Phoenix stretched as they stopped for the evening. Paul hadn’t deigned to fill in the silence with conversation, which she hadn’t minded after such an eventful week and the flood of information she was still mentally working through.

  The ndscape hadn’t changed much as they made their way across the grassnds that had become hilly once more, finally stopping once they had reached the river that Paul had told her to find if something had happened in the Reality Rift.

  While Paul began setting up the camp once more for the night, she found a rge log of driftwood that she was surprised she could move. The thing must have weighed almost a hundred pounds, but it didn’t even make her sweat to move it near where their fire pit would be.

  With a hesitant gnce towards Paul, she finally made up her mind to forgo modesty at the moment so that she might have some when they reached a town. Trying to make herself small and unassuming, she removed her dress and conjured the new Sewing Kit she had gained from her quest in an attempt to mend the mostly shredded fabric.

  Phoenix was grateful that her mother had taken the time to teach her the skill when she had gained a temporary interest in embroidery in an attempt to fill some of her time. She pulled out the little kit that had a variety of needles in multiple sizes, colored thread, a thimble, and other miscelneous sewing tools. She picked out a green thread that almost matched the dark green of her dress and began the tedious work of mending the tears back together as best she could.

  As she worked, she moved her book over in front of her, and Paul surprised her by sitting right next to her to read it as well. He had finished the tasks quickly and already had more meat and some vegetables she didn’t recognize roasting over the small fire.

  Instead of pulling up the description for her abilities first, she asked the book for information about the new items she had received and could feel in her collection. Silently hoping the new boots would go well with her dress. While she had never been huge about following fashion trends like some of the girls her age, she did like pretty things and hoped her clothing reflected that.

  Item: Dune Strider Boots

  Boots made from the hide of a duneworm.

  Caste: Crystal.

  Avaibility: Uncommon.

  Type: Apparel, boots.

  Requirements: Crystal Caste.

  Effects:

  Improved ability to walk on sand.Keeps the wearer from overheating.

  “Well, these would have been nice before going into that pocket hellscape,” she muttered but was happy to have the boots anyway. She was pleased to find they were a neutral cream color that matched the undergarments she was currently wearing. She excitedly repced her torn leather sandals and attempted to conjure them directly onto her feet instead, like she had managed to do with her dress in her naked panic. It seemed fairly intuitive to her will, and the warm boots were a welcome addition.

  Phoenix then focused on something else in her inventory that had appeared after the battle in the desert and willed that description to dispy next.

  Item: Soul Cage

  A cage for the soul that increases power in exchange for control.

  Caste: Crystal.

  Avaibility: Epic.

  Type: Tool, ingredient.

  Requirements: Crystal Caste or lower.

  Effects:

  Impnting this into a body inhabited by a soul or monster seed gives the impnter control over them.Greatly improves the innate power of the impnted body.

  “Give this to me,” Paul’s voice growled from beside her. The vehemence with which he spoke gave her pause as her brow raised in surprise at him.

  He was kind enough to expin instead of simply demanding again, “I’m going to deliver it to the government in Tulimeir for study and safekeeping. It is a dangerous item that should not be in your possession.”

  She nodded and quickly materialized it in the air in front of him. It looked like a creepy hand with spindly bck cws for fingers, which bent inward to create a cage around whatever it held. Before gravity took effect, Paul’s Emerald Caste reflexes easily snatched it out of the air, and it quickly disappeared into his dimensional bag.

  Phoenix went quiet then, unsure of what to do or say with the tension that still hung in the air after the ex-padin’s zealous reaction. He watched her carefully for a moment, and then she felt a pressure against her aura again.

  The feeling was much clearer to her now, with her aura’s quadrupled strength making her all the more aware of what affected it. It felt like oil and water moving around each other as his much more powerful aura seemed to prod hers. She imagined the feeling to be simir to the police patting somebody down in search of contraband.

  “Is that sensation your aura trying to analyze mine?” she blurted out, feeling more curious than offended at that moment.

  His eyes widened in surprise, but he answered with blunt honesty, “Yes,” then followed up with, “Most untrained Crystal Casters or Mundanes wouldn’t be able to recognize it for what it is, only feeling a slight discomfort, but your aura is exceptionally powerful for your Caste.”

  Phoenix nodded, then asked even more hesitantly, “What are you hoping to find?”

  Their eyes locked again as he stated simply, “Truth and answers.”

  “Well,” she said hesitantly, “Maybe we can find those together? Perhaps… maybe you could, um, teach me more about… well, everything?”

