The Raising Site was a building in the southwest of Alarna, where children of priests and orphans were raised. Usually, they would stay there until they were fifteen, when they were released to attend their Calling ritual, get a job, and finally become full fledged members of society. Often called the “mini temple” by its inhabitants, due to its visual similarities to the temple, and the staff consisting entirely of priests, this environment felt natural to those who had been there since birth. Particularly, the offspring of priests. For those coming here after they had lost their families, however, it was another story.

Life was different from what they knew before, and the older the kids were, the more difficult it was for them to acclimate. Most of them also lost their parents to beasts, which was an especially big issue with Fighter families, and having to live in a place where people kept praising the gods, who, in a roundabout way, had sent the deceased to their deaths with the god-given Callings, could be difficult. Some kids would lash out at the priests, some might even try to run away, not wanting to stay at the Raising Site, but all this ultimately did was create tension between the priests and the children they were supposed to care for. As a result, the mini temple wasn’t always a great place to live in.

One group of kids that had once been forced to stay here figured they could do better. Not only for themselves, but for everyone, and they set out to do just that. They knew it wouldn’t be easy, and that it might take them a long time, but they were certain that it could be done. For them, the Callings and the antiquated administration were the main issues, as they robbed people of all their choices. If one wanted to fight for the town, that was fine, but nobody should be forced to do that. There was nothing wrong with people choosing to work until late in the evening to earn more money either, but if they were forced to do so, because their families would otherwise starve, and that was the only reason they were out after dark, it was a problem. One way or another, this group wanted to live their lives on their own terms, and they had managed to leave the mini temple just a few years prior to do so.

They had to leave behind other like minded children, who had looked up to the group, but three of them now had the chance to join their ranks. Shadi, Tyra, and Calom had recently been contacted by them, and the three friends hadn’t thought twice about the request to acquire specific Callings that would let them support the group. In just a few hours, they would become adults in the eyes of the administration and they would be allowed to finally leave the mini temple.

“I can’t wait to burn this stupid robe!” Tyra said in complaint as they got ready in the morning of their big day. She had ever having been a fan of the priest robes everyone was forced to wear at the mini temple.

“We need to return these, you know?” Shadi said.

“Eh? They won’t even give us that? Are we supposed to run around naked!?”

“Obviously you’ll have time until you get clothes of your own...” Calom said, straightening his robe. “I might actually miss it. It is comfortable.”

“Wannabe Worshipper,” Tyra said sarcastically. “Too bad that wasn’t an option, hm?”

“Definitely. I mean, getting to wear a comfy robe all day, every day? Sign me up!” he retorted, equally sarcastically.

“Hehe. Seriously though, what would you have chosen if Wex hadn’t appeared out of nowhere?”

“Hm... I really don’t know. It’s crazy that they’re lowkey forcing us to go through with this special ritual anyway.”

“I get that. But it’s better than having no control at all, isn’t it? If I do have to get a Calling, at least Charmer won’t be so bad. I totally wouldn’t have thought to just ask for it though! They saved me there!”

“It’s better than nothing I suppose, but not enforcing Callings would obviously be best...”

“Obviously,” Tyra agreed and then turned towards Shadi. “What about you? What would you have chosen?”

“Charmer seems about right,” Callom said teasingly, “For when she meets Ten again.”

“He doesn’t care about looks or nice words...” Shadi said with a sad smile. “Any Calling would be difficult, but... possibly Researcher? Maybe I could’ve at least been useful to him.”

“Why ‘could have?’” Tyra asked. “He’s the one who wanted us to become Charmers. Of course we’re going to be useful! You’ll get your chance!”

“I hope so,” Shadi replied.

She looked around the room that had been their unwanted home for several years. On two sides of it stood a dozen beds, with barely enough space for one person to fit in between them. This was only one bedroom of many. She had lived at the Raising Site for five years, but it never felt homely. The only saving grace were her friends, who were the same age and had gotten there with her on the same day, after a large beast incident.

“All that really matters is that we’ll get out of here, right?” Calom said, following her gaze. “It can only get better.”

An annoyed shout from somewhere outside the room suddenly interrupted their conversation. “Shadi! Tyra! Calom! Get down here, or you’ll go to your ritual with empty stomachs!”

“And maybe we can get ourselves some real food for once...” he continued.

The three started moving, as Tyra piped up again. “Burning down this whole place could be fun as well...”

“Wouldn’t be the first time for Ten,” Calom said with a chuckle, as they closed the door to this room for one of the last times in their lives.

***

A week after Lilly had announced the special rituals, eight candidates, who recently turned fifteen, gathered at the temple at noon. Some of them were pushed towards accepting this unscheduled ritual by the Raising Site, but the majority of them were elated that they wouldn’t have to wait almost a year for their rituals. And while only three Callings were supposed to be available at first, they were expanded to include Workers and Charmers just a couple of days later. With every Calling that the common folk typically received on offer, there really was no downside for them.

Due to the limited number of candidates, the waiting room inside the temple was a little emptier than usual on a ritual day, but the young adults were no less excited.

“I heard the special ritual works differently from the normal one! And we’re the first to receive it!” one boy said.

