..Even if I am blind, I must have my revenge. I must kill him....
Devan trudged along, dragging his weary body with no particular destination in mind.
He inevitably felt overwhelmed and doubted his ability to overcome his current state. He knew he needed to wait to recover, retrain himself, and gradually rebuild his strength to resume his hunt.
"Hey there, young man, you look serious," a voice called out, unfamiliar to Devan. Judging by the tone, he could tell the speaker was friendly.
"Excuse me, which way is the village?" Devan replied, his voice heavy with weariness.
"You're a knight. No, a paladin, I'd say. And a high-level one," the old man remarked, studying the white armor that Devan wore. Devan had a feeling that this man was using strange words.
"He is Devan Alexis, one of the highest three holy paladins," added the man beside the old man.
Devan paused, taken aback. He was sure he was facing the person known as the mysterious intruder, the one rumored to come with giant ships.
Surprisingly, Devan felt no threat from these people. Although they had been fighting each other only a few hours ago, the other party seemed to have concluded that the war was over. They hurriedly assured Devan that he did not need to worry about being attacked by them.
"The village?" Devan asked again.
"I can give you directions, but in your current condition, you won't make it. Should you come with us and get healed first?" The old man's worried tone was evident as he looked at Devan. Seeing that Devan had not refused, he turned to speak to his underlings.
Devan was completely disoriented and had no idea what happened next. All he remembers is being carried onto a vehicle and placed into a device filled with a liquid. The euphoria he felt made him realize that it was a treatment he had never experienced before. Not long after, his condition improved significantly.
"How are you?" The old man came to a stop next to Devan's bed. Though he could not see, Devan was certain that the speaker was genuinely relieved to see that he had regained consciousness.
"Thank you... whoever you are, I really appreciate it," Devan said gratefully.
"Professor Dogma Di-alno...you can call me Doc," said the old man, introducing himself to Devan.
"I'll pay back this kindness someday," Devan replied, trying to sit up. Despite his injuries having healed, he still felt weak and exhausted.
"Let's rest a little longer," Dogma said, seeing Devan's condition.
"I have things to settle," Devan insisted.
Dogma sensed Devan's determination and urged him to tell his story. At first, Devan was hesitant, unsure if he should share his troubles with a stranger. But eventually, he gave in and recounted his tale, including Tina's story and Waldo's depravity that had led him to this state.
"He used to be your Master even in a short time, it would be a shame to fight and kill each other," Dogma said.
"I'm more than willing to get rid of that scumbag," Devan said bitterly. "Unfortunately, I realized his true nature too late. Otherwise, I could have helped Tina."
"If you can kill Waldo, then what will you do?"
He shook his head, unsure of what the future held. Being a holy paladin seemed meaningless now. Tina, the one who motivated him to become a paladin was gone. Now, he did not know who else to protect anymore because he was not sure if the royal families on the Cerise side would take him back after everything that had happened.
"For now, my aim is to kill Waldo first. Other things can wait," Devan said firmly.
"My son, if you promise to help me, I have a gift that will aid you in your hunt for Waldo," Dogma said.
"A gift that will aid me in my hurt for Waldo?"
"Indeed, it will."
**----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**
Devan had seen the artifacts left behind by those who came from the sky during the war, so he understood that Dogma might lend him a weapon or vehicle. However, the first things he received were new eyes.
"The eyes are already destroyed, but we can create a new pair," Dogma explained in scientific terms that Devan did not fully understand. He spoke of replanting Devan's tissue and creating an eye. For Dogma, connecting the new eyes to the old optic was as easy as flipping a coin.
The surgery was quick, and before Devan could sit up and open his eyes, he was told to do so.
He was so overcome with excitement that he almost thought he had dreamed seeing the light he never thought he would see again.
"I see...I see," Devan said as tears of joy streamed down his cheeks. He examined his palm, turning it back and forth for a moment, before he realized he still had not thanked the old man in front of him.
Dogma's appearance was similar to what Devan had imagined—an old man with well-groomed white hair and a white gown that seemed out of place in his generation. When Dogma saw that the surgery had worked perfectly, he smiled happily.
"There's nothing wrong with them, right?" he asked.
"Not at all," Devan said, overcome with gratitude. He wanted to kneel down and thank Dogma, but Doc came and stopped him.
"You don't have to thank me," Doc said. "We agreed to this."
One of the most precious gifts Dogma had to offer was the chance to see the light again. The second gift was a replica sword fashioned after the original Frakarian Sword. According to Dogma, he and Sonata were studying the magical civilization of Ziene, learning how to harness its power. The replica Frakarian Sword looked just like the real one, but it could not reproduce the white light like the original. However, it could create fire at will.
"Imagine a fire, and it can create a fire," Dogma demonstrated. This sword reads the user's brainwaves and works like magic. In principle, it works the same way as the real Frakarian Sword, including the ability to draw on the user's mana as a power source.
"Are you sure this isn't magic?" Devan was amazed by the shape, weight, feel, and the flames that came out. It was almost indistinguishable from the original sword.
"We call it the Soul Crystal," Dogma pointed to the crystal that adorned the sword. It was a rare crystal that could record various forms of energy. If the circuit was written correctly, it could act like a magical device in this world. He then explained its working principle, but Devan could only nod his head, hesitantly understanding, sometimes not understanding.
"So it's a magic sword in your world," Devan concluded.
"Let's just say it's like that," the patient explained. In the end, Dogma gave up.
"I promise to return the sword after using it."
"Let's get the old sword back first and talk about it," the old man replied nonchalantly. This was just a fun project he had tried to create. He did not think it would come close to the original version of the genuine magic sword.
Devan did not deny that the first two gifts were what he needed to hunt down Waldo, but the last gift was the one he was most pleased with. It was Waldo's address. Although Cerise had decided to let go of the thorns of the past in celebration of her reign, Sonata did not think so. He had sent people to keep an eye on every former enemy's movements and knew Waldo's current whereabouts.
After bidding farewell to Doc, Devan set off on his journey. During the course of his travels, he received news that King Baldric had been assassinated by rebels who were dissatisfied with the monarchy. In response, Prince Briden and Yaron had pledged their loyalty to Revarent.
However, these events did not faze Devan in the slightest. In his eyes, these people were no different from Waldo - tyrants who exploited and oppressed others to maintain their power. Devan believed they deserved the retribution that fate had bestowed upon them.
Unbeknownst to him, Devan was also teetering on the precipice of darkness...