Arthur glanced around at the unfamiliar surroundings. He stood on the surface of what seemed to be an endless ocean with a single rusted sword plunged into a stone pedestal. Its jagged edge, filled with marks from countless battles, was no longer a weapon of war but a monument of tranquility.

The moon shined brightly in the sky, with a handful of dim stars closely encircling it. Looking down at the water, Arthur could clearly see his reflection. He wore his usual attire: a simple ivory long-sleeve shirt and obsidian pants. His surroundings felt surreal, as if the world didn’t exist.

He drew closer to the pedestal and reached for the sword that rested peacefully in the tranquil ocean, but as he looked down, silent ripples formed behind him. Arthur turned around and stared at a man with long blonde hair and clear pale skin looking at him. As he approached, the man’s well-trimmed beard and sharp jawline became more defined. He wore a simple white robe draped gracefully over his shoulders, enveloping most of his body in its fabric. Yet, his golden eyes filled Arthur with an urge to punch the man before him.

The man revealed a carefree smile and held out both arms. “Young champion, I am delighted to see you.”

“I can’t say I feel the same to you.” Arthur glared at him and asked, “Who are you?”

The man chuckled. “Take a guess.”

“A homeless person?”

“...”

“A pervert?”

“No. That’s even worse than the previous guess. I’ll give you a hint. I’m the one that blessed these lands for the past few decades.”

Arthur frowned and bitterly said, “Solas...”

“The one and only.” Solas clapped happily, which caused Arthur to clench his fists tightly at his sides.

“Why have you only shown up now? Do you have any idea how many lives were lost?” Arthur asked.

“I’m aware. It would be hard for someone in my position not to know,” Solas replied with a hint of sorrow. He glanced at the boy before taking several steps forward, ignoring the glare, and said, “If I had a choice—no if the odds were better. I would have intervened sooner.”

Arthur’s voice filled with anger. “What do you mean?”

“You should know, young champion.” Solas gazed at the moon with a sense of longing and said, “After all, you’ve come across that primal demon several times already.”

Javic’s sinister smile appeared in Arthur’s head. The decomposing flesh and burnt hair caused the hair on the back of his neck to rise. His nails dug into his palms while recalling the scene of Javic snapping their fingers and crimson blood spraying from the cultist’s necks, filling the air of the chamber with a red hue. The vivid memory was a dreadful reminder of how powerless he was.

“You humans don’t seem to comprehend how dangerous that being truly is. All the other gods ignored this region because of that wretched thing.” Solas looked at Arthur and said, “Well, all but me.”

“But couldn’t you have used your sanctuary like you did earlier?”

“It’s never that easy,” Solas replied with a slight grin. “My sanctuary enhances the speed and strength of divine powers while decreasing the strength of demonic energy. There are occasional infusions, but besides that, it doesn’t do much else.”

“Is that why my limbs healed that quickly?”

“Precisely. Though it’s more of a double-edged sword.” Solas chuckled and added, “You can ask your red-haired friend about that later.”

“Wait, but the sanctuary didn’t appear until after I was healed.”

“The appearance is to lock down the effect in the area, but the effects were present before the chamber shifted,” Solas responded.

Arthur watched as Solas held onto the sword’s hilt and said, “For a God of Light, I didn’t expect your domain to have a moon.”

“That’s because this isn’t my domain.” Solas gazed at the handful of stars in the sky and said, “It’s yours.”

“Mine?”

Arthur stood still and looked past Solas. He stared at the moon and then at his surroundings. He found it hard to believe that this was his world. A single sword in an ocean that stretched beyond the horizon, and the surface reflected the skies above. Yet, despite no visible footing beneath them, they both didn’t sink into its depths.

“Correct, I’m merely visiting,” Solas answered.

“Wait, does this mean I can banish you, then?” Arthur asked.

“You can, but rarely do you get the opportunity to talk to a God—” Solas felt an external force push against him as his feet slowly lifted. “Wait! Why are you removing me?! Don’t you know it’s a rare occasion for even my own worshippers to see me?”

“I don’t want to talk to someone who treats others like they’re disposable.” Arthur approached Solas, who was clinging to the sword, and said, “We’re done talking.”

“I didn’t treat them like that! It’s the other gods!” Solas yelled, with both hands clinging to the sword. “If I didn’t care, then I wouldn’t have deployed my sanctuary or come to meet you!”

As Solas fell to the ground, Arthur clicked his tongue, watching the droplets of water scatter in all directions. Seeing Solas pull himself off the cold ground while using the sword as a cane left a sour taste in his mouth, but he had to bear with it for now.

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After regaining his composure, Solas said, “Ahem, now you’re probably wondering why I appeared before you.”

“I’m not, to be honest.”

“Alright, I’ll tell you, anyway. I’m here to reward you for your deed. You’ve achieved something remarkable that most couldn’t.” Solas held out his hand and said, “For banishing the primal demon, saving the town, and defeating the knight slayer with your companions, I will grant you my blessing.”

Arthur thought about Solas’s offer and then of the people in Cronia. In a quiet voice, he asked, “Is it possible for you to strengthen the blessing you placed on Cronia? Make it so that no demon could step foot on these lands?”

“No... I’m sorry, but that’s impossible even for me. If I could do that, then the Holy Empire wouldn’t be facing its current difficulties,” Solas answered.

“Will you be there to intervene if a similar situation happens, then?”

