Minimine silently sat on the steps of the altar of her Temple, below the resurrection table. None dared to disturb her, and no one could, as Priestesses Tak and Cecilia guarded the doors to the little altar, barring even flies from entering.

“You’re busy as ever,” Minimine thought, letting waves of magic carry her words. “Why her?”

“Because she is my fated one,” the smooth voice of a woman replied, echoing through the darkness of Minimine’s divine mind.

“Lies.”

“But I do indeed like her so.”

“That is surprising. She is my Champion’s companion, however. I cannot allow you to take her away.”

“Who said anything about taking her away? I can simply…move in.”

“…You wouldn’t.”

“It is my resolve.”

“Who are you? I don’t know you.”

“That pains me to hear.”

“I have a lost a friend this day. How can I ever recover from this heartbreak?”

“You may stop.”

“But shall I?”

They giggled…settling upon silence. The woman could guess at what preoccupied Minimine at any time there were no sounds.

“Has anyone seen her yet?” Minimine asked.

“None yet”—the voice gave pause—“but do not despair. It has only been 500 years, after all.”

“But that damned god swallowed up her domain”—

“She is good at hiding. I am sure she’s still alive. Look, the same thing even happened to your sister, but she is recovering by the day, isn’t she?”

“That’s true…” Minimine sighed. “But she’s taking too long. I’m not sure how much longer I can keep up with my duties.”

“Don’t speak like that!” There was a light, but divine, magic slap that could have destroyed nations, directed towards Minimine’s divine body. “Be prepared! I’m coming down there sooner than you think!”

“I am unsure how to feel about that.”

“Be grateful, obviously.”

“I might feel regret, instead.”

“See you, soon.”

“Try not to die, Three.”

The mind link terminated. She got up from the pew and, taking one last glance of the resurrection table, left the altar behind her.

Opening the door, however, she was surprised to find Kalender seated on a bench on the other side of the hall.

“Kalender,” she said through telepathy.

“Hey.” He stood up. He wasn’t wearing any armor, and was just in plain clothes. He did bring his sword, however, and a small pouch. “Everyone’s out doing their own thing and I just thought I wanted to check up on you.”

“I have much to do.”

“Yeah, what have you been doing for the past few days? You keep disappearing off randomly.”

Tak and Cecilia, still on either side of the altar doors, eyed each other. “It’s alright,” Minimine told them, before turning back to Kalender. “Many things have been happening in the background. I think now is the time to tell you.”

Kalender eyed her with some apprehension. He’d always felt that there were things happening beyond his sight that would overturn the everyday peace at some point. He didn’t think that a mundane visit would land him in the midst of it, though, and certainly not today.

Minimine approached him. “Sit down,” she said, “and trust me.”

Once he was seated, she held his hand. She looked him in the eyes, confirming for herself that he was ready. At first, a trickle, and then a storm—she began filling his mind with information. It wasn’t necessary for her to hold his hand to do this, but it was a painful process. Kalender’s grip tightened. He grunted at the influx of knowledge, becoming aware of what the Cult had done in recent days, and what Minimine and the Temples had been doing to prepare for holy war. He was left panting by the end of it.

“Kalender?” Minimine said, with her voice, this time. He raised a hand, asking for some time.

“Goddess, was that wise?” Tak, nearby, asked.

“He is my Champion,” Minimine simply replied.

Kalender’s mind churned through the facts on repeat, lamenting how there was an enemy under their noses the whole time. He was no warrior, but there were many types of people. Danger would send others into panic, others into euphoria, and others still, their senses would simply become dulled.

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“It’s…it’s a lot to take in,” he said.

“There’s someone I must show you,” Minimine said. She looked to Cecilia, and with a few thoughts, and a moment of hesitation, the Priestess finally moved.

“Right this way,” she said.

Minimine looked to Kalender, who stood up and followed them. They were led to a set of stairs leading down to a deeper part of the Temple.

“Is this a dungeon?” Kalender asked.

“It is, m’lord,” Cecilia replied.

“Why do you guys have a dungeon?”

“The Temple has enemies, m’lord,” Tak replied this time. Kalender just nodded.

The dungeon was a small place, consisting of only a short corridor with doors lining both sides. Each cell of the dungeon was an isolated room, separated from the outside world by stone walls and a heavy wooden door. Clerics were stationed at the foot of the stairs, and they greeted the group as they descended.

“We’re here for the prisoner,” Cecilia said.

“Right away,” one of the Clerics answered before moving down the corridor. Kalender didn’t miss the grip of a handgun between the flutter of her vestments.

They stopped in front of a black door emitting wisps of steam. The Cleric took out a ring of keys and unlocked the door, pulling it open.

On the far side of the cell was Manager, both wrists bound in shackles, chained to the wall, chains too short for him to stand, only long enough for him to lie down and sit up on a bench. Kalender recognized him from the knowledge Minimine gave him. It was surreal to see such a powerful man just sitting there, right in front of him.

For a moment, Manager sneered, but the moment his eyes landed on Minimine, he suppressed his emotions and turned away.

“I need you to learn as much about him as you can,” Minimine’s voice echoed in Kalender’s mind. “Care not about war plans. We need to learn about what motivates these people.”

Kalender gulped and stepped into the room. It was warm. The walls all around him were carved with familiar runes.

