It was late afternoon by the time Kuroshi finally reached the gates of Wallontia City. A pair of guards stood outside the entrance as per standard practice. Both wore silver, conical helmets on their heads and some sort of padded armor upon their bodies. On the fronts of their armor, the iconography of an open book was stitched in purple: the Wallontian coat of arms. At their sides, they held pikes, remaining vigilant in their patrol of who entered the capital.

As the young woman wearily approached, the guard on the right held out his hand to stop her. "You don't look much the traveler. What's your business today?"

While she was aware of this part of the process of entering the city, she had never done this by herself. She hadn't been to the capital since she was a young child and she naturally would not have been the one clearing things with the guards.

She began nervously stammering which did not help her case. "Oh, I uh-"

The guard on the left had his eyes fixated on her as she struggled to formulate a sentence but then decided to interject. "Hey, don't talk to her like that!"

The first guard raised an eyebrow at this. "What do you mean? I'm just doing my job."

"But look at her!"

"Huh? Sure, she doesn't look like she'd be any sort of threat, but we're on high alert, you know."

This piqued Kuroshi's interest. "High alert…? Did something happen?"

"Oh, yeah. Rumor has it there's a demon in the area. I don't believe that sort of stuff personally, mind you, but we can't let anyone suspicious in."

"Well, I'm just an ordinary villager from Penshaw."

"Yeah? How old are you?"

"Sixteen."

"Are you bringing any goods with you?"

"N-no… I actually forgot to pack before I left."

"You went on a fifteen-kilometer trip without supplies? What weapons do you have on you then?"

"None."

"We'll see about that."

The guard frisked her and thoroughly searched her over until he verified her claim. The other guard appeared appalled as he watched, though he did not say anything.

"I'll be damned. She's really traveling without anything. Not even a dagger for protection! Those Penshaw folks really don't have any common sense. Well, whatever. You can pass, girlie. Just don't make any kind of a scene unless you want to be taken to the stockade."

She nervously nodded and hurried along past the gate. It was much larger than the small town she grew up in and the sights and sounds were a bit overwhelming to the simple girl. Even from the entrance, she could see one very large building in particular with its massive stone spires towering over the rest of the scenery. From what she recalled, this was Wallontia City's magic academy: the largest and most prestigious school for magic in the entire nation. It was always an impressive sight, no less breathtaking now than when she was a kid. 

Unlike Penshaw, Wallontia City was filled with cobblestone walkways. She was used to everything being grass and dirt. She was also used to more wooden buildings but here, there was a fair amount of stone in the construction. It all gave the sense of a more developed city. Curiously, as she ventured through the town, she felt as though some of the citizens were staring at her. Was it her imagination? 

Ignoring this, she looked around for a place of lodging. Her feet were sore and she was worn out from all that had transpired so far. The poor girl needed rest. She considered looking for an inn, but her funds were limited. While she could likely afford it, what if she had to buy something else while she was here? This thought caused the girl to turn her attention toward the monastery. She knew they sometimes took in travelers and gave them a free place to stay so long as they were considered pious enough. It was worth a try at least, she figured.

Upon reaching the monastery, she was greeted by an older man with a slightly wrinkled face, his brown hair in a crown around his head. He bore a congenial smile, cracking further creases on his face. He was dressed in a long brown robe and brown sandals.

"Welcome, child. How may I be of service to you?"

"I'm a bit weary from traveling and was wondering if you had spare room for me to stay."

"Of course! All of Seirin's children are welcome here. We still have some room available for you to lay your head and you may share in tonight's meal."

"Thank you, sir. You're most generous."

"You may call me Friar Dean."

"Oh, yes. I'm Kuroshi. Kuroshi Kusabana."

The friar cocked an eyebrow at this.

"I'm sorry. Your name was a bit unexpected given your appearance."

"Oh, that's probably because I was raised by a Yuanese woman. She's the one who named me."

"I see. And what brings you here today, if I may ask."

"Hmm… I guess you could say that I'm trying to learn some things."

"A quest for knowledge is always a noble one. I hope you find yourself enlightened. Remember, child: if you are ever lost, just seek the guidance of our great goddess and she will surely show you the way."

She nodded in acknowledgment before Friar Dean showed her where she would be staying. It was a rather sizable room with several cots lining the floor. There were a few other travelers already there who briefly looked at the two as they entered the room but otherwise went back to their businesses. This would be a new experience for the young woman. She had always slept in her own bed at home. This was the first time she had to share a room with strangers.

