As the sun rose up and entered my window, I got up from the bed and changed into my day clothes. A casual pair of white pants alongside a white blouse inscribed with the symbol of the Aurorian Church, a fused sun and moon. The symbol was golden and immediately attracted attention to it, named the Symbol of Origin, it represented Aurora, the Goddess of Origin as she is both the sun and the moon, the beginning and the end.

  Clothes meant to serve me when I do my daily chores, chores that would stop starting today since I became a First Named.

  A loud familiar voice summoned me from outside.

  “Innocentius!”

  I immediately ran towards the voice, how could I not recognize it. As I got through the last door I saw him holding a bag of groceries and a present, High Priest Alexander.

  High Priest Alexander was the one who rescued me when I was dying in the streets, a competent, respected, and empathetic person who never missed the chance to help if he could. He was wearing a black robe with golden margins, with the Symbol of Origin embroidered in the identical golden thread on his back. More than this, around his upper body, a shoulder cape with golden margins, a staple of the High Priest uniform.

  All these golden embroideries and depictions were not actually gold, but yellow dyed thread, one of the cheapest and most bountiful threads, right after white.

  As I jumped into his arms, I shouted.

  “High Priest! You came!”

  “Of course, how could I not come? Congratulations on becoming a First Named, I am looking forward to your ordaining ceremony, I wonder what stigmata you will receive.”

  “It’s all thanks to you, High Priest, I would have never been standing here if you didn’t rescue me that day!”

  “Haha! Now, let’s go inside, I’ve brought you a present.”

  As we entered my room, Alexander sat on the chair of my study whilst I took a seat on the bed. He slowly put the groceries down and held the gift with both hands before handing it to me.

  “Here you go!”

  Embarrassed and happy, I slowly took the gift and started unwrapping it. Inside was the uniform of a priest.

  In the Aurorian faith the moment one would be ordained as priest they would receive their Holy Vestments, their uniform. This uniform stayed with them their entire life as members of the church and whenever they would rise in rank, another piece of clothing would be sewn onto it.

  This unchanging of their Holy Vestments was a show of devotion and belief to the Goddess of Origin and the unchanging nature of the first uniform represented just that, the Origin, where everyone came from and to where everyone would return as even the pope wore the same uniform they received when they first became priest.

  It’s very important that a priest chose the materials with care so as to prevent extreme deterioration with time since even repairs are forbidden.

  Lifting up the uniform, I was stunned by its whiteness, a color permitted only to those of special origin such as First Named.

  Though impolite, I immediately ran into the bathroom to try it on, it was a significant gift that I never expected to receive.

  As I wore the uniform and looked into the mirror I could see it… my future.

  The form was standard, covering my ankles and covering my entire body. A breathtaking white seemed to shield me from the threats of the world. All buttons and linings were done in the everpresent golden, yellow stitching and around my waist, a thick white belt made of the same material held everything close to my body. The material was heavy and thick, a clear sign of high quality.

  ‘It must’ve been expensive’

  Looking around, at the end of my sleeves, the Symbol of Origin was embroidered. I took one last look in the mirror, absorbing the sight of my Vestments. These will stay with me until I am buried.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  I left the bathroom and returned to Alexander. As he saw me in my Vestments, tears welled up in his eyes.

  Priests of Aurora, because of the holy energy they received, were unable to bear children and to make up for this, they adopted orphans. Not all adoptees became priests, some became woodworkers, knights, mages, miners, and all sorts of other things, but the priest that adopted them would still be their parent, their family, until the very end.

  I could only imagine how Alexander– how my father felt as he looked at me wearing the Vestments he had gotten me, seeing me becoming not only a priest, but a First Named, seeing his only child take the same steps as him.

  He got up and took steps towards me and soon we were standing face to face.

  In a shaky, teary voice, he spoke.

  “Very good.” he praised me as he patted my shoulders. He took a brief pause and hugged me gently. I too hugged him back and soon, in my lonely, empty room, it started to rain.

  Mid day had come around and after parting ways with my father I decided to go to the Library and read. Unfortunately, as this wasn’t the headquarters of the Church, but a some-what remote branch in the eastern side of the empire, I had read almost all the books. Now I was going to finish reading the few that were left before departing for my ordaining ceremony, a ceremony that always took place in the capital and was headed by the Pope.

  A ceremony held once every two years, it represented a great opportunity for newcomers to make themselves remarked by those in power, whether by nobles of the empire or those in the Church.

  As I finally entered the library, Yin, the librarian, was surprised to see me in my Vestments and even more surprised that they were white. He knew I had undergone my baptism the prior day, but did not know that I was a First Named.

  “Oh my…”

  “Hello you too, Yin.”

  “YOU’RE ONE OF THOSE?”

  I burst into laughter.

  “Yes, yes, I’m a Named.”

  “CONGRATULATIONS!” he continued to scream.

  After hugging me tightly and finally calming down, he started interrogating me.

  “When will you leave?”

  “Next week, I’ve come to read the final books.”

  “Ha!”

  “I don’t want to leave with any regrets, Yin.”

  He rolled his eyes as he replied.

  “Of course, of course.”

  “I’ve also come to see you, Yin, as I said, I don’t want to leave with any regrets!”

  A quick, honest smile appeared on his face before morphing into a somewhat mocking laughter.

  “Oh my, am I so treasured by the Most Merciful that She would send me Her Named?”

  I laughed alongside him.

  “So, what’s your name? I’ve always called you… you, but now you have a name, even more than that, a noble name!”

  Yin was always quick with compliments, and he always knew how and when to say them, whether they were genuine or were said with a hidden motive, I don’t know, but I always appreciate them.

  Proudly and with my chest puffing in front of me, I replied while holding out my left hand as if inviting him to kiss it.

  “I am henceforth Innocentius, Priest Innocentius.”

  He replied with a bow.

  “My, Your Holiness, I am most honored to be in your presence, how could such a noble one converse with a lowly librarian.”

  I flicked his forehead as he reached the peak of his bow.

  “What lowly librarian? Aren’t you a Viscount? Tch!”

  Lifting his head, Yin was now puffing out his chest and holding his nose as high as possible, he was almost tearing the clouds.

  “My my! A mere priest dares harm a Viscount of the Empire? Guards!”

  We both burst into laughter, although Yin was the youngest Viscount of the Empire and even more than that, an atheist, he still chose to work in one of the libraries of the Church, he also chose to be my friend, despite me being an orphan, not that it mattered anymore, now that I was a First Named, the probability of me outranking him in a few years was guaranteed.

  Even now I was outranking fellow priests since, as a First Named, I could command those below or of the same title as me, thus, in theory, in a room full of only Priests and Deacons, I would have the authority of a High Priest.

  There were other titles than ‘First Named’ who were outright given the authority of a High Priest even as a Priest, or even the Authority of an Archpriest without any conditions, but those were even fewer and farther in between than a First Named.

  Well, not that it mattered that much as, at the end of the day, unlike those titles, I was just a Priest.

  “Well, I guess I will go and finish my books.”

  With an even deeper bow, Yin replied.

  “Of course, Your Holiness.”

  As I left, I flicked his head once more.