Morrigan Zi'o !

 The journey to the center of Asteria promised many things beyond the sight of the place; it generated a nostalgic feeling of home, a city full of chimneys with smoke rising high, the sound of carriages and animals like chickens wandering back and forth, children laughing, running, and playing.

 Always full of visitors, knights, travelers, as a capital should be, Asteria hid secrets that not everyone, even among the elders, would dare to try to uncover. A place of heroes and great villains disguised as heroes.

 Exactly in this scenario, the two were walking, guided by the second soldier, Ronald, who had introduced himself shortly after they began to walk. As they approached what would be the city center, in a sort of main oval-shaped square with several houses on the edges of this geometric shape. "We're going to the Church of the Clerics of Vilgax..." said Ronald, generating a surprised reaction from Morrigan. "Vilgax? Is that safe? Vilgax doesn't seem like the name of someone who wants the good of others..." he said with a corner-of-the-mouth smile, his eyes slightly widened.

 "It's very safe, actually. Vilgax is the leader of the current Pantheon of gods; he is simply the god of absolute justice and all goodness," said Ronald, very proud, always smiling. He was extremely handsome, with a well-groomed beard and very shiny, well-trimmed curly hair. At his waist, he had a shiny metal club with the initials of his family, "R.M.C."

 "I see, and do they know a lot about reincarnates?" asked Morrigan while they were just walking with the goddess looking around, seeming extremely suspicious, as if she didn't recognize any of it. "Was everything always so well built like this? This place is so different from what it should be," the goddess asked, seeming to look around suspiciously. Ronald, without thinking much, said, "Not always, Asteria has undergone several reconstructions; we lost everything at least twice in the history of this place, once when I was very young, and another, four years ago, when I became a Tier C Knight of my court."

 "Wow, knights are ranked? Interesting. The higher the ranking, the more prestige?" asked the curious boy, and Ronald nodded affirmatively, in front of a sort of large church, with large double doors with a symbol above it, a banner shield with a sword behind it, with wings over the shield. "This is the Church of Master Delial; he is extremely important to us knights, he will surely help you." Ronald said, bowing slightly to them politely, and then went back to his post.

 As soon as the two entered, all the lights dimmed, and a bluish light filled the room, a very calm and pleasant atmosphere arose between them. An old man, with square expressions, a tight white cloak over his body, loose only from the waist down, he looked like a kind of cleric, but he was very physically strong, with several scars on his face and deep white eyes, of someone who possibly had seen unimaginable things in life was approaching them, that was Master Delial.

 "You came in search of wisdom, I imagine..." he said with his extremely deep, slow voice. "You're Master Delial? Can we ask you something?" Morrigan said simply, catching Delial's attention as he turned to him from the altar where he was standing, descending small stairs passing between the benches in the front of the church. "You seem very calm for someone with such a messy energy, boy. What's your name?" Delial asked as the goddess watched Morrigan respond excitedly. "Morrigan Zi'o!" he replied, making the old master laugh, putting his hand on his chin shortly after. "You must be a reincarnate; that reaction is not normal around here..." the old man said, looking at the girl next, his penetrating gaze making the goddess look away whistling suspiciously.

 "Is she your friend?" Delial asked, and then the goddess replied, "I'm as lost as he is..." Delial, surprised by that response, turned to her completely. "You don't seem lost, you seem bored, little one..." he said, making the goddess have a curious and somewhat saddened expression shortly after. "Everyone is always kind of weird with me in this place..." the goddess said a little frustrated. "Would you mind doing me a favor, Zi'o-san?" asked the old master, walking to a place near the altar and removing from behind the altar, throwing a sword stored behind the altar bench to the boy. "I don't want you to keep it, but you can use it for now..."

 Morrigan then took the sword, impressed. "Why does a priest have a sword under the altair?" the question was not answered by anyone, and the goddess said, "Are you going to fight now? I can't wait to see you fighting kikiki." The goddess seemed to be subtly mocking Morrigan while he, suspicious of her, tucked the sword over his shoulders. "There is a creature that attacks the fields at night, a plague created by the fear of an innocent child. If you can stop it, I will confirm my theory about you, and I can guide you on your journey..."

 "How do you already know so much, we haven't even talked about all this?" Morrigan asked, while the old man seemed to laugh at the situation. "You have no idea what kind of things I already know about you two..." He silently said as he walked back to the exit on the left side of the church while the goddess seemed to punch Morrigan's shoulder. "Ouch," he said as the goddess seemed to be trying to get him to stop saying everything he thought.

 "I'll wait for you here at the church tomorrow, after the first mass. I hope you come back safely. Be careful; creatures created by fear will get stronger if you fear them..." He said, staring at Morrigan in a very scary way, making him swallow hard, and then hurriedly left through the door, the goddess passing shortly after, with her eyes wide with fear.

 "And now? You've never wielded a sword in your life, and you think you're going to solve this?" the goddess said quite curious and somewhat angry with the boy, who said excitedly, "Well, I have to try. If I don't try, I won't know the outcome." He said confidently, as he looked at a sign ahead. "Look, there's a map of Asteria there; let's see, goddess!" He said, surprising her by taking her hand, making her nervous, being pulled by him.