{-Kaylin-}

She led the way, seeing that Rennyn had gone silent almost immediately after announcing it was time for them to go. He… quite obviously didn’t want this to go the way they thought it was going to. The worst part was that she couldn’t tell if it was because of what it changed about before, or who it meant they’d be bringing along with them now. She couldn’t ask, either—not with Allyna and Noa there, interrupting any time alone the two might have had.

Eventually, Kaylin had stopped at a little river. It wasn’t the best of places, really, but it was what they had at the moment. She performed the ritual here and they all watched as Elidia and Dalleira appeared in front of them.

Dalleira, upon seeing the four of them, immediately tilted her head. “What brings you to summon us? And with an extra visitor, for that matter?”

“Do you require our assistance again?” Elidia asked in an almost demeaning way. “We’ll tell you the story again, if you’ve forgotten it already. Mortals write, don’t you? Write it down this time. It won’t do if you never know where you’re going…”

“We know where we’re going,” Rennyn said bluntly, the first thing since they’d left. “We want some kind of answer. But the longer I think about it, the less likely I think you’re going to be able to give it to us…”

They both seemed to take offense to that which, honestly, made Kaylin have second thoughts about this.

Still, Elidia gave an actual answer. “Of course we’re going to have an answer! For our chosen hero, you’re awfully skeptical. I believe it will better suit you to have a bit of faith in us.”

“Let’s just get to the point.” Rennyn gestured to Noa, who nervously stepped in front of the goddesses. “He says that his family had a story about five heroes. They got separated after being unable to stop the villain—two stayed together and the other three disappeared. When they all got together again, they were able to defeat him. Do you know anything about this?”

Noa, after a moment’s hesitation, explained a little more. “We think that Rennyn and Kaylin were the two that stuck together—since they were together in the other lives—and I’m one of the other three. It… leaves the question of if it’s true and, if it is, where the other two are, though…”

Dalleira glanced over at her fellow goddess. “We have… five heroes?”

“I could’ve sworn I only remembered the one,” Elidia mumbled back, just as confused. “Do you think this was something he did?”

“No, he shouldn’t still have that kind of power. He couldn’t create heroes for us. He just… had to hide them from us…” Dalleira turned back to them. Her gaze shifted between Rennyn, Kaylin, and Noa. “I… can’t say that I can deny it. I can sense remnants of our power, so…”

Elidia nodded, too. “I can feel it, too. But that shouldn’t change anything. He shouldn’t be able to do this.”

“He was able to drag us on this long, limit us as much as he has… I suppose our actual mistake was to underestimate him.”

Rennyn, evidently a bit impatient with all the mumbling, prompted, “Do you have a clear idea? Are we going to have to find two others or can we bring Noa back home?”

The goddesses just looked at each other for a little bit before they nodded in unison. Dalleira was the one to say, “Clearly, this boy has been given our blessing a long time ago. Kaylin, too—it’s likely that this is the reason she’s able to summon us, unlike what we originally thought. If you want to stand a chance against Dhymos, it will be in your best interest to find the other two that you once traveled with.”

“Can… I ask something..?” Noa asked nervously. “Do you know what happened to us, then..? What happened that separated us, and why are we only just now realizing it..?”

“No,” was Elidia’s rather quick and blunt answer.

Dalleira went on to give a more fulfilling answer before any of them asked for one. “As you might have guessed, Dhymos has severely weakened our connection here. We cannot greet you physically, nor do we have the same perception of your world as we once did. These cycles, the lives Rennyn and Kaylin have endured… they were without our guidance—no, without our very voices or mere influence. Dhymos made sure none of us could remember what started this. At least, not in the way things are now…”

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Now, Kaylin had gotten familiar enough with her unwilling companion to expect some remark from Allyna; something about how “even the supposed goddesses don’t know?” or some other sarcastic comment. But she was silent. Everyone was, in fact.

