Not a single soul moved as a straight blast of crystal pure water shot from the fountain, thundering upwards. The ceiling withstood its impact, distributing it evenly as a thin shower of mist rained upon everyone present. Queen Remi only watched as the water stayed strong as ever. Eventually, it died out slowly, reduced to a small burbling. Murmuring broke out as Sara watched intently, her eyes wide open. Apparently, she wasn't used to this.
Well, Millie was her first child, so she shouldn't have been here before.
At least that's how the Queen put it…
Hmm, was this it?
Nothing all that impressive had happened. I'm sure Cuswoth, or even my father, could project a display of power similar to this one… hmm. I'll wait, since there could be more to it.
"What was that?" Sara whispered into Cidris' ear.
He smiled, putting his finger to his lips.
Damn useful, that was.
Wait, what was that taste?
The air tasted like a mix of salt and honey, something sweet-and-sour that didn't sit well in my mouth. As I breathed in the mist, I felt blood coursing through my veins, empowering me as I involuntarily gasped, widening my gray eyes. I let out a small Uhhh sound as my father patted me on the back while whispering something to himself.
Probably prayers.
Why did he hate this so much? I mean, there wasn't anything particularly distasteful about it yet.
I watched the fountain spit out something— and then it became apparent what that something was. A light fog had begun to envelop the room, as prickling sounds battered into my ears. Some watched in awe, and some stood silent. The silent ones, I assumed, had already seen this before.
After the fog engulfed the entire room, I found things a bit blurry. My vision adjusted quickly, but I could only make out certain silhouettes, the most prominent of which were the statues on the level just below ours.
The air hummed as a bright light shone from the statues.
Narrowing my gaze, I focused on each statue, trying to see through the fog. Strands of light began to appear around them, wrapping themselves around the statue in several confusing patterns. Then, the lights began to travel down to the floor, and to the walls and ceilings of the room. Before long, I saw a grid of patterned light cover all of the grooves in the room, creating an almost silent chorus of humming.
Step.
I heard a single footstep ring out as the fog instantly dissipated, racing towards the edges of the room, rapidly evaporating into a brisk steam, which filtered out of the skylight in just a second. Left dumbfounded, I chose to look at the center of the room, which also happened to be where the lowest level was.
There, the fountain was glowing a deep purple light, like heated coals.
The "coals" were the string of lights that gradually dimmed as they spread out to the very edges of the dome-shaped room. Ahh… I see! So this really was some kind of ritual!
But where did the footstep come from?
"Quiet, please." I heard a… familiar… voice…
My tongue touched the roof of my mouth, like I was swallowing ash.
I heard his voice– penetrating the mingling of the other elves, loud and booming. My neck creaked as I saw him— at the very edge of the fountain, wearing a thin smile. His eyes were narrow and almost closed, his hands were clasped, and his gaze was pleasant.
Eyes glancing around the room, I chilled as he paused on me.
For a fraction of a second… he paused!
I swear…
Fucking hell! Where did Queen Remi go?!
His smile brightened as all the voices ceased. The air seemed to still as if the world was holding its breath for him— with a slow clap, each strike ringing out like a bell, he began to speak.
"I despise meaningless chatter."
His voice pierced the room, as children's laughter died in their throats, and many elves swallowed their thoughts. Now, the room was focused on him.
"So let us be efficient." Tapping his finger once on his thigh, all the sounds in the room began to muffle as the strings of color began to pulse, like a soft heartbeat. His brilliant azure wings rippled, casting prismatic shadows.
"If you've been here before, ignore me." He chuckled.
"Newcomers, listen." He cast his gaze over the crowd.
My body trembled without notice.
"Shortly, your Queen Remi and your King Aldeous will come to assist in the ritual. Do not rush. Every child will be dowsed. If your child is under a year in age, pass him to me. If they are over, they will go with either Aldeous or Remi."
Tilting his head slightly, his lips curled up.
"Your child will be dipped in the fountain. Don't worry, nothing will happen to them. The fountain contains spiritual essence. Depending on the color the water turns, we will all learn what blooms in their blood…"
He paused for a moment.
"And what rots. I hope none of us become blighted."
Murmurs rippled throughout the room, but they were quickly silenced with just a glance from Cuswoth, who looked behind him. I gritted my teeth… I didn't like the sound of this. If everything went as planned, Cuswoth would be holding me.
That would be terrible! I would be at his mercy again!
"Take honor in this, but do not get greedy. Every single one of you here are of the purest blood. The ichor and spirit that runs in your veins will be passed down to your children for eternity!"
