“Hold on.” Steven said as he stood. “If we're so underdeveloped because we're human, then what the hell are you?”
“I'm a member of the first race to ever exist.” Chaiya said. Her body was covered in a bright glow as she gave them a small glimpse of her true form and not the facade that she wore, so that their minds would accept her words at face value and they wouldn't keep questioning her over such inconsequential things.
“Oh, my god!” Jessica exclaimed and covered her eyes, then she felt an immense weight in her chest and her whole spine tingled.
“Geezus, lady!” Steven covered his face with his arms and dropped to his knees.
“Wow.” Josh said as he stared at her. “You're so pretty!”
“Ah, you have the sight.” Chaiya said and reached out to cup the side of his face. “Will you go to a new world as my emissary and help the others as much as you can?”
“I... I'm not a fighter.” Josh admitted. “In fact, I'm a complete coward.”
“No, my dear boy. You are no coward.” Chaiya said. “You might not have acted until the end; but, you always wanted to and always defied them in your mind and in your heart.”
Josh didn't hesitate in his response and nodded. “Okay. I accept.”
“Do you want to keep your name?” Chaiya asked. “If you want to change it, now would be the time.”
“Is my name so different than ones there?” Josh asked and she shrugged. “Then I'll keep it.”
“Joshua Hector Harrison, I bestow upon you a taste of my power.” Chaiya said and kissed his forehead. “You will have skills appropriate for that world, as well as an enhanced metabolism to let you heal even faster than you normally can.”
Josh felt his whole body be bathed in energy and he felt a wellspring open inside of him. The energy filled him up and then filled the wellspring.
“You have mana reserves unlike what I have seen before.” Chaiya said and smiled and she stepped back. “I grant you the title of Sorcerer Priest of Light.”
“P-p-p-priest?!?” Josh stammered.
Chaiya chuckled as she resumed her human-like visage. “It does not have the same connotations as it does on your world.”
“Oh, thank god.” Josh said and he felt a pain in his chest. “Ow!”
“From now on, if you thank anyone, please let it be me.” Chaiya said. “You are my emissary now.”
“Oh! Um... of course, Goddess. Thank you.” Josh said with a red face and she nodded.
“Your job will be to heal and ward your companions for protection.” Chaiya said to him, and then turned to Jessica, who lowered her hands from covering her eyes. “I'm sorry for the display. I needed to impart to you the importance of this quest.”
“I understand.” Jessica said. “But, why did you pick me?” She asked. “I'm... I'm a complete mess!”
Chaiya smiled and Jessica caught her breath at the beautiful sight. “You may break down occasionally from the things you've been through; but, you haven't lost hope and you keep trying.” She said and took her hand. “I believe the last thing you said was that you wished to see your saviour again?”
Jessica nodded her head several times as tears started flowing from her eyes. “He gave his life to save mine, and... and that's not something... not just anyone would do something like that!”
“You're right. He is something special.” Chaiya said. “Will you become my emissary and do everything you can to protect the others?”
“I will do anything for the chance to see him again.” Jessica said. “I accept.”
“Jessica Marie Sampson, I bestow upon you a taste of my power.” Chaiya said and kissed her forehead. “You will have skills appropriate for that world, as well as an enhanced metabolism to let you heal even faster than you normally can.”
Jessica felt herself be bathed in energy and her spine tingled as her mind opened up and the energy filled it. “By the Goddess Chaiya, I really do understand!”
“I see. Your mind has accepted the mana.” Chaiya said and stepped back. “Your title will be the Archmage of Light. Your knowledge of spells and rituals will be above those of any other. You can even rain the heavens themselves down upon your enemies if necessary.”
“Thank you, Goddess.” Jessica said as the tears kept flowing.
“If you worry about controlling your tears, collect them and let them enhance your spells.” Chaiya said.
Jessica nodded. “I'll use anything I can to help those that need it.”
Chaiya smiled and turned to Steven. “Have you decided if this is a dream or reality yet?”
“No.” Steven said. “I don't have any evidence either way.”
