Cordelia and I embarked upon a grand journey across the world – to visit different land’s leaders to warn them all of the calamity that was foretold. It was for a noble purpose, no doubt about it – but even still, I couldn’t help but feel so happy at Cordelia’s side. Even though she was a goddess, she wanted to live and experience the world as one of its inhabitants – not just one of its creators. There were times during our travels where we would simply stop by different villages and cities, simply to talk to the locals. Cordelia was known quite well as a bard – I had the pleasure of hearing many of her wonderful ballads as we traveled.

Of course, having me at her side to wield her lance – we also helped to fight off hostile animals that would sometimes attack people. Us mercenaries are often trained to fight these hostiles – though Chrysathelia is majorly a planet of peace and coexistence, sometimes some animals will go “berserk” and attack any human in the vicinity. They are marked by their mutated features and dark magical energy, so effective battle techniques are needed to ward them off.

On my travels, I’ve had to fight off more hostiles than I ever had in my entire life. I just thought maybe, this was because I was traveling, and maybe these corrupted creatures appeared in higher frequency in other areas. But one day, after Cordelia and I had successfully subdued a hostile attack on a city we were visiting, we were sitting by the city’s riverside. It was then, when she posed to me a question:

“Aria, do you know why these hostile animals exist?”

I had never considered the question before. I stared at Cordelia, as she looked at me back, her eyebrows furrowed.

“If we, as the gods, created Chrysathelia as a world of peace, why would they exist?”

She clenched her fist over her chest, a gaze cast down. In the silence, I realized – a mysterious phenomenon of corrupted animals had plagued our world for generations, ever since the founding of our world. Stories and precautions of monstrous creatures in the dark of the wilderness dated back for… well, since forever.

“Something isn’t right about their existence. And even more concerning, is that they’re attacking more than before.”

“The calamity…” I said.

“They have to be connected somehow. There’s nothing else I can think of,” Cordelia’s eyes narrowed.

“So… do you know why they exist, Cordelia? The hostiles.” I grasped at my sleeve.

“I have… only a suspicion. But if that suspicion is correct…”

The sound of the river’s current continued on. Her shoulders tensed up.

“The calamity ahead is one of a truly devastating magnitude. We must be prepared, Aria.”

She glanced down at the lance she had given me, resting beside me on the grass of water’s edge.

“When the time comes, you must fight with everything you have. We have to protect this world, no matter what.”

I saw how much she loved this world – lived in it, connected to its people, and cared for it immensely. The pure passion and desire of a goddess, in that very moment – I felt it in my heart. This is the world I was born into, and lived in – I didn’t want to die, and I didn’t want our gods’ efforts and love to be destroyed.

Cordelia chose me to wield her divine lance, to fight against this impending calamity. I have something I have to do.

“I promise you, Cordelia. I’ll fight for this world, no matter what.”