Hitting the ground with a yelp, I roll and avoid a foot stomp. Using my momentum, I punch off the ground, twirl my body and get back on my feet, blocking a blow from Tael. At the same time, I very quickly look for an opening to counterstrike and in less than a second send a blow of my own at his chin. Knocking my fist aside easily, Tael sweeps his leg out, knocking me on my back again.

“Slow! Why are you looking where to attack?! You’re telling your enemy where you’re planning to attack. When you counter attack, counter attack, don’t sit there looking for an opening!”

Flipping myself off my back onto my legs, I threw myself at Tael again, once again attempting to land a blow on him.

“You’re not controlling your muscles! Feel each and every one of them in your body! Once you can control every muscle in your body you’ll become faster, your reflexes will rise to another level and you can use Flash Step correctly! Don’t think I don’t know you tried using it and failing! Your legs still have some of the damage from your miserable attempts!”

Dodging an attack, I threw a punch blindly at his side. Tael grabbed my wrist and tossed me onto the ground, hard.

“Where is the strength and speed?! That counter attack was nothing but a weak punch thrown out randomly. Strike hard, strike fast! Stop hesitating, you’re leaving yourself open.”

Bouncing off my hands, I strike out with a kick as I continue to spar with Tael. It’s been a little over two weeks, and I’ve had no rest at all. Currently I am focusing on three techniques at once. Counterflow, to counter attacks and disrupt the opponents flow. Refined Muscle Control, where one can control each individual muscle within their body, down to the smallest tendon, allowing finer control over my strength and enhancing my reflexes. Surprisingly the System actually started tracking my progress when it came to this.

Refined Muscle Control: 24.1%

When I had asked Tael, he said that the amount showed what I could control, the aim was to control about 80% of all muscles in my body. Some were extremely difficult to control, requiring decades to even raise a percent, but it is said if one can control 90% they would be nigh unstoppable when it came to fighting.

The last isn’t strictly a technique and more analysing every single aspect of my opponent, so I knew when one would attack, how they would attack and at what strength, before they could even launch an attack. This is by far the hardest thing for me to learn, I hadn’t even had any success yet.

Pushing my blow away, a sudden strike from Tael strikes me in the nose, breaking it as I grunt in pain and stumble back.

“Stop getting distracted! You need to remain focused, calm and collected at all times, don’t let your thoughts wonder, always watch every slight movement! And move accordingly! Again!”

Gritting my teeth, I wipe the blood from my nose and keep going.

***

Looking at the night sky, I felt nervous. The full moon could be seen and underneath me laid a complex magic circle that Halone had set up. Its purpose is to protect my physical body, it had been set by Tael and Halone in case anything happened, though it was very unlikely.

I wasn’t hesitating about this, but rather trying to calm my nerves. I didn’t really understand what it would mean to meet with a Goddess, I didn’t really understand what those types of beings do after all. As I sat there, I wondered what to say, how does one pray anyway? Back in the Battlefield of Eternity I had sort of just asked for help, I hadn’t really had time to think at that moment.

Laying down on my back, I looked at the sky for a bit, wondering if I should just wait for the next time a full moon came out. I knew though that when that next time came up, it would just be a repeat and I would just wait for the next time after that. I found the night sky beautiful, though I didn’t know why. I could see all sorts of constellations from here, and instinctively knew if I called upon most of those they would answer me.

Closing my eyes, I opened my mouth and said the first thing that came to my mind.

“Oh Mother Moon, I…er, wish to meet you?” Tilting my head, I wondered if that was right? As I’m about to open my eyes, I feel sleepiness overcome me, causing me to fall into a sleep, but very quickly wake up. Opening my eyes, a sight appeared that blew me away.

I found myself standing on a silver white ground, the voice of any plant life, but this wasn’t the sight that captivated me. No, the sight I had locked onto was the planet before me, something I had only ever seen in drawings from Selenia. I had not really paid attention back then, and it never prepared me for this sight.

It was massive, I had to turn my head to see all of it. I could see land and water, clouds and mountains. The sheer size of it all left me speechless, unable to fully comprehend what exactly I was seeing.

“It’s quite the sight, isn’t it, Chosen?”