Chaiya smiled. “Then let me give you some words of encouragement as proof.” She said. “You lived a normal life and nothing happened. You didn't take huge risks and you didn't travel anywhere.”
“I don't see what my lifestyle has to do with any of this.” Steven said.
“It has everything to do with it.” Chaiya said. “You see, your old life will always influence what happens to you. Good or bad, your experiences shape your perceptions, your expectations, and how you proceed from there and into your future.”
Jessica, Josh, and Steven exchanged looks and then looked back at her.
“Now you have a choice. Will you become my emissary and go to a world that desperately needs your help? Will you protect the others with your life? Are you willing to risk it all for one moment of glory?”
Steven stood there and thought about it. Unlike the other two that accepted right away, without getting any reassurances, he was skeptical. It was too good to be true, wasn't it? Reincarnation?
Chaiya chuckled. “It's not reincarnation.” She said, which broke him away from his train of thought. “I plucked you from where you were at the moment that you were the most vulnerable and there was a chance... a slim chance... that you would be willing to accept what I had to offer.”
“What does that mean?” Steven asked and glanced at Josh. “Are we dead or not?”
“Like I said, I took you at the moment that you were the most vulnerable. At that moment, your life hung in the balance.” Chaiya said. “Will you live or will you die?” She looked at their faces. “You can all remember what happened now, can't you? Each of your situations?”
The three of them nodded.
“If you so choose, I can put you back in that moment you were taken and we can find out how things turn out.”
“So, you're blackmailing us.” Steven said.
Chaiya laughed. “No, if I was going to do that, I would be as bad as some of the... you don't need to know that.” She said. “All I am doing is making an offer. Become my emissary and live a life of adventure, thrills, danger, and excitement, with a group of others that will be there for you.”
“If you know so much about us, you know I've never been one for hanging with a crowd.” Steven said.
“Is five too big of a crowd if you are one of them?” Chaiya asked, and he shrugged. “Then will you accept and become a part of a small party of adventurers?”
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
“Is it going to be like a game or something?” Steven asked.
“A game... hmm... yes, I believe that would be more appropriate for you to accept the circumstances.” Chaiya said and nodded. “As long as you have Josh with you, with his Divine Healing abilities, he can keep bringing you back if you die in my service.”
“You have got to be kidding me.” Steven said. “He can keep resurrecting us?”
“In a sense.” Chaiya said and explained. “He will stop you from passing that last barrier into true death and heal you back to the way you were.”
“What if we get blown to bits or something?” Steven asked. “Like... ah... a disintegration spell or something.”
“As long as you are within his area of effect, he can catch you before you disperse to reconstitute and restore your body.” Chaiya said. “Of course, he can't do it infinitely, so don't start thinking about killing yourself on purpose to test it.”
Steven turned his head away slightly to hide his facial expression because he had been thinking exactly that. “All right. I accept.”
“Steven Cecil Matthews, I bestow upon you a taste of my power.” Chaiya said and kissed his forehead. “You will have skills appropriate for that world, as well as an enhanced metabolism to let you heal even faster than you normally can.”
Steven felt himself be bathed in energy, and instead of settling in any one spot like the others, it covered him completely and settled into his skin instead.
“Despite your passive nature, your body has become stronger and tougher.” Chaiya said. “I hereby grant you the title of Paladin of Light. You will be the rock that the others will rely on. You will meet challenges head on and protect them from harm.”
“A Paladin?” Steven looked down at his hands. “Isn't a Paladin like an unwavering force for good or something?”
“As with a Priest, a Paladin is not quite what you think it is.” Chaiya said. “The abilities you can use depend on your own experiences. Not everyone can be a fighter, so they fit into other necessary roles. A spell caster. A healer. A swordsman.”
Chaiya walked back to the center of the room and turned to face them. The room and the beds faded and suddenly there was a woman that sat in the lotus position in front of them.
“You are the Emissaries of Light. My Light.” Chaiya said. “If you will wait here, I will see if your leader is ready to assume his post.” She said and faded away.
