《OF THE LAST》


 Chapter One"

    It was late at night when an old couple was awoken from their sleep by the sound of heavy rain pelting its way onto their roof, the male of the couple was quick to jump out of his bed, hurrying his steps as he rushed to the rack by the door to retrieve his coat, he pulled it over his night gown and quickly collected the lamp his wife had just lit for him.


    He opened the door and left his wife standing there as he rushed out into the night, cursing himself at his stupidity, he couldn¡¯t believe he thought he could leave the fish out through the night and nothing would go wrong, he should have just brought it in like his wife had told him too, the woman as naggy as she was, she was always right and she could read the weather better than he could read a book.


    He huffed as the rain soaked through his coat and his night clothes eventually soaking his skin, he was bound to catch a cold but there wasn¡¯t going to be a day off for him, no such thing for a fisher man. He finally reached the dock where he had left the fish out to catch the sun and then he cold air so by the morning he would have some proper salted fish to sell, but he guess his customers would just have to wait till the afternoon.


    He took the tarp that the fish had been lying on and rolled it up, using a string to tie it quickly, he hefted it onto his shoulder, thanking the heavens that his health had not declined thanks to all of the hard work he had done throughout his life, otherwise he would have had to hire someone to keep his business going and that would have been money out of his pocket.


    He hurried his steps to get back to his house even with the weight on his shoulders, but as he neared his house he suddenly found himself falling over and landing face first into the wet sand, he let out a curse as he turned to see what the cursed thing he had just tripped over was. His eyes widened and his mouth hung open at the sight of a naked child lying halfway on the shore halfway in the water as the rain pelted onto his pale skin.


    The man was no longer concerned for his fish as he quickly rushed to the child and picked him up; the poor thing was shivering and from what he could tell, barely breathing. The man pulled the child¡¯s small frame to his chest and quickly ran to his house. His wife frowned at him when she saw that he returned without the fish and moved to ask why, but he rushed past her and into the house.


    She quickly followed him in and watched as he placed something on their bed, she looked him up and down before rushing to his side and gasping when she saw the child, it didn¡¯t take long for her instincts to kick in as she quickly rushed to their vanity and pulled out one of her shirts and a towel, she ran back and dried the child off as quickly as she could, pulling the shirt over him while her husband finished building a fire in their chimney.


    He came and collected the child wrapping him up in a blanket before setting him down in front of the fire and moved to change his clothes while his wife moved to cuddle the child against her. When the male was finished he quickly set a kettle on the fire and placed some of the fish broth they had eaten before going to bed to reheat, they had to get the child warm and quickly if they wanted to save his life.


    ¡°¡±¡±¡±


    The sun was now rising in the sky when the man awoke, he looked next to him and his wife was still asleep but she had the child bundled up and tucked against her, he smiled at the sight reminding him of a time when his children had been babies, his wife would never let them sleep far from her, even when two had come at the same time, he had found himself sleeping on the ground by the fire as his wife and children stole his bed, but he could never be angry at them, as long as they were comfortable he would be fine.


    He shook his head to clear his mind, it was thirty years ago that they had their last child and that child was now captain of the guard for the royal guard, a great achievement for someone as young as he was. He looked back at his sleeping wife and moved over gently shaking her, it didn¡¯t take long for her eyes to open and when they did he gestured to the child and she nodded.


    Soon they were both up and dressed for the day, eating out their buns and broth from the night before, when they were finished, the woman wiped the child down and pulled on back her shirt on him along with a jacket and a pair of socks and then they were out the house. The man locked up the door and then helped his wife to get up in the carriage while she held the sleeping boy.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    It was an hour before they had reached the small port town but instead of setting up his stall like he did every morning he headed straight into town and to the clinic. The doctor in charge of the clinic greated them and he told her what happened the night before, she nodded and took the child from the woman before leading them further into the clinic.


    She stripped the child down and frowned at the sight of him, she looked over at them before running her hand through his rose gold hair. She moved it aside so she could take a peek at his ears and her frown deepened when she saw that they weren¡¯t pointed, or big and floppy or anything of the sort. She had never seen ears that were small and round like his and that made her more curious about the child.


    She quickly moved closer pulling up one of his lids to reveal light brown eyes hat had a dash of green in it and she stepped back rushing over to her shelf and pulling out a book, she flipped through it but could not see anything about the child ears or eyes or even the form of his face. She shut it and decided to would be best to just focus on the child¡¯s wellbeing than trying to find out his origins.


    She quickly checked his temperature and nodded, he was warm enough and luckily didn¡¯t have a fever, she checked his heart beat and frowned at how slow it was beating but also that the fact that this would mean that he was close to death but he showed no other symptoms. She asked the couple if he had woken since they found him and received a shake of their heads in return.


    She ran her hands through his hair and nodded when she found a bump in the middle of his head and moved back to pull a blanket over the child ¡°okay well from what I can see the child was knock unconscious and probably won¡¯t wake until the bump is gone and his heart is beating a bit slower but that may depend on what species he is, but other than that he is as healthy as can be.¡±


    The woman smiled at her and nodded ¡°well that is good to hear, I¡¯m glad we were able to help save the little one¡­ but what do we do with him now, I know we were the ones that found him but I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be able to provide for him like we did our own children and I¡¯d feel horrible if we just left him on the side of the road or something.¡±


    ¡°Oh you can just take the child to the temple, I¡¯m sure the Grand Priestess will be happy to have him there in the meantime while they look for his parents.¡± The doctor beamed with joy as she mentioned the Priestess and the couple nodded, they had time and the trip was supposed to be have a day, so they could travel now and be home in the night.


    The couple thanked the doctor and quickly dressed the child, they bundled him up and was quick to get on their carriage after collecting a note from the doctor that would make it easy for them to be able to see the Priestess right away.


    ¡°¡±


    They got off the Carriage the man taking the child from his wife as she stopped to stare up at the white temple that stretched into the sky with bits of gold running along its surface. The place was simply magnificent and seemed to give off a glow that would draw anyone to it. The man placed his hand on his wife¡¯s chin and closed her mouth before ushering her into the temple.