As Kuroshi slept, she had another strange dream, the same woman as before was calling out to her. The white-gowned woman’s hands were clasped and a gentle smile adorned her face.

The girl tried hard to focus on what she was seeing this time. The mysterious woman appeared to simply exist in a void. No other people, objects, or scenery was to be found. All Kuroshi could see was this woman illuminating the space of her mind.

“You have awakened to the light, my child. Good… please use that light to rid this world of darkness…”

Kuroshi struggled to make sense of this cryptic message.

“Wait! Who are you? What do you mean? I don’t understand!”

Instead of any answers, the vision simply faded to black.

Kuroshi arose the next morning, still confused by her dream. She was offered breakfast, which she graciously accepted.

After the meal, Friar Dean approached her, smiling as always.

"You look so much like the depictions say. It's so strange."

"Depictions? What are you talking about?"

"My apologies. I just assumed you would have heard this countless times before. Your appearance is very similar to that of Seirin herself."

"Is this why some people are looking at me funny? Do I really resemble the goddess so much?"

The friar nodded. "Absolutely. The hair is one thing, but I don't think I've ever seen anyone with eyes that color before."

"Please, sir… tell me more about this goddess."

“You mean… you don’t know of Seirin?”

It would be extremely difficult to go through your life without having at least heard of the goddess before—especially in Wallontia where they revered her so heavily. Still, Kuroshi’s knowledge was extremely limited. Wakana oddly never mentioned Seirin when raising Kuroshi, so she only heard the name in passing from other villagers.

“Well, I heard she created the world and whatnot, but I’m no expert or anything. I hope you can understand why this is so confusing.”

“Seirin is the benevolent goddess who protects the world from the blight cast upon it by the evil god, Dakra. She is described in scripture as having long, flowing purple hair… eyes of amethyst… dressed in white. I think you can see why you bring that description to mind.”

Kuroshi took a moment to think about this. Rather than acknowledge the similarity with herself, she recalled the dreams she had been having.

“I’ve… seen a woman fitting that exact description in my dreams recently. Her messages are always confusing and I don’t understand why I’m having these dreams.”

The brown-robed man’s eyes widened again upon hearing this.

“Could you possibly be… the Chosen One…?”

“Chosen One?”

“When the world plunges into the depths of despair, Seirin gifts us a special being—her scion—to restore order and quell the darkness. This has happened time and time again throughout history. I believe the last one was over four hundred years ago. It seems like a pretty fitting time for a new Chosen to be cast upon the world. Recently I've heard reports of demon attacks. Surely, this must be the work of Dakra. But… wouldn’t the Chosen know who she was…?”

“Sorry to disappoint you but I’m nothing special like that. I couldn’t have just been sent here to fight darkness or something. I’ve lived a very simple life in Penshaw. I’m just an ordinary girl.” Though she said this, she began to wonder to herself: could she really be someone special?

“So it’s just a coincidence then…?” 

“I guess so. Surely the world’s savior didn’t spend sixteen years being raised in a small town like a regular person.” 

The holy man rubbed his chin. 

“No, that wouldn’t make sense, would it? According to the scriptures and history that I’ve read of this sort of thing in the past, the Chosen just appears suddenly to be the world’s savior. They’re not born like ordinary people. If you have parents and everything, that would be inconsistent.”

Admittedly, Kuroshi never knew her real parents, but she had no reason to suspect she didn’t have any. Why wouldn’t she? If there was something unusual about her, she was never told. Did Wakana hide something from her or are these people simply mistaken?

“Still, this whole matter does interest me. I don’t know why but I just wish I could learn more about the Goddess and the Chosen. There must be some reason why one hasn’t appeared in such dire times. Maybe if I researched the matter, it could lead to the answer.” She then chuckled to herself. “Perhaps that’s a bit presumptuous. Still, it would bring me some peace to at least try. I don’t suppose you would have any suggestions on where to find good information on these topics?”

He paused for a moment before answering.

“The best source would be the Royal Library. The Royal Family had assisted the Chosens of the past when Wallontia was a monarchy, so there would likely be documentation in their archives. As far as I know, you would need special approval from a high-ranking government official to access them.”

“I figured it wouldn’t be simple. Still, I’ll try what I can. And if I get nowhere, I suppose it just wasn't my place.” She bowed her head to the man. “Thank you for your hospitality.”

“It is our duty to serve. And if you have some connection to the goddess, an honor as well.”

With that, Kuroshi left the monastery. She would have to visit the government offices to access the Royal Library.