The afternoon scenery struck the skies, causing a moonlit shade to fall on the lands below, yet also creating a strange ambience in the "Statue of Saints" courtyard of the Great Vines Cathedral.
This strange atmosphere parted way for something even more bizarre, however, as the ground opened up in an instant by the strength of an unknown being.
Then suddenly and shortly afterwards, roots began to emerge, followed by a great flower bud that descended gracefully afterwards.
Then, soon after that odd occurrence had unfolded out of nowhere, the flower bud unfurled, allowing Passion and Scott to exit.
"That was… quick. It felt like I was flying in the air." Scott said as he stepped out.
"And to think that trip felt like it took less than a minute..."
"Of course it was quick," Passion replied, crossing his arms, "You should know not to think so poorly of a Blessed one's abilities so openly like that, Memorychaser."
"…Memorychaser? What do you mean by that?"
Passion pointed. "You, of course. Due to the nature of Hisbiril's Mark, any greyish-white Mark of "Theirs" on an individual refers to the "memory" aspect of his divine element."
"…Right…" Scott mumbled, pretending to understand even a bit of what Passion said, before adding, "Also, you called yourself "Blessed", right? …Is that what you call those with Arcane Marks, or are you overestimating yourself?"
Passion chuckled.
"Overestimating…. HAH! I can already tell from this short meeting that you're far braver than the others!" He clamoured, "However… you should also be afraid of overestimating yourself as well. That is how most people end up dying, after all…"
Scott shivered. He didn't even mean to insult him, yet a sensation of death coated his skin.
I seriously need to be careful with my words around this guy…
"But, to answer your question, "Blessed" is usually how those with Arcane Marks are referred to. Though, soon you will learn of the several more titles we can be called, like…"
"A Saint?" Scott finished off for him.
"Precisely. However, titles such as "Saint" are reserved only for those who have long since started their "journey" and strived on their paths." Passion told him, and Scott remained silent as he said this.
"…Hm. When I recall such things, it only makes me wish I was born with a Boon inside of me. To those who are fortunate enough, on the day that they stand in the face of their death, with a God's Grace inside of them, perhaps even that would prove to be a lack of an obstacle." Passion said, before glancing at the cathedral courtyard's statues of saints.
Among these statues, he noticed a particular figure.
"…Ha, I only just remembered. Did you know that Soriel, the very Lord of Hanus Sols himself, is also one of us, a Blessed?"
Scott shook his head, much to Passion's confusion.
"Hm… that's odd? He isn't a Saint, but he is one of the current Eight Annihilation Knights*, is he not? Like these Saints, you should also be able to recognise a man worthy of honour like him at first glance."
"…Well… I don't know what any of that means. I've lost most of my memories, so…"
Passion's eyes widened slightly. "Your memories have been lost?"
"…So, that means… your journey most likely involves searching for your missing memories. Interesting… I would've thought you'd have been searching for the "Shards" of a deceased Saint or Divinity."
"But, besides that, what I meant by telling you about the lord is that, "He, the Sun*" is similar to the both of us. As Blessed ones, we are part of a secluded hierarchy of society, separate and yet above even the scholars and, surprisingly, some of the nobility and aristocrats. So, act like one of us, and your path will arrive all the more soon."
Scott nodded, understanding some of his words.
"But, I just want to ask, where exactly is this New Capital?"
"Ah, Marenhel? Well, the Yer River will be your guide. Follow it for long enough, and the city will be your destination. You may need a boat, however. Figure out the rest yourself."
"One more word, don't take my service for kindness. Like all other Blessed ones, I too have a lack of empathy and kindness when it comes to the Old World God that blessed me. You shall find out eventually about that on the day you arrive in Sutun's* New Capital."
"…Uh… you say you have a lack of empathy…? It doesn't seem like it to me, though?"
Passion sighed. "…If you want to survive on your journey, keep this in mind. Since your memories are gone, your perception of the world around you must be skewed beyond compare. The Almighty Dream is infinitely big, and so, to cope with the tremendous size of everything, all people must have the cleverness and wisdom to hide certain facets of their personality, all the time."
"There are plenty of things you don't know right now, beyond your imagination. You probably don't even know of the fact that there are old croaks out there who are thousands of years old, but have the appearance of someone your age, or the fact that there are Mystic Beasts out there that can pierce the veil of the sky."
"But anyhow, enough of the words which you probably don't understand, I just want to tell you one more thing before I go," Passion said, "You may not know what I'm talking about, but just know something, that may give you a glimpse into my true self."
"If I had spotted you when I descended into that well, I would have killed you before you'd even have time to speak."
Scott shivered once more, knowing exactly what he was talking about. And then, once turning around and heading off, Passion departed from the "Statue of Saints" courtyard.
"…Hm… didn't he say that the Yer River could lead me to the New Capital… but, I remember… that dream I had in the cathedral… the strange voice in that dream also told me to head to the Yer River…. Could this be a coincidence, or is this some sort of fated encounter?"
"Scott! You're here!"
Scott's thoughts were disrupted by a sudden exclamation, coming from the direction of the two people leaving through the cathedral's doors. It was Felix and Michael, who were wearing new clothes that made it seem as if they were preparing for a travel into the grasslands.
Meanwhile, Scott was drenched and damp, and his clothes were torn to shreds. His appearance was a far cry in comparison to the two of them.
"What happened to you?! We were able to make it out quickly because the caverns were connected to another underground passage, but you were nowhere in sight!" Michael said, approaching with Felix.
"…Ah… now that I can take a close look at you, I think we can tell what happened, to you, judging from your clothes… heh."
Scott cracked a small grin. "…I kinda knew you guys would make it out too."
"Hehe, that means you have faith in us!" Felix replied, "Also, we gathered a bit more information from Big'Un afterwards. Iron-fisted King Cromse was last spotted in Dangun."
"Dangun?"
"You know, in the west of Harpinbale, the place that's full of grass, farmlands and villages?" Michael replied, before also saying, "We were about to look for you again before setting off, but since you're here right now, I guess there's no need."
"Here, take this."
Scott was handed some clothes by Michael, and after thanking both of them, he swiftly hid behind a statue to put the clothes on. Thankfully, they did manage to fit on him, but they were also quite tight to wear.
"Phew… thank you guys…" Scott spoke, coming out from behind his cover.
"…I just want to let you two know that, after we hunt down this Bandit King guy, I'm going to set off immediately in the direction of the Yer River, to the New Capital."
"The New Capital? Why?"
"…I'm not even sure myself yet. But, I think that place might be a part of my destiny… or something."
Michael raised an eyebrow. "Destiny?"
Scott shrugged.
"I have a little bit of an idea what that word means. It just came to mind."
"Hm… then, I guess we're coming with you. I was kinda bored of stealing and pickpocketing in this city anyway." Felix said, shrugging, "And, I think I've been wanting to head to the New Capital for a while!"
Michael nodded. "Me too."
"Alrighty then," Scott replied, with a huge grin on his face, "Let's get going to Dangun, wherever that place is, shall we?"