Diven paced back and forth in the waiting room of the Temple of the Sun, feeling restless. His parents had dropped him off in the morning, and for hours now he had been waiting for the ceremony to start.
A steady stream of Leios clan teenagers gradually filled the room. Despite them being from the same clan, Diven didn’t know any of them. His mother was estranged from her family, and aside from his uncle he had never formally met anyone else.
There were at least a dozen people in the room, more than he had expected.
“Hey, isn’t it the Sunset kid?” A blond boy called out. All the people in the room were thirteen years old, but this one was taller than Diven by a head.
He looked the boy up and down, unsure of how to respond. He wasn't a stranger to this attitude from his clan members, but it had been a while since it was so openly displayed.
“Who are you?” He asked.
“Alexios Leios,” The blond guy answered. “What’s someone like you doing here?”
“I’m a Leios too.”
“Barely,” Alexios scoffed. “Don’t shame us and awaken a pathetic bloodline like your mother.”
“He’s right,” A girl Diven didn’t know chimed in. “Aren’t you afraid of making the clan look weak?”
“I’m going to awaken a good bloodline,” Diven protested.
“Right,” Alexios laughed, joined by a few others. “Good luck.”
Diven didn't answer. He was seething inside. This was why he didn’t have friends in the clan.
He would prove them wrong. He was determined to awaken the Sun Heart. Like Uncle Basil. Like Leios himself. They would have to see how great he was.
Before he could sink deeper into his reverie, the large wooden door leading to the main hall of the temple opened.
An old man walked in.
“Good morning, young heroes of my Leios clan. Some of you will recognize me as Elder Thephes. I’m in charge of most awakening ceremonies of the clan. Since everyone is here, please follow me. We will start shortly.”
Diven and the others followed the elder silently. It seemed they all knew better than to act up under the elder’s watch. Elders were after all the true leaders of the clan, the mighty men and women that held up the Leios clan as one of the three noble clans of Kheiron.
They all respected that, and all wanted to become one of them someday.
The temple’s hall was vast. Light from the ceiling reflected off the many golden effigies of the sun hanging on the walls, which rose so high that simply looking gave Diven vertigo.
In the center, the tomb of Leios was featured predominantly on a massive pedestal which allowed all in the audience to see it.
Despite its vast size, the temple was packed with people. From the families of the to-be-awakened children to representatives of the other great clans and the wealthiest families down on the harbor.
The entire city would know of the result of this ceremony.
While the Thesios and Opheo clans' awakening ceremonies were watched with interest, the Leios clan's was always the most commented on by the commoners. After all, with their sun-attuned bloodlines, they held the key to Kheiron's prosperity.
Elder Thephes lined up the participants, placing Alexios first. Somehow, Diven ended up being last in line.
It was fine; it would soon change.
Standing on the main altar of the temple, Diven had a fantastic view of the crowd. He quickly noticed his parents standing somewhat aside from the other families. With them, Uncle Basil had come.
Diven had hoped his grandparents would be there but he didn’t see them. They were not with his family nor were they in the stand reserved for the elders which stood relatively empty. Only three elders had made the effort to attend.
“Welcome to my Leios clan’s awakening ceremony. In this 431st year since the founding of our beloved city, I’d like to welcome those children as full-fledged citizens of Kheiron.”Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Elder Thephes turned to Diven and his peers.
“The process is simple, I will flood your body with mana. Focus inward and you will see the seed of your bloodline bloom.”
Stepping next to Alexios he announced.
“Alexios Leios. Are you ready?”
“I am, elder.”
Elder Thephes placed his hand on Alexios’ shoulder. The latter closed his eyes. Diven was looking at the process anxious for his turn. For long minutes, it seemed as if nothing was happening.
Then, Alexios opened his eyes and his lips rose into a smile.
“Radiant Sun bloodline! A fine addition to our clan. Congratulations, Alexios.” Elder Thephes said.
The crowd applauded. It was undoubtedly good news for the city-state. His bloodline was bound to be powerful.