Tearing my sight off the world before me, I turn and see Lady Astraea standing there, smiling gently towards me.

“Come, Chosen.” She turns and starts walking. Looking back at the world once again, I turn and start following Lady Astraea. We walked in silence and soon, we stopped walking. Before me sat the start of some stairs, but it ended only after four steps. Tilting my head slightly, I turned to look at Lady Astraea but could no longer see her. Blinking in surprise, I wondered if I had to climb these stairs?

Taking a step, followed by another, I saw more appear above the fourth. As I walked up these stairs, my surroundings slowly changed, looking around a shocking sight entered my eyes as my feet found solid ground. A path laid before me, and to either side sat a bountiful flowerfield, with trees, hedges and more. I could hear the running of a river and the crashing of a waterfall. I couldn’t see an end to it either, and the same went with the path, it continued onwards.

As I’m wondering what I should do, I saw spectres walking down the path, male and female in shape, and some of them weren’t even humanoid. There were at least a dozen and a half of these spectres, all of them taking in the sight around them as they walked down the path. Were these ghosts of those who had been here before? Looking behind me, I no longer saw the stairs, meaning my only way forward is to go down the path.

Hadn’t I come to meet this Moon Goddess? Is this path some sort of trial? Looking up, I could see the vast night sky, illuminating everything underneath it. Closing my eyes and breathing, I started walking down the path. As I looked, I couldn’t believe the sights I was seeing, is this not another world? Looking at the spectres who walked the path as well, I couldn’t make out any of their facial features, as if there was a veil that blocked my view.

As I continued down this path, some of the spectres stopped, looking deeply into the fields before walking off the path. If this is a trial, does that mean they failed? I found the sights strange, and after walking for several hours, all of the spectres had at some point done the same. As I continued down the path, my head snapped towards a location off the path.

I felt a call, every fibre of my being told me to go to it. I found myself conflicted, do I continue down the neverending path or head towards whatever is calling me? I wanted to turn back to the path, I had believed this to be a test after all, yet I found myself unable to. Turning, I take a step off the path and start walking towards whatever is calling me.

Slowly walking, I found myself walking next to a river, calm as a stone. It was rather peaceful here, and the surroundings were just as beautiful as it had always been. Soon, I walked away from the river as I headed into a beautiful field of flowers, silver and blue intertwined. Being careful as not to step on any of them, I kept walking slowly as I approached a clearing.

There, an egg the size of my hand sat, in the centre of the clearing. A silver colour with strange, black symbols and drawings on it. I knew this was what had been calling out to me, and as I approached it I tried to use the System on it, but found nothing came. Similar to Selenia’s Realm, the System did not show up here. I knew the egg had been what was calling out to me, and as I gently knelt beside it, I could tell something was wrong with it.

It seemed to lack energy, like it had laid here, dormant for a very long time. I wanted to help this egg, and whatever was inside. As if on instinct, I reached out and caressed the egg, an action I found oddly familiar, like I had done it in the past.

Picking it up gently, I closed my eyes and on instinct once again I slowly let my Celestial Eclipse mana run through my body and poured it into the egg. I didn’t understand why I was acting like this, however my instincts all told me to help it. As I poured my Celestial Eclipse mana into the egg, I could tell it was devouring it. I motivated the Celestial Eclipse energy in my Mana Realm and fed it to the egg as well.

I could tell the more I gave it, the healthier it became, and as my Mana Realm was on the verge of emptiness, I felt it stop as a crack rang out. I stopped as the egg in front of my eyes shook. Crack ran down the sides and I found myself surprised it was hatching this quickly. Had it simply been dominant, just requiring my mana and energy to awaken it?

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

A head pops up out of the egg, a small wolf-like head appears. It looks at me as I look at it.

“Woof!”

I felt my heart melt at the sight of this wolf. It had soft, brown fur and a small black nose. It slowly climbs out of the egg as I place it down on the ground. It starts sniffing my hands before nuzzling its head against them. I wanted to hug it as it cried out again.

“Woof!”

Smiling, it reminded me of Alice in a way when she was a Raven. I might not remember when Alice had hatched, did it feel like this as well? At first I had thought it would run off, but it didn’t and sat down, looking at me, panting with its tongue hanging out of its mouth. Slowly reaching a hand out, I scratched its ear, like I would scratch mine.

