Sif'ur's dilemma

"I have seen, and now I shall go to alert the elders," F'ARLIM spoke with his eyes closed. "But when I return, we shall harvest them all. Trust in me, Bulahim." The café owner, who was now unconscious, could not answer him, but F'ARLIM still gazed up at him with a proud expression.

Turning to face the small door, his expression changed, revealing a cruel twist to his normal self. "Josh Belling, you still roam about in search of your destiny? Is that child what you have been looking for? Oh well, it does not matter, because soon I will put an end to all of your little organization that has been gatekeeping people like me from acquiring the Truth. I'm coming, and I'm coming for you all."

With that sentence, the same inscriptions from before covered the door in a crucifix manner and surged with red light, filling the room, then he was gone. The only person left in the kitchen was the unconscious café owner. A storm was brewing in Sif'ur, and no one else knew what was coming to this lovely city.

A few days had passed since Sara and Voren had crossed paths, and they had been meeting up at the cathedral every day since their initial meeting. But right now, they were walking leisurely around Sif'ur.

"So, you mean to tell me that you are not a Konqueror?" Sara questioned Voren as they walked. "But how, and how come you possess so much Arcanum?"

Voren chuckled at Sara's question, pointing to the park. "Let's go over there, and I will try explaining it to the best of my ability." Sara nodded, and they quietly walked to the park, sitting on one of the unoccupied benches. Voren began to explain:

"I am what we call in the West a body cultivator. I had trained my body to the peak of what a mortal can do, but that was not enough. Growing up, I used to love a folk song about certain strong men called the Iron Borne. The song spoke about what these Iron Borne men could do, and I also wanted to achieve that. But after countless seasons of relentless training, I discovered that it is not possible for a human body to acquire vast strength that surpasses peak human ability. So, I began searching for other ways to acquire strength, and that's when I met, or rather was found by, an old man who claimed to be a champion of the Deity Revi.

"The old man said he would take me in as a successor only after I bested him in combat. Being young and hot-headed, I immediately agreed, and sadly, the old man beat me without much effort. But surprisingly, he still took me in and trained me and educated me for twenty seasons full. And during those twenty seasons, the old man would rarely demonstrate his godly prowess, making me train even harder in hopes of attaining that strength.

"The night just before we could cross over to the new year, the old man took me to the Forgotten Mountain of Tah, and there, on top of the mountain, was an altar. The old man first prayed, and then he started performing a ritual. He drew blood from his hand and poured it on me, then he started enchanting. And from there on, I blacked out. I can't tell you what happened, but all I know is I woke up different. My whole physiology was altered, and the old man was nowhere to be seen. That's the story of how I was made into an undying bastard."

Sara's eyes stared at Voren in amazement. She had more questions but withheld herself from asking more and decided to sit in silence. Voren remained quiet for a while before sighing. "Ahh, that's better. You know, you are person number ten thousand four hundred and eighty-six that I have told this story to, but you are the first one to not look at me like I'm a madman. Thank you, Sara."

Voren stood up and gave a slight bow. Sara blushed, not knowing how to react, and simply nodded.

"Right now that we have that out of the way, let us delve into serious matters. Sara, I believe your city has been slow-turned into a cauldron that purifies the essence of children, and I have already determined the location of where it happens." Voren reported, as if he was talking about a casual topic. Sara's eyes widened, especially at the part where he mentioned children's essence. Her father had also suspected the same issue, but he had no proof of his suspicions or a lead. But now, Voren also suspected the same, and he said he had a lead on the case. She knew to take the man before her very seriously, so she straightened up and asked in a calm voice, "Where isit?"

Voren remained quiet for a bit, and it was starting to worry Sara because she thought the location might be somewhere she knew or was attached to, and her fears were correct. "The quaint café you love so much," Voren said, his eyes serious.