  Paul hesitated to answer, uncertainty crossing his features for the first time since they had met. When he opened his mouth to reply, she shook her head, cutting off his response, “Never mind. Forget I asked,” she said in a rush.

  She had forgotten that the Adventurer was a busy man with his own life and mission, and his pns included pawning her off on someone else, not taking her in like a stray puppy, “You shouldn’t need to bother yourself even more with me.”

  Then, to distract from the awkwardness, she pulled up the description of one of her new abilities. She could feel it within her, begging to be used, but she had held back, wanting to read it before trying.

  Ability: Lunar Dream

  Type: Spell (construct, magical, illusion)

  Cost: Variable mana.

  Cooldown: None.

  Current Caste: Crystal 1 (0%)

  Crystal Effect: Construct an illusory model. Cost varies based on scale and duration. The Illusion is semi-transparent and intangible.

  “Are illusions useful in combat?” she asked, curiously looking up at the padin, who moved to turn the spit more after reading the information himself.

  “Depending on the circumstance. They can help confuse or distract the enemy. Protect your allies by taking hits that would have been meant for others. There are a wide variety of applications, and each ability will have its own uses,” Paul said, then tilted his head towards the text on the book, “This one seems versatile and will likely become much stronger as you cultivate it.”

  “Cultivate? What do you mean by that?” the Wayfarer inquired while she returned part of her attention back to mending the dress in her p.

  “You don’t really need to worry about that yet. Once you increase in Caste again, you can cultivate and upgrade your abilities further with Spirit Gems of the appropriate level,” he expined before sitting back down next to her and prompting, “What was the other ability?”

  Ability: Ruler of Retivity

  Type: Utility (magical, covenant)

  Cost: Variable mana.

  Cooldown: None.

  Current Caste: Crystal 1 (0%)

  Crystal Effect: Change the gravitational retionship between you and a target within sight with mana cost dependent on the distance, speed, size, and Caste difference from the target.

  “Interesting,” was all he had to say before thoughtfully scratching his bearded cheek.

  Phoenix frowned slightly at the book after reading the description. Paul seemed to notice her change in expression and said as if trying to reassure her, “It’s a good power.”

  She gnced back at him and queried, “Is it? It seems to focus on melee combat again… won’t this pull enemies closer or push them away?”

  The Wayfarer hesitated as though ashamed to admit her weakness, “I’m just not good at fighting. My week in the woods made that pretty clear. I’m not sure that I’ll be cut out for battling up close and personal, but my powers seem to be assuming that’s what’s going to happen. First a dagger and now this,” she gestured towards the floating book, “I thought I would be a support mage with my auras or something else on the back lines, not a warrior.”

  “You can be both,” he said softly, pulling the vegetables out of the fire and onto a pte.

  She gave a tiny scoff, “Is that possible? It’s not like I can be both up front and in back at the same time; my portal doesn’t work quite like that.”

  Paul seemed to hesitate before saying, “Your Css and Aspects seem to be a bit of a mixture of capabilities and roles,” he admitted, then paused, as though not wanting to say more, before giving a sigh and adding, “It’s probably the reason a lot of people actually avoid such an esoteric set.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him as she paused her sewing and stated, “You knew that before you offered me that Sun Aspect, didn’t you?”

  The Adventurer didn’t waver as he crified while roasting the still-cooking meat, “It doesn’t mean it can’t be powerful… just that it can be unpredictable in what kind of abilities you end up with. A lot of it is going to depend on the Spirit Gems you choose and the kind of person you become. I can say I’ve never heard of your exact Css before, though, so I’m not sure where exactly you’ll end up. However, I believe it will be anything but average.”

  Phoenix nodded, “That’s okay, I guess… I’m used to never being average.” She looked down at the ground between her feet and said with a self-deprecating chuckle, “Honestly, I’m lucky to reach ‘below average’ standards from the ‘completely useless’ that I normally fall under.”

  “You’re not useless, young one,” Paul firmly said as he carved off some of the roast to add to the pte of vegetables, “You have incredible Natural Talents and rather rare abilities. You survived alone for over a week in a monster-infested mountain range.”

  Phoenix tried to interrupt him to expin that she would have soon died from starvation without his rescue, without mentioning that she hadn’t survived, but he simply stalled her with a raised hand as he moved to sit next to her again and continued, “Then you agreed to follow me into a Reality Rift to encounter unknown danger with the intent of becoming stronger.”

  He lowered his hand and rested it on her shoulder, meeting her gaze, “That is not how I would describe someone who is useless.”

