Chapter 02 | Rain

With his eyes glowing and his body no longer trembling, Rain declared, “I, Rain, the cursed child, make a vow! I will be your loyal follower and ascend the grand staircase of the holy tower, never straying until we complete the grand quest.”

His words left her speechless, mouth hanging open in astonishment. Her mind tangled, What have you just said?

“I will remain loyal and will never cause you harm, no matter the circumstances. If the thread of fate is broken, the Iron blade shall divide my soul and heart.”

Her heart rate quickened.

Although she remained calm yet stunned, attempting to comprehend his words, her face rapidly transitioned through a range of emotions, shock, sadness, coldness.

But opposite to the cursed child, Rain stayed firmly seated instead of fleeing.

After a minute passed, she lowered her sword down.

He knew about The Vow as well. It was knowledge that remained within our saint’s cycle and was never revealed. She gazed at him, her emotions surging like a wild horse upon seeing him, something she hadn’t experienced in a long time. Life

Like something that string her to not be herself, not like a cool and ice like always. Subconscious took over. She placed her right hand over her heart while rose another hand up beside. A soft glow emanated from both hands.

“Accepted,” she replied. “I, Aria, a saint, a god’s whisperer, accept the vow from the cursed child.”

What I’m I thinking!?

Rain’s eyes gleamed with hope. He wore a dry smile that held great significance for him. He settled down, stretching his legs. “Huh, I survived.”

As the sun ascended in a tranquil moment, its rays painted the cliffs with beauty, casting long shadows across the scene. The bird soared effortlessly on its wings, making its feathers dancing in the sun.

“Such a beautiful light after a stormy night,” Rain said as pointing at the sky. “See, Aria?”

Aria glanced at him. What’s this? Why did your mood shift so suddenly? Why did you speak to me like that, when we were friend? “Get up and follow me, cursed child.” She turned around and retraced her steps.

“Come on, just look at it for a second,” he said.

Aria quickly glanced back at him, her grip on her sword tightening.

Rain hastily raised his hands and said, “Alright, alright, let’s go.” He let go of the hardness in his heart and stood up, following her. Despite the soreness in his feet, his spirit kept pushing him forward.

In silence, they walked, passing through the grassy field.

“It looks better in the morning, right?” he asked.

“…” Aria remained silent, continuing to walk.

The gentle wind brushed against their skin, while the morning dew added a soothing touch to the atmosphere. However, upon returning to the forest where they had previously fought, they found remnants of branches, scrap wood, and footprints on the damp ground.

Aria looked back at him, her eyes filled with fury.

“Please, don’t give me that look. I was only trying to escape. I never thought you would actually find me hiding in the bushes. But my trick worked, right?” he said.

What a manner of him? What is going through his mind? Hasn’t your pain been enough to make you stop talking? I need to compose myself before my emotions take over. Indeed, I shall utilize my special ability, Patient Mind, to restore clarity to my thoughts. Aria briefly closed her eyes, and as she reopened them, a faint blue glow emanated from within.

Then she moved forward, deciding not to engage in any further conversation with him.

They continued their journey, walking steadily through the rough terrain.

Uggh!

Aria swiftly turned around and spotted him, bending down to touch his bruised feet. How he could walk barefoot in such rough terrain? “Is something wrong?”

“Nothing, don’t worry about it. Let’s just keep going,” he replied, hiding his feet and pretending that everything was fine.

“…” Aria continued walking, but her pace slowed down.

Rain took in a deep breath and followed.

They were an odd pair, the cursed child and The Saint, continuing their journey to an unknown destination. At times, they would stop and rest, allowing the silence of their surroundings to speak for itself.

Finally, as the sun rose brightly over the horizon, they arrived at their destination, a small camp where three people were eagerly awaiting their arrival.

“Aria is back,” one in the camp noticed their presence. The other two turned their attention in the same direction and exclaimed, “There is someone with her.”

