Eurian approached a dark altar with fear and knelt before it. He bowed his head. He clasped his hands tightly together as he spoke softly, "I'm here again Lord Zen."
"I have received the news that a Damion has appeared. Is he the perpetrator of the demon possession?" came the deep, rumbling voice from the altar.
"We are not sure yet, Lord Zen," replied Eurian, his voice barely above a whisper. "But what we know is that the Reverend is negotiating with that demon."
A heavy silence filled the room as Lord Zen considered this information.
"What's his name?" he asked.
"Chris," Eurian replied.
"Hahahaha," Lord Zen chuckled.
Suddenly, Lord Zen emerged from the dark altar, causing Eurian to quake in fear. Zen was like a giant in size, with skin like an insect and a black cloak draped over his broad shoulders.
As he descended from the altar, his size gradually decreased, and his skin changed like a human's. His face was very handsome, with high cheekbones and piercing blue eyes, and his hair was a shimmering golden color that cascaded down his back.
Eurian spoke abruptly in fear, "We must locate the Reverend Lord Zen and take them down. If you agree, we can utilize our best weapon with the assistance of your brother."
Lord Zen stared at Eurian, making it difficult for him to breathe.
"No! We don't need violence. Are you willing to throw away everything we have accomplished? We must maintain a positive reputation with the citizens. I won't let all of our efforts be wasted."
Lord Zen calmed down and approached Eurian.
"Bring him to me as soon as possible. Do whatever it takes."
"Yes, Lord Zen!" replied Eurian.
At the Reverend Headquarters, Baxter, EN, Nihan, and Shin were gathered in a room with a large wooden table in the center. Baxter was sitting at the head of the table and had a worried expression on his face.
He turned to Shin and asked, "Shin, are you okay?" Shin replied, "I'm fine."
EN stared at Shin, not in the mood to see him, and tried to leave the room.
"Where are you going, EN?" Baxter asked.
EN muttered, "I just need to chill," and headed towards the door.
Before he could leave, the door opened, and a big man with bulging muscles entered the room.
"Sit down, EN," he said in a booming voice. EN could do nothing but sit down again. The man was Kilian, the Reverend's Training Instructor.
Nihan, seated next to Shin, was thrilled to see Kilian and greeted him with a smile. "Yo Kilian! How are you?"
"Hello Nihan, have you returned to the Reverend?" Kilian said.
"Nah, not about that, but I want to help," Nihan replied.
However, Kilian looked at Shin and asked, "Leader Baxter, are you sure we can trust him?"
Baxter sighed. "Before anything, let me introduce you to Shin. Shin, this is Kilian, the Reverend's Training Instructor. He also taught Nihan and EN how to use the Divine Power."
Shin stood up and bowed to Kilian. "Nice to meet you, I'm Cheon-Shin."
Kilian was surprised by Shin's gesture. EN, on the other hand, was annoyed at the situation.
"Hahaha! It's true, Leader Baxter!" Kilian said.
Kilian stood up and shook Shin's hand. "Nice to meet you too, I'm Kilian."
"Now sit down. I called all of you not because of the demon possession that happened in Mountgrand. But because I need your permission," Baxter said.
Everyone turned serious and looked at Baxter.
"Kilian will teach Shin the Divine Power."
Everyone was surprised and asked at the same time, "WHAT?!"
"Wait, Leader Baxter, I agree with all your plans, but maybe this is the first one I won't agree with," Killian said.
"Isn't what you're thinking dangerous? Also, not everyone can use Divine Power," said Nihan.
"This is absurd! I'm leaving!" EN outright opposed the idea and was about to leave the room. However, Baxter placed a shield on the door, preventing EN from leaving.
"Sit down EN, I'm not done explaining yet," Baxter said.
EN returned to his seat, and Baxter began to explain the story of what happened at Mountgrand.
After hearing the story, they couldn't believe what Baxter had said.
"Huh? Is what you're saying true? He also has Divine Power?" asked Kilian.
"Yes, I know he already has it, I just want him to use it more than his Demon Power, so I need your help to teach him more," Baxter replied.
EN stood up again and was about to leave the room.
"If you need my permission, you already know my answer."
EN walked out of the room, and Baxter couldn't stop him any longer.
Nihan is concerned about the recent events that transpired in Mountgrand and expresses her worries to Baxter about the negative impact it had on their reputation.
