[4]..

Rhod shook his head, trying to chase numbness from his mind.

-It doesn’t make sense. They made a whole religion about… my ship? He asked, confused.

-Indeed. An amusing thing, if somewhat grim, Pandore replied.

She looked at him with a soft, gentle smile. Despite his continued annoyance, the human couldn’t ignore how the goddess had changed. She had grown, almost reaching his own height. Gone was her closed, stern face: she now always wore a soft, amused smile on her lips and her azur eyes, full of confidence, glinted with a mischievous sparkle. She had even left her strict attires for a white, casual sundress.

-Anyway, she said, sipping her cup of tea. You said that you want to live a normal life, that I understand. But I must ask: how normal a life are you planning to live? You could kick our butts when we were mortals, and probably can still take on one or two of us as gods with your power and armor.

Rhod closed his eyes and sighed, already tired from the short exchange.

-I’m sure that smug little grin means you got an idea already, he simply replied.

Pandora chuckled, pouring herself another cup. Both the goddess and the human were seated at a large circular table, in an elegant room of clean bricks. Large windows gave a clear view of the town roofs and of the sky, in which what looked like an hybrid between a plane and a boat slowly floated across the sky. The walls were bare, aside from a few trinkets and paintings, one of which depicted a woman standing atop a pile of dark silhouettes, her shield bathing the scene in golden light while she skewered yet another dark silhouette with a gray - if not silver - spear. She looked calm and composed, fighting off the herd.

-I’m pretty sure this didn’t happen, he said while eyeing the depiction.

-Mother has recounted what happened to the first inhabitants of this world. They made their own interpretations then.

-Back to the solution, please?

Rhod and Pandore looked at each other in silence for a few minutes, staring intently. The atmosphere was as tense as it was awkward between the two.

-Well, Pandore finally said, sighing. It all relies on the assumption that your powers come from the system you depend on, she explained. The goddess then looked at her guest, expecting him to confirm or deny it but he simply looked at her, unmoving.

-...If that is right, she pursued, then you “simply” need to adopt Erasia’s system.

-I would have to start from scratch, then? He asked, frowning at the idea.

-That is the only way you can choose your path all on your own, and be “normal”.

Having said that, Pandore gracefully stood up, her silky black hair swaying in her back, her pointy ears poking through.

-Anyway, I got to go. I have duties now and not necessarily the most pleasant ones. She searched into the inner pocket of her dress, and produced an envelope which she placed on the table, next to Rhod’s untouched cup of tea.

Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

-We will not be able to meet anytime soon, so if you need something or have questions… she then tapped on the envelope with the tip of her fingers, before walking to the room’s only door. She took hold of the bronze handle, before stopping in her tracks.

-We’re grateful for everything you have done for us, Rhod. And if you ever feel lost… Give me a prayer, ok? She said amusedly, before leaving.

Left alone, the young man leaned onto his seat and closed his eyes, rubbing his temples. His mind was just too tired to deal with any of this. He remained in his chair, eyes closed, to do some thinking.

A few hours went by, spent reminiscing about the past and the latest events he had lived through. The conclusion was far from glorious. He slammed his fist on the table.

-What am I even doing…?! He whispered to himself, his voice full of frustration.

His thoughts drifted to his family. He had barely known them, and had always had a somewhat bad relationship with them. He wished that he had been able to talk with them before the whole universe went up in flames.

The Scourge had made a living hell out of his already shitty life, pushing him ever further into an unending cycle of violence, pain and loss. He’d been sent to all corners of the known universe, anchored a dozen shield worlds, and mourned as many comrades as Kjatans he had killed.

He still mourned Litha and Deunan. The only death he regretted was Iskard's. Because while Iskard’s death was a tragedy, he wished he had been the one to kill him with his own hands.

-Sir…? A muffled voice came through the door. Snapping out of his thoughts, Rhod realized that the night had fallen outside, leaving the room in partial darkness. A quick glance towards the table allowed him to confirm that his helmet was within arm reach.

-Yes?

-My apologies, sir, said a boy’s voice. The kitchen says you didn’t come for your dinner. Would you like it delivered to your room?

Rhod looked out the windows, extending his senses around him but felt nothing out of the ordinary. The town was as calm as it could be.

-Sir…?

-No thanks, Rhod said. But noting the dry way he had spoken, he added 'Good night'. But it came out dryly again and the boy had gone away already.

Groaning, the young man took his helmet in hand and walked up to the bed, cautiously sat on the edge and called his armor out to lie down. He sighed deeply and longly, and turned on his side. He knew he had become an awful person over the years. Yet, it had been a long time since he had last made an actual effort to improve.

He looked at the ceiling, on which the lights from the street below were reflected. Shades of yellow and white here, some azur blue there and a tinge of a dark red between. Were towns and cities supposed to be this calm at night? He could barely hear anything from here. No screams or gunshots. No emergency sirens. No distant detonations either. All he heard were a few bats flying about, and the occasional hooting of an owl.

Paradoxically, the calm was keeping him on edge. Reason told him he was safe, but the deepest part of him wanted to run. To leave this building, this town, to seek refuge in the wild where he would be difficult to locate and take down. He shook his head. ‘I’m safe’, he told himself.

He took several long and deep breaths, slowly relaxing himself and decontracting his muscles, step by step. He kept his eyes open, looking at the dancing lights on the ceiling to chase gruesome images out of his mind. Yellow light. White light. Blue light. Red light.

A cat meowed somewhere, and the white light went out. Yellow, blue and red.

Sleep would not come, he knew it. He had seldom had any free time before, and found it hard to face his thoughts. He sat on the edge of the bed and looked around. His eyes went over the windows and onto the walls. Wooden objects representing Gaïa’s shield were hanging in between paintings. One of them represented Pandore giving a bow to a young girl with the same pointy ears. “Elven gift” was written in large letters at the bottom of the painting.

Rhod’s eyes finally landed on the table where the envelope was left, next to his cold cup of tea. Manifesting his armor again, he peeked out of the windows before walking up to the table.

He read the letter inside for the remainder of the night, giving occasional glances at the windows and ceiling.

Yellow, blue and red.