"Von, you're going to die soon."
Boom!
Von's mind seemed to stop working, and his expression stiffened as he looked at the serious expression of the old man, who did not appear to be joking.
"W-what?! What do you mean, Elder Liam?" Von stuttered, his stiff expression changing by the second as he tries to figure out how to respond properly.
"Calm down, boy, I'm not finished yet; let me finish first, before you react," the old man said, patting Von's left shoulder to keep him calm from his perplexed reaction.
'How am I supposed to calm down when you just threw a bomb at me?' Von stares at the old man.
"Yes, please explain how you came to the conclusion that I'm going to die soon." He inhaled deeply and sighed, attempting to calm his nerves and muscles that were trembling. Von anxiously waited for the old man to begin speaking his mind.
"Archaic World is divided into three large Continents, namely, the Indra Continent, the Neptune Continent, and the Pluton Continent, and the people in these three Continents have a distinguishing feature, which is their eyes: the Indra Continent has a golden eye, the Neptune Continent has a blue eye, and the Pluton Continent, which we live, has black eyes."
Von looked at the old man, puzzled, when he told him about this. He had spent his entire life believing that there were no other continents, or that the continent was the only large piece of land in the Archaic World, but he was completely wrong.
Von's expression changes from wonder to surprise when the old man talks about the differences between the peoples of each continent.
"Do you ever wonder why you're the only person in Penia City with a red eye?" Elder Liam inquired.
"Of course, it crosses my mind from time to time, but is there something wrong with a person who has a red eye? It may be unusual, but I don't think it's a big deal, given that the other human appears to be unconcerned about it."
Elder Liam picks up the black rectangular box and sits in the long wooden chair in the corner of the room, before signaling to Von to join him in the free space, leaving a little space between them.
The old man continues, "The Penia City is a prison-like land, which people can't leave without the permission of the City Lord. That means that the flow of information from the outside world were blocked by the City's official. That means that the people here don't know how the outside world works and they did not also have enough authority to access this kind of high-level information, which can only be known by wealthy and powerful families."
Von agreed with the old man. The reason why Von are eager to be strong and have an energy core is that only the Supreme Humans are eligible to leave this place by collecting a total of 50 thousand contribution points.
The city's officials created the contribution point system to redeem their freedom, giving a chance to the people who have an energy core but not to the people who are just normal humans.
They can collect points by fulfilling a request issued by the city's official, like killing a monster that is in the vicinity of the iron wall of the city. The more they killed, the better. It benefited both sides.
"Then, Elder Liam, what am I? Why am I different from others? Why do I have a red eye? " Von inquired aloud, disregarding his manners in front of the elderly gentleman. His face became pale.
Elder Liam looked at Von with a pitiful gaze. "Why in the world did God consider this child as a threat to his holy throne?" the old man thought.
"The Eye of Misfortune." That's the name of the eye you possess. The person who has it is said to be cursed by a God, and they will bring misfortune to the entire world. "
Von interrupted,
"What do you mean by bringing misfortune to the world?" I am powerless. I don't even have the strength to get out of this hellish place, and now you tell me I'm going to die soon. How in the world am I going to achieve all of that if I am one step from my death bed? " Von said in a frustrated tone.
"Calm down, first listen to me..."
"But—"
Elder Liam gives the young man a stern look, pleading with him to keep his mouth shut.
When the old man stares at him, Von comes to a halt from his direct question.
"This is a known fact in the Pluton Continent and there are cases that are recorded that every century there will be one person born with this eye." The holder of this eye does not have an energy core and can't live past 18 years of age, and that is why I tell you that you're going to die soon. It is a curse bestowed on you by God. The only way for you to survive is to have the strength to fight the curse and extend your lifespan. " Elder Liam said this while looking at the cold red eyes of Von, which seemed to be emitting an ominous aura.
'It seemed like the darkness had already engulfed his eyes. He only has a week maximum or a day at most.'
"Why would even a God, an eternal being, curse me?" "I am just a normal person," Von replied to the old man, wondering if there was a mystery concerning this curse. He did not believe that God had given him this curse despite him not having the power.
"That's also what I want to know; why does God consider you a threat?" The elderly man thought
Elder Liam opened the rectangular box he was carrying. He took out an ancient looking scroll. When he takes it out, the scroll emits a celestial aura.
"Stand up, " Elder Liam said.
"What for?" Von asked, his face puzzled, but he continued to follow the old man.
Elder Liam and Von both get up from their seats.
The old man slowly untied the lace that held the scroll together. He appeared nervous while tending to it.
Before speaking to Von, the old man sighs and looks the young man in the eyes. Because of their height disparity, Elder Liam appears to be looking up. Von stands at 5 feet and 11 inches tall, while the old man appears to stand at 5 feet and 4 inches tall.
"I will bet my clan's lifelong treasure on you, and your fate will be determined by your strength of will."
"Close your eyes," the old man said, which Von chose to follow. He didn't know what the old man wanted to do, but he couldn't feel any ill-intent from the old man's actions, so he decided to follow him.
Von has known the old man for almost a decade now. He may not know most of the old man's origins, but he still trusted him. The old man helped him many times when he was in a dire situation. Von appears to be a cold person, but he knows to be grateful to the person who shows him kindness.
While Von's eyes were closed, he heard Elder Liam cast a chant that he couldn't understand. This lasts for about five minutes, which Von thinks is a long time.
At last, the seemingly endless chant comes to an end. "Open your eyes," he heard Elder Liam's voice.
He started to scratch his eyes to adjust his vision. When his eyesight returned to normal, his gaze fell on the old man.
"What happened?" Von asked in wonder.
Von inspected his body, trying to find and feel any difference, but he was disappointed.
Seeing the disappointment on his face, the old man shook his head, 'If you know how great this treasure is, you will be bewildered. Alas, I can't use it for myself, "Elder Liam thought.
"The treasure my clan reserved for over a millennium: the scroll of wishes."
"It is said that this scroll can grant the person who receives it his most desired wish," the old man said, emphasizing each word.
Von seemed to be surprised by this statement. He didn't think much when the old man said that it could change his fate, but now the old man tells him it can grant wishes?
But Von maintained his composure, not showing any sign of being surprised.
"What's the catch?" How can there be such a heaven-defying treasure? " Von asked, trying to collect more information about the said treasure.
'This brat, let's see how you maintain that stiff expression.'
"How can you question my clan's treasure? If I said it can grant you wishes, it can, but it will depend on your strong desire to activate it."
After Elder Liam uttered the words, Von's heart started to beat faster. He can't now stop from being overwhelmed.
"Then, can I use it to wish for an energy core?" Von hastily asked.
"I don't know, maybe or maybe not. As I said before, it depends on the level of desire of the receiver. "
The old man persuaded, "You can give it a try. Think about what you desire the most."
The old man seemed to be more excited, his grin growing while he was looking at Von. But Von missed this little action.
Again, Von closed his eyes, not bothering to waste any seconds. This may be a chance for him to achieve his goal.
"I want to be strong; strong enough to leave this hellish place, strong enough to protect the people I care about, and strong enough to be regarded as a world powerhouse."
After Von uttered his wish, there seemed to be a hot feeling rising up in his heart. He grabbed his chest, enduring the soaring pain.
Von dropped on his knees and spit a mouthful of blood