Diven's mind reeled. This was what he wanted. Jealousy filled him. He needed something even better. Sun Heart.
The elder moved on to the next in line and repeated the process. Diven could see he wasn’t the only one stressing over the result as the boy in question was practically shaking in his boots.
“Summer Dawn bloodline. Not bad.”
In a way, it was reassuring. If everyone received a sun-attuned bloodline, it was likely for Diven to get one too. This one wasn't nearly as good as Alexios', only having an indirect relation to the sun. But it was still considered sun-attuned.
That said, his mother's Sunset bloodline was sun-attuned and didn't endear her to the clan. So there was some nuance.
His anxiety returned charging when the turn of the girl who had sided with Alexios earlier came.
“Ela Leios, True Sight bloodline. Don’t be disappointed, while it is not sun-attuned, this bloodline will serve the clan well.”
Despite the elder’s reassuring words, Ela didn’t seem pleased at all. Her face stuck in a grimace, she was clearly holding back tears.
Good. Diven couldn't muster any sympathy for her.
The wait seemed endless. With Diven being last in line, he had to wait more than an hour before his turn came. An hour was spent torturing his mind, debating if he could receive the bloodline he wanted, or even a decent sun-attuned one.
Finally, his turn came.
“Diven Leios. Are you ready?”
“Yes, elder.”
Feeling the elder’s hand dropping on his shoulder, Diven closed his eyes.
Being flooded by mana was a new experience for him. It tingled, then it burned, then it settled into the uncomfortable sensation of laying on rocks.
Focusing his mind inward, the flood of mana led him into his inner world. The Leios clan taught its children to see their inner world as a garden where the bloodline was at the center.
However, before their awakening, all they could see was an endless black expanse. In the middle of the void, a small seed. He focused on it as the elder’s mana swirled around the seed, being absorbed in droves.
Time passed as Diven was captivated by the sight. It could have continued forever but eventually, the void receded, and tall grass appeared around the seed, filling the space all the way to the horizon.
Still, his focus was on the seed, the source of his bloodline.
What would it bloom into?
“Sun Heart, Sun Heart, please be Sun Heart.” He begged.
The seed broke apart, revealing a sprout. The sound of a heartbeat echoed through Diven's inner world.
Could it be?
Turning into a sapling, the sprout grew taller than Diven in a few seconds.
Another heartbeat.
A smile rose on Diven’s lips. It was happening.
Another heartbeat.
At the base of its trunk, the bark of the sapling fell to the side. The wood was dark, pulsating.
Diven didn’t dare to breathe lest he disturbed the process.
Another heartbeat.
From the dark spot of wood, a vein spread across the trunk.
Heartbeat.
His inner world solidified, and information about his new status filled his mind.
Excitedly, he processed it.
Bloodline awakened: Rot Heart
“This… What is this?” His mind froze, instinctively parsing the status his inner world was feeding him.
Name: Diven Leios
Bloodline: Rot Heart
Current Facet: None
Skills: None
It wasn’t the Sun Heart. It wasn’t even a sun-attuned bloodline. Neither was it a mediocre non-attuned one.
It was rot-attuned.
Was it even possible?
His eyes opened wide, staring at the frowning elder in front of him. For a moment that could have stretched into eternity, the elder stayed silent.
Then, he spoke.
“Basil, come here will you?”
Diven watched as his uncle Basil climbed up the stage and stood next to the elder.
The crowd was starting to get curious and murmurs rose in the hall.
Whispering to his ear, elder Thephes talked to Basil.
The latter turned to Diven, his eyes full of sadness. He kneeled to match his size.
“Diven, when elder Thephes announces your bloodline, I will lead you away from the temple.”
Diven nodded, unable to process what was happening.
The elder turned around to face the crowd.
“Diven Leios. Rot Heart bloodline.”
A cacophony erupted as Uncle Basil pushed Diven toward the back door.
There was only one thing on his mind.
It was over for him.