The Holy Empire of Auria, home to the Aurorian Church– the biggest faith across the Ten Continents, with a staggering 5 billion believers. One of the few states that have two figures representing supreme authority, the Pope who rules over everything Aurorian, and the Emperor who rules over everything Imperial.

  Within the Church there are different ranks, each having an imperial counterpart. The core ranks, as in the most essential ones are the following:

  A Deacon, your trainee civil servant.

  A Priest is your regular civil servant

  A High Priest is the one that manages teams of Priests.

  An Archpriest is equivalent to a mid-high ranking civil servant and they manage teams of High Priests.

  Bishops are even higher, they are equivalent to Imperial Branch Directors, they manage the Archpriests.

  Archbishops are equivalent to Regional Imperial Directors, they oversee the Bishops.

  A Cardinal is the equivalent of a Secretary of State and it is the third highest rank.

  An Archcardinal is the equivalent of a Minister and it is the second highest rank.

  Finally, there is the Pope, the highest possible rank achievable. The current Pope, Pope Anastasia V is considered to be among the popes with the highest authority.

  With the exception of the Pope, these ranks span across all the branches of the Church, though they are accompanied by a prefix denoting their branch. Inquisitor Priest, Templar Priest, and a few more that are not important for now. One cannot choose their branch, with a few exceptions such as those receiving a name for the that has never been received before, a “First Named”, they are seen as Ancestors of the future generations.

  Besides having the ability to decide their own destinies within the church, they also skip their deaconship and are ordained as priests.

  There are also titles. There are titles that span all branches such as Scholar, Archivist, Divinist. These titles are representative of their activities and are bestowed after the person is ordained as a Deacon.

  On top of all of these, there is also a special fourth category that shapes your future, the Prophecies. Being the subject of a prophecy is a blessing, no matter what the prophecy is, but even among these there are some prophecies that reign supreme, but I won’t get into them now.

  10 years have passed since High Priest Alexander adopted me from the streets and soon I will turn 15, the day when I will get baptised and receive a name from Aurora, the Goddess of Origin.

  10 years that I have spent nameless, 10 years in which all I did was study and nothing more.

  “Finally.” I said before closing my diary and turning off the lamp.

  * * * * * * * * * * * *

  The High Priest, standing in front of the altar and wearing formal attire- a white robe with gold and red threads depicting holy scenes, spoke loud enough to be heard across the church.

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  “We have gathered here today to welcome our new Siblings and to help them receive the blessings of the Most Merciful. It is my honor to be able to ordain these future deacons. It is also my honor to tell you that today, because of the large number of Siblings we will gain, Their Excellency, Bishop Neun has decided to participate in this ritual.”

  ‘That’s true, not even I expected to be surrounded by so many of my peers, but that’s not the thing that concerns me. What concerns me is the presence of the Bishop, why would such a high-ranking person be here?’

  Soon, the High Priest began chanting a long prayer that signaled the start of the ceremony.

  “As I stand before you, in my holy vestments, under the watchful eye of the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, I call forth the Sibling adopted by Priest Joshua, so that they may receive the Grace and Mercy of the Everpresent.”

  A small girl- a head shorter than me, stepped up and headed towards the High Priest, kneeling as soon as she arrived in front of him.

  Holding out a hand, the High Priest spoke one more long prayer.

  “I, High Priest Miriam, baptise you in the name of the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, the Beginning and the End. May you be granted a name befitting of your soul so that you will live true and happy.”

  A small light was emitted from the High Priest’s hand, signaling the success of the baptism.

  “Your name is Helia, a bright soul for a bright future, may you be happy, sister Helia.”

  And so the ceremony continued, some were granted rare names of past Saints, prophesying a great future and success for them.

  There were some notable children whose light shone brighter than the rest. They were bestowed names of old Saints, they were guaranteed a bright future.

  After what seemed like days, my turn finally came.

  “I call forth the Sibling adopted by High Priest Alexander, so that they may receive the Grace and Mercy of the Everpresent.”

  I took a step forward, my eyes locked on the altar and got on my knees as I came within reach of the High Priest.

  “I, High Priest Miriam, baptise you in the name of the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, the Beginning and the End. May you be granted a name befitting of your soul so that you will live true and happy.”

  Instead of the usual golden light, a great white light shone from the High Priest’s hand, one that rarely appeared. This blinding white light only appeared when a name was bestowed for the first time and all such incidents would be documented by the Archivists, I too would remain in the annals of history as one of them.

  “By the will of the Most Merciful you are baptised Innocentius. You will be remembered as Innocentius I, the Most Innocent, such is the will of the Most Gracious.”

  I was stunned, being a First Named came with many benefits, but for now the most significant one is the one that instantly makes me a Priest, skipping over the three years of deaconship.

  My face lit up.

  ‘Yes!’

  I never thought I would be The Baptizing resumed and I left the church alongside High Priest Alexander.

  “Who would have thought you would be a First Named?!” He said with a smile that stretched from ear to ear.

  Smiling just the same, I replied.

  “I cannot believe it!”

  * * * * * * * * * * * *

  As I entered my room, I crashed on the bed. In one week I would become a Priest and receive a three year head start in my quest for power. I would be three years closer to being able to alter the world and make it a better place, three years closer to shaping history.

  I lifted my hand to the ceiling and clenched my fist.

  ‘Finally!’