  “Indeed not,” a voice full of power said. It was unlike any sound Phoenix had ever experienced so far, and a crushing aura filled the area, making it almost difficult for her to breathe with the strength of it.

  They both spun to face the newcomer behind them, and Paul immediately dropped to his knees, the pte of food forgotten on the log, and he bowed his head in supplication towards the figure.

  Phoenix’s reaction, on the other hand, even took her by surprise as she whirled around to stand with a bck dagger in her hand as though another evil rabbit were about to pounce. Her half-mended dress tumbled to the ground next to the kneeling padin as she prepared to defend them both in only her underwear and boots.

  A ugh filled the area that caused a shudder of immense power to wash over her. It belonged to what looked like a man dressed in white leather armor with bck underclothes and a sword at his side. He had bright pink hair that matched his cloak and glinting metallic rune tattoos in a variety of colors on his exposed cream-colored skin. The fact that he must have been at least five meters tall and slightly glowing was what confirmed that he was definitely not human.

  Next to him was another of the tall glowing beings, but this one was feminine and barely dressed in white cloth that only seemed to cover her more intimate areas and stood out against her dark umber skin. Her wavy blonde hair flowed freely down her back and seemed to sway as though a gentle breeze surrounded her. The woman impressed her with how graceful, confident, and free she seemed to be. Both of them were the most beautiful beings Phoenix had ever seen, and both had their amused looks locked onto her.

  Her aura trembled under their scrutiny, and she felt transfixed by their presence. It was only Paul’s voice filling the silence that brought her attention back to her immediate surroundings, “Forgive this child, my Lord and Lady. She does not know of you and means no offense.”

  The way he said “Lord and Lady” made her feel like he wasn’t referring to them as though they were nobles, and her eyes widened as she realized what they must be. Despite all the books, games, movies, and worldly lore surrounding their existence, Phoenix had never thought that she would ever y eyes on an actual god. When the Magi or Paul had mentioned them, she assumed they were more… well, uninvolved with mortals like in her old world.

  Magic apparently changed those rules, however, and she dismissed her dagger with a thought. She mimicked the ex-padin in an awkward kneel as she spoke in the most polite way that she learned from many books involving nobility of the fictional variety, “Forgive me. I can only assume now that you are deities of this world.”

  “Indeed. I am Hero,” the first god replied, still grinning slightly.

  “I am Rebel,” the goddess added with a smile of her own.

  Phoenix stood straight once more and replied, “I’m, um, honored by your presence but…” she hesitated for a moment, still shivering under the weight of their gazes and auras, “But what is the purpose of said presence?”

  There was no hint of movement, but when Phoenix next blinked, her eyes were staring into Hero’s brilliant blue eyes. He had shrunk down to human size and had bent in front of her. The god was so close that she would have been able to feel his breath on her cheeks if he had been breathing at all. His proximity to her was overwhelming, to say the least. It felt like her very soul was being scorched by the sunlight emanating from him.

  “Stand, child, and read,” he commanded as he gave a reassuring smile, and this time, she saw the movement as he deliberately reached out next to her and touched the now bnk open page of her [Guide Book] still floating faithfully in the air at her side. A mixture of shimmering rainbow script flowed across the pages, and when it finished, Hero was no longer in front of her but back by Rebel’s side. She carefully stood and gnced at the new message that had been seared onto the page.

  New Quest: Divine Call for a Hero

  The deities Hero and Rebel have requested your aid to save a nation.

  Objective: Accept the divine quest with an Oathbond.

  Reward: Permanently increased quality of quest rewards.

  Objective: Gain Hero’s and Rebel’s mark of favor.

  Reward: Adventuring Pack and Divine Title.

  Objective: Retrieve the three legendary royal artifacts of the Tyrandian monarchy.

  Reward: Unknown.

  Objective: Find the lost heir of the Tyrandian monarchy.

  Reward: Unknown.

  Objective: Defeat the current Tyrandian Regent and pce the rightful heir upon the throne.

  Reward: Unknown.

  Bonus Objective: Do not cause a civil war within Tyrand.

  Reward: Unknown.

  Phoenix stared at the message, then back towards the pair of deities, then back to the message. She had questions, lots of questions. The one that managed to make it through the jumble of thoughts came out in a whisper, “Why me?”

  “Why not you?” Rebel’s clear voice rang out like a bell.

  “I’m nobody… I–” tears threatened to form in her eyes as all the reasons she was absolutely not worthy of something like this fshed through her mind, “I’m not powerful. I just became a Caster this morning. I’ve never done anything deserving of this… responsibility.”

