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There are many things a child doesn't understand. The simple questions that we all learn as time passes. Why is the sky blue? Where does rain come from? These concepts have stories made to explain them to youth until they are old enough to understand them fully.
Yet Faris was sharper.
Such childish stories did little to satisfy him. So day in and day out all he did was learn. It didn’t matter what the subject was, he would not stop until the truth of the matter was right in front of him. If the first answer didn’t satisfy him? He would keep searching until he was. Of course such searches lead to stumbles, but each stumble gave him the opportunity to grow.
So he grew and grew, and his skills continued to expand alongside him. Even if certain ones remained out of his range, he performed beyond his peers in whatever he could achieve. There were some who looked up to him because of it, while others scorned him, and many were filled with jealousy. Still, Faris paid them no mind, instead he chose to ignore them most of the time. Why bother with others when they would just use him? It didn’t matter if it was to take credit for his work or to harm him, time and time again he was targeted by others. So he learned to adapt in turn with their behavior, that’s all there was to it.
Though it didn’t mean that he was free from those scars left behind by those actions. Be it physically or mentally, each one was proof of another lesson learned by him.
Yet one thing remained constant, no matter how much time passed, his mother would always be by his side. She loved all the children of the orphanage, but unlike the peers that shunned him, she encouraged him. She would reward him for his hard work, comfort him during his sadness, and be the pillar of support he needed under any circumstances.
It did not matter if he was perfect or not…she would still call him her pride and joy.
It didn’t matter how small he was, her love drove him to do his best for her.
Then four years after he was taken in, that work was rewarded. While he may still be small, his talents caught the eye of those in power…of the Church that watched over his very home.
Soon, there were templars and the Archbishop at the doors asking for him. They wanted to see those skills of his with their own eyes.Like always, Faris did as he was told.
This time, however, inside there was a fire that burned him to go beyond. With each task he completed, there was no effort he would throw to waste in showing everything he could do. Organization, simple repairs, cleaning, memorization, even the control he had gained over his own fire mana…every task was finished with perfection.
It was rewarded, he had never seen his mother smile so brightly as she was told her true love was the reason for his talents. It filled him with pride that he never experienced before that day.
At that moment the Archbishop shared that Faris was to be taken to a facility to help cultivate those talents even further. A place only those truly special who contain the right potential may enter. No time was to be wasted with packing any belongings, all he would need would be waiting for him at this new home.
So his mother saw him off with tears in her eyes, and a smile on her face. And yet, Faris could not find it in himself to cry, only return the hug she gave him and say his goodbye.
The facility was nothing like the orphanage. There was hardly any time to rest. Strict schedules were adhered to at all times. Wake up, breakfast, study history and scripture, lunch, mass service, combat training, dinner, sleep, repeat. Day after day it was the same. If you missed a mark in any area you were expelled. For every new person brought in, there were two who left in their place.
The frequency of those that came and went only increased the longer Faris remained here. It wasn’t long before he learned one reason as to why...
It was barely two weeks before he was called upon. Though he didn’t fully understand it yet, he knew this was more important than anything that came before. The instructors were scrambling around for days now, calling many of the other trainees forward before they vanished like the ones that came before. Whatever this task was placed in front of them this time, it was clear they failed.
Faris would make sure he would not end up like them.
As he walked with the bishop down the hall…the familiar sounds of whispering filled the air…
“Really? A toddler? Honestly, the bar for apostles is just growing lower.”
“Yet the toddler has shown to house mana compatible with Uriel’s own.”
“This child is a newcomer to the facility, and with Uriel’s strictness…”
“Yet look at Michael and Ramiel’s own sworn, they were not much older than this child when they took the oath.”
Even if the location was different, it seemed some things never change…
Still he followed along without question, wandering along the halls the bishops guided him along. The whispers soon were drowned out by Faris’s own thoughts. Many things caught his attention, three names he didn’t recognize, and mention of the “sworn.” It was no surprise that many disappeared, even without full context the importance could be felt in those concepts.
