I

  Before Kazimoriel, or Kaz as everyone called him, stood the imposing doors to the inner sanctum of the Temple, with the Elder off to his side. The short Gnome looked up at the Elven Elder and then looked towards the imposing barrier. The massive marble doors were carved with intricate designs with gold accents, each one representing the legends of each of the 13 Originators, the ones who shaped the Cosmos, the ones who kids were taught about in their bedtime stories. The ones who awakened the Calling for every person that are a part of society. They were expertly carved into the stone, without a single crack or blemish. Being in front of the doors, Kaz could feel the power that the doors held, guarding the most sacred sanctum of the Temple. In his state of awe, he barely noticed the movement coming from the Elder next to him.

  The Elder took one step forward and then moved his right hand, starting from his chest to his chin then waved it to the right of his head. He then spoke boldly without raising his voice, his lower face covering not moving in the slightest,

  “This servant requests access to the inner sanctum of the Temple of the Originators, to begin the Awakening of Kazimoriel, family of none.”

  The Elder brought down his hand, moved back to the side of Kaz, and formed a fist over his heart while bowing his head slightly.

  Power rippled behind the words, causing him to freeze in place. The door remained shut, not moving. Kaz felt the pressure build, his heart hammering and his hearing picking up the erratic movement of the blood in his body. He felt it before he saw it, the slight rumble that seemed to have come from behind the door, reaching Kaz and the Elder. The breath caught in his throat, as if the room lost the air he was breathing.

  Everything seemed to shake in his vision, becoming blurry, causing Kaz to teeter to the side. His knees wanted to give out, but he regained his balance, clenching his teeth. The rumbling stopped and all the pressure he felt before was gone in an instant. He quickly got his body under control and took a look at the Elder, wondering if he noticed his lack of composure. He was ready to be scolded or punished, but instead the Elder straightened his head up, seemingly unfazed by the rumbling and pressure that affected Kaz so much. As he was about to question the Elder on what just happened, the door lit up.

  Every single carved line of the doors, which were stone before, turned a bright gold color that illuminated the previously dimly lit hall. He squinted his eyes, trying to shield his eyes from the glaring light, refusing to bring his hands to cover his eyes, already feeling embarrassed by his moment of weakness earlier. The doors then swung open, without making a single sound.

  The moment the doors opened fully, the Elder then spoke up gently, “Young Kazimoriel, please step forward into the center of the sanctum. Once you reach the center of the ring facing the statues of the Originators, await my command to begin the Awakening.”

  Kaz, confused at this, spoke up, his voice cracking and hoarse, “Why doesn’t Elder follow me in, am I to face the Awakening alone?”

  The Elder’s bright golden eyes softened and he replied warmly to Kaz, “I will be right behind you, Young Kazimoriel, but I am not allowed to be within the inner ring.”

  Slight relief washed over him at this, but the anxiety still clung to him, causing his stomach to roll around. He turned his attention to the doors, and started walking towards them. His heart beat louder than his steps, blood rushing to his ears as he walked unsteadily into the inner sanctum.

  The sanctum was a circular room, almost like a dome, but pointed more towards the top. Massive white marble arches supported the roof, extending from the sides of the walls, each one laced with carvings and outlined in gold. An opening in the pointed dome brought sunlight down into the sanctum, but the sunlight didn’t spread naturally to the whole room, it was a beam of light. The room was perfectly lit, with the walls and floor seeming to be providing the light, as there were no light crystals to be seen. As Kaz was taking in the warm elements of the room, he started to calm down, his heartbeat slowing down, his hearing returning to normal, and his steps becoming more assertive.

  Arriving at the circular ring of golden light, he noticed it seemed to be about 3 feet wide as it created the perfect circle around the whole space. There was a huge wall of water falling down into the circular space below from the back wall of the dome that was directly in front of him. The water was a pure light blue color and tinged with gold.

  Kaz paused as he looked past the golden ring of light, down the circular stairs, he saw the statues all spread out in a semi-circle at the bottom, in front of the waterfall. He stared at the statues, feeling the power that came out from them, reaching out to him to stand before them. He clenched his fists together and took his first step past the golden ring.

  Immediately, he fell to one knee as the same pressure he felt before took hold of him. He remained frozen in place, down on one knee for what seemed like an eternity. Slowly the pressure eased from his body, and he stumbled onto his feet. He dragged his feet to the edge of the first stair, gaining the strength to move forward little by little. His deep breaths were louder than the stomps coming his feet.

  Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

  Temptation urged him to fling himself down the stairs, but he felt the piercing gaze coming from behind him, judging his every move. He took a look over his shoulder, panting as his muscles were complaining over the sudden stress. Kaz met the Elder’s eyes, which were so soft before, now cold and dim, calculating every move Kaz made. He averted his gaze from the Elder and turned back to the inner ring that awaited him.

  After many steps, he reached a pathway that led to the inner ring, a small circular platform that was surrounded by water that was tinged gold. What Kaz didn’t know was that the water was not really water, but pure mana in liquid form. He walked over the pathway, his energy and strength renewed as he neared his destination. He arrived at the inner ring, passing another golden light in the floor that circled the tiny island of carved marble as a beam of light came from the sky, perfectly encompassing the inner circle.

