The days begin to pass slowly. The group lives a laidback lifestyle and a silent appreciation for the tribe's way of life develops. Each morning they would get up, work the menial tasks of chores and gathering food. Tiring, but somehow less so than the more developed life they had back home. During this time, somehow they had grown closer to one another than in the months before. The removal of modern-day stressors allowed the squad to understand each other outside of the facade forced upon them in the military. Nel would swim beneath the waterfalls, Christopher explored the forests and reconnected with a place that felt more akin to his home. Yuto struggled to communicate with the tribesmen and learn from them, chance, barely struggled and excelled with communicating in whatever way possible. Xiao, when not sticking to Christopher or Nel, trained in preparation for whatever warped reality she thought the future would hold.
Nel had told the group of his decision and when chance had tried to object, Xiao was there to support his decision. Christopher remained the most resistant to the idea. "The goddess could kill you! You can get runes regularly, through a ritual that isn't testing your soul. This method hurts but it doesn't endanger you! If you want runes, do it that way!"
"I'm doing this."
"You don't understand! It isn't just testing your past in this life! You are leaving this completely up to fate! You don't know what kind of sins you've committed!" Xiao places a hand on Christopher's chest, silently telling him to calm down.
On that day, Christopher had left in a fit. Chance, ever the people person, followed. Christopher had gone to the river to fish, a craft he excelled at due to his years of experience. Chance watched him in awe. He smiled at him, "I understand you're concerned, but you need to respect Nel's decision." Christopher glared at him weakly. "Whatever, you don't get how serious this is."
Chance changes the subject, "Why'd you throw yourself in front of me back there?" he looks down at the gauze on Christopher's leg. "It was my responsibility, they were after me," Chance seems unsatisfied with his answer. "You don't need to take on everything yourself." He picks up a fishing rod and joins him. "Someday I will repay you tenfold," Chance says these heavy words nonchalantly and with a relaxed tone. "You don't need to, this was my decision."
"Christopher, for once, just shut up and let me show you some affection," he smiles.
On their final night with the tribes folk, underneath the light of the full moon, a party was held. The ritual would commence.
Under the night sky, the tribe gathers around a fire pit. Holding their hands together, they pray. They pray in a language unknown to even Christopher. They raise their hands, a symbolism of offering. The atmosphere of fear fills the air around the fire, covered by the ecstasy of love for their goddess. The tribesmen had grown to enjoy Nels's presence, while they had been rather wary at first, an amusement had replaced that sentiment, and they feared for what the goddess would do to him.
"The goddess will see your past, present, and future. If she deems you unworthy, she may deal with you in whatever way she sees fit." Juewl sounds in a bellowing voice.
The priestess approaches Nel, she runs her fingertips through the inside of a wooden bowl, when she lefts her hands, her hands are covered in white paint. Juewl takes her finger and runs it down the middle of Nel's lower lip, creating a streak of white. She prays in the unknown language. A short and succinct prayer, filled with love.
And suddenly, the tribes folk surround Nel, they dance, spinning, with their bare feet and colorful bands of fabric. Nel thought he must have been witnessing something sacred and ancient.
Juewl reaches down to whisper in Nel's ear, and with a tone filled with affection she says, "You already have the light, you shouldn't die. But the ritual gives the goddess permission to punish you."
"Well, that makes me feel better," He whispers sarcastically. Juewl takes the rope tied to her dress belt and wraps it around Nel's wrists. He is unsure about what this is for and it makes him feel deeply unsettled and scared. "For the sake of power and strength, we beseech the Goddess of light and healing, the one who gifts her name to those deserving to wield it."
The tribes folk continue to dance, and amongst the sounds of feet landing on the dirt ground, and wooden instruments clanking against one another, Nel drifts off into an internal world; almost as if the rhythmic noises had transported him.
Nel has a vision, in this vision, he sits in a field. the grass moves as if swaying in the wind, yet he sits at the bottom of the ocean. It isn't dark, but he can feel on his skin the comfortable weight of the water. In front of him, a dog walks towards him, it's the dog from Xiao's home, but Nel doesn't know that. The dog speaks, he says, "How could you question what you deserve?"
"What could make you not deserve my love?", in a flash he sees a woman's face, smiling at him warmly as a mother would. And then she's gone, and he's in front of the fire with his wrists bound by the tribe. He looks down at his arms, at the long details of the light green runes. He hadn't even felt it, she hadn't let him feel it. This wasn't a test, this was a gift. For once, this wasn't a test.
Nothing happens. That was quite anticlimactic. Why were they even afraid? The tribes folk rejoice, they send flowers into the air, dancing as they cascade down to the earth.