Child of God

Amber City was unusually quiet at night. Since the Skinning Incident, no one dared venture out after dark in Amber City or the surrounding areas. Even those operating on the fringes of the Grey Domain stayed nervously within their own turf. The Dark Realm was filled with utterly evil, chaotic madmen. Although the Grey Domain had considerable dealings with them, it had always maintained its own boundaries.

Amber City's Guard Force had achieved nothing!

Not only were the nobles repeatedly demanding that they resolve the matter quickly, but the Church had also begun pressuring them.

An air of panic continued to spread. Amber City's Church had finally lost patience with the Guard Force and began sending out its own Temple Knights and Paladins to investigate. Unfortunately, those evil beings were exceptionally cunning. Not only had they failed to find any clues, but they had also lost a companion. The next day, their companion's corpse was hung from the city gate, with a complete human skin beside it.

Fear brewed in the darkness!

The Evil God's followers attacking the Temple Knights had ultimately provoked the Church's fury. The churches of Amber City's three Lawful deities began dispatching high-ranking Temple Guards. Even the Bishop overseeing the nearby regions joined the operation. At the same time.

In a hidden underground chamber.

The four walls were carved with many bizarre scenes: bones, lava, demons, altars, and an Archfiend Phantom shrouded in darkness.

Dim ghostly flames flickered, casting an incomparably sinister glow throughout the chamber!

A group of black-robed followers knelt beneath the altar, their hands crossed as they prostrated themselves on the ground in prayer. Upon the altar stood a Red Priest whose face could not be seen.

He held a crystal ball in his pale hand and chanted ancient Abyssal.

"High Priest!"

"According to the prophecy left behind by our lord, the first Child of Fear will awaken amid despairing fear!"

"But we have not sensed the aura of the Child of God."

"The skinning ritual has already begun."

"The aura of fear is spreading through this city!"

"But the Temple Guards of those churches are about to discover us. We have already lost some manpower."

"Now."

"Should we continue the ritual and await the awakening of the Child of Fear?"

A ball of eerie purple flame emerged.

A hoarse voice, impossible to identify by gender or age, echoed through the entire chamber and slowly said, "The prophecy has been interfered with!" "The Gods seem to have noticed our lord's arrangements."

"Continue the sacred skinning ritual. Spread the power of fear throughout the Southern Duchy. The second Child of Fear will awaken beneath a setting twilight sun!"

The Red Priest devoutly prostrated himself.

He stared ahead with a resolute gaze and said in a deep voice, "The ritual will continue!"

"Our lord's will shall envelop the Abyss."

Beneath the altar.

The Evil God's followers kneeling on the ground began to pray, and waves of evil energy gathered within the chamber.

It was impossible to enter Amber City at night.

Especially after the Skinning Incident, more guards had been stationed at the city gates, and everyone else's movements were subjected to strict inspections.

So Soren had to spend the night outside the city and find a way into the Temple District the next day.

Temple of Morninglord.

A faint radiance enveloped the great hall, and an atmosphere of tranquility, peace, and hope filled the air.

This was a permanent Bless, which drew upon the Divine Power gathered by the temple to give believers a sense of spiritual fulfillment upon entering.

A small figure knelt before the tall and majestic statue of the deity.

Priestess Anyali slowly pushed open the doors. After glancing at the little girl before the temple, she softly said, "Vivian."...

"Are you praying to the Lord of Morning?"

The little girl gently raised her head, glanced at the young woman behind her, and obediently nodded. "Yes."

"I prayed for him to keep my brother safe!"

Although Soren had not said anything, Vivian knew he must have gone to do something very dangerous.

The little girl did not try to stop him. She merely prayed for Soren in her heart, asking the Gods to bring him a little luck.

Any deity would do!

The Young Female Cleric walked to her side, gently stroked her little head, and slowly said, "Then you should pray at dawn. The Lord of Morning will hear the prayers of believers at that time."

The little girl nodded as though she only half understood, then said, "All right."

"Big sister, pray with me tomorrow."

Anyali looked at the adorable little girl before her and smiled as she nodded. Then she said, "Vivian."

"Would you be willing to believe in the Lord of Morning?"

"I can sense that you possess an unusual talent. You may have the potential to become a cleric."

"If you are willing to serve the Lord of Morning, your family can also receive arrangements from the temple. Perhaps Soren can find a more respectable job in the future. After all, he is quite skilled himself!"

The little girl fell into thought upon hearing this.

She seemed slightly tempted, but quickly answered, "I want to ask my brother before making a decision."

"If my brother agrees, I want to give it a try too."

For some reason.

When Vivian said she wanted to give it a try, she inexplicably felt a trace of resistance in her heart.

Her senses had been keen since she was little, but for some reason, she felt repulsed by all the Gods. That was why she and Soren were both Faithless. They did not even have a deity they pretended to believe in. The little girl could not explain why. She simply felt that believing in them would make her deeply uncomfortable. For instance, the radiance within this temple clearly felt pleasant upon one's body, yet she still disliked it.

If she had not come to pray for Soren, she would not even have wanted to enter the great hall.

"All right."

The Young Female Cleric showed a trace of delight. She reached out and pulled Vivian to her feet, slowly saying, "Perhaps you can first try learning some of the most basic Divine Magic."

"For example, this!"

"Ua!"

Anyali uttered a strange monosyllable, and a glimmer of light appeared at her fingertip.

The light was like a candle flame, illuminating everything nearby.

"This is the Light spell."

The Young Female Cleric smiled at the wide-eyed little girl and softly said, "It is a very simple Divine Magic. If you have the talent to become a cleric, you should be able to master it quickly."

"But you must first undergo baptism. The sacred ritual will allow you to sense the power of the Gods."

The baptism ritual was the key to becoming a cleric.

It was a process that strengthened and amplified perception. During this process, those with the aptitude to become clerics could sense the power of Divine Magic. This included professionals such as Paladins, Temple Knights, Rangers, and so on, who could gradually master some low-level Divine Magic after the ritual. However, this was only the initial ritual. Clerics had even more important sacred rituals when they advanced later on.

Clang!

A loud noise from outside the great hall interrupted the Young Female Cleric.

Then a Temple Guard clad in Full Plate Armor entered. His armor was exceptionally heavy, clanking loudly with every step. A trace of blood stained his resolute face. As soon as he entered the hall, he said to Anyali in a deep voice, "Matos is injured!"

"We found the nest of those Fallen. Matos was stabbed in the heart during the battle!"

Sosia's expression changed slightly. She said to Vivian, "Go back to your room by yourself later."...

"Lasko."

"Take me there!"

The two quickly departed.

That group of Evil God followers had been exceptionally rampant lately. Their evil skinning ritual had alarmed many temples, and the guards of the Temple of Morninglord had likewise joined the operation. Matos was a third-rank Temple Guard with a class level above 10. Even he had been seriously wounded in battle. It seemed that the Evil God followers who had appeared this time were extremely powerful!

Vivian silently watched the two leave. Only after they were gone did she raise her fair fingertip and mutter to herself, "Ua!"

"Could it be that simply making this sound allows one to use Divine Magic?"

A brilliant light appeared!

The little girl opened her mouth in shock as she stared at the radiance bursting from her fingertip, seemingly unable to believe it.

She seemed a little frightened.

She hurriedly shook her finger, as though trying to extinguish the light.

But she quickly adapted to it. She curiously studied her fingertip and murmured, "Is it really this simple?"

"Can I use Divine Magic like this?"