    A young woman dressed in a long white dress with a hood that was drawn over her head and a mask on her face passed them humming something as she went, she stopped and turned to face the elderly couple giving them a light bow before tilting her head in question. The man was quick to tell the girl what was happening and handed her the note.


    She collected it and read it quickly her eyes widening before she gave them a small bow and turned running out of the room, leaving them to stare behind her in shock. They didn¡¯t have to wait long before a tall woman dressed in blue robes that had gold trimming, gold ornaments adorning her platinum white hair and long white ears that stood stiff into the air.


    Her dark eyes seemed to stare into their as her rose pink lips drew into a frown, she walked up to them and the bowed receiving a simple nod s a sign for them to raise their heads ¡°I understand this child is not yours and you wish for me to find his family?¡± her voice was soft and it seemed to soothe away the worries they had.


    ¡°Yes N¨· j¨¬s¨©, we found him on the shores by our home last night and today we were told to bring him to you.¡± The man was quick to speak as he raised the child up for him to see.


    She stepped forward moving the blanket so she could look at his face ¡°well now who would leave behind such a beautiful child, how cruel.¡± She clicked her tongue and collected him from the man ¡°don¡¯t you worry little one I¡¯ll find your papa and mama for you and if I find out that they really did leave you behind I¡¯ll have this world cleansed of them.¡± The older couples eyes widened and she looked up at them with a smile ¡°thank you for taking care of him but I will take it from here you may go.¡± With that the Priestess turned on her heels and vanished deeper into the temple.

 Chapter Two"

    The sun had just risen over the horizon when The Grand Priestess found herself walking down the hall headed to her only child¡¯s chambers, it was a bit too early for the teenager to be awake but she wanted him to make an early rise because of how special the day was. Her ears twitched when the wind brushed against it just as she arrived right outside her child¡¯s door.


    She smiled as she knocked on it gently and listened but there was no sound on the other side so with a shake of her head she pushed the door aside, she walked into his chamber and had to push another door aside before she entered the room and had to stifle a laugh back at the sight of her poor son. She had no idea how the child could be fast asleep in such a position.


    He was literally half way off the bed; the only thing that kept him from hitting the floor was the fact that his hand and foot were tangled in to the blanket. She quickly rushed over to him and placed her hands around his torso and lifted him onto the bed, happy that she was able to do it because of her lucky descent.


    She watched as he reached for his pillow and quickly reached snatching it from his grasp receiving a pitiful whine as he tried to bury his head into his bed, she shook her head and placed her hand on his back gently tapping it ¡°Xiao-Ping my child it is time for you to rise, I know you wish to spend it sleeping but the day is much too special for that.¡± All she received a muffled rumble before her son reached to pull the blanket over his head.


    She arched her brow and took hold of it, she snatched it away from him and off the bed thanking the heavens that he child had at least been wearing his underwear. She smiled as he groaned but slowly slid onto his knees and then lifted his head from the bed, he turned it to face her and she looked into his piercing golden green eyes.


    He blinked a few times before adjusting himself so that he was sitting on the edge of his bed looking up at him, she moved forward and brushed his Rose Gold locks from his face, she clicked her tongue ¡°this frazzled look doesn¡¯t sooth you my child, your hair is much too thick to be this long, it will give you a head ache if you were to try and comb it, come let¡¯s get you in the bath and I¡¯ll send someone to fetch my sheers so I can make you look proper, okay?¡±


    Xiao-Ping nodded as he looked up at his mother with sleepy eyes ¡°that¡¯s my babe, come on.¡± She took his arm and helped him to stand leading him out of his room, they turned left and she pushed aside another door that revealed a wooden tub in the center of a tiled room with the necessary things for bathing around the edge and the tub had already been filled with warm water as she had asked.


    ¡°Go on have a bath and wash your hair and I¡¯ll go pick out your outfit for the day my sweet.¡± She went out the room and shut the door in before going back to his room, she smiled at the sight of maid who was already in there changing the sheets and tidying his room. She went up and went into his wardrobe and flicked through the clothes he had.


    She sighed at the choices and looked down at her own outfit, would it be too much trouble if they matched. She twirled a little and watched as her white and light blue robes followed her movement. She was dressed in four layers, he first being her under dress which was white followed by her white robe, and after that the light blue robe and then finally another silk white one, all had sleeves of different lengths so each color was able to show itself beautifully.


    To top it off she was wearing a light blue belt that matched her robe and hung down her front and stopped just at her ankles, and of course she was wearing the jewelry to match with her hair done up nicely with blue, gold and white ornaments hanging from it. She appreciated the time it took her to put on the robes because of how beautiful it was.


    She shook her head and went through his things again finally deciding on a white and dark blue shenyi along with a black cloak with grey trimmings that had grey swirls going up the sleeves, She smiled and placed it on his bed, then went on to decide on how she would cut his hair, thinking that maybe she should leave it long just trim it a little.


    She had finally made up her mind when Xiao-Ping walked in the room looking fully awake, he smiled at her and pulled her into a hug, she smiled and patted his back before pulling back and placing a kiss on his head ¡°now you look all better, you always look so much better after a wash.¡± He smiled as she ran her hands through his hair ¡°do you want to cut your hair or just trim it?¡± he seemed to think before agreeing to have it cut.


    She nodded and went out the room and sent someone to go fetch her sheers while she waited for him to get dressed, soon one of the servants retuned with it and a cape that would keep her son¡¯s clothes from getting dirty. He let her know he was done and she cooed at the sight of how handsome he looked, even going up to adjust his coat just a little.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    She moved and pushed the doors that were on the side of his room top the side revealing a small garden area with a stand, one of her servants ran and placed a chair in the middle as Xiao-Ping took her hand and helped her to walk down the small path to the stand, once they were up he took a seat and she tossed the cape over him.