Then Rennyn let out a sigh. Kaylin wished he’d been a little less obvious that he’d wanted another response—given this realization, Noa was supposed to be an old friend, after all. Then again, Rennyn was always making it clear he didn’t want to do this… “So, we have to try to find the others. Do you know where they are?”

Both of the goddesses closed their eyes and contemplated it.

“I cannot sense anyone else that had been given our blessing nearby,” Dalleira said after a few moments. “I cannot tell, however, if this is because of my own inability to sense them, or due to their weak connection to it. We can barely sense our power on this boy, so I’m afraid we won’t be much help in finding the others.”

“I… think I might know something, though,” Noa offered. “I mean, I don’t know where they are. But I have a pretty good feeling about where they aren’t.”

“Well, then, what is it?” Rennyn asked.

“I don’t think they’re in Ilatenes. I can’t explain how, I just know that they aren’t. They’re just… somewhere else out there…”

“I guess that’s something…” Rennyn mumbled. He shook his head. “I think that’s everything we need to do here. Let’s head back to Lord Aymer and get the Goddess’s Sword. Rest up—we’re leaving first thing tomorrow morning and I’m not waiting for anyone.”

…

Kaylin didn’t say anything to him, but she did follow him in his attempts to find Aymer. Rennyn seemed to know where he was going, though, because he ended up opening the door to the office Aymer was in. When he noticed the two of them, he stood up, and gently picked up the Goddess’s Sword from its spot beside the desk.

“You’ve come back,” he said, clearly trying not to sound too nervous. “How did it go..?”

“Noa’s going to have to come with us,” Rennyn replied. “They don’t know what’s going on, but they know that it’s something. We’re going to have to find the other two.”

“You don’t have to worry,” Kaylin said quickly, before Aymer had reason to question and Rennyn failed to say it in time. “We’ll make sure he stays safe. We’ve got a lot of experience traveling and looking out for others. I’m sure we’ll get along well.”

Rennyn mumbled something that definitely sounded like he thought differently, but a quick nudge kept him from saying it any louder.

Aymer managed a smile. “I’ll try my best to remember that. I can tell you’re some of the most capable people he could ever be with.” He held up the sword and offered it to Rennyn. “As per our agreement, here’s the Goddess’s Sword. It’s been in the care of the Ilatenes lords for centuries—I don’t think I have to tell you I expect you to take good care of it.”

“Trust me, it’s a lot better with me than sitting dust somewhere.” Rennyn took it and, stepping away from them, pulled it out of the sheath and swung it around a little. He seemed satisfied in the test, sheathing it again and mumbling something about getting a proper strap for it in town.

“Do you… know where you’re going next?” Aymer prompted as he wandered back to his desk.

Rennyn shrugged. “Kositeia or Taururii. All we know is that the other two aren’t here. Even though we don’t exactly have the time for ally-hunting at the moment…”

“Might I suggest Kositeia, then?” Aymer pulled out a piece of paper and a pen. “I can’t assure you that the people that you’re looking for are there, but Zaitha seems as good of a place as any to start. The Crow’s Nest is known for its records—its libraries, its ancient knowledge. Even if you can’t find your companions, you might be able to find out more about this threat.”

“It’s worth a shot,” Kaylin agreed. “Maybe we can shed more light on this whole situation…”

“Kaylin, you know I hate libraries…” Rennyn mumbled.

“Nothing bad’s going to happen unless you don’t listen to me. It’ll be fine.”

“What if it isn’t?”

“Not everything is going to fall apart, you know. Has it ever happened more than that one time?”

He sighed. “No…”

“So it’s fine.”

Aymer tapped the pen on the corner of the paper. “Are you going, then?”

Kaylin nodded. “We’ll head to Kositeia.”

He started writing. “I’ll get a formal letter written. You won’t have to bring anything with you—I’ll just explain the situation to Queen Vaeri and tell her to expect you. All you’ll have to do is arrive at Zaitha and an attendant will find you.”