Cirrostratus has always seen the furthest of us, and I would not contest him on this. I do not believe any of our number would. I believe looking to the future is the correct action at this time, rather than worrying over the actions of the lesser rulers beneath our heights. I will make plans to address a return of winds long thought silenced. It has been too long since the storm raged, and I am of the opinion that those who drift within are in need of training. This will be the first step I take in preparation for the coming turbulence. – Letter from the Voice Altostratus

*Thwack*

The sound of a sword slamming into her own was quickly followed by pain. He opponent had lightly locked their blades, before skidding it down along her own weapon’s edge. They had then performed some kind of…twist with the sword that had smashed the weapon into her knuckles. If they had been using real blades, and not the wooden training swords, she would have lost the fingers on her left hand.

Sword training had not been her favorite activity in her crash course with Green Dawn. Thankfully, it was not a major part of her training. For the past two hours, Rebecca had been giving her apparently random weapons to fight with. She would then match Asher against one of her students, each wielding their preferred weapon.

The worst part was that Asher had been banned, utterly and completely, from using any of her spells. She wasn’t even allowed to feed mana into Overcharge, and had been forced to rely on only its basic enhancement. Combine that with absolutely zero training in any kind of fighting, and Asher had been on the losing side of every single fight she’d had so far.

“Well, I’ll admit you lasted longer than I expected kid. Amir is the best swordsman in our class. Good instincts to retreat like you did too, no way you could have fought him in a straight fight. That said, you should have been more aggressive when he overcommitted on chasing you early on. If you’d struck back, you would have thrown him entirely off his tempo. That’s a note for yourself Amir. Don’t let what your opponent is currently doing blind you to what they could be about to do. Overall, I’ll give you an eight out of ten Asher. Amir, nine out of ten. You corrected your mistake without me having to bring it up and you won by slowly forcing her into a corner.”

As Amir left to join the throng of students running around their location, Rebecca gestured for Asher to join her. “So have you figured out the point of this little exercise yet Asher?”

“Humility or something? Making sure I know I’m not the strongest thing around and I’m not about to get myself killed with a big ego and stupid judgement?” She probably sounded grumpier than Rebecca deserved, but she felt like she was more bruise than skin at this point and thoughts of all her losses left a bad taste in her mouth.

“Partially, though I wasn’t particularly concerned about that aspect. It was mostly about testing your decision making in unfavorable situations. We wanted to see how you’d react when you were at so obvious a disadvantage. You did pretty well overall in that regard”

Asher allowed herself a short smile at that, the praise leaving her feeling like at least her suffering was worthwhile. “I doubt I would have lived this long if I wasn’t at least ok at that.”

Rebecca grinned at her response, nodding in acknowledgement of her point, “Very true, but it’s always better to know rather than assume. Besides, this served a handful of other purposes as well. The second was to see if there is any weapon you show particular talent for.”

The woman frowned at that point, “Frankly, you’re pretty awful with everything I saw you using today. You might get somewhere with spear and quarterstaff training, but I wouldn’t say I saw any particular talent in your use of them. I would still suggest you practice it. Everyone should have a weapon to fall back on if they run out of mana or an enemy gets too close. Don’t waste too much time on it though, you’re clearly better suited as a mage.”

The smile returned to her face and she quickly shed the serious attitude to continue on, “You did well on everything else we were looking for too. Reaction speed, not panicking, actually listening to the rules we gave you rather than trying to cheat… The list goes on. There’s a lot you can learn about a person watching them fight a superior opponent. I think you’ll like the last reason for all this though.”

Rebecca let out a downright evil grin before leaning over to whisper conspiratorially with Asher. What Asher heard very quickly began improving her mood as she watched the woman’s student’s run past her. The second half of this training was going to be very fun.

#

Amir had been interested when Miss Rebecca first brought the unknown woman into their camp. It hadn’t helped that she was all John and Hao had been able to talk about since her arrival. The two had begun scheming ways to engineer a conversation with her almost immediately, hoping to convince her to join them on a date once the expedition into the dungeon was over. He had to admit that even exhausted, dirty, and wearing little better than rags she had been beautiful, but in his opinion they had been interested for entirely the wrong reason.

How had she stumbled into her campsite like that?

There were only a handful of situations that made sense. She could have been part of an adventuring team that was wiped out by the local monsters, stumbling her way to the camp afterwards because she knew it was a safe spot. Or maybe she had been left behind by her party. It wasn’t common, but there were always stories of an Adventuring Party that would abandon their members as disposable. Maybe she had been left out here by a local crime syndicate for one reason or another. That was supposedly how some gangs carried out executions.

