Today was a peculiar day. It felt like when he had gone on one of his rare strolls through Banken Street, in the City of Heiden, and not like he had just successfully fought off an Evil Spirit for the first time.
He realised only now, the strange book that he was carrying in his pocket with him, was something far beyond his wildest dreams.
"…Haha! I feel like the Qi King of Fangshi!" Cairo shouted out, earning strange stares from everyone around him. This was the first time that he had felt so elated.
Fangshi was the next city over, and it had a notoriously high crime rate and cultist sightings in the city. Yet, weirdly enough, Cairo had always aspired to go there. Not only because of the increasing amount of vigilantes but also because of the Qi King of Fangshi, a Runebearer who had even had several books written about him.
Coincidentally, that book was the very same thing that got him to stop wanting to become a painter, and instead strive to become a Runebearer.
"…I wonder, how everyone else on this street will react, once they realise that they passed by a Runebearer?" Cairo said, giggling to himself in excitement, "I can't wait!"
However, as he made it to his destination, things soon went haywire. The Thearchical Cathedral, Spiritwind Cathedral Church, north of the City of Heiden, was destroyed.
"…"
"…Damn. I knew things weren't gonna be that easy." Cairo murmured, as he stood in front of the ruins of the cathedral.
From what he had gathered from eavesdropping on certain passersby, the building was set to be destroyed a long time ago, since the bishop was actually in servitude of the Enlightening Lotus Sect, which was a cult that had roots both in the West and the East.
"Ha… I once heard that Runebearers get a monthly payment of up to 12,000ke, so I was planning to use that to get back on my feet. How am I gonna pay my rent now?"
Cairo sat down nearby and carried a distraught look on his face. It was a pathetic sight to see.
"…Every time I look at my current position, I can't help but imagine… what it would be like if my parents were still with me?" He asked, before sitting silently for a while.
He didn't know what to do. He had been lost for quite a while now. The Deities gave a second chance to a man, who will die pathetically, despite that.
"No… I should stop this… I shouldn't be living like a fool. I should… I should become a man deserving of the power that the Deities have given to me. How many people have heard the voices of the Thearchy, like me? How many people have the opportunity…?"
"I… I will survive. Even with the thorn crown I have placed on my head."
"Cairo?"
The voice of a young woman snatched his attention, as he gazed upon a familiar face that approached him. It was Evelyn, a well-dressed person who helped him adjust to the city, find his current place, and, was the only successful friend he had made currently.
"Cairo! I haven't seen you in quite some time!" Evelyn said, taking her hands out of her coat pockets as she approached, "But, what's with that look on your face?"
"I… ha… I don't know what to do right now." Cairo replied, rubbing his face, "I'm on the verge of losing my house, so…"
Evelyn's eyes widened, as she took out the few 100ke coins she had, and placed them in his hands.
"Cairo, take care of yourself!" Evelyn said, blatantly scolding him, "You could've just asked me! I could've helped you find a job, or lent you some money when you needed it! Don't…"
"Yeah, yeah… I know. But, if I did that, I was… almost afraid of what pit I'd fall into," He replied, before sighing and turning away, "I am going to change from now on, but… I think I should do that without any help."
Evelyn looked extremely surprised, but then, she also sighed.
"You… you want to change?" Evelyn said, and Cairo nodded in response.
She smiled.
"That's good. But, you haven't even gotten back on your feet from the looks of it, so let me help you a bit more…"
She wrote a small note on a piece of paper. It was the address of a place, called the "Silverstar Watchdogs Security Force." She told him to arrive there on Tuesday to apply for a job.
"A police force?"
"Yes, applying at this place will be sure to help you be able to earn enough money for you to fully get back on your feet. Prepare yourself though, since those fellows are as tough as nails." Evelyn told him, "But, you'll have the endure at least that, to change."
Cairo put the note in his pocket and thanked her sincerely. Ever since the two of them met, she had supported him whenever. It seemed she was looking for to the day when he would be able to go on, on his own two feet. And now, it seemed, the day had come.
Evelyn waved Cairo goodbye, and he watched her walk away, before staring at the note again.
"…Silverstar… I think I've heard of that police force before. That time, when an explosion was set off at the centre of the city, just before I came here, there was a constant flow of rumours that the explosion was caused by them for several weeks. I don't know what that entails, but… this is still a great change for me."
"I will not falter, ever again." Cairo resolved.
What he already knew about the Silverstar Watchdogs Security Force was that they were also quite well-known in the city for restoring order, even in the face of unidentifiable threats, like those who caused that explosion.
They were devotees to the Patron God and served the city with the utmost righteous intentions. They proved that through their acts of service.
But, despite that, not much else about them was known. Except for the fact that, among them, there was also a man called, "Bleeding Needle", who was hidden, a fearsome figure who had the strength to kill Runebearers… And he was looking and searching for "something".