ADVANCEMENT RITUALS

Destiny called me to this part of the world, Decon," Voren answered, his gaze unwavering.

The Decon was silent for a short while, scrutinizing Voren. "Did destiny tell you to start playing mentor to my daughter?" His words came out in a bold tone, accompanied by a faint pressure. Paying the pressure no attention, Voren chuckled a bit and nodded.

"That is correct, but trust me, Decon, I bear no interest in minors." Voren paused, now with a grave expression. "Your daughter is key to me finding my destiny, so please, I beg you to let me be her guide."

Sedna weighed the value of Voren's words. He knew Voren was a man of just character and strong abilities, so his daughter was probably safe with him as a mentor. However, he did not like that his daughter had not informed him of who had decided to grace their city. If not for the two guardian knights he had placed in protection of his daughter, he would have remained oblivious to the fact that the Steelheart Wanderer was in Sif'ur. But now, what worried him was the destiny sought by the lone swordsman. Destiny was a very serious subject in "Their" world, so he knew the matter was of importance.

Releasing a deep sigh and withdrawing his Echo, he spoke, "I have no issue with you mentoring her, but you could have done it properly the first time. I am a parent, and I worry about her safety. Plus, she has been growing restless ever since that child left. Seeing that you have a good relationship with her, I presume she told you about him." Voren nodded, confirming that he knew who the Decon was hinting at. Pain and longing reflected in Sedna's eyes as he spoke, "I knew she would gradually decide to pursue him, and there was nothing I could do when that day came. So, I patiently waited for the day of the moonlight to see if her soul was strong enough to walk down the pathway of divinity." The Decon spoke, and Voren now had a better understanding of what he wanted to do.

Voren hissed, "Were you really prepared to let your daughter into the bizarre world? Have her life turn into a living nightmare, hunted by spiritual and physical monsters? Were you prepared for the possibility of your daughter's death due to failure in accepting a pathway? Were you prepared for the possibility of losing her to the call of the void and having her soul corrupted by foul entities? Were you prepared to have to exorcize your own daughter?" Voren's deep voice reminded the Decon of the countless possibilities that could happen if he had really decided to let his daughter turn into one of "Them." The thought scared him, but he could not show weakness in front of his men. Nodding, he responded with firmness that shook Voren, "Yes."

Voren closed his eyes and spoke slowly, "I see." Just then, all of them turned towards the entrance to the cloister, recognizing who was coming before the person even stepped foot into the cloister.

"Voren? Dad?" Sara asked with a questioning gaze, her eyes not daring to believe the sight before her. She stopped a few meters away from the table and stood there, arms crossed, waiting for an explanation. But both men hesitated to answer. Tapping her foot anxiously, Sara's eyes glanced at her father, who seemed afraid to look her in the eye.

"Do not worry, Lady Knottingwell. Your father and I were getting acquainted with one another, and I also took the chance to ask him for his blessing as your mentor, to which he agreed. Isn't that right, Decon Sedna?" Voren asked sternly after explaining the situation to Sara.

The High Decon chuckled. "Why use pleasantries, my dear friend? Call me Sedna. And yes, princess, daddy would be happy to have him mentor you." After hearing her father speak, Sara's worries died down, and she smiled radiantly at both her father and Voren.

"Thank you, Dad. I didn't know how to break it down to you. I'm sorry I kept it a secret from you," she spoke with a shy smile. The Decon wanted to embrace his daughter, but right now, he was her Decon, not her father, so he resorted to smiling and said nothing afterward. Voren took this as a chance to discuss a much more pressing matter, like the unsolved cases of the disappearing children in Sif'ur.

"Sedna, tell me, how familiar are you with advancement rituals?" he asked, trying to gauge Sedna's knowledge of mysticism.

Sedna's face turned solemn, and he gave an honest response, "Not so familiar. I major in sealing sigils, but I do know a thing or two about it. Why have you brought this up?" Sedna asked, feeling confused.

"Your city has been providing a dark sorcerer with the main ingredients for the spell for countless years—sorrow and children's essence," Voren spoke each word with righteous anger. Sedna's eyes widened; he now knew the real reason behind the missing children case. This was bound to be a hard job.

Josh, who was calmly looking at Timothy, suddenly tensed and looked up. But to Timothy and Mahome'i, this was strange since there was nothing besides the roof of the room they were currently in. Josh's eyes seemed to penetrate right through the roof and observe what was watching them. The moment his gaze met the creature's, a headache ensued. The creature's twin black pools seemed to radiate with disappointment before flying away. Timothy grabbed the side of his head in pain; he had been in a brief battle of soul power and was cleanly outmatched.

"Are you okay, Mr. Belling?" Timothy asked, staring at Josh, who was heavily breathing in front of him. Mahome'i remained quiet, but worry could be seen in her gaze.

"I—I just need a little bit of rest," he said before losing consciousness on top of Timothy. Timothy stared at Mahome'i, who was also worried, silently agreeing that they were of no help and had to wait for Josh to wake up naturally.