18 Years Later
It was utter chaos in the church of Magia. Injured men and women were coming in by the dozens, all thanks to the recent demon attacks that had been plaguing the land. The worst part, of course, was that every time a person was hurt by them, there was a chance those wounds would turn them Cursed, unable to be healed. It was a status effect that only the holiest of priests, gifted in the knowledge of light magic and with more than a few points in their Intelligence attribute, could ever hope to cure.
One of those men was Father Varcon, the archpriest of this church.
Level 2
MP: 200/200
---
Attributes:
Strength: 1
Dexterity: 1
Constitution: 1
Intelligence: 20
Wisdom: 20
Luck: 5
He was a seventy-four-year-old man dressed in the typical golden robes of those who worshipped Magia. And, right now, a great many things were weighing heavily on his mind. Mainly, that the Golden Crystal of Magia, the eternal selector of great heroes in Jade, was spinning once again.
It seems the next Savior is to be chosen today. He noted, kneeling in front of the crystal. Blessings are to be handed out by my goddess. And with Magia's blessings, of course, comes opportunity.
"Father Varcon!" A deacon called out to him.
"Yes?" He did not turn back. His eyes remained on the spinning crystal. Its glorious frame was like sugar for his eyes.
"We need your assistance, your holiness. Please, these men need aid!"
"Ah. I see." He nodded to himself. "Very well, show me to them."
All in all, there were around 20 injured men and women. He inspected their conditions carefully. Some had only been scratched while others had monstrous gashes across their torsos that threatened to allow their intestines to spill out. Out of the 20, he believed maybe half could live.
So, he saved four of them.
So as to not be discriminatory, he chose the four randomly.
Let's see... I'll count to three and I'll save someone every time I land on three.
"No, these ones are doomed," he told the deacon, passing by a couple of fighters he chose to let pass away. One, two... He came upon one knight, a young cinnamon-haired woman, and smirked.
It seems today is your lucky day, Magia smiles upon you, warrior.
"This one can be saved."
The deacon smiled gladly then, as Varcon then placed his hands over the woman's body, closing his eyes and reciting the incantation for the Blessing Curse Removal.
"Oh, divinity that watches over us, let your power surge through the veins of the faithful. Let our piety become the flame that burns so brightly, all watch in awe. And, when our time comes, let our strength become legend, for our belief brought us victory."
His hands were then covered in a multi-colored aura, and the woman screamed.
"W-What..." The deacon had begun to say, but he soon stopped speaking as he remembered that this pain was normal when a curse was being removed. Varcon appreciated that.
After a while, the woman was knocked unconscious, and her body maintained a white glow.
"The Curse will be lifted off of her soon."
"You are amazing, your holiness!"
"Save your praises for Magia. It is through her grace that I work." Varcon told the deacon.
"Y-Yes, sir!" But then, the deacon's eyes fell on the other wounded warriors. Varcon saw him gulp. "May I ask a question?"
"Of course."
"Can these folks truly not be saved?" He asked. "I… I don't mean to doubt your word, sir, your holiness, but I… Are these wounds truly that deep?"
At that, Varcon smiled.
"You may yet have a future here if you suspected me." He whispered. "Come."
"What?"
"Follow me," Varcon instructed and, with a bowed head, the deacon did so.
Deeper into the church, Varcon took him back to where the crystal was, shining in all its glory. The sounds of panicked nurses and praying priests faded into the background as Varcon pointed at the crystal. It took up so much space that, when standing in front of it, one could not help but stand in awe.
"Do you see it?"
"Y-Yes, father." Varcon could tell he was as floored by the sight as most newcomers to the church were. It was one of their greatest treasures.
"It will select a new Savior today."
"T-TRULY!?" The deacon shouted.
"Yes." Varcon did not take his eyes off the object. It was, to him, Magia's power incarnate. A reminder of who he served and why. "You were right, by the way."
"What?"
"Some of those men, some of those women, could have been saved." Varcon nodded. The deacon looked alarmed. "Can you guess why I didn't?"
"I… No, sir, I cannot."
"It is because of the scene. I allowed them to perish so that this scene," he turned and gestured out, to the people panicking as more warriors died in front of them, "could be formed. See, the crystal, deacon, only guarantees that a Savior will be chosen. It does not, however, guarantee what sort of person the Savior will be. So, I ask you. What is of more use to us, to Jade, to Nova? A Savior that believes this problem is a minor one or one who sees this horror and feels motivated to stand on the frontlines and be the shield Nova needs?" He looked at the deacon. "Do you understand? Seeing this, the hero will be rallied. Their heart will be torn and their immense anger towards the demons will be our victory."
Varcon nodded to himself.
"After all, Passion is one of our goddess's domains," he said. "Passion is what will win this war."
"I… I see!" The deacon bowed. "Thank you for explaining it to me, I am a fool."
"No." Varcon shook his head. "You are reasonable."
And being reasonable is not what this world needs right now. It needs a leader, it needs me.
Then, the crystal spun once again and a light was cast from it! It shone on the wall, pointing out the church and to the city, no doubt.
"Ah. I see it is time." Varcon said. "Accompany me, deacon. Let us go meet our new hero."