The waves were rather fierce, telling me the dark clouds overhead were indeed a storm. One approaching quickly.

I was running along the edge of a cliff overlooking the inland sea. I was keeping a good pace, having recently run past the port town where Kevin and his family called home.

Usually I'd check on the geese, but I could do so on the way back.

Time was short. And not just for Narli who needed help, either.

If able I wanted to make quick work of this. As to return to Renn and Lumen as fast as possible, before something… dreadful happened.

It wasn't just her safety I worried over, either. In fact what really concerned me was something… deeper. Something beyond flesh and pain.

Something more like her falling in love with Light and her people, and happily joining their little convent cult thing and suddenly getting involved in their schemes and plans and…

Shaking my head a bit, I stopped myself from imagining such a terrible scenario. Even if it involved Renn with a happy grin on her face.

The sound of the waves calmed me as I kept pace. I wasn't tired, of course, but I felt like I should be. My mind was heavier than my body, even though I carried a lot of weight. I had not felt that exhaustion in months, so whatever had been bugging me had faded finally. Though it had been replaced with new worries.

Light. The Society. Renn, the prophecies concerning her and the heart she had unknowingly absorbed.

I felt like I was losing grip on everything again. As if I was once again fighting gods.

Slowing a little, I tried not to think of the prophecy that Renn's witch friend had told me about. The one concerning the birth of a monarch.

"Could be a sign," I begrudgingly admitted as I kept running.

Was… were Light's prophecies somehow connected…?

But then why would she want me to keep a distance for five years?

Made no sense. At all. I'd understand them wanting me to… focus on Renn, and whatnot, as to ensure their prophecy of their supposed saint being born… but why do it in that way?

Although it'd annoy me beyond reason for Renn to speak in more depth with Light, maybe I'll get lucky and she'll hear all the prophecies while I'm gone.

"She could be my buffer," I said as I angled myself away from the cliff. A part of it became too rocky, with huge boulders, to easily traverse. I ran down the cliff a bit, to a section of grass instead.

Renn could handle such things for me. She could hear the prophecies, speak with them about the details… and then retell them to me in a more simple and non-intrusive way. So that I'd not get annoyed over them. As if she was a translator or something.

It was a silly idea, but it would probably work. Since it's been proven now that my love for her overrode my disdain for the gods and their remnants.

Usually by now I'd have acted out, rashly even. Hell, by now I'd have done a lot more than that.

When was the last time those around me had tried to scheme in such a way…? My first instinct was to say Celine, but even she knew better than to…

Slowing again, I flinched as I realized the reason that Celine had never actually tried anything too strange.

"Because she had been waiting for Renn," I groaned as I realized.

So much made sense now…! On many, many, occasions when I had returned to Telmik, or met Celine somewhere randomly… she'd always happily glance around… as if looking for someone else.

I'd always just thought it was her checking to see if I had found and brought any new members, or something, but that hadn't been it at all… she had been looking for Renn.

Not to mention on many occasions Celine had made little odd comments, too. I distinctly remember her one time saying in the beginning that when I returned, to make sure the one I brought with me stayed warm.

That hadn't been her teasing me, or trying to infer to me a prophecy without breaking my rules… that had been her simply hinting that I should keep Renn safe.

If so… then…

As I ran and ran, I tried to remember. I replayed memories. Remembered conversations. Thought of things people had done and said over the years.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that Celine and the rest had likely known about Renn's arrival for a long time. Maybe even from the beginning. In fact, that was likely why Crane and Lughes had been so willing to let a predator into their home back in the beginning. They hadn't been as bad as some others, such as at the Summit or Bell Church, but they hadn't been much better either. Yet they had been willing to let Renn in without hesitation.

That also explained the way Celine had turned me down the few times I'd hinted at getting closer to her.

Slowing a bit, as I neared an actual road. One that forked, to lead back where I came from and then the other way around the beaches and cliffs… I felt like kicking myself.

