When Priscilla finally woke up, her throat felt like shit but it was the smell of something delicious in the air that brought her to wakefulness rather than the pain.

She was far warmer than she thought she would be, and she blinked sleepily as she recalled what had happened before she had fallen asleep. They had defeated the elemental, and the only real injury had been Priscilla's near drowning, which was a rousing success in her book — Sulaiman had even admitted she was one of the smartest people he knew, so overall today had been fantastic! One for the history books, as Priscilla would never ever let Sulaiman forget he had said that.

Asha's disapproval at Priscilla's thoughts tried to flow through their bond, but it was overshadowed by the artifact's relief that Priscilla had woken up. Guilt lurked underneath Asha's relief, and Priscilla tried her best to assuage Asha's guilt because it wasn't the artifact's fault. Asha didn't seem to agree, instead giving Priscilla the soul equivalent of a head-pat.

Priscilla was still in Sulaiman's lap, the prickly-pleasant sting of his magic against her skin was a sensation she had almost become used to, enough that she had been able to sleep like the dead. Sulaiman's chest was warm under her cheekbone, his muscles firm and surprisingly comfortable. His arms were wrapped tightly around her just the way she liked it, squeezing just enough that she felt safe and secure. One hand rested near Priscilla's hip and the other on her shoulder, keeping her pressed against his body.

She was so very content and warm, but she knew that all good things must come to an end. Priscilla couldn't very well just continue sitting in Sulaiman's lap now that she was awake — she was dry now, and it'd be in poor taste to continue to take advantage of his kindness.

But when Priscilla started to shift to free herself, Sulaiman's low, husky voice rumbled through his chest, his hot breath blowing against her hair as he said, "And where do you think you're going?"

Priscilla shivered as a pleasant thrill went down her spine, but she rallied.

"I can sit up by myself," Priscilla said, glaring at Sulaiman's well-defined shoulder because it was the only part of him she could see. "I want to stand and figure out what smells so good."

"I literally just felt you shivering," Sulaiman said, disapproving, "so you're going to stay right where you are, understand?"

His tone was commanding, accompanied by a tight squeeze to Priscilla's hip, and those two things combined unfortunately made Priscilla feel weak in the knees (so maybe it was a good thing she wasn't standing at the moment).

Priscilla wasn't one to let others see her weakness, however, and she began wiggling to free herself. While it may be kind of fun to be bossed around occasionally, Priscilla was an independent woman and didn't need to listen to any man.

Sulaiman sighed heavily. He loosened his grip while Priscilla twisted herself around to face forward, and then immediately laced his hands over Priscilla's stomach, trapping her in place, her back flush against his chest.

"Try to get away from me again," Sulaiman whispered, his breath tickling Priscilla's ear, "and I'll be far less gentle."

Damn this man and his suggestive words, he ought to really think about the effect a voice like that could have on poor unsuspecting maidens — Priscilla felt her cheeks flush.

She froze as she realized they had an audience.

It was dark out now, the only light coming from a fire that had been lit. There was a pot atop it, and a cool breeze confirmed that was the source of whatever smelled so good.

Kavil was sitting in front of the pot, his spoon paused mid-stir, his eyebrows high and his smile like that of a trickster fox, mischievous and pleased in equal measures. Illnyea was sitting next to him, a blanket covering her shoulders as she stopped peering at whatever was in the pot to stare at the two of them. She was stonefaced, like she had just seen people flirt sickeningly with each other right in front of her salad, and Priscilla knew her cheeks were now surely a brilliant red to clash with her hair.

But she didn't try to get away from Sulaiman again, as that was a lost cause with how weak she felt, and decided that the only way out of the awkward situation was to act like it was completely normal.

"So, did you find out whatever was making the elemental go crazy?" Priscilla asked, deliberately relaxing as she blatantly used Sulaiman's hands as an arm rest. If he was going to keep her trapped, Priscilla was going to be shameless.

Illnyea nodded, looking relieved to have something to say and not address Priscilla's situation.

"It was this weird purple crystal," Illnyea said, reaching for a cloth bag Priscilla recognized as previously holding the food Florent gave them. "Kavil collected all the shards because none of us thought it was a good idea to just leave it here."

Illnyea hesitated as she placed the bag into her lap.

