I nodded to Javhe, the only child of a pair of merchants who moved to Nara some three years ago.

Name : Jahve Jaha

Race : Elf/Human

Class : Fighter

Level : 7

“Because it will be the first and last time that we commune with The Divine,” he replied.

“…and?” I pressed for further information.

He looked around him as if for a hint when he realized what was expected of him.

“Um… Because the mana we receive on that day is going to be the total amount of mana we will have for the rest of our lives,” he ventured, hesitantly.

“Exactly. The moment that The Divine ceases flowing mana to you through the holy dagger is the moment that your divine mana pool has reached its maximum. It can only decrease from that point on. There is no potion, no spell, no ritual that will be able to replenish your divine mana, nor can it be transferred. That day will define how you will live for the rest of your lives.”

I stopped talking and let that sink in. It really was the most important moment of our whole lives. It would define whether we would be able t create magic items, or whether we would need the help of those who could. A life of leisure or one of labor.

I started talking again as I saw the effect that my previous statement had on everyone.

“That is not to say that those who have manifested spell-casting classes will not have mana to use for their class specific skills,” I said. “But those skills and spells are very limited and will come to you naturally as you level up. Your divine spell repertoire is what will make you unique, should you ever travel the many world of the Apocosmos.”

“Have you ever seen a different world, Myriam?” asked Jahve this time.

“I have not but I can only hope to become strong enough for the Order to allow me to travel through one of the portals in Elysia and see one myself.”

“How many are there?” Kard followed up this time.

“Thousands of worlds like ours if not more but this isn’t today’s topic,” I said not wanting to veer off too much. “It is preparing for the liturgy. I am pretty sure that most of you are familiar with the mana gauge spell, but we will make sure that everyone who will take part in the liturgy this time can perform it flawlessly. The mana gauge spell will serve as a good first contact point for you to get the hang of tapping on your divine mana reserve, but will also reveal the amount of mana that you were given by The Divine. Before we move on to practicing the incantation and somatic component of the spell, are there any questions regarding the liturgy?” I asked, waiting to be showered with questions, mostly by the younger children of the audience.

“Is there a way to drain more mana from The Divine?” asked Kard, a tall and slim teenager who was almost always seen spinning a thin metal cylinder between his fingers.

Name : Kard Mandrake

Race : Human

Class : Rogue

Level : 10

He seemed confident in his question, even though we all knew he usually posed the most outlandish ones. But this question didn’t sit well with the rest of the audience and they seemed a little disturbed by it, so he immediately started rephrasing it, awkwardly dropping the metal bar he had been fidgeting with.

“I mean… is there a way to convince It to grant us more mana?” he said, hastily. “I want to be powerful and respected so that dragons will acknowledge and welcome me in their circles.”

I was not at all surprised that his motivation was somehow connected to dragons and was sure no one else was either. I nodded to show that I understood his point and question.

“This is a very important question to ask,” I responded. “Thank you, Kard. There is no reason to hide our thirst for mana. We just agreed that this is the most important moment in our life, didn’t we?” Those who had been uncomfortable with his question before began to murmur in assent, and then everyone was silent again. “Unfortunately, there is absolutely no way to influence the amount of mana given to you by The Divine, for It looks through you. It knows what you know and sees what you can become. All of your motives and your desires. All of the good and bad that can happen through you or because of you. Many scholars argue that diligent students and people raised around high mana individuals may receive larger amounts, but there is no actual proof of it. One can only hope.”

After I was done, Molly, the fourteen-years-old daughter of a woodworker raised her hand.

Name : Molly Mauk

Race : Elf

Class : Mystic

Level : 4

She had lost her mother the same day that I lost my parents, and she had been living alone with her father ever since.

“Yes, Molly?” I prompted her.

“Will it hurt when I connect with The Divine?”

“There are no accounts of pain involved in the liturgy from any of the people that have been through it before. The feelings that are described in the books during these moments are humility, happiness and a sense of purpose,” I said. “People rediscover themselves during their connection with The Divine. They understand their place in the world as if they finally remembered the last word of a spell that had been eluding them since they were born.”

