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After winning another long battle for a few hours of dreamless sleep, I awoke to the smell of savory food. Somewhere nearby, there must be a whole platter of sausage. My stomach took point, forcing the rest of me to get up.

“Joyous blessings, Captain!” Mother Liora’s voice rang from the hallway. “May I come in?”

I agreed and opened the door, happily rewarded with the sight of a more-than-complete breakfast.

“Is this… all for me?” I asked, looking at her cart laden with eggs, bread, fruits, and, of course, the links of sausage my nose had previously detected

“Well… I didn’t know what foods you prefer, so I thought I’d bring an assortment!”

Be careful. She knows your biggest weakness and is not afraid to use it!

Sensing my momentary hesitation, she quickly straightened and handed me a note. “Oh! I promise; I had Relias check to make sure none of it was poisoned!”

Not a name I want to hear so early in the morning.

I sighed and read the terse note, which was an itemized list of foods followed by an attestation of said duty, signed by His Holiness. It shimmered slightly, casting a momentary golden glow.

It could have been poisoned after he checked it.

She’d be the first one everyone would suspect if anything happened to me. However…

I glanced at Mother Liora, then shook my head furiously as if to knock the thought out of my head.

Why did she, of all people, raise my guard?

“Care to join me?” I asked, settling on giving up some solitude to try and get over my weird feelings about her.

She smiled and nodded, happily setting up breakfast for two around the wooden table.

After moving the blackout curtain away from the window, I glanced out, only to be reminded that it was stained glass, its surface constantly disturbed by the shine of the rotating crystals. The dancing colors it cast were beautiful, but it was pretty useless for my purposes. “What time is it, exactly?”

“A little after the 8th hour,” she responded, pouring us both some tea.

So Relias has already been talking with the General Assembly for a while now… and he had time to check my meal?

I sat down at the table, stifling a yawn. “Do you know what my companions are up to?”

“I don’t believe Laverna is awake yet,” she replied. “Aleph and Tetora are with Relias in the Assembly Hall. And the wild dark mage…”

“Lady Nora, my best friend,” I corrected with a growl of warning, holding up my butter knife.

Mother Liora flinched. “A-ah! Yes! Lady Nora, I apologize! Lady Nora is meeting with Master Landon this morning.”

“And he is…?”

“He’s the Master Dark Mage here at the temple. Oh, he’s very nice and patient; you couldn’t ask for more in a teacher.”

I scratched my cheek, wondering if Nora was going to get any benefit from studying under him. “What circle is he?”

“Circle? Oh, Captain… We don’t talk of circles anymore,” she advised softly. “It’s the sort of thing that could be misconstrued as dark mage aggression…” I knew the circles were competitive… but really…

“Alright then, how skilled is Master Landon?”

“Oh, very! I’m sure he’ll help Lady Nora pass her certification so she can be duly registered and assigned!”

Certification? Registration? Assigned to what? The Black Order?

No. She’s part of our Order!

“Relias introduced them to each other earlier this morning, I’m guessing…”

“Yes!” she agreed heartily. “Master Landon will explain it all to her! Have no worries!”

Determined to do the opposite of her latest advice, I fell silent, watching her fix herself a plate. I then copied her, making sure only to grab the foods she had helped herself to. Except… she didn’t take any sausage.

“You have to try it,” I insisted, pointing.

“But I don’t care for…”

“One bite should be enough,” I replied firmly.

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“Oh…” She sighed rather sadly. “Yes, of course, Chosen One.”

Sorry…

Relieved she didn’t choke or cough up blood after sampling all the food on her plate, I finally caved and dug in.

“It’s so good…” I declared through fake tears. “So much better than rations…!”

She looked at the stack of plates I had left in my wake. “Perhaps I didn’t arrange for enough food…”

“Ahahaha…” I laughed nervously.

“We should be wary of the time…” she hedged after a few more minutes. “The General Assembly should take a break again soon, and Relias—”

“I didn’t forget,” I interjected between bites. “Is my uniform ready? I want to wear it over my armor.”

“You… plan to wear armor to the meeting?” she asked incredulously.

I nodded. “Walking around with a sword and shield but no armor is a little weird.”

“You’re coming… armed?!”

“I’m a very controversial figurehead,” I admitted. “I’d like to be prepared should anyone take offense at my presence. I seem to bring out the worst in people.”

“But no one in here would ever dare to—”

“Even the assassin?” I reminded her.

She bit her lip as tears formed in her eyes. “I cannot fathom how anyone could possibly target our hero!” She slammed a petite fist onto the table with surprising force, rattling several plates. “It sickens me!”

“Yeah…” I sighed. Doesn’t exactly thrill me either.

She stood up quickly. “I’ll go get it! Stay right here!”

After she returned, I outfitted myself appropriately, noting that I should probably spend some time polishing my armor soon. Mother Liora led the way, acknowledging each group of guards we passed. We went through several similar-seeming corridors, and I could hear other attendants in the temple attending to their duties. We ended up in a long, wide hallway with several doors, each seeming to lead to antiquated conference rooms. She opened the door to the last one.