Solas revealed a troubled expression. “I can’t really do that either... depending on what difficulties appear in this town.”

“You’re a lot more useless than I thought,” Arthur said with deadpan eyes.

Arthur’s words struck a nerve as Solas let out a dry cough. He looked at the boy and confessed, “I may be divine, but I’m not omniscient. If another primal demon appears, even I can’t freely handle that under the constraints I’m held to.”

“Omni- what?”

“It means all-knowing you, brat.”

“Useless and rude.”

“Alright, let’s just get back to the topic at hand. Is there anything else you want?” Solas asked.

Arthur scratched the back of his head. If Solas couldn’t improve his blessing on Cronia, then there was only one thing left. “Can you give my blessing to someone else?”

Solas stroked his chin for a moment, brushing his golden beard, and then looked at Arthur. “I don’t see not. It just depends on who you want to give it to.”

“I want to give it to my siblings.” Arthur looked Solas in the eyes with a determined gaze. “I’m not asking for much, but I want to make sure they’re safe.”

“Siblings? You mean the children who were on the ritual platform with you?” Solas asked.

“Yeah, those two. It’ll make me more relieved knowing that there’s someone keeping them safe.”

“That, I can promise.” Solas nodded at Arthur, who still had a troubled expression, and said, “If you have anything else you would like to ask, feel free to do so.”

Arthur let out a tired sigh with his hands in his pockets. “I just don’t understand; if you’re the all-mighty, all-powerful God that everyone says you are... why couldn’t you protect the people of Cronia?”

Solas revealed a bitter smile and waved at Arthur to stand beside him. Once Arthur drew closer, Solas said, “Look at the sky and imagine countless stars; each one you see has its own uniqueness that draws your eyes to them. Now, what would you do if several at a time grew dim? Slowly vanishing right before your very eyes, you could save a few if you were given the option. But which ones would you choose?”

“I don’t know...” Arthur bit the bottom of his lip in frustration.

“The longer you hesitate, the more lives will be lost,” Solas replied, resting his hand on Arthur’s shoulder. “You have to decide.”

“I can’t...”

“You need to. How many towns will you lose with your hesitation? How many desperate lives will perish without salvation? If you hesitate anymore, then the entire sky will blacken,” Solas’s stern tone cut through the still silence in the world. “Saving everyone is impossible, but inaction leads to their demise. Thus, a decision must be made.”

Arthur’s gaze shifted to the ground. “I would save the ones that were the most important.”

Solas smiled and nodded. “That’s the same choice we made.”

Arthur’s shoulders trembled as Solas removed his hand. Even though he understood their actions, he couldn’t bring himself to agree with them. Surely, there was a way to save everyone. He just couldn’t figure it out yet, but given time, he could think of something.

Solas gently patted Arthur’s back and said, “A decision must be made, even if it’s difficult. At the time, we were deciding where to allocate our divinity and which lands to bless. We mainly chose the ones within the Holy Empire since it’s where most of our followers are. You may think it’s unfair, but we couldn’t bring ourselves to abandon our followers.”

“Are your followers that important to you?”

“Yes, we think of them as our children.”

“I see...”

Arthur didn’t like how he had to accept their decision, but he understood the reason. Blood dripped from his palms and fell into the ocean below, spreading a tiny crimson cloud that fanned out beneath the surface. He felt conflicted about how they handled everything, and in his head, he weighed various other solutions. Arthur took a step back and tried to get a wider perspective of the sky, which caused Solas to laugh.

Arthur gave Solas a fierce look and said, “What? I’m trying to get a better perspective on the problem in front of me.”

“Right, by looking at an endless sky.”

Arthur ignored his comment and asked, “Wouldn’t one solution be removing what’s making the stars fade?”

“It could be if you can somehow find what caused them to disappear.” Solas smiled and patted Arthur on the back once more. “Now, that leaves me with one question… if you found the person who caused your loved ones to perish, what would you do?”

Surprised by the sudden question, Arthur looked up and said, “I would ask them why they would do such a thing. Why would they cause so much pain?”

“What if they didn’t know?”

Arthur paused briefly before turning his gaze to Solas. Something in the air around Solas changed, making him feel strangely uneasy. It felt like he was being judged, but Arthur answered regardless.

“I would watch and decide once I see more of what they’re like. How they live their life and what they do to help others.”

“Hmm...” Solas revealed a soft smile and nodded. “A satisfying answer I can agree with, unlike some other beings I know.”

“That’s good.”

“Well, it’s time for you to wake up now.” Solas walked in front of Arthur and turned to him. “I was going to let you continue resting, but at this point, you may never wake up, so I’ll help a bit.”

Solas chuckled at Arthur’s startled expression while pressing two fingers together. With a sudden snap, Arthur vanished from the world, leaving Solas by himself. He couldn’t help but find himself content with their discussion, which made him deeply reflect on his decisions and those of the other gods.

The God’s attention fell onto the reddish-brown crust that had eaten away at the sword resting peacefully within the pedestal with bitterness. He stared at the world around him, which was familiar yet so different from what he was used to seeing. He felt his heart ache but smiled while ignoring the other furious gods who tried to communicate with him. Looking at the clear blue ocean beneath his feet, which was void of bones and broken weapons, left Solas with a sense of relief. With a last glance at the sword, Solas uttered beneath his breath.

“I hope we’re on the same side this time, Moonlight Swordsman.”