What Makes a Warlock?

Ye Ci stared at Rabbi. Despite his apparent youth, she could sense the wisdom of age from him, especially from his eyes. It was the wisdom of a being who had lived through countless years and witnessed the passing of many seasons. It was a wisdom that could not be masked by the man's demeanor. She was nothing but a child compared to him.

Such was the difference between the NPCs in a normal game and the NPCs in a virtual reality game. Every NPC in a virtual reality game has a story of their own, but they retain endless possibilities in the future of their lives.

Such cases were especially true for NPCs in possession of high levels of intelligence. The story behind their character was merely a guideline given to them by the system. The NPCs themselves, however, were masters of their own future.

Rabbi was apparently one of the intelligent NPCs. Ye Ci did not know what the man had seen during his life, but she was impressed by the NPCs' aura of wisdom. This was probably one of the best advantages of playing a virtual reality game. It gave the experience of great immersion to the players, as if they were living out a second life in the game.

Rabbi smiled at Ye Ci's response, "Really?"

His smile was beautiful, but was also bitter.

"Can you answer Moore's question, Mr.Rabbi?" asked Ye Ci after waiting for the answer that did not come.

Her entire journey here was to seek for the answer to Moore's question. The information she gained from gossipping with NPC was not as important as the task at hand.

"I would've died a long time ago if I know how. Why would I still be in a place like this?" Rabbi snorted at Ye Ci. it was apparent that his temperament was bad despite his age.

Ye Ci was dumbstruck by Rabbi's response, So he doesn't have an idea as well. Just then, a sudden wave of realisation washed over her. Wait, what was it that he said just now?

"I would've died a long time ago if I know how." Rabbi's response gave Ye Ci a huge clue. He has made the same pact with the Darkness just like Moore!

The revelation came as a shock to Ye Ci. she stared at Rabbi, who was clad in white robes. It was the robe that was worn by the clergy in a temple. So he's not a Priest, but a Sorceress instead?

"A-are you a sorcerer?" Asked Ye Ci cautiously.

"A sorcerer?" Rabbi raised an eyebrow, and a chuckle left his mouth, "So that's what Moore told you? That he is a sorcerer?"

Ye Ci was once again stunned into silence. Is that not the case? Of course, the question did not leave her mouth. She continued staring at Rabbi with a smile on her face. The man had no intention of waiting for an answer from Ye Ci, "It seems that he's still a coward. He hasn't found the courage to tell people what he truly is." he snorted.

At this point, Ye Ci's curiosity was fully aroused. She held back her questions, but her eyes had betrayed how she truly felt. Come on, come on! Tell me! She was already screaming internally for an answer, Tell me now! What the heck is going on! Do you really have to be beat around the bush like that?

"Do you know a Warlock is?"

Of course I'd know that! Ye Ci nodded, "I do." She was confused by the sudden question. Why would Moore hide his identity as a Warlock? Aren't there hundreds of thousands of Warlocks in the Jiama Continent?

Rabbi chuckled at Ye Ci, as if he was able to read her mind, "Do you think I'm talking about that rabble in the current Jiama Continent?" there was a hint of disdain in his voice.

Ye Ci did not utter a response, but a question had indeed formed in her mind. Are they not the same?

"Do you know what sort of person the first Warlock is?" continued Rabbi.

How would I know? Ye Ci shook her head, it's not recorded in the National Library, and it's not like I know what the developers were thinking!

"The first Warlock to ever walk on the face of this world is a woman. We call her Eliana. Of course, that was her name in Dragonian. It means 'Precursor' in the Common Tongue." a smile appeared on Rabbi's face.

"Dragonian? Why would she be named in Dragonian?" confusion was written all over Ye Ci's face. Is he telling me that the first Warlock is a Dragon? An image began forming in Ye Ci's mind: a mighty Dragon flapping its wings and spewing fire from its mouth as it clutched a staff in its claw with minions scurrying on the ground below it. What the hell?

"That was because of her father. He was the prince of the Dragonia." Rabbi stared into the horizon as his mind wandered to the deepest part of his memories.

