“Even if others called it as mad,

They were not the ones playing the part,

Thus, rather than pick thoughts from the head,

Better tread the sure path of the heart.” - Ancient Al-Shan Poem, unknown author.

Several days had gone by after Xain’s second wedding, days where Cal had been kept busy at work due to the various obligations she had as the godmother of the groom and the master of the bride. She had helped the officials with hosting the various delegates that had arrived during their stay - a task she was well-suited for due to her personal connections with quite a few of them - and the task had kept her occupied.

But as of late evening earlier that day, the last of the delegates had returned back from whence they came. Tal had left with the delegates from Elmaiya a couple days before, whereas the delegation from Knallzog was the last to depart, as they stayed longer in order to hash out the planned cooperation and trade alliance that had been discussed by letters with the Empire.

While the officials negotiated the terms between themselves, Cal caught up with Aelfried instead, who she had not seen for a few years. She had introduced her students - including Ying Xiao - to the old blood archmage, who in turn brought Roslin over to meet them. Over the few days Cal’s students had become fast friends with the old dwarf’s adopted daughter as well.

Now that everyone from abroad had returned home, though, Cal finally had some time to be with herself and her thoughts. That night, she was staring up at the night sky, the two moons being full at the same time, a rare occasion that only occurred once every few decades. She bathed under the glow of the moonlight as she looked back on her life, and her recent journey.

When she was young, she never had any great ambitions. She took to her father’s lessons of self-defense mostly out of interest, sure, but otherwise she had not thought about using her natural gifts for violence back then, content to live simply as a simple herbalist. Of course, fate had decreed otherwise, and Cal was left with the choice of either standing by to watch one she called a friend die, or to jump into a life of violence that she likely would not be able to turn back from.

She had made her call to jump in back then, and despite the sometimes horrid experiences she had to live through, or the many equally horrible things she had done with her own hands, she had mostly come to an understanding with herself these days. Given the same choices, with the same knowledge she had at those times, she knew she would have done the same things all over again, so she had learned to live with the decisions she had made, rather than wallow in regret and hindsight.

Her journey around the world had given her new perspectives on life, doubly so when the unexpected offer from the Deities themselves was proffered to her. She had spent much of the last few years thinking about it, even while she continued on her trail, and saw how her whims had changed and elevated the fates of a few amongst those she had met in her journey.

The journey itself was more than that, of course, as it scratched the itch she had ever since her father had told her of the places he traveled through in his younger days and the sights he had seen. Now that her journeys were over, it felt as if something was lifted off her shoulders, a burden she had never even noticed carrying, suddenly lifted away.

Partly thanks to her journey, she had also gathered her thoughts, which were once tormented by her at times less savory past, and things she had since regretted doing. As she learned to live with what she had done and more importantly, chosen to do, the weight that had pressed on her heart and conscience was lifted, bit by bit

She would not forget those thoughts. Nay, she would never forget them, as she’d keep them in her heart and mind as a reminder of what she had chosen and its consequences, but no longer would they weigh her down either.

With her thoughts clear and mind resolved, Cal looked up at the full moons and silently mouthed her decision, before she turned around and went back into her room in the Imperial Palace. It had not taken long between when she laid on the comfortable bed and when sleep took her consciousness, and much like she expected, rather than a dreamless night, she was faced with something more.

This time, rather than vague silhouettes that were impossible to tell apart aside from a faint feeling, The faces of the other champions were clearly shown, faces Cal had met and talked with over her journeys one and all, other than one face she was not familiar with. Even the deities - or maybe parts of them, she wouldn’t presume to know for sure - were visible, in the form of orbs of elemental force that seemed to float above them, kindly looking down without any intention to interfere.

It was not difficult for Cal to guess the identity of the one face she had not recognized, since she had met with all the other champions other than him, and had heard stories about him from them as well. The bulky, vicious-looking orcish man would be none other than Radoth of Clan Bloodfang, a legendary orcish warchief from many centuries ago, whose legacies still lived on to this day and whose legends were re-told over and over by the orcs of the northern plains.

“So you have decided?” asked the orc with a deep, guttural voice. The voice and his looks reminded Cal quite a bit of Bogdan, the orcish chieftain she had befriended during her visit to the plains, as well as her student Ognar. It was no real surprise, as both the Beastfang clan that Bogdan belonged to and the Bloodtooth from which Ognar’s sire came were both offshoots of the Bloodfangs. Given Radoth’s fame and great number of descendants it was even likely that they might be directly descended from him.

Cal simply nodded to his question, and grasped the big, muscular hand he proffered. The handshake he gave her was firm, the squeeze of his hand likely enough to have crushed most people’s hands, though Cal took it on with ease and a smile.

“Then I thank you, and hope that you will find your days, or your eternity, should you choose so, rewarding,” said the orc as he nodded in acknowledgement. Cal noticed how his firm shape seemed to slowly fade away, even as he smiled in relief before her eyes. “Now I shall return to the cycle once more, and thus I bid you farewell… O Champion of Blood.”

Radoth of Clan Bloodfang faded away after he said those words, while the other champions around her seemed to give a nod of acknowledgement to Cal, as well as a moment of silence for their departed old friend. From the looks some of them gave her, Cal had no doubt that some of them would come to her in person to discreetly celebrate with her in the near future.

The next thing Cal knew, she had woken up in her bed at her room in the Imperial Palace. She immediately realized that the “dream” she had was no dream, as the changes, while nothing visible to an onlooker, was noticeable.

Cal felt almost as if she was one with the world around her, that the world itself was with her, supporting her every movement and gesture. It was almost like seeing things clearly for the first time in one’s life, though it was more of a sense of… belonging more than anything.

As she looked at the rising morning sun from her window, a serene smile graced her lips, as she understood the magnitude of the decision she had made. Now she was like the others, a watcher and silent guardian, whose very existence helped the world anchor itself and its various elements.

She looked up and smiled, as she looked forward to what the new day would bring, with the knowledge that new days would always present themselves before her, all the way unto eternity…