Glenn and Archie and Ivili were still setting up camp when I took a break for evening prayer. I set up a miniature altar on a log. Knelt to begin then suddenly a voice echoed in my head.

  “Sofia! Run quickly to the northwest. My chosen is in danger.”

  I started running. I didn’t stop to think. I didn’t stop to tell Glenn or Archie or Ivili where I was going. I had to follow that voice. I know what it’s like to have magic compel you. To control you. This wasn’t that. I followed the voice because I needed to. Because I had been waiting years for something, anything, like this. A sign.

  For close to an hour I ran. The voice never spoke to me again, though somehow it guided me. I knew where to go and where I was told I ran to. I could hear Glenn yelling from behind. I didn’t flinch. I ran.

  I heard a woman’s voice yell out. She was circled by direwolves. I hadn’t realized what happened until I was holding her passed out in my arms. Looking at her for a moment, not knowing who I ran so far to get to. Though, as the blood from her arm stained my habit, I realized she still needed my help.

  “[Lesser Healing],” I cast to stop the bleeding. I set the torn parts of her arm back in place and began channeling mana into another spell. Praying over her arm for several minutes the faint light of my [Ritual Heal] closed the skin that was torn. Hopefully that saved her arm.

  “Sofia, what happened? Who is she?” Glenn said, kneeling next to me. I looked around, two of the direwolves were dead. I didn’t see what happened to the third.

  “I… I don’t know,” I said.

  Glenn let out a tired sigh. “It’s dangerous out here. Please, let me know if you’re going to go charging out into the woods.”

  “I’ll try.”

  “Let me carry her. We can’t stay out here for too long. Plus you know what’ll happen if we leave Archie with the porridge too long,” He said with a grin. He knows I’ll tell him what happened eventually. Not that I know myself.

  That was a god that called out to me? It had to have been right?! It wasn’t Lady Corlyn. The voice still echoed in my head. It was a man’s voice.

  “Nah, let’s just move camp here. We can’t bring back the wolves and the girl,” Ivili said, turning her head while she was inspecting one of their kills.

  “Ivili, we can leave the wolves beh-” Glenn started.

  “Nope.”

  “Are you going to-”

  “I didn’t run five miles for nothing. Get Archie, Glenn. Sofia has the girl to look over and I have direwolves to skin.”

  “Watch over them at least?” Glenn conceded.

  “Oh please, who do you take me for?” Ivili asked, while plunging her hunting knife into the wolf.

  “Keep an eye out Sofia I’ll be back soon, how are you for mana?”

  “I-I have enough,” I lied. I gave all that I had left trying to heal this woman’s arm. Glenn wouldn’t leave if he knew that.

  He was satisfied with my answer and looked up to Ivili. “You know I’ll have to drag Archie’s dumb ass over here?”

  “That’s your problem. Tell him I’m not leaving my prey. He understands. Or I’ll make him if he doesn’t.”

  “Fucking hells Ivili,” Glenn said truly giving up and leaving.

  Did I really run five miles? I hadn’t thought it was that long. I looked down at the woman. She wore plain linen clothes that were surprisingly white. Had long black hair that was tied in a braid and was likely a foot taller than me. Her skin was mostly unblemished and fair, though a bit reddish. As though it had only recently seen the sun after a long time without.

  “My chosen.”

  The words echoed still in my mind. I couldn’t see anything at a glance that made her special.

  “Whose chosen are you?” I whispered to her, knowing there’d be no response. “Whoever you are, please, let this be my path back to salvation.”

  I dressed her in one of my spare dresses and tried to watch over her during the night. She looked to be in mostly good health after I healed her. I was out of mana so there was little more I could do for her, apart from trying to clean the grimy and bloody robe she wore. Eventually I fell asleep, despite trying to stay awake. Even still she was the last to wake up the next day. Apparently, she’d gone three days without food or water or much sleep. It must have worn her down.

  During the day we made our way back to the roads. I kept an eye on her. Something will happen right? Why are you a god’s chosen? Maeori, who are you?

  ***

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  When we made it back to the heart of Firstlanding she asked to visit the cathedral. This is the moment, it has to be. I guided her and followed her and watched her eyes go wide. Was she also spoken to as well? She had mentioned wanting to join Glenn and Archie and Ivili. Was that in preparation for a quest?

  For some reason her face went pale as she sat down on a pew.

  “I… uh think we should talk in private,” I said, giving her a tug on the sleeve.

  “Yes, let’s,” She replied, not even looking my way. Her eyes were locked on Strolph’s statue at the end of the hall. The god to whom this Cathedral was dedicated to. I glanced at the familiar statue. His rugged but determined face. The bear head that rested on his shoulders whose pelt was worn as a cloak. The ax he wielded. Was she his chosen?

  I led her to a side door near the grand apse at the end of the hall. She only stopped me once right before we left the main hall to glance back towards the statues.

  The next service shouldn’t be until tomorrow. The women’s vestry should be empty so I led her there. There were some benches in the middle of the room with closets lining the perimeter. Maeori laid down on one of the benches.

  “D-did one of them also call out to you?” I asked.

