Meteor Fall Master in the 'Starry Abyss'
Chapter 790 - 396. Suffering Wayfarer

Chapter 790: 396. Suffering Wayfarer

Alfen trudged alone through the desolate streets.

Muddy ground, cold and damp air, Void Monsters lurking everywhere, everyone’s hearts were ashen.

For the most ordinary youth in the Kingdom, all of the above had become his only understanding of the world.

The officials and nobles enjoyed the best and safest shelters, even in sickness and death they had Alige’s protection, while the knights of the Kingdom were the elite, with everyone dreaming to become one of them.

"I will become a knight," he declared, "and then lead everyone to happiness!"

However, becoming a knight was an unattainable dream.

At first, Alfen had the will to strive for change, always practicing martial arts with the old soldiers in the town, hoping to serve the country in the future, to become a knight, to resist the Void.

But before the 17-year-old Alfen could wake from his dream, a series of disasters struck.

His family’s fields were flooded, forcing them onto the path of leaving their homeland. His father was beaten to death by thugs while defending their food, and after just one night sleeping under a rock, his somewhat attractive sister was taken by Raiders and vanished without a trace.

His mother was very strong, gripping him tightly as they forged ahead, and just as they were about to cross the riverbank, with the town in sight—the Void Monsters suddenly attacked her, gutting her and flaying her alive.

"Run! My son, run!"

Faced with that bloody slaughter, Alfen’s mind went blank, and his legs moved on their own accord.

He remembered nothing, only his mother’s cries echoing in his ears.

Alfen kept running while people fell around him. He didn’t know how long he had been running, nor whether he was fast or not. He couldn’t remember how the sun scorched his back, nor how his fellow travelers succumbed bit by bit to the Void Infection, their flesh peeling away until they fell pitifully by the roadside, cradling their heads awaiting death.

When he regained his senses, there were no longer any Void Monsters around him, nor was there any other living person.

He walked the earth alone, with a numb and vacant gaze.

Alfen did not complain about the unfairness of fate; in fact, after losing his family, he no longer had the strength to curse the calamity. The only thing that filled his mind was the echo of "Run! My son, run!"

He didn’t know why he should continue to live, he just instinctively followed that one directive.

Alfen continued down the road, scavenging for anything to fill his stomach. Only when the Substance Rain fell would he seek shelter; otherwise, he kept moving.

There were no complaints, no sorrow, no pain. His heart was like stagnant water, and he couldn’t even muster hatred for the thugs, the Void, and natural disasters that had killed his family.

It wasn’t that he had forgotten all this, but he simply lacked the energy to struggle with those thoughts anymore.

He walked on for who knows how long, his clothes turning into rags, his skin cracked and dry, left with nothing but his life.

But compared to other things, a more serious and immediate crisis lay before him.

Gurgle...

His empty stomach constantly burned, his eyes whitened, and the world before him alternated between darkness and inversion.

In his numb and monotonous life, hunger finally emerged as something worth his attention, beyond mere forward motion.

Starvation.

He crawled blindly, reaching out into the air, trying to snatch every bit of an edible scent, following that trail step by unsteady step.

In the distance, a dark shadow appeared on the mountaintop, then turned into dots, a bustling crowd. Alfen could no longer care to discern whether it was food or the sweaty smell of people; he didn’t care whether it was the oppressive military or the haughty Kingdom Knights.

The Kingdom Knights, whom he had once admired and yearned for, did not show the duties befitting Guardians of the Kingdom in the stricken areas. They beat the civilians brutally, scavenged for food, and protected important officials and nobles to leave, showing not a shred of respect to the civilians.

He knew there was nothing left to eat in the wilderness.

Bent over, Alfen moved towards the group of people. The closer he got, the clearer the scent wafting through the air became—it was the aroma of barley and rice.

Gurgle...

Hunger struck again, and Alfen completely lost his senses as he rushed towards the others. He saw the figures cloaked in black and green robes drawing closer, holding banners bearing the four-horned ox head.

Almost there, almost there!

He quickened his pace, but just when the team was a few hundred meters away, his foot plunged into a small puddle and he tumbled to the ground, passing out.

Hunger ravaged his body, exhaustion tormented his will, and the long, grueling march had reduced Alfen from a civilized man to a primitive beast.

After an indeterminate period of darkness, Alfen’s dim world suddenly filled with color. His eyelids turned orange-red with the flames, as clapping and singing surrounded his ears, and the smell of burning wood assaulted his senses—an instinctual craving for warmth that immediately woke him up.

He opened his eyes and sat up abruptly, finding the starry night replaced by the lofty tent, the beds filled with patients and the bustle of nurses, and the IV in the back of his hand constantly reminded him that he was no longer exposed to the wilderness but was inside a civilized sanctuary.

Feeling strange, Alfen instinctively looked down to check his body.

He was no longer in tattered clothes but wore clean, roomy garments. The wounds he sustained during the harrowing escape had been treated, smeared with ointment, and wrapped with bandages, while the scent of medicinal herbs lingered in his mouth.

Alfen uncovered himself and saw his bloodied feet had been carefully cleaned and now wore clean, breathable socks. The sensation of being swathed and protected rose from the soles of his feet and spread throughout his body, almost bringing him to tears.

"Ah, you’re awake."

Alfen looked up to see an elderly man in black and green robes slowly approaching him. The old man had white hair and beard and looked kind and benevolent, holding a scripture and the holy emblem with the four-horned ox head.

As he reached Alfenmi’s bedside, he bowed slightly and said,

"Thank the grace of His Excellency Gio Zieou, we have saved another life. Child, do not worry, you are safe now. You haven’t eaten for too long, so we can’t arrange for you to eat right away—but don’t worry, after two more days of concentrated glucose, you’ll be able to move normally and eat."

Alfen stared at the old man, his gaze fixed on the inadvertently exposed scripture and emblem in the man’s embrace.

The emblem of the four-horned ox head, the green and black attire, was utterly foreign to Alfen, an image he had never encountered before.

"...Is all of this real?"

He murmured.

"Thank you..."

"No, there’s no need to thank us."

The old man simply smiled, patted his shoulder, and said,

"It’s all by the will of His Excellency Gio Zieou."

"Gio Zieou..."

"Yes, child, that is the Deity we worship. He holds humanity in His heart, predicted the coming of this Calamity, and commanded us messengers to rescue people everywhere—if you wish to give thanks, then thank His Excellency Gio Zieou."

"...But what do you get out of it?"

"We seek nothing for ourselves. Everything we do is guided by the Deities. We believe in Him, and only Gio Zieou can help us overcome all these difficulties."

As he spoke, the old man offered the holy emblem to the young man:

"To tell the truth, we are short on hands, and there are many more people in need of our salvation. If you are interested, you are welcome to join us and spread the gospel of His Excellency Gio Zieou."

"Religion? But the Kingdom Parliament should have eradicated religious beliefs decades ago."

"I think, if you have nothing to begin with, rather than awaiting death, it’s better to start by believing in a deity."

The old man shrugged his shoulders and said lightheartedly:

"After death, either submit to the Void or join the cycle of Gio Zieou and live another life—it’s entirely up to you."