"It's your fault!" Hector roared at Rog. "If you ever bothered thinking before making a decision, we wouldn't be in this situation!"

The hunter cowered to protect his head from any further assaults and calmly listened to the elder's rant. At that point, they had completely forgotten Red's existence.

"Come, let's go sit." Eiwin ushered the boy along.

The youth followed her. A few minutes later, Red and the others were eating again. Meanwhile, Hector's rampage didn't seem to have any signs of stopping.

"This brat is your responsibility, do you hear me?!" The elder yelled. "Yours!"

"...What am I supposed to do with him?" Rog asked, tentatively examining the kid.

"That's not my problem!"

"Aren't you the leader of the Sect, though?"

Hector lifted his spoon threateningly, and the hunter quickly covered his head.

"Alright!" Rog exclaimed in dismay. "I'll teach him how to hunt so he can help the guild!"

The elder nodded in satisfaction, his anger somewhat abated.

"What about me?!" Allen exclaimed. "I wanna learn how to hunt too!"

"You have other things to worry about." Hector immediately shot him down.

"That's not fair!" The boy complained. "You never let me do what I want!"

"Don't pretend to be stupid, you little brat!" The elder berated the kid. "How many chances did I give you to learn from Rog and Goulth in the past?! How many times did I have to hear from them about how much of a nuisance you were?! If you weren't so incompetent in everything other than cultivation, what need would we have for another disciple?!"

Allen didn't look convinced, but the old man's rant put a temporary stop to his protests. As the rowdy mood of the hall died down, a prolonged silence settled over the dining table. Although Red could feel a weird atmosphere, no one spoke up for a few minutes. Only the sound of cutlery was heard in the room, and the youth felt Hector's gaze on him the entire time.

"Where's Miss Valt?" Eiwin asked, finally breaking the silence.

"I saw her leave for town earlier." Allen replied. "She said she wasn't coming back until the night."

"I see." The woman nodded with a troubled expression.

Just as it seemed like the silence was about to return, though, Eiwin looked up at Hector.

"I need money, Master Hector." She spoke, a serene look returning to her face.

"For what?" The elder frowned.

"To buy the necessary supplies for Red." Eiwin didn't hide her intentions. "We need to get him proper clothing and training supplies, as befits a disciple of our Water Dragon Sect."

Her request was only met with silence on Hector's part. Just as Red was thinking the old man was about to deny her, though, he nodded instead.

"Domeron, give her the coin for the uniform." Hector ordered.

"Don't have much more left, old man." Domeron shook his head.

"What, are you saying we don't even have the money to afford proper equipment for one of our disciples?" The elder complained.

"I didn't say that, but we have to watch how we spend our coin." The man explained. "Hunting forest monsters was a big part of our profit, and now that they have disappeared our expenses are weighing on our coffers. Not to mention, a lot of merchants are eager to get the hell out of this town before the monster tide hits, so requests are bound to get scarce too."

"Just give her the gold!" Hector grumbled. "I don't need a lecture on our finances every time I decide to spend money on something."

Domeron sighed and reached for a pouch on the side of his waist. With swift movements for someone with only one arm, he counted the coins inside the bag, putting a handful of them aside before throwing the pouch to Eiwin.

The woman caught the sack mid-air and smiled in gratitude.

"Thank you, Master Domeron. Thank you, Master Hector." She bowed slightly and then looked at Red. "Now we can go buy you some proper clothes."

"Can I come too?" Allen's face lit up as he asked.

"Sure." Eiwin nodded. "If Master Hector allows it, that is."

The old man snorted.

"Take him. Would make my day more peaceful at least."

Allen's smile widened.

"When are we going?" He asked Eiwin.

"After we finish eati-"

"I'll wait for you at the gate!"

The boy ran off from the table, leaving his unfinished food behind. Red stared at the kid's back and then looked at the woman.

"Do I need to go?"

Eiwin gave him a helpless smile.

...

The city was no less active than yesterday, with peddlers selling their wares at every corner, and Red was not any more used to it. The noises were one thing, but the people were another. The fact that they walked so close to each other with no regard for their own personal safety was baffling to the youth.

What if someone tried to kill you? The boy did not see how you could defend yourself in this kind of urban environment. It seemed, however, that he was the only one concerned about it in the group.

"Can we get some cake?" Allen pestered Eiwin.

"I already told you, Allen, this money is meant to buy Red clothes and supplies." The woman shook her head. "If there's any left over, then I'll consider it."

The older boy sighed in frustration and looked at Red in search of some sympathy. He was only met with the youth's emotionless expression, though.

"What kind of clothes are you going to buy, Red?" Allen asked.

Red shrugged.

"It's not a problem if you don't know. I can help you pick something cool-looking." The boy patted his shoulder.

"We're buying training clothes for him, Allen." Eiwin interjected.

"Right, right." The kid threw his hands up and whispered to Red. "Don't let Eiwin pick your clothing. Do you see what she wears?"