Ye Ci almost choked on her own saliva. What?? Eliana's father is a Dragonian prince? So what is her mother then? A Human? Or maybe an Elf?"

"Her mother was a kind-hearted Human. Oh what a weak existence she was compared to the mighty Dragonia." it was as if Rabbi had read Ye Ci's mind once again.

A strange thought not suitable for children wormed its way into Ye Ci's mind. So how do a Dragon and a Human mate? Did he do it with the form of a Dragon? Or did he transform into a Human first? So what does their baby look like? Does it look like a Human? Or will the Human woman lay an egg...

Of course, it was not the main focus of the story.

Even if Rabbi was indeed in possession of the ability to read minds, it was limited only to what a player might think about the quest. He had no way of knowing what sort of naughty thoughts Ye Ci was having at that very moment. He made the assumption that Ye Ci was listening attentively to his story when he noticed the expression on her face.

"Humans are the most pitiful race in the continent. Their strength came only in their numbers." Rabbi's voice was full of disdain. Ye Ci sighed internally at that remark. Wow, the developers really hate their own race! What's so bad about having strength in numbers? It's a good thing! Chairman Mao once said: More population means more power! Besides, it's not as if the other races are nobler or more beautiful than the human race!

"While the Dragonia are at the ultimate life form in the Jiama Continent. They were strong, intelligent, and powerful. Their might was second only to that of the Gods and the Demons themselves. Eliana's father was born as the prince of all Dragonia during their golden age. He was the strongest, and most handsome of all the Dragonia. His body was covered by scales of gold, and his eyes were as beautiful as the azure sky. Eliana's father held the highest authority in his race. It's only natural for the prince to marry a female of his own race so that an even stronger bloodline could be born, but alas, life is full of uncertainties. The prince was injured during a hunt, and his savior... Was a human woman." Rabbi then shifted his glance towards Ye Ci, "I'm sure you've already figured out who that woman was by now..."

Ye Ci responded with a nod. No shit! Of course I can figure something like this out! Isn't this their favourite method of storytelling?

"He fell in love with the human, and married her despite the protests of his kin, giving birth to the greatest shame in Dragonian history... A fetus." Rabbi sighed. One could tell that he was speaking with great sorrow as he narrated the story, "To the Dragonia, the shell of a Dragonian egg was the best supplement for the young, but the fetus was born naked. It was a girl as beautiful as her father, but in possession of the body of a Human. And like I've said, Humans are a very frail race. The woman died shortly after giving birth to the little girl. And that girl was Eliana, the first Warlock. Of course, she was still a child back then."

"Eliana's father was forced to marry a female of his race for the sake of his race. The female was cruel, and treated Eliana poorly. The only reason the girl was able to grow into maturity with her frail body was the protection of her father. It was very strange that the girl had a great mastery of magic despite her status as a halfblood and the shame of the Dragonian race. Her ability to control the flow of magic far surpassed any single member of the Dragonia. Her stepmother was terrified of her powers. She began plotting against the girl, and was able to force her away when she was 15 years old. Even when Eliana's father knew that his wife's trickery was in place, he could not protect his daughter. The only thing he could do was to send Eliana to the Humans where she could learn the ways of magic from the Great Sorcerer Zerubbabel."

Ye Ci listened to Rabbi in silence. She was no longer ridiculing the story, and was instead trying to capture every single word said by the man. She had a feeling that the story plays a crucial role in many of the quests in Fate. The fact that records of such an event could not be found in the National Library meant that the rulers of the world during that time did not wish for the truth to be found. The truth, however, was something that was crucial to the universe of Fate.

"Zerubbabel could tell that there was a great power hidden within Eliana during his time as the girl's mentor. It was power not known to Dragonia, nor known to mankind. It was the power of curse that belonged to the World of Darkness."

"The power of curse?" Ye Ci was momentarily stunned. Warlocks were a class focused on reducing the stats of their opponents through the use of curses.

