Kazius stirred in his bed, his black hair was a mess as he tossed and turned. When rest still evaded him, he pressed his hard pillow on his own face to try and muffle all the noise. He was barely getting any sleep these days.

Many of the boys in the Orphanage were often up even an hour before the Priests came in for inspection at 9am. All 20 boys were also locked in the room until said inspection occurred. That together, all meant even if they were up early, any of the boys that woke up early had nothing to do other than disturb the sleep of others.

That was the case normally, but with the Coming-of-Age Ceremony around the corner, that usual morning energy was more than double.

“Kazius… Kazius… KAZIUS! Wake up! Come on! I’m bored.”

Kazius groaned, realizing there was little point in trying to get any extra sleep at this point. When Alex was up, such a thing went down the drain. He removed the pillow in defeat, sitting up slowly, his tired wine-red eyes meeting energetic green ones.

“Finally! Geez, how are we both supposed to become Knights together if you keep sleeping in like that, Kazius? The Oracle can tell if you are too lazy, you know?” Alex scolded playfully. The blonde would immediately give him a noogie once he had sat up, messing up his hair even more than it already was.

“Hey! That’s no fair!” Kazius exclaimed, struggling in the head lock.

They would rough house until Kazius would manage to flip the position, overpowering Alex with some ease.

“Oh yeah? Last time I checked, even when you surprise me, I kick your butt! Who knows, maybe if you ask nicely, I will make you my squire!” Kazius retorted back playfully before letting go.

“Nuh uh, if anyone is going to be anyone’s squire, it’s you!” Alex laughed out, only to grin wider, “Though to be honest, it doesn’t matter. As long as we keep our promise. We just have to go to the Knight Academy together. We have to! Then we can be brothers forever!”

“We are already brothers, Alex. I am sure The Oracle will help us be the greatest Knights ever!” Kazius beamed, the two exchanging determined nods.

The two would talk and get dressed, many of the boys already doing so. They would change from their old worn white pajamas to their slightly nicer white shirts and white dress pants. Once done with that, they would promptly make their beds look as neat as they could. Despite the worn and hole filled blankets, all the boys had gotten quite good at doing so over the years. So, they were surprisingly successful at the task.

They had to be.

Just as they spoke, the brown wooden doors in the plain white room were opened by a male Priest wearing a white robe with blue accents and gold lining. In the center was a symbol of a crystal orb on a pedestal. The robes were elegant, spotless, and of the highest quality. His long brown hair was neat, his brown eyes dull with boredom. His face was long and thin. It looked like it had never shown happiness in his entire life.

The young Priest held a stoic look as he surveyed the room. He studied the boys, all of which were up by now. His eyes would go from child to child and then surveyed the cramped room, paying little mind to the cracks on the walls and windows.

The Priest kept inspecting everything with his eyes, not saying anything, but he didn’t have to. All the boys would line up quickly, not wanting to be standing out of line by the time his inspection was done. Kazius and Alex didn’t waste time especially. They both feared upsetting High Priest Jordan. He held a prestigious position when it came to maintaining the Orphanage in Layton, the heart of the Kingdom of Ratier. If they wanted to be Knights, they had to be on his good side.

Finally, the Priest spoke. Not bothering to greet the children and instead talked about what he cared about, as usual.

“It seems you all settled down on your own, good. The Oracle despises disobedient children… You all do understand the importance of the next few days. I will not tolerate the slightest mistake… The slightest infraction is a direct insult to The Oracle, starting today…” The Priest trailed off, his eyes darting to one of the shorter boys.

It was hard to hear, but Kazius could make out a faint whisper. It sounded like the shorter boy was trying to warn the one next to him about tucking in his shirt. Something High Priest Jordan was very particular about.

“You… Derek and Gabe… Is something that I said amusing to you?”

“N-No, S-Sir. I was j-just trying to tell Gabe about his shirt.” Derek muttered meekly in horror as he realized his mistake.

“I-I wasn’t saying anything, Sir.” Gabe attempted to explain while frantically tucking in his shirt.

“I see…” High Priest Jordan began, growing silent for a bit, the silence was worse than any yelling.

Kazius found himself fearing for the two boys but would not dare move. Instead, he looked at the events out of the corner of his eye.

Finally High Priest Jordan spoke up again.

“You know… Some of you children were left at our doorstep likely due to what an honor it is to be raised by the Church… While some of you…Were abandoned, not wanted by even your own parents… Seeing both of your behavior… It is easy to tell which was the case for both of you.” The Priest stated dryly. His cold gaze never warmed.

The two boys looked at the border of tears.

“You have some nerve acting up the day before The Oracle decides your fate… The Coming-of-Age Ceremony is of the up most importance to The Church and the rest of your pathetic little lives… How dare you spit on the kindness The Church and I have shown you… Clearly, I’ve been too lenient… Go see Priestess Rosette for discipline.”

Kazius shivered. A caning was considered lucky if you got sent to Priestess Rosette. It seemed excessive to him… But Kazius would never dare question the will of The Oracle… It was as High Priest Jordan said… They were lucky and honored by being raised by The Church… Kazius wanted to repay that kindness from The Church and The Kingdom of Ratier that funded it… Both Alex and him wanted to, that is part of why they wanted to become Knights together.

Still, it would be a lie if he said moments like this didn’t make him sometimes question The Church…

‘No Kazius, don’t think like that. High Priest Jordan only does things for our own good.’ He assured himself mentally.

After all, he raised them all and kept them together. Thanks to that, despite having no parents, Kazius felt he still had a brother with Alex. That was good enough for him.

With those thoughts in mind, Kazius kept reassuring himself. He watched as the crying boys hesitantly walked away. If they did not go willingly, things would only be worse for them.

Once it was quiet again, High Priest Jordan looked pleased.

“Good, it seems you boys have some discipline… The Oracle may choose a good future for you just yet… Now… Rejoice, today is a fun day.”

Despite his words, any joy left in the children’s faces was nowhere to be seen. While they were all likely excited for tomorrow, they would not dare show it in front of High Priest Jordan.

“I came here to make an announcement on today and the following days. The Princess of Ratier is also turning 15 with all of you. There will be a parade before she has her Coming-of-Age Ceremony today, to kick things off. Then tomorrow, you kids will be the follow up event. You all have a rare honor, your Ceremony is second only to the Princess’, but before all the other children from across the kingdom. I trust you all will not embarrass me and be in your best behavior during the upcoming events.” High Priest Jordan stated, breaking his indifferent cold expression and allowed his eyes to narrow.

“That is all I wish to say. Follow Priestess Merilyn to breakfast. I will see you at the parade. I cannot waste any more time with you. I have other rooms to go to.” He informed them, walking away shortly after.

The moment he was gone, all the children would let out sighs of relief.

Kazius finally felt like he could breathe again.