Two days later, in the Oracle’s throne room…

Ethereal radiance shimmers from above. The holy throne of the Oracle, Lady Nhaka Mezalune, softly exudes the power of ancient kings. I’ve been here a few times already, not to mention my visit in the previous timeline… but I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this place. It’s too bright, too grand… even compared to the Chantry of Eternal Light.

Lady Mezalune greets me with a big, toothy grin and a friendly wave as I approach the seat of her divine power. I’ve kept her waiting – Anna and I spent the last two days with Eris. But she understands. Eris still needs us, especially Anna. I’m doing what I can, of course!

Today, however, I’m focusing on me. Eris is feeling better and is taking a stroll around the Holy City with Anna. Some light window shopping, maybe. I’d join them, but I’ve got questions for Lady Mezalune. More than ever, given recent events.

“Come sit with me, Little Miss!” Lady Mezalune calls out to me as she descends the marble steps of her throne, patting a spot beside her. “You said you have questions, yes? I’ll stay a while and listen, just for you and only you!”

With a shrug and a warm smile, I join her on the steps. They’re warmer than I expected – likely an enchantment, given the faint resonance of Mana beneath us. It’s nice.

“So, how shall we do this, Little Miss Hero?” Lady Mezalune asks with a mischievous glint in her purple eyes. “Oho! I know! You ask me a question, I answer… then I’ll ask you a question, and so on! How about it?”

I nod, keeping my smile. She phrases it like a suggestion, but I know it’s the only way she wants to do it. Lady Mezalune is a bit spoiled that way, I suppose. In the previous timeline, I remember that Lady Iris once told me that Lady Mezalune pouted on her throne for four hours because they couldn’t agree on what to have for dinner while on the road. It was a stalemate unlike any other, but ultimately… Lady Iris has the patience of a saint, possibly three saints combined, and Lady Mezalune eventually gave in. Somehow.

I’m not Lady Iris. I don’t have her patience (some might call it insanity), but it’s all good – I’m totally down with Lady Mezalune’s little plan! After all, she probably has her own questions for me, especially after learning about my… situation. Fair’s fair!

“Alright then, you first, Little Miss!” Lady Mezalune declares happily, clapping her hands. “Ask me anything your heart desires!”

“Hmm… okay. My first question is about me,” I say, pausing momentarily to gather my thoughts. “You summoned me to be the Hero of this Prophecy, right? Out of everyone in my world and yours, why me?”

“Why not you, Little Miss Hero?”

“You must’ve had plenty of choices. What made me stand out for a summoning?”

“Hmph! You don’t think you’re worthy?”

I bite my lip, frowning slightly. She’s answering my question with more questions, her gaze locked onto mine as if trying to peer deep into my soul.

“It feels like things just… happen to me, y’know?” I say softly, lowering my head. “And I just go with it, for others’ sake. I do things I do… because I have to.”

“But also for your own sake, yes?” Lady Mezalune asks in turn, her smile sweet and sharp from the corner of my eye. “Remember when you ran for Student Council President at St Elicia’s? That fancy house of Human academia in your world?”

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I blink upon hearing that, trying my best to hide my surprise.

“Your memories were laid bare to me when I performed the Ritual of Summoning,” Lady Mezalune explains as if reading my mind, wagging a finger playfully. “You being a candidate in that Student Council election… it started as a joke, didn’t it? But then…”

“I took it seriously after Sayaka pissed me off,” I say, finishing her sentence, a wistful smile creeping onto my lips. “I ended up giving it my all… and everyone rallied behind me. They wanted me to win… to be their Student Council President.”

“Love kept you going after that bit of petty mortal anger. Why’s that, Little Miss?”

“Well…”

I pause, thinking back. Sayaka had implied I was some kind of inbred bumpkin from the countryside, and it lit a fire in me. I wanted to beat her so damn badly (at the election… and a fistfight) to prove her wrong. To win that position of power that she coveted so much as a giant ‘fuck you’ to her and her cronies who thought themselves to be hot shit and better than everyone else. It would’ve been revenge served ice cold.

But as the campaign and election went on, I started caring. I cared about my schoolmates, friends, and St Elicia’s future. It wasn’t just about winning anymore – I wanted to make a difference, knowing I could.

I won the election. I’m the Student Council President of St Elicia’s, and Sayaka became my Treasurer. Since then, we’ve patched things up and buried the hatchet between us. Kinda. We’re civil to each other when we’re doing our duties, at the very least. Polite. Some days, we even manage to be friendly. It’s not perfect, but I’m glad it’s like this. It’d be awkward otherwise. Maybe she feels the same way… and maybe that’s why she came forward with an olive branch, so to speak.

“I cared,” I say, my voice more certain now. “I realised I had it in me to make things better for everyone, so I did. And I… wanted to do it. For them. For myself.”

“Indeed… indeed!” Lady Mezalune declares joyfully, echoing my thoughts. “It’s what motivates you to get out of bed every morning, yes? Showing up to do what needs to be done is hard… heck, even showing up to make a difference is hard! But you show up and do what needs to be done, both in this world and yours!”

“Damn right. Everyone’s counting on me, and I wanna be better for them.”

“Bingo, Little Miss! That’s why I chose you!” Lady Mezalune exclaims enthusiastically, snapping her fingers with a big, wide, toothy grin. “That’s what makes a Hero – a willingness by their own volition to rise to any challenge for the sake of helping those around them! In fact… I daresay it’s why you’ve taken to being a Healer like a fish to water!”

“Yeah,” I say with a nod. “Because I care. I’ll keep that close to my heart, my Lady.”

“Power can be developed. Strength, magic, cunning… all of that can be trained! But the heart, the will to fight for others – that’s what truly matters to me, Little Miss.”

Lady Mezalune places a hand on her heart, her toothy smile of jagged teeth somehow both unnerving and endearing as her pearly whites sparkle dazzlingly in my face. And I gotta say… I oughta use whatever brand of alchemical or magical toothpaste she uses.

“Or maybe I’m just being sentimental in my old age! Teehee!” Lady Mezalune adds, giggling playfully. “But I like to think there’s truth in it. Heroes come and go, but that’s the thread connecting them all. You’ve met Little Miss Iris the Ecclesiarch, but what about her Executor, Little Miss Claire Silverlight?”

“You mean Anna’s Second Mom?” I ask, my smile turning fond. “I never met her, but I saw a vision of her through Ascalon and Elizabeth.”

“Great! Then you know she cared about others as much as you do! As much as Little Miss Iris does… even if she doesn’t like showing it! Even if…”

Her tone softens slightly, her earlier enthusiasm fading as she remembers what became of them, a pair once made in heaven.

“Even if her beliefs clashed with Little Miss Iris’… they both wanted to make the world better for others. Even if she rejected her Prophecy to maintain the Akashic Record alongside her Ecclesiarch… I’ve always respected her decision.”

I nod in agreement, the weight of Lady Mezalune’s words sinking into me. Her gaze shifts, and she stares into the radiant expanse that her holy throne observes.

“She’s a Hero just like you, Little Miss.”

“Hell yeah. She’s a badass,” I say solemnly, joining her in looking at the shimmering floor. “Anna’s lucky to have her as her Second Mom.”

“Indeed,” Lady Mezalune murmurs, then brightens suddenly. “Oho! My turn to ask a question now, Little Miss Hero! Are you ready? I’ve got a few good ones, I think!”

“Of course!” I answer with a playful, cheeky wink. “Heh. You’re a brave one, aren’t ya? Sure you’re ready for my answers?”