Destined ?

As they walked through the middle of the city, which they now knew was called Marshall, one of the great cities of the Realms, people seemed to look at him now with more calmness. There was a certain level of interest in Zi'o because he had solved a very curious problem in that region. The Cricket Monster case was a classic, and many knights had tried. It was odd that he had succeeded with much less effort. Many people even looked at him oddly, and some comments said, "Maybe that girl is a witch who helped him."

Comments that Goddess completely ignored, pretending they weren't about her, as such things were expected from people unaware of what had happened. Morrigan wasn't sure how to react to all of this, so his biggest thoughts were of happiness. After all, people had noticed him, something that never happened in any moment of his former quiet life.

In front of the chapel, Morrigan seemed to feel great anxiety. Once a simple human, he could now feel beside his heart a mysterious force, like a warm sensation, a mysterious ardor that urged him to continue believing in himself. "You seem very excited about all this," said Goddess as they entered Delial's chapel. "It's the first time I've experienced something so exciting. Just imagine, getting a second chance to be a guy all sad and full of darkness in his heart. Who does that kind of thing?" He asked himself, making Goddess look somewhat distant, as if in reality, she had already seen thousands of cases like the one he mentioned.

"You've returned... It's good that you're alive, Mr. Zi'o," Delial's voice then echoed throughout the chapel, deep and somewhat frightening, as he walked towards the center from the right of a creaky opening door. "You defeated the monster that plagued that family, which means crops will grow again, people will believe in knights again, trade will thrive in this region..." he said as he walked up to the boy, extending his hand to greet him. "Do you understand the impact of your actions in Runegard?" he asked Morrigan, leaving him extremely serious.

"In Runegard, a small action can make many people happy or sad. It's a world where the gods and the runes are constantly working to balance peace and chaos," he said, smiling, as he handed him a cloak. It was a very elegant outfit, in shades of gray and brown, with a chainmail vest, a bit heavy, for the legs and torso. "You must wear this from now on. You'll increasingly find yourself in danger and sadness..." He said this, causing the boy to doubt, arching one of his eyebrows in doubt.

"Are you saying this seriously?" He then slowly removed the sword from his back to return it, and Delial was about to grab the blade, but when he touched it, something made him widen his eyes, and then he smiled noticeably, saying, "This sword no longer belongs to this chapel. You managed to make it gain something special that will belong only to you in the future..." Morrigan, now more confused than before, replied, "It must be because this sword speaks to me, isn't it?" The old master then said, "Have you even heard the sword? You're really doing very well, Zi'o. I hope you can enjoy your ability to evolve... Some humans in Runegard are born with powers bestowed by the runes, and you seem to be one of them, with above-average evolution capabilities."

The goddess then silently stared at the boy, always from the side, seeming curious, and knowing some things that the master said, but she did not reply or ask, since for her, it was no secret that there was something special about Zi'o; what specifically it was could be the question she didn't know how to answer. "So what do I do now, Master Delial? I have the sword and the clothes; the knights made me an offer, but I didn't want to leave her alone. She lost something important; I can't just abandon someone like that..."

Delial then placed his hand on the boy's right shoulder and said gently, "If you don't mind, little maiden, I'd like to speak to him alone. Forecasts of the future can only be told to those who must hear them..." he said, making Goddess understand what it meant, after all, she was a goddess in their past lives, and what the old man said was indeed true. "Don't worry, I'll grab something to eat, and I'll be back. I hope there's something for me later, Mr. Delial..." she said politely, leaving the place and heading to the right, in search of something to eat.

When they were alone, the old man began his speech, taking a deep breath. The environment around them started to turn blue and cosmic, filled with a mysterious blue sky and several white stars throughout. "You were born with great courage to achieve dreams, yours and others', but all this altruism comes with the worst suffering of all. You are destined to be betrayed many times by many of the people you like and will like. You will live with eyes full of hope and sadness, carrying with you the gift of Heroes. You were born under the light of Time and the darkness of the Void. And within Runegard, you are 6% of the population."

All that information was a lot for Zi'o to process; he barely understood everything that was being said, but he became extremely saddened to know he would be betrayed. Perhaps, that generated a lot of fear and anxiety in him. Perhaps, Goddess was really a bad person, and he was doomed to have problems because of her. Immersed in those thoughts, he was then caught again by Delial's continuation. "As long as you are by the side of the girl who speaks to the Universe, you will always be destined for sadness..."

Delial then returned to normal, and the whole chapel regained its colors, making the environment return to its natural state. The doors that had closed suddenly opened outward, it was pure magic. "I hope you take all this with wisdom, Zi'o-san, and remember, you always have the power to change everything... That's Runegard," said Delial, removing his hands from the boy's shoulder, who seemed extremely pensive. "Alright, Master Delial, I'll come back here to talk when I feel better, maybe have something to eat..." Delial then nodded positively, and started to return. "I'm extremely old to continue using this power. If you don't mind, I'd like to take a little nap... See you later, young Zi'o," he said, going back to the room to the right of the chapel, walking slowly and calmly.

Zi'o then seemed to be alone in front of the exit door, watching Goddess coming from afar with pastries in one hand and juice in the other. "Destined?" he asked himself as he looked at her approaching, smiling, about to eat something. Then he said to himself, "The end of the story, I will decide!" His eyes pulsating with energy made him slowly move towards Goddess; he was determined. The worst path was always the most attractive...