    She collected the comb from a tray that one of her servants were holding and started to run it through his hair, it was long going below his butt, but with how lazy he was when it came to caring for it, it normally looked an unpresentable mess. She slowly ran the comb through his golden locks and then took the sheers cutting at his hair.


    She stopped when it was in a medium two-block style, she ran the comb and brush through it bring some down in front of his face and clapping at her work ¡°you look perfect, now at least you won¡¯t have to try hard to keep your hair presentable, can I count on that?¡± Xiao-Ping looked up at her and nodded as he smiled ¡°that¡¯s my boy, now come along, eat breakfast with me.¡±


    They soon made it out to the main garden where a table had been set out for them with the different dishes all aligned perfectly. The Priestess was all too happy to help dish out Xiao-pings meal and they ate tho there fill and watched as everything was taken away before she turned to him and smiled ¡°Now I¡¯m wondering if my child knows what to day is, what makes it so special?¡± he shook his head and she smiled ¡°Ah, I¡¯m a bit surprised that you don¡¯t but just because I wanted to I¡¯ll tell you what today is.¡± He smiled and waited on her to speak so she leaned in taking his hand ¡°today is the day that my son becomes a man.¡±


    Xiao-Pings eyes widened at what she had said ¡°I wanted it to be a surprise and from what I could see you are as surprised as you¡¯ll ever be. Just like my son to keep himself composed no matter what, you make me so proud that you are mine.¡± She pulled him into a hug and kissed his head ¡°now today there are many things to be done and it all leads to the grand coming of age ceremony that will be held at the royal palace and I¡¯ll be able to bestow your blessing on you as I will the other boys, but I¡¯ll make sure you get the best one.¡± She winked at him and he laughed ¡°Okay now I must go and you go find something to do that won¡¯t get you in trouble.¡± She placed one last kiss on his head and walked away to go begin her day.


    ::


    Xiao-Ping waited until his mother and her servants had gone out of sight and then let the smile he was holding onto drop, he sighed and leaned forward resting his head on the table and throwing his arms over them ¡°She makes it look so easy¡­¡± he mumbled to himself and just let the silence take over his space.


    He could never understand the Priestess, she was one of the most powerful people in the kingdom and could literally speak to the gods, she could do whatever she wanted whenever she liked, get whatever she sought after but yet she chose to bring someone like him into her home and called him her child, what was so special about him?


    He sighed and stood up deciding to go to the library, he had to walk out the sleeping area where his, the Priestess¡¯s and the helpers chambers were all located. He passes the bathing area that all of those that worked in the temple used, he had never been in it so he didn¡¯t even know what it looked like but he did remember a servant saying it was the best bathing area he had ever used.


    He passed the kitchen are and then he was out into the actual temple, it was needlessly huge, packed with different prayer rooms, rooms for different scenarios and offices scattered here and there, his mother¡¯s study was the biggest and set on the highest floor. He ignored the statues of the gods that lined the area and quickly made his way to the west side of the temple.


    The west Side of the Temple was actually one large room that was made of lacquered wood that covered every surface, along with shelves that stretched up every available walls, any walls not used held windows that could be swung wide open and when they were shut you could see out but no one could see in.


    There were boots, chairs and tables all made of the same wood just a bit lighter than the floors of walls, with different embroider pillows of all sizes, that you could sit on or hug if you wanted. When it was dark, there were floating lamps that hung around all over the room, they would come down to be lit at a certain hour and then return to their perch and when the library was closed they would out themselves.


    He walked in and stepped on a board that was raised slightly off of the ground, as soon as his feet touched I, the board rose into the sky and he faced the shelf he wanted to go to and the board floated over there. He went down the line looking for a certain book sighing when he saw that it wasn¡¯t there, the board floated him down to a desk where Bao one of the Temple helpers who worked as the Librarian sat happily reading a book.


    Xiao-Ping frowned when he saw it was the book he was looking for and didn¡¯t even say a word as he snatched it from her grasp, she moved to yell at him until she saw it was him and smiled shyly ¡°Ah you¡¯re here, I didn¡¯t think you were coming today, especially seeing it was your big day, oh and congratulations.¡±


    He kept his face blank and just nodded at her ¡°I told you not to touch this book, you always fold the pages and this book is old so it couldn¡¯t take much abuse before it falls apart, so don¡¯t touch it.¡± He spoke sternly and she shrunk back saying that she only wanted to know what he was reading, he shook his head at her ¡°Curiosity killed the cat and the blasted thing had nine lives what do you think it¡¯s going to do to you?¡± Bao looked down and he sighed before turning on his heels and walking away.

 Chapter Three"

    Xiao-ping walked through the library until he found a boot that was tucked in the corner and perfectly hidden away from view, he sat in the corner and flipped through the book until he found the page he was on. He sat back pulling a pillow to him before he begun reading, enjoying the silence that went along with it. Here in this boot no one would be able to see him and even if someone knew of the boot most of the people in the temple often opted to sit in the middle of front of the library.


    His eyes roamed over the page and he soon found himself smiling at the pages, it was the story of a young pirate that sailed all over the world and took what he wanted from where ever he wanted with no one to stop him and anyone who did often met a swift end. Xiao knew it was silly for him to be ready a story such as this but he found it interesting and it brought him a form of relaxation that he enjoyed slipping into after a day filled with classes taught by his rigid private teacher.


    And something about the books that he enjoyed most were when they described the people, they were never found with long pointed fur covered ears like his mothers, or round ones, or long wiry tails that would whip back and forth in anger. Instead when they were described the people looked like him, soft pale skin, sometimes their skin was tan from all the time they spent in the sun, they had eyes like his often, blue, green or brown and sometimes if they had magic in their veins it would be silver or gold.


    They never had a shred of fur, scales or feathers on their skin, their hair was just like his, often flowing long and in simple colors like black, brown and blonde if the person was old their hair would be white or grey. They couldn''t run extremely fast or vanish from someone''s view if they needed to be hidden. But they were strong and excelled in combat that they used to destroy their enemies, both the men and women had this trait sometimes even a child.