Rain followed Aria to the camp, observing the two women and one man who were waiting. Were they her teammates?

They were all dressed in cloaks similar to Aria’s, perhaps to protect themselves from the storm of the previous night. One is a young teenager, around 160cm in height, with a clean and aloof appearance. Her eyes were bright and large, perfectly complementing her oval-shaped face. Have a long braid tie to the back.

The second acquaintance was a glamorous woman with long hair cascading over her ample chest, adorned with small gems. Her eyes were long and fierce, giving her wise and experienced aura.

And finally, the last member of the group, the only man present. How could I describe him? The Prince that have good life? He was unbelievably handsome, tall, and strong, as if he carved from marble in a holy temple. His eyes perfectly placed on his flawless face.

Rain could sense that everyone’s eyes were fixed on him, but no one wanted to break the silence or speak a word. I should have given a proper introduction before this awkward situation dragged on.

Rain respectfully bowed and said, “Please accept my sincere apologies for interrupting your camp. My name is Rain.”

Three acquaintances raised their eyebrows in surprise at this unexpected greeting.

Aria, in particular, was shocked, her eyes widening as she looked at him, seeking an explanation for his different treatment.

Please don’t look at me like that. You have just one blade while they have three blades. Manner is matter now.

“Sir and miss, will notice that I am dressed in prison attire because I am a prisoner from End land Prison. However, I want to assure you that I did not come here with any ill intentions. It was simply a chance encounter with Lady Aria. Unfortunately, some inappropriate and uncontrollable events occurred, and I found myself followed her. That led me to be here. I sincerely apologize in advance if my presence is unpleasant to any of you and wish that you can give me forgiveness.”

The three listened, pondered his words, and caught up with his story. Then, the lady with wavy hair spoke, “How polite and well mannered you are. Do they teach proper manners in prison now?” She smiled and teased him with her eyes.

“Yes, in our holy prison, there are many genuine and brilliant scholars who can teach you how to speak with proper manners. Especially the priests.” he said, bowed his head a little.

“How lovely! So, it must be a place that was filled with love and care. Many people speak as if they have citizenship, laughing and smiling. It seems like a place that suits you well. Why did you leave?” She said, one hand touched her face.

The conversation between them startled those around. But Rain remained composed. He replied, “Yes, Milady, it was a very warm and welcoming place. Even my roommate had a big heart and taught me about making promises.”

Everyone looked at him intently upon hearing his words, especially Aria. She really piqued in the word ’making promise’ of him, focused and eager to hear what he would say next.

Rain captured everyone’s attention, took a deep breath, and slowly revealed his right hand, showing a unique wrist tattoo that marked him as a prisoner. He then touched his pinky finger, but when everyone look closer inspection, it was a fake finger that make from wood, roughly shaped and placed on his partially missing finger.

“My roommate thought I looked too gloomy in that shiny place and didn’t speak like the others. So, he taught me how to make a promise to someone. ‘Just cut your pinky finger. and promise will bond.’ I remember it like it was yesterday. Brightly, he even smiled when he cut my finger...” Rain’s voice faded, his eyes filled with sadness.

The woman with wavy hair was taken aback, no longer interested in teasing him. She turned to Aria and asked, “Aria, do you also handle the judgment job? When will you send him back to the testament location? Is it in the next town, or do we need to go back to the prison?”

The list of questions is long. But Aria answered shortly, “No,” without looking at her, still focused on Rain as if something was on her mind.

She continued asking, “so, why did you bring him here? Why didn’t you do what you usually do?” She gestured with her hands, drew the shape of a book.

This time Wavy hair woman success to get Aria’s intention. Aria looked back at her, “Faye. He can’t go anywhere and can’t live anywhere.”

Her words left everyone confused, their brows furrowed.

“He’s just a prisoner,” the young lady said. “Just send him back to the prison. If it were you, run at that place and turn back, you wouldn’t even use a day,” she sounding serious and unsure why things were being made difficult.