The purest blood?
How unsettling.
I turned towards my father, who was grimacing. Cidris wore a similar expression, arm around my father's shoulders while Sara had a worried look. Honestly, it wasn't much different from the rest of the elves.
Speaking of the rest of the elves, they didn't seem surprised that my father was here… or even Cidris and Sara. I would have expected them to be apprehensive of races unlike their own…
But I guess this shows promise.
"The water will judge your very souls, your very future. Some of you children know of what I speak of. For those who don't… do not worry. The time will come for your initiation as well."
Hearing footsteps behind him, Cuswoth nodded.
"Pray for Serynth's mercy, as Her apostle's light keeps witness."
And with that, he lowered his head slightly, closing his eyes as Queen Remi walked into the room, coming from a hallway shrouded in shadow. Her arms were linked around someone else… ah. That man must be Aldeous Alpin.
The King of the Sherwood.
Like Remi, he seemed slightly middle-aged, though I could not be sure. These were elves. Supposedly, they could live for hundreds, even thousands of years. Their spirit lived for eternity, it was only their body that decayed!
I presume.
His eyes were a deep ocean blue, and his hair was black, slicked back into a small bun. While his features were extremely handsome (hell, he was an elf), it didn't possess as much regal charm as I would have expected of a king.
Although he wore very extravagant clothes, it didn't fit him well.
How should I put it…
It was like he was forced to be a ruler.
In his hands, he had a scroll that had been sealed and all rolled up. Taking his finger up and lifting it, a small flame burned from his skin, burning and melting the wax seal before my eyes. Unrolling the scroll, he peered at the sheet, before sighing and reading from it.
Nobody bowed.
They were too unsettled to do so.
Even the veterans, I saw.
"I'll start with the lords of the lower court, and then move to the lords of the higher court, the royals, and then our very special guests…" He gestured in my father's direction. I could feel the eyes of hundreds of elves upon me, boring into my skin as I sweated heavily. My father lowered his head slightly, as did Cidris and Sara.
".. And that's about it."
He smiled.
… Wow.
It was like a flower blooming!
So there was something to make up for his awkward figure… but I digress.
I watched intently, hungry with anticipation.
My father shivered slightly.
"Son of esteemed Baron Syracouth, from the House of Syracouth, please make your way down the steps." Without further words, I heard some movement and muttering in the crowd as a parent lightly pushed their child out of the mass, sending them over to the steps. His features were light, and he looked to be only about six or seven years old.
He was obviously scared.
It wasn't hard to see, either.
Although he was somewhat trained, he couldn't get rid of the slight stuttering in their walk, the small trembling and displacement of their smile, and the look… the look in his eyes. It was far too noticeable.
He walked slowly down the stairs, closing in on the center of the room.
Everyone held their breaths as Cuswoth gestured for him to come in. Aldeous took his hand, smiling in his direction warmly. His features remained firm as he clasped his hands in prayer muttering something and then gracefully lifting the child, lowering him carefully into the fountain.
Almost..
Yes…
He touched the water.
The effect was immediate. A loud rumbling shook throughout the room as the power in the lights blazed, searing the ground as they pulsated rapidly. The water sizzled and bubbled like it was boiling, and steam quickly rose as I realized why a skylight was even present.
The statues in the middle of the room blazed brightly.
Lights, lights, and more lights. It was a rather peculiar ritual, that's for sure.
Color burst from the fountain as the water changed rapidly, turning from a deep azure into something else— a dark red color that looked and smelt like nature. The winding strings of light in the room reflected it. Slumping down, I saw tears well in the child's eyes as he ran back to his parents. Tough luck, I guess.
"... What does that mean?" My father said, hushed.
Sara shook her head.
"I'll tell you more later… hmmm. Actually, why not? It's simple! Shades of crimson determine the bloodline purity of the elf. You've got the lighter shades, the median shades, and the darker shades. It's not that hard really, just remember that the darker it is, the purer you are. Because it's under Serynth's witness, it's accurate!" Sara smiled happily as Cidris patted her head.
My father furrowed his brows, slightly suspicious.
"Isn't that too vague? Why all this extravagance?" He gestured at the lights.
Sara chuckled lightly, curling her lips downward a little.
"Elves care more about bloodline purity than they do about potential! But if I had to put it simply… it's rare enough to get the same color as blood. And to go darker than that, their potential would have to be close to the level of an…"
"Archon?" She said, placing her finger on her lips to signify thought.
I was disappointed to hear the envy in her voice.