“It is unfortunate to hear about your mother, little fox,” Liorax was saying as he floated upside down between them. “Your mother was very brave, protecting you.”

“Yii...” Tik-Tak whined, ducking his head.

“Malicious energy is quite hard for others to deal with—especially innocent ones,” Liorax floated closer to Guin. “It is admirable to try and aid the little fox, but you had best be careful, human child. Such energy can be...damaging.”

Guin wrinkled her nose, “I said I would help, and I will!”

The cat grinned as he swam in the air. “An admirable sentiment.”

They had been going now for about twenty minutes. Tik-Tak and Liorax had been getting acquainted with one another, but Guin couldn’t tell if they were really getting along or not. Tik-Tak was fragile, and Liorax was... honest. It wasn’t bad, she supposed, but her heart went out to the little fox.

After another ten minutes, they came to their destination.

There was a twinge of annoyance when they stopped at a crossroad in the wood. It was only about a five-minute run from the village if you went by the path. Once there, however, she didn’t need Liorax to say anything, for sitting on the sign pose in the middle of the roads was a beautiful white and golden barn owl.

Liorax took a place on Guin’s shoulder, and Tik-Tak simply tried to stay out from underfoot. As they walked up to the post, the owl in the center turned its head to watch her, its face unreadable but its eyes all-knowing.

“H-Hello,” Guin said hesitantly. “Would you be Wise, the great owl?”

“I am,” a very soft, warm womanly voice washed over Guin; it was a voice that seemed to echo inside her head and reach into her soul. She shivered, but Wise’s laugh was kind. “You need not be afraid of me, child; I have been waiting for you, O’Candidate. I have heard about you from many in the forest. The Court of Harbingers, The Advisor, The Guardian, The Watcher—all speak highly of you. But this is just the beginning.

“I am Wise, the Lore Keeper,” the owl continued. “And I shall be the one to point you down your path.”

Guin bowed before her, “I am at your service, my lady.”

“Good,” Wise said. “Then I shall begin.”

Wise then asked Guin a series of questions, very reminiscent of the questions she was asked when she had first created her character.

After several minutes, Wise ceased her questioning. She flapped her wings and said, “Thank you for your patience, Candidate. Now, listen well. There are four paths before you. Choose which path to follow, and it shall be yours to walk as you please—but be careful, for this choice cannot be made again.”

“Paths?” Guin asked, and Wise spread her wings out.

Guin was shocked to see the landscape blur and change around her. When she had first entered the crossroads, there had been four unimpressive roads that lead in different directions, but now what she saw was different. Each road was, like magic, very different.

The path furthest to the left was well-kept. Sunflowers danced in the wind and sunlight, but it looked to be the height of summer, with a sky of azure blue. It was a warm and inviting place.

The next path had a little cobbled wall that was overgrown with a small-leafed ivy. Even under the trees sprouting with soft buds, the ground was filled with pretty wildflowers of all sorts, growing everywhere they could—even into the dirt road. The weather was calm, and the trees seemed to dance in a delightful breeze.

The next two paths, however, were far more unique.

The first of the two looked absolutely abandoned, though nature had painted it with grace. The cobbled path was full of weeds, and the grass was tall and yellowed. The trees were a mix of bright, flame reds, dazzling yellows, and a fascinating range of browns. Leaves littered the places where the grass wasn’t growing, and the sound the wind made as the wind traveled through was like rain.

The last of the paths was the most impressive. The image of this path was a snowstorm. It looked as if the area was contained in a snow globe, with the snow falling heavily on the road and trees upon it. Everything was buried in white, and she could barely make out the path as it winded through the woods. Guin shivered involuntarily as she looked into the wintery world.

It was fascinating. Not that they wanted to give her any real time to admire the magic that was obviously involved. Liorax settled on her shoulder, and she felt Tik-Tak lean against her leg.

“Which path calls to you?” it asked her.

“How is it doing that?”

Liorax chuckled, “This is the Veil, girl. Don’t be shocked by such a simple thing. It is merely that the spirits of winter live down that path.”

“Is that so...” she said in wonder.

“Is that the path you wish to take?” Liorax asked her, sounding a bit dubious.

But Guin shook her head quickly. “No. No, no, I am not one for snow—it is amazing, though!” she told them, then pointed down the path, which she could only assume to be fall. “This one. This is the path I will take.”

