For a moment, silence occupied the abandoned cottage in an abandoned village.

Jor was still apprehensive of the young man who sat on the floor in the middle of the room. She seemed to consider something before she spoke.

"There's a precedent. That's going to have to do for now."

Ben sighed in relief. It wasn't acceptance of his truth, but it would have to do for the time being. Jor seemed to notice his reaction, and her posture relaxed.

"You really didn't do it?" She asked rhetorically. "What was it like? The 'possession'? How di-" She ceased her torrent of questions and sighed. "I'm sorry. It's not my place to ask."

"I learned from Ann that the natures of Avatars are personal. Most Champions go their entire existence without revealing it to another," Ben said.

Ben leaned forward and met her gaze. "I don't care about that. I trust you, Ainsle and Ann. You've saved my life more than once."

The Archer seemed to hesitate, but after a moment, her expression took on a resolve that made him think she had made up her mind. She nodded, and Ben described the incidents leading up to the moment he challenged the beast in his dream. The woman remained silent during the retelling and only interjected with the odd nod to continue or a 'hmm' of affirmation.

"So, you didn't hear its name?" she asked.

"No. As I said, the… entity didn't speak so much as convey intent. The moments after and including the 'duel' in my… mind are all a foggy and incoherent mess."

Jor seemed to be back to her usual thoughtful and analytical self. Gone was the abrasive, mistrusting woman he had spoken to before.

"This is new. I haven't heard of an Avatar manifesting itself without its Wielder understanding or, more accurately, embodying the ideal."

During the discussion, she had loosened her braid and was in the process of absently plaiting a new one.

"And the fact that your Avatar manifests itself as a beast is concerning."

"What are they supposed to look like?" Ben asked.

"Mine, for example, is manifested as a little girl, barely ten summers old," Her gaze grew distant, "and Ainsle's… well, you'll have to ask her about it. And my acquisition was more of an acceptance than a struggle or battle."

Ben noticed the distracted look in her eyes.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

Maybe I should leave her to rest. She's been through a lot.

She looked at him, the fear not quite gone from her big, green eyes.

"It's my Avatar." A single tear rolled down her cheek. "She's been quieter and quieter recently. I think… I think I'm slipping. Changing. I'm not an embodiment of the concept anymore…"

"What is the concept?" Ben asked hesitantly.

"A heart of ice, unobtainable. Cursed never to feel the warmth of another." Jor chuckled, defeated. "I wasn't always like that, you know. As the daughter of a noble-born High Priest, I grew up mostly isolated from the outside world. I was taught and genuinely believed that being of noble blood makes you superior. What was even worse than being of common descent was being born a bastard."

The Archer swallowed and inhaled a strained breath.

"I hated them for it, the nobility. They were so weak in their glass towers; their noses upturned at their lessers… Gods, I loved him. I know now, deep down, that I always have. But they would deny me the one thing that brought color to my meaningless existence."

Jor looked out through the open shutter of the window.

"They would disapprove of my feelings for Eric, as he was the bastard they so vehemently indoctrinated me to hate. So, we met in secret for years, and eventually… we were caught. I wasn't punished at first, but when I turned sixteen, my father tried to marry me off to an old widower to 'keep the blood pure.' Naturally, I refused. In response to my defiance, I was sent to the military academy in the Capital city of Caemire so that I might never see Eric again. I never went back… I was alone in a sea of filth that he had so described. I liked it that way. I ignored Eric's letters and promises of a reunion from that point on."

Lightning turned the night sky a pure white, and for a single moment, Jor was bathed in an ethereal light. The moment felt significant to Ben. He couldn't tell why, but he knew it would be a pivotal event for the woman. He listened intently.

"There's more to the story; I won't bore you with the details… But I'll tell you that something awoke within me during the Great Invasion. It spoke to me and told me to embrace my nature."

Stolen novel; please report.

The weight of the moment felt tangible.

"None shall pierce her heart of ice, for she stands alone in her domain. She is what it means to be unapproachable and untouchable. Repelling all who would defile her with their presence."

"For mine is the Avatar of Solitude."

The woman's presence seemed to crack and disperse. Ben couldn't rationalize the occurrence in his mind, but he felt her lose… something.

"It's done," she said with an impassive face and tears that flowed freely. "Please. Leave me. I need some time alone."

Ben silently left the woman to grieve. He checked on the sleeping Priestess and found her snoring peacefully, albeit loudly, where he had left her. He paced aimlessly around the living area of the abandoned house, trying to come to terms with the implications of the Archer's admission.

Eventually, he grew tired and decided to use the remnants of broken furniture to start a fire in the hearth. He sat in its warmth and digested everything he had learned over the past few days. At some point during the early morning hours, Ben drifted off to dream of terrible conflict and loss.

The hollow thuds of footsteps woke the young man from a restless slumber.

"Good morning. I was sad to find that you didn't come back to me last night." The Priestess forced a pout. "Did you rest well?"

