Desmund had never been a talented person…

He had been saving money to purchase a Philosopher's Elixir since it was the only way commoners could have a chance of becoming an Arcanist… Yet here he was, standing with power flowing through him.

"What… what did you do to me?" he asked, trembling in fear and excitement.

He knew that this wasn't the Awakening that he had heard from others. He was definitely not an Arcanist… It felt as if he was blessed by some kind of mystical entities…

'This is weird…'

He was feeling a power that was very different from the Arcanists he had felt from the others before.

The cloaked figure replied, "We gave you what you lacked. You are now considered... Hmm… Extraordinary Human… Use this gift wisely."

Well, what they gave him was Draconic Powers through their blessings and not really the power of Arcanists.

The sources of energy were different from each other.

Desmund's knees almost buckled as the energy settled inside him. His hands trembled, and he pressed them against his chest, feeling the strange rhythm of power flowing through his veins.

"I… I don't understand," he whispered. "I've dreamed of becoming an Arcanist my whole life, but I never had the talent, never had the money. And now… you've given me something so amazing. I don't know how to thank you."

The scholar in robes, Ash in disguise, gave a faint smile. "You already know what we wanted…"

Desmund nodded quickly… "Right… About that Evil Entity you mentioned… what must I do? How do I use this? I don't want to fail you."

Although he felt powerful, he had no idea how to utilize it…

The cloaked figure, Drazek, stepped closer… He knew that they had to guide this man properly.

"Your task is simple. Walk among the people. Find those whose souls have been tainted by Lust. You will feel it… the corruption will call to you. When you find them, you must cleanse them."

Desmund swallowed hard. "Cleanse… you mean that purification that might kill them?"

Zerel, the noble traveler, chuckled lightly. "Yes… But as we mentioned before, if the corruption is shallow, they will survive. Their souls will be freed. But if it is too deep, the cleansing will burn them out. They will die."

Desmund lowered his head, his voice heavy. "T-that's right… Then I'll do it. I'll cleanse them. I'll protect this city. Even if I'm afraid, I'll try. Just teach how to do it!"

Drazek's eyes glimmered beneath his hood. "Good. Fear is natural. But don't let it control you. Lust feeds on weakness. If you hesitate, it will spread. But don't worry, we will teach you how it's done…"

Zerel placed a hand on Desmund's shoulder…

"Be confident… We have chosen you for a reason. You will be able to do this…

Desmund looked at each of them, and he felt calmer now…

"I don't know who you truly are… but I'll trust you. I'll pray to you every day, and I'll carry out this duty. Please… guide me when I falter."

Ash's smile deepened. The guy doesn't have to pray to them after all.

"Then rise, Desmund. From this day forward, you are no longer just a man of Harake City. You are our chosen. An Extraordinary Human."

Desmund bowed his head, tears forming in his eyes. "Thank you… I'll never forget this. I'll never waste what you've given me."

The three figures exchanged glances, satisfied. They had found their proxy.

And so, Desmund's new life began… He was trained by the three figures for two days straight before being sent to roam around the city to do their bidding.

***

From that day forward, Desmund began his work.

He walked the streets of Harake City, disguised as an ordinary man. Right now, at the very least, he looked like a decent person and was no longer smelly or dirty…

Then, every time he found someone whose soul was tainted, he would place his hand upon them and release the cleansing energy.

Sometimes, the person collapsed, screaming, before returning to normal, in a very weak state…

Other times, they died instantly, their bodies unable to withstand the purge…

When that happened, he would always have to leave the place as quickly as possible since the Lust's Apostles would come for him…

Each death weighed heavily on Desmund, but he reminded himself that it was better than letting Lust consume them completely.

He never knew the true nature of the three beings who had chosen him. To him, they were mysterious benefactors, god‑like figures who had saved him from despair.

Nonetheless, every morning, he prayed to them.

"Thank you," he whispered, "for giving me this chance. For letting me protect my city. For trusting me."

He prayed to the scholar, the cloaked figure, and the noble traveler, not knowing they were Ash, Drazek, and Zerel, the Ancient Dragons in disguise.

***

In the meantime, within the lavish manor in Harake City, Lust sat quietly in the body of a young noblewoman.

Her crimson eyes glowed faintly in the dark as she collected another satisfying amount of energy around her…

However, she quickly hid this energy since she knew that many powerful Arcanists had already taken notice of her activity.

She had already taken control of nearly a quarter of the city's population. Merchants, priests, guild leaders, even nobles, all of them were feeding her with their desires. Every indulgence, every betrayal, every broken vow gave her strength…

But something was wrong.

Many of her sources of energy had begun to vanish. The flow of corrupted souls she relied on was being cut off.

Lust frowned.

"Someone is interfering… someone is purifying them. They're not those Untainted Sentinels or Oracles."

Her voice was soft, but the air around her trembled.

She remembered the battles she had fought against the Holy Arts and Psychic Arts Practitioners. They had tried to resist her, to trap her mind with their illusions and foresight or even destroy her soul by purifying her…

But she crushed them all. Their resistance was nothing compared to her power.

Yet this new presence was different. It wasn't a group of Arcanists.

It was one person!

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