Ritual (Happy Lantern Festival, everyone!)

The poet says:

There are a myriad of things in this floating world, but three are unattainable:

The moon in the water, the flower in the mirror, and you in my dreams!

There are a myriad of things in this floating world, but I love three:

The sun, the moon, and you!

The sun for the morning, the moon for the night, And you for every morning and every night!

The moment you smile, It is spring!

Arthas felt as if he had been struck by a Hammer of Justice; he stood there, stunned. She was not a breathtaking beauty, but every inch of her aligned perfectly with his aesthetic! How could such a wonderful existence exist in this world? The gloom of the past seemed to dissipate with the wind.

Just then, a grizzled, bearded face leaned toward him: "Arthas, hurry inside. Go meet everyone; the ceremony is about to begin."

Arthas awkwardly shifted his gaze away from Jaina's small face, struggling to regain his composure. After greeting the various generals, he sat down beside Uther, taking his place as an Initiate Paladin.

Seeing that everyone was ready, the Archbishop immediately announced the start of the ceremony! The preceding procedures went smoothly, but when it came time for the baptisms to begin in order, something unexpected happened. Taelan Fordring, who was supposed to be the first to receive the baptism and drink the holy water, was moved to the very end.

Placed in the first position was Renault Mograine.

Following him were Sally Whitemane, Bridget Abbendis, and Demitia, with Taelan Fordring last of all.

Tirion Fordring frowned. He glanced at his old superior, Mograine, but Old Mograine remained expressionless. Tirion knew Mograine well; he looked around and noticed quite a few unfamiliar faces.

Although Taelan Fordring found it strange, he did not overthink it. He had been busy familiarizing himself with the magical nodes here, focusing on another world: the world of energy. There were too many transcendent beings here, and all sorts of energy reactions were present. Once he closed his own Holy Light shield, that strange sensation weakened.

Finally, the ceremonies for the first four were completed. Renault and Bridget successfully awakened the Holy Light, becoming Initiate Paladins, while Whitemane and Demitia became Priests.

Archbishop Alonsus Faol asked Taelan Fordring to stand before the Holy Emblem and drink the holy water.

He himself stood before a thick, heavy book and spoke solemnly:

"Under the calling of the Holy Light, we gather here to bestow the power of the Holy Light upon our brother."

"He shall grow in His grace."

"By the might of the Holy Light, he shall educate the people."

"With the power of the Holy Light, he shall overcome the darkness."

"Through the wisdom of the Holy Light, he shall lead his kin to forge a brand-new home!"

Taelan Fordring listened quietly to the Archbishop's address; he had prepared his own prayer for this moment.

The holy water tasted like nothing at all, though it appeared to have tiny specks of light flickering within it. Taelan Fordring felt the presence of Holy Light energy inside, and it was extremely gentle.

It seemed that the so-called baptism was simply using the Holy Light energy within the holy water as a bridge to help the baptized connect with the Holy Light.

After drinking the holy water, Taelan Fordring placed his hand on the copper Holy Emblem featuring a sun pattern. At the same time, following the Archbishop's instructions, he released his own Holy Light, forming a shield that gradually expanded! This was the first time he had released his Holy Light without reservation! The massive energy formed a transparent shield that kept expanding, enveloping the entire hall of the chapel!

Everyone below was shocked by this sight! They felt themselves sheltered by the Holy Light, the cold fading away. Generally, after drinking the holy water, the baptized could summon their own Holy Light by placing their hand on the emblem. To extinguish the Holy Light was to sever the user's connection to it, just as Uther did to Tirion in the original story.

Taelan Fordring felt it again—that strange, warm power, which had even begun to grow scorching! Yet, there was still no response from the Holy Light. Was it because he was a transmigrator and did not belong to this world? Or was it because his Holy Light did not originate from faith, or perhaps, not from the Naaru?

At this moment, Alonsus Faol suddenly whispered: "Channel your Holy Light into the Holy Emblem!"

Taelan Fordring channeled his own Holy Light into the emblem.

The people around were astonished that the Holy Light had not responded, especially since Taelan had already mastered the power of the Holy Light. Just then, someone in the crowd said: "The Holy Light did not respond to him; this shows his faith is not pure!"

Another added: "Renault and the others all received a response from the Holy Light, which proves this is his own problem!"

At this, everyone's eyes couldn't help but shift between Renault Mograine and Taelan Fordring. Was the child too young, or was his faith not firm enough to be recognized by the Holy Light?

At this point, Karandra immediately spoke up in rebuttal: "That's not true, you cannot spout such nonsense!"

Someone in the crowd retorted: "Then why could Renault and the others receive a response from the Holy Light? And he couldn't?"

Karandra's face flushed red, and Tirion Fordring quickly pulled her back. He said in a low voice: "It is not over yet, wait a little longer!"

Taelan Fordring's Holy Light poured into the Holy Emblem endlessly, as if it were a bottomless pit. To maintain the energy input, he had to shrink the range of his shield, and those on the periphery began to feel the winter chill of Lordaeron once again!

At this moment, Arthas, sitting in his seat, said to Uther beside him: "Is he going to fail?"

Uther replied: "He is still too young! Tirion should have taught him more strictly!" He then signaled for Arthas to say no more.

The moment Arthas spoke, he drew all the attention to himself.

Just then, Jaina, who had been clenching her small fists to cheer for Taelan Fordring, suddenly said: "It's not like what you said. Even if the Holy Light didn't respond to him, he is already a Paladin!"

Arthas thought Jaina's voice sounded as beautiful as a lark, yet it carried a hint of a sob. Clearly, her heart was not as tough as her words suggested!

"I... I didn't mean it that way..."

It was the first time Arthas had spoken to Jaina, and he was a bit incoherent. However, he had always been straightforward: "Isn't it obvious? He is still very young; he should have waited a few more years!"

Jaina huffed! She glared at Arthas in annoyance and turned her head away, ignoring him.

This left Arthas feeling incredibly depressed!

Katherine pulled Jaina into her arms, shielding her from Arthas's gaze! Having too much contact with the Prince of Lordaeron, or even getting into a conflict, was not a good thing! Now it seemed this Prince was a very blunt person!

At this moment, a young man behind Arthas leaned in close and whispered, "Your Highness, that is the little princess of Kul Tiras, Jaina Proudmoore." He knew that Arthas had met Jaina before, though they were not particularly well-acquainted.

The implication was to advise Arthas to tone down his barbs. As the Prince's personal guard, Falric was well aware that this princess shared a close relationship with the family of Tirion! They had even gone on vacation to Caer Darrow together recently!

The crowd was buzzing with discussion. On the stage, Taelan Fordring had already channeled all of his Holy Light into the Holy Emblem; the shield of Holy Light had vanished, and everyone felt as though they had stepped from a warm spring into the dead of winter. Karandra's mood had also been on a rollercoaster, plummeting from high hopes to utter despair.

Just then, Jaina, who had been staring intently at Taelan Fordring, lowered her head, only to suddenly see the silhouette of an angel appear on the back of her hand! She followed the source of the radiance:

A pane of glass in the upper level of the cathedral had suddenly lit up.

Penglai wishes everyone a Happy Lantern Festival!