A month before the ceremony
The wind softly blew between the white stone columns of the temple, bringing with it fresh smell of the earth and wild flowers. The small village of Sostrana was quiet and cozy, the kind of place where time seemed to follow its own pace, immune to the whirlwind of big cities. There, a small stone building, the temple dedicated to Gaspar, the god of wheat, served as the spiritual center of the village.
Although Gaspar was considered a minor deity, his role in the land's fertility and the livelihood of the village was undeniable. He and his nymph, mother of Cale and Alinys, had been the pillars on which the lives of the inhabitants of Sostrana were based. For Cale, visiting the temple every day was not just an obligation, but a sacred tradition, a way to honor his divine roots.
"There he is, the most devoted boy", whispered an old lady with admiration.
"It's hard to see young people like him nowadays. Most only want to know the glory and receive blessings, but pay due respect that the gods deserve, no one does."
"Our lord was so benevolent to us, when he chose our quiet village to be the home of his heirs."
After finishing his prayers, Cale opened his purple eyes and stood up. He bowed respectfully to the altar of the gods, and turned to leave the small temple.
"Oh, lady Kalise! How have you been?", asked the boy when he recognized the lady standing at the door of the temple.
The lady with gray hair and wrinkled face burst out a spaced laugh as she raised her eyes to the tall boy.
"I see you've grown even more, boy Cale. Come to pray to the gods again?"
"Indeed, Mrs. Kalise, if it continues like this, I will soon have to bend down to pass through the door of the temple. I think the gods have exaggerated my proportion of blessings."
The old lady let out an asthmatic laugh, funny with the young man's comment.
Gentle and witty, Cale — the child who carried the divine blood — was now seen as a man made by the villagers.
"What about your sister? I haven't seen her for a while. Did she go on another trip?"
"Ah... Alinys has been training with my father for the coming of age ceremony. I think she's eager to start walking the divine path."
The lady let out a sigh.
"The divine path... you have already reached this age, right? I am sad to see you go."
Cale let out a low laugh and held the lady's hands tenderly.
"You won't get rid of me anytime soon, Mrs. Kalise I'm still here, right?"
The lady laughed graciously, amusing with the boy's insightful response.
Right, he has chosen not to walk the divine path. The path that most demigods choose to follow to ascend to gods. His father was successful in the divine journey, ascending to the god of wheat, and his elder sister seemed to follow in his footsteps. Unfortunately Cale did not share the same excitement.
Constant dangers were too much of an annoyance for one who longed for a settled and peaceful life.
Even more so because it is a failure as a divine being.
After saying goodbye to the old lady, Cale followed his path back home. On the way he always greeted his neighbors, who continued their quiet lives. All excited for the harvest festival that would be held in a month.
Upon arriving at the porch of his house, Cale saw through the window the figure of the woman with dark hair tied. She seemed busy moving in the kitchen, and by the delicious aroma of roast meat, was probably already making lunch.
"Mom", called him.
The woman's pointed ears moved as she heard his voice, and immediately her green eyes rose. A sweet smile sprang from her lips, especially when she saw the boy standing outside.
"Well, Cale, are you back? I was waiting for you."
Tilting his head, the boy approached the window. The nymph dried her wet hands in a cloth, and turned around through the kitchen.
"What? Do you need me to go to the village and buy something?"
"No, no... it's that a letter arrived for you."
"A letter?", asked the boy, arching his eyebrow. "Mother, I swear that I paid all the offerings this month. If it is a celestial charge, let me know immediately."
"Haha, silly boy."
His mother took the sealed scroll from the wooden shelf, and handed it out of the window. As soon as Cale picked it up, he saw the seal and recognized it immediately.
Moving away from the window, he sat down on the porch of his house and slipped his fingers over the golden seal. The ancient rune drawn there was too sacred not to be recognized.
A scroll of Keonna.
Keonna was nothing more than the garden beyond the heavens where the twelve higher gods met. A sacred and unreachable place. His heart was beating fast by imagining that someone from Keonna sent him a letter.
Him! A mere demigod! The weakest, even more!
Why would anyone from Keonna talk to him? They didn't make a mistake, and confuse him with Alinys?
With extreme care, he broke the seal and opened the scroll. His eyes slipped slightly through the contents. Only then did he feel every part of his body become soft and cold.
"Academy of Othea..." he muttered to himself, rereading the message once more.
The invitation was written in gold ink, Keonna's seal shining in the sunlight. It was a call to train among the best, to hone their skills before the great ceremony of adulthood, where, if proven worthy, they could become worthy to follow the divine path.
"Oh, of course, nothing suspicious. A personal invitation from the gods to the least impressive demigod in history. What could go wrong?"
That meant, above all, leaving behind the safety of your home and exposing yourself to the world that, until then, you only knew through the stories of your parents.