    He could sit here for hours and imagine himself in the same situation, traveling to far of places and fighting for treasure or remaining in the village he had grown up in and defending it from evil beings that fought to destroy it. He could imagine himself attending these great schools and fighting for the top spot to end up in the position of his dreams. Or right now with this tail he could be a pirate who traveled many a sea just to feel the rush in his veins and enjoy the rush of breeze on his skin.


    He smiled to himself as he read along the story, the boy had grown and was now a man, over his travels he had only fell in love once and after he had gained all the treasure he wanted and experienced all the adventure he could want and more he returned to where he had found his love. He found that the woman of his dreams had waited on him as she had promised and within a few days they held a simple white wedding, several months later they were blessed with their first child and they lived happily ever after.


    He had no idea how long he had sat reading before he heard Boa''s voice as she called for him, he got up from his seat taking the book with him and headed over to where she was still sitting at the desk with a different book on her lap. He looked at her questioningly and she pointed to the door where one of the maidens of the temple was waiting on him he headed over to her and she smiled up at him "your mother summons you to her office."


    He nodded and moved to return the book before following her out of the wing and into the main hall, they walked until they were standing under his mother''s office and the floor begun to raise. He gave no reaction to it except to place his hands behind his back, the maiden bowed her head and whispered a congratulations, just before an opening in the floor of his mother''s office opened and the floor moved to take that open space.


    He stepped off of it and watched as it went back down taking the maiden with it after she had bowed to the priestess, when he looked at his mother she smiled at him. "You were laying down somewhere Xiao-ping." he gave her a questioning look and she giggled "I know because the back of your hair is flattened, so where have you been this whole time, I''m just asking because the temple is a bit too quiet is all."


    He walked over to where his mother was sitting, moving to her side and got on his knee, she returned his smile and started running her fingers through his hair "I was in the library reading a book that was filled with many old stories that spoke of people like me." He stated and his mothers hand stopped for a second before it continued and he rose up to watch her with a curious gaze. She put the smile back on her face and he arched a brow at her.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    "So what was some of these stories about?" she asked as she pointed to the chair across from her as a gesture for him to sit. Xiao gave his mother one questioning look before getting up and going to the chair. He dropped down in it and started to tell her about the stories, one was of a new mother who was with child and found herself in the middle of a war. She had to fight to protect her womb from people who were trying to kill her.


    His mother laughed when he told her that the woman hefted up a giant double edged sword and tossed it at a giant ogre, knocking his head clean off. He started to tell her about the other stories and she laughed along with him even throwing her head back as she held her stomach in laughter. After all of that they slipped into a comfortable silence as his mother finished off on the last of her work, quickly flipping through each page and sighing at an unbelievable speed.


    When she was finally finished, she piled all the papers into one stack and hefted them up dropping them into the bottom draw of her desk before locking it. She tidied up her desk and then they both got up and left her office "okay so I need to make a few quick stops and then we must venture out into the market place so you and I can get a new set of robes, because unfortunately our tailor is home sick, so we must go to the store."


    Xiao nodded and then proceeded to follow her as she made her way to the temple. She stopped to leave some notes for some of the temple maidens to study, then she went to the blessing pool and carried out an hour long ceremony to bless new born twin boys. Then she stopped to speak to a few people that were visiting the temple for whatever reason and Xiao was wondering why she didn''t just call him from the library when she was actually ready to return to the chamber. He could''ve picked out and read at least halfway through a new book by now.


    The priestess was talking to one of the people and glanced back to see and irritated look on his face as he stared off into space. She quickened the pace of the conversation and then excused herself taking Xiao''s arm in hers before heading for the chambers. "I''m so sorry, but I didn''t think all of that would take up much time, I''ll make sure it doesn''t happen again okay?" she asked looking to him and received a simple nod but was happy because she saw the irritated look recede from his face.


    They made their way into the chambers and Xiao followed his mother to her room, he watched as she went to her closet and quickly flipped through her clothes before pulling out a long white cloak that had a mask attached to it. She quickly pulled it on and threw the hood and mask up so her hair and face was covered along with her ears that had dropped down so she could hide it in the cloak. They went to Xiao''s room and pulled out a similar cloak except that it was a dark ocean blue.


    She checked that she had her money pouch on her before they headed towards an exit for the chambers that instead of leading to the temple lead straight out into the town. Xioa closed in the door behind him and nodded to the guard that was there before they headed on their way. The Priestess locked her elbow in with Xiao''s and then headed down the path, they didn''t make any extra stops but went straight for the market section and into the tailors building.


    They were a few other women standing around the shop with their children who were all going to be taking part in the coming of age ceremony that night. They went and took a seat and waited for the shop to be cleared out before going up to the counter, the Priestess looked around before throwing her hood off her head and removing her mask, causing the man to immediately bow to her. "What can I do for you today your grace?"


    The Priestess signaled for the man to raise his head before smiling at him. " A week ago an order for twenty rolls of gold ling, twelve rolls of gold luo, twelve rolls of gold duan, twelve of black duan and twelve rolls of blue luo had came in, have they arrived as yet?" The man was quick to nod and step aside so he could raise up the counter for them to pass, he lowered it back when they were through and went through a door that lead to the back of the building.


    He opened up one last door that lead into a large room that had shelf''s running along the wall with boxes stacked on each, he climbed up a ladder going to one of the higher shelves. He pulled off a very large box off the top shelf and balanced it on his head before sliding down the ladder. The Priestess watched with interest as he carried the box and placed it on a table and picked up a steel tool and hammer to pop it open.


    He smiled and pulled out the different types of silk for her to see and listed out everything that was in the box, she smiled when it was her exact order. "Okay now that you see everything is here my grace what would you liked to make and for when do you need it?"


    She smiled at him "I need you to make a three layered gold robe for me for the ceremony and also use the gold and other two colors of silk to make another three layered robe for my son." The man''s eyes widened and he looked down at the things before looking back at the Priestess "I will be happy to, it will be a tight squeeze but they should arrive at the temple an half an hour before the ceremony, is that okay?" the Priestess nodded and the man returned her gesture as he pulled out his measuring tape.