"When I destroyed the core," Illnyea said, each word enunciated deliberately and slowly, "I poured a lot of magic into the ground. I was able to establish a connection of sorts with the earth and I saw something almost like a memory of a human kneeling at the edge of the lake to give the crystal to the elemental."

Priscilla sobered at the reminder of how the cult's schemes affected even the smallest settlements.

"Can you remember any details about them?" Kavil asked, frowning as he stirred the pot.

Illnyea chewed her cheek, fingers drumming against her knee.

"The earth doesn't really think like we do," Illnyea said, her voice a little dreamy. "Details are less important than the impact they had on their surroundings. It remembered that a human had been here before the crystal arrived, but it was a gray outline in its memories, instead of being in color, and it was far more focused on the crystal's foul energies."

Kavil hummed. "Well, can you remember anything about what the plants looked like around the lake?"

Illnyea frowned as she closed her eyes. Kavil listened intently as she described the plant life, and said, "Based on what I know about plants, that sounds like the time of year that architect guy was around here.

"But!" Kavil said, glancing at the pot, "I think this is done, so let's eat."

Kavil had made a sort of soup with what he had foraged, nettles, leeks, and dandelion leaves with some dried horned hare meat added for umami, which he explained as he passed out spoons and told everyone to come closer.

Despite Kavil's unhappy claim that it needed more salt and root vegetables, Priscilla still thought it was tasty and warm, chasing away the last of the chills the near-drowning had left her with. After her stomach was filled, she found that her eyelids were feeling a little heavier and the energy was slowly being sapped from her limbs.

Illnyea yawned widely, her jaw popping, and that made Priscilla feel a little bit better about her own tiredness.

Somehow, Priscilla ended up horizontal, lying on top of a blanket and curled up to Sulaiman's side as he sat up, keeping watch. Illnyea was on her other side, leaning against Priscilla, and Kavil settled on the other side of the Sulaiman. Sleep took her mind between one breath and the next, embracing her in a peaceful darkness.

Nothing attacked while they slept, though Priscilla ended up with a new fun bruise from Illnyea twisting in the night (man, that girl really did kick like a horse when she fell asleep).

Priscilla's throat was still sore, and breathing hurt a little, which she confessed to Kavil when he insisted on a check up. He declared that she wasn't to do anything more strenuous than walking and that he'd be carrying her bat to make sure she wasn't tempted to use it, which made Priscilla sigh, but she accepted it when Sulaiman and Illnyea both looked at her expectantly. It was unfair when they all ganged up on her like that, not that any of them seemed to care when she complained.

Going down the slight slope meant that the hike back to the village was a lot easier, and though the main threat had been dealt with, Priscilla kept her head on a constant swivel to make sure there were no more nasty surprises.

When they were about two hours from the river's head, Priscilla froze.

Everyone was instantly on alert, hands on their weapons, but Priscilla said, "Listen."

Priscilla couldn't help but smile as she heard the song of distant birdsong piercing through the oppressive and unnatural silence that had been enacted due to the elemental's influence.

Kavil was the first to hear it, turning to Priscilla with a spark in his eyes, but Illnyea's eyes went wide, and Sulaiman's features softened as he brought down his shield.

"Birds," Kavil whispered, pausing to listen a moment longer. "I think it's a magpie."

With a renewed pep to their step at a tangible proof they had helped this place, they walked faster towards Crystal Falls. They arrived there a little before sundown, and Priscilla was looking forward to sitting down

Ferine stood by the entrance to the village, poorly masking her nerves as she shifted back and forth. Toby stood next to her, the lanky lad gripping his shovel tightly as he faced the river.

Toby was the first to spot them, and let out a whoop of joy.

"I told you I saw Answe's messenger on the shovels," Toby said emphatically, but Ferine was quickly walking past him, setting her shovel aside.

"Are you all alright?" Ferine asked, her focused gaze bouncing between them all like she was searching for injuries.

"We're all in one piece," Priscilla said, waving away the concern, "and we dealt with the rogue elemental so it won't be causing problems for you anymore."

"And I would suggest that if anyone claiming to be an architect comes by," Sulaiman said, his voice sharp, "you best deal with them quickly before something like this happens again."