  Her voice became heated as her fear over future failure gave way to anger over her past uselessness, “I can’t save an entire nation! I couldn’t even save my own mom or any of my friends!” Her shoulders sank at the admission of weakness as she stated weakly, “I– I’m no hero.”

  “You believe I do not know who would make a worthy hero?” the god’s voice pressed down upon her, and she felt herself bowing again at the sheer force of Hero’s power. It was like the world itself was threatening to crush her soul with the pair of immeasurably powerful beings so focused on her.

  The Wayfarer could barely catch her breath enough to gasp out, “No, of course, you can… I just… I…” she didn’t know what to say. She was at a loss for words to expin just how wrong all of this was.

  “Phoenix,” the soft feminine voice came from so close that Phoenix looked up from the [Guide Book] to find that a now human-sized Rebel was only inches from her.

  The Wayfarer tried to straighten her posture as much as possible while the goddess smiled softly at her and continued, “You are free to reject our quest. You are free to choose the path you walk in this world.”

  The goddess gestured to Paul who was still kneeling face down towards the ground in silence, “You are free to choose who you follow,” then she met Phoenix’s soft green eyes with brighter emerald ones that seemed to glow in the waning light, “You are free to choose who you try to save.”

  There was a heavy pause in the air as Phoenix processed her words. If she chose to reject the quest… Did that mean she was also choosing not to save all of those people?

  Hero then stood next to Rebel and Phoenix wanted nothing more than to crumple to the ground in that instance from the spiritual pressure of their proximity as he asked, “Will you choose the path of seeking freedom for others? Will you choose the path of a hero?” his voice reverberated through her and he asked with finality, “Will you choose to accept our quest and Mark of Favor?”

  Phoenix stared at the two deities, her uncertainty melting away as his words reminded her of the choices she had already made since arriving here, the path she had already chosen to attempt walking, and with a trembling voice she whispered, “I will.”

  “You must give us your Oath,” Hero stated, “Bond your words with your mana. Swear upon your magic.”

  “My Lord, she doesn’t understand–” Paul began from beside her but a pulse of the god’s power made him fall silent once more.

  Rebel gnced down at the ex-padin with amusement as she said, “The young Wayfarer is smart enough to abstract the meaning. She will honor her word or suffer her betrayal.”

  Phoenix scrunched her face with slight anxiety about messing up but the gods didn’t seem to worry about that. She gnced over at Paul, who didn’t argue further, then said to the pair of deities, “I swear on my magic that I accept this quest and will attempt to complete it as best I know how.”

  She felt something ripple through the mana suffusing her body and realized that she had most likely made some kind of unbreakable vow that she would dearly regret not following through on. At the same time, she felt a slight twinge around her right wrist and chanced a look down to find a rainbow of runes etched around it like a tattooed bracelet. She was surprised that she could understand the six runes that each read as whole words: Oath Bond Quest Hero Rebel Limitless.

  Then, slowly, Hero and Rebel both lifted a hand that overpped with each other and touched the center of her chest where her bra wasn’t covering. It felt like a bde had pierced straight through her heart and Phoenix could feel something searing not only her flesh but her soul as well. The pain caused her to finally fall to her knees, no longer able to withstand the restrained power of the gods, and she colpsed to the ground unconscious.

  When he sensed the Wayfarer colpse to the ground, Paul moved for the first time since taking his kneeling position as he checked to make sure she was still alive. The pair of gods had returned to their original position a few meters away and Rebel spoke to him now, “I know your intentions to be pure and honorable, Paul Waynd, and I hope you keep to them.”

  “Forgive my ignorance, Divine ones, but I don’t understand why you would pce such a request on a mere child with only a fraction of power to accomplish this goal,” the former padin dared to question, “Why would you ask this?”

  He gnced up to see Hero look fondly down upon the both of them as the god mercifully replied, “It’s not always about the goal, Paul Waynd. It’s about how she gets there and who might stand against her or beside her.”

  “We know you have little faith left to pce in us deities,” Rebel interjected, “Perhaps you should pce your faith in her instead,” the goddess suggested, gesturing to the young woman now sleeping in his arms.

  “Perhaps you will find a more fulfilling purpose in guiding others down a worthy path,” Hero advised, then gave a slight smirk and added, “House Waynd is known for cultivating some of the best heroes, after all.”

  Then they were gone and the former padin was left to tend to an unconscious teenager… again.