"Morning, Ann. Yeah, I had a bit on my mind and ended up dozing off here."

"Did you gain anything useful?" She asked, her playful tone absent.

Ben stood up and yawned with a satisfying stretch.

"I think so. I think I understand how concepts work, but… I'm still a bit lost."

Ann nodded in understanding before inspecting a pile of rubble in the corner of the room.

"It's best not to force it, I think. Having an Avatar take root in your soul is a journey best traveled alone. However," She turned to him. "Your martial training is not. If you're planning on using that weapon-"

She indicated to the short sword on the floor next to the hearth.

"- you're best off receiving instruction from one of our traveling companions, don't you think, my dear?"

Her tone reminded Ben of when he had first met her in the camp's sick bay. One that made him feel as if his mother was lightly scolding him for not doing his chores.

"Yes, ma'am," Ben said seriously.

The Priestess' eyes lit up at the response, and she beamed, seemingly satisfied.

"Good. Now, I would like to check on the Vanguard. Could you fill that pot with water? There's a well outside to your left. Don't go too far, all right? The Squad leader only did a light survey of the area last night, so we don't know who or what dwells here."

"Yes, ma'am," he repeated.

Ann was content with the young man's answer. She left to tend to the injured Berserker. Ben found the large, heavy pot in the rubble that the Priestess had inspected earlier. He dusted it off and hefted it up to his shoulder. As he stepped outside the dilapidated house, a scene of destruction assaulted his vision.

The dirt road was littered with the debris of ruined houses, overturned carts, and other unidentifiable objects. He could see no corpses, but there were clear signs of struggle. Shalebeak village seemed to have been a quaint community of about five or six houses in a lush valley. Their primary sustenance appeared to have come from agriculture, as he saw numerous fields of overgrown, unidentifiable crops dot the area around the village.

Ben spotted the well to the left of the house they had slept in. Their shelter was in the best condition due to its neighbors being little more than rubble with the odd standing wall. He navigated past broken wooden boards and various miscellaneous farming implements to fill the pot.

It was a task to carry the weight of the filled container back to the house, but he managed nonetheless. He started a fire and set the pot to boil on the hearth. He decided to join his companions.

"… a lot of blood, so we'll need to stay here for a day or two. She's not fit to travel," spoke the blonde-haired woman.

Ann and Jor had been engaged in a conversation that paused as Ben entered the room. The Archer nodded a greeting to the young man and addressed the Priestess.

"I understand. Her recovery is our priority for now."

"Look, Benny-boy's here. Maybe these princesses will stop talking about me like I'm not in the room." A pained yet familiarly cheerful voice came from the Berserker.

The Archer made an attempt to roll her eyes, but her heart wasn't in it.

Jor probably needs some time to deal with her issues. Let's not bug her until she's ready, all right, Ben?

He took in the old woman's form and saw that she appeared to be in a pleasant mood. She sat upright, and he noticed that her bandages had been replaced with fabric probably salvaged from the wreckage.

"Ainsle, you look… better," said Ben. He pointedly avoided mentioning the new bandage around her head. "How're you feeling?"

"Don't worry about ol' Ain. I've seen worse than this and lived. Besides, the cunt just got in a lucky shot, is all."

She turned to look at the young man and paused to inspect him.

"Forget about me. I'm more interested in a little story I heard. Did your balls finally drop?" she teased.

"I don't know. But, yes, probably. I mean, not my balls dropping… a-"

The Berserker interrupted his blabbering.

"Well, well, our Benny is growing up." Her usual grin returned before she rasped. "Welcome to the club of rejects and misfits. You're truly fucked now!"

She gave a pained chuckle before wheezing in pain while clutching her abdomen.

"Vanguard Ainsle-" began Ann before being interrupted by Ainsle.

"Just call me Ain or Ainsle if you like. I'm just going to collect my back pay and fuck off to somewhere over the hills. I'm not a soldier anymore," she wheezed.

From what Jor had told him, Ben understood that the Berserker had only enlisted to stay close to her partner, the late Captain Wilheim. With his death, she had nothing left to keep her in the service of the Empire. Ann didn't appear to miss a beat.

"Ainsle. Please try to get some rest, I'll be maintaining an Aura to speed up the healing process, but I can't replace lost blood. The more you disregard my suggestions, the longer we'll be stuck here," she reprimanded.

"Okay, okay, I'll relax," said Ainsle dejectedly.

Ann nodded and turned to Jor and Ben.

"Let's give her some room. I'll put something together for breakfast." Ann looked at Ben and gestured with the tilt of her head towards the Archer, who observed the action curiously. Ann left the room, and Jor turned to regard Ben.

"Hey, uh, so about that training?" the young man said sheepishly.

The Archer's face relaxed in understanding.

"Yes, sorry, I forgot about that. Shall we?"

She gestured with an open palm toward the doorway. The glint in her eye made Ben hesitate.

What have you gotten yourself into?

"Ah, shit. At least let me watch the boy get knocked around!" protested the Berserker.