Sora

“A paladin’s oath is at the core of their power,” Talis explained as he paced in front of us. He looked just as good in the undersized robe as we had hoped. “There are a few contributing factors to its strength, but the primary ones are the goddess you follow, how restrictive your oath is, and how closely you follow the spirit of those restrictions.” Ithnaa failed to hold back her laughter, which caused Talis to stop and raise an eyebrow at her. “Did I say something funny?”

“I didn’t exactly give an oath,” I explained. “Kai just used a promise I made to not join Chorus’s followers instead.”

Talis stared at me with his mouth half-open. “I don’t honestly know what to say about that…”

“Can they remake their oath?” Ithnaa asked, but Talis shook his head.

“That goes against the very purpose of a paladin’s oath. It’s meant to be binding, a core guiding principle to base your life on. It’s not something you can just undo on a whim.”

“Okay, not on a whim then, but is it possible?” I asked, and he reluctantly nodded.

“It’s possible, but I’ve only ever heard of it being done at the end of an arduous quest. Something life changing, and even then only given as a boon from your goddess.”

“Yeah, that does sound like a lot. Let me try something real quick.” I focused on the connection I felt with Kai and mentally tugged on it as I sent her a message.

Hey, hottie, mind if I remake my oath real quick? Talis said that it’s not restrictive enough.

I felt a wave of white-hot jealousy wash over my mind, followed by overwhelming righteous anger. Talis took a step back as my eyes snapped up to glare at him. My body stomped up and my finger poked him in the chest.

“So, my paladin’s oath isn’t good enough for you, huh?” My mouth was speaking, but the voice was clearly Kai’s. It was a strange feeling. “Seriously, dude, what’s your deal? Explain yourself!”

“I’m sorry, goddess, I had never heard of such a… unique oath before. I would never dare imply that it was inferior in any way.”

“That’s what I thought.” My body continued to glare at him until quickly looking off to the side at nothing. “Coming, Z! I just found a nickel and had to pick it up. I’ll be right there.” My body gave him one last dirty look before returning to my control. “Holy fuck, that was weird.”

“Right.” Talis let out a ragged breath. “Now might be a good time to go over divine possessions.”

“Is that going to happen often?” I asked, as I patted myself down. Losing control over my body like that was strange, but not necessarily in a bad way. I could feel the full spectrum of Kai’s power and emotions the entire time she was possessing me. It felt amazing.

“It should be rare, but in reality, it depends,” Talis explained. “In order for a possession to take place, you need to allow it. What that actually means in practice will depend on the person, their god, and their relationship with each other. Kai is unpredictable, so I’d suggest you avoid telling her about anything that might upset her. She might consider that enough consent by itself.”

“Like somebody insulting her paladin’s oath?” Ithnaa asked with a raised eyebrow, and Talis nodded.

“Hypothetically speaking, if I had actually insulted their oath, then yes. That would be something that's better for Sora to handle on their own without involving their goddess. For the protection of everyone.”

“Right, don’t get the chaos god involved unless it’s an emergency.” I chuckled as the mental image of calling on Kai to open a jar came to mind.

Talis sighed, apparently not imagining the same scenario. “It goes beyond even that. If Kai exerts too much power while possessing your body, it could shatter your core, or even destroy your soul outright. For most paladins, that’s only a mild concern, but your goddess has more power than nearly any other and isn’t exactly known for her self-control. It would only take a momentary lapse for her to overwhelm you.”

That was definitely a sobering thought, and I reluctantly nodded. “So, not even in an emergency. Got it.”

“That’s oaths and possessions covered. What’s next?” Ithnaa asked.

“Actually, there’s one last thing to cover with oaths,” Talis continued. “The longer you keep it, the more influence it'll have over you. This usually manifests as a greater devotion to your goddess’s domain, and a more natural adherence to its tenets. It’s something of a vicious cycle. The better you adhere to your oath, the easier it becomes, and the more power you gain.”

I frowned at his explanation. “Wait, I get the domain part, but my oath is pretty binary. ‘Don’t join Chorus’s followers.’ There’s not much room for ‘more natural adherence.’ I either join him or I don’t.”

“That’s one of the many ways that your oath is unique,” he agreed. “If I had to guess, you’ll become less and less attuned to Chorus’s domain over time. You may even begin to be repulsed by the god himself.”

