"You're not only nameless but hopeless as well! You sound like a zombie that just dragged himself through life!" Jessel said, and I scowled at her, grabbing one of the rations before she could pull it away.
"Maybe, but what did you learn while you were a Hero? What skills did you acquire while on your journey? What vat of knowledge can you pull from? Or did you spend all your time enjoying things while struggling with others?" I asked, and Jessel crossed her arms, and I shoved the bread in my mouth, and it wasn't bad, but not great.
"I have skills! And I know things! Sure I am not a walking library like you or a master in all things, but I had fun for the most part. You make it sound like struggling is a bad thing!" Jessel retorted, and I rolled my eyes.
"That is because it is a bad thing, you numb-skull! People get hurt and die when you struggle! Why? Because anything that can go wrong will! If you give trouble an opening, you are inviting it in!" I growled, feeling touchy about this for some reason.
"You never know what is going to happen all the time!" Jessel countered, but I shook my head.
"That's why you prepare for everything! This is why I went alone! Everyone is always so ready to throw their lives away but isn't ready for the ramifications of losing others! I always made sure that I could easily deal with every situation that I found myself in! Never once did I come even close to dying or really getting hurt! Call me a Nameless God all you want, but I would do it all over again! Do you know why?!" I shouted, making Jessel shrink back as I stared down at her in the wagon and said, "Because now I can make sure that you never get hurt, just like me."
I turned back to the road and stared down it, regretting lashing out like that, but it was already said. Everyone was so quick to judge my choices, but few were willing to stand in the mirror.
"I guess I understand why the Gods have such a hard time hating you, even when forced to. You're so tenacious, no matter what anyone says or does. I am sorry for judging your choices when I made many bad choices and got myself into trouble more than once. I was jealous that you were able to make it through without any trouble or losing anyone close to you like I did," Jessel said quietly.
"I am only doing what is asked of me, nothing more, and nothing less. My mission is to guide and protect, but I had to spend a lifetime learning how to do that properly. Even though I didn't know that I was preparing myself for this," I said, finally seeing the town up in the distance.
"I hope I can be a little more like you in the future; dependable, I mean," Jessel said, staring forward.
"Just trust that I will guide you and protect you. Now, before we get to the girls, is there something that you would like to talk about? You seem to be uncomfortable around men. There is no need to go into detail or even talk about it if you don't want, but it is something you will have to get over in the future," I explained, and Jessel nodded.
"Can we wait to talk about it? I trust you, but I don't think I am ready to bring it up right now. Men do scare me, and now more than ever because I am so weak. I think I just need to get stronger so I can trust myself again like before," Jessel explained, and I nodded.
"I am here if you want to talk, but no rush. Let's go see how the girls are doing with their training so we can deal with this idiot. I meant to ask, what are Demons doing in Heaven anyway? Don't they belong in the Depths?" I asked.
"Most of them are, but there are certain monsters that are allowed to stay in Heaven between excursions. Monsters are what keep the world striving to move forward, and each God is responsible for a different time period," Jessel explained, and I looked over at her as we entered the town, slowing down.
"What? I thought there were a bunch of different worlds?! I asked in confusion.
"No, it's all the same world. Each God is responsible for a two-hundred-year gap in time, but all time happened at the same time in Heaven in a way. You could finish in this world and end up three thousand years in the future or somewhere in the two hundred years before you were born. You might even end up building one of the first heroes ever. History is ever-changing, and that is why you don't recognize any of the names of the places," Jessel explained, and I nodded as I turned the wagon north at the inn.
The people of Breckfield all gave me a wide berth, and no one was waving at me this time. I guess a massive purple Demon strapped to the back of your wagon will do that to the crowd.
"That makes no sense, but it makes perfect sense simultaneously. So I will always be coming back to the same world, just in different parts of time?" I asked, and Jessel nodded.
"Pretty much, so knowing the world's secrets is a pretty big advantage when I think about it that way," Jessel said thoughtfully.
"Talon!" Tracy called, and I looked over to see her drenched in sweat-soaked through her dress.
I stopped the wagon, hopped down, and rushed over to her, and Tracy collapsed into my arms. She was a soaking mess, panting with a heaving chest.
"What are you doing?! Didn't you take a break?!" I asked as I picked her up.