Ferine nodded seriously. "Florent has the inn ready for you. He's been pacing nonstop since you left."

Florent and his many nieces and nephews welcomed them warmly into the inn, the young children staring at them with stars in their eyes. But Mr. Ordan pushed through the crow to examine each of them in return before his shoulders relaxed. He pulled each of them into a brief hug, which most of them gladly leaned into, though Sulaiman stiffly patted Mr. Ordan's back like he wasn't sure exactly what he was supposed to do. Arnold didn't seem all that concerned as Illnyea returned the water repelling artifact to him, saying simply, "Glad you didn't die."

Florent had his horde whipping up a feast to celebrate as the word spread, and people began to flow in and out of the small building to double check the truth. Illnyea was too tired to entertain, so Kavil took over the recounting fight, smoothing over some of their mistakes as he regaled the children, occasionally dragging Sulaiman to sing his praises. Mr. Ordan settled in next to them, listening intently while Arnold wandered off to their room.

Priscilla drifted towards the edge of conversation, flagging down Florent when the man stepped out with another tray of muffins.

"Mind if I take a look at your shrine again?" Priscilla asked, tilting her head towards his room.

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"Of course!" Florent said. "Take all the time you need!"

Closing the door quietly behind her, Priscilla stood in Florent's small room. Answe's shrine looked like there were a few more flowers adorning its front along with another beaded spider, as if Florent had increased the offerings in hopes they'd come home safe.

"I'm baaaack," Priscilla sing-songed, taking liberty as she sat on Florent's bed. She didn't feel up to threatening the god this time, not when she had been able to wring a promise out of them and had successfully completed the quest they gave her.

The spider shivered as the flower petals fell upon its body, and then it slowly shifted into a deep bow.

"Thank you," Answe said, the god's voice thick with emotion, "for saving my sprouts when I lacked the strength."

"It's now your time to hold up your side of the bargain," Priscilla said. The spider slowly rose up from the bow before nodding.

"Is… is the one named Perry with you?" Answe asked, a leg twitching nervously.

Priscilla cocked her head, giving the god a look. "No?"

The spider sighed in relief and Priscilla stared at the shrine as she realized that the little shit had somehow figured out how to terrorize a god. She had a brief moment of pity for Answe because the eldritch platypus was scary, and she really wondered just what Perry had done — she had threatened to destroy the god, and Answe still preferred talking to her.

Pushing past the curiosity, Priscilla leaned forward to ask, "So, the first thing I want to know is what the hell it means to be the chosen of a god."

"I do not have a chosen myself, only messengers, because I lack the strength," Answe said, their voice far stronger than last time, though it was still whispery, like wind blowing over spiderwebs. "When a god is formed, they have an instinctive yearning to influence the world, to cultivate followers. Some are lucky to find a chosen to act as their mouthpiece.

"The god leaves their mark upon a mortal's soul," Answe continued, tone a little wistful, "which allows the mortal to be conduit of the god's power."

"How do they leave this mark?" Priscilla asked, frowning as she laced her fingers. "Is it something the person has at birth, or can anyone get picked by a god?"

Answe swayed back and forth, the petals fluttering before settling.

"I only know of whispers brought by the spring wind," Answe said regretfully, "but I have heard of three ways a god binds themselves to a mortal. An oath is a powerful connection forged through trust, a quest proves worthiness through action, but the strongest marks are the ones forged through blood. A bond between a god and chosen is one that cannot be shattered, so it is not something a divine does lightly."

Priscilla's fingers tightened for a moment as she remembered the white space where she sat across from the god of cowards — how the god had sat upon the chair of thorns, smearing their blood across her forehead like they were anointing her.

Great.

That was just great.

Priscilla had expected there to be a catch to the god of cowards saving her life, but hadn't realized it was going to be something she had to live with forever. She didn't even know the god's name for fuck's sake, all she knew about the god was what they looked like and that might not even be reliable if they happened to have different forms due to having multiple aspects. Some gods had as many as six aspects that changed depending on what part of their domain they were representing, and depending on what their founding myths were, things could change based on the time of year, if the moon was above the sea, or even if a rooster had crowed that morning.

Gods were bullshit, but now Priscilla had to figure out how to parse through the bullshit to figure out how it was going to affect her.