The last option was that she had fought her way through the dungeon alone, which was ridiculous. You could tell just be looking at her that she wasn’t a professional adventurer. And certainly not one with a high enough rank to even attempt a solo clear of the Blighted Basin. E rank adventurers may not be so impressive in the wider world, but out here they were high enough in the food chain to warrant custom made gear. No way they would be running around in rags.

But according to the rumors, that was exactly what she had done.

According to John, Anna had overheard some members of Green Dawn talking about how she had fought her way through the dungeon to reach the camp. Something entirely plausible given Anna’s rare Primordial Magic, Sound Magic. He had not had a chance to investigate if John was telling the truth, but he had fully intended to do so during their next break.

Then they had fought and any weight he might have put into that rumor disappeared. She was awful. Well maybe not awful, he’d been watching and none of the fights had exactly been fair. That shouldn’t have mattered though, someone high enough ranked to push through this dungeon should have been able to simply crush anyone in his class through greater magical or physical strength.

Instead, she had been beaten soundly by everyone she was matched up against. As if that wasn’t enough, Miss Rebecca had been incredibly lenient while criticizing the girl. She would have had harsh words for any other member of their class after such a poor showing. So why did she warrant special treatment?

Very, very special treatment if the other rumor was to be believed.

Maybe she was the daughter of someone important? Someone rich enough to hire an entire adventuring team for their own ego. That would make sense. He couldn’t see why else a group of professionals like Green Dawn would agree to babysit her.

In fact, being a spoiled brat from some rich prick made a lot of sense. He clothes had obviously once been nice, even if they hadn’t been adventuring gear. She carried herself with a certain sense of pride and a stockpile of single use enchantments and potions could explain her success making it so far.

Infuriating, but that was life. You need three things in life to succeed: talent, luck, and training. Or the money to fake all three. He had thought better of Miss Rebecca though. It was disappointing to think she would stoop to such levels.

Given the dark looks and general dissatisfaction from his fellow recruits, he probably wasn’t the only one that had figured it out. Or at least enough of it to dislike the girl currently avoiding joining them in their running. She had only had to do about half of the physical exercises expected of the rest of the class, spending the rest of it talking with Miss Rebecca or engaged in her “practice fights”.

Tired, sweaty, and too caught up in his own internal grumblings, it took him a second to realize Miss Rebecca had called for him, “-Amir, you hear me over there? Get over here!”

Jogging back toward the middle of the running circle, he saw two other approaching with him. The first was a girl named Ada, the best user of defensive magic in their class. The other was a boy named Reiss and was quite possible the best offensive mage among the group, though it was far less clear than Ada’s case. Throw in his own position as the best melee combatant, and the three of them were probably the best students in their class.

#

Amir had been expecting a two versus two fight, or maybe even all four of them against Miss Rebecca. Instead, she had directed all three of them to the same side of the dueling ring before beginning to cast the standard magic dueling wards. The wards were a double barrier, with one weaker ward layering a stronger ward underneath. If the outer ward broke, it meant you had been eliminated. Usually fairly spectacularly given Miss Rebecca’s particular brand of magic.

The girl was armed with a staff this time, which made sense give that she had seemed to have done best while fighting with a spear. Not that that was saying much. The thing might have had an inherent spell or two as well, given she had shown no propensity for magic so far today. Something to watch out for. A firebolt to the face would not be a fun surprise.

Miss Rebecca walked to the side of the ring and Amir kept his eyes on her as she began to speak. “Alright kids, show me what you got. No limits on your magic, just play to win!”

Their teacher looked over them as they prepared to fight, shooting a glance over at their opponent before giving a disapproving frown. “On your mark”

He wouldn’t hit her too hard, just enough to throw her back to start with. No reason to make his life harder by annoying some rich family. “Get set!”

He shook himself, giving another look toward Miss Rebecca. What did she expect from this? Could they really go all out in a three versus one and expect anything from the fight?

“GO!”

Amir sighed and shrugged his shoulder, only for a resounding crash to come from the direction of his opponent. He spun quickly toward her, worried that maybe that staff had been even more dangerous than he anticipated. Only to find that she wasn’t there.

He felt something impact his back, throwing him to the ground. Before he even had a chance suddenly his vision was filled with purple and gold butterflies streaming off his body.

