The scene was painted with shades of yellow, orange, red, and black. The yellow glow of the streetlights, the orange fiery flames that spread like wildfires, the red blood of innocent citizens, and the black death and corpses.

Today, April 19, marked the day of the Red Death, where countless innocent lives were lost in the blink of an eye, where the entire borough was sparked ablaze from the burning flames with black smoke blotting out the night sky, and where screams, cries, and desperate prayers could be heard for miles.

…

Geldard and Varis sat down on the floor, their backs against the wall, heads down. Looks of regret and disappointment plastered across their faces. 

“We failed…”

“Yeah…”

Unable to prevent this tragedy, the duo felt deeply guilty. Eye droplets formed in the corners of Varis’s eyes; he closed them, letting that droplet roll down his cheeks. He let out a long sigh, with signs of trembling. Geldard wasn’t better off in any way; he buried himself inside of his knees and let out quiet whimpers with tears slowly bleeding through his clothes.

…

Void of Fate, Main Chamber

Seated in his high seat, Mr. Falkon was overlooking this scene as it unfolded.

“They matter more than anything; that’s why this was the hardest decision I had to make”

“However, a sacrifice must be made in order to achieve something greater.”

Nataya listened with her head bowed down, still unable to comprehend Mr. Falkon’s course of action.

“But… with your power, you were able to save them.”

“I might be able to save them this time, but what about the next? I can’t guarantee that I could guard them forever.”

Nataya wasn’t able to come up with an answer to that question.

“Though we are aiding humanity to walk towards the right path, they must walk the path on their own. Their fate will ultimately lie in their hands, and they must learn how to wield it.”

Nataya looked up, seemingly enlightened.

“I can promise you that their sacrifices will not be in vain.”

Nataya silently clenched her fist in front of her chest and bowed, tears flowing down her cheeks.

…

A few days passed after the day of Red Death; the borough was still in the process of recovering from the devastating tragedy. Buildings and homes were in rubble, and people’s morale was at their breaking point. People’s friends and families were unrecoverable, unable to even discern if they were dead or alive. What was once a lively and peaceful atmosphere is now just a gloomy and quiet ruin. 

A long line of pale-faced citizens awaited their free meal from a food booth. The person giving the food out was a priestess with russet colored hair. 

“Here’s your bowl of gruel, hold tight.”

The kid took his bowl, went to sit at a collapsed building, and started eating. He hadn’t had a meal in 3 days; he stuffed the gruel in his mouth and swallowed without even chewing. In under a minute, he had already finished his meal. Just when he was about to set his bowl down, he suddenly saw ripples forming inside the bowl. He saw scenes of the constabulary stockpiling explosives, secretly stationing them across the borough, and finally setting them all off; scene after scene of the burning flames across the borough flashed across his eyes, before finally showing a mysterious godlike being donned in a black cloak and a silver mask.

“God…”

The boy whispered softly, seemingly dazed at the scenes.

“Thank you for showing us your vision…”

The boy clasped his hands together and prayed to the mighty existence.

This vision wasn’t just seen by this boy; it was a message for every victim in Loftaz borough. God, which was a myth in the past, is now presented in front of them.

…

ARRRGH!

A three-eyed wolf beast was slain by a man with medium-length blonde hair in his thirties, donned in a tunic and trousers. Panting with exhaustion and dehydration, he opened his water canister and chugged it halfway down. He then passed it to a curly-haired man in his early twenties by his side.

“Drink up, Geldard, you need it to keep fighting.”

“Yeah, thanks, Varis.”

Two weeks had passed after the Red Death incident; the duo had been going to the wilderness to find wild beasts to slay. They felt that they held immense accountability for causing the tragedy to happen; therefore, they were determined to never let another similar incident happen again. In order to have the power to prevent such an incident again, they must become stronger, much stronger than their previous self. After slaying countless beasts and monsters, they have gained an immense amount of magical essence that increases their mana capacity with new skills and abilities. 

“Heh, now I understand why those paragon adventurers are always so gleeful, to be able to roam freely in the wild with unlimited freedom and not have to hear their superior tell them what to do all the time.”

This was Geldard’s first time seeing Varis in such a good mood, especially after seeing his wretched side two weeks ago. Seeing his partner not being trapped in a dark corner, he felt glad and maybe even a little hopeful.

“Yeah, you’re right.”

They had already resigned from their constabulary jobs, not because they didn’t want to keep serving and protecting citizens, but because they did not want to work for such a corrupted organization. They also felt that they were restricted by their capabilities because of their rank. By working under Mr. Falkon, they felt that they could achieve something greater for humanity, and even restore the hope that people lost long ago. This was their wish and desire, but this dream isn’t going to happen overnight; they must work for it, day by day, night by night, and even with the possibility of risking their lives. This was the reality, and they must face it.