw that wide-eyed again.
Never expected her mother to be so fierce and unyielding. Especially her glowing red eyes.
'It was so cool,' Kyren thought excitedly to himself.
He looked up to his mother, eyes glimmering with adoration.
A few of what they said also gave him a picture of the whole situation.
'So, my mom isn't the matriarch."
"That's enough, Scarlet. Come back now…"
It was Lucius who called out to her. His voice softened when he spoke her name, making Kyren feel nauseous.
"Yes, my lord…"
Scarlet replied sweetly, her misty gray eyes gazed at Chriselda, who stood her ground, even though both of them knew, the current her was just a woman who was slightly stronger than an average mortal.
"Nice bluff, big sister," she smiled, and turned her back, walking slowly but gracefully toward her husband.
As Scarlet back to stand behind Lucius, who sat on the patriarch chair, the hall was still permeated by the silence from Chriselda's earlier outburst.
Didn't mind it too much, Lucius turned his attention to the three wearing a clean, pristine, white robe, who from the start watched everything unfold with the same faint smile, as if it were their setting from the very beginning.
There was a symbol of a red square Greek cross on the back and the front of their robe.
The one who stood in the middle had a slightly different white robe, with the thin golden piping running through the edges. He also wore a golden pendant with the same cross as in their robe.
Meanwhile, the other two had a golden cord cinched around their waists.
Other than the robe, which was basically almost the same, they were also sporting a golden ring on their index fingers.
They were a deacon and his two Acolytes from the Church of Light, who believed in one Creator who created all that exists and granted Nirvana to the world.
This church was one of the few entities, aside from various sects and factions on Earth, that was large enough to have its own complete empire on the western continent.
Meanwhile, House of Valentine had a good relationship with the church, as in the past, before Nirvana manifested fully into the world, they often worked together to hunt witches, vampires, or werewolves.
And here, they were to help the children from the family to assess their Aptitude and Talent.
Kyren scrunched his eyebrows seeing them, as it meant his life as a child would be as miserable as the MC, because the curse that affected his Aptitude and Talent would render him a complete waste when revealed in front of those artifacts from the church.
'Sigh, guess this is how my life goes, I guess,' Kyren wondered what his mother's reaction would be later.
As far as he was concerned, his mother was a kind woman.
He could be wrong.
But with the way she treated the servants, Kyren was sure his mother wouldn't mind that much.
The problem was the people around them.
…
"As you all know, the last Deacon who managed the church in this territory had an accident that unfortunately claimed his life. So today, we have a new, unfamiliar guest in our house. This is Deacon Adhavan, accompanied by his two Acolytes, Acolyte Johan and Acolyte Francis. As you might already expect, they are here to assist us in assessing the aptitude and talent of the children."
"Now, you all may proceed…"
Lucius nodded his head at them as the representatives from the church began their work.
One of the Acolytes took notes on the aptitude and talent of each child.
In this world, there was a known 0 Star as the lowest of the Aptitude, meaning that they couldn't perceive Nirvana no matter how hard they tried.
Nirvana itself was believed to be an ethereal force that flows through the very fabric of existence, an omnipresent energy that bridges the mortal world with the divine.
It is said to be the essence of enlightenment, a shimmering current of harmony that resonates with the soul of the universe.
Those who attune themselves to Nirvana tap into boundless potential, shedding their earthly flesh limitations and rising as Transcendent beings.
In short, it was Chi or Qi in Xianxia novels. Just a bit of name-tweaking from the author.
Meanwhile, the highest Aptitude ever recorded in the history of Earth and their relationship so far with Nirvana was 12 Star, which was extremely rare.
Many believe it takes around ten thousand years for such an aptitude to manifest and be born.
As for Kyren's aptitude, if it weren't for the curse, he would be among the most talented individuals in the world.
Though Kyren, who had read the whole novel 'Earth Against the Abyss', knew that the highest talent, which everyone currently considered trash, was actually 13 Star.
This talent belonged to the main character, who had been cast out by his own family and left to die alone outside.
All things aside, if Aptitude made them advance faster in their Realm, Talent was what made them special.
Though not everyone who managed to absorb Nirvana had a Talent. Many said it was Heaven's decision.
…
The artifact used by the Church of Light was known as the Reckoning Mirror.
Its frame was crafted from a special type of wood, intricately inlaid with twelve gems.
Each gem that illuminated represented a Star of Aptitude.
Unlike traditional mirrors made of glass or any kind of similar material, this mirror was composed of an unknown water substance, the composition of which remains a mystery even now.
This water was one of the many secrets the church kept hidden from the public.
On the other hand, to use the artifact, children would have to submerge their left hand completely into the water.
The Reckoning Mirror would then gather the necessary information to display the results.
The illuminated gems indicated the number of stars representing the children's Aptitude, while the water would reveal an image connected to their individual Talents.
As the assessments took place, many disappointed gazes were cast among the innocent children.
However, in the middle of this procession, a sense of quiet excitement suddenly emerged among the onlookers, particularly the parents, when three children revealed to have high aptitude levels.
One of them, a three-year-old boy, achieved a remarkable 6 Star Aptitude.
The other two, a three-year-old girl and a one-year-old boy, received 7 Star Aptitude respectively.
Their talent was also something remarkable, tied to their Valentine bloodline lineage, which was Insignia Possession.
Yet, the elation wasn't quite done fading, as just before...