With that, Wise spread her wings wide, and with a single, powerful stroke, she took to the air. “Then, child, keep up!” she called as she started flying down the path.

Liorax launched himself off her shoulder and tore after the owl before Guin could shut her gaping mouth—even Tik-Tak, too, had left her behind. Guin sprinted, entering [Fox Form] in an attempt to keep up with the other three. The leaves scattered on the ground crunched under her feet, every now and again causing her to slip—though she didn’t fall. There were a few times when she was afraid that she had begun to lose sight of them, but she pushed as hard as she could. Five minutes. Ten minutes. Then finally, they stopped.

Wise gracefully landed on a life-sized marble statue of a beautiful woman surrounded by spirits. The statue was delicately carved. It was craftsmanship that would rival any statue of The Lady. Each carved spirit seemed alive in the sunlight.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“Welcome,” said Wise. “Welcome to the Land of Fall. Why don’t you sit?”

Tik-Tak gave her a snort and sat amongst the leaves while Liorax returned to Guin’s shoulder as she stood, once again staring open-mouthed. The cat nuzzled her face, bringing her back to the moment. Guin nodded slowly and sat quite rigidly on the ground.

Wise seemed to smile at her as she asked, “Tell me, child. What do you know of this world?”

“...Very little,” Guin answered. “It is a world with many facets. The mortal realm, the spirit realm....”

“Yes,” said Wise. “The Veil and The Che—which you call ‘the Mortal Realm’. These two realms, they are governed by two very different sets of rules. While those in the Che have generations of kings and queens to rule them, we of the Veil have something quite different. Other methods. Tests, of sorts. Once every ten years, we hold a contest as to who shall be our king, our queen, our ruler... Our ‘Heart’.

“Traditionally, this contest is overseen by the guardians of the directions—the Tenmath—of which there are eight. Do you know of this?”

Eight? “I-I knew of four, my lady, not eight.”

The pretty owl nodded, “As is common. Then listen well to my tale, Candidate.

So Wise began:

“Long ago—oh, so long ago—the world was born. It was born of light and fire; a great burst of energy so vast that it shook the universe. And from this energy, the gods were born. There was The Lord of the Dawn, and the Lady of the Dusk, the Lady of the Day, and the Lord of the Night, and for a time, all was well. The gods came together and named the world ‘Uldarin,’ and they ruled in peace. In time, they grew tired of just having each other for company, and so they began to create things, painting all manner of beasts and things into the blank canvas that was Uldarin.

“First, the Lady of the Day worked with the Lord of the Dawn and created the Lord of Clouds. Then, she worked with the Lady of the Dusk, and together they created the Lord of the Sky.

“The Lord of the Night worked with the Lord of the Dawn and made Lady of the Sun. Then, with the Lady of the Dusk as his aid, he created the Lady of the Moon. These were the demi-gods, and as time passed, the four gods and the four demi-gods continued their acts of creation:

“The Lady of the Day created the Eight Saints.

“The Lord of the Dawn created the Court of the Magi.

“The Lord of the Night created the Heralds of Destruction.

“The Lady of the Dusk created the Wayfarers

“The Lord of the Sky created the Titans.

“The Lord of Clouds created the Eight Generals.

“The Lady of the Sun created the Gilded Artizens.

“The Lady of the Moon created the Council of Great Beasts.

“As time went on, creation begot creation, until all the world was filled with all manner of beasts and people. Cities rose, and life knew no bounds. But all good things must come to an end.

“A war broke out among the children of the Night and the children of the Day. The peace that the gods had known for thousands of years degraded into a time of suffering and hurt. The Lord of the Night pleaded with the Lady of the Day to bring a cease to the fighting, to stop man from killing beast—but it was too little avail.

“The Lady of the Dusk, watching her children struggle, then approached the Lord of the Dawn. Neither benefited from the war that raged between Night and Day, and they sought to end the pointless conflict. The Lord of the Dawn agreed to use his magical prowess to aid the Lady of the Dawn’s intent, and together, they cast a spell that separated the Children of the Dawn from the Children of the Dusk into two separate planes of existence. This was the birth of the Veil and the Che. The Lady of the Dusk ruled the Veil, and the Lord of the Dawn, the Che.”

Wise flapped her wings before settling on her perch again.