 Chapter Four"

    Xiao waited for his mother to finish with her measurements before he stepped forward to take his, having to remove his cloak and outer robe, the man was done in a few minutes and moved back thanking Xiao before he was allowed to get dressed again. He watched as his mother handed over five gold coins to the man for the shipment and then making of the robes, she also gave him extra because of the short time that he had to make the robes and honestly if he wanted to keep nay of the gowns he would hurry.


    When they were finished they went across to a jewelry store and Xiao stood watch as his mother went through the different gold ornaments, picking out a really large and beautiful one for herself and then she, picked out a few earrings rings and bands along with a chain. When she paid and packaged everything they headed over to a store so she was fitted with new shoes and he got his own pair and then they finally made their way back to the temple going through the same door.


    The Priestess lead Xiao to his room and went into his closet pulling out his all black three layered robes and helped him to change into them. He placed a kiss on his mothers cheek and then went out the door and into a large carriage where other girls and boys his age were sitting in wait. Some of them greeted him some even going so far as to give him a respectful bow, he knew they only did it because he was known as the Priestesses son.


    He looked out the window until the carriage finally stopped in front of a large white building that was maybe half the size of the temple but was still quite large. He and the other children jumped out the carriage and lined up next to each other, all of them were dressed in black robes of different styles. Only the girls had a sash o red going around their waist and their hair was tied up by a red band.


    A tall beast man came out the building and he too was dressed in the black robes, his eyes scanned the line of students and a smile formed on his face "You children make me so proud to see how big you have grown. To be able to see so many of you at once at the coming of age ceremony brings a smile to my face, it''s as if I''m watching my own children become the new leaders of our country, I could not imagine a more beautiful sight."


    "Okay but before we see you at the ceremony tonight we must have a bit of a competition for you. I once told you that as long as you breath the test you face will be never ending and I hope that you took that to your soul because it is true." He received a nod from all his students and he smiled again " well let''s go in and a final test of your strength shall be carried out before you big night begins." He turned and headed in with all the children in tow.


    They walked down a grand hall passing all the classrooms and went straight out the  back of the school that lead to their training arena. Xiao looked around and could see a few parents watching on with the younger students and looked straight ahead, he knew the Priestess couldn''t be here for the simple fact that she was the priestess and was in charge of the ceremony so she had to spend the few hours before it;s time preparing it.


    He took his mind off of it and went over to the stand where different weapons were laid out on a rack. The weapons weren''t the regular training ones that he and the class had been using every time they trained, but instead the weapons were real and it was weapons that each child parents had had crafted for them. Xiao was quick to spot his because it was the biggest one on the stand and while the other blades were silver and shined, his was as dark as coal and carried a hilt made of pure gold.


    He picked up the sword and swung it around in his hands even tossing it in the sky and catching it by the hilt as it landed, as big as the sword was, was as light as it was so he could do anything he wanted with it. The other students stepped forward to collect there weapons, one girl had a blade that was red and curved. She swung it around and shoved it back in it''s sheet, before giving Xiao a glance and heading on her way.


    Xiao went and joined the line and with a whistle two students went out to the center of the ring and faced each other before the fight begun, one was a girl that carried a bladed whip and the other was a guy that carried a golden scythe. The guy was the first to attack swinging his scythe in the air and then slamming it down on the ground, the earth raised up and went straight in the girls direction, but she was able to jump out of the way and that was the start of the fight.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    The guy eventually won when he hooked the edge of the girls whip and swung his scythe around causing the whip to spin around it until she was forced to let go and he kicked her in her stomach sending her out the ring. The match was called and the guy quickly ran over to get the girl and help her up and lead her to the benches. Xiao wondered how lucky she felt because this tournament didn''t really count for the grades that said whether or not a person would be part of the coming of age ceremony.


    As far as Xiao knew it was only there for fun but he wasn''t going to lose to anyone just because he wanted to have some fun, first of all it would be downright embarrassing to lose to people he didn''t like too much. And then he was known as the son of the temple and if he lost or did something bad it would reflect badly on the temple and he''s rather not have to sit and listen to one of his mother''s never ending rants.


    So it went on and on a pair of students went up and fought against each other, the losing one of the two went to sit in the stands while the other rejoined the line, until it was Xiao''s turn to fight. He held his sword in had and walked into the ring with his opponent, a male that was bigger than him and had horns pointing out of his head. Xiao had seen many children like him before and he was never afraid of them, the bigger they were the harder they fell.


    And to be honest Xiao didn''t really want to fight, he just wanted whatever this was to hurry and finish so he could return home and read until it was time for him to get ready. The other student swung around his battle ax and screamed as a very unimpressed Xiao, Xioa knew that the child''s parents were watching and didn''t want to embarrass him too much. So he took his stance as the boy did the same and with one push of right foot he had dashed across the ring going straight past the boy.


    For a second it looked like nothing happened and then the boys battle ax went flying into the air and landed straight out of the ring as the boy fell to his knees gasping for breath. There was a few moments of stunned silence and then the whistle went of signalling the end of what people would hesitate to call a fight. Xiao went and helped the boy to his feet before turning and heading out the ring with his sword thrown over his shoulder.


    The fight continued until once again it was only him and another student, it was the girl with the curved blade, who watched him with suspicion as they made their way into the ring. He had done the same move the last three times he had to fight and something told him that it might have been a bad idea to do it so many times in a row but he didn''t care because it worked. Eac of his fights were painfully short, just the way he liked it.


    Soon as the whistle went off the girl didn''t wait for him to take his stance instead she dashed forward and tried to do Xiao''s own move on him. Everyone in the stands cheered when she went past him and waited to see what would happen to him, but as an unimpressed look passed over Xiao''s face they knew nothing was going to happen. He turned to face the girl as she turned to face him and shook his head at her.


