Chapter 6 : Purpose of coming to temple

As they stood at the entrance to the temple, Dharma could not help but think silently: 'Oh man...' he muttered. As his eyebrows twitched in front of the door, he realized that he didn't like returning to the place he had left not so long ago. The sounds of training coming from inside and the smell of incense brought back feelings he had forgotten.

'It seems like I didn't really miss this place.' he muttered. Even before he had stepped inside the temple, Dharma had felt constricted. After all, he had spent most of his life in one of these places, which were both mentally and spatially narrow. Dharma wanted to be a free person. Languishing in a temple and living with people obsessed with faith was not very Dharma-like.

"Did you say something, sir?" the old monk beside him asked, turning his head towards the young man. He was proud to serve his guest but couldn't help but ask, realizing Dharma seemed secretly worried.

Dharma replied ironically, laughing: "No, I was just thinking to myself how much I miss the temple."

When the old monk saw Dharma's answer and sad look, he couldn't help feeling ashamed of himself. 'And I doubted someone that loyal to the temple? I am truly a disgrace...' he said.

After this brief conversation about Temple they going and other stuff, the two of them stepped through the door. For an outsider, the view might have been spectacular, but for Dharma, it was just an experience filled with nausea. The whole place was painted in shades of orange, and stone figures of dragons and fig trees complemented the landscape.

As they passed on their way, they saw the students working on the facade. Seeing him return, the old monk interrupted their training for a small greeting, and then they returned to work. The number of Buddhists in training on the exterior was over a hundred. The old monk was watching Dharma's expression carefully, trying to gauge whether he was pleased or not.

But Dharma's expression was fixed. Contrary to what the old monk thought, Dharma only had the thought that he wanted to leave this place quickly. A few minutes later, as they passed the main entrance steps, a young nun greeted them respectfully. "I hope your short journey was uneventful, Master Daoan," she said as she took the "Mirror of the Soul" from the monk's hand.

The old monk named Daoan's expression was confused. 'It went smoothly? Ah,hell no,' he said inwardly. But he didn't dare say it out loud with Dharma by his side, so he said, "Oh, there were absolutely no problems. In fact, it was wonderful because we had an important guest," he said in a flattering tone.

'What a hypocrite. Even though he's a monk'Dharma thought.

Then he gave Daoan a sharp look with his gaze thathe did not like his flattery. Realizing the situation and frightened, Daoan, trying to change the subject by placing a fake smile on his face, turned to the young nun and asked, "Is Leader Yu in meditation?"

The young nun shook her head in the negative. "No, he is currently taking care of the Temple's administrative affairs," she replied.

It made sense, after all, even though he was a Buddhist, he was also the leader of a vital faith in the city. Someone had to look after these matters. "Leader Yu is the leader of the temple we told you about, Master Dharma. If it is convenient for you, we can go to him to discuss the matters you have raised," Daoan said.

Dharma nodded at Daoan's words, and the two made their way to the door of the leader's room.

"Knock, Knock." The two knocked gently on the door and went inside.

Inside, a middle-aged man was sitting at his desk, probably in his 40s, with a bald head and a beardless face like the other monks, but his keen gaze was the main difference that set him apart from the monks outside. When the two entered, he put down the documents he was signing and began to examine his new guests.

'Oh, a familiar face.' When the leader looked at the Dharma, he seemed to realize who was before him.

Dharma had also noticed the cannibalistic gaze directed at him. The man in front of him probably knew him. Well, that was good. He wouldn't have to give unnecessary explanations.

Daoan began to explain about the honored guest next to him: "Leader Yu, this honored one is a guest from the continent's main temple. I believe you have heard of him. He is 'Dharma', one of our temple's most valuable people.

Proud of his pompous introduction, Leader Yu continued.

"Oh, I see. So what is the reason for this distinguished guest to come here?" he asked, not seeming to care.

Dharma continued, "Oh, about this..." He took out four stones from his pocket and, with a single finger gesture, sent them to the four corners of the room. 

Then he clasped his hands together and continued after mumbling a few words. "Yes, now we can talk."

"Soundproof area? I see," the leader said, realizing the importance of what they would talk about.

Dharma said, "Well, to make a long story short, there is only one reason I was sent here." Then, he continued with an apparent certainty and ruthlessness in his voice.

"Chaos."

The other two Buddhists were surprised. "What exactly do you mean?" the leader asked.

Dharma closed his eyes and continued speaking. "You are aware of the recent wars on the continent, the fall of cities and kingdoms, and even the attacks of darkness and monsters." The two Buddhists listening nodded.

Dharma opens his eyes and continues. "At first, these events seem to be on a slightly larger scale than usual, but no, what is happening in the background is much bigger.Much much bigger"

Dharma then took a map out of the pocket of his robe and approached the table where Leader Yu was. He unfolded the map and placed it on the table.

It was a map of the continent they were on, with many places marked with big red dots.

When Leader Yu looked carefully at the map, he realized the places marked were cities or areas that were about to become cities, just like Fluere. A growing fear began to fill his heart.

' It can be?' Leader Yu had a horrible guess.

A prediction he prayed to be wrong.

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Near the city of Fluere, deep in the dark forest...,

A person dressed in black from head to toe was sitting cross-legged with a walking stick in his lap in a room-like place lit by candles in the cave's depths, where the sun did not shine.

The place where he sat was the center of a magic circle. The circle was at once familiar and different. Maybe Roland and Amelian would have found it familiar, but the man seemed not yet done with the circle.

Because in the cave the man was in, which he used as a room, there were countless animal corpses, so many that they reached almost the top of this large cave, which was meters long.

The man in the center of the circle muttered a few words in an unknown language, and his cane began to fly through the air. At the same time, the Haycan corpses looked as if they had been affected by the spell. Each one slowly began to melt. All that was left of these dead animal corpses, which were like a small mountain at first, was nothing but a torrent of blood that flowed like a whirlpool to the cane without stopping.

The cane, enchanted by the man in the circle's center, was like a bottomless well, consuming this endless blood until nothing was left.

When it was finally quiet again, the corpses of the animals that had been found earlier were no longer to be seen, and the man who had been sitting with his eyes closed the whole time, when the process was finally finished, opened his eyes in satisfaction and looked at his cane.

"What a useful tool you are!." The man seemed very pleased with the performance of his cane. Then, he slowly got up from the magic circle he was in and left the cave with his cane.

But the strange thing was that although the sun was shining high above, it was as dark as if it were the darkest hours of the night.

Just as the man with the cane stepped out, a man dressed in black like himself, robed in robes, his face invisible, approached him and spoke in a whisper.

"The Seed is confirmed to be in the City, Sir. Should we attack and feed the Seed?"

The man with the cane thought. He thought of the monk he had seen a few days ago. It seemed unlikely; if not, he could benefit from it.

"No need to rush" said the man with the cane, "But tell the Engen to finish his work in the forest quickly just in case, maybe we can make a few changes to the plan."

The jet-black messenger, having received his answer from his master, nodded and disappeared as quickly as he had come.

When the man with the cane was alone again, he spoke to himself: "Let us see what the God has destined for us," he said piously.