Stars in the Talent Orb
At the temple...
"Um... hello...?"
I averted my gaze, then looked back, but our eyes still met. At this point, it was impossible to dismiss it as a misperception or escape into denial. Cold sweat began trickling down my spine. But I had no idea how this world worked yet, if I caused a scene claiming the statue was staring at me, I couldn't even begin to imagine the consequences.
Was someone using magic to borrow the statue's eyes...? No, even so, it's a statue of a god... Was it because of my reincarnation? If it's a god, couldn't it read the thoughts of someone right in front of it... me? I was grinding away at my previous life job when I died in a traffic accident, and about a week ago my memories suddenly resurfaced, not on purpose or anything, I just woke up in this world
I hadn't done anything wrong, but feeling a twinge of guilt, I rattled off excuses in my head that weren't really excuses. Just then, Ben Priest, whom I'd seen often lately, emerged from a passage beside the statue, accompanied by two men who looked like priests.
Distracted by the footsteps for a moment, I glanced their way, then looked back.
"Phew..."
The statue's eyes had returned to their original position. I had no clue what that was about, but it seemed resolved somehow? No divine punishment came crashing down, so it was probably fine.
While I waged my solitary internal battle,
Ben Priest ascended the podium, and the priests took positions by the braziers. The statue stood at the center of one end of the temple's interior space. From the entrance to the statue was an empty expanse, save for a few pairs of thick wooden pillars standing tall—no chairs in sight. The statue itself was elevated on a high platform reached by stairs. Braziers flanked the base of the stairs, and midway between the floor and the platform was another podium, likely for sermons; standing there positioned one right before the statue's side profile.
The temple floor was smooth gray stone, finished like cement, overlaid with brown fabric laid like a red carpet from the entrance to the stairs before the statue. As Ben Priest mounted the podium, the people, who had spread out to avoid stepping on the floor cloth, gathered near the braziers.
Once everyone was settled, Ben Priest spoke.
"As you all know, today is the day for... Since the temple holds... in such high regard, before... we must first..."
Ah.
His words were too fast, packed with unfamiliar terms, I couldn't make sense of it. On reflection, it was obvious. How much vocabulary could a four-year-old possibly know? That explained why Lize spoke to me in that drawn-out, babying tone, different from how she talked with the other servants. I was a kid, after all. Adults talking normally would just confuse me. Probably the same reason childcare workers in my past life all had similar speech patterns.
Sigh.
I'd been curious what they gathered for in the temple, but this way, no dice. Oh well.
I quickly gave up and started observing what the others did, going by vibes.
Ben Priest spoke at length from the podium, then clasped his hands in prayer. The people followed suit. He intoned something solemn in that alien tongue, and they echoed it. From the context, it felt like a fixed prayer, akin to the Lord's Prayer in Christianity from my past life.
This pattern repeated a couple more times, lengthy speeches followed by prayers. Faster than expected, the prayer service? wrapped up.
"We shall proceed with... Next, for the... please line up at the... and... at the..."
After Ben Priest finished, the priests went behind the statue and returned carrying a small table, a chair, and a box each. As they set up, people began queuing with their children, dividing into lines before the tables.
Finally, it seemed they were getting to whatever reason they'd dragged us kids here today.
Ben Priest watched the priests briefly as they unpacked orbs from the boxes, then beckoned Lize and slipped into the passage beside the statue.
"This way~"
Lize didn't hesitate, leading me into the passage. Were they moving elsewhere to do whatever it was with that mystery orb and the kids?
The short passage opened into a hallway. At the far end, sunlight streamed through a window, with two doors on each side, four total. Ben Priest opened the one on the right by the window and entered.
The room appeared to be an office. A desk piled with papers faced away from the window; before it sat a round table of moderate size with chairs for guests. Two full bookshelves lined one wall, the source of the odd musty smell that hit upon entering. Not the familiar paper scent from my past life; probably parchment instead.
"Please, have a seat here."
Unlike his podium voice, his gentle tone was easy to parse. As I sat, he fetched a box from the work desk.
The blackish-brown box was plain but finely crafted, looked pricey. Placed on the table, it clicked open with a simple latch.
Inside, nestled in what seemed wool padding, was a fist-sized orb.
Oh.
A normal orb would sparkle with reflected light, but this one absorbed it like a black hole, creating an optical illusion of a hole punched in the box.
Black as void, devouring light.
"Today, instead of lessons, we'll do something else. Young master, would you place your hand on this?"
A fleeting worry: Is this safe? But if it weren't, he wouldn't suggest it. I reached out without hesitation, grasping the orb with both hands.
Unlike its cushy appearance, it felt smooth like glass. As I fiddled with it,
White starlight began blooming within.
"Whoa..."
Twinkling like a galaxy in the night sky, an exclamation escaped me. The stars multiplied over time, swirling irregularly like snowflakes in a snow globe, then slowly spiraled toward the center.
"As expected... That incident recently must have been ──."
Ben Priest watched gravely, muttering and nodding, then turned to chat with Lize, leaving me be. I strained to eavesdrop out of curiosity, but lost interest fast in the incomprehensible words. Hearing "madam" and "Lord Balorn" now and then, it seemed Lize was getting briefed to relay the orb results to my parents. Or not.
Time to play with the orb more.
Stars faded slowly when I let go. Gripping again recreated the spiral influx. Shaking it wildly didn't alter the flow by inertia; holding longer didn't grow the cluster. Just stars spawning from the edges, drifting inward repeatedly.
How long had I experimented?
"Yawn..."
Sudden exhaustion hit. A dull ache ran from my core, down my arms to my palms. They felt warm...
"Ah, too long. My apologies."
Ben Priest took the orb as I yawned, stowing it away. Their voices grew distant. I'd only been up since morning, must've depleted something to conjure those stars. Vitality? Mana? Divine power, given the temple? Fantasy world, so whatever. This energy apparently caused fatigue when spent.
The orb tested aptitude for it. None left now, but I'd sensed its location in my body, once recovered, I could wield it.
As I blinked sleepily at my hands, Lize scooped me up. Their talk done, she bowed and left.
"Young master~, tired~?"
"Yeah."
"We'll be home soon~."
Relaxed in her arms, drowsiness surged. Kid body made resisting tough. No need to anyway. Rocking to her steps, I nodded off.
Time flew by. Mornings with Ben Priest learning etiquette, afternoons with Lize on letters, days of repetition until mastery, as befitted teaching a child. Lessons revisited prior material relentlessly, assuming it'd be forgotten overnight. Luckily, sessions were short for a young kid, never boring. An adult brain with a decade-plus of study breezed through.
Spare time: exploring the manor, tinkering with the energy inside me.
Thus, I turned seven.