He stood there for a long time, just digesting that message. Nothing made the slightest sense. Cale had never heard of such training being done before the coming-of-age ceremony. He thought that he only had to attend the temple where the ceremony would be held, and that everything would end in one night.
Something was bothering him...
"What are you doing there so thoughtful, little brother?", Alinys leaned against the doorstop, arms crossed and a funny smile on her lips.
Cale looked up at his twin sister. The contrast between them had always been remarkable: while Alinys carried the aura of a born warrior, with firm posture and eyes full of determination, Cale was quieter, with restrained gestures and an ever-mysterious expression.
"I received an invitation to Othea, something about a training", he replied, handing her the scroll, "Do you know what it is?"
When Cale handed the invitation to his sister, she read it with a lightness that contrasted with the weight of the letter. Her gaze was distant, and she did not seem as surprised as Cale.
"Ah, so the god Melli finally put into practice the idea of the Academy of Othea...", she said with an enigmatic expression. "It does not surprise me. By the way, I already knew that. Dad commented on it the other day."
Cale frowned, feeling a mixture of discomfort and anger.
"So... did you already know?"
Alinys shrugged her shoulders.
"It's not the end of the world, Cale. It's an opportunity. It's not like you have a choice. This kind of summons is rare but not unexpected. And, if you go, you will end up meeting your mentor... Maybe you find your true way there."
He sighed. Cale had no intention of embarking on a journey into the unknown, but Alinys' words began to resonate. Perhaps this was the way that fate had laid out for him. But still, doubt remained.
"Sure, I can't wait to be humiliated alongside lightning and fire-breathing prodigies"
"Come on, Cale..." , Alinys sighed. "You are being called to visit the Academy of Othea, the school that was created by one of the higher gods. I thought you'd be more excited."
It was unthinkable for Cale to know any deity beyond his family, so he would not create expectations of seeing the shadow of one of Keonna's great gods. In addition, there were heavier concerns bothering him.
"I will be the greatest failure of the divine class. I bet they will use me as an example of what not to do.", sighed Cale, crossing his arms already bothered by the idea of leaving his quiet village. "To make matters worse, we will both be discovered. We are twins, and this can disrupt your destiny."
Alinys stared at him in surprise. Her younger twin was usually someone light and easy to understand, but from time to time there was that malicious shadow on his countenance. Although malice was not something exact behind his words, Alinys understood his concern and irritation.
Cale was right, they would face problems if they were discovered. Since, in that world, twins was a rare occurrence, a blessing of the universe itself.
Opening a smile, she hugged him tight and brought him to her chest awkwardly. The smell of sweet soap impregnated on his skin was nostalgic, and she saw herself hugging it harder.
"What do I do with you, hm? You're so lovely protecting your big sister."
"You are only three minutes older than me... and also smaller than me."
"Your big sister will protect you, don't worry", she joked, knowing that Cale was grimacing. But when the two stared at each other, they started laughing. In the end, Alinys touched Cale's hair. "I know it can be scary to go to a place full of people thirsty for becoming gods. We just can't stay hidden forever, Cale. At some point, they'll know we're twins."
His sister was right, they couldn't stay hidden in that little village forever. Naturally Cale would worry, however, it was not only what bothered him.
And your sister knew what it was.
"Who knows you going to this academy, end up meeting your Theiodemos?"
Cale smiled, still hesitant. He knew that the fate of a demigod was determined by what the universe decided, but would he be able to play as important a role as the others?
From the kitchen window, a couple watched the twins talking stuck in their world. The nymph was wrapped in strong arms, and her back hugged the breastplate of her husband.
"What shall we do, Gaspar? I didn't want to send them to that place... But if what those goddesses said before is true, I can only think that despair awaits us."
Gaspar, the local god with white hair and golden eyes, sighed and leaned his head in the wife.
"Same thing. But Alinys and Cale will be discovered during the ceremony anyway. While they are at on academy, I can make the necessary preparations to ensure that everything goes well."
"They've done worse things to our boys, Gaspar!" Silene squeezed her fingers in Gaspar's arms, despite the despair in her voice, she kept the tone low fearing to be heard, "Our poor children are targets of such arrogance... and I'm too weak to protect them."
Gaspar pressed her against his chest. He leaned in her ear, closing his eyes in pain for hearing his beloved wife to self-degrade in such a way.
"No, no, my dear. Please don't say that. Remember we were blessed by the universe itself with our kids. We are your guardians, your eternal guides. We will do our best to protect them, and we are not alone in this."
Gaspar opened his eyes again, the golden tone shining in a veiled threat.
He would do anything to ensure that the coming of age ceremony would take place safely... in a month's time. Enough for the destination to start moving.