Re:START/If {Book 1.0}
Chapter 65: Aswad 12 of 15 “Glaub mir” (Part 05)
Mylta city. The sun began to rise and its rays drove away the cloudy clouds that had once filled the sky. On that warm day, the first stage of the sacrament of baptism takes place. The streets are filled with people, the crowds fill every corner of the coastal city, either by people who want to see or follow the religious ceremony or just simply want to enjoy the crowd.
Colorful flags were hung along the street, and the sound of traditional musical instruments was heard all over the city. The center of the crowd is the city hill, where the Main Church is located. In front of the worship building, the baptized children gathered, lined up and prayed one by one before leaving for a special pier in the noble complex.
More than the previous year, children who attended baptism reached about 30 and 21 others participated in the Maturity Ceremony. They all wore white alba as a symbol of chastity, then on the head wore a hair ornament of flower-shaped cloth.
Among the children, Nanra is joined by Kirsi who continues to look restless. His tail moved to and fro, unable to stand still, lowered his face and feeling afraid of the surroundings. Since it was rare to see a Demi-human following the sacrament, almost everyone in the place looked down at him as if the child's existence was disturbing.
Nanra held the hand of the little boy who was wearing Alba a little bit of the humor. While looking at him he smiled lightly and confidently said, “Just ignore them. Those people don't give you anything, so what makes you please them by looking down like that?”
“Ta-But …. I'm not human. I'm ⸻”
“Not a problem,” said Nanra as she clasped Kirsi's hand tighter. Raising her face and gazing towards the Main Church building, the girl proudly revealed, “Odo has no issue with that …. The proof is that he accepts you in the store easily, ‘ right? Don't mind the people who do bad to you, just think of ways to repay the kindness of the people who helped you.”
Hearing what he said, Kirsi briefly fell silent and slowly raised her face. Crowded voices filled the place, people who occasionally stared at him with dislikeful eyes, as well as purists and children who looked curious about the presence of Demi-humans like him. Seeing all that, Kirsi momentarily put her left palm to her chest and tried not to care too much about them.
In the perplexed expression the Demi-human muttered, “Replying the kindness of the one who helped me ..?”
“It's true, repay the kindness. You don't have to think about those who don't like you.” Taking a deep breath, Nanra looked directly into the little boy's eyes and said again, “Odo once said this …. In this world there are no truly evil people, they do evil just because of the situation that made them do it .... Therefore, you don't have to think about them and live for the people you care about.”
“But .., I don't have anyone like that. My mother ... already ..”
“Then, just search from now on. Siska said, one of the rights possessed by living beings is to use a limited time. You can think about it from now on.”
Kirsi just looked at Nanra with a confused expression. In his mind he felt that what the child who was a few years away from him said was right. But at the same time, doubt is still left clear in the mind.
During his life Kirsi never knew the right way of life. Ever since he could first remember, what he saw was his parents' work as *******. For those who do not work will not get food, then only death awaits. The lesson really stuck in his mind, because that was after Odo helped he immediately asked Siska to be delivered to the place of the person who had helped him to work.
Kirsi is not used to receiving the kindness of others, but she is too accustomed to being treated harshly and just squeezed. The way of life in the tools that he had lived for a long time made the girl did not understand what to behave when receiving kindness. His mouth only gaped at a glance and seemed to want to say something, but it did not issue a sentence and he again lowered his face.
Amidst the awkward atmosphere between the two of them, Nanra's turn to pray came. A blonde woman in Vestimentum clothes approached and stood behind Nanra. While putting a palm over the back of the girl's head, she softly said, “So I hope you also act mature while in the orphanage.”
Hearing the voice, Nanra flinched and instantly knew that the priest standing behind her was Siska Inkara. Without replying to the words, the girl immediately braced her fingers and prepared to pray. He closed his eyes, quickly looking shady to pray for.
Siska at a glance breathed a sigh of relief the boy was willing to come and not make trouble like at his first clearing. Although he was surprised Nanra came along with the Demi-human child next to him, but it did not make Siska object and instead was happy to see her foster children getting older thanks to the arrival of new family members.
Opening the book in his right hand, Siska began to ask the question, “Nanra Tara, do you swear on the name of the Great Goddess .. Asmali Ora? Mondial will even believe and obey his orders?”