"That's why she always said she would be there, if my heart allowed it," I groaned.

That hadn't been Celine telling me that she was willing to be someone special to me, for me, if I simply overlooked the things that bothered me about her… like her being a saint and such… That had been Celine saying she was willing if for some reason I had not chosen someone else. She had been saying she'd be okay with it if my heart wasn't already full of someone else.

Reaching up, I rubbed my forehead… expecting to feel sweat, but obviously found none.

"Gosh Celine…" I mumbled as I thought about that woman. All the times I'd teased her, or insulted her. The times she had hesitantly invited me to her bed, then at the same time had turned around to tell me she'd never let me near her.

I had always wondered why she had kept her distance. Even though a saint, like I had said to Light, one wouldn't lose their powers just because they became a little more promiscuous than they were. I'd met many saints that were just like Kaley, and unashamed of it too. They had not been any less a saint than their peers who remained pure, by any means.

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Sighing, I decided it was for the best. I wouldn't have been able to give Celine my heart as I had Renn, not in the same way… but it was a sad thought to have. That poor woman had given her life for the Society, in not just a literal sense either. She never had fun. Never took breaks, or did anything for herself.

She and I would not have been like how Renn and I were… but I could have at least eased her burden a little, and allowed her to experience a bit of a normal life. Celine had always seemed like she had wanted the same thing. In fact she'd always hinted that she had wanted that and more. But… If she had known, or at least believed, that Renn had been about to show up at any moment all that time…

Then of course she'd keep herself distant from me. Reserved. Controlled.

Because she knew she would have not been able to compete with Renn for my heart. And even more so, if they all so firmly believed that Renn's children were so important as they acted, that too would have kept her from doing anything too dramatic. To her risking my relationship with Renn was more than just a simple emotional problem, but a matter of life and death. For the Society. For everyone involved.

"Makes me feel like an ass," I said as I stepped down the road, as to head around the sea a little more. I'd follow it until a river, and then follow that river to the forests that would eventually lead me to the Keep.

A lot of this wouldn't even be an issue if I was just willing to let them speak of prophecies.

As I picked up the pace, running along the dirt road, I wondered if I could even do such a thing.

I had learned to not kill monarchs on sight.

Miss Beak had taught me how to do that.

If I could do that… why couldn't I do the same for prophecies…?

"Because you know the truth behind them," I whispered to myself.

For a good many miles, I ran in silence. Not just vocally, but mentally too. I kept my mind clear. I didn't think of anything. At least, I tried to.

I thought of Renn instead. Her smile. The smell of her hair and tail. The way she held my spear while walking, as if she'd held it her whole life.

It didn't take long for me to remember the way she had drunkenly smirked at me the other night, lying on my lap half-drunk.

That had been a rare face. A rare expression. One that would become even rarer as she further absorbed and adapted to the hearts within her. Becoming more than she already was.

What was I going to do about that, anyway…?

I can't believe it had taken me that long to notice. I had realized when I opened her bag, to put her heart away at that crystalline cave and found it missing… but I hadn't believed it. A part of me had simply thought she had lost it or something, but when we had left not too long after I had touched her skin. I had held her hand and helped her out of the cave when we had left, since it had required a little bit of effort.

Upon our hands touching I had felt it. The energy. The heart within her, even if small and distant.

Since then I'd kept a good eye on her, and made sure to keep other hearts away from her such as Tor's heart and that little monarch's heart, but…

"Didn't think she'd notice my scent," I mumbled as I rounded a huge tree. I left the dirt road, heading for the river in the distance. It gleamed a little, even as the sun started to set.

As I neared the river, the sky got bright… and then the roar of thunder followed. The storm had arrived.

It was moving slowly, but it was keeping pace with me. It was a little upsetting to think that soon there'd be a downpour, and I'd have to run the rest of the way in such a squall.