    He knew she was frozen so he just flipped his sword and threw it at her, the head of the handle connected with her stomach and sent her flying out the ring with a loud scream. Everyone was silent as he made his way over to her, he collected his sword dropping it in it''s sheet and then reached down and picked her off the ground. He carried her over to the stand where a man stood to collect her and then Xiao turned to leave the arena and then the school all together.


    "Xiao-ping!" he looked back to see his teacher coming after him with a strange mixture of anger and worry on his face and Xiao didn''t by the worry part one bit. His teacher stopped in front of him and stared into the younger males eyes before sighing "you know right now I have no idea what to say to you," Xiao gave him a curious look and the man sighed again "I don''t know whether to yell at you for hurting your peer so badly or congratulate you on your win but I will tell you that that girl''s father wasn''t too happy with what you did."


    Xiao gave him a blank look and the man shook his head "never mind son, just go home." Xiao spun on his heel and headed out the school yard and instead of hailing a carriage he decided it would be good for him to take the long walk home and use it to cool down. He knew that the only reason the girls father was angry with him instead of his daughter was because it was a known fact that he wasn''t one of their kind and no one liked losing to someone that wasn''t of their kind if they had no choice but to lose.


    He finally made it back to the temple after a long walk that had him soaked through his robes, he went to his room and stripped down before going into his personal bathing area and taking a soak in his pool.

 Chapter Five"

    The Priestess sat in the pool that was in her personal bathing area, her head was resting down on the edge of the pool where a woman was behind her washing her hair and running a comb through it. She had just finished fixing up the temple for the ceremony that would be held in the next few hours and was finally be able to relax until the time came for her to do her real work. And that was contacting the gods so she could bestow blessings from them onto the children that were old enough for the ceremony.


    The woman told her she was finished and stepped aside so the Priestess could stand in the pool and rinse herself off from head to toe, once she was done she got out the pool and dried her skin down before slipping on her robe and sitting down so she could dry her hair with the help of her maid. When she was finished she went back in her room and went to her wardrobe and pulled out one of her under robes and her underwear.


    She slipped on her clothes and then took a ribbon to tie her hair up before slipping on a grey cloak and going out of her chambers and down a hall heading straight in Xiao''s. She knew her son should be back to the temple by now and she just wanted to make sure he hadn''t gone to sleep or anything. She didn''t want him to feel drowsy through the ceremony and end up feeling no excitement that he had succeeded in passing through it.


    When she entered his room she was surprised to see that he wasn''t napping in his bed and quickly went to see if he was lounging on his porch but saw nothing when she pushed aside the two doors. She tilted her head and then turned to head back inside, she went past his bed and knocked on the door that lead into his bathing area. But there was no answer so she pushed open the doors and sighed when she saw that her had actually fallen asleep in his pool and the only thing keeping him from completely submerging was the fact that his head was resting on a towel on the edge of the pool.


    She went in and tapped him on his shoulder trying to wake him up , but she hissed when she realized he wasn''t going to wake, she sent the maid to call for some servants and grabbed up his robe draping it over him. When the men came in she quickly instructed them to heft Xiao out of the water and carry him back to his room. She moved all of his sheets and had him placed on the bed, when they placed him down she made all of them look away as she removed the robe.


    She grabbed his towel from the maid and started drying him from head to to, when she was done she grabbed the blankets back and wrapped him up in them. She the maid and servants rub his arms and legs down as she stood and clasped her hands closing her eyes, in just as second her hands were hot and she started passing it over his head and chest. She was relieved when his eyes slowly started opening and he stretched and then went on to curl in on himself with a tired yawn.


    She sent everyone out the room and kept rubbing her hands on his back, until he was fully awake, she sighed with happiness and pulled his head onto her lap running her fingers through his hair. He asked her what had happened and she told him how he was found and what she had to do to get him awake. He frowned slightly as she asked him what happened and he told her about what happened at school causing her to frown before she tried to cheer him up.


    When she was done talking to him she decided to help him prepare and then they sat on his porch snacking on fruit as they waited on their gowns to arrive. Night had fallen and the Priestess decided to get her hair ready while she waited, the huge gold crown like ornament sat on her head with chains hanging down from it. She admired the style her snow white hair was in and then quickly worked on putting on her light makeup that enhanced her already striking features.


    It was exactly an half an hour before the ceremony that the gowns had arrived and she couldn''t help but stare at hers for a few minutes, before one of the maids had convinced her to put it on. When they were finished they clipped on the rest of her jewelry and helped her with her shoes and she smiled at the sight of herself. And then all she wanted to do was see how her son looked, she made her way to his chambers and because her nails had just been painted she had one of her maids push open his door.


    Xiao looked from where he was standing on a round stand where the servants had made him go just so they could help to dress him, not that he would normally need much help but the gown just made it so he had to get help. He smiled at the sight of his mother all decked out in gold looking like a gorgeous empress instead of just a Priestess even though he knew having a priestess was much more important than having and Empress. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    She returned his smile and looked as if she glided over to him so she could place a kiss on his cheek and then step back so she could have a look at him. She gestured for him to turn and he did slowly making her clap her hands before she pulled him into a hug "my son you look so handsome, that maybe after tonight I will have to host your wedding." she spoke in a joking matter that made him laugh as he shook his head.


    He stepped down from the stand and took his mother''s hand in his so he could lead her out of his chambers and straight down the hall. They stopped at the door that lead into the temple and she brushed her fingers through his hair before the maids pushed the doors apart and they walked into the temple. People were already inside of it, women, men and children but most importantly were the boys and girls that would be getting their blessings today.


    All of them had on gold with touches of other colors mixed in, one little girl with mouse ears looked the cutest in her gold and white gown that actually seemed to be mostly white and she carried a simple hairdo that was made up of gold ornaments and pink flowers. The Priestess headed for the line up and noticed that the calm look Xiao had on his face had shifted into one of displeasure and she patted his hand giving him a soft smile when he looked at her.


