"I am Neso, once a goddess," I mused, reflecting on the bargain I struck with the higher beings. They relented after my persistent pleas, granting me the chance to bring Egil back to life in exchange for my divine status.
It was a sacrifice for something seemingly inconsequential in the eyes of the gods. Yet, perhaps in my time spent with Egil, I found a longing fulfilled.
Arriving where Egil lay, familiar faces soon joined me.
"Are you here to taunt me?" I questioned.
"On the contrary. We wish to acknowledge your efforts, though they were unnecessary," Akrys, the goddess of death, replied calmly.
I harbored no animosity toward her, yet her unpredictable nature unsettled me.
"Why are you here? You know it's forbidden to interfere with him," I pressed.
"We're here to rectify the blessings we bestowed upon him. Your interference corrupted them," Eris, the goddess of jealousy, interjected.
"No need for hostility, Eris," Nox, the god of darkness, intervened.
Egil lay before us, enveloped in a radiant glow as they worked their magic. Though I attempted to intervene, Hecate, the goddess of magic, held me back.
As they completed their task and departed, Akrys remained.
"Egil will now wield our blessings to their fullest," she informed me. "Support him, for upon awakening, he will be a mere shell. Leave this island and head west to the Kingdom of Hover."
With her departure, unanswered questions gnawed at me. Was this how Egil felt back then?
Though uncertain, heading west seemed a better path than venturing south where the Apton Empire and the previous Easton Kingdom are.
I turned to Egil as he finally stirred awake.
"Egil, it's me," I called out, hoping to elicit a response.
No reaction.
"Egil, Akrys mentioned we must journey to the Kingdom of Hover," I persisted.
As I moved to assist him, he spoke.
"I'm sorry, goddess. There's something I must do first."
"I'm no longer a goddess," I gently corrected him.
With a brief glance, he strode towards the remains of our village. I allowed him his solitude, pondering our next steps.
Meanwhile, I scoured the coast for any signs of escape, finding none. The absence of Eastonian ships suggested they'd fallen victim to the Aptonians.
Seated on a rock, I resigned myself to await Egil's return, hoping he had a solution.
Fatigue and hunger started to creep up on this mortal body, an unfamiliar feeling.
Finally, Egil joined me, and his demeanor changed.
He explained that when he woke up, he sensed a newfound connection to his blessings. He also discovered an additional gift from Eris, Transfer. It allowed him to temporarily replicate others' blessings, with the potential for permanence if copied from someone who passed away.
"I saw two faint orbs where Eogan's house once stood," Egil recounted. "It brought comfort, knowing their blessings remain with me."
I found myself speechless, grappling with the unfamiliar territory of loss and mourning.
Egil expressed his desire to honor the fallen, though he lamented the loss of the Heavenly Blueprint I had bestowed upon him. Instead, he settled for a humble wooden cross as a makeshift memorial.
"I appreciate what you did, Neso," he remarked, his gratitude piercing the solemn air. "I won't squander this second chance you've given me."
His astuteness struck me. Despite his loss, he remained resolute and forward-thinking.
With my divine blessing gone, the daunting prospect of constructing a ship with our limited resources loomed before us.
Lost in contemplation, a distant shout broke the silence. Turning our attention seaward, a fishing boat appeared on the horizon, its crew hailing us from afar.
I was filled with excitement at the sight of the approaching boat, but Egil's demeanor was noticeably more cautious, his senses on high alert.
"Neso, don't you find it odd that a boat would appear out of nowhere mere hours after a battle on this remote island?" he voiced his suspicion.
His words resonated with me. Something about the timing felt off, prompting us to maintain a wary stance as we awaited their arrival.
As the fishermen disembarked onto the shore, their unarmed and amiable demeanor eased some of our tension. They seemed genuinely friendly, devoid of any hostile intent.
Approaching us was a weathered yet robust figure, his aged features carrying a sense of wisdom and experience. Despite the missing arm, his presence exuded a quiet strength.