  “Let’s just say I was granted a revelation.” My eyes went wide as she rubbed her temples as if it was an annoyance instead of the divine miracle that it was.

  “You received a divine revelation?!?”

  “Something like that I suppose,” she grumbled. “What’s the date?”

  “I-it’s the second Midweek of Lunaricial.”

  “And the year?”

  “981 of the Second True Era.” I looked at her confused at what the importance of the date was.

  “So I have what? Two years,” Maeori muttered so quietly I could hardly hear it. Her hands were still rubbing her temples.

  “Two years until what?” I asked, she gave me a look that made me guilty for asking.

  “Can you keep this a secret? Only between us?”

  “I swear it on Lady Corlyn.” Please, tell me the gods still have some use for me.

  “Oh so you’re a follower of Corlyn? I’m surprised I didn’t notice that sooner…” There was a pause before she continued. From our brief time together I could tell she had a habit of getting lost in thought. “Sorry. Anyways, in less than two years this kingdom will break out into civil war.”

  I stood there expecting more. A civil war occurring wasn’t too surprising. Glenn would often talk about politics so I was vaguely aware of the tensions between the Duchies of Primar and Wesher and the Kingdom of Hylesse. There were also more trainings and enlistments offered for field medics and combat clerics offered by the church in recent months as well. I can’t imagine the gods would give someone a revelation for something like that. For trifle mortal affairs. Does she not trust me? She mustn’t know that her god told me where to find her.

  “... O-oh, I see,” I said, after Maeori looked at me with an eyebrow raised like she was expecting something from me. “If I’m keeping your secrets can you keep one of mine?”

  “Sure.”

  “The night we found you I heard a voice during evening prayer. It… it had to be from a god. It was a man’s voice so I know it wasn’t from Lady Corlyn. He asked me to save you.”

  "What?!" Maeori sat up on the bench. Staring at me intently before she shifted her hand to her chin lost in thought.

  “D-do you know who it was who spoke to me?”

  “Huh, maybe with time I could make some guesses but nothing definitive. Wait, so a god told you where to find me?” It surprised me how genuine her surprise was. How do you not know which god you’re the chosen of?

  “I… yes. Who are you?”

  “That’s hard to explain.”

  “... What do you mean?”

  “I’ll need to work on this analogy,” Maeori mused thinking for a second, “but I guess you could say I’ve been a few different people in the past and this is my latest iteration. Likely beginning when I woke up in the woods. One of my past selves has had, let’s just say, a troubled history and offended some gods so I would rather keep my past private.”

  “How do you know you’ve been different people?”

  “I have their memories. I’ll describe it as this: instead of my soul joining the gods it reconstituted a body and here I am… speaking of.” She got up towards the mirror in the room and started looking at herself.

  “Does that mean you’re immortal?”

  “No, this is likely my last life. Guess I got to make it count,” Maeori said with a hollow chuckle.

  “I-I don’t quite understand.”

  “I promise I’ll explain it better in time. Just remember you swore to Corlyn to keep this all secret. That includes even in your prayers. You cannot even tell the goddess you swore to.”

  “I-I understand,” I lied. I didn’t understand who or what you are. I will keep your secret.

  Maeori seemed lost in thought. I sat on one of the benches there also taking a moment. My heart sank. I glanced quickly over to Maeori. This wasn’t what I was expecting. Please, I need something more from you. I need something, someone, to tell me the gods still have some use for me.

  I’ve heard all too often that the gods have a plan for us. Or that I need to follow the path the gods have set for me. For years before this there’d been no guidance for me. No path for me to follow except to follow the words of my betters within the church.

  I needed to see this through. This was the only path the gods themselves have given me. I needed to know that I’m still following their path to salvation. That they haven’t deemed me unworthy. That there was more for me than just saving Maeori. Though, she’s their chosen, not me.

  “What… what do we do now?”

  “I’m still figuring that out. Regretfully, I might not be able to keep my promise to join you, Glenn, and the others. Given the date and my revelation there’s someone who I’d like to meet in the Ryft Plateau in about a year and a half. That is unless you all are willing to accompany me.”

  “Is this the will of the gods?”

  “Yes, but it’s vague. It’s the best I can plan out with the information on hand. You’re still in training, correct?”

  “Y-yes,” I said, though I’ve been stuck where I’m at for some years now.

  “Do you have a mentor you can trust?” She sat down on the bench across from me. “As much as I’d prefer to keep this in a close circle I don’t believe either of us have the connections we need. It might be for the best to involve someone more integrated into the functions of the church.”

  “I can bring you to my mentor Fionn.”

  “That’ll do, thank you.”

  We ended up sitting in the vestry for a while longer. I breathed a sigh of relief. I’ve been ordained a path. To be a part of something greater. I needed to finish my training so I could go with them. So I could walk the path the gods have given me. Surely, this was it. The sign that I wasn’t worthless in their eyes. I wanted to leave. To return to the main cathedral so I could ask for the gods’ blessings. Surely, they’ll finally respond.

  It’d been nearly two years since the gods had bestowed me with a new spell or anything else. My training was stalled. Surely now that I walked again in their path. The path with one of their chosen no less. They’ll see me worthy again. Please.