Lieutenant

Lieutenant Donovan led me into his office — a desk, a couple of shelves with alcoholic beverages, and a pair of chairs to sit on. What you might expect in a government office is a painting or picture frame with family photos, but not in this one.

Donovan pointed to the leather chair in front of him as he circled the desk to sit down in his own chair.

"Please, have a seat, Mr...?" He rested his hands on the arms of the chair and looked at me before sitting down.

"Brandon S. Oneal, sir."

"Okay, Mr. Oneal. I'm going to need you to answer a few of my questions, all right?" Donovan asked as he pulled a sheet of paper from a side drawer. I nodded quickly, and he continued, "When is your date of birth?"

"July 18, 1600."

"Where do you currently live?"

"In apartment 20 of building 871 on 220th St."

With each answer I gave, the police officer calmly filled in a blank space on the yellowed paper form.

"That's the basic information, but now I'll get a little more specific. What is your Blessing?"

"I can summon creatures that look like human skeletons."

The moment Donovan heard the word "summon," he slowly took his eyes off the paper and looked at me.

As Marceline had made sure to remind me the night before, I expected a reaction like this because Summoning Blessings were extremely rare.

"I'll need to see this with my own eyes before I put it down," Donovan said, raising his head completely to look at me.

I took a deep breath because I would need to spend some of my available Spirit points to summon a skeleton just for this, but I agreed and stood up. When I extended my right hand forward, the same thing happened as always.

A vortex of black smoke rose from the floor up to my shoulders, and a 5'7" human skeleton with a sword in its hand and crimson eyes appeared.

Unlike Fumiko and Marceline, Donovan didn't scream or get scared. He simply stood up from his chair and stared open-mouthed at my Skeleton Soldier. As a police officer, he had likely seen things in Lovikalen far more terrifying than a mere living human skeleton, but seeing it appear out of nowhere still left an impression on him.

When Donovan shook his head and came back to reality, he said,"Well, boy, so you really are a Blessed One."

"Yes, sir. Did you think I was lying?"

He swallowed hard, still not taking his eyes off the Skeleton Soldier. "It wouldn't be the first time. In the last decade, it's been common for people to come here the day after their birthday or even the same day, not realizing it could take days, weeks, or even months to discover their Blessing. And, of course, there are those twenty percent of the population who never awaken."

"Anyway, I think I've seen enough. Can you... I don't know, suck that thing back inside you?" Donovan asked, and I noticed he now spoke with a much more respectful tone.

"Yes, I can."

So I made the Skeleton Soldier disappear the same way I made him appear.

Donovan almost sighed as he sat back down. "Thanks for that. It would have been hard to talk with that thing staring into my soul, and Miss Waldifoe would probably have fainted if she saw it."

Coincidentally, I heard the door handle turning at that moment.

"Speaking of the devil…" Donovan muttered.

I turned my head slightly to the side, just to see the police station secretary entering the office with an object that looked very much like a crystal ball similar to those fortune tellers. The only major differences were that the sphere was not white, nor did it emit any light — at least not yet — and there was something inside it.

As she approached, it was possible to see that inside the crystal ball there was a geometric figure composed of 13 circles interconnected by straight lines, forming a pattern that resembled a cube and also a hexagram. On Earth, this symbol was called Metatron's Cube. In Aland, it was called the Mark of the Angels.

Elowen asked permission before carefully placing the crystal ball on the lieutenant's desk. "Here you are, boss. It was a little hard to find among the mess in the basement, and it's quite dusty, but I think it should still work."

Donovan blew on the object and tapped it lightly to remove the excess dust. "Thank you, Miss Waldifoe. And don't worry, no matter how long it takes, these never stop working. It's magic, so it doesn't expire."

Elowen nodded and bowed briefly. "If you'll excuse me, I'll return to my desk."

Without waiting for permission, the secretary left Donovan's office, leaving us alone again.

"Young boy, I'm sure you know what this is, but I still need to explain it because it's standard procedure... This strange ball here is called the Angel's Sphere and was made from transparent quartz. The symbol inside it was imbued by a magical craftsman at the behest of the Church, so you don't have to worry about burning yourself when you touch it." Donovan joked, clearly because my Summoning was not at all holy or sacred, but rather macabre.

Seeing that I didn't even crack a smile, he simply continued.

"When a Blessed One places their hands on this crystal, something like this happens..." Donovan placed both hands on the crystal ball as if he were a psychic. "By imbuing a bit of your own energy or intention into the sphere, a light will appear."

It was then that a bright green dot began to emerge from the center of the Angel Mark, running along the lines and circles before spreading throughout the sphere and turning it completely green.

"The color of the light emitted is directly related to the level of the Blessing. White qualifies as an E-Rank Blessing, green indicates D-Rank. Blue, C-Rank; Purple, B-Rank; Orange, A-Rank; and Gold, of course, S-Rank. These definitions do not define the rarity level of the Blessing, but rather the level of power," explained Donovan.

Although he was correct in theory, the truth was that someone with a higher-ranked Blessing was not always more powerful than all those below them. A Rank B would not always be more powerful than a Rank C, because the techniques and expertise of the Rank C with their own Blessing could be superior.

However, it was more common for those with higher-ranked Blessings to be more powerful than those below them—especially among magicians.

"Now, young man, it's your turn," Donovan said and removed his hand from the crystal ball. "Place both hands on the Angel Sphere and focus your will. Try doing the same as when using that skill, but with a bit more control."

As requested, I extended my arms over the table until I reached the crystal ball and placed my hands on it. The greenish glow from before was gone, so the sphere was dark at that moment.

I confess that I was a little anxious, as in the original story, Brandon's abilities and rank were never revealed. As he was just a comic relief character, there were few details about him, including what his Blessing was, and I was discovering most of it now by experiencing his perspective.

So, with my heart pounding with anxiety, I closed my eyes and imbued a little of myself into that quartz sphere. When I began to feel a warmth spreading through my hands, I opened my eyes and saw a greenish glow dominating the entire room. It was a much stronger glow than Lieutenant Donovan's, yet the expression on my face showed neither satisfaction nor happiness.

Sure, I was glad I wasn't considered a Rank E, but Rank D was not enough for someone who had been hoping for a Rank A or S reincarnation.

Donovan scratched the side of his head, smiling awkwardly. "I confess that I expected a more exciting color due to the rarity of your Blessing, but I think that would be too much for someone like us from the suburbs of a city like Lovikalen."

Over the next few minutes, Donovan explained that it would take at least two days for my registration form to reach the Church office at Lovikalen Cathedral, at which point my Climber badge would be released. He also comforted me, saying that there were few Rank-Ds from Bronxord, the neighborhood where I was born and raised, and that I should be proud to earn a salary of one gold coin per month.

To me, those words meant nothing because I didn't plan to stay at Rank D for long.

I spent the next two days helping out at home as best I could and going to work with my father, thinking it was better than just staying at home waiting for the damn badge. Then, it finally arrived.

On the morning of July 22, the mailman knocked on my apartment door and handed an envelope to my mother. She looked at it and saw the symbol of the Church of the Golden Halo—a crown of thorns under a cross.

"Son, what you've been waiting for has arrived," said Fumiko, turning to me with the envelope in her hands and a strained expression.

I couldn't blame her for not being happy with the news; after all, this was the day her eldest living son would enter the Tower of Babel for the first time.