A cold chill ran through Silas' spine. Looking back he saw the piercing gaze of the red-eyed man.

The man had a laid-back expression.

"What's stopping me from turning you in right now?"

"Sir, there's really no need," Silas said, taking a step back.

The red-eyed man took a second to think.

"I'll make you a deal," he said, with a sly smile. "Complete a small task for me, and not only will I forget this ever happened, but I'll also throw in a little bonus."

"We can talk more in my office."

He led Silas to a secluded door located in the bottom right corner of the room.

Entering, Silas saw a cherrywood desk and two chairs. One chair sat behind and the other in front of the big desk. A book and quill rested on it. Hanging from the ceiling was a small chandelier. Candles burned all around the room, emanating a pleasing aroma. Behind the desk, a window overlooked the whole city.

Motioning to the chair in front of the desk, the man said, "Take a seat."

Sitting down, the man said, "I'm Jovan Martin, how may I address you?"

"I'm Silas."

Jovan leaned back and continued, "Regarding your mission, I want you to become a important figure in any church or charity in the city. Your payment will be 150 Talends and some information on Weaving."

150 Talends?!

Talends were the Noes Kingdom's official currency. 200 Florins were equal to 1 Talend. Considering the average person made 300 Talends per year, the reward for the mission was quite generous.

I could do it, the mission itself isn't dangerous, and I really need the money right now.

Silas nodded, "I can get it done."

He was willing to overlook the reason for the task, as long as he got paid.

Jovan smiled, "Good to hear. After completing the mission, you can find me back here. Now get out of my house."

Jovan snapped his fingers, suddenly Silas found himself at the bench he originally woke up in.

How did he do that?

Silas recalled something.

Could this be associated with the 'weaning' Jovan mentioned before?

Deciding not to question it, Silas drifted to sleep on the bench.

...

The next day Silas decided to pursue his mission.

I think I'll exclude getting an important role in the churches, becoming a normal clergyman is pretty hard. Climbing the ranks can take years.

There were three main religions in Jyas. Firstly the Sol Union believed in the God of Light. Not much was known about him outside of the borders of the Union. The other countries believed in either the God of Nature, Sylvanus, or the Goddess of Sky, Celeste.

Of course, there were other miscellaneous religions. However they were mostly kept secret from the public.

Silas got up from the bench and decided to go on a walk. He currently resided in the entertainment district of sector 8 in Noes City, so it wasn't crowded until night time.

Other districts however, were always bustling with people. For example the market, or the hotel district.

Each district passed through each Sector. Each Sector was similar to a ring, so districts passed through Sectors in a somewhat straight line.

Walking on the empty cobblestone streets, Silas contemplated his next action.

Charity organizations in the higher Sectors aren't as safe as the ones in the lower Sectors. It would be wiser to head to the more rich parts of town.

In the end he decided to visit 17 Rockette street in Sector three.

...

Taking the same path, Silas arrived after an hour of walking.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

This time he was able to enter the wooden building that was painted white.

As he entered the receptionist greeted him with a genuine smile.

"Welcome to the Rockette food bank, I'm Sophia, how may I help you today?"

She had tied up her auburn hair into a ponytail. Her blue eyes complimented her attractive features.

"I would like volunteer for one of the events."

The receptionist glanced at a piece of paper next to her.

"We have an opening at 9p.m., feel free to help around."

Silas smiled, "That's perfect."

Considering it was 11a.m., Silas decided to head to the market district to waste some time. He was planning to learn about Weaving.

Coincidentally, the market district was close to the food bank.

Walking around, Silas could hear merchants trying to advertise their fresh fruits to the vast amounts of people walking by, or venders trying to sell the newest copy of the most popular newspaper, The Noes Times. Other shops sold toys, medicine and even bizarre stuff, such as animals from the Ice Caps. The Ice Caps were giant ice mountains located on the most north part of Jyas.

Sadly there was one major downside to the market district. The sheer number of scams made people wary.

At least once a month Silas would hear about a person losing more than 1000 Talends on a fake diamond necklace, or buying medicine that didn't work.

Not sure where to look for the information he needed, Silas entered a divination shop. He awkwardly waited at the gloomy waiting room for the Oracle.

A couple moments later, a tall, grizzled old man stumbled in the waiting room. He was clearly drunk.

"Follow me." He said in a raspy voice.

He led Silas to a shady divination room. They both sat in darkness, due to the absence of any window, lamp or candle.

"What do you wish to know?"

"I want to know what a Weaver is."