"Greetings, I am Gale Gelecek, captain of this vessel. We hail from the kingdom of Hover, mere fishermen going about our trade. Fear not, for we harbor no ill will," he greeted us warmly.
We exchanged wary glances but ultimately decided to accept their invitation, recognizing it as our sole means of departing the island.
Once aboard the boat, we took a brief tour before Gale ushered us into his quarters, where a spread of food and drink awaited us.
"Both of you, please have a seat," Gale insisted warmly. "It seems you're both famished, so I've had my men prepare something."
In response, my body seemed to move of its own accord, diving into the food with a voracious appetite. I felt a pang of embarrassment, but the hunger was overpowering.
Hunger had never been a concern for me as a goddess, but in this mortal form, it was a sensation I needed to adjust to.
While I devoured my meal eagerly, Egil remained unmoved.
"Is the food not to your liking?" Gale inquired, his tone laced with a hint of humor. "Or perhaps you suspect foul play?"
The mere suggestion of poison made me choke on my food. However, Gale casually helped himself to a portion from Egil's plate, consuming it without hesitation.
"Content now?" he quipped, addressing Egil directly.
Finally relaxing his guard, Egil began to speak, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
"I apologize, Captain Gale, for our suspicions," Egil started. "We've had our share of challenges, I hope you understand."
Gale waved off the apology with a reassuring smile. "No need to apologize, my friend."
"My name is Egil," he continued, gesturing towards me. "And this is my companion..."
Before he could finish, I interjected, avoiding exposing my real name. "Ness! My name is Ness. Apologies for the delayed introduction."
Gale nodded understandingly. "A pleasure to meet both of you. Please, enjoy your meal, and we'll converse once you've satisfied your hunger."
After a few minutes, we finished our meal and settled into conversation.
"Thank you again for the meal," I said.
"Well, I hope you enjoyed it. By the way, I've instructed my men to prepare a private cabin for you two lovebirds, so you can have some privacy."
"We don't have that kind of relationship, Captain," I clarified.
"Ah, my apologies for the incorrect assumption. In that case, we can have Egil bunk with the crew in the hammocks."
I would feel much safer having Egil in the same cabin as me, so I declined the offer. Egil suggested I could have the room to myself, but I insisted on sharing until he finally relented.
"Splendid! It's good to see you've reached an agreement. Our journey back to the Hover Kingdom will take approximately ten days, so make yourselves at home."
With that settled, I could begin interrogating Gale about the circumstances that led us here.
"I've been meaning to ask, but why was your ship headed towards that island?" I inquired.
"You see, I've been bestowed with the divine gift of Foresight by the gods. One of the blessings' abilities allows me to catch glimpses of random future events."
If it's a blessing related to foreseeing the future, it's undoubtedly Phoebe's doing.
"About two weeks ago, my ability showed me a vision of myself on this very ship with my crew, sailing westward towards an island."
"That's it?" I asked, skeptical of such a vague vision.
"Yes. Although random, my ability would never reveal anything trivial, so I decided to set sail eastward with my crew, and now here we are."
"Even so, I still can't discern any connection between us," I thought aloud.
"Perhaps it showed me that future because we were meant to meet," he said, his gaze settling on Egil.
"I recognize the face of a man who has lost everything. I, too, have experienced such loss." Gale shared, his expression turning somber.
"Ironically, despite my blessing of Foresight, it never warned me that my son would perish in battle."
There was a brief moment of silence before Gale started to speak again.
"Forgive an old man's ramblings," he said, attempting to lighten the mood. "Perhaps sharing your story might help ease your burden."
Egil remained silent, bowing his head, so I took it upon myself to recount the events that transpired on the island.
Upon finishing, Gale let out a chuckle. Confused by his reaction, I watched as Egil shot him a menacing glare, prompting Gale to laugh uproariously for a moment before uttering,
"Pardon me, I didn't mean to laugh at your loss. But tell me, do you seek revenge?"