    They reached to the group of children that were standing twenty strong and all she could think was that it was going to be a long night, with so many children to bless the ceremony may not end till the early morning. Hers eyes passed over every child eventually landing on a soon to be lioness who was dressed in gold and red and was staring daggers at her son. The Priestess''s eyes sharpened and the girl jumped looking at her before she stepped back slightly with her head lowered and the Priestess looked away from her.


    "It is good to see so many of you have passed the trials and have made it to the blessing pool today and this year we have an almost even number of girls and boys. I am pleased to see so many young ladies this year, maybe one or two of you will go on to be priestesses just as I, but not the grand Priestess I intend to keep the set for a very long time." Everyone chuckled at that and she smiled "I remember at last years blessing the boys dominated the girls ten to one, but with the fire I saw glowing in the girls eyes it was no surprise."


    "I hope all of you succeed in getting the blessings you want and go on to live the lives you deserve, whether you yearn to be scholars, warriors, Priestesses or simple business owners I hope you achieve that dream." All the children bowed to her in thanks and she gestured for them to raise their heads. "Now stop standing in such stiff form, go find your friends and family and enjoy their company until you are told to show yourselves." she received another short bow from the children before they melted into the crowd.


    She looked to Xiao and was going to tell him too to go but he shook his head and she sighed,she lead him into one of the rooms that was sealed off from the crowd and clapped on the light. She placed him to sit on one of the couches and took a seat next to him as she pulled his hand into hers.


    "Xiaoping my child I can understand your fears and I do sympathies with you, but those children that you shun are the same children that you will have to face in life and you can''t keep avoiding them, you will need them, either as your friends, your business partners or maybe even your wife, so please don''t hide away from them, I know you''re my brave son and as your mother I will tell you that there is nothing you cannot face." She placed a kiss on his cheek and then pulled him into a hug, she he pulled back she smiled at him "now go out there and talk to them, okay?" he nodded and they stood leaving the room.


    Xiao watched as his mother passed him one last smile before she went to check on things in the temple to make sure everything was going to work. He would have rather follow her around for a next few hours than go and talk to the other students, but he didn''t have to make the effort because one of them approached him. "Your mother is gorgeous, I can''t wait to learn from her." His head snapped to the side and he saw the mouse girl that he had shared most of his classes with but never talked to just like the other students.


    "Hi my name is Feng Mian, I have always seen you around but I never got to talk to you." She stretched out her dainty pale hand for him to shake and he looked down at it wondering how she had passed the trials with such a hand. She realized he wasn''t going to shake her hand and pulled it away with a blush forming on her face in embarrassment. "Everyone used to say stories about you, most of them were about how you were found and all that, like Wang Shu said you were found in a well when the Priestess went to fetch her water and I just thought that that was just preposterous."


    She smiled up at Xiao and he stared at her with an arch brow, the tiny girl had just said all she needed to say in one breath and didn''t stop to gasp or anything, instead she looked pleased with herself as she recounted all the crazy things she was told about him and all he could do was shake his head at her.

 Chapter Six"

    Xiaoping was beginning to feel exhausted with the conversation as Feng Mian went on and on about the things that she had heard about him and how she had always wanted to be his friend but she was scared because of the look he always held on his face. He shook his head and started looking for an escape route but most of what he saw was the other students giving him and Feng Mian uncertain glances, as if any second he was going to attack her when he was the one that was feeling attacked.


    The sound of someone yelling out names made him and everyone look to the door as he watched people from the Emperors Palace make their way into the temple. He let out a sigh of relief and excused himself before heading to where he could see his mother making her way through the crowd. Within a few seconds he was by her side taking her hand into his, she glanced at him and then both of them looked ahead as they finally made it to the front of the crowd.


    They looked on as the younger Princes and Princesses made their way into the temple all decked out in gold with their caretakers by their side. As soon as the children spotted the Priestess they ran to her and with Xiao''s help she was able to stoop down to greet them. They talked to her in a fast uncaring matter that children normally had and she smiled and nodded along to them, eventually the older Princes and Princesses also made their way into the temple and she stood up to greet them before the caretakers for the younger ones collected them.


    Everyone stepped to the side when the last announcement was called, everyone that was not in the royal family or high members of the temple got on their knees and lowered their heads. While Xiao and the royal children bowed their heads lightly and the Priestess tilted her head in greeting. The Emperor and Empress entered the temple hand in hand with bright smiles on their faces, they looked over everyone and then the Emperor commanded them to rise and so they did.


    Xiao held his mother''s hand as she walked forward and instead of shaking the Emperor and Empresses hand like everyone expected her to she pulled them both into a big hug. Everyone waited for her to be reprimanded by the Emperor but instead the man just let out a loud laugh "well if it isn''t my baby sister, you look as beautiful as ever and my very handsome nephew, with the way you''re looking I shall have to plan your wedding soon."


    The Empress and Priestess laughed "Oh big brother, how I''ve missed you, it''s just that neither of us can find the time to visit each other things are always at out place of dwelling." he nodded and she smiled.


    "I am sorry for missing your birthday little one but I brought you some extra gifts to make it up, some come from the elven continent, some from the dwarfs and the others from the river people, you will love them." she nodded in thanks.


    "Oh sister in law every time I see you you''re lighting up a room and I see that I have a few more nieces and nephews, will you never stop?" she asked dramatically and the three laughed loudly making everyone cast them strange looks. When they stopped the Priestess gestured behind her "well we can do all our catching up tomorrow before you leave. Because tonight those not belong to us but our children that will go on to be men and women."


    The Emperor and Empress nodded in agreement before all three of them turned to head through the crowd that had parted, only in the temple was the Priestess allowed to walk in front of the Emperor and Empress. So she and Xiao walked ahead hand in hand leading those behind them to a large area where a large fountain stood. Everyone lined off and allowed the Priestess to step forward alone, Xiao having to release her hand and stand next to his cousins.


    The maidens of the Temple were all lined off around the pool leaving the center front free for the Priestess, the woman in question went and took her position and turned to face the crowd. "Welcome all to our Grand Temple on this very auspicious day." The Priestess didn''t need to yell because her voice boomed through the room for all to hear. "Today is the day that some of our children, our future go on to become men and women. These same children will soon lead our people into a very bright and successful future because today, they receive their blessings from both us and those that stand above us."


