69 The gifts
Orion stood at the top of the scoreboard with a whopping eleven points, making him the closest to receiving a personal gift from the village chief. Although he preferred to lay low and play with the breasts of the two girls beside him, Orion was soon thrust into the spotlight as all eyes turned to him. His figure was scrutinized and analyzed, leaving him feeling both uncomfortable and proud.
Orion pondered to himself, ‘Being a little popular also has its benefits though.’
His thoughts were interrupted by Fiona’s commanding presence as she cleared her throat to gather everyone’s attention. “Alright, time to head over to the farm,” she declared, but before she could finish her sentence, several people raised their hands in excitement. Fiona nodded to one of the girls, encouraging her to speak.
The girl stood up and confidently announced, “I think I’ve awakened my gift!” Her words immediately caught Orion’s attention, and he shifted his focus to her. Even Fiona was surprised, her eyes widened in excitement before she composed herself and asked, “Can you show us your gift now before we head to the farm?”
The girl’s response was swift and assertive, “Yes,” she nodded her head in agreement. Fiona wasted no time in inviting her to showcase her gift to the rest of the group. “Alright then, come to the front and give us a demonstration,” she instructed, before turning her attention to the other young adults whose hands were still raised.
Curiously, Fiona asked, “Did any of you awaken your gifts too?” The group’s response was unanimous as they all nodded their heads in agreement. Eager to see what they could do, Fiona pressed on, “Can you also show us your gifts here and now?”.
Of the sixteen pupils present, seven had awakened their gifts, but only one boy and two girls were ready to showcase their gifts. The remaining ones promised to reveal their gifts once they arrived at the farm.
Fiona organized the group, “Alright, let’s go one by one.” She said, gesturing for the girl to start first, eager to witness the gifts of her pupils. As the girl stepped forward, Fiona took a few steps back, giving them ample space to perform their gift without any disturbance.
The girl took a deep breath, spreading her arms wide open before stretching them forward. Everyone watched in anticipation as she closed her eyes and focused her energy. Seconds passed, and although nothing seemed to be happening, the group remained patient, knowing how difficult it was to awaken a gift.
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Suddenly, the girl’s hands began to emit a soft yellow glow. The glow grew brighter and brighter until it covered her entire hands. The group was mesmerized as the glow pulsated, almost as if it had a life of its own. Then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the glow vanished, dispersing into thin air. The girl quickly supported herself by using her knees as an armrest, clearly exhausted from the effort.
‘That wasn’t all, right?’ Orion couldn’t help but question himself, knowing that there was more to the girl’s gift. He listened attentively as she began to recount a strange incident from the previous day. “Yesterday, when I returned from the farm,” she began, “I was giving my father the herbal medicine for his cough. But as he took it from my hand, something incredible happened – my hands began to glow! The light dissipated as quickly as it appeared, but it left me feeling bewildered.”
She continued with a happy smile on her face, saying “At first, I thought my gift was useless, and it would be challenging to figure out what it was. However, my father suddenly screamed that his cough was gone, attributing it to my gift.”
Fiona’s eyes widened as she nodded and said, “So it’s a healing-based ability.” The girl’s affirmative nod confirmed her suspicion. With the revelation of the gift, Fiona turned to the three women sitting at the corner, ensuring that they had written everything down. Satisfied, she shifted her attention back to the girl and inquired, “Is there anything else that happens when you use your gift?” The girl nodded, and her explanation piqued Fiona’s interest. “Yes, I can’t seem to keep it activated for an extended period. Once, I tried to see how long I could sustain it before going to sleep, and it only lasted for a minute. After that, I couldn’t activate it even if I tried.”
Once the girl had finished speaking, Fiona sighed and directed her back to her seat on the mat. It turned out that the girl had awakened a healing-based ability that could only remain active for one minute. Although a healing ability was useful and could potentially make her wealthy in the long run, they didn’t know its limits in terms of injuries that it could heal. Fiona knew that the only thing that could help the girl now was if she could awaken her inner strength, allowing her to surpass the time restraint. However, she was aware that the possibility of this happening was low. Therefore, Fiona gestured for the next person to come forward and demonstrate their gift.
As the second person stepped forward, all eyes were fixed on him. He stretched his arms out in front of him, and to everyone’s amazement, his hands began to morph into the shape of bird wings. As the transformation continued, the boy’s body began to shrink and shrink until he was no bigger than a small, brilliantly coloured bird with feathers that shimmered like a rainbow.
As Orion gazed at the mesmerizing sight before him, his mouth involuntarily fell open. The once-human body in front of him had undergone an incredible metamorphosis, transforming into a stunning bird that resembled a Cockatiel, but with a beauty beyond compare. But just when he thought the spectacle was over, the feathers began to ruffle once again. They seemed to pulse with energy, changing size and shape until the bird had transformed yet again – this time into a strange eagle unlike any Orion had ever seen back on Earth.