Departure

After saying goodbye to Harold and leaving the bar, I returned to my room to rest and prepare for the next day's long trip. However, I couldn't stop thinking about what he had told me. On the way, seeing the reflection of my red eyes in a window made me question who I really am?

While I was sleeping and being in the dark place in front of Ophelia, I decided to ask her if she knew something even though I knew she didn't remember anything.

(I don't know anything that can give you an answer; however, you are the only person I can communicate with. Undoubtedly there must be something special about you)

The following day I met Shalia and Leona for breakfast while we talked about what awaited us.

"Everything okay, Darx?" Shalia asked me, "You have dark circles."

"I'm fine. I just couldn't sleep."

As much as I wanted to sleep, I couldn't stop thinking about what Harold had told me.

"You look tired too," Leona told Shalia.

"I was nervous. I couldn't sleep either... By the way, does anyone know how long it would take us to get to the southern border where the ruins are? I want to make sure I have enough provisions for the road."

"It's difficult to know as there may be unforeseen events that delay us, but from what Syvis told me, it should take about three to four weeks, making several stops," I answer.

"On top of that, we have to consider the time we spend there plus the way back," Leona added, "I think the most important thing will be to bring enough money to buy supplies along the way."

If all goes well, I imagine that this quest will leave us a small fortune and more if we find relics inside the ruins.

"We still have a couple of hours before we have to go. Do you want to do something in the meantime?" Shalia asked us.

"I want to see my mom before I leave the city, and I arranged to meet Syvis too, so I can't."

"I see... Then see you later and hopefully, you can introduce me to your mom soon."

"Sure! When we get back, I'll introduce her to you." I replied to Shalia before leaving on the way to the castle.

It looks like I'll be gone a long time. I should let my mom know where I'm going so she doesn't worry. I already have everything I need and enough time to go to the castle to see my mother and spend some time with Syvis before we split up and each go their way with their guild. Everything seemed normal as I was walking down the main street towards the castle when a guy in a white suit appeared in front of me whom I had never seen before, blocking my way.

"Can I help you?" I asked.

From his attire, I would say he belongs to the church. Just like Harold said, they came looking for me.

Trying to look friendly, he stretched out his hand and, looking into my eyes, he introduced himself, "My name is Patrick and I'm a disciple of the church of [Imris]."

Hesitantly I stretched out my hand. Harold told me that the church would approach me and that I should be careful with them, so I don't know how to act.

"H-Hi...!" I reply.

"I know this may be sudden and you must be busy, but there's someone who wants to see you. I promise it will be quick and we won't take up too much of your time."

"I'm sorry, I don't..."

Before I finished speaking, a carriage pulled up next to us and Patrick opened the door motioning for me to come in, "Please!"

I wanted to ignore him and just go on my way trying to ignore him but a part of me was curious to know what the church wanted from me. Ignoring Harold's advice, I entered the carriage and, as expected, took me to the city's main church. Several churches are dedicated to [Imris] in and out of the city; however, this is the largest of all and is where the Priest resides. Patrick walked me to the main entrance, following me down a couple of corridors until we reached a large room where the Priest was.

"You don't know how long I've been waiting for this moment."

It's my first time seeing the Priest. At first glance, he looks like a kind old man, though Harold warned me to be careful of him. He has a slightly different outfit than all the disciples of the church wear. From what I know, he has almost as much influence on the population as the queen.

"I..."

"I know you're busy and don't have much time, so I'll keep it short." He replies with a smile, "Please take a seat."

The people who had brought me to this place left the room, leaving me alone with the Priest. Following what he told me, I sat in front of a large table in the room then the priest sat in front of me.

"My name is Gabriel and as you must have already realized, I am the priest of the church of our goddess [Imris]."

"Why did you want to see me? I'm just a simple adventurer, so I don't think there's any reason to..."

"There is!" The priest said, reaching out his hand and grasping my chin, "These deep red eyes are equal to that of our goddess [Imris]. I'm sure you're aware of that."

I leaned back a bit, trying to separate my face from the priest's hand. His expression was weird for a moment while he stared into my eyes.

"I-It's just a coincidence. While in the castle, I was investigated for the same reason, and they found nothing out of the ordinary."

"Believe me, something like this is not a coincidence. It's a miracle!

The priest stood up and enthusiastically began to speak, "For many years, the people have been waiting for the gift of the goddess [Imris]. The heritage that was destroyed by the calamity princess. You are the second chance that the goddess gave us. A chance to correct the sin that the royalty of [Zrephia] committed. You are the one who will guide our people in these times of darkness."

I was shocked, not knowing how to respond, "I think there's a mistake. I'm nothing like that." I reply.