“Looks like we’re here first,” I said as I took a seat from which I could watch the door.

Mother Liora bowed. “I’m sure they’re on their way. I shall return after your meeting is over.” After standing straight, she smiled. “I’ll take you on a tour of the High Temple. It’ll be my pleasure to share some of its history with you!”

Unimpressed by the idea of an educational field trip without the field or trip, I almost refused. However, such a tour might be helpful later. “That’s very kind of you.”

She nodded, her smile widening before closing the door behind her.

The room I was left in was unusually quiet, suggesting it was insulated with something to make it soundproof. The room had been well-used, with its table full of stains and dents and its hanging lanterns coated in a dark, silvery soot. It was also very dull, and I found myself heading out the door after only a few minutes.

There’s no guard until the next hallway, so I might as well snoop around while waiting.

“She is no longer a child, Old Friend,” I heard Aleph say from a nearby corridor, prompting me to hide around a corner.

“I am more than aware of that fact,” Relias snapped in reply.

“Then why are you treating her like one?” Tetora demanded, marking the first time I ever heard him speak out of turn to him.

“I…” Relias hesitated, stopping in the middle of the hallway to fold his arms. “You saw what she did! She ran off on her own again! And then she… she… that grandiose display of arrogance! ‘Tell your Master that I am on my way?!’”

“That declaration was a little out of character for her,” Aleph admitted. “But you must remember the pressure she’s been under.”

“If she had just stopped when I told her to… we could have been rid of that demon for good!”

“Unless His Majesty is right about Naught,” Tetora reminded him pointedly. “Maybe that’s why she took matters into her own hands.”

“That’s the whole problem— she just goes off and does whatever she thinks is right!”

The Goddess said I could!

It was a useful excuse.

There was a moment of awkward silence before Tetora snorted. “You two spent years telling her she’s the only one who can defeat the demon king, and then you’re surprised when she runs off to fight a proxy?”

“I… I cannot talk about this right now,” Relias said with a huff, resuming his advance.

I bolted back to the meeting room, pretending I had been waiting for them there the entire time.

“You’re late,” I said, folding my hands together and placing them on the table before me as they entered.

“How did you sleep?” Aleph asked, ignoring my snark.

“Tolerably,” I murmured. I was busy building up my defenses, anticipating some public shaming.

“Joyous Blessings this morning, Captain,” Relias greeted me without any trace of his earlier outburst.

I decided to walk the thin line between sarcasm and sincerity. “Same to you.”

“We should get started,” Tetora advised, giving me a sidelong glance.

He probably knows I was eavesdropping.

“What about the others?” I asked.

“Lady Nora has immersed herself in her first official dark mage lesson,” Relias replied, not quite meeting my gaze. “I wouldn’t expect Vernie up anytime soon, seeing as how she got into the sacramental wine.”

“Why weren’t you watching her?” I accused.

Relias twitched. “I’ve been a little busy, Captain—”

“We stopped her as soon as we could,” Aleph interjected. “But you’re right, we should have anticipated some backsliding…”

Knowing I was being a little unfair, I sighed. “Sorry. She’s an adult… and she’s the one responsible for the consequences of her actions.”

“Except it doesn’t end there,” Relias abruptly added. “Others may be subject to poor outcomes related to her rash behavior.”

I stood up from my chair. “Is there anything else you wish to advise me of, like what’s happening in the General Assembly, or do you wish to simply continue with your sermon?”

Relias rubbed his temples. “I have nothing of substance to report regarding that cacophony of chaos. Just know that the High Temple is on temporary lockdown. Do not attempt to leave the premises under any circumstances.”

“So I’m under house arrest?!” I shouted, clenching a fist. “Like a criminal? Or is this merely a time-out for toddlers?”

“Rae… Have you looked outside?” Tetora asked, his ears flat.

“I would have if I could have!” I snapped, then frowned, realizing I was turning on my ally. “Why?”

The three exchanged a long look.

Aleph held up a hand. “You’d best show her. Let’s not allow for any extra misunderstandings now.”

Relias opened his mouth, obviously about to retort, but thought better of it. He sighed and slumped some. “Yes, you’re right.” He then glanced at me with a surprisingly contrite look. “Please follow me.”

We ascended a flight of nearby stairs and approached an open balcony under the vigilant watch of several temple guards, all of whom were adamantly against me peering over the rail. Relias spent several minutes negotiating with them, eventually securing 'a quick glance so the Chosen One could be aptly apprised of the situation.'

When someone uses the phrase "sea of masses," you might think they’re exaggerating. And maybe I am here, but not by much. Every inch of the forums, including the pools, was packed with waves of people pushing and shoving to get closer to the temple. Someone with good eyesight at the front spotted me and pointed in my general direction. The ensuing screams and shouts were genuinely terrifying.

“I… I am aptly apprised of the situation,” I said, swallowing audibly before bolting back into the shadows. With that, I retreated, giving up on trying to leave on my own.

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