As I summarized my childhood backstory to Nora, I provided additional context about my name. She calmed visibly, her aura of crackling energy slowly fading. “Alright, I take back my insults.”

“But you didn’t say any?”

“I thought them pretty loud,” she assured me. “But I can see your point now about knowing your birth name.”

“Yeah… I wonder if my parents just liked the sound of it, or if there’s some special hidden meaning…” What if they knew who I was right from the outset? But… wouldn’t they have spelled it ‘Raechel?’

Of course, at that young of an age, who can say if I knew how to spell it.

“Ahahaha!” Nora laughed in a high-pitched voice. “Who knows? It might have a completely different meaning here. The context would be totally different!” she remarked a little too enthusiastically.

I scowled. “Spill it. What does my name mean on Earth?”

“You mean… you’ve never looked it up?”

“No…” With so many people having it, I thought it was normal enough.

“Ewe.”

“Me?” I asked in confusion.

“Ewe. A female sheep.”

“I’m… a sheep?!” As indignant as I was, I did realize I had been a little passive in the past.

“It’s not like what you’re thinking! A beautiful, beloved sheep. And the name existed way before the false connotation of sheep being… easily influenced. Sheep are actually very clever!”

“Sheep… dragon… What’s with animal references anyway?” I muttered, still feeling vaguely insulted.

“Um… canonically speaking, sheep can also refer to god’s people. Or perhaps goddess’s people, too.”

I sighed. “Well, anyway. It’s my name, and I like it, just as it's spelled. Except I guess an enemy can use it against me. He didn’t say it, but I’m guessing he was referring to demons.”

“You said Raedine was weighing in on your discussion, too, right?”

“Mmm, at times,” I responded, thinking she was more focused on me than him. “Honestly, I’m wondering what happened between them, such that she thinks she sinned against His Holiness…”

“Rae… She failed to kill the demon king after fighting with the resident dark mage so badly that they were banned until… Well, you know. Isn’t that enough to be embarrassed about?”

I frowned and kicked at the ground. “Think I should try and get her to talk to him? It might make her feel better…”

Nora’s shoulders shot up as she started to look around frantically. “Absolutely not! You shouldn’t tell Relias about any of them!”

I hadn’t mentioned their disembodied advice nor occasional temporary takeovers to Relias, thinking that broaching the subject was way too weird. But I was certain one of the others had to have told him about Raeonna teaching me martial arts moves or about the time Raelina found the ghosts of her parents.

“You mean… he doesn’t know?”

“We decided he wouldn’t be able to handle it! After each… defeat… he would disappear for decades. Sometimes he brings them up, and that’s okay… but Aleph said every time they tried to ask about them… well, it was a mess…”

He’s an even bigger bundle of nerves than I am…

“I won’t mention it for now. Though, honestly, I feel like I won’t be able to hide it from him forever.” I sighed, letting the subject drop.

We left the quiet sparring grounds to head back to our tent. Father Irijah was huddled somewhat pathetically around a miserably tiny fire, its weak flames struggling to surface from a single charcoaled log. I motioned to Nora to go on without me and sat beside him.

“We’ve been traveling for two days already… Is it getting any easier for you?”

He tensed while trying to fix his gaze to the ground. “Chosen One! Th-thank you for bringing me…”

“How bad did he chew you out? Uh, I mean… He yelled at you pretty hard, huh?”

“I was remiss in my duty,” he responded flatly. “It is by his grace alone that I am allowed to continue my Purpose.”

“You made a mistake… maybe,” I hedged, recalling my misdirected attack on Nora after my failed attempt to talk with Olethros. “I’m still not convinced I didn’t do something wrong myself that night.”

Father Irijah shook his head stubbornly. “I should have tried to purge you regardless.”

“Really? Is that the protocol? After a demon fight… purge the paladins of any lingering animus?”

“Paladins?” he asked. “I’m not familiar with—”

“Holy knights,” I corrected myself.

“Oh. Only if we sense the animus. But I should have realized that my limited skill—”

“How can you be expected to act if you don’t have a pre-existing duty to act?”

“I… don’t understand.”

I nodded. “I didn’t at first, either. But think about it. If you’re not told you’re supposed to do something, then how can you be in trouble for not doing it? Seems to me that you can’t violate protocol if the protocol didn’t exist.”

“I will now… always attempt a purge for any knight after a demon battle, even if I cannot sense the animus myself. It is better to be safe than sorry.”

I nodded. “Sounds like you’re updating the protocol, then. I wonder if you wouldn’t mind sharing that with the other priests. I’m guessing it’s getting harder for everyone to sense animus, what with it building up everywhere…”

Maybe we were all becoming desensitized to it?

“I believe it better to ask that of someone else, Chosen One. I do not believe the others will take my advice…”

I tilted my head. “Whyever not? It sounded like a good idea to me.”

“My… connection to Pravum.” He sighed again. “Everyone knows of our relationship. We studied together, graduated together…”

“You’ve known him for most of your life, then,” I commiserated, proverbially tuning my ears for anything I could and would use against the Councilman.