"Yes. She was the offspring of the strongest and weakest life form on the face of this world, hence she was cursed by the Gods the moment she was born. It was a curse that she would have to carry into her grave. The condition of Eliana's body is closely related to this curse..." Rabbi sighed, "Zerubbabel took a pity on Eliana, and tried his best to hide the secret. But unbeknownst to the great sorcerer, it was something that had long since been discovered by Eliana. She was a halfblood with the strength of the Dragonia and the wisdom of Humans.She was not afraid of death, but her great interest in magic became the pillar that anchored her to the world of the living even as her body degraded."

"So how did she end up as a Warlock?" Ye Ci finally lost her patience.

But Rabbi silenced her with a wave of his hand, an indication that Ye Ci should continue listening to his story.

"Do you still remember the stepmother of Eliana? She was a noble blue dragon. But her noble blood did not mean that her heart was as pure and noble. She was the opposite of the upright and straightforward nature of the Dragonia. She was the candidate chosen to marry the prince before Eliana's father met her mother. She did not expect her plans to be foiled by the sudden appearance of a Human woman that was brought back by Eliana's father after his hunt. The prince ended up marrying the Human despite the protest of all his kin. Jealousy was like a poison, and this poison ultimately drove the blue dragon to kill Eliana's mother with poison. Of course, she covered her tracks well." continued Rabbi.

"She married Eliana's father, but soon developed jealousy towards Eliana herself, who robbed her of her husband's love. Even after she drove Eliana away, it was not enough. She wanted Eliana gone, forever. Unfortunately for her, Zerubbabel was a very skillful mage. That was why she bode her time until the chance finally arrived and she took care of Zerubbabel with one fell swoop."

Ye Ci rubbed her chin. Love is crazy. The only thing that the blue dragon wanted was her husband's love. In a sense, she was not wrong. I understand why she did it, but it was not the right way.

"It was Zerubbabel's death that finally shattered Eliana's sanity. The Darkness and the power of the curse that were locked deep in her heart exploded into a vortex that devoured all the kindness in her."

"Only one thing was left in her heart: Vengeance! Where there is light, there will be darkness. If Gods exist, then so do Demons. The change in Eliana's personality allowed darkness to devour her powers, converting it into a new form of magic. That was how the power of curse was born, and it was Eliana's strongest attack. She became the first Dark Mage in the Jiama Continent. She became a Warlock."

Rabbi shook his head as he remembered the sorrowful event from the distant past.

"So what happened after that?" Ye Ci was completely captivated by the story.

"What happened then? She returned to the Dragonia, and brought ruin upon the entire race. No one would've thought that the mighty race would be driven into extinction at the hands of a pitiful halfblood. Eliana's father begged for mercy from his daughter. He begged for her to spare the Dragonia from extinction. But Eliana, who had long lost herself to the darkness, slew her father as well."

"She was like the embodiment of Darkness, and a ruthless killing machine in our world of Light."

"What? The Dragonia went extinct?" Ye Ci was stunned, It can't be! I saw a red one not long ago!

"No, but they're as good as extinct. While Eliana slain all the adults, she had forgotten about the eggs stored in the Dragonia's nests. They survived her onslaught, but were corrupted by her powerful dark aura, and became creatures of darkness. They were still struggling to once again become creatures of Light even until this day, but it barely worked. The eggs were badly affected by Eliana's powers, and hatchlings that were born had their ability to reproduce greatly reduced. Ever since that fateful day, the once proud race vanished from the great stage of history, hiding themselves in the most secluded corner of the Jiama Continent. And there they sat waiting… Waiting for the chance for their race to once again rise and reign supreme."

So this is why Dragons are very rare in Fate! Ye Ci raised her eyebrows as she browsed through her memories of her past life. The discovery of a single Dragonian nest drove the entire player base into a frenzy. After all, Dragons were the symbol of might and dominance.

"What happened to Eliana after that?" asked Ye Ci. There's no way Rabbi will talk about this girl if she has nothing to do with Moore.

"Eliana became a Sorceress even stronger than Zerubbabel after wiping out the Dragonia. But she renounced the title of 'Sorceress', and founded her own branch of magecraft, and declared herself a Warlock. She knew deep down that she had fallen completely into darkness, and had lost the right to worship the Light, and ever call herself a Sorceress ever again. She devoted everything she had to the World of Darkness and turned her back against the Light."