"I understand. The queen and her subjects have made you think they don't know the answer so they can have you under their control. It's not your fault that you don't know how important you are, and that's why I want to help you. With your help, we can restore the lost faith."

This is getting out of control. As Harold said, I get the impression that they want to use me for their purposes.

"I really think it's a mistake. I am someone who was born in a small village and I am far from being a symbol of hope for the people. I'm just a simple adventurer, and that's it."

"I understand that it is difficult for you to accept it. I did not expect you to believe me in our first meeting, but I assure you that the day will come when you realize for yourself that the queen and the people around her are lying to you. In the meantime, we will wait patiently for you."

"Well, I have to go," I said.

"Our carriage will take you wherever you want. Thank you for coming to see me even though it was so sudden, and remember that the church of [Imris] and I will always be on your side."

"T-Thanks..."

I turned around and was about to leave the room, but I stopped for a moment. From everything he said, there was something that caught my attention. Since I was already here, I decided to ask, "Just before you mentioned something about the sin that the royalty of [Zrephia] committed, what did you mean by that?"

The priest smiled slightly and replied, "As I told you before, we as the disciples of the goddess [Imris] know more about her than even the kingdom. That implies the royal lineage that she left behind. The princess of calamity committed the worst possible sin and paid a heavy price for it."

"The worst possible sin?" I murmured.

"Unfortunately, that is not information that I can give you. At least not now. Once the time is right and you come to us, I will tell you everything you wish to know."

Saying nothing else, I turned around once more, ready to leave but was called once more by the priest, "Darx! I can feel her divinity in you. I'm sure you'll soon understand."

I left the church with more questions than answers. Unfortunately, I don't have time to collect my thoughts since I have little time left before I have to leave the capital, and I still want to go see my mother.

I agreed to get on the carriage once more and asked them to take me to the castle. The carriage left me in front of the castle entrance. Once I went through the routine procedure to enter, the guards told my mother that I was there. Ordinary people can't just enter the castle, but members of the three big guilds have certain privileges. Besides, the guards seem to know who I am and that my mother works as a guard for the princess, so it's easier for me to enter and visit my mom. After waiting for a while, we met in the gardens and sat down to talk.

"I heard you're going to the ruins." My mother said with a look of concern.

"Looks like I'll be out of town for a while, so I wanted to let you know."

"Don't you think it's too early for you to participate in a quest of that level? Besides, it wasn't long ago that you took the ritual, and your rank isn't that high."

I couldn't help but notice that she was acting a little weird, although I suppose she must be worried about me.

"I'll be fine! I've improved a lot and my party is full of talented adventurers."

After a silence, my mother finally spoke, "When I was young, similar ruins were found. Knowing that they were of [Zrephia], the excited guilds sent several of their best members in search of riches and unfortunately, many of them did not return alive. Including your father."

"What?"

"More than anyone, your father Azriel, was intrigued by those ruins. Even though he wanted to be with me when I gave birth, he decided to participate as a member of our guild and as you know, he did not return."

I remember my mother told me when I left the village that my father died close to the day I was born.

"I never knew what interested him so much about those ruins, but until now, I hold a bit of a grudge against him for leaving me alone that day."

As my mother said that, tears began to run down her cheeks. It's the first time I've seen her cry.

"That day we were supposed to start a family. Even though he promised to return soon, he didn't keep his promise. Even when I received the news that he had died, I did not want to believe it. I wouldn't believe it until I saw his body. I waited for him for a long time, hoping it was all a lie and that he would simply arrive one day, apologizing for worrying me so much."

Not knowing what to say, I just hugged her.

"If something were to happen to you too, I don't know if I could bear it."

"I'll be fine. Once I get back, the first thing I'll do is come see you. I also want to introduce you to my girlfriend."

"Do you have a girlfriend!?" She asked as she wiped away her tears.

"I do!" I reply.

Hearing about my girlfriend made her light up a bit, and she started asking me a lot of things about her. If I could have one wish right now, it's that when I get back from the quest, I want to spend the whole day partying with my Syvis and my mom as well as my friends. I spent as much time as possible talking with my mother before I had to leave until it was time for me to go.

She hugged me and said, "Promise me you'll come back."

"Of course! Don't worry too much, okay! When you least expect it, you'll see me back."

With that promise, I said goodbye to my mother and left the castle towards the meeting place.

It's almost time to go. I also wanted to spend time with Syvis before we had to part ways, but it seems there's no time. Fortunately, I saw her in the distance, close to the carriages.

"SYVIS!" I yelled, trying to get her attention.

"Where were you? I thought you wouldn't make it."