“Woof!”

“Have you decided on a name, Chosen?”

Nearly jumping out of my skin, I yelp and turn my head around to see Lady Astraea sitting there. Looking around, we were no longer in the clearing and I was now sitting on a path. Steadying my breathing, I turn to Lady Astraea once again.

“W-where are we?”

“We are just outside of Her Kingdom. The path you walked is known as the Path of the Chosen. Those who have become Chosen in the past have also walked this path. Along this path, the call of a Spirit Beast will call out to you. This will be a companion that will serve you for life. Once you have met your companion, you will be brought here. Chosen of other Gods have similar paths from my knowledge, though they tend to lean towards weapons or armour.

“So Chosen, have you decided on a name? If you can not decide, you can name him later.”

Looking back at the wolf-like creature, I turned back to Lady Astraea.

“What is a Spirit Beast?”

“Ah, my apologies. A Spirit Beast will grow with you and will never leave your side. It can enter your Mana Realm to rest and if there is a time you separate from him, he will return to your side, no matter where you are. You do not need to worry about experience, he will simply level along with you. You can check for yourself.”

Turning my head to the little wolf, I tilted my head before looking back at Lady Astraea.

“I can’t see the System.”

“Ah, I tend to forget that mortals can not see it.”

Looking back, I thought of what to name the little wolf as it looked at me, like it was expecting a name itself. Looking at its fair brown fur, I was reminded of…

“It’s the same colour as coffee…” Patting his fur, the wolf suddenly barked with excitement.

“Woof!”

A bright mark suddenly appeared on my hand, in the shape of a paw. Suddenly, the wolf turned into a silver light and shot towards my chest. Blinking in surprise, I scratched my ear as Lady Astraea giggled.

“Seems he likes the name.”

“Name?” When did I name him?

“Coffee. It appears he likes the name and accepted it.”

“B-but I…I didn’t name him that?” Feeling rather confused, I heard Lady Astraea giggle.

“Spirit Beasts tend to like odd names, perhaps being named Coffee suited him because you said his fur looked like coffee? Well, shall we proceed?”

“Am I going down another path?”

Smiling, Lady Astraea held out a hand. “No, Chosen. Now you will meet Her. Come, I will lead you to Her. Though we do have an unexpected visitor, He is also eager to meet you, regardless of how annoyed She has become.”

I look around for the wolf…Coffee. As I was about to ask, I heard Lady Astraea speak again.

“I forgot to say, Coffee will be in your Mana Realm. He will need a few hours to rest before he is able to come out again.”

Taking her hand, she helps me up before leading me.

“As you may be aware, you are not the only Chosen, nor will you be the last. Currently there are four Chosen in the world. Selenia and I are two, while the last is one I can not tell you of, but I am certain you will meet him soon.”

As we walked, the path was similar to the one I had walked down before.

“L-lady Astraea? Could you call me Alisha?”

“As long as you call me Astraea, you have no need to call me Lady, Alisha.” She smiles at me as we walk. “Do you not like being called Chosen?”

Giving her a stiff smile, I shake my head. “I just don’t like people not calling me my name.”

“I see, that is understandable.” We continued to walk in silence, the nervousness within me kept growing, preventing me from talking as my thoughts were in chaos. An unexpected sight entered my eyes though.

Just ahead of us I saw a rather fat man with long red hair and what seemed to be clothing of a chef on him. He stood there, looking at me. Astraea stopped and moved slightly in front of me.

“God of Cooking, I believe She asked you to wait.”

“Hmph! Indeed Celly did say that earlier, but she said as long as I’m quick I can speak to the young genius there!”

‘Celly?’ I tilt my head while looking at this man. He walks over as Astraea steps aside. Without a word, he held out a hand.

“Hands girl!” After a moment of silence, in which I had been confused, I raised both my hands which he grabbed. Closely looking over them, back and front, while nodding.

“Hmph! You use your hands to fight, yes?” Nodding, he grunts. “When you cook, what do you feel?”