“Amir, Reiss, you’re both eliminated! Clear the field!”

Slightly dizzy, Amir rolled to his feet and jogged toward the side of the field, still unsure what had happened. When he got there, he flopped to the ground and did his best to watch the fight. Ada was doing surprisingly well, but she was clearly outclassed. Not as much as Amir had expected after being taken out so quickly, but just enough that there was no doubt who the victor was going to be.

“Why did you lose Amir?”

He jumped a little in surprise when he heard Miss Rebecca behind him. Looking up he couldn’t help but frown at her question. She’d won because of whatever spell she had used, obviously. But that raised a bigger question. If she had a spell like that, why hadn’t she used it earlier? Then, the answer came to him.

Glaring at his teacher, he couldn’t entirely keep the bitterness from his voice when he answered, “You set us up ma’am.”

Miss Rebecca frowned at him when he said that, “Did I kid? Did I tell you that you should spend more energy watching the referee than your opponent while preparing for a duel?”

“No, but you can hardly blame us for not taking her seriously! How were we supposed to know she had magic like that? We’ve spent all day beating her across the field and haven’t seen a hint of it.”

“How were you supposed to know she didn’t?” The question took him off guard, cutting off both his words and his annoyance, “She’s not that much better than you. The reason you lost is because you got overconfident and cocky. Always anticipate that your opponent will have a surprise, Amir. I expect you to learn from this experience.”

She smiled as she looked toward Asher, but Amir couldn’t help but feel there was a sadness behind it. “Like I said, her actual skills aren’t that much better than yours. The reason she could survive in this dungeon and you likely wouldn’t is mentality. She’s always looking for an advantage. Always read to scrap for the next one. She got lucky, not doubt about it, but her decision making is incredible for someone with so little experience.”

“You want us to learn from her ma’am?”

“I want you to learn from each other. As I said, she has almost not real adventuring experience. I want your help cramming as much in her head as I can in the coming days.”

“Before she goes further into the dungeon?”

A raised eyebrow let him know he both wasn’t supposed to know that and that she wasn’t surprised he did know, “Yes. It’s been a long time since I was in your position and you’ll have a different perspective on what is most useful. Give her those same tools. And while you are at, try to pick up a few of her tricks for yourself. Maybe get her opinion on which of your spells to combine.”

#

Asher couldn’t help but feel like the Adventurer recruits were more accepting of her after she won the three versus one duel. She supposed that made sense, as they now had a reason why she was getting special treatment. She had seen more than a little grumbling about it before the fight.

The new attitude had been especially pronounced in her opponents in that match, which Asher believed had heavily swayed the rest of the class. The three seemed to be leaders of some kind among the class, for the most part standing head and shoulders above their peers. All three had taken at least a few minutes to talk with her and set up time to study together after the match was concluded.

And study partners were definitely appreciated. For every hour Asher spent in physical training, it seemed like she spent two or three in lectures. She was even force to listen to them while running at some points.

Lectures on monster hunting habits, common elemental affinities and weakness throughout the dungeon, even Adventurer Etiquette. The last had seemed downright useless until Rebecca had told her she could expect to run into far more adventurers as they approached the middle of the dungeon. There would be a lot higher concentration since the number of adventurers would be the same, but the amount of available hunting ground would be reduced to nearly a tenth of the outer reaches.

Adventurer Etiquette covered rights to monster loot, the order that bosses could be challenged in, and even how much space to give another groups camp. It was all meant to decrease the chances of fighting between each other and promote a community willing to help each other during times of danger. If Asher didn’t follow the rules, she couldn’t expect the same support system as another Adventurer might receive.

The Etiquette regarding bosses was especially interesting. Apparently, dungeons tended to try to remain as natural as possible, relying on naturally higher birthrates and the accelerated growth in strength provided by high mana densities to maintain an ecosystem of murderous monsters. That only really worked for the lower echelons of monsters though.

Area bosses were about the most powerful group a dungeon could reasonably expect to maintain a sufficient number of using natural birth. That would be the mature Certilia, which were apparently quite numerous within the lake itself. The dungeon used concentrated mana sources and specially produced pools to entice the creatures as area bosses at the various entrances to the lake, and there was always a competition among them for the most desirable lava pools.