"Sorry. Some business delayed me, and I also wanted to see my mother before leaving the city for so long."

"It will be difficult days. I hope you are prepared."

"I am!"

"Good!" Syvis answered me with a smile.

"Syvis, the carriage is ready. Time to go." A girl who seemed to be from her guild yelled at her.

"Remember everything I told you. I wish you and your party luck," Syvis told me, looking into my eyes, "If all goes well, we'll see each other again in town soon and we can spend more time together, but for now, we'll put our relationship on hold to take care of our responsibilities."

"I understand!" I told her as I grabbed her face and kissed her passionately, knowing it would be our last kiss for quite some time.

After parting our lips, Syvis blushed and smiled at me again, "Maybe we can go on a trip together next time." She told me, then walked to her guild's carriages.

"I would love to! And be careful!" I replied while saying goodbye to her.

In the distance, I saw Shalia and Leona, but I was distracted by a familiar voice before I could go with them.

"Hey, Darxi!"

Turning around, I saw Mia coming up to where I was.

"So you're going to the ruins found recently. Are you sure you'll be okay? I heard they're dangerous places."

"How did you know?"

"I went to see you at your guild to thank you for the other day, but since you weren't there, your friend Shalia told me what was going on."

At that moment, the image of Mia in the alley with Roland came to mind. I had to shake my head trying to erase that memory and replied to Mia, "That's right. I'll be gone for a while."

“It's a pity. It wasn't long ago that you left the castle, and now you will be gone again for a long time."

"It's an important quest, so there's no other way."

"I know! I've been around guilds longer than you, so I know how things are. Be careful and don't worry about Oliver and my sister. I and some friends will be on the lookout for them."

"If you ever need help, look for Ryul. He's a friend who will surely help you if you tell him I asked him to."

I was distracted by the sound of several carriages moving simultaneously. It looks like Dark Dragons are already on their way.

"Do you know if Amelia is going too?" Mia asked me, "I saw her just now with Kase."

"I-I don't know."

"It's no secret that I never liked Amelia but always considered her something of a rival. We used to fight a lot, and when she received a B-Rank, I admit I was envious, but the last few times I've seen her, it's not the same anymore. It's like she's lost the flame she used to have. Now I don't even care to bother her."

I understand what Mia says. Amelia is not the same girl who left the village. Before, it was so easy for me to go look for her and spend the day together, but now it is almost impossible. And as Mia says, it's as if the passion she used to radiate has faded.

"The dark elf over there is your girlfriend, right!?" Mia asked.

I looked in the direction that Mia was looking and on the other side next to the gate, Syvis was next to Kase, getting on the carriages. Will they go in the same carriage? It seems that Mia saw my confused face when I saw that Syvis and Kase got on the same carriage because she said what I was thinking.

"Kase and your girlfriend are friends?"

"I don't think they're friends. Most likely just the carriage she got." Or at least that's what I wanted to believe.

I know Syvis has been helping Kase's sister with a deadly illness she had. Syvis told me that it was just that and that she doesn't have much contact with Kase other than what the guild requires, so I don't want to think badly.

"They are just companions during this quest."

"I see. Even so, as your friend, I recommend you tell her not to trust Kase." Mia continued after a short pause, "I've never told this to anyone, but when we were still in the village, I once saw Kase and Alice kissing."

"WHAT? W-With Alice? But Alice had James. Are you sure you saw well?"

"I'm sure of what I saw! While Kase was in the village, I'm sure the two of them had something going on behind James's back. I never said anything because I was incredulous at what I saw and didn't want to cause a stir."

Now that I think about it, I'm sure I also saw the two talking alone on more than one occasion.

"I'm only telling you this, so you realize that Kase is an unscrupulous person who doesn't mind seeing someone who is married. Syvis should be careful around him."

I want to trust Syvis. I trust Syvis! But lately, I feel this jealousy for moments I didn't use to feel before for anyone else. I guess it just indicates how strong my feelings for her really are. I really love her.

Mia slapped me hard on the back, snapping me out of my thoughts, "What's with that face you're making? I didn't say that to make you feel insecure. Just to warn your girlfriend what kind of person Kase is. Also, even if Kase tries something, it doesn't mean it will work. He didn't win me over even though he tried."

"Did he try with you too?"

"Of course! I'm a pretty girl. There's no way he could have resisted. But I turned him down, of course."

"Darx, it's time to go!" I heard Dante yell at me in the distance.

"Well, good luck!" Mia told me with a smile.

"Thanks! When I get back, I'll take you, Oliver, and Emma to a nice place to eat."

"I will remember!" Mia said, smiling as she waved her hand, watching me walk away.

Why does it feel like a goodbye? Three months is not too long.