"Can you tell what god has chosen me?" Priscilla asked quietly, hoping that somehow this tiny god in the middle of bumfuck nowhere might have the information she needed.

"It's… difficult to see the details of your mark," Answe said apologetically, "as whoever left it has far more power than I, and they are… much, much older. It was almost unnoticeable before your hand brushed against one of my offerings, like the god was trying to protect you from being detected."

"How old are you?" Priscilla asked after letting a slow exhale of disappointment.

"I turn two-hundred and twenty-seven on the new year," Answe said, sounding proud despite the fact they were far younger than the kingdom of Kavendash.

Priscilla nodded, tapping her finger against her thigh. She could feel Asha's acute attention pouring over Priscilla's soul, could feel the pulses of disapproval, not aimed at Priscilla but at the god of cowards.

They'd have to consult a god connected to a pantheon to get an answer, but gods don't typically communicate with nonbelievers. The only way Priscilla could probably get an audience with a god she wasn't sworn to was to visit Vario, the city of temples, where gods were far more casual about interacting with the mortal world.

However, that was a hell of a long way away. It required going across the sea to the volcanic lands of Zofrund, which would take nearly a month and a half by boat, not to mention the four months it'd take to get to Aswar's ports. Add in how long it'd take to find a trustworthy crew and the fact they'd probably get caught up in cult shenanigans that would set them back because they couldn't just ignore those problems, and it could take nearly a year to get there.

That wasn't something Priscilla was going to force her friends to do just because she wanted answers. She knew they'd have to visit the city someday, as the cult was going to siege it in an attempt to wipe out as many gods at once as they could, but Priscilla would just have to hassle as many divine beings she came across until then. Maybe she'd get lucky — hell, she might need to start praying to the goddess of sky and luck so she might come across a fortuitous encounter.

"The healer's case is also interesting, caught between three vying for his loyalty," Answe said, and Priscilla's head snapped up at the god's whispery voice. Asha pushed the shadow of a memory towards Priscilla, a passing comment during a conversation where Priscilla was piss-drink that had been forgotten due to the shock of Illnyea being in danger, reminding Priscilla that she had been told about this before.

"It is almost like the marks have been placed, yet none have solidified," Answe continued in a thoughtful tone, "like they are each trying to claim him simultaneously and no one influence can gain a foothold, as their age and power matches one another."

Priscilla blinked once, twice, and said, "Huh."

In the original story, after Kavil's village was slaughtered, he only had his faith to accompany him on the run, and he made a pact with Gaelea, vowing to bring his family's killers to justice. That search led him to encounter Illnyea and Sulaiman, and eventually during their adventurers, Kavil had become an official priest of Gaelea, spreading her teachings and leaving people's lives better if he could manage it.

She could only assume that Gaelea had to be one of the claims, but she had no idea who the other god could be.

"You're sure that it's a different god than the one that claimed me?" Priscilla asked because if the god of cowards was going around messing with her friend's souls, they were going to have a hell of a lot of explaining to do.

"I'm certain."

Priscilla ran her tongue over her teeth as she pondered her next question. She wasn't going to get another chance like this, and she wanted to make the most of it.

"Can you sense any domains from either of our marks?"

Answe's body tilted again before saying, "Yours is… muddled and muted, but I've caught flashes of divinity when you were close — like spilled ink across a page in an act of passion and a feeling of an eternity passing as a faithful waits by the door. I have not examined your healer carefully, but even from afar, I can feel the fire of the sun, the deep stillness of the earth, and waters of healing burn within his blood."

Priscilla took that in with another long slow breath. Gaelea was probably the earth part of the equation, but she no fucking idea about who the sun or water could be — those two domains had countless gods across the world because everyone could see the sun and everyone needed water to live. She hated how every time she learned a little more, she was left with more leads to follow instead of lucky understanding the original problem.

"I've displeased you," Answe said, voice small as the spider limbs moved closer to the plush's body.

Priscilla sighed, running a hand through her hair.

"It's not your fault," Priscilla said, as the god had to unhold their bargain and tell Priscilla all it knew, "I just hate that I know that I don't know something."

It was like a splinter under a fingernail, sharp and impossible to disregard once you knew it was there, and all Prisiclla wanted right now was to shake the god of cowards down and demand they say what the hell is going on.