Jessica, Steven, and Josh looked down at the woman in front of them, and they instinctively knew that she didn't want to be disturbed. So, they moved away slightly and sat down themselves to wait. Josh started to open his mouth to talk, and Jessica shook her head and motioned to the woman. He nodded understanding, so they sat there in silence.
*
“How is he, Maleketh?” Chaiya asked as she popped into Maleketh's private space. Unlike her white space, his was a solid blue and he wore a blue suit, and on an altar-like table was Hunter.
“He's coming along well for someone that had his insides perforated by a three inch wide energy blade and almost dying.” Maleketh said as he poured energy into the wound in Hunter's abdomen.
“Why is it taking so long to heal him?” Chaiya asked. “I healed the humans almost instantly.”
“You used an absurd amount of energy to summon him and his body absorbed a lot of it while his own Presence was trying to escape.” Maleketh said. “Also, you told me to convert him to use mana.”
“You could have healed him before doing that.” Chaiya said with a chuckle. “I'm glad I got him before he actually died, though. If he hadn't had someone so close to him, I might have gotten him sooner.”
“How is the unwanted passenger?” Maleketh asked.
“She accepted my offer to be an emissary to make up for that.” Chaiya said and pointed to Hunter's wound. “I'm not sure how she's going to react when she finds out that he's going to be the leader of my emissaries.”
“I can't believe you convinced me to loan you my staunchest supporter.” Maleketh said. “Are you sure he's going to be the deciding factor for what you're trying to do on that planet?”
“We need to find out what's going on there.” Chaiya said. “Who better than a man that distrusts authority to send and investigate corrupted authority?”
“You're assuming that it's corrupted and that he's going to do what you want.” Maleketh said with a chuckle. “He spent seventeen years hearing everyone proclaim to the Goddess Chaiya and he still keeps saying 'god' when something happens.”
“I'll give him a blessing and...”
“No.” Maleketh said, to her surprise. “If there's one thing he would absolutely hate, it would be you giving him a compulsion.” He said. “I'll bless him and give him what he'll need to survive there.”
“Are you sure?” Chaiya said and reached for Hunter. “It's no trouble for me to...”
Maleketh's hand grabbed hers and she looked at him in surprise. “I said no.”
Chaiya sighed and took her hand back. “I will let the others know that he will be your emissary.”
“He can still be your emissary; but, it is in name only. I will give him his title and abilities.” Maleketh said. “You need to make sure that the others are to protect him as well as themselves.”
“Don't worry. They are sufficiently motivated to work together and to keep each other safe.” Chaiya said. “One of them had enough mana to become a Sorcerer Priest.”
Maleketh nodded and looked down at the wound. It was closing over, finally, and Hunter's Presence stopped trying to escape. “I will be done soon.”
“I will gather the others and we can send them together.” Chaiya said and disappeared.
“Don't worry, Hunter.” Maleketh said and put a hand on the unconscious man's forehead. “I won't let her corrupt you against your wishes.” He said and closed his eyes. “I, Maleketh, grant you the name Hunter as your actual name on the new world. I also grant you the title of Psionic Vanguard, as it suits your already learned skills the best and you are to lead your group from the front.”
Hunter's body glowed as Maleketh bathed it in energy. It poured into him and coalesced as it slid up into Hunter's head and settled there. The glow didn't fade like it was supposed to, and Maleketh looked down at the wound. It was still open slightly, and as it closed, the energy stopped going into it. The glow slowly faded and Maleketh stepped back.
That was odd. Maleketh thought, slightly concerned. It's been a few centuries since I've blessed someone and I don't remember anything like that happening before.
“Are you finished?” Chaiya's disembodied voice asked.
“Yes.” Maleketh said and Chaiya slid herself and her emissaries into Maleketh's blue space.
Kara gasped when she felt Ullir's Presence as it appeared inside her detection range and she jumped to her feet. “ULLIR!” She yelled and ran to him and tried to hug him. “He's alive! I can feel it! He's alive!”
