Chapter 14: Change

Samuel let out a long sigh, a hint of helplessness on his face, yet with a certainty that everything was under his control.

“Alright.”

He spoke slowly, his tone tinged with fatigue.

“Since you can’t accept your fate for now, I won’t force you.”

Luo Ling watched him warily, unsure of what he was planning.

Samuel raised the staff in his hand.

The gem at its tip flashed, and a gentle golden light shot toward Luo Ling’s forehead.

Luo Ling wanted to dodge, but found his body bound by an invisible force, unable to move.

He could only watch as the golden light entered his forehead.

A slight stinging sensation came, then vanished.

Luo Ling felt as if something new had appeared on his forehead, but when he reached up to touch it, it was smooth—there was nothing there.

“This is the ‘Brave Mark.'”

Samuel withdrew his staff and explained,”It won’t affect your life. It’s just a mark, a proof, and a sign of the Holy Light’s guidance and protection over you.

No matter where you go, whether you admit it or not, you are a chosen Hero.”

He paused, his gaze growing deep, as if he could see through the future.

“The shadow of darkness is spreading. When the world truly needs you, when those around you are threatened by darkness, this mark will awaken the power sleeping within you.

You will come to understand your mission and walk the path that belongs to you. This is prophecy, and also… your destiny.”

These words pressed down on Luo Ling’s heart like a heavy stone.

He had a premonition that Samuel’s words might really come true.

But he didn’t want to believe it, nor did he want to accept it.

“I won’t go.”

Luo Ling emphasized again, but his voice was a bit hoarse.

Samuel looked at him deeply, then said no more.

He turned and spoke to the village chief and the villagers.

“This young man is the Hero chosen by the Holy Light. Please treat him well and protect him. When he needs it, the Church and the kingdom will give him all support.”

With that, he led his attendants and knights onto the carriage and, under the villagers’ complicated gazes, left Falling Wind Village in grand procession.

The sound of hoofbeats gradually faded, and the village returned to tranquility—but the air was filled with a completely different atmosphere.

That peace had been broken, replaced by an invisible pressure and eerie silence.

Apostle Samuel had left, but the “Hero” Luo Ling, the mysterious “Brave Mark,” and the prophecy he left behind, were like a boulder thrown into the still lake of Falling Wind Village, stirring up endless ripples that would not subside for a long time.

The way the villagers looked at Luo Ling had completely changed.

Once, he was just a quiet, somewhat mysterious but friendly young man.

Now, he was the “Hero chosen by the Holy Light,” the legendary hero who could save the world.

Reverence was the villagers’ most direct reaction.

Walking on the road, people would instinctively make way for Luo Ling, their eyes filled with obvious flattery and fear.

Children no longer dared to play around him as they used to, and adults spoke to him cautiously, even with a hint of obsequiousness.

Luo Ling greatly disliked this feeling.

He felt like a monster, isolated from everyone.

He tried to greet and chat with everyone as before, but what met him were often awkward smiles and hurried avoidance.

Besides reverence, there was even more worry—and a faint, barely detectable rejection.