But that wasn't possible, and Priscilla had to focus on what she could do so she didn't go crazy over what she couldn't.

"Do you know anything about the goddess of the violet moon?" Priscilla asked.

Answe tilted one way, and then the other before dropping.

"I do not," Answe said slowly.

"Well, don't trust anyone who follows her," Priscilla said, "and they want to kill every other god in the world. The architect guy who was here was a follower, and I'd keep an eye on any mercenaries who come through town."

She wanted to say more, to explain the danger of the Mercenary King, but bit her tongue when she tasted blood.

"That… is good to know." Answe sounded faint, like the information was overwhelming.

Priscilla didn't have any more pressing questions, and asked a few softballs to help Answe deal with the knowledge bomb she just dropped on them, like if they thought spiders were cute (they are the cutest beings in the world) and if Answe ever used their messengers as fighters (my largest messenger is gentle and caring, despite his largeness) before standing and stretching her back

"I'm going to hit the hay," Prisiclla said. She gave the shrine a stern look. "You better not send me any more freaky dreams, okay?"

"I shan't," Answe said. "Thank you, again, chosen. I will heed your warnings and pass them on the fall winds."

The spider shivered and laid down before Priscilla had the chance to ask exactly how one passed a message on the winds. She shrugged, and amused herself by imagining Answe writing out a message on a leaf and tossing it into the air to be whisked away.

Priscilla rejoined the celebration, though she felt tired, squeezing onto the bench next to Illnyea, who looked like she was going to need to sleep soon. It was better to be around people after a conversation like that, and the way that Illnyea's head leaned onto Priscilla's shoulder helped chase away some of the uncertain emotions the revelations evoked.

It didn't take long before the dinner winded down, as even Kavil had exhausted his energy, and they trudged their ways back up the stairs. Mr. Ordan and Arnold said they had everything ready to leave in the morning if they wanted to. It was decided that it would be a decision to be made after the sun rose and they could check their physical condition.

Kavil insisted on checking everyone's conditions before they went to bed, starting with Illnyea since she was dead on her feet and ending with Priscilla because it required more precision apparently.

"Hey Kavil," Priscilla said, voice quiet, but catching his attention as he finished up his check up.

"Yeah?" Kavil asked, eyebrows raised to encourage her to continue.

"You said your parents were traveling healers," Priscilla said. "Would you mind telling me more about them as we're on the road again?"

Kavil blinked, clearly not expecting that, but then he smiled.

"I don't have a lot of memories of my own," Kavil confessed, "but I'm happy to share what Aunt Jeroinin has told me."

"If you don't mind," Sulaiman said, "I would like to learn of them as well."

Illnyea made a sleepy sound of agreement, though her eyes were barely open.

Kavil laughed, "Okay, if you're all so interested, I'll share — but don't be disappointed I don't know much."

Anything Kavil could share would be helpful, as in TDE, he hadn't known much about his parents either and the Kavil in the story hadn't been interested in learning more with his focus on thwarting the cult.

The more Priscilla interacted with this world, the more she wondered about A—— and TDE in general. Had the story existed first or had A—— been a part of this world before they started to write? While she had been a die-hard fan and fans thrived in the unexplained and unanswered moments authors left in their stories, the Priscilla of now wished that A—— had delved deeper into the character's pasts before TDE began. There was just so much that Priscilla was finding that she didn't know, and it frustrated her because this world was supposed to be one she knew inside and out.

But A—— wasn't here and there wasn't any way to ask them questions, so Priscilla would just have to do some good old fashioned detective work to find the information she needed. Kavil's parents were a major unknown, and that would be where Priscilla started because she suspected that the trio-claim had something to do with them because Kavil hadn't had a lot of contact with the outside world before leaving his village.

They each went to their rooms, and Illnyea fell asleep the instant her head hit the pillow, Perry somehow wiggling his way into her arms.

Priscilla sent a brief prayer to the god of cowards before she laid down, kindly requesting they please provide clarification about what the fuck was happening, inviting them to come to her dreams so they could talk to each other without fear of being overheard.

(and no, they did not respond to her very polite request, so when Priscilla woke up the next day, she resolved to never be polite to them again.)

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