"Are you ready, son?" he asked.
Ishtar wiped his mouth one last time and nodded. His stomach was full, and his family was by his side.
"I am ready, Dad," he said.
Leaving the noise of the square and the scent of roasted meat behind, they began to walk toward the massive white and gold structure rising in the heart of the city: The Cathedral of the 5 Gods.
The door of the cathedral was colossal. It felt as though it hadn't been built for humans, but for the giants and dragons mentioned in legends. Two Temple Guards, clad in ostentatious golden armor, stood watch in front of it.
To enter the cathedral, one had to send a written permission request in advance. Fortunately, Andor had written and sent the letter two days ago. If the permission was granted, the Postal Guild would deliver a pass card stamped with a Golden Tree. This tree had five branches, each symbolizing one of the gods.
Andor approached the guards. One guard extended his hand to check the pass, and Andor handed it over. After inspecting the card, the guard signaled his partner, and together they pushed the massive doors open. They had to be incredibly strong, for the doors were immensely heavy.
As the doors opened, Ishtar and his family were welcomed by a plush blue carpet and the soothing scent of lavender. The interior of the cathedral was breathtakingly beautiful; Ishtar and his parents stared in open-mouthed wonder.
Before them stood a gigantic statue of a five-branched tree. Flanking it were the statues of the five gods. In the very center of the cathedral, a massive spiral staircase wound its way upward. There were pews for people to sit and pray before the statues, and the walls were adorned with mythological murals.
A priest was waiting in front of the statues; evidently, he would be the one to guide Ishtar.
Ishtar and his family approached the priest. He was a young man—pale skin, piercing blue eyes, and long white hair. He was quite handsome. He wore a pristine white robe embroidered with a tree symbol. Upon seeing Ishtar, the priest glanced at the list in his hand.
"Ahem, Ishtar Ven Trangd, correct?" the priest asked.
Ishtar nodded. "Yes, sir. We are here for the Coming of Age ceremony."
The priest gestured toward the spiral staircase. "Please, this way. I will show you the path. Your parents must remain here."
Before he left, Andor and Nera hugged their son. "Be careful," Nera whispered. "We'll be right here waiting for you."
After saying goodbye to his family, Ishtar began to climb the stairs with the priest. With every step, his heart pounded harder, his excitement growing. After a while, they reached the upper floor.
This place was quite different from the ground floor. It was a long corridor, devoid of god statues. Instead, it was lined with the statues of past kings. At the very end of the corridor stood a single door.
The priest escorted Ishtar to the door. "From here on, you are alone. I will be waiting outside if anything happens," he said.
Ishtar's hands were trembling. He reached out, turned the handle, and entered the room.
Inside, there was a simple table made of plane tree wood, and on it sat a tiny vial, no bigger than a teardrop. Ishtar approached the table and picked up the vial. Inside swirled a glowing blue liquid; this must be the Sky Blood.
Ishtar steeled himself, brought the bottle to his lips, and drank it in one go.
He looked around for a moment, but nothing happened.
Then, suddenly, his body began to burn. Veins bulged on his face. His body shook uncontrollably. His vision blurred, his knees gave out, and he collapsed to the floor, blacking out.
Everything was pitch black.
Ishtar walked through the darkness. "Is anyone there? Where am I?"
Suddenly, the sound of weeping echoed through the void. Ishtar ran toward the sound; it was a child, curling up on the ground, crying in agony. Ishtar approached the boy and placed a hand on his head. The boy had black hair, just like Ishtar.
"Hey, kid. Why are you crying? Where is this place? Why are you here all alone?"
The boy looked up at Ishtar.
Ishtar recoiled and screamed.
The boy's eyes... the boy's eyes were gone. They had popped out from crying.
The eyeless boy stood up. "Save me... Save me... He caught me. What should I do? The world will be ruined because of me. What should I do?"
"What are you talking about?" Ishtar shouted, terrified. "Who caught you?"
The boy suddenly lunged at Ishtar.
"Gah!"
Ishtar woke up gasping for air. He was still in the room. He looked around frantically; he had been having so many nightmares lately. Realizing it was just a dream, a wave of relief washed over him.
When he looked forward again, a translucent blue screen had appeared in front of him. This had to be the Status Window. Ishtar began to inspect it.
╔════════════════════════════════════╗
║ SYSTEM ACTIVATED ║
╚════════════════════════════════════╝
[ --- STATUS WINDOW --- ]
Name: Ishtar Ven Trangd
Species: Human (Awakened by Sky Blood)
Class: Undetermined
Title: Witness of the Apocalypse (New)
Level: 1
[ATTRIBUTES]
Strength: 5
Agility: 7
Endurance: 4
Intelligence: 12
[SKILLS]
Sky Eye (Passive): Allows the user to see the auras of magical items and living beings.
??? (Locked): Insufficient level.
Divine Disciple (Passive): Increases the learning speed of any skill in the world by 50x.
Ishtar tried to stand up in panic, but his legs were still trembling. The cold terror of the nightmare mixed with the heat of the new power coursing through his veins. He took a deep breath and steadied his voice.
"I-I'm fine!" he called out toward the door. His voice came out stronger than he expected. "I just... I just got a little dizzy and bumped into the chair. No problem."
Silence lingered behind the door for a moment. Then, the Priest's calm voice responded. "Very well. The elixir must have taken effect. Take your time to recover, there is no rush."