The old man simply responded, "A weaver is a person that makes clothing or other materials by weaving fabric together."

Taking in a deep breath, Silas nervously said, "Not that kind. For example, a Weaver that can teleport you with the snap of his fingers."

The old man paused for a moment, "Kid, where did you learn this from?"

"I accidentally joined a gatheri-"

"Ah f*ck that, for 180 Florins and a bottle of beer the information is yours."

Silas only had 1 Talend left, with a heavy heart, he reached in his pocket and placed the1 Talend note on the table, "This should cover the beer too."

Taking the note, the old man cleared his throat, "A weaver is basically someone who can weave and harness the powers of a spirit, phantom or even mythical creature."

"In order for the weaving to happen, a contract must first take place between the creature and human through a ritual."

"There are 4 Chains in weaving. To advance in chains you must complete something the creature desires."

"Also each chain has a link, a link is basically a power-up without advancing to a higher chain."

Questions surged through Silas' mind. "How do you commence a ritual, what powers can you get and wh-"

"100 more Florins."

I hate being homeless

"I have no more money."

"You can always come back another time."

Silas got up in defeat and left the dark room, he entered the gloomy waiting room and went to exit the divination.

The old man's voice sounded again, "Hey kid, how about you become my apprentice?"

"Does this mean I get the information free of charge?"

"No, but I could give you a small salary, even help you with your first ritual, as long as you help around the shop."

"How much are you willing to pay?"

"150 Talends per year."

"I'll gladly take the job. When should I start?" A beaming smile appeared on Silas' face.

"From tomorrow, be here everyday at 8a.m. By the way, name's Rudolph."

"I'm Silas, nice to meet you."

Bidding farewell to Mr. Rudolph, Silas had to find another way to waste some time.

He ended up walking back to his home bench.

I wonder what Jovan will do after he finds out that I know about weaving, I can ask him other questions? Or ask for more money? For now, I should focus on climbing the ranks in the Rockette food bank, and not messing up my 'job'.

Having missed a lot of sleep the night before, Silas fell asleep on the bench.

...

By the time he woke up, it was already 8p.m. Being rested and energized Silas started the walk to 17 Rockette street.

When he arrived, Sophia greeted him and guided him to the kitchen. "We're always understaffed after the afternoon, so you might have to do more than one job, for now you'll serve food. Oh, also at the end of the event, there's free food for all volunteers."

After Sophia left, a veteran quickly explained how much food each person can have per serving, and gave Silas all the equipment he needed.

In two massive pots, soup was boiling, and salad sat in 6 big bowls.

Slowly but surely, people lined up outside the kitchen. About 300 people were there in total.

Silas gave each person a bowl of soup and a bowl of salad.

...

After everyone had been served, the volunteers got their share. Silas found an empty spot in the dining area, where all the guests ate. He sat across a young boy of 14-15 years old. The boy had long jet black hair and green eyes, he was also skinny for his age.

Deciding to start a conversation, Silas asked, "So, how did you end up homeless?"

The boy answered casually, "My dad gambled way to much when I was younger, he ended up accumulating a ton of debt, we had to sell the house. He and my mom ended up dying from illness a year later, so it's just me now."

"How about you?" the boy asked.

"You can tell?"

"Yeah, the jacket gives it away."

"Both my parents died when I was 10, they died in a gang crossfire, I didn't have any place to stay, so I just ended up living on the streets. I'm Silas, hope to see you around."

"I'm Malcom, glad to meet you."

After finishing his food, Malcom bid Silas farewell and left the food bank before curfew, so he could find a place to sleep.

Silas helped the other volunteers clean up and told Sophia that he'd be volunteering the same time tomorrow.

He ended up sleeping at the food bank for the night.

...

Sapphire City, Netellus Kingdom.

The headquarters of the BSA buzzed with activity, Lieutenant Aric Valen, entered a crowded room full of government officials, their faces etched with concern.

The headquarters was an imposing building, its high ceilings and marble floors reflecting the seriousness of its purpose

"Why did you call for a meeting, Lieutenant?"

Taking a seat, the purple-eyed Aric, said in a serious tone, "As all of you know, everyday the psychic department of the BSA conducts a search of any future hazardous events on the continent. Today, during the usual screening, we encountered a catastrophe taking place later in the year."

Murmurs spread throughout the room. Aric raised his hand, signaling silence.

"Thankfully it's January, so we should have time to prevent, or at least decrease the upcoming damage."

"Where is the catastrophe taking place?" A nervous government official asked. His voice barely above a whisper.

"Noes City."