Dungeon bosses though, those the dungeon couldn’t afford to simply let roam around and naturally replace each other. Instead, the creatures were essentially cloned by the dungeon, their eggs preserved for later hatching. Then, when the creature needed to be replaced, the dungeon would forcefully grow the creature with a powerful life spell that wasn’t fully understood. The dungeon would also preserve the mind of the boss monster, allowing it to transplant the memories into the new body.

Apparently, transferring minds between bodies was something mages had figured out a long time ago. The mana required was immense though, and it was exceedingly difficult to successfully perform without unintentional consequences. Only a handful of Grandmaster Archmages had managed it. The fact that dungeons could manage it on multiple creatures simultaneously in as little as half an hour was a mystery they had been trying to crack for centuries.

At least all this was how a powerful, established dungeon such as The Blighted Basin handled things, and that was all Asher really needed to know right now. Sahar had mentioned that many dungeons handled all this differently, but the important this was that almost every single one required time before a boss would appear again after being killed. Even if the boss wasn’t killed, they would often disappear for a while until they were healed and rested again.

Because of that, there were a number of guild policies and politics that meant you couldn’t simply kill a boss you came across. Not unless they were threatening your life, in which case you were free to defend yourself.

The generally accepted convention was that you search the edge of a boss’s territory to ensure no other group was already in the midst of preparations to fight the creature, and if they were you would set up camp as well to challenge the monster after it returned. That was actually the secondary purpose of the camp they were in. Not only was it a safe spot for adventurers to camp out, it was a waiting line for groups waiting to challenge the area boss that prevented access further into the dungeon.

Reiss had been especially helpful learning all this. Apparently, the kid had become an Adventurer in order to research dungeons, and was something of a stickler when it came to the rules. Asher couldn’t say she understood his obsession with the magic behind how these places worked, but she had appreciated the rather detailed breakdown he had given on the topics.

#

“Breathe deeply and rotate your mana slowly. Feel the cloud of your mana release out into the air. Let it slowly expand, coming into contact with more and more of the natural mana as you slowly finish breathing out. Then slowly draw it back in, like a net dragging the natural mana back in. A balloon, expanding as you exhale and shrinking as you inhale.”

Andre moved slowly, perfectly still besides when he was breathing or talking. He kept his eyes shut and was seated with his legs crossed in a classic meditation pose from earth. As he inhaled, the succulents surrounding them leaned forward. As if each was seeking to touch him, desperate to be as close as possible. When he exhaled, they would bend away as if repelled from his very presence.

“Each person meditates differently, but there are some general approaches. This is how I do it, and I believe it is appropriate for you. The style focuses on connecting to the world around you, and drawing in that power for yourself. An eminently selfish approach, but one which emphasizes a desire to take every advantage available to you.”

The bull horned man had been eager to help Asher when she had mentioned taking a break to meditate. He had been disdainful of her early attempts, telling her she was far to crude in her methodology. Instead, he had wanted her to adopt his own approach.

“The Sky Style Meditation focuses on pulling in large amounts of wild mana for your body to then process. You are more limited in the amount of meditation you may perform, but it is ideal for replenishing mana. There is an associated follow up meditation for if you want to use the wild mana to cultivate evolution points instead of for recovery, but the total amount of meditation you need for each point should still be reduced.”

Apparently, most advanced forms of meditation emphasized some sort of secondary benefit in addition to providing evolution points. Because of that, choosing an appropriate style of meditation for your abilities was very important in becoming a successful adventurer. How much you got out of any particular style was also heavily influenced by the user’s personality, adding another complication to choosing one.

“The best mindset for using this meditation style is one of freedom and domination. The freedom to go anywhere, to do anything. To take what you need and not be beholden to anything around you. Your surroundings exist for you to explore and enjoy. Even the magic in the air is yours to do with as you wish.”

Asher wasn’t entirely sure she liked what it said that this style had been working so well for her, but she wasn’t going to turn down such a powerful tool. Especially with how hard she was likely to being pushing her mana reserves in the coming weeks. She would need every advantage she could get in maintaining her combat usefulness. With this, she could recover from using all her mana in five or six hours instead of half a day.

“You remind me of my daughter. Always so eager to see what is next that she forgets to enjoy what is happening now.”

“Sorry Andre. Just thinking about everything. Trying to keep my mind busy.”

“It’s alright. I am simply reminding you that proper meditation requires being focused on the here and now. At least for the Sky Style.”