“What? Where did you hear that?” another asked.

“My brother is a Fighter and he heard it from someone who knows Lilly’s personal guards!”

“Seriously? We get a normal Calling though, right?”

“Of course! But the process is different!”

“Makes sense... Did you hear that Tomar Remor is administering it though?”

“Eh? I thought Lilly would do it!”

Some of the others listened curiously to the rumors about the special rituals, jumping in with tidbits here and there themselves, though they were really just that. Rumors. And three people in particular didn’t care much about the boys boasting about the supposed inside information they had gotten. In a little bit, they would all know for sure, so speculating was entirely pointless.

As the bells rang noon, a young man in priest robes exited the ritual chamber and the air in the waiting room changed in an instant. Everyone went quiet, as he looked at each of the candidates in turn. Tomar Remor had had his ritual only two and a half months prior, so he looked no older than any of them, and yet he had an imposing air about him that seemed to dominate the space they were in. Everyone was at attention as he began to speak.

“Welcome, everyone! All of you have presumably heard much about the rituals, how they work, and what you can expect. For the most part, today will be no different, though there are a few additional steps I want to walk you through quickly.

“As you may know, you would usually step onto the ritual platform and then simply get your Calling, with the one you got being announced by a sign. The special ritual is slightly different, in that you will see the sign of your Calling before you actually get it, and if it’s not the right one, you have to step off the platform for a few seconds before trying again. We’ll instruct you further during your ritual, but this general information applies to all of you.

“Are there any questions before we begin?”

Nobody said anything at first, but eventually one girl hesitantly raised her hand.

“Yes?” Tomar said.

“Uhm... Why isn’t Sourcerer available as a Calling?” she asked.

Tomar fell into thought, searching for an answer for a few seconds, which she interpreted as him not being happy about the question, and she quickly added “I’m sorry, I was just curious...”

“No, no. It’s a very valid question,” he said. “You know, I have no doubt that there are people who think we might be holding back this Calling, to keep it for ourselves. But the truth is that it required the support of the gods to grant it, and we aren’t able to give it to others yet. Should this change in the future, we will make it available.”

The girl nodded, content with the answer she received, and another girl raised her hand, encouraged by the detailed answer Tomar had given.

“What about Worshippers?” Tyra asked.

“Did you want to become a Worshipper?” he asked in turn.

“Gods no...” she said. “But... you’re divine messengers. That this Calling is missing seems... weird.”

Tomar nodded in understanding. “That’s fair. Well, to make it short, we have more than enough priests right now, so we don’t need any more. We could have made it available, but at this point in time, it’s important for the town to get more help in traditional jobs. I hope that answers your question.”

Tyra shrugged, as if she hadn’t truly cared about the reason, and Tomar looked around the room once more.

“If that was all, we can get started,” he said and waited another moment, before he invited the first person into the ritual chamber. “Alright. Melo Armer, please!”

The boy who had started the conversation about how the ritual had supposedly changed immediately stood at attention when he heard his name. He was much more timid than before, as he approached the door and walked past Tomar, who gestured for him to go inside and then followed after him, closing the door behind himself.

“That was... interesting...” Shadi whispered.

“Way to go, now we can report something right away,” Calom said quietly, complimenting Tyra for having the courage to ask for the answer to a question Ten and Wex had had.

“Well, yes, that too. But I meant him,” Shadi said. “You felt it as well, right?”

“That oppressive air? Sure,” Calom said.

“Oppressive...?” Shadi asked and fell silent, contemplating his words.

When she didn’t say anything for a few moments, Tyra addressed her. “Hey, are you okay?”

“Huh? Ah, yes. Don’t worry,” she said, and while it was obvious that something was going on with her, her friends knew that she wouldn’t want to talk about it further.

It didn’t take long until Melo left the ritual chamber, a bright smile on his face. “I’m a Fighter!” he exclaimed.

“Woo! What was it like!?” the boy he had talked to before asked.

While the two celebrated and talked, Tomar stepped out into the waiting room as well and called the next candidate in. “Tyra Crait.”

It was her turn to enter the ritual chamber, and she walked over in confidence. It took her longer than Melo, but after about two minutes, she too left it with a hint of a smile on her lips. As she walked past the two boys, their heads turned in her direction and they became quiet. She didn’t say what Calling she had gotten, but she didn’t have to.

“A Charmer...” Melo said in a daze as she walked past him and he felt the peculiar air these people had around them.

She had barely made it back to her friends, when Tomar called the next name. “Calom Konnar.”

“What is it like?” he asked his friend in a hushed voice.

“It’s... not so bad,” she said.

Nodding, he left, and the door closed once more, behind him and Tomar.

One by one, every candidate got their desired Calling, until only one remained about twenty minutes later. Everyone but Shadi and her friends had already left, and they were waiting for Tomar to call her inside as well. It wouldn’t be long now before she too would become a Charmer. Glancing at her friends, Shadi’s nervousness subsided a little, as they didn’t seem unhappy, and when she finally heard the door open, she took a deep breath and started walking in its direction before her name was even called.

“Shadi Vyn.”