Chapter 30

The following day the two went to the Guild to retrieve Sika’s card and Ava seemed a bit too happy to hand the card to her, even her voice was somewhat jovial.

“Your Mana’s power is considered rank E, and given that your strength was judged to be E, you’re being considered to start at E rank. Though I’ll have to see your magic first.”

Sika nodded and cased Mirror showing a second copy of herself, she then explained the ability and the smile on Ava’s face slowly faded.

“Well it’ll do. Seems boring though,” she said her usual tone returning. “Anyway E rank, here you go, quest board is over there.”

Sika eye twitched and she stepped forward to say something when Naro quickly moved in front of her.

“Ava could you register us as a party?”

“...You want be a party,” Ava said looking past Naro at Ava. “I mean I can so long as you’re both okay with it.”

Sika started to object to the idea of forming a party, but the benefits of a party were the ability to take quests a rank above their current one if there were at least two people. There were also benefits you only got by being in a party, benefits she needed like discounts. She had to buy a sword at some point and she saw the prices at the Bazaar.

“...I’m okay with it,” she said through gritted teeth.

“Kay, what's the party name leader?”

“Party name…uh…” Naro froze up at the idea of naming but was brought back catching the last part of what she had said. “Leader? Me?”

He pointed at himself and Ava nodded.

“Fresh Adventurers can’t be party leaders. You have to be one for at least a month, thus you have to be Leader, now the name.”

“Oh uh…the Party Name will be…Obscure Lumination.”

“Obscure…Lumination. I’ll just call you O.L. is that fine?”

“Sure.”

Ava adjusted the two’s guild card with ‘Party’ showing up near the button with their name indicating their affiliation with each other. While Naro felt a bit bad about not telling Sika, he knew it would help more if they were in a party together. To his surprise she didn’t seem too upset, her brows arched a bit at the name before she put the card away.

“Grab a quest and let’s go,” Sika said pointing at the board. “...Leader.”

He would have been happy to hear that if he didn’t catch the venom in her words.

“...you said it like a slur,” he said grabbing a quest off the board.

“Oi you two.”

Naro and Sika looked over at one of the tables to see Leona staring at them.

“After your quest we’ll do your training. You won’t be able to move after so best we wait till after.”

“U-understood,” Naro said before the two left.

Naro grabbed a slime clearing quest for the two of them, getting Sika used to the forest was the first step. Unlike before she couldn’t sense Mana as far as she used too, back then she led them to a spot with no Mana signatures, now she could barely sense someone around a corner.

“We’re going to take on Slimes, will you be okay?”

“...why wouldn’t I? Slimes are simple. I’ll grab a sharp stick and stab them in the Core.”

“Right…yeah of course. Slimes are uh…easy to fight.”

Naro’s days shifted around after forming his ‘Truce’ with Sika. Doing his Guild quests with Sika, he would train with Leona after who wasn’t lying about the training. He couldn’t complain though as he could feel himself improving, even if he ended up face down in the first most of the time, Sika was no except either. Leona was apparently a B rank adventurer at some point, though she was C rank now due to an old injury. She was a ‘failsafe’ for Uliaz in case monsters made it into town. That meant her strength was trusted enough by the people in charge.

After training and recovery he’d visit Venilis with Sika, the two hit it off surprisingly well since Sika had lived past mortal limits she had a few more stories than Naro did. Whenever she spoke of the Light Realm she’d always have a smile on her face. Finally he’d visit Nefi and that generally led to him and Sika getting into it for some reason or another.

Aeli got along fine with her however and the two often spoke with each other, when he asked Nefi why he couldn’t speak with Aeli more the answer was simple.

“Sister doesn’t have a lot of lady friends…so I made an exception.”

The days passed by like this and bit by bit it became routine to meet with Sika and go about his day. One evening however Sika while reviewing the Dieties with him revealed a strange reality.

“I still can’t believe even Deities have ranks. That’s…surprising.”

“The old Celestial made the rule and it just stuck, you remember them right?”

“Yeah from lowest to highest: Minor Deity, Chief Deity, Grand Deity, Arch Deity and finally the Celestial.”

“Correct,” Sika said pointing at him. “There are only ever three Arch Deity’s, one for each Class of magic, Light, Neutral and Dark. The Celestial is the Arch Deity of Light, but she is also the Celestial.”

Sika had been extremely hesitant to share this information with him as it revealed where her actually rank was, her mentor was apparently a Chief Deity, a rank above her.

“Many Chief and Grand Deity’s tend to be former Sages,” Sika added. “Due to being Recinarnated they’re generally given great power.”

“Oh I-” Naro cut himself off in his response, looking over at Sika who muched on a piece of fruit he stood up causing the woman to look at him.

“...what is it?’

“Sika you…you know of Reincarnations?”

“Of course I do I’m a De…former Deity. I only know it in passing regretfully but I know about their existances, not sure where they come from or the process.”

Sika stared at Naro who stood mouth agape, his mouth slowly closed and his eyes danced around the room and he started pacing the room as he seemed to struggle with something.

“Why are you asking about Reincarnations Naro?”

Naro stopped and looked over at Sika who brows lowered, not out of irritation but concern.

“I…” Naro started before he sighed and sat down. “I…am a Reincarnation.”

“Impossible, you’re so weak. I heard Reincarnations are generally born with great power.”

“Yeah that uh…that makes sense. I wasn’t given great power but I suppose the other Sages were. I’m not…terribly surprised to hear they’re Reincarnations. I kind of figured it out.”

Sika watched Naro for a moment, expecting him to crack a smile or perhaps joke but when he remained still she realized how serious he actually was. She also realized that he wouldn’t joke about something like this when she let her thoughts settle.

“Sages are responsible for many things in the world. It’s not an exaggeration to say many of what the world has was given to us by Reincarnations. While very few mortals know about them, especially those without Blessings. Deities are well aware of their existences.”

Sika set the fruit in her hands down and folded her hands together.

“Naro…are you…really a Reincarnation. If so who are you bound too if any?”

“...Promise not to attack me?”

“Sure? Why would I-”

“Kasia.”

The entire air shifted and the shack rattled as the pressure from Sika’s movement echoed through the small room, in one clean movement she was pointing a wooden blade at Naro’s skull. Naro didn’t move from his spot, his head lowered, fingers folded together to show he wasn’t going to attack.

The blade in Sika’s hand was trembling and her breathing while rapid soon came in short controlled bursts, the look she gave him, a mix of horror and disgust, wasn’t reserved for a human. It was a look you gave a monster, he would be surprised if she thought he was going to consume her right then and there.

Sika voice caught in her throat, and biting her lip she slowly lowered her weapon. She took a small step away from keeping her firm grip on the wood, enough to crack it slightly.

“You…met the Crimson-Eyed Tyrant,” Sika managed to squeeze out.

“Right before she killed me yes.”

“What…what did she ask when you met her?”

“Nothing she observed me then killed me.”

“No…I..I mean when you met her again?”

“What do you mean ‘again’?”

Sika gripped the pants of her outfit, swear poured down her face which scrunched up a bit as she tried to form the right words.

“Naro…every Reincarnation meets their Deity ‘after’ they enter the world. At least from what I know. I don’t know how Shadow Deities work but…if she’s bonded with you. She will call you to act in her name.”