The sound of doors broke him out of his musings as he entered a grand hall. The stained glass windows along the walls matched the description of the scriptures he learned of, as if they were meant to invoke a sense of peace to the whole room. Yet little was to be found as Faris felt the weight of the many eyes of the bishops residing inside, gazing at him with a myriad of different emotions. Concern, confusion, amusement, judgement, scorn...
“So this is the newest candidate?”
That voice drew Faris’s attention as his own eyes met with the man standing at the center of the room. Something about him was different, his appearance was a stark contrast to the clergy gathered together. He stood tall and exuded an energy of power and control, even with his neutral expression...Faris didn’t find it suffocating, instead there was an odd warmth to it...
...Was this the ‘Uriel’ they spoke of?
As if drawn to it, Faris approached without waiting for a cue, causing Uriel’s eyebrow to quirk upwards. Uriel was the first to speak as the boy stopped right in front of him.
“What is your name, child?”
“Faris.”
“Faris...a fine name. I am assuming you know the purpose of this place?”
He gave a nod in response, “To raise the next generation of the Apostles for the good of the Church. Those who banish corruption and unsease, and become those who administer her will.”
A smile formed on Uriel’s face, “Ten points young one. Now, in order to become one of the Apostles, a candidate must swear the oath of the sigil with one of the dragons known as the Archangels. It binds the two of them together for life, granting greater power to both.”
Uriel knelt down to be at eye level with Faris, yet his smile still remained clear, “I am the Archangel of Righteousness, Uriel. I oversee law, order, and judgement, in her name, and I am in need of a new Apostle to work alongside me. Faris, your potential and efforts are what lead you to face me today, the church feels you are fit to take up this task.”
Faris gave no reaction, yet he did not waver as he watched Uriel’s smile fall as he extended his arm forward.
“If you are to carry this responsibility, take my hand”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Faris joined his own hand with Uriel’s. He made no move to let go. Even with how young he was, he could recognize a test when it appeared, there was more to this than Uriel was letting on.
As if on cue, Uriel’s hand was engulfed in a brilliant red flame that encompassed both his and Faris’s own..yet Faris did not flinch away at the display. The only reaction present was in the child’s eyes...as they filled with awe. The dragon’s fire was warm, yet they did not hurt or burn...such a thing felt impossible to him. Still the proof was right before his eyes.
Faris looked over to Uriel and saw the dragon’s eyes filled with pride as a new smile formed, “Twenty points, young man. I have high expectations for you.”
The flames only grew in intensity, but still did not harm him as Uriel continued to speak. This time however, the halo present above the angel glowed...and the words that followed carried more weight than before...
“By sigil sworn and fire’s judgement, let our power and life be shared. Let Her Will soar to the highest point on her Wing of Righteousness.”
A matching halo appeared above Faris’s own head, before fading away alongside the flames as Uriel released their hands. The cries of shock and distress that erupted from the clergy did little to stop the archangel from standing tall once more, “Silence!”
Still, the outliers made their protests clear once again.
“There are still more candidates to consider!”
“That child is too young for a sigil!”
“Sir Uriel, is this not a hasty decision?!”
Yet Uriel’s voice held no hesitation, “I said enough. That is a failing grade for all of you.”
Faris made no move, but hung onto every word as he continued to listen to Uriel speak, “Every other candidate you brought has been failure after failure, yet Faris here has done what those twice his age have failed to do. You all forget your place. This sigil is my own, and he has shown to hold the promise worthy of it.”
A warmth was forming once again in the boy’s chest as Uriel took his hand once more. This time, not in a handshake, but a strong yet gentle hold.
“I will oversee his growth personally from now on, your services will be called upon when needed.”
Uriel looked away from the crowd to meet Faris’s own gaze with another smile.
“Come now, Faris. I have much to teach you.”
On that day, as they left that grand hall, Faris swore he would become an Apostle worthy of the title ‘The Wing of Righteousness’ that he would grow into.
For both Uriel’s sake, and his own.