Reaching the river, I went to running alongside it. I knew not far from here was a small river village, which I'd have to round, but until then I could just follow the river. It had hills and bends, but nothing bad enough to slow me at all.

Since I had left the beach and ocean behind, the sound of waves was gone. Replaced instead by the quiet sound of the fast running river next to me. It wasn't as calming, but at least I could still smell the ocean on the breeze.

All in all it was a peaceful moment. A part of me was glad for this moment of peace. It felt good to just… run. Even if it was for a bad reason.

Hopefully whatever was wrong with Narli could be dealt with not just swiftly, but with surety. It'd be terrible if the poor girl suffered or died, especially after all this time.

Though it was hard to imagine a saint just… getting sick without cause. Even the weaker ones, like Narli, were usually immune to such simple afflictions.

No matter. I'll find out what was going on, and deal with it, soon enough. Before the sun falls tomorrow I'll be there.

By now Lilly should have found the note I'd left her. Maybe. If not by now, then soon. Within a day or two.

Hopefully her sneaking into the town wouldn't cause too many problems for them. But I wanted them to risk it. It was my contingency.

I trusted Merit. I really did. But I wasn't sure if Merit would be willing to fight Light and her people to the death for Renn. Not yet, anyway.

Lilly however wouldn't even hesitate. And not just because she wanted to do it, and would have done it without a just reason if given the opportunity.

Lilly did not take kindly to anyone who threatened herself or her family. Never had. Never will.

I was sure between the two of them, and possibly Merit as well, they would all be able to figure something out. Or at the very least, keep themselves safe enough until I returned.

Though I doubted anything would actually happen. Light was probably just as likely to rush to Renn's defense as Lilly and Merit were which was… odd to believe, but it was the truth.

Seeing some distant buildings and the smoke rising from their chimneys, I started to angle myself away from the river. I opted to run towards a large bunch of trees, the beginnings of a small forest. I'd run through them, to keep out of sight, as I ran around the village.

Entering the forest, I had to slow a bit as I gave the village a large birth. It was growing dark enough, and stormy enough, that I didn't see or run into anyone but I wasn't going to take the risk.

I was in no mood to have to deal with people, for any reason.

Not that I worried to be seen running, even at this pace. Rather I knew if I gave fate a chance, she'd distract me with some weird event.

A monarch. Or a non-human needing saving. Or a bunch of humans holding signs, asking for autographs or something.

The ideas were fantastical and stupid, but not far from the truth. I couldn't count how many times I'd been running like this… trying to hurry to a location for a great purpose, only to get sidetracked or distracted in the oddest of ways imaginable.

One time I had fallen into a hole, down into a deep underground cavern system. One that had a whole civilization of weird non-humans, that had tried to claim I was a god since I had fallen from their sky.

Ever since things like that, I've grown to be wary of giving fate any chance to try such a thing again.

Narli didn't have time for me to waste on such ridiculous ventures. And Renn didn't have time for it either.

Plus she'd be upset if I encountered something like that without her.

Smiling at the thought, I went ahead and allowed my mind to wander as I ran. I left the forest, and the village, behind and headed for the even thicker forests in the distance. The ones that led to mountains and valleys.

I thought of the five years. The so called vocation Light wanted us to go on.

Although I had found it utterly ridiculous, and stupid… I had to admit it the idea was growing on me.

Five years wasn't a long time. But it was, in a way. In that much time I could take Renn to see some neat things. To those islands, maybe?

If not somewhere distant, then maybe something simpler. Maybe we could spend that time building those orphanages for Randle and Angie. Or go visit a few of the members who lived distantly, who I never saw anymore. Or we could just… find some quiet little forest to call home for a bit…

By my parents I'd even be fine with just staying at that human town. The one where her saintly friend lived. It'd be annoying, but with her it'd be pleasant.

I amused myself as I ran, thinking of all the places I could take her… and the things we could do.

There was no harm in at least imagining it, for now.

At least, that's what I told myself.

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