  Up close, he was able to admire the statues, which seemed lifelike, even though they were made with marble and gold. Each radiated a different power, a different frequency, a different authority. Each statue rose from the pure mana liquid, but a thin strip of marble connected the base of the statue to the ring on which he stood. The statues also had three crystals embedded into them vertically, into the base, glowing lightly.

  “We will be beginning the Awakening, young Kazimoriel. Please face the Statues and open your mind and body to the powers before you,” the Elder spoke to him. Kaz faced the statues and released all the tension in his body and closed his eyes. He took deep steady breaths and the Elder from above, standing before the first ring, began moving his hand from his hand to his chin then to the right of his head. He lowered his hand and bowed his head, forming a first over his heart. His voice then boomed into the space, supported by mana, his eyes glowing a bright gold,

  “Great Originators, I bring before you Kazimoriel, to be Awakened into one of your Callings, building his legacy upon your Ascension.

  The Archer, if he is worthy, awaken his arrows, so he may find his mark with precision and purpose.

  The Cleric, if he is worthy, awaken his heart, so he may heal the wounded and cure the afflicted.

  The Craftsman, if he is worthy, awaken his hands, so he may provide others with necessities for their Calling and daily lives.

  The Defender, if he is worthy, awaken his shield, so he may protect others and themselves from harm.

  The Fighter, if he is worthy, awaken his weapon, so he may strike down monsters and enemies of the people.

  The Forager, if he is worthy, awaken his senses, so he may provide for the needs of others and the land itself.

  The Laborer, if he is worthy, awaken his strength, so he may build and support the foundations of our society.

  The Mage, if he is worthy, awaken his mana, so he may wield the elements under his command with wisdom and might.

  The Merchant, if he is worthy, awaken his coin, so he may reward others for their service and sustain prosperity.

  The Performer, if he is worthy, awaken his creativity, so he may lift the spirits of others during hardship and stir hope in their hearts.

  The Rogue, if he is worthy, awaken his shadow, so he may tread where others may not and silence threats before they arise.

  The Scribe, if he is worthy, awaken his intellect, so he may record the knowledge of the world and guide the future of the world.

  The Tamer, if he is worthy, awaken his words, so he may awaken the loyalty in any wild animal and bring harmony between all life.

  Great Originators, this servant humbly asks of you, enlighten and empower Kazimoriel into your Calling, so he may find purpose in this world.”

  After the Elder finished speaking, he raised his head and silence followed. Then after a few moments, Kaz could feel the power stirring within each statue as the room darkened, the beam of sunlight vanishing. The crystals in each statue one by one lit up, going from left to right, from The Archer to The Tamer.

  The thin line connecting the statues to the inner ring each lit up, illuminating a piece of the platform, which was composed of more carved images and words pertaining to the connected Originator. Once every statue completed a cycle, the whole space turned dark, the pressure vanished, and it was quiet, as if time froze. The liquid mana remained still.

  None of the statues lit up. Not a single crystal glowed gold. The platform remained dark, albeit for the golden ring that separated it from the outer room.

  Kaz started to panic as he realized none of the Originators bestowed a Calling upon him.

  He heard the sharp intake of breath coming from the Elder. The liquid mana started floating again. He felt something probing his body, his mind, his soul. Kaz’s eyes flashed silver and he felt huge pain in his upper abdominal area, a pain that seemed so familiar but one he couldn’t remember feeling before.

  Overwhelmed with power, he felt as if it was filling him to the point where he couldn’t keep it all in. Kaz felt the statues’ powers again, and he felt— confusion? The crushing dread he was feeling from this was overwhelming. He sank to his knees, shoulders sagging, and head falling forward, panting as he tried to regulate his breathing.

  The darkness continued, the only sounds of flowing mana liquid. Tears pooled in his eyes and started falling down his cheeks, dripping onto the hard marble flooring.

  He was rejected.

  He was useless.

  The Elder composed himself and spoke softly to Kaz, which just sounded like buzzing to him.

  “—riel, young Kazimoriel. Can you hear me? Something must have gone awry; this occurrence has never ensued before in my hundreds of years of servitude to the Temple of the Originators. Return to me up here and we will undergo the Awakening another time while I organize the counsel together to — “

  The Elder was cut off as he golden ring around Kaz stuttered, turning off and on.

  Kaz couldn’t get himself to move, the lack of will coming over him in waves, he lost feeling over his body, over his soul. He was numb.

  However, the gold color vanished, replaced by a silver color, the same as Kaz’s eyes. And then one of the statues lit up, with only one crystal glowing, a bright silver color, flaked with black specks.

  Kaz looked up slowly, his eyes stinging and his vision blurry. He then felt a massive influx of energy and warmth flow into him. A very dim, barely visible beam of silver light illuminated into the sky. A sudden construct appeared in front of him, appearing out of nowhere, rolling out a semi-translucent parchment, as elegant writing started forming a message only for his eyes to see.