He took one look at Manager, and immediately, he wanted to back away. Every nerve and neuron in his body told him this wasn’t someone he could talk to. Even Interpersonal Bubble was laying down thick lines between them, and this man in front of him was pushing so desperately to fend him off.

So, he backed off. “That’s not someone I can talk to,” Kalender said to Minimine. The door closed behind him, locks being shut so loudly that it echoed through the dungeon.

“You don’t need to talk. You just have to find out about him,” Minimine replied.

Kalender cocked an eyebrow. “ ‘Talking’ and ‘finding out’ are the same thing for me, though?”

“I…I see”—she did not, but she trusted him. “Is it possible another day?”

“I’m not sure what you want out of me here. Does it have to be me? Don’t you have, like, mind-reading powers or something?”

“That man has the power of the ###### God. Although I will not be harmed, it is best that I avoid resonance effects.”

“ ‘Resonance’ ?”

“A divine entity coming into contact with their own power will amplify the power. In that man’s case, his Skill will resonate with the curse still latching onto me.”

Kalender gulped. He thought back to what had happened to those Priestesses and Clerics of Civilas. Going by that, then none of the people here wanted to get near that guy, either. “Right. Maybe I can try another day, in that case, but…this is new to me, too.”

“What do you mean?”

“I normally talk to normal people, who want to talk. That guy… There’s something wrong with him.”

“I understand he is an animal,” Tak said this time, “but is there something else you see?”

Her wording took him aback. “I wouldn’t say he’s an animal, but I can feel something in him that’s just tragically…broken. I don’t know how to explain it.”

Minimine looked into his eyes. “You pity him.”

“Hm? Oh, well, I guess I do. I’m not sure why, but—huh. I guess I do.”

Cecilia led them back upstairs, though after, Minimine had the two Priestesses leave her and Kalender be for a moment. She tugged on the hem of Kalender’s shirt.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Follow,” Minimine said aloud.

She led him to the Temple’s garden. There was a little stream running down the middle of it. From the source, water gushing out of a wide wooden pipe, the soil was still barren, but as the water cut into the dirt and flowed further down, it collected into a little pond, around which a few flowers bloomed and a bee happily explored.

“I’m sorry,” she said with her mouth, then with her mind spoke again. “It might have been too much for you at once…for me to ask you of such a task.”

“I’m honestly not too sure what just happened either.” Kalender chuckled. “It’s heavy, sure, but…I think it’s just enough.”

“Are you sure? Your heart is racing.”

“I…I guess it is.”

Things were going too well—he thought—that maybe he was too happy. Reminders of his real mission were pinging him from the back of his mind, and, well, he knew it would rear its ugly face into this life again at some point. His Occupation was, after all, a Champion of Reincarnation. He believed in his mission, even if he was scared to think of it.

One day, he found people to cherish, and because of his mission, they were all in danger. He could lose them. The man in the dungeon was the archetypal face of that danger. There was an entire Cult that may as well be filled with broken, dangerous men like that one, and they were his enemies—more skilled in killing than him, and more willing to do it as he watched.

Next thing he knew, Minimine was already holding his hand in both of hers. The eyes looking into his own were too gentle. There was no magic. His heart slowed.

“Th…thanks,” he said. He gave her hair a ruffle, giving him an excuse to fix it for a bit.

“Why do mortals like to do this?” Minimine asked as she kept one of her hands on Kalender’s, even as he fixed her hair. “I can see the appeal for women, but what about men?”

“You don’t get to talk to the other half of the species that often?”

“…Half?”

Ah. “Right. Different ratio…”

Minimine giggled. “My Priestesses and Clerics are almost all female. I have only had a male Priest four times, which…I find strange, now that I think of it.”

“Maybe they all just end up under the Harem God?”

“Even Civilas gets a male Priest every other year. I don’t understand why I have to wait centuries between male Priests…”

“Wow. Maybe I should start recruiting guys into your priesthood, huh?”

“I would appreciate that, yes.”

Kalender chuckled. He gestured to a wooden bench by the water’s source. They sat there. Together, they watched the water flow away, and unto the greater pond beyond. It really looked like a river opening up to an ocean—which might have been the intention of the garden’s design, come to think of it.

‘River’… They always called Minimine the ‘ferryman,’ didn’t they? “Is this what you see?” Kalender asked. “Up there, I mean.”

“In a way. It is much more austere than this.”

“Even this is fancy to you?”

“You can hear the water flow here. You can see the ripples in the stream. The ground is barren, then becomes rich—you can smell how it becomes different by every inch.” She paused, taking in the sights, sounds, and smells. “This place is nothing like Heaven. I don’t see why some of you are in a hurry to reach it.”

For a moment, Kalender’s mind was stuck in imagining such a place that smelled like nothing, sounded like nothing, looked like nothing. He still had his memories as a soul, but it was vague. It was like having memories of having been in the womb, just being roughly aware that existence existed, and consciousness was nothing more than stray electrical impulses.

Minimine held his hand again, bringing him back to earth. “I’m really sorry,” she said aloud this time.

“You gave me a second chance…Minimine,” he said, making sure to soften her name. “It’s nice that you’re worried about me. I think…I think it would’ve been terrible if you didn’t care about me at all. It would’ve been more lonely.

“So I guess, just don’t leave me alone.”