Tilting my hand, I thought about it. “Excited? Eager, I guess. I always want to try new things and I’m excited when I make something good. Oh, I felt over the moon when I made the stat increasing food! I wanted to make more food like that, food that everyone could enjoy. Gardening too, it felt great being able to harvest plants and use them for my own food! The knives I have are also really good! They let me cut and prepare…huh?”

Frowning, I stop talking and tilt my head. Why did I suddenly start talking so much?

“Oh? That is rare, you noticed quite quickly, do you not talk much little chef?” The God of Cooking let go of my hands and crossed his arms once again. “I’ve decided. You have talent for the knife and I shall hone it! Little chef, do you wish to become my Blessed? And do not concern yourself, Astraea, Celly has already approved of it.”

Blinking, I felt confused once again. What just happened? Turning to Astraea, she shook her head.

“It is your decision, Alisha. Sir Gastron, I believe you should explain a bit more, Alisha here lacks knowledge about Gods such as yourself.”

“Oh, so that is how it is! Well, you know how Celly is a Greater God, yes?” I shook my head. “Ah?” Turning to Astraea, who looked away, Gastron grunts. “Hmph, it’s that bad.”

“I-I lost my memories…”

“Ah! As expected, Celly’s Angel’s would’ve told you then, the loss of memory is unfortunate. Well, let me explain quickly. There are countless Gods, amongst those Gods you have Lesser Gods. I am one of those Lesser Gods, and Astraea will become one when she steps into Godhood. You then have Greater Gods, like Celly. Lastly you have Primordial Gods, though my knowledge on them is non-existent.

“I believe Celly said you’re her Chosen, right? Well, if you were to become my Blessed, that will not have an effect between the two of you since I am a Lesser God. In fact, it is not rare for a mortal to be Blessed by a Greater God and a Lesser God, or for a Chosen to be Blessed by another Greater God! If you become my Blessed, I will guide your knife and give you quests every now and then to keep your skills sharp!”

Feeling a bit overwhelmed, I had to wonder if this man was really a God? Though, my image of Gods wasn’t really set, perhaps they were all like this? I didn’t oppose being a Blessed of his for some reason, I did very much enjoy cooking.

“Why me?”

I wasn’t expecting him to answer. “Good question! First, while you were under my charm, you started to rattle on about cooking and how much you enjoyed it. You showed that you found joy in others enjoying your cooking, that is all I need! Second, you have shown great potential. When you first made that meal that gave those who ate it Agility, I knew you could flourish with some guidance! Do not worry, if you feel cooking is not for you later on the track, you can tell me and I will no longer consider you a Blessed if that is the path you wish to go. So, little chef, do you wish to become my Blessed?”

A bit surprised he had told me, and a bit appreciative that he had told me, I nodded. If I could get guidance, would that not be good?

“Very good! When you return to the mortal realm your subclass will change to reflect your new status as my Blessed. Here, a gift for becoming my Blessed.” He hands me a thin sheet of metal. “You’re in Vale, correct?” I nod. “I have two Blessed and a Chosen there. Seek out my Chosen and give him that metal sheet, he will know what to do. If you have questions you can always seek him out. His name is Roland, I think he is some kind of captain or something. I don’t really care for armies or fighting so I never really listen to him when he talks about it.”

Tilting my head, could he mean that Roland? Gastron pats me on the shoulder and nods to Astraea.

“Good luck, little chef. Celly has been waiting for you for some time. I won’t keep you any longer.”

Suddenly he disappeared and looking around I couldn’t see him anymore.

“That was our unexpected guest. Chosen, do not take Him lightly. He only ever Blesses those with the best potential and he will work you hard. Now, let us proceed, She is waiting.”

Putting the sheet of metal in a pocket, I continued following Astraea, my previous nervous state returned very quickly as we neared the end of the path. In the distance, I could see the path open up to a wide garden with a table sitting in the middle. No one sat there. Astraea stops and turns to me.

“This is as far as I go. Continue past the table, you will be taken to Her Realm where She will be waiting.”

I nod and start walking towards the table as my stomach starts twisting due to my nerves. Just as I took a step past the table, I felt a heavy sleepiness overcome me and just as I fell, I felt a pair of hands embrace me as I fell asleep.