“Hamba believe and swear will obey ..”
“Do you promise to fulfill your duty as a servant?”
“Hamba promise.”
“As a weak servant I will try to support him.”
For a moment Siska was silent, she raised her left hand from behind Nanra's head and turned the pages of the book. Closing his eyes and taking a breath, the pastor began one of the stages in the sacrament. With wisdom he recited one of the contents of the Goddess's covenant with the ancestors of the people of Felixia.
“Past, future, and now ⸻ Three parts of the time. Once upon a time this world was one, a surgaloka full of enjoyment. But the world that meets the expectations of those people is simply fulfilling their passions and desires, gradually making everyone forget to say thank you. The world is wrathful, the sky is flipped over and the land is pulled up. Karma Modifier …. Now is the time when everything is in limitation, full of hard feelings and not everyone can smile. But people understand the meaning behind suffering, they understand that what is received is a gift. A gratitude was born, to adore and respect each other. In the future, the day of judgment will come …. We who live in the present can only wait, prepare ourselves before the guide comes to bring the world into a new era. You, one of the children born in the world, grow strong and seek your way in this life. Knowledge as a torch, ingenuity as a spear, then the heart as a scale to determine what you choose. Goddess bless, God watch over. May you grow up to be a noble child.”
After praying for Nanra, Siska closed her book and continued to pray for Kirsi. Giving the opening prayer to the children who will be baptized is not only the woman, but the Puritans who become the pastor also pray for them all in turns.
By the time all the children were finished being prayed by the priests, an orchestra that had been prepared at the venue began to play traditional music. Alto violins, harps and harmonica start the sound of musical instruments gently. Then as everyone sprinkled flowers at the children who started walking towards the special pier to be baptized, the violin chants rang out along with Bagpipe and the bell-bearers.
The children were accompanied by the chanting of musical instruments, guardians, and priests to the baptistery. But while on the dock, the guardians who deliver are not allowed to come down and can only see along the road.
The children descended through the stone steps into the outskirts of the bay, then wet their bodies and clothes in the sea water. Strewed flowers, given fragrance and one by one prayed by the priests. The cleansing activity lasted long enough, only finished when the sun almost reached its highest peak.
There was no significant difference between early baptism and the Ceremony of Maturity. They perform the same sequence of activities, from start to get down to the bay. But at the bay where they were baptized, the children who attended the Ceremony of Maturity would be asked sensitive questions. The daughter was questioned by the priestess, and the boy was questioned by the male priest.
The questions asked are like :
Have you had wet dreams and a longing heart?
Have you found your way of life?
Have you found your passion in the world?
Have you thought about being devoted to your parents and mastering your desires ?
Are you ready to believe fully in the Almighty?
Are you part of society and doing good in it?
Can you fulfill your obligations as a full member of society?”
There is no definitive answer to all these questions, children are given the freedom to answer and if they answer “Not” they will continue the Maturity Ceremony until it is finished. These questions are only used to measure the Pastors for their mental development, which is why the Pastor who asks the questions in the Ceremony of Maturity is mostly the same as in the early baptism.
After everything is finished, children can immediately be allowed to go home or stop by the Main Church to get lunch provided by the baptismal committee as the final stage of the event. Children from the upper classes were mostly immediately brought by their masters back to the residence to throw their own safe parties, children from the lower middle class mostly choose to return to the Main Church and follow the meal together.
Organizers who did not go to the shelter had prepared tables in front of the Main Church, of course, with all the food and drinks ready to be eaten together. In the belief held by the people of Felixia actually during the sacrament there are no caste differences, but among the food served seem to be the difference because of the guidance of government people who overindulge their children.
Among the people from the government who participated in the meeting this time, the Wiskel Porka family looked so happy after their second daughter had just finished the Maturity Ceremony. Although both had to eat standing because there was no seat provided, but at the table they saw more luxurious food they asked the committee.
Not only did the Porka family show their status and accentuate differences, some government people who loved their children too much did the same. In order to maintain relations with the Religious, even though they are from the upper class of these people are required to eat with the lower middle class. Because that is the difference that should not exist even clearly visible.
No one cares too much about it as if it is something that is not allowed is natural.