The two meditated in silence for a while longer, Asher doing her best to match Andre’s slow, deep breathes. It felt like every cycle her mana responded a little more willingly, and she hoped it would soon be second nature to expand the power outside of herself like this. Currently it felt more like stretching a stiff muscle. Slow, with her body fighting her every step of the way.

Opening her eyes, Asher asked her companion a question, “What’s your daughter’s name? She must mean a lot to you if you are coming all the way out here to bring her back a story.”

“Ivette, and she is half of my world. Her mother is the other half!” Andre laughed as he opened his eyes, silently agreeing to take a break from their meditating. “Do you have any children in your life? I know you don’t have a child of your own, but younger siblings? Maybe a niece or nephew?”

“I have a cousin, well technically a second cousin, who I watch occasionally. She’s eight.”

“Ah, well suffice it to say that they are an experience unlike any other. I know people that shudder at the idea of having a child, and can’t imagine what they are thinking! I hold nothing against them. I’m sure they wonder the same of me. I simply could not fathom life without my daughter anymore.”

“Do you have any regrets leaving your wife and daughter alone for so long?”

“Occasionally. There are things I missed because of it. Once-in-a-lifetime things that I will always be sad I was not there for, such my daughters first steps or making her first friend. Still, I know that what I am doing is for her. Something to afford her every advantage I can manage in life.”

Andre had looked wistful as he spoke, but was quickly shifting to a happier look as he continued, “And because I do this, she experiences things she never could have otherwise. My wife too! She loves the recipes I’ve brought back with me and the happiness it brings me. It also represents a turning point in my village’s history, a new era with wider boarders than I could have imagines as a child.”

“I’m sure that the money doesn’t hurt either. You said it was pretty profitable shipping some of your village’s specialties into the wider world, right?”

“Very much so. My people have developed some of the most advanced plant manipulation magic in the area, with a particular emphasis on enchanted items. Everyone in the village needed to manipulate the surrounding forest, regardless of their personal magical abilities. Life in a moving forest would be impossible otherwise.

“Seems like a pretty good life Andre. It makes me a little jealous, but I’m also glad. It’s rare to see someone so happy with how their life is going. I’m used to hearing people focused a lot more on the negative.”

“I have been blessed. I just hope to share that joy with others. To spread my good fortune.”

“You seem like a great dad Andre.”

“Thank you, Asher.”

#

“What is the standard response to an approaching Certilia pack?” Sahar asked the question with a smile on her face, anticipating Asher’s reaction.

“Seriously?” Asher before giving her response. She had been rather exasperated to learn that local Adventurers had a methodology for dealing with exactly the situation she had been in. “Stand your ground and make a large show of power. Don’t attack a member of the pack, as they will take that as a sign of aggression and swarm. Don’t run, as then they will see you as prey. Your goal should be to present yourself as a target not worth the effort. If you have attacked a member of the pack and they have not yet swarmed, slowly back out of the area as you do so. Do not present a fleeing figure. Odds are they will back off to lick their wounds. If you flee, they will not give up chasing you until they are driven away with an overwhelming offensive.”

“Good, and if it is a blaze boar herd?”

“Move slowly. Do not make eye contact, and stay out of their way. Do not present an opening, but don’t make any shows of aggression. If they look like they are about to charge, flee. Be aware that fleeing will likely cause them to charge, but it is better than trying to hold your ground. They will likely not pursue if you manage to break away.”

Sahar and Veronika had taken a lot of pleasure in teaching Asher about the local flora and fauna, helping her prepare for their expedition onto the lake. Ada had been helping her out between their lectures, reviewing the details and filling in information she had missed. Asher couldn’t say she enjoyed the lessons, but she definitely respected their importance. If she had known this stuff when she was first brought here, maybe her first few weeks wouldn’t have been so terrible. Then again, maybe I wouldn’t have grown as much as I did either…

It wasn’t just monsters either, they had talked about the standard traps that could be found in The Blighted Basin. Traps that she hadn’t run into yet, but were apparently much more common in the central part of the dungeon. Lava tides that would slowly rise, trapping you on a disappearing island. Thin rock that would plunge you into the molten rock below. Powerful steam vents that would scald anyone who got to close and threaten to shove them into the deadly lake. Clouds of poisonous or burning ash that looked almost exactly the same as the safe ash clouds.

Overall, the dungeon seemed to prefer traps that emphasized the dungeons environmental dangers, rather than populating the area with more exotic dangers. There were a few rare exceptions, such as force runes that would blast unwary adventurers into the lake when walked over and circles that would produce magma golems when someone got to close. Certain areas, such as The Bounding Archipelago, were even well known for these rarer types of traps and often had some sort of associated challenge related to them.

