Talent Awakening

After five years of staying inside the Vanderbilt estate this entire time, Michael finally set out for Kingsbridge with his parents.

Winter had settled in, so Michael had to cast a few ember spells along the way just to keep the carriage warm enough to enjoy. Of course, he didn't forget their trusty horse, whose entire body was comfortably warmed through Michael's fire spells, making the journey easy for the animal as well.

As they reached the walls of Kingsbridge, they saw snow piled high on the walkways. Guards stood at the entrance, rubbing their arms as they inspected the carriages entering the City.

As usual, their family's carriage was quickly let in without any trouble.

Michael peeked out of the windows and saw how business had been booming for the Reborn company.

Anywhere he looked, he saw men and women buying or carrying matchboxes from Reborn Company to keep themselves warm. They used it to light fireplaces, warm their homes, or even in camps to play outside. Children mimicked casting fire spells, waving lit matches excitedly.

"Look, mom! I'm a fire wizard!" said an excited boy to his mother while striking a match.

"Yes, yes. You are!" his mother replied with a laugh. She was wearing a distinct pair of eyeglasses—another product of Reborn company—sold cheaply to fix near-sightedness.

"I'll play Reborn chess so that I can get smart enough to join the Magic Tower!" declared the little boy.

Numerous families were happy this winter, and it was all thanks to the inventions of the Reborn company.

That mother, for instance, was able to get a good job as a clerk at a bank because she could finally read texts on paper using Reborn eyeglasses. And thanks to that, she no longer had to worry about purchasing food this winter. And she even had spare money to buy her kid a chessboard.

It also helped that people no longer had to pay an exorbitant amount of money to hire a fire mage to keep their homes warm. A single 20-copper matchstick did the job just fine.

Reborn has made everyone's lives more comfortable. And because of this, this small company had been marked in their hearts as their savior.

Michael smiled, feeling satisfied that even if it was just a little bit, he was able to help these people become as comfortable as he was.

But it wasn't enough. Not yet.

ACHOO!

He heard the sounds of sneezing and coughing all around the streets. More often than not, Michael saw men and women walking through the roads with sunken eyes and dry skin, their bodies frail as if they were on the brink of death.

"What's going on with them?" Michael asked.

"Honey, put your head back in the carriage," his mother warned. "There's sickness spreading through the City. We're only here for your Talent Awakening—we can't have you falling ill on your most important day."

"Dad, why are they sick?" 

Bart pulled Michael back inside the carriage before answering. "It happens quite often during the winter. The mages are doing all they can to cure it, but there's only a limited number of them who can perform healing."

Just then, the familiar stink of the River Dames seeped into the carriage, assaulting Michael's nose. He still hasn't gotten used to it.

It's probably the river pollution that's spreading the disease. As long as they don't fix the problem, it's no wonder that people will keep getting sick.

When he was five, Michael had thought of building a sewer system for the City, but he realized that the idea was too big to be tackled.

Now, he started considering the idea.

_____

The carriage finally arrived at the Church, which was an imposing structure similar to the cathedrals Michael had seen in his previous life.

The buildings were domed, with towering spires crowning each of those domes. And as Michael and his family walked inside, he saw the rows of wooden pews lined up on each side, flanked by towering pillars adorned with religious paintings and statues.

The church was dead empty, with nothing but silence filling the space. He guessed that just like in his previous life, churches were only active during mass times.

As Michael walked through the red carpet, the candlelight flickered along the walls.

"Ah… welcome, Vanderbilt family."

A bald man in a white robe came from the door from the side of the altar.

"Good morning, priest. We have come to have our son, Michael's, Talent Awakened," Bart said respectfully.

The priest nodded, aware of their visit. "I have heard of the young boy's talents. You need not worry about him—surely, a genius like him will awaken an extraordinary skill."

Lylia's face brightened once she heard that. "You hear that, Michael?"

But Michael wasn't paying attention. His gaze was fixed on the statue of a holy maiden at the center of the church.

"Is that the God?" he asked.

The priest nodded. "Yes. She is the supreme goddess of this world—the one who created everything and the one who decides all. This Talent Awakening will allow you to connect with her holiness for a brief moment, giving you a chance to awaken your true powers through her."

She's a woman? I didn't really notice when I talked to her when I was reincarnated.

"Are you ready?" the priest asked.

Bart and Lylia both guided Michael to the altar and positioned him just in front of the Goddess's statue.

"You will feel yourself falling asleep," his mother whispered. "Do not resist it—it's part of the ritual."

With everything ready and in place, the priest raised his hand and muttered something under his breath as he channeled the divine power in his body.

Michael saw a light flash from the statue's head, slowly growing brighter and brighter until all his senses were overwhelmed with blindness.

I can't see anything. Is something happening, ChatJK2?

[You died… pftttt. Just kidding!]

Michael heard an unfamiliar voice answer his head.

He slowly opened his eyes and saw himself in a completely different place. 

The marble floor and velvet carpet are gone. The ground he stood on was a very fluffy and surprisingly stable cloud!

He looked around and saw what looked to be a perfect depiction of heaven. There were clouds everywhere, floating in the air and creating platforms like stairs and ledges.

[How have you been enjoying your new life?]

Michael looked to the front and saw a giant feminine face staring down at him. Her red lips were so massive that they could swallow an entire five-story building!

Are you… God? he asked.

[Why, yes, I am. It's only been ten years, and you have already forgotten me? I'm sulking.]

Michael didn't remember God being this beautiful.