Just then, Rabbi directed a question to Ye Ci, "Do you know what the name 'Warlock' means?"

Ye Ci had always thought of the term "Warlock" as the name of a character class, but she was proven wrong by Rabbi on this day, "I'm sorry, Mr.Rabbi. I'm not as knowledgeable as you are. I do not know what 'Warlock' means."

"The word 'Warlock' came from the World of Darkness. It means 'one who is cursed for life'. Perhaps this is what Eliana thought of her life. But the people of the Jiama Continent knew nothing about the true meaning behind this word. They thought that a Warlock is an existence as powerful as a Sorcerer. Many who sought such a power flocked to Eliana and became her disciples. They… Became Warlocks." Rabbi turned around and walked towards one of the chairs. His form was a woeful sight as he made his way across the shrine.

"Eliana did not turn them away. I did not know why she made that decision even until this day. Perhaps she wished for those who craved power to be cursed for the rest of their life. Or perhaps she simply wanted to pass on her magecraft. But as time passed, the Warlocks rose as a class as powerful as Sorcerers. Despite her past, the people of the continent worshipped strength, and Eliana who was the most powerful of Warlocks was worshipped as an idol. This lasted until the day Eliana could no longer stand the world of Light, and went into the world of Darkness where she belonged, and became the only ruler in that world, the Queen of Darkness."

"The Queen of Darkness!" exclaimed Ye Ci. She was a BOSS with strength far surpassing that of Naga's. Unlike Naga and his demons, the Queen of Darkness was a pure being of Darkness, and was even recorded in the National Library. Naga begged for strength from the Queen of Darkness, and paid a terrible price for the powers that he gained. But the price that the Dark Lord paid to gain his power was never recorded in history.

"Yes. You've heard of her before?" Rabbi was shocked. Hmm… This Elf seems to know a thing or two.

"Yes. I've read about her in the National Library. It was said that Naga prayed to the Queen of Darkness when he was young, and received her blessing at a terrible price. But I do not know what price Naga had to pay." Ye Ci immediately told Rabbi about the information she had obtained about the Queen of Darkness. She was certain that Eliana was one of the important BOSSes in her quest, if not the ultimate one.

"You are correct." Rabbi nodded at Ye Ci, "You're not wrong at all. Naga paid a terrible price, just like we did."

"The curse of undying?"

"No, he lost the ability to come back to live." Rabbi replied with a smile, "Naga offered his body to Eliana. His body had a special trait that allowed it to accumulate an infinite amount of Dark energy. Eliana made his body into an ornament that she wore with her at all times. This means that Naga had forfeited the ownership of his body forever."

"So does it mean that the Naga that the heroes had fought so hard against was just a soul without a body?" Ye Ci was astonished by the revelation. Even she as a reincarnator had never seen Naga before in her last life.

"Yes, and no." Rabbi shook his head, "Naga could never revive his body, but he can still create vessels that can host his soul. It was one of such vessels that the heroes have battled during the war."

A sudden thought flashed across Ye Ci's mind, "Wait a minute, so Moore sold his death to the Queen of Darkness for power to become a Warlock and defeated Naga?"

"You can say that."

"But Naga's strength came from the Queen of Darkness as well. Is she not fighting against herself then, by lending her strength to Moore?" Ye Ci was confused, "Why would she do that?"

"I did not know at that time, but I've finally have an answer after so many millennia.."

"And what is that?"

"Well… A lonely person had to find her joy somewhere, am I right?"

A smile appeared on Rabbi's face. It was a smile full of sorrow. Ye Ci found herself relating with the Queen of Darkness. She herself had caused wars between guilds out of boredom in her last life as she reaped rewards from the chaos. Her achievements were not as great as the Queen of Darkness, but it was still of the same nature.

Seems to me that Eliana is a rather pitiful person.

Rabbi's story gave Ye Ci a clearer understanding of the bigger picture. She still know not where to unlock the quest that would lead her to the Queen of Darkness's secret, but she had still greatly benefitted from the story, "So is there really no way for Mr.Moore to die?"

Rabbi shook his head, "Do you know who I am?"

"Moore's mentor?"

