"The Colours?"
Sona's question echoed through the temple. The old man beside him rose to his feet and slowly marched towards the direction of the raised platform.
Sona noticed that he wore priestly robes, and walked with a hunchback. He was an old man through and through.
However, on his back was a longsword, standing taller than Sona himself.
"Yes, boy... Should I be calling you boy? You seem more than just a boy."
Sona followed the man, walking close beside him. "Yes. Believe it or not, my appearance surprised me as much as it did you."
The old man nodded his head, as they began to climb the stairs towards the light shining from the raised platform.
"Ahh yes. A power that you do not yet understand. Do not worry, boy. All secrets of the world someday come to the surface."
I hope so... Because there sure are a lot of them.
Sona and the Old man reached the top of the platform, and he was finally given a view of the light source.
The platform was more like a crater. And inside the Crater was a light so bright that it threatened to swallow all those who stood near.
Sona had to shield his eyes from the brightness, but the old man seemed used to it.
"This..." He started. "Is the Mouth of Fruition. The more we feed it, the longer our world survives. However, it grows hungrier every day, and we are slowly losing the ability to provide it with food."
Sona felt like he had begun to understand. Still, many questions lingered on his mind.
"What does it eat?"
The old man's face grew grave.
"The Colours. Beasts that reside beneath our City. Hunters used to dive down and slay the beasts, bringing their hearts for the Mouth to feed upon. It sustained us, for years, however the Colours are no longer as they once were. Their strengths have... increased. They have become one."
Colours. It was a strange name to refer to a beast as.
"Increased, you say. Is there no way for the hunters to become stronger and take down the beast?"
Sweat began to bead from the man's forehead. It was as though Sona had mentioned a task so grave that it brought him fright, even here.
"N-no. There is not a singular chance that we can beat what lies in the Abyss. It has already murdered tens—No, hundreds of our men. Our city has accepted their deaths and is slowly waiting for life to be completely snuffed from our world..."
...
Sona looked down at the Mouth of Fruition and thought over his situation.
Accepted their deaths.
His mind recalled the words of his mother before he had entered the Door of Sin. She had wished for him to do the same. Live a poor life in Vethil, until the plague took over everything.
He had refused to accept that as his fate.
The people of this realm deserve the same opportunity. They deserve to live, as do all of us.
And with these powers... The First Starpath. It's like I have been given a blessing. The ability to save those who need saving.
To give hope to the hopeless.
The old man watched Sona as he ran through his thoughts, however, it did not take long for him to come to a decision.
"I will slay this beast and bring you it's heart." He announced calmly. "But first, I must ask you a favour."
Instantly, the man's face lit up. A wide smile spread across his face, and his eyes watered with tears of joy.
"Oh, blessed be chance, for it has gifted us with a saviour! You cannot understand my gratitude for you boy."
The old man reached down and grabbed hold of Sona's hand, taking into his vehemently.
"Anything. Ask of anything, and I will do all that I can to provide it for you."
Sona looked down at the clothes he was wearing. His hair was now brilliant, and his body much more powerful, but his peasant rags...
"It's not much that I want." He said shamefully. "Just some clothes, and a weapon."
————
The rest of the city, which was named Elaleom, was the same as the temple.
Colourless.
However, what Sona first noticed, was that he had never been to such a large city before.
Unlike his small village, Vethil, the city in which he had found himself was bustling with activity.
There were marketplaces, fountains, taverns, and parks. All that you would expect to find in a capital city.
However, Sona did not know what to expect.
Sona noticed a dark atmosphere in the city. Despite the countless people he crossed, none wore smiles on their faces.
Perhaps it was the colourless sky which loomed above them.
It was strange to be surrounded by a colourless world. Spending so much time there must have its toll on someone.
"We're here." The old man said, stopping outside of a building with the sign of two crossed swords hanging above its door.
Once inside, Sona realised it was the hunter's guild. And it was not empty.
"Oscel, you've brought another hunter?"
There was a group of men in leather armour sitting behind a table. They, too, carried the depressive energy around them.
He couldn't blame them after all. According to the old man, the hunters were no longer strong enough to do their jobs. They too had accepted death.
Just what could a beast be like, that terrorises so many people?
The old man, whose name seemed to be Oscel, led Sona to a weapons rack on the wall. Next to it was a large wooden crate.
"Yes." He responded. "But I'm confident that this is the last Hunter we will need. He will put an end to our troubles."
Sona simply stood there, being watched by the hunters at the table. Oscel rummaged through the crate and first pulled out a set of undergarments, followed by leather armour and boots.
"But he's just a kid? A peasant, too. What does he know about the sword?"
As the snarky hunter said the words, Oscel pulled a sword from the weapons rack and placed it atop the rest of the equipment.
Then, he turned to face the hunters.
"If you saw what I saw in the Mouth's Temple, then you would know. Although I give this boy a sword, he does not need to rely on weaponry."
The hunter's faces switched to expressions of confusion as they looked at the old man with raised eyebrows.
"This boy... is some sort of god."