Father Gregory sat outside the church, wearing a thick leather coat and holding a makeshift cigarette in his hand. He held it over the bonfire, lighting it and taking a deep, hearty puff.
"That brat Julius... He's been out for a while."
His eyes flickered to the flames that devoured the wood fed to them—it was strangely therapeutic and calmed him down—just a bit.
'He's refused solid food for a while... He's just been surviving off of my Sigil's ability for the four years he's been here. I wonder why.'
Suddenly, he heard the sound of crunching snow and people running.
His eyes flickered towards the right and he saw none other then the kids getting chased by a group of Blighthoppers.
"Idiot... He got himself and random kids into trouble. I'll need to teach him a lesson."
Father Gregory stood up, his hand started glowing a warm yellow light as he lunged forward, grabbing the children and throwing them aside.
"I'll talk with you all later—right now, just watch how an adult deals with a situation like this."
The Blighthoppers jumped forward—but as soon as The Church Father touched them, they exploded in a small burst of light.
Their disgusting blood fell onto the snow. Father Gregory looked down at them with a small frown of annoyance
"Listen up, Lukas, Jonah—this is Old Hag Gregory. His Sigil transfers large amounts of mana to others, but be a bit cautious; most can't handle it and might explode."
Julius slowly stood up from the ground—wiping the snow off his back before he cracked his neck, smiling at the creeped out children.
"Stand up. Go into the church, I'll talk with Hag Gregory."
"I TOLD YOU, JOHAN! I'M A MAN, NOT A HAG!"
Father Gregory picked up the chuckling Julius by the top of his dome, a scowl on his face.
He noticed the children, Lukas and Jonah, as they scurried into the church. But he didn't pay mind to that for now.
"Same thing. Anyways. See the kids, right? They're pretty much your normal orphans, but their Sigils seem to be half decent."
There was a beat of silence that passed—Gregory was a bit surprised. But at the same time, he was a bit annoyed.
"Johan." He began while letting Julius down. "I always wanted to ask you this. Why are you so focused on getting stronger or gathering strong allies? Strength isn't everything."
Julius frowned—tilting his head to his side as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"That stuff again, old hag? You're not strong; that's why you don't think strength is everything."
Julius narrowed his eyes, he didn't like this type of thinking, solely because of the fact that strength was everything in this world of Sigils and Beasts that could kill you in an instant.
"I obsess over it because I don't have it. If you had it, I'd be jealous of you. We haven't wiped out the Elves, Dwarves, and Half-bloods because they're strong. So yes, Strength is everything."
Gregory stared down at the child standing in front of him—since Julius had begun to talk, he never felt like he was talking to a boy.
'I feel like I'm talking to a man constantly. He's very smart... But he lacks knowledge, I suppose that he is right to some degree..'
No words were exchanged between them for a few long—almost eternal moments. The sound of the bonfire crackling and burning was louder than their breathing.
"Very well, chase your ambitions. Now, get inside as punishment for jeopardizing your safety. From this moment on, you will eat solid food."
Julius took a deep breath, wanting Gregory to use his Sigil's ability on him to replenish him in a convenient way that would also make him stronger.
"Fine.."
Reluctantly, Julius followed the old man into the church, where Lukas and Johan had already devoured most of the delicious boar meat Maria had cooked.
Amy was in the background with Lucy, both cleaning the dishes in a wooden bucket.
"Oh, Johan! I was a bit worried about the sleeping arrangement—but I suppose you'll have to sleep with these two kids."
'Maria. If you weren't pretty, I would've slammed your face into the ground for assuming I'll sleep with children... AND WHY AREN'T YOU QUESTIONING THE NEW KIDS! YOU NAIVE WOMAN.'
Julius hesitantly nodded—a forced, awkward smile on his lips. Both of the older women chuckling in the background while Maria just shrugged.
"Okay then—let's finish dinner and then you three can go to sleep."
Julius sat beside Lukas on the ground—both brothers almost like rabid animals in their feasting, but that was to be expected.
Julius sat in silence—noticing the constant look of appraisal that Gregory was giving him and the two boys beside him.
'Considering I just showed my ambition to grow stronger, he's probably contemplating how to train me and these idiots. If he's smart, he'll either call Roy—or pull some training method out of his ass.'
Just then, Gregory's jaw muscles twitched just a bit—like he was forcing himself to stay quiet, clenching his jaw.
'He hasn't given hints, but he seems like a fighter. He's fine with killing monsters and wants to teach us how to handle them. I suppose everything will be revealed eventually, or I'll have to get it out of him myself.'
Julius swallowed the last bit of his food before standing up—a carefree smile on his face as he walked towards the dark hallway. Gesturing to the boys to follow him.
"Let's go, kids."
"You're younger than us brat."
Jonah mumbled under his breath—he wasn't in the mood to fight, especially since his stomach was filled to the brim for the first time in a while.
"Um.. Can I get my own bed?"
Lukas shyly asked—avoiding eye contact with Julius. But surprisingly, Julius let out a small huff, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Sure, you can have the bed. But only if you agree to teach me how to awaken my Sigil completely—and hey, your brother will also benefit from it, right, Jonah?"
Julius knew, a small favor to an introvert, especially if they're a kid, can go a long way, even if it's something simple like a mattress to sleep on.
"Um... Sure, I'll teach you tomorrow, alright?"
Julius' smile widened—like a fox that had just been given a rabbit in exchange for a rat.
He opened up the door to his room, it wasn't anything special but what he had not told the churchfolk was that he hid a couple of foldable mattresses he had made himself underneath his own.
He lifted the mattress, pulling out the makeshift beds but to Jonah and Lukas? They were absolute luxury, especially since foldable mattresses did not exist... At least in their knowledge.
"What are these?"
Jonah rubbed the back of his neck as he put the mattress down on the ground and laid down on it. His exhaustion from the day instantly seeped into his bones.
"OH DAMN! Is this what the rich feel like?" He tried to get up, but Julius pushed him down again, tucking him in with a blanket. "Yes. Now shut up and go to sleep."
Jonah gave a small glare to Julius but despite that he was a bit grateful—just a bit though.
Meanwhile, Lukas had the biggest—most sun-like grin on his face that actually glowed a vibrant yellow.
"What the fuck? Is he the sun or something?"
Jonah rubbed his eyes, watching as Julius lay down on his own mattress, a bit towards the left of Jonah.
"Yep.. His Sigil is all about light. He can send it out or make stuff from it, he's too naive, so he didn't want to use it to get rich... And it's a bit weak right now anyway."
Julius nodded, watching as Lukas and Jonah—both fell asleep, surprisingly quick despite being in a completely new environment.
'I wonder... If I should bring back the old world. Technology paired with Sigils... But then again, humanity will meddle in what it shouldn't, and we're improving anyway. A spark too early, and we're dead again.'
The world slowly grew quiet and dark—Julius eyelids grew heavy and closed. He too fell into a deep, dreamless slumber. Temporarily leaving the world behind.
'"This child.. He's strange. Julius. Now Johan, I've seen this boy's memories, accomplished everything, yet failed to prevent The Revelation."
A woman slowly sat up in the void where Julius was floating—sleeping and resting. And the woman? The Demon Julius had previously met.
Her pale skin was tough, and a black rock-like armor covered it, except around her shoulders, chest, and face.
"I wondered how The Revelation occurred. After all I've been stuck in this Sigil for a century or perhaps more."
Her eyes were hidden by a thin black cloth as she sat on a black throne of smoke.
"Now the answer is in front of me. Once he wakes up. I'll make sure that he chokes everything up."