Ever since Lucian could remember, God's Fate Sect was everything.
It was all he had ever known as he grew up.
It was his home, his sanctuary.
He had neither a father nor mother, but neither did his various elder brothers and sisters.
They were all orphans, one way or another, picked up by his master, the Patriarch and taught in the ways of the Arcane.
Life wasn't perfect—if it was, he wouldn't look so scrawny and dirty.
The sect was brutal, but it couldn't be blamed for that. The world, too, was brutal, countless time more.
At least the sect was doing a good job in shielding them from it.
But now, the sect was under attack—not by a single force, but by three other supreme sects!
God's Fate Sect was the weakest and most reclusive among them, yet now they were facing one of the strongest powers in the Dmitriv Region.
Their chances of survival were nil, and everyone knew it.
Yet Lucian couldn't understand.
Why would his brothers and sisters know this, and still choose to stay and fight until the end?
Shouldn't everyone run for it?
He was torn between two choices.
To run and save himself, or to stay like his siblings and fight until the end?
Both choices were hard.
If Lucian ran, he might have a slim chance of survival, but he would have abandoned his home, doing nothing but watching it be destroyed.
He would have ran away like a coward, and that would haunt him for the rest of his life.
But if he stayed, he would die along with the rest of the sect.
What should he do?
Run away and live, or fight to the death with his sect and perish?
He didn't know, and it was driving him mad.
"Ah, little Lucian."
The sudden voice startled Lucian, and he jumped to his feet, snapping his head toward the source.
Standing there was an old man—a man Lucian knew better than the back of his hand.
Immediately, Lucian dropped to a knee.
"Patriarch!" he called out as the man slowly approached him.
He had no idea why or how the man had even arrived here.
He had thought everyone would be preparing for war, including the patriarch himself, but it seemed that wasn't the case.
The Patriarch gently placed his hand on Lucian's shoulder and lifted him from his knees.
"Rise, Lucian," he said softly.
Lucian stood but couldn't bring himself to meet the Patriarch's gaze.
He had tried to run away like a coward after everything the sect had done for him. He had failed his own people.
"Raise your head, Lucian. Stand straight!" the Patriarch commanded.
Lucian subconsciously straightened and looked up at him.
Just as Lucian remembered, the Patriarch's eyes were closed, and his smile was gentle, as if nothing in the world could take it away.
It was just as he remembered it.
"You want to leave, Lucian, don't you?" the Patriarch asked. Lucian's eyes flickered, but he eventually nodded.
"Yes, I do."
"But you also don't want to abandon the sect, do you?" he asked again, and Lucian responded.
"Yes, I want to fight."
"But you also don't want to die..." the Patriarch finished for him, and Lucian could only nod helplessly.
"Then let me give you one last assignment, Lucian."
"If you can complete it, it will be just as good as you fighting for the sect, if not better." the Patriarch said suddenly.
Lucian's head snapped up, his eyes flashing with a new light.
The Patriarch was giving him permission to leave, so long as he completed a task. At least that would cancel away his guilt of him running away and having left the sect behind.
It would have saved him the branded name of a coward.
"What is the assignment, Patriarch?" Lucian asked, his voice filled with anticipation.
The old man spread his hands, and in a flash of light, Lucian was momentarily blinded.
When his vision cleared, he found two things before him—a simple necklace with a small, pitch-black stone at its end, and a golden scroll...
"Here..."
The Patriarch placed the necklace around Lucian's neck and handed him the scroll.
"Keep these safe, Lucian."
"What are they?" Lucian asked cautiously.
Somehow, despite their lightness, it felt as though the weight of the world was being placed on his shoulders.
"The stone on your necklace is what the other sects have come for."
"It rightfully belongs to our sect, but they believe such a treasure shouldn't be in our hands."
"And now, they want to eradicate us from existence."
"Even if we were to give them the stone, they would still destroy us due to fear of revenge. So surrendering it is not an option."
The Patriarch's words echoed in Lucian's mind as he glanced at the small black stone hanging from the necklace.
It didn't seem different from any other rock he had seen—except perhaps it was a little darker than usual.
"And in this map," the Patriarch continued, gesturing to the scroll, "are the locations of the remaining stones. These are the two greatest treasures of our sect."
"Can you help us keep them safe?"
Lucian's eyes flashed as he looked at the Patriarch.
What was now in his hands was the very reason the sect was being destroyed. If he took it, wouldn't he soon face the same fate?
But after a moment of thought, his lips parted.
"I promise to keep them safe... even at the cost of my life!" Lucian declared boldly, and the Patriarch smiled, patting him gently on the head.
"Good, good. I believe in you."
"Now go, Lucian. Find the other stones, surpass me, and avenge our sect," the Patriarch commanded as he slowly stepped back from Lucian.
"Run! Run now!" he urged, and without hesitation, Lucian scurried away along the broken path, quickly disappearing into the forest under the Patriarch's gentle gaze.
But soon, the tenderness faded, replaced by a cold seriousness and a dark grin.
"Now, let it all begin!"