“Easy, little one.” Chaiya said and gently pulled Kara off of Hunter's unconscious form. “Maleketh has only just finished healing his grievous wound.”
“Yes! Yes, of course.” Kara said and let herself be led back over to the group.
“Hunter will be the leader of your group, so do everything that you can to protect him.” Chaiya said to the four of them.
“We will do everything we can for him.” Kara said, adamantly.
“You seem to know him.” Steven whispered. “What's wrong with his face?” He asked when he saw the blast shield over Hunter's eyes.
“He told me that he suffered damage when he attacked and killed someone.” Kara said back without whispering. Even now, with Hunter unconscious, she couldn't see past the Presence surrounding the blast shield, so she knew he was hiding something behind it.
“He's a murderer?” Josh asked, shocked.
“Do not overreact.” Chaiya said and pushed calmness into them. “The woman he had started to fall in love with was killed, and he lost control of his emotions and killed them in retribution.”
“He still killed someone.” Steven said. “Is he really going to be the leader of our group? I don't know how I feel about that.”
“You gave your word to become my emissary.” Chaiya said. “You shouldn't judge him, because you don't know everything that he's been through.” She looked at Kara. “You know a lot of it.” She turned and looked at Jessica. “As do you.”
“Wh-what?” Jessica and Kara exclaimed and looked at each other.
“I understand why I do; but, why does she?” Kara asked. “I've never seen her before.”
“That's because she met him in another lifetime.” Chaiya said and stepped close to Jessica. “I believe you wished to see Marcus again?”
Jessica gasped and put her hands over her mouth as she burst our crying. “Th-that's Marcus?”
“When he died after sacrificing himself for you and the others, he was reborn to new parents.”
“Th-that's wonderful!” Jessica said through her tears. “I'm so happy that he had a chance at a better life!”
Ullir was reincarnated? Kara thought as her face went slightly red. She turned her head to hide it from the naive girl, because she didn't want to give away what had actually happened to Ullir's second life. I always treated him like a child and he never once told me otherwise. She thought. Why would he keep something like that from me and why didn't I feel the difference in him?
Jessica was nineteen and Ullir was physically seventeen, and yet she was so much younger in her experiences because he had lived so many more years than her.
“I can't say that it was better; but, it was a chance at another life. I won't say what he's been through, since that's something he needs to share on his own.” Chaiya said. “Don't let that be the first thing you ask him when he wakes up, all right?”
“N-no, of course not.” Jessica said. “The first thing I'm going to say is thank you. He's the reason I've got a chance at another life, too.”
Chaiya smiled one of her enchanting smiles and nodded. Jessica ducked her head and blushed as she wiped at the tears to gather them. They glowed slightly and disappeared into her mana reserve.
“My followers are waiting for you, so gather around the table and I'll send you on your way.” Chaiya said, and Kara, Jessica, Steven and Josh walked over to surround the table that Hunter was on. “You are going to feel some pressure, so don't let it bother you. Your bodies are much more durable than they used to be.” She held her hands up and did some odd motions with her fingers. “Oh, before I forget. The world is less developed than your world. You should all be prepared to go without the conveniences that you would expect to normally live with.”
Kara glanced down at the hole in Hunter's armor where her Light sword had cut through it and saw the healed skin underneath. She didn't quite believe he was healed, so as the group was encompassed with a bright light and the pressure started to build, she reached out and touched Hunter's bare skin.
Hunter woke up in pitch blackness, because of his blast shield, and jerked from the touch. “NO!” He yelled and used a wave of Presence to push Kara away. He didn't see the others, because he wasn't using Detect Presence, and they were pushed away as well. Since the teleport spell had already been initiated, Kara, Jessica, Steven, and Josh were caught in mid-air as the spell completed. The wave of Presence inside the spell rebounded and hit Hunter, knocked him unconscious again, and he disappeared a split second before the others.
“I guess you should have waited for him to wake up first.” Maleketh chuckled.
“Oops.” Chaiya said and chuckled herself.