But Faye, the glamorous woman, had caught onto something.

Aria shook her head a little. “No one can, especially the three of us, Ella. We can’t send him back or even take him out of prison.”

Aria’s words shocked the young lady name Ella, she becoming even more confused and anger started showing in her eyes.

The calm man who had remained silent finally spoke up. “Well, in that case, I will do as I please.”

Aria simply gazed back at him, offering no words in response.

So, he took out a book from under his garments, It’s with the insignia of The Church, as same as Aria’s god’s whisperer book.

In just a second, the book emitted a monotonous sound, “Evaluate End, No Sin.”

Everyone expresses themselves differently.

Both Rain and Aria had clean faces and could predict events accurately. However, deep down, Rain’s heart raced, making him wonder if there was more than one saint present.

Faye’s eyes darken, but she smiled, piqued by this evaluation.

Ella is confused and unable to grasp what is happening.

Marble man's face darkened and looks at Rain, unable to believe what he just heard.

“Why doesn’t he have any sins? Everyone should have at least one or two. Did your book get damaged!?” Ella said. “Or What happens in the Holy capital?” Her body stiffened as her thoughts race.

“Ella, please calm down. Nothing has happened, and my holy book functions perfectly. It tells the truth. It’s just that his condition is unique. He is a cursed child.”

“What! That is not possible.” Ella instantly grabbed her book and tried to evaluate him again, but the result remained the same. “Evaluate End, No Sin.” Her eyes widened in shock.

“N-No, a child could be born there, but they couldn’t live there. It was too harsh to grow up there, and the cruel winter come every year. The priests reported that only half the people could survive each time. There was never enough food for everyone. That not possible...” She babbled non-stop.

The man helped her regain her composure. “Ella, please calm down. If you continue like this, your thoughts will cloud your faith, making the mission harder and harder,” he said calmly. “Remember, remain calm and trust in the truth through faith.”

“But Eeon, this...” she started, but when she looked into his eyes and saw his confirmation, she calmed down and said, “Ok.”

Then, Eeon looked at Aria and said, “We need to talk.” He turned and walked further away to have a private conversation.

Everyone on his team followed suit, leaving Rain alone.

Hah... finally have some space to breathe. Is speaking always this hard?

He sat down on a nearby stone, watching Aria and her teammates argue amongst themselves.

Aria always seemed calm, while Ella moved her hands and legs heavily, as if every word she spoke came from motion. Faye held her elbow with one hand while the other rotated her wavy hair, speaking with enjoyment. Eeon barely moved his mouth, stood firm like a statue.

After checking for any everybody, he whispered, “Let’s see who you truly are, Eyes of Verity,”

Mana gathered around Aria and her teammates. When he looked at Aria, words formed above her head, just like the last time. The words displayed ‘Vow of Temperament.’ But when he focused on Eeon, his eyes widened in shock and surprise. ‘The Chosen One’ on his head shone bright, glimmered with radiant gold.

A Chosen One, Ha Ha ha... first, I met with God’s whisperer, then second is a hero! Very well, let me guess, the other two should be a priest and a magician.

Like The Truth loved Him, Mana Words shaped into ‘Catechism of Priestess’ on Ella and ‘Magician of Solitude’ on Faye.

He looked at the sun. It was shining so brightly, but he couldn’t feel anything inside. Only cold bit his soul.

“I’m the luckiest person in the world. No one can compare to me. I was born with a curse, made a vow with a whisperer, and entangled with a hero party. Hahaha, life is my enemy. I will die fast. Maybe not even a blink. If I just make a minor mistake, Death will welcome me with a warm hug…”

Without him noticing, Faye, the Magician gazed at him.

A moment passed, a little surprise. The one who came to talk to him was Ella. “We accept. We acknowledge you as a living being, and you can keep your life. Rain, The Cursed Child.”