"No, that was merely one of my most insignificant identities." A smile appeared on Rabbi's face, "I was one the first followers of Eliana. There was eight of us back then, and all of us handed our right to die in exchange for great power. This is why we're kept alive until this day. We were forced to continue our miserable existence with no way of ever dying. What can Moore possibly do?" Rabbi shook his head, "If there is truly a way, we would've already been dead. You won't even be seeing me here."

Ye Ci nodded at Rabbi, she could feel sympathy for the man, "Very well then, Mr.Rabbi. I'll relay your words to Mr.Moore."

"You tell Moore, that no one can escape from the Queen of Darkness's curse. There is simply no way." Rabbi stooped forward and pulled a stalk of green grass from a crack on the altar. He stared at the grass with warmth in his eyes. The healthy green color of the grass was a contrast to its cold harsh surroundings. He turned around and handed the grass to Ye Ci, "This is my thanks to you, for listening to my story. You've brought great joy into my heart, so I'll gift this to you."

The grass appeared to be unremarkable, but Ye Ci accepted the gift with respect. She was shocked to see the stats of the grass.

The Shrine's Hope (consumable): Permanently increases a random stat.

This is very good! Ye Ci immediately looked around in hopes of spotting more grass, but the one she held in her hand seemed to be the only one in the shrine.

"By the way, don't you have something with you?" Rabbi spoke up.

Ye Ci nodded after a slight pause. She was completely captivated by the story, and would have forgotten about her quest if it was not for Rabbi's timely reminder. She pulled the corrupted Holy Arrow out from her pack, and handed it to Rabbi, "This is also one of the reasons why I'm here. I wish to cleanse Shajia's corruption from this arrow with water from the Sacred Spring. Do I have your permission to do so?"

Rabbi studied the arrow, and smiled, "Ahh, it's Little Dau'er's arrow. Thought it's something big. Go ahead. Cleanse it."

Little Dau'er? Ye Ci was dumbfounded by the way Rabbi had addressed Dau'er, Are you kidding me? The most revered figure in Elven history, and he's just 'Little Dau'er' to you? Just how old is this guy?

Of course, Ye Ci did not have the courage to voice out her complaints. She braced herself for the pain as she took the arrow from Rabbi and headed to the Sacred Spring.

White smoke billowed from the Holy Arrow accompanied by a loud "hiss" the moment it touched the water of the Sacred Spring.

Ye Ci removed her gloves and submerged her water into the spring as well, and her hand that was scalded by the arrow was immediately healed.

She then began to wash the arrow of its corruption.

"Some of the corruption on the Holy Arrow has faded away. Please continue cleansing the arrow."

"Some of the corruption on the Holy Arrow has faded away. Please continue cleansing the arrow."

"Some of the corruption on the Holy Arrow has faded away, you have to work harder.."

Ye Ci was bombarded by system notifications as she washed the corruption away from the arrow.

And another system notification finally rang out after ten long minutes, "The Holy Arrow is free of corruption. Please return to the relevant NPC."

Ye Ci stood up, and studied the Holy Arrow. The arrow was pure white, and was glowing with light, but nothing other than "Cleansed Holy Arrow" was written in its stats. It seems that I have to return to Natasha first.

This is an errand quest.

It is hard, but the higher difficulty only means that it's a high level errand quest.

Such is the fate of players, always running errands of NPCs, one way or the other.

"You have my thanks, Mr.Rabbi. I've cleansed the Holy Arrow. Thank you for letting me use the Sacred Spring."

Rabbi pulled a yellowish map from one of his sleeves, "Ah, I remember now. I have with me something about Little Dau'er. Perhaps it can be of great interest to you."

Ye Ci could hear ringing in her ears as she stared at the map. No way! It can't be! Could this be the last fragment of Dau'er's map?! Ye Ci did not forget to express her most sincere gratitude as she received the map from Rabbi.

"Go on your way now. Day is upon us. You won't be running into those damned Phantoms on your way back." Rabbi nodded at Ye Ci before disappearing into the shadows.

Ye Ci left the shrine, and into the daylight outside. The sun shone brightly onto the ground below, and the Phantoms silently faded away, just as how they have silently appeared.