“With the disappearance of more than half of the creatures in the world, Uldarin did become more peaceful. The only resistance left to man’s domination of the Che was the Lord of the Night. Seeing this, the Lord of the Night decided that if he wished to live in peace, then it should be his decision; he would leave the Che to the Lady of the Sun. He went to the Lady of the Dusk and begged that she should let him and his children also enter the Veil, to which she agreed. With that, the Lord of the Night disappeared—and shortly after, so did the Lady of the Dawn. The Veil was ruled only by Beast Law. Soon, however, the Lady of the Moon and the Lord of the Sky also disappeared from the lands, drifting between the fabrics of reality.

“Then man, the predominant figure in the Che, chose to deal with politics and complicated law, and thereby was civilized society born. The Lady of the Day suppressed the rulership of the Lord of the Dawn and became the sole ruler of the Che. Under her, mankind flourished and became powerful. No longer in a position of power, the Lord of the Dawn quietly slipped away as the others had. Lady of the Sun and the Lord of the Clouds followed not long after.

“Only the Lady of the Day was left. A solitary power, she ruled the land for centuries with her children. At first, she enjoyed it. As time passed, however, even she became lonely, and she, too, faded away.

“Some say these gods died. Some say that they fell into an eternal slumber. Others say that they had gone to live among their people as one of them and that, naturally, they become powerful leaders of men and beasts. No one knows the truth, but those who felt the absence of the gods created the Grand Compass. The Grand Compass was made up of eight smaller Compasses—one for each god and demi-god—and the Grand Heart, which ruled over all. Each of the eight smaller Compasses had eight points, held by the powerful Tenmath, who represented the best of their followers, and a Heart to rule them.

“To accomplish this, the leaders of each clan gathered their strongest and recreated the creation myth.

“First was the Compass of the Night, the followers of the Lord of Night. The strongest among them was elected the first Heart, called ‘Void Lord’. The next eight strongest became the Heralds of Destruction. On the Grand Compass, the Compass of the Night holds the Northern Position.

“Second, the Compass of the Day, followers of the Lady of the Day. The fairest among them was elected the first Heart, called ‘Bright Lady’. The next eight fairest among them became The Saints. On the Grand Compass, the Compass of the Day holds the Southern Position.

“Third, the Compass of the Dawn, followers of the Lord of Dawn. The wisest among them was elected the first Heart, called ‘Hollow Magician.’ The next eight wisest among them became the Court of the Magi. On the Grand Compass, the Compass of the Day holds the Western Position.

“Fourth, the Compass of the Dusk, followers of the Lady of the Dusk. The most impartial among them was elected the first Heart, called ‘Traveler.’ The next eight most impartial among them became the Wayfarers. On the Grand Compass, the Compass of the Day holds the Eastern Position.

“Fifth, the Compass of the Sun, followers of the Lady of Sun. The most skilled among them was elected the first Heart, called ‘The Creator.’ The next eight most skilled among them became the Gilded Artisans. On the Grand Compass, the Compass of the Sun holds the North Western Position.

“Sixth, the Compass of the Moon, followers of the Lady of the Moon. The most talented among them was elected the first Heart, called ‘Frost Wyrm.’ The next eight most talented among them became the Council of Great Beasts. On the Grand Compass, the Compass of the Moon holds the Northeastern Position.

“Seventh, the Compass of the Sky, followers of the Lord of the Sky. The most graceful among them was elected the first Heart, called ‘Wind Rider.’ The next eight most graceful among them became the Titans. On the Grand Compass, the Compass of the Sky holds the South-Eastern Position.

“And last, the Compass of the Clouds, followers of the Lord of Clouds. The bravest among them was elected the first Heart, called ‘Cloud King.’ The next eight bravest among them became The Eight Generals. On the Grand Compass, the Compass of the Clouds holds the Southwestern Position.

“Every two years, each Compass came together to elect a new Heart to lead them from the Tenmath and then elect a new Tenmath to replace them. The Heart then leaves, as the gods once did, in search of a new life.

“These eight Compasses made up the Grand Compass, and all gathered together once every one hundred years to discuss the fate of the realms and elect a Grand Heart from one of the common folk.

“And so the world has gone. For millennia, the Grand Compass, made of mortals and spirits alike, has ruled the world, holding the place of the gods, waiting for them to return.”

Wise stopped her tale just long enough to give a sly smile, “Or so the legend in the Veil goes.”