“He wasn’t always like this,” he said quietly. “He used to look up to Relias for protecting the weak… people like me. But when Euphridia left, and Relias came back without you or the sword, it was like he had lost all faith. I owed him, though. I was never highly skilled with amity. But Pravum looked out for me during our years in Seminary. I couldn’t turn my back on him because he never turned his back on me. So, I sided with him and voted for Relias’s mandatory penitence. I wasn’t the deciding vote, but I know a lot of other priests who followed my actions due to my public stance on the matter…”

“I’m sorry you have to confront a friend. It’s not going to be easy.”

He fidgeted, wringing his hands together. “Please do not ask me to condemn him at his inevitable trial. I do not wish to cast judgment upon my brother. I will share all truths as I know them, but please… I beg you!”

What he was asking for was probably one of those procedures that fell under Relias’s purview, but his request made perfect sense. “I’ll talk to Relias on your behalf,” I promised. “I’ll do everything I can to keep you from assigning Pravum’s punishment, provided you help us unravel everything we need to evaluate.” I paused, solidifying the idea in my head that witnesses were not jurors. “Side note. Do hybrids really generate more animus than humans?”

“You’re asking me… who can’t even properly sense it?” he laughed coarsely. “I’ve never seen proof stating such, if that helps.”

“One last question… Does Pravum fight dirty?”

Father Irijah’s head snapped up as he looked me in the face. At first, it appeared he would adamantly deny it, but then his brow weakened. “He will resort to even the most degenerate tactics… but only as a last resort. Be careful, Chosen One. You should know that once he sees someone as an enemy, he will resort to anything to take them down.”

I stood up. “Thank you for talking with me. If you think of anything else we should know, please don’t hesitate to tell me.”

After I started walking away, he called, “…Captain Lightbringer.” I stopped to hear him out. “The false bottom in the second drawer on the right-hand side of Pravum’s desk. I believe there’s something in there you should review carefully.”

Turning with a slight start, I nodded. “I will.”

As you might have already figured, this leg of our journey was utterly bereft of any high-stakes physical action. While I was disappointed that I didn’t get to see any of the Lightweilders show off their skills, I was glad we didn’t enter into any skirmishes, either. I assure you that traveling in the heat of a new summer and coordinating our final approach to synchronize with the Order of the Silver by… bird… was enough tension for me. The soldiers became quite proactive in the following days, especially after one squad kindly but assertively demanded they scout ahead for any dangers, with Vernie overseeing the process. Honestly, I should have thought of it myself, so I was quick to agree. The road wasn’t entirely empty, either; people were coming and going to the ongoing fair on the outskirts of Amantia.

We did get a few loaded looks at our outfits, but no one was brave enough to get involved in whatever we were up to. I chuckled anxiously at several reports from the scouts as rumors of a “large group of entertainers, escorted by the King’s guard,” already labeled me an official imposter. I shared my concerns with Relias, but he simply shrugged, saying there was no point in correcting peripheral perceptions.

“We need to focus on the General Assembly’s reaction, no one else’s…” he mused as he straightened in his saddle. “And speaking of reactions, I cannot wait to see yours.”

“My reaction to what?” I asked anxiously.

He smiled and gestured at the small hill we were heading toward. “What lies beyond the other side.”

Aurum didn’t even wait for me to nudge him forward. He snorted and charged ahead to the hill's crest, stopping smack dab in the middle of the road to present me with the distant but unimaginable view awaiting us.

Swelling across the verdant banks of a sparkling, deep blue river, the Holy City of Chairo reached endlessly towards the sky. It glimmered with an ethereal golden glow emanating from its central temple that towered ambitiously above the cityscape.

The city’s overall celestial luminescence was further magnified by an iridescent dome-like barrier given life from the twelve rotating crystals interspersed evenly around the white marble outer walls of the city. From our distant vantage point, it was impossible to discern differences between the Sanctum and the Periphery. Still, the massive alabaster gatehouses that stood sentinel at all four cardinal points hinted that divine artistry was a mandatory requirement for the structures within.

As I gazed across the city’s dazzling and otherwise unprecedented form, my breath caught in my throat. Its awe-inspiring beauty was undeniable, but a sense of disappointment and sorrow crept over me. The southern border was tarnished by dark, angry scars—a chaotic sea of muddy, tangled tarps stubbornly clung to the river’s edge. Stark red banners flapped in the breeze, marking the squalid sprawl with a defiant yet dismal declaration that the population contained within was most unwanted.

“I know it is far from perfect,” Relias admitted. “But I am honored to call Chairo my treasured home.”

Post-Chapter Omake:

Nora: This line here... "How can you be expected to act if you don’t have a pre-existing duty to act?" Where'd you get that from?

Rae: Uh... are you saying I can't be so eloquent on my own?

Nora: I ain't saying it, but I'm thinkin' it rather loudly...

Rae: Here.

Nora: Five Rules of Causation: Development of Causal Statements? (see chapter description for link)

Rae: See Rule #5.

Nora: Knew it! Hey, but this is good stuff. It kind of makes me think a lot of errors are influenced by systems and not necessarily just because people make mistakes.

Rae: Uh-huh.

Nora: So when are you showing this to her?

Rae: ... *sweats visibly*