"What are we going to do, Baxter? Our image has been tarnished in the eyes of the people," she said.
"That's why we need to teach Shin the Divine Power," Baxter replied.
"I'm not sure I understand. What do you mean?" Nihan responded.
"I believe what happened in Mountgrand won't end there. More people will be possessed by the demon in the coming days. That's why we need Shin to remove any doubt from their minds," Baxter explained.
Shin expressed his concern about finding his parents first. "I need to find my parents first," he said.
Kilian was confused and asked, "Parents?"
Baxter suddenly answered because he was the only one who knew Shin's story. "I'll take care of that, Shin. For now, focus on your training and I'll let you know if we have any leads on your parents," he said.
Nihan was also confused by Baxter's answer. She thought to herself, "Huh? Baxter knew about Shin's parents?"
Baxter stood up and said, "Nihan, what you need to do is infiltrate the Triumvirate laboratories. Maybe we can find evidence of the missing people there. If you can convince EN to come with you, that would be great. And since Shin needs another companion, Kilian will search for one. Another thing I'm worried about is that the number of people joining us has decreased, possibly due to what happened in Mountgrand. Kilian, please look at the last examination that will take place later and see if there is a potential partner for Shin."
"Understood," Kilian and Nihan replied.
The Reverend established the Sotiría Academy to instruct young individuals on how to harness Divine Power. The academy conducts an annual evaluation to determine the capability of each student to use Divine Power.
Furthermore, there is also a separate examination to identify individuals who can work as a healer's assistant, healer, school teacher, teacher's assistant, or a soldier.
Kilian sat in his office, his expression serious as he addressed Shin. "You will be attending the Sotiría Academy," he said. "There, you will learn how to use Divine power. As a healer, I will introduce you to the head of Healers."
Shin, who always seemed to have a sad expression, looked up at Kilian. "Thank you," he said softly.
"Don't worry, Shin. You'll make plenty of friends at Sotiría, and we do not tolerate bullies at our school. As for your parents, I won't pry. But if you ever need to talk, I am here."
With that, Shin left for Sotiría Academy. The driver helped him with his luggage, but Shin politely declined.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of it. Thank you for taking me here. Drive safely on your way back to the Reverend."
The driver was surprised by Shin's kindness, but he just nodded and left.
As Shin stepped into the school, he was greeted by Rhona Ivonette, the head of the Healers. "You must be Shin," she said with a warm smile. "I'm Rhona Ivonette, and I run the Healers here at Sotiría."
Rhona Ivonette. The best of all Healers. She is the fastest Healer that takes less than a few seconds. They also believe that there is no disease that she cannot cure.
Shin bowed respectfully. "I'm Cheon-Shin. It is an honor to meet you."
Rhona chuckled. "The rumors are true. You truly are the kindest demon alive."
Shin's face remained stoic, but he felt a twinge of discomfort at the word "demon." He had always felt like an outcast, and being called a demon only reinforced that feeling.
"Ah, my apologies," Rhona said, sensing Shin's discomfort. "That was inappropriate of me. In any case, you'll be starting attending the class tomorrow, but first, you'll have to go through the Examination."
As Shin made his way through the school, he caught the attention of some of the other students. They whispered amongst themselves, surprised and scared by his presence.
"The rumors are true," one of them said. "A special student is coming."
"But they didn't say he was a Damion," another whispered.
A professor overheard their conversation and stepped in. "Oi, stop what you're saying," he warned. "Or maybe you want me to kick you out of here."
The students quickly scattered, apologizing to the professor as they went.
"Cheon-Shin, or Chris Valentine? I'm Sam. Nice to meet you. I'm your number one fan." with a grin as he approached Shin.
Shin was confused by Sam's enthusiasm, especially since he was almost the same age as Shin but acted much more mature.
Sam was a genius, the youngest professor at Sotiría Academy. He excelled in war planning and solving crimes and was one of the best at using modern technologies. Despite his intelligence, however, he was not blessed with the ability to use Divine Power.
"I will take care of Shin's Examination," Sam said.
Rhona grinned mischievously. "No problem with me, Professor Sam."
Sam rolled his eyes. "Hey, sister Rhona. That's not allowed here at Sotiría."
Rhona laughed. "Sister? Ha! I'm just kidding, my brother Sam."
After that, Shin was led to a laboratory to begin his Examination.