Ishtar let out a sigh of relief and leaned his hand on the table. At that moment, he noticed something strange.
When he looked at the empty vial he had just drunk from, he saw a faint blue smoke dancing around it. He rubbed his eyes, but the image didn't disappear. Even within the wooden texture of the table, he could see thin, vein-like streams of golden light flowing.
"Is this... Is this the Sky Eye?" he whispered.
The world was the same, but it was as if a dull veil had been lifted, revealing the "essence" of everything. As Ishtar focused, he instinctively understood that the thin lights in the table were the last remnants of life—mana residues—lingering within the wood.
He closed the Status Window with a wave of his hand. It was time to go out. He straightened his clothes, took a deep breath, and turned the door handle.
When the door opened, the Priest was waiting right outside. Ishtar flinched the moment he looked at the priest's face.
He didn't just see the priest's face; he saw a dense white light surrounding him. And floating above the priest's head, just like his own, was small, transparent text:
[Name: Priest Aleron]
[Level: 18]
[Class: Servant of Light]
[Status: Anxious]
[Skill: Healing]
Ishtar lowered his head slightly to hide his astonishment. "I apologize for keeping you waiting, sir."
Priest Aleron scanned Ishtar carefully. His experienced eyes seemed to notice the change in the young man. Ishtar stood taller, his gaze was sharper. But what caught the priest's attention was the blue glimmer that momentarily flashed in Ishtar's pupils.
"I can feel it," the Priest said with a slight smile. "The Sky Blood has accepted you. Your mana... is much denser than I expected. Usually, those who undergo awakening fall exhausted, but you look ready for war."
It must be thanks to the System, Ishtar thought, but kept it to himself. "I feel strong," was all he said.
"Good," the Priest said, gesturing down the hall. "Your family must be dying of curiosity downstairs. Let's not keep them waiting."
They began to walk back down the long corridor filled with statues of kings. As Ishtar looked at the statues, he no longer saw just stone. He could clearly distinguish the magic seals still vibrating inside some of them and the protection spells etched into the corridor walls. This Sky Eye allowed him to see much more than he had imagined.
When they reached the top of the stairs, his mother's voice drifted up from below.
"Ishtar!"
Nera attempted to run up the stairs the moment she saw her son, but Andor held her back by the arm. They had to wait to avoid being disrespectful.
Ishtar and the Priest descended. The moment Ishtar took the last step, his mother hugged him tightly.
"My son! Are you okay? You look a bit pale."
Andor placed a hand on Ishtar's shoulder in a fatherly manner, a proud look in his eyes. "Let the boy breathe, Nera. Look at him, he stands like a lion." Then he looked into Ishtar's eyes. "Did you do it?"
Ishtar nodded. "Yes, Dad. I did it."
Just then, Priest Aleron cleared his throat, stepping in. He held a document made of parchment.
"Ishtar Ven Trangd has successfully completed the Coming of Age ceremony and his Awakening. However..."
The Priest paused, his gaze turning serious as he looked at Ishtar.
"His talents... are far different from an ordinary warrior or mage candidate. When registering him in the Cathedral archives, I will leave the Class section blank for now."
Andor frowned. "What does that mean, Priest? Is there a problem?"
"No, quite the opposite," the Priest said, giving Ishtar a meaningful look. "It means your son's potential does not fit into our standard molds. Train him well, Mr. Andor. For this child's destiny may be far greater than that of an ordinary adventurer."
Hearing these words, Ishtar's mind flashed back to the nightmare and his title: Witness of the Apocalypse.
The Priest was right. His destiny would not be ordinary, but he wasn't yet sure if that was a blessing or a catastrophe.
By the time the Trangd family left the cathedral, it was around 5 PM. Nera noticed the fatigue in her son's eyes.
"You must be tired. That's enough for today, let's go home. I'll make your favorite dessert."
Ishtar had many unanswered questions in his head. Who was the child he saw when he fainted? How had he received a title like "Witness of the Apocalypse"? He didn't want to go home just yet; he decided to take a walk to clear his mind.
"You guys go ahead, Mom. I'm going to take a walk. I'll catch up with you in the evening."
"But it gets dangerous in the evening, son. Don't get into trouble," Nera objected anxiously.
Andor intervened. "Honey, I think we should let him clear his head. He went through a lot today, and after all, he is an adult now."
After thinking for a moment, Nera agreed. Ishtar said goodbye to his family, and they parted ways.
Ishtar decided to go off his usual walking route today. First, he would pass through the street where the Postal Guild was located, then head down to Canal Street, where an artificial waterway the size of a small river had been built. After that, he would reach the coastal road near the Rose Duchy estate and return home from there.
He left the square and turned onto the street leading to the Postal Guild. This street was different from the rest of the city; all the financial, printing, and accounting establishments were here. It was the financial hub of the city. The smell of paper and ink rose from every corner. Ishtar loved this scent. The city's largest library was also located here. He used to visit the library whenever he was bored, but he was too tired for that today.
As he walked down the street, something caught his attention: A woman in a cloak had set up a table on the side of the road and was telling fortunes.
The woman had a very mysterious aura. She wore a dark blue cloak held together by a brooch with unknown inscriptions on it. Ishtar hesitated for a moment but succumbed to his curiosity and decided to have his fortune told.
He pulled out the chair and sat down across from the woman.