    Everyone in the crowd clapped and the Priestess stretched her hands out and a shimmering gold scroll appeared in it "And these are the children." One by one she started calling names "Guiying of the house of Li, Wang Shu of the house of Zhao, Jiahao of the house of WU, Jingyi of the house of Yang." She went on and on calling each name until she was on the last three "Feng Mian of the house of Xu, Xiulan of the house of Xian and finally Xiaoping of the house of Tianzhu."


    When she was finished all the children had been lined of in the order their names had been called in with Xiao standing at the back of the line. Everyone watched on as someone placed a white pearl robe on the Priestess and she turned her back to the crowd, when she faced the water it seemed to shimmer and then she stretched out her scroll free hands and rose them up slowly causing an orb of water to raise into the air above the fountain.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    It became transparent and the Priestess lowered her head clasping her hand and quickly whispered something. A bright glow spread through the room and she opened her eyes. The orb split into two and then became long wide cylinders that floated over the pool. The Priestess turned around and smiled at the crowd before she faced the first student "Step forward child and receive your blessing." Guiying move forward and she held his face before placing a kiss on his head.


    The cylinders glowed and slowly words appeared on them, the Priestess looked up and smiled "It seems you my child have been highly favored by the water gods. You have been blessed by H¨£ish¨¦n god of the sea, H¨¦sh¨¦n the river God, L¨¦ish¨¦n the Thunder God, Shu¨«sh¨¦n the water God and Y¨³sh¨¦n the Rain God. Take these blessings and go forth for you are no longer a child." The boy let off a bright glow and bowed to the Priestess before rejoining his family who congratulated him.


    Next person to step forward was Wang Shu who was an panda beast man, the Priestess placed a kiss on his head and he blushed making everyone laugh "You receive your blessings from M¨´sh¨¦n the wood God, T¨¤iy¨¢ngsh¨¦n the great Sun Goddess, Shu¨«sh¨¦n the water God." he bowed to her and glowed as he did before bouncing over to his mother who pulled him into a tight hug.


    The list went on and on each person being happy with the blessings that they got and then it was Feng Mian''s turn and she seemed to glide up to the Priestess who placed a kiss on her head. "You my child receive your blessings from Sh¨ª''¨¨ryu¨¨zh¨©m¨³ the Goddess of twelve moons, B¨£osh¨¥ngd¨¤d¨¬ the Great Deity who Protects Life,  Ch¨¦nghu¨¢ngsh¨¦n the Boundary God, Gu¨¡ny¨©n  She who Hears the Cries of the World, the goddess of mercy.  M¨¡z¨³ the queen of Heaven, Y¨¤osh¨¦n the Medicine God, and finally  S¨¡nx¨©ng the three stars, F¨²x¨©ng Prosperity Star, god of happiness,  L¨´x¨©ng Firmness Star, god of firmness and success in life and examinations and  Sh¨°uxing Longevity Star, who stands for a healthy and long life."


    Everyone was staring on in amazement as she shined brighter than any of the students that came before her and the Priestess hugged her "it seems you my child are destined to be a Priestess, I do hope to see you here soon." Feng Mian hugged her back before skipping off to her father and mother who pulled her into them with wide smiles on their faces.


    Next to step forward was Xiulan who kept her face straight as she collected the Priestess''s kiss and then turned to watch at the blessings she would get "You have received blessings from one of the three stars Sh¨°uxing the Longevity Star, who stands for a healthy and long life, Jiutian Xuann¨¹, goddess of war, sexuality, and longevity, Guan Yu, god of Loyalty, righteousness, and valor, Yang Jian, Three Eyed Warrior and Jinzha, Marshal of the Center Altar, Wenchang Wang, the god of literature and scholarship."


    The Priestess stepped back and saluted Xiulan as she glowed "It seems our continent has just been blessed with the presence of a new future general, I hope you serve and protect this land with dignity and honor." Xiulan bowed and then turned and marched over to her father and brothers who all stood wearing their armors. They saluted her before she jumped into their arms for a tight hug as they laughed.


    Lastly was Xiaoping and he stepped up when the Priestess smiled at him "Now it''s your turn my son." She leaned down and placed a kiss on his head and they both turned to look at the cylinders but nothing happened. Xiao looked at his mother who watched him with wide eyes before she faced the pool and clasped her hands whispering something to herself. She opened her eyes and he could see a tear fall from her eyes as she turned to look at him.


    "Mom what is going on he asked as he stepped forward."


    The Priestess pulled him into a hug and placed her head on his shoulders "I am so so sorry Xiaoping, but they refuse to give you any blessings and there is nothing I can do."


    Xiao pulled back from his mother and stared at her forgetting all the people in the room as is mind went on a rampage telling him why the gods wouldn''t bless him was because he wasn''t his mother''s son. The people were no longer forgotten as the sound of whispers exploded in the room and Xiao turned to look at them. He could see all the adults watching on and some of the students were laughing at what had just happened to him.


    The whispers got louder and louder and suddenly Xiao felt very alone in the room even with his mothers hand clasping around his own. The Priestess looked at the Emperor and the man scowled "Silence!" everyone in the room stopped speaking and lowered their heads "You should all be ashamed of yourselves, a child did not receive blessings on the day he was set to and instead of feeling sad for him you start laughing and making jokes of it, if it was one of your children you would not act that way, in fact you would be cursing the God."


    "And again he is the child of our beloved Priestess and you dare to mock him, he is my nephew and you dare be disrespectful to him, I should have you all dragged out of here and whipped. In fact get out, return to your homes at once and I am not to hear a word or whisper of what happened here or god so help me you will all be in trouble!"


    With that the doors to the Temple opened and everyone that was not apart of the royal family left in a rush, when they were gone the doors were shut and the Emperor nodded to the Priestess, who smiled at him in thanks before she turned her gaze to Xiao just as he collapsed.