The youth looked over at the woman. Her clothes were very plain, consisting of a simple shirt and trousers, tied at the waist with a black belt. It was much better than slave clothing but was also far less intricate compared to what the rest of the town was wearing.

"What's the problem with it?" Red asked.

"Don't you see it? She's boring." Allen continued whispering. "Eiwin is a monk, so she doesn't like expensive or fancy things."

"What's a monk?"

"I don't know. It's like a priest or something, except they only like cheap things and try not to get mad all the time."

Red thought about asking what a priest was, but their conversation was abruptly interrupted as Eiwin told them to hurry along.

The youth recognized some of the streets they had walked on from the day before. They passed by the same adventurer's guild where Narcha had received some ugly stares, but this time around Eiwin gave it a wide berth, quite keen on avoiding any type of conflict.

As they walked downhill and approached the town center, though, Red could see some commotion ahead. A crowd of people had formed around the plaza, more specifically around the broken pillar, and even from this far, the boy could hear agitated voices.

"What's happening?" He asked Eiwin.

The woman squinted, examining the plaza.

"Members from the Celestial Church." She said, her face turning graver.

"You mean from the Empire?" Red frowned. "I got the impression they were not necessarily welcome here."

"Although they do often work together, the Celestial Church and the Empire are technically two separate entities." Eiwin explained. "One is a political entity, while the other is a religious one. Even here in Fordham-Bestrem, there are quite a few believers of the Celestial Gods. We can stop the Empire's soldiers from invading our town, but their priests are a different matter."

Red was confused about a lot of things. He still didn't know what this Celestial Faith represented, but from Eiwin's tone, she didn't have a very positive opinion of them.

"What are they doing there?" The boy followed up with another question.

"Probably trying to spread their religion." The woman responded.

"Can we go listen?"

"I'm... Not sure that's a good idea." Eiwin hesitated, looking behind herself.

Red followed her gaze. There he saw Allen with a strange expression, a mix of fear and anger twisting his face. The older boy was clenching his fists, and his hands were shivering ever so slightly. When he noticed both of his companions looking at him, though, he took a deep breath and tried to relax.

"It's fine Eiwin." Allen nodded. "Grandpa Hector told me I have to learn how to deal with them. I can't keep running my entire life."

"Are you sure?" Eiwin asked skeptically.

"Yes, I'll be fine."

"Fine then." The woman sighed. "But we'll remain at a distance. These types of things have a habit of getting ugly very quickly."

Red felt curious about Allen's sudden shift in emotions, but this wasn't the time to ask.

Approaching the plaza, the youth was able to see a figure standing in the center of the gathered crowd. It was an old man, dressed in very intricately designed golden clothing and adorned with all kinds of strange jewelry. He was currently addressing the crowd with a fervent gaze.

"...and look where that got us!" Red got close enough to make out the man's speech. "Your forests are dying, threatening your livelihood! A monster tide looms on the horizon, threatening your safety! Servants of darkness gather in mass to these lands, threatening your soul! The Outsiders threaten this entire world and its inhabitants, and where are your Sects to defend you?! Nowhere!"

A wave of grumbles and protests passed through the crowd.

"You know this to be true!" The priest continued. "They hide inside their 'holy lands' while the common folk out here suffer. They have the power to protect and save you from the evils that plague your society, but they choose not to! The only time the Sects ever act is to defend their interests and fight against each other, causing millions of mortal lives to be lost as mere collateral damage!

"Do you think they move to stop this monster horde because they care about your lives?! They only do so to protect their own lands and resources! It's in the nature of cultivators. They only act in their self-interest! For thousands of years, the same story keeps repeating, and yet some of you still refuse to open your eyes! Your old gods have abandoned you, and the Sects never cared in the first place!"

More commotion ran through the crowd, but some screams of approval sounded out too.

"In these times of chaos, the Celestial Gods have always offered us comfort! They granted us protection and strength! In a land once devastated by the greed of these Sects, peace finally reigns thanks to their intervention! The common man need not worry about his safety, about the violent cultivator or the cunning demon! All humans are shielded by the Celestial Light, and order finally reigns supreme!

"So tell me, good folk! When will you stop looking at these aloof Sects and mad cultivators for protection?! How many more must die until you finally turn your gaze to ones more worthy of your belief and devotion?! Open your eyes, people, and see the truth!"

The priest lifted the hair from his forehead. Right there, in the middle of his eyebrows, something bulged out from beneath his skin. A vertical slit appeared, and an orb creased over the opening.

A third eye.

"Red, are you okay?"

Allen's voice came from beside him. The youth looked over, confused.

"What is it?" He asked.

"You're shaking." Eiwin gazed at him with worry.

Red looked down at his own hands. His fingers were shivering, and the boy was only able to notice it now.

"We shouldn't have come here." The woman shook her head. "Come on, let's move on already."

The youth didn't protest and let himself be dragged along. The priest continued to speak at length with the crowd, and Red looked at the man for one last time.

There was nothing but plain skin on the elder's forehead, and the youth felt like he had suddenly forgotten what he had seen in the first place.