Sahar’s voice brought Asher out of her recollection, “I’m glad you’ve been so attentive about this Asher. Many Adventurers your age lack the patience for such lessons, too sure of their own invulnerability.”

“I’m just as thankful you are willing to take the time to teach me all this, it really is good information. Did you research all this before you came here, or is a lot of it just a product of previous experience?”

“A good question. We researched the specifics of the dungeon, but many of the solutions we are giving you are from previous experience. When you’ve seen enough dungeons, you begin to realize that most are not that original. They tend to have repeating patterns, just with their own unique flair. You should never just assume you know what to expect though. Researching a dungeon before you enter is very important, as any surprise can be lethal.”

Sahar paused for a bit, seeming to be thinking about how to phrase her next words. “That said, never accept what you learn as being absolute. Dungeons are constantly evolving and changing, so you should always be prepared for something to be wrong. Ninety-nine percent of the time, anything you learn from solid, reliable research will be correct. Your survival will mostly hinge on how you react to that one percent of a time when it isn’t.”

“That’s fair I suppose. My best is important, of course, but its how I perform in those make-or-break moments that will decide just how good I really am. At least now I’ll have the power to actually do something when the worst happens.”

“You’ve experienced a moment like that before?”

Asher didn’t know how, but Sahar had figured her out. She’d been thinking about the car crash while they talked. That had been the ultimate surprise of her old life. One minute she was driving along the road, the next a semi came flying out of nowhere and T-boned the car’s passenger side. She didn’t remember anything after the sound of crashing, and she assumed that was because she died instantly.

“Yeah. Something happened and there wasn’t anything I could do. One minute we were fine, the next…not so much. My…friend didn’t make it. At least I don’t think she did. When I woke up, I had no idea what happened to her. Doubt anyone could have survived though.”

She was doing her best, but tears were coming to her eyes. She hadn’t really had a moment to process what had happened. That not only had she died, but so had one of the people most precious in the world to her. It was almost impossibly painful, even after weeks of life and death struggle to blunt everything.

Sahar wrapped Asher in her large arms, seeking to comfort her. “I’m sorry to hear that you lost someone so important. It was recent?”

Asher could only nod, knowing opening her mouth would release the sobbing gasps fighting their way up her throat. She sat there, comfortable in the silence of the giant woman’s arms for a little while, before finally feeling ready to speak.

“I have to be better. I can’t let something like that happen again.”

“Child, you didn’t let anything happen. No matter how powerful you are, you can not control everything. Sometimes things will happen outside your control. I know you know that, and I know your heart is telling you that’s a lie, but I say it because it’s the truth. It’s the truth and you need to hear it.”

“I was the one in control when it happened. We were driving a sort of magical cart. I was the guiding it, when it happened.”

“Did you do something you were not supposed to?”

“No. It was another person. They didn’t stop when they were supposed to.”

She could remember it as she talked. The green light sparkling on the shattered pieces of metal and windshield as they flew through the air. Like little emeralds flying through the air as the crash occurred. She didn’t hear anything from Sarah’s side. Didn’t see anything. Her head was too busy being whipped around from the force of the crash. The other driver hadn’t stopped. Why hadn’t they stopped?

“Then how can you blame yourself? You said yourself you didn’t see them coming.”

“I didn’t,” She spoke numbly. “They were hidden behind trees. I wouldn’t have even known the road was there without the signs. It feels like I should have done something though. Something to save us. To save her.”

“Child, sometimes the hardest thing is admitting that some of the worst things that happen to people don’t happen for a reason. That they are twists of fate that nobody could predict or influence. You grasp at straws, trying to find a way you could have prevented it.”

Sahar sighed and hugged her a little tighter for a moment, “Trying to find a way you could stop it from happening again.”

The bigger woman paused before continuing to speak. “Gaining power can help with that. Can make those senseless twists of fate less common. No one is powerful enough to entirely stop them though. All we can do is look back and hope they knew how much they meant to us. Hope that we made their lives better for being in it. Did she know you loved her?”

Asher was shocked for a moment, “Yes. But how did you?”

“Child, the clergy of the Ascendant Solarus are called to guide people to happiness. How could we not know where their heart pulls them? It is painful to lose a lover, but I am here if you need to talk.”

“I think I’d like that Sahar. Thank you.”