Alioth swallowed hard as the young man in front of him walked away happily, still inspecting the tattoo on his arm.
"Next?" the priest said, looking at Alioth with a bored expression.
The white-haired boy nodded, approaching the vessel timidly.
"Wow, judging by how faintly you're glowing, you must have a very small amount of Ka," the old man's voice said.
Alioth only nodded as he raised his gaze. At that, his body froze.
'It's him... What the hell is he doing here?'
The boy wondered, shocked.
It was him, the priest who had slandered him at birth. The reason he never met his mother. The one who had robbed him of his life.
The one who had discarded him simply for being born that way.
Alioth's fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Blood boiled in his veins with anger.
However, there was nothing he could do... for now.
"Are you coming?" the old man asked, annoyed.
Unlike the priests in the other lines, this one clearly didn't want to be there.
'What bad luck. Of all of them, I had to get stuck with the crazy old man.'
Alioth complained internally as he approached the small altar.
"What should I do now?" the boy asked dryly.
The old man raised an eyebrow, perplexed.
"You really don't know? What are they teaching you in school!?" the man asked indignantly.
Alioth's brow furrowed.
'Is this idiot criticizing my teacher's teachings? Damn old man.'
"I had a peculiar education," the boy said in a sharp tone, though the old man didn't seem to care about his attitude.
"Whatever. You just have to lean forward and dip your head in the water. You'll have a vision with your divine ancestor and they'll give you your Devastra. When you lift your head, it'll all be over," the old man explained indifferently.
Alioth nodded. Nerves shot through him at the thought of what might happen.
There were many possibilities. He could acquire a Devastra and with it develop Ka, or, if he had no Ka, nothing would happen.
Though the worst would happen if the priest realized he had no Ka in his body and recognized him.
If that happened, the priests would throw themselves at him to "purify" him and probably kill him.
"Come on, we don't have all day. There are more kids waiting," the old man grumbled.
Alioth just sighed as he leaned over the vessel.
His heart beat forcefully as he brought his head closer to that sacred liquid. A whirlwind of emotions surged through him: hope, rage, fear.
But in the end, he mustered enough courage to dip his head into the vessel.
'Damn, it's cold!'
His head seemed to freeze as he submerged. The water was so cold he started to get dizzy.
It was as if hundreds of blades were piercing his skin. Unable to bear it any longer, the child pulled his head from the vessel.
Upon emerging, a sharp pain pierced his head. He was dazed and dizzy. It hadn't been a pleasant experience.
"Huh? What happened?" the priest asked, agitated.
His eyes showed confusion rather than concern.
"Uh... n-nothing," the boy said, coming out of his daze.
He hadn't felt any change. The ritual hadn't worked. It was disappointing.
"What?" the old man asked with wide eyes, as if he couldn't believe what Alioth had said. "You said nothing happened?"
Alioth's body froze. He had been careless.
"I-I meant nothing out of the ordinary. The ritual went well," he affirmed nervously while taking a few steps back.
However, the old man didn't let him move away. He stretched out his hand, grabbing him by the wrist, squeezing so hard that circulation was cut off.
"Really? Because I don't notice any change in you," the old man said.
His eyes were fixed on the boy's face, while Alioth for his part tried to avoid his gaze.
"I-it might be because I have very little Ka, hehe, don't worry," Alioth responded, trying to escape the man's grip without success.
There was no way he could struggle against someone with orgone.
"No, a tattoo should have appeared on your body. That's how it works," the old man said with a severe voice, getting so close to Alioth that he could smell his breath.
The boy's body trembled as he continued struggling to get out of the man's grip, though it still yielded no result.
"L-let me go, you crazy old man," Alioth exclaimed, his voice cracking with effort.
The old man's black eyes observed the boy as if trying to decipher something.
'Shit, this is getting ugly.'
"Haven't we met before?" the old man then asked, opening his eyes at the revelation he had reached. "Yes, he didn't have Ka either... but it's impossible. I got rid of him."
The priest seemed to be delirious with his own thoughts, but he didn't loosen his grip one bit.
"Abzu, help," the boy then said quietly.
Upon doing so, he felt a tingling inside the tunic. A liquid had moved through it until reaching his wrist.
The water slid between the priest's hand and Alioth's wrist.
"Viscous, become viscous," the boy ordered.
Upon doing so, the liquid vibrated, becoming slippery, though it still seemed impossible to free himself from the old man's grip.
'Damn old man, why is he so strong?'
Alioth's gaze moved to the sides. The children in the other lines didn't seem to notice him, and those behind seemed too scared to intervene.
"Yes, you're definitely him. I suppose I'll have to end your miserable life again," the priest declared.
His features had hardened considerably, but his eyes were empty, like two great abysses about to swallow his soul.
'Shit, isn't anyone going to help me?'
Alioth wondered desperately. Those were the eyes of a madman, of someone who wouldn't hesitate for a second to kill.
It was clear it wouldn't be possible to reason with him.
"Really, is this how I'm going to die?" the boy thought, having already stopped struggling.
Meanwhile, the old man had only raised his hand. Upon doing so, Alioth saw particles of light beginning to appear.
They joined together until crystallizing into a dagger made of golden and silver mosaics.
"It's time for you to die, abomination," the priest declared, raising his knife that reflected moonlight.
'Damn, this is it...'
But then, an immense blast resounded throughout the area.
A great column of light pierced the darkness of that "artificial night," expanding upward until becoming a pillar that united sky and earth.
'What the hell was that?'
The boy wondered, turning to see what was happening.
But just at that moment, the priest's grip loosened. All his attention had been directed toward the column of light.
'This is my chance.'
The boy freed himself without hesitation, immediately starting to run.
Would fleeing now really help? Alioth didn't know, but he had to try.
The boy ran between the rows of children. Everyone seemed hypnotized by the great column of light.
Something the boy wouldn't waste.
'Whoever created that thing, I owe them one.'
Alioth thought gratefully, as he moved away from the streets consumed by night.
He had escaped by the skin of his teeth.