"Changxi claims the boy," the chief priest said aloud before Chen could respond to Bai's challenge.

This time, the whole courtyard was covered with thunderous gasps, followed by soul-wrenching whispers. Shock and disbelief were registered on their faces.

"Changxi accepted the village scum?"

"A scum became a chosen?"

All the elders, including the chief elder, couldn't believe what they were hearing. Their patron goddess had never claimed any clan member openly before, not to talk of a useless and hopeless scoundrel. The chief priest glanced at Chen who, openly, expressed his happiness and relief.

"The boy belongs to Changxi now" the priest nodded in acknowledgement before continuing, "He comes with me."

The chief elder stared at the chief priest with dead pan eyes. Yet there was nothing he could do when the name of their goddess was involved. Despite his disappointment, Bojing managed to conceal his anger and frustration.

After normalcy had returned to the courtyard, the chief elder cleared his throat, "Changxi has spoken."

To disrupt their plan. Their aim was for his son to permanently incapacitate the boy. It would have been a blow and a future warning to all the clans who chose to be on their wrong side. But now, that was taken away by the meddling priest. Although there was nothing the chief priest would do without the bidding of their fallen goddess.

"So shall it be," the chief elder concluded.

And with that, the ceremony came to an end. The chief priest left the courtyard with the grateful Chen in tow. On his way, he turned to look at his silent but happy father. He had maintained his honour and that of the clan. For that, he was satisfied.

After they had walked for some minutes, Chen glanced at the chief priest, "Thanks for saving my life, spirit father. I'm in your debt."

"You're in our goddess' debt," the chief priest replied as they made their way to Changxi's temple which was closer to the centre of the village.

Chen had been to the moon temple before, on some ocassions, and had seen the beautiful structure, but now, the temple looked different to him. It was as if he could feel it and hear it. Transfixed on the temple, he began tracing his fingers on the wall of the inner section. The voice of the chief priest who was already few feet ahead, brought him back to reality.

"Wonderful, isn't it?"

"Yes...spirit father," Chen replied after finding his voice.

"Come, follow me. There's no time to waste," the chief priest voiced as he turned towards the right side of the inner section. He glanced at Chen and continued, "I believe you've already met the guardian."

"Not really, spirit father. I heard only his voice, and he told me to come to you."

"Chen, I know a great burden is being placed on your shoulders, but our lady must have her reasons. Sooner or later, whether we like it or not, her life essence will fade away. When that time comes, you'll be our guiding light. So, right now, there won't be any temple formality for you, Chen. There's no time to waste."

The chief priest glanced at Chen as they descended into the cellar of the temple. He placed his hand on a small stone statue of Changxi and uttered some words of spells. The statue shifted, revealing a flight of downward spiralling stairs.

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Facing Chen, the chief priest placed a hand on his shoulder, "For you to serve our lady, your soul must be awakened. I know your soul failed the awakening rite. But since our lady has chosen you, there's another way we can awaken your soul, Chen. Through the essence of our lady. You're very fortunate. However, there's something we need for the rite. That's why we are here."

Chen's heart had been beating faster since he learned that his soul could be aligned. There was a chance he could have a proper class and occupation like the others? He felt like rolling around on the ground. Although he had the feeling it wouldn't be a pleasant experience for him, he knew it was totally worth it. He was in his goddess' service now, and he would do anything for her. He could have been dead, years ago, if it wasn't for Changxi.

He recalled the words of his father on how he had found him in the woods when he was still an acolyte. His father hadn't known how long he had been there, but he knew the goddess had kept his son safe. Now at thirteen years of age, all grown up, he would forever be in his goddess' debt. Now that his goddess needed him, he would be ready. But for what exactly, he had no idea.

At the bottom of the pit was a massive stone wall. To any other eyes, it would appear a dead end, but the chief priest knew otherwise. He approached the stone wall and began to mumble under his breath. After a moment, he tapped the back wall of the alley with his energy-infused hand. Like ripples on a pond, concentric rings of crimson magical energy spread outward on the wall, radiating from the point where his hand had struck.

The circles flickered and vanished, but one of the stones continued to glow with dim scarlet light. The chief priest pushed lightly on the stone. There was a grinding sound, followed by a hiss of fetid air. A low opening appeared in the wall.

"This is the beginning of your journey, Chen. Our lady has faith in you. I have faith in you. You must find a golden soul orb for your soul awakening rite," the chief priest said in low tone before gesturing to the dark opening, "All you need to do is follow the passageway beyond, Chen. It'll take you to the Phantom Pits Of Shadows and then, the Thousand Crypts Of Souls. There you'll find what you need. From this point onward, you'll be on your own until you find the orb of soul.

The chief priest took out a magical seal from his bag of holding, and inscribed a magical rune on Chen's palm, "This will guide your path towards the soul orb. Oh, before I forget," the spirit father reached inside his bag of treasures and brought out a bronze magical item and gave it to Chen, "Take this. It's a greater teleportation item. It will return you to this place once you activate it. I'll be waiting for you when you return."

Walking back towards the entrance of the pit, the chief priest stopped and added, "Remember, Chen, we don't have much time left. May the glory of Changxi light your path."

Crouching, Chen passed through the opening in the wall into a cramped tunnel beyond. Behind him, the chief priest uttered a word of magic. The secret doorway shut with a foreboding boom, sealing Chen in tomblike blackness. For a long moment he stared into the thick darkness.

Gradually his eyes began to adjust. Stony walls, detached stones, and scuttling insects appeared before him in subtle shades of red. He was fearful but steeled his heart. He knew why he was here. His soul could be aligned if he found the orb of soul. During those long days he had been hiding in hideouts, his eyes had been adjusting to a little bit of darkness.

In a hunched position, he began moving down the low tunnel. Countless times it bent and twisted, until he lost almost all sense of direction. At several points he was forced to crawl on his belly over heaps of rubble where the tunnel had caved in. The foul air was oppressive, and he breathed it in shallow gasps through his open mouth. Yet he was determined to go through any length to align his soul.

All of a sudden, he came to a halt. The passageway, which had been level, up to this point, suddenly plunged down before him. He stood there thinking of what to do. Although the chief priest had described the passage to him, the downward steep looked more dangerous than expected. He had to be extremely careful, but he knew he could do it.

Keeping his center of balance low to the floor, just like when he was escaping the innkeepers, he inched his way over the edge of the incline. His legs skidded on a layer of slime and he fell. His hands shot out, but it was no use. The walls and floor of the tunnel were both dripping with slick slime. His legs and fingers scrabbled furiously against the slimy surface.

He was about to make it back up to the edge of the incline, when he lost his grip and careened headlong down the steep slope.