"Young master, it's time to get going." A maid informed a little kid who had been staring at the mirror for almost half an hour.
"Of course. Thank you, Patricia." Theo replied.
A week from today was the coming-of-age ceremony for Theo and other kids his age, but according to the privilege of his birth, he had a few... advantages. Every year around this time, the kids that turned seven in the past year would all travel to the nearest city to check for bestowed talents, and without fail, everyone gets a talent. Without one, you become useless to society. Even the chefs and gardeners get these talents when they turn seven.
Theo boarded the carriage with his father, and they headed towards the city cathedral. It wasn't long before they came to a stop. The city cathedral was a massive and tall building with five statues in front of it. Theo had only entered this building once, when his elder brother performed his coming-of-age ceremony.
"Remember, Theo, do not be disrespectful. They may be powerless normally, but the Cathedral is the turf of these fanatics. Even His Majesty can't hope to challenge their Holy Father in the capital cathedral."
"Mmm." Theo nodded and followed behind his father as they walked past the statues and into the massive building. The interior was even grander. The pillars that held the cathedral were huge and golden in color, most likely also made using real gold. Theo may be a seven-year-old kid, but with his experiences from his past life, even he knew that this was too extravagant, and it wasn't even the main cathedral in the country. 'I wonder how the capital's cathedral would be.'
The both of them walked for about ten minutes, ignoring people around them, before finally reaching a very wide altar with a huge statue at the very center. This statue dwarfed the five outside to the extent a single hand could be comparable to the length of a full-grown adult.
"Duke Gravier, we have been expecting you." In front of this statue stood six people wearing white robes with different colors of sashes. The one in the lead wore a white-colored sash, and the others wore gray, black, blue, red, and orange sashes. The one in the lead spoke up as soon as he saw Theo and his father.
"Holy Priest, we are sorry to intrude. We came a week ahead of the commoners due to my impatience, so I have to be impolite and ask you to check my little boy's talents." Duke Gravier said unhurriedly.
"Of course, of course. This is not a problem." The holy priest in a gray sash said, before turning his attention to Theo. "Little one, come up here." Theo obliged and moved slowly as he climbed the altar and stood in front of the six plainly robed men.
"Come, come." The holy priest put his hand on his back and guided him to stand in front of the large, faceless statue. "Stare into His eyes. Observe the mysteries of the world. When a mystery resonates with you, you will unlock the talent associated with said mystery. However, do not break eye contact with Him until your talent is fully bestowed. If you do, you will end up a cripple for the rest of your life."
Theo nodded solemnly before staring at where the eyes should have been, assuming the statue had a face. 'Perhaps this is where I get my cheat system that will allow me to dominate the world like those manga back on Earth. I've already waited seven years; I'm getting anxious.' Theo silently thought as he focused his gaze.
"Wow, it's beautiful." His vision blurred for a moment before he appeared among a sea of stars as far as the eyes could see. Immediately, the stars around began to move. They moved extremely quickly, approaching Theo at breakneck speed. He was unable to react before a large number of them began to phase directly through him.
"Amazing. It doesn't hurt at all." Theo stayed in place and allowed the stars to phase through him a million at a time for what seemed like an eternity. Unknowingly, he had closed his eyes at some point, and when he finally opened his eyes, he found himself back in the cathedral, standing in front of the statue and looking at its face.
"You did splendidly, little one. Now, come, let us check what talent you got." The holy priest walked to the edge of the altar, where there was an inconspicuous elevated platform, easy to miss once you see the huge statue at the center. On this pulpit-looking platform was a massive book. "Put your hand on this book."
Theo walked forward and did as he was told, and a huge blinding light appeared above his head, quickly transforming into recognizable letters and words. Soon, they formed five golden lines of words above his head.
"Impossible! Duke Gravier, what sort of blasphemy is this!?" The holy priest bellowed angrily. Theo, who had an expectant smile on his face, turned back to see such a scene and became confused. Before he came here, he had done his due diligence on the process. He knew that now was the time when the holy priest would say what his talent was, and everyone would either be all smiles or show him faces full of pity, but this... the holy priest was... angry?
"Holy priest, I also am confused. Please pardon our intrusion, but can we test it again?" Duke Gravier had a solemn look on his face. Clearly, he wasn't expecting this sort of result either.
"Test again? What blasphemy! Take the boy; he must die for blaspheming the gods!" As soon as the holy priest finished speaking, the five plainly robed men behind him moved at a speed Theo couldn't register. The next thing he saw was a fist approaching his face at terrifying speeds. There was a loud explosion, and then... his vision went dark.
--------------
In a remote shack somewhere far away.
"Hmm, interesting. It seems I'll need to pay a visit." A creepy grin crawled onto the face of an old man who had stopped chopping wood to look in a vague direction. A few seconds later, he continued his work like nothing had happened.