The meet

Sara stared at Voren with wide eyes. A part of her did not want to believe him, but she also knew he had no reason to lie. "But how were you able to deduce the location so fast? Father and his partner have been trying to for years now," Sara asked, disbelief lingering in her gaze. Voren chuckled briefly and answered mockingly, "A miracle, Lady Knottingwell, a hard-earned miracle."

Sara resisted the urge to roll her eyes but decided against it. She knew he had secrets he was not willing to divulge to her yet, but she hoped that with time, he would start opening up to her. With a slight nod of understanding, she turned away from Voren and looked in the opposite direction. "What will I do? Should I trust Father or Voren's abilities?" A storm was brewing in her mind.

Voren noticed but did not say a word, instead leaving her to think. He closed his eyes. After a few moments of thinking, Sara turned to face Voren, seeing him with his eyes closed, she knew not to disturb him since he had warned her not to disturb him if anything similar to what he was doing occurred. "I can't seem to see through you, Voren. What happened to you?" she asked silently.

Unbeknownst to her, Voren was currently not in his body. Above the park, a translucent winged figure hovered above the air, gazing at her with its two Abyssal eyes. A halo rested above the being's head, its snow-white naked body had no sex, a gaping hole located where the heart is usually found, and on its body were inscriptions that disappeared and appeared with every passing breath.

The being gazed upon Sara for quite a while before it flew off towards the city gates, its speed immeasurable. Within half a breath, the being had already left the city boundaries, heading into the vast wilderness that lay ahead. "Welcome, esteemed traveler..." The new city's escort's distant voice startled Sara. She took one last look at Voren and shook her head, "I wonder why destiny brought us together?" One thing she did not know was that one day her question would be answered.

Sara began reminiscing as she sat on the bench, observing her surroundings. Kids were laughing and playing, a pair of lovers were kissing underneath the cool shade of a tree, and an old couple was feeding bread crumbs to the birds not far away from her. Looking at the kids, Sara thought back to the days when she, Timothy, and his sister Evelyn were kids playing and laughing under the heat of the sun. But sadly, those days were cut short when Evelyn went missing.

Her Nana Veronica exhausted most of her wealth trying to find Evelyn, but eventually, she gave up and decided to spend her last days focusing on the only grandchild left. After Evelyn went missing, Timothy encased himself in a defensive shell that Sara could not break, no matter how hard she tried. Things only got worse after his Nana died; he fell into a really dark place, and there was no one to save him. Sara now understood why Timothy left. This little town had taken everyone he loved from his grasp, so instead of living in a place where he would be constantly reminded of his great losses, he would rather leave.

"I guess I kind of understand why you left now," Sara whispered, turning to look at Voren, who was staring at her with an unfathomable gaze. Blushing heavily, Sara cleared her throat, "You done now?" she asked. Voren nodded but did not say a word.

A few moments passed in silence until Voren spoke up, "Let me go now. I have to look deeper into the matter, and then I will come up with a plan to save your city." Voren stood up, and Sara nodded, standing up as well. She took one last look at Voren and left in the opposite direction.

Voren started at her leave, and a soft smile graced his countenance, "I see it now." With that, he turned around to leave. On the other hand, Sara walked through the crowded streets of Sif'ur with a cold gaze. Children had been disappearing for years, never to be found, and the cause of it was Mr. Rice's fault. Mr. Rice, the owner of the café, had always been so nice to her, but now with this discovery... a chill ran down her spine. "Did he plan to kill me too? Was it because of my father that he did not act?" Sara didn't realize she had stopped walking, came back to her senses, and resumed walking. She was now headed for the cathedral for the evening prayer.

Gathered in the cloister, two men sat opposite each other. One of the men wore a flowing white robe with intricate silver threading, resembling the delicate patterns of aspider's web. On his chest, a gleaming silver emblem took center stage - the sigil of Zebha: an eye with wings, symbolizing divine insight and protection. The eye was rendered in striking blue, with wings outstretched, as if ready to take flight. The robe's hem was adorned with smaller, repeating patterns of the sigil, creating a sense of movement and energy. A golden sash cinched at the waist; this man was Decon Sedna Knottingwell, Sara's father.

On the opposite side, a man wore a suit of black armor, adorned with intricate details and engravings, resembling the legendary armor from the tales. His longsword hung at his waist, in a scabbard covered in mysterious inscriptions. His short, damp hair stuck to his forehead, framing his rugged features, while his untrimmed beard added a touch of ruggedness to his regal demeanor; this man was Voren.

The two sat quietly opposite each other, their eyes locked in a silent battle of wills. The table they were seated at had nothing on top, and behind Decon Sedna stood two hooded figures.

After a short while, Sedna spoke, "The Steelheart Wanderer, what an honor to be in the presence of a living legend." He paused, studying Voren's reaction. Voren chuckled briefly and shook his head, "The pleasure is all mine, High Decon Knottingwell, but I must ask, why did you summon me here?" Voren's tone was calm and firm.

The Decon's gaze became sharp, and his voice became surprisingly deep, "Why are you here?"