“Debauchery is half of Sora’s personality,” Ithnaa pointed out my biggest concern with the explanation. “What’s losing that going to do to them?”

“Chorus’s domain is indulgence, not debauchery,” Talis corrected. “I wouldn’t expect them to stop enjoying things like that entirely, but certainly in greater moderation. And to be clear, these changes wouldn’t happen overnight. We’re talking about over a period of decades, centuries, or even millennia for some of the most severe effects.”

“Millennia? No, that’s ridiculous. I’ll be lucky if I make two centuries, and that’s assuming I don’t get myself shot first.” Except that wasn’t true anymore, and I knew it. I was now a paladin of Kai, one of the oldest gods in existence. So long as she was still alive, and I didn’t abandon my ‘oath,’ I wouldn’t die, and based on the look Talis was giving me, that included from old age. “What about Samira?” The question was almost a whisper, but it had apparently been loud enough for Ithnaa to hear.

“Sora, don’t be an idiot.” I turned on her with a glare, but she continued before I could protest. “You’ve met three different gods, shared a ship with five children of Inim, single-handedly killed a pirate king, and most importantly, you’re sleeping with an extremely powerful djinn. Even if all of those others somehow fall through, you’d have to be a complete fool to believe I’d allow that girl to die on my watch. We'll figure out a way to make her immortal.”

I didn’t know what to say. So, I settled on the obvious. “Thank you.” I took a step towards Ithnaa and pulled her into a hug with a chuckle. “But I do actually respond to more than just insults when I’m upset. Just because that’s Sami’s love language doesn’t mean you have to do it too.”

“Sorry, I’m still learning. I’ll get better.” She squeezed me one more time before releasing the hug and turning back towards Talis, who had been patiently waiting. “Okay, what’s the next topic?”

“Spells,” he declared confidently, but then paused. “Or they would be if you weren’t a paladin of Kai. The spells given to you are completely random. I have no idea how to even approach learning what they are.”

“Well, what are yours?” I asked, more out of curiosity than anything else.

“Enforce Duel and Circle of Empowerment.”

“That’s a dangerous combination,” Ithnaa observed, but I didn’t know shit about magic.

“What do those do?”

“One enforces the rules to a duel, and the other creates a wide circle that empowers me while I stand within it.”

“Fair. I probably should have guessed as much. So, what now? I just try casting random spells and hope one works?”

“I think I have an old grimoire I could lend you?” Ithnaa sounded unsure, and the three of us just traded glances. “Alternatively, if you’re going to do something, try doing it with magic first. Maybe you’ll chance on one of the spells.”

“Why not both? Let’s go get the grimoire, and I can do that other thing while I read through it.”

“I can’t think of a better option,” Talis admitted. “Although, there's one other thing before you leave.” He walked over to where his leather armor was neatly folded on the ground and pulled something from one of the pockets. “Use this if you find yourself in dire need and I'll come to your aid.” He held out a small spider shaped pendant, and I went to take it, but he didn’t let go. “Please, don’t make me regret giving this to you.”

“I won’t.” He finally let go, and I held it up to the light. “What is it, exactly?”

“It’s the symbol of my goddess. This one has been linked to my mana signature, which will allow you to contact me.” Talis placed a hand on mine to get my attention. “In an emergency. Understand?”

“They understand.” Ithnaa stepped forward, holding out one of her coins. “Please, take this as a token of our appreciation.”

“Thank you,” he said while inspecting the coin, clearly not knowing what it was. “I'll treasure it.”

At that moment, I felt a sudden surge of divine inspiration. “Actually, Talis, may I borrow your armor for a moment? I might have just figured out one of my spells.”

He looked at me suspiciously, but eventually nodded before gathering it up off the floor and holding it out to me. “This is heavily enchanted and very expensive. You’re not going to damage it, are you?”

“Of course not. I know how important it is to you.” I took the neatly folded leather and didn’t even try to cast anything on it. “Damn, guess I was wrong. Ithnaa, I suppose we have no choice but to find that grimoire of yours now.”

“It’s alright. We’ll figure out your spells, eventually.” She put a reassuring hand on my shoulder and we both appeared standing in the middle of a dust-covered study. “Oh, no. Sora, did you forget to give Talis his armor back? How could you be so careless?” She deadpanned and I couldn’t hold back the laughter any longer.