Though I was sure my description was not entirely accurate, I was equally sure that no description in any book could be. This was simply the way I had interpreted the descriptions I had heard of how people felt during the ceremony.

“Like trying really hard to remember the lyrics to a song… and then when someone says it and you immediately know they’re correct?” she added.

“That is how I understand it, yes” I replied. She looked satisfied. “Kalem?” I gestured over at the seven-years-old son of our city’s herbalist.

Name : Kalem Horem

Race : Human/Elf

Class : -

Level : -

He would not be taking the dagger next week but was interested nonetheless. He stood up, back straight, and asked loudly: “Miss Myriam, was anyone ever not given magic powers?”

Some of the children looked troubled by this.

“There are no accounts of people not receiving any mana at all. However, our neighboring nations do not worship The Divine, so of course they have none of its mana so they have to settle to their class skills and MP. Likewise, there are nations south of the Endless Sea with beliefs and magic of their own.” I had answered to the best of my knowledge but it seemed that little Kalem had more to ask so I nodded at him to proceed once more.

“But Miss, those people who killed my uncle used mana, which means that The Divine gave them their powers too!” he protested.

His uncle had been a powerful mage as one of the three village priests.

“That is true, Kalem, but you have to understand one thing. The Divine is above good or evil acts for It is only interested in maintaining the balance.”

I paused to take another deep breath and contemplated how to explain this to the crowd. It was one of the toughest things to come in terms within our creed.

“The Divine gazes into each person’s soul and measures all the good and bad things they may do in their lives and gives them mana according to Its grand plan… to keep the scale balanced. For each potential evil done with the mana it gives, there is an equal amount of potential good. Does that make sense? I know it doesn’t always feel that way, but we must trust in Its judgment.”

“I guess. Thank you, Miss,” Kalem answered, and sat back down.

“Since Kalem is here with us, and will not be taking part in the liturgy, let me address the issue of mana and age.” I took the opportunity to add more of my knowledge to the conversation. “The Divine cares little about your age when It gives you your powers. However, since the liturgy only occurs once every ten years, participants in the liturgy may have a difference in age of up to ten years.”

“Who decides when someone receives their mana then?” asked Javhe.

“Nobody decides that, really,” I replied, happy to see that they were still engaged in our conversation. “The unwritten rule is that the manaless should attend one liturgy as spectators, even if they are babies, before they participate in it. Thus, most people in the liturgy are ten to twenty years old. Any more questions before we move on?”

I saw no more hands being raised, but thought that some among the audience may feel shy so I prompted them one last time. “If anyone of you comes up with a question later, please do not hesitate to find me and ask me. There are no silly questions.” I stressed the last part for some of the most timid of the participants.

“In that case, let’s get on with the spell training. The spell used to measure your own Divine mana is much simpler and requires minimal mana compared to the one used to measure other people’s mana,” I explained, even though most if not all of them, knew this already.

I focused on the spell I had learned and sent its Dark Energy information to all of the people gathered.

Name : Divine Mana Gauge

School of Magic : Divination

Verbal Components : 8 words

Somatic Components : Simple

Material Component : None

HP Consumed : 0

MP Consumed : 0

Divine Mana Consumed : 10

Range : Touch

Casting Time : 30 seconds

Precondition : None.

Description : This spell allows one to tap into their own Divine mana pool and get an accurate reading on the reserves they have left.

“It requires chanting the same eight words over and over again for a duration of about thirty seconds. You have to keep your feet pointing forward and locked straight next to each other. Your hands need to start at an open upward position so that your body shapes a Y.” I took the pose while explaining. “Your palms should look to the sky. You will gradually move your hands to close upon the middle of your chest, synchronizing it with the end of the eighth word. Is that clear for everyone?”

Once I was sure that all of the younger kids had nodded at least once, I prompted them to start. Most of them could already perform the spell close to perfection, but it was our routine to practice until each and every one of us could cast the spell of the day flawlessly.

And so we continued practicing. For the last time before the liturgy.