As I tear across the field in a panic toward the massive tower. The field practically flies under my feet as I cross the huge stretch of grass and storm up the path and through the massive, silvery broken gates.

Shit, shit, shit!

Some decimated drones, vehicles, bodies, and rubble block the way past the pearly ramparts. I punch, kick, and toss that shit aside as I break through to the interior.

Please, Althea. Please be alright.

I bust into the tower, and even more dread washes over me. There's dead Limp Dicks and shattered Knights everywhere, their armor broken and littered with holes. I can't see any signs of Althea anywhere. Just bodies, thralls, broken crystal, and crushed marble.

Chill, dude. Don't lose your head. She's probably in the cathedral, or maybe in her room at the top.

I push through the entrance hall and mash my way up the spiral staircase at the center. With every step I climb, my rage power dips a little, and my desperation grows a little. I leap over the dead bodies and busted Knights, and I can see the carnage all around. There's blood, broken glass, and crushed marble everywhere.

As I reach the top, I start to feel a glimmer of hope. Maybe Althea is in the Cathedral. Maybe she's just hiding. Maybe she's-

My heart stops as I enter the cathedral. Somehow, it's actually really pristine, as though the Limp Dicks didn't even make it through the doors. But the lack of carnage give the room a creepy vibe, and the creepy vibe disturbs me so much that I almost don't notice Althea up on the dais.

She's on her throne, hammer and shield laying on the floor next to her. She leans back heavily to one side, as if she's having a hard time supporting her own weight.

"Althea!"

I blast across the cathedral floor and up the longest thirty steps of my life. When I reach her, she's got her eyes closed, and her breathing is heavy.

"Althea!"

I kneel at her side. I don't want to move her in case she's badly hurt.

"Hey! Can you hear me?!"

Her eyes ruby red eyes open weakly.

"Are you okay? What did those fuckers do to you?"

"Hero, please," Althea straightens up sluggishly, like someone who just woke up from a nap. "Hero... The enemy came in great numbers and without warning, and I was forced to use all of my Mana. But I am utterly exhausted, but quite unharmed, praise God."

I look her over - she's definitely the poster child for the word 'exhausted'. Aside from that, though, she seems to be more or less okay. No blood or wounds. Not even a tear in her vestments.

I lower my head and sigh - long and deep. I can feel the tension leaving my body, and I can finally breathe easily again.

"God, I was so worried. I thought you got hurt or.... or worse."

"Your concern means a great deal to me, Hero. Thank you for saving me." Her voice is as stern and flat as ever, but her tired eyes glitter at me. "I am sorry to have caused you worry."

I shrug. "Don't sweat it. Ain't no one to blame but the Limp Dicks."

"Indeed. They are bizarre, fearsome, and evil in equal measure."

I snort. "Told ya they're fucked up."

She looks down for a moment and swallows. The looks at me again. "But how did you know I was in danger? And how did you travel here so quickly?."

"We got lucky. We just happened to find a crystal with a Blessing that let me spy on those fuckers. Then the Elemental of Nature made us some huge flying cats, and we hitched a ride."

She raises her eyebrows and her eyes widen a bit. "That is most fortunate. Perhaps God is paying closer attention than we originally believed."

"Who the hell knows. I'm just glad you're safe."

Her expression tightens for a moment, then relaxes again. "Well, in any case, I am grateful to you beyond words. Had you not arrived, I believe something terrible would have happened to me."

"Yeah. The the Limp Dicks fucked this place up. I don't think there's even a single Knight left. How the hell did you not get smoked?"

"I certainly believed that they were going to slay me, especially upon witnessing the chaotic, unbridled wrath they demonstrated against my Thralls."

"Fuckers."

"And yet, when I confronted them personally, they suddenly became methodical and calculated, as if following a well-rehearsed plan. At first, they attempted to compel me to surrender peacefully. They even tried to convince me that they were not invaders, but a force of liberators seeking to save all life from someone or something they called "the Warden".

My lip curls. "Tsk. They tried that shit with us, too. Didn't buy it for a second."

"Neither did I. Though they spoke truth, I could sense their intentions were not even remotely benevolent."

"The truth, huh?" I shake my head. "Ain't nothin' true about the bullshit that leaks out of their holes. So what happened after that?"

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She pauses for a moment before speaking. "To my great surprise, they attempted to use some vile form of magic on me."

I lean in. "Like what?"

She hesitates again. "It was unlike anything I have ever felt. Very dark magic full of cynicism, resentment, and bitterness. They channeled it through some sort of artifact or device," her jaw tightens and she takes long breath through her nose. "I used to believe that Chaos' magic was evil, but her spells were idle fancy compared to what I witnessed from those villains."

"Shit. So what did the spell do, exactly?"

"Thankfully, I never found out. As wicked and perverse as it was, it failed against the power of my own magic. But the vocabulary of the incantation seemed to suggest imprisonment, confinement, or perhaps even slavery."

I raise an eyebrow, and I feel my skin crawl. "That's pretty fucked up."

"Indeed. An appropriate spell for hypocrites who proclaim to be on the side of freedom, but would take painstaking effort to enslave anyone who stands against them."

"Dumbasses. Good thing they suck at magic. What happened after that?"

" They tried their spell again, with a similar result. The conduit for their spell failed, they began to withdraw." She looks over my head and stares at the door to the cathedral. "I expected that they would simply retreat and come back later with more force - I was sure I would perish. But I could feel you and the others coming, so I did the best I could to bide time in the face of my demise." She smiles weakly. "I have never felt more fortunate than I do now."

I swallow and look down again. "Yeah. Me, too. I wouldn't wanna lose ya, Althea."

Althea's eyes shine ever so slightly but she quickly reins it in, looking away.

She stares at one of the dozens of huge stained glass windows that cover the walls of the cathedral. They each have some complicated circular pattern that looks as familiar as it does strange.

Her face tightens, and for just a moment, as unbelievably impossible as the idea might be, she looks almost like she might cry.

But that's impossible. Althea doesn't cry. She just doesn't.

"Althea? What's up?"

She won't look my way. "There are many reasons why you might have chosen come for me for me today. You might have come to prevent Astraea from falling - to protect your ego. Or, you might have chosen to come simply for attaining the revenge you desired - to satisfy your need for vengeance. But that's not what was at the forefront of your heart, was it?"

We turn to each other. I've never seen so much emotion in her face, but I couldn't tell you what kind. It's like a mix of regret and gratitude.

"Despite the fact that I left you behind when you needed my care and guidance the most, you came here for me. Not for Astraea, and not for yourself. You came because you wanted to save me. That is a truly heroic act, and I am forever indebted to you."

I feel a lump in my throat. "Well, I, uh. I mean, of course I did, but I-"

Althea's eyes are wet. "I am not worthy of your kindness, Hero. And yet, you are here, even after what I did. You did not abandon me in your heart, even when I abandoned you. You are a true Hero, and I don't deserve your friendship or your help, but you have given both freely, and I will not forsake either of those gifts. Never in my life have I ever misjudged anything so severely. If you cannot forgive me, I... I will understand."

"Well, shit. I was pretty upset when you left, to say the least. And that contract was some bullshit." I look down at the floor again. "But it's not like you were totally out of line - I was losing my grip on my power. And until tonight, it was pretty much winning the battle for my soul." I look at her again. "But that's not what matters right now. What matters is you're safe."

She looks at me, her eyes glistening. Then she looks down.

"What? What is it?"

"I am pleased beyond words that you feel the way you do."

"Yeah?"

"But, there is something I do not understand. How can you have such... feelings for me when we have known each other for such a short amount of time? Not that it displeases me - quite the opposite, in fact."

"Huh? What do you mean by 'feelings'?"

"Hero," Althea's voice shakes a little. "You came to save me. You risked your life for me, and you felt an overwhelming amount of sadness at the idea of losing me."

I feel my cheeks flush. "Well, yeah, of course. You're my friend. Oh, and the world will end if you die. Let's not forget that."

"Indeed. But, Hero, you seem to have... a certain affection for me that goes beyond friendship."

"Beyond friendship? Wha-" I bolt to my feet, holding up my hands. "Whoa, wait a minute! No, no, no! You got it twisted, lady."

She blinks, and her lips tighten. "Hero..."

"I mean, don't get me wrong - you're great. You're a pain in my ass, sometimes, but you're you're great for sure. But I don't-"

"Hero, you forget who you are speaking to." Her face becomes stern. But the tiniest, gentlest smile forms in the corners of her lips.

I look down and rub my head and I let out a good, long sigh. "It's complicated, okay?"

"It is not complicated for me. I am fond of you, Hero. Profoundly."

I blink. Did Althea just confess to me?

"Every moment I was away from you was painful. I regretted my choice to leave as soon as I set foot off that mountain. I was sure I had made the right choice, but I later realized that, in reality, I was just frightened. Frighted of failing my God. Frighted of losing my world. Frightened of losing my life."

"You were afraid? I didn't know anything could scare you."

"I do become scared - very often, in fact. But I felt something worse than fear when I came back here."

"Like what?"

"Everything in my tower is - and has always been - the same. In the span of nearly a thousand years, nothing about it has ever changed. The furniture, the murals, the condition of exterior and interior - they have never changed even once. It always made me feel safe. Secure. In control. And when I came back, it was just as I had left it. I thought I was home again safe from your unpredictability and Chaos' wickedness. And yet, it all felt hollow and strange.

"I agonized over this feeling for quite some time. But then I realized why I felt the way I did: the Tower had served its purpose. It was not meant to be my home, but a place to wait for the Hero to appear. My purpose was not only to maintain the order of Astraea, but to be by your side as I do so. But had already left you behind. I had even shouted at you and called you a threat. I could not return to face you and take responsibility, as I knew I should have. But the shame and the emptiness made me miserable. For many weeks, I felt anguish I never thought possible. I wanted to die. I once told you there are fates worse than death, but I never once thought I would meet one of them."

Damn. I never knew Althea had thoughts or feelings like that. She's kind of sensitive, actually. But I've been treating her almost like a robot. I have to do better for her going forward.

"Althea, I care about you a lot. I've never known someone so kind and pure. If I had met someone like you on Earth, maybe I would've become a better person - or at least less of a fuckup. But there's a lot going on with me internally, and we have a war to fight."

Althea looks at the floor.

"But after we handle those freaks, I'm going to need your help - big time. I have huge plans for Astraea, you, me - everyone, really. And I want you by my side for all of it."

She looks back to me. Her tired eyes widening and sparking to life. "Of course, Hero. I will do my utmost to help you realize your vision." Her look fades a bit, become serious. "But first, would you please do something for me?"

Althea stands shakily, and rush over to support her. She takes one of my hands in hers. My huge manly paw looks like a catcher's mitt compared to her dainty porcelain ones. "I realize I have absolutely no right to ask anything of you, especially after everything that has transpired. But it is of the greatest import that you go through with the confession."

"Oh, come on, Althea. This again?" I try to speak softly, but I can't fully mask my annoyance.

"I am most serious. If you are to build a road to the future for everyone, you must first clear the path in front of you and unload the burdens of the past. The confession will clear your heart and make you a better person - and a better Hero. Please do this for me. And not if not for me, for Astraea."