The silence of the stone corridor was so complete I could hear my own heart.

  A rapid, muffled drum against my ribs.

  *Saint?*

  Question came back to me, like a fly you can't chase away.

  *Why now? And why from a priest, and not from her?*

  "Please calm down, Leonard. Take deep breaths," Evadne said as she freed one of her warm hands and put it on mine. I pulled my hand away, inhaling slowly as I turned slightly away from her.

  "Answers are the best remedy for my state," I said, staring back at her. "I thought I could trust you, but you're hiding the truth from me."

  "Otherworlder," she paused.

  She took a slow, deliberate breath. Just as she was telling me to do.

  "Leonard, I was completely honest with you," she said, taking my hands back. "I'm your caretaker and I'm doing my best." Her hand's warmth was a pleasant contrast to the chill inside me.

  "But I also follow Pythia's lead." She confessed.

  She squeezed my hands tighter.

  "Can you believe me on that?"

  I weighed her words, searching her golden eyes for confirmation.

  *I... If I misplace my trust, it will be disaster. Ripped away into alien world...*

  She waited patiently, breathing deliberately.

  *You could tell me almost anything and I would have no choice but believe you. Or exhaust myself questioning everything.*

  Her hands kept the firm grip. Confident.

  *I'm walking on a tight rope.*

  I nodded hesitantly.

  She glanced down the long, empty corridor. Her voice dropped to a near whisper. "Do you remember when you first woke up in the clinic, when Pythia spoke to you?"

  The memory was blurry—the low murmur of the other patients, the sterile scent, the suffocating weight of everyone's eyes on me.

  "Yes," I said.

  "She called me the Wild Seed, said I would lead you to victory." I paused, the next part leaving my mouth dry. "And she told me my previous life was gone."

  Evadne's eyebrows drew together.

  "No, Leonard. She never said that." Her denial absolute. "She spoke of the prophecy, yes. But she never said a word about your past, not that I'm aware of."

  *If Pythia didn't say it... who did?*

  The cheerful, melodic voice echoed in my memory, distinct from Pythia's calm authority.

  *Althea.*

  Seal tickled once under Evadne's grip.

  *She did.*

  "You woke up, it was very emotional," she explained. The rhythm slightly chaotic. "Seeing this, Pythia asked me to walk you out of the crowded clinic so that you could take a breath."

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  *Well, we did walk away, because I said I was hungry or something—the first thing that came to my mind. I don't remember exactly. I just wanted to get out of there.*

  "But when I talked with Pythia in her room, she didn't say a word about me being a saint," I said, shaking my head in denial.

  "I wasn't there, so I don't know, but try to recall the conversation," she said calmly. "I have full confidence and trust in Pythia. Even without being there, I can vouch for her. She would have told you. Something must have happened between you two."

  I recalled past events.

  I was startled by the guard lurking in the shadow. Met Legatus. Asked Pythia for the answers I needed.

  Then, my mind spiraled.

  Dust in my mouth. Blindness and the bang. Blood dripping on the floor, fear, adrenaline—all mixed together.

  *Can I trust my memory?*

  "Althea, is that true?" I asked my Guide, this time in the tongue of this world.

  "Which part exactly?" she replied innocently, derailing my train of thought.

  I moaned in frustration. "Are all spirits as useful as you?" I asked reproachfully.

  "You know I'm special, Leonard. But yes, what she said is true. As far as I can tell."

  My hand slipped away from Evadne's grip and landed heavily on my forehead.

  Evadne's hand followed mine quickly, putting it back down. "What did your Guide say?" she asked.

  "She said you tell the truth." I turned my head away, adding, "I'm sorry for doubting you again."

  Corridor we stood in was narrow, air warm and dense, unlike the chilly floor. Sparsely placed columns supported the ceiling - only witnesses of our conversation. Except Althea.

  *Thanks to her I realized three months has passed. She took care of me all that time, and now this.*

  "I'm giving you my trust now, I'm just cautious." I paused, then added in a whisper, "If that means anything to you."

  "It means a lot to me," she said, gently turning my head back to her. "And I don't mind if you have doubts, as long as you're honest with me."

  Luckily, we were still alone in the corridor. Muffled footsteps echoed faintly, mixing with conversations, but nobody came.

  I remained still for a while, not sure how much time had passed, but it was enough to calm me down.

  Evadne slowly took her hands back. "Let's go pay the Highest Priestess a visit."

  I held back a chuckle.

  *She's resilient, I can give her that.*

  "Evadne, uhm," I hesitated, "don't be mad, but I'm going to see Pylades."

  "Oh, you're so stubborn, my Otherworlder!" she said, pretending anger, but her face showed something else entirely.

  "Let it be your way, but we should let Pythia know." She didn't wait for my reply as she explained, "I have a spirit too. It's my Aide, Micheal."

  She showed me her wrist with a seal, much simpler than mine. Just two thin and straight lines around her wrist. A small mark of a moon and sun inside. Similar to Pythia's.

  She hid her seal under her sleeve as she started walking. "Aide Micheal, please relay a message to Pythia that the Otherworlder is going to visit the Centurion Pylades in Legatus office, but will join her right after. Thank you."

  "Evadne." I rushed to her side. "It's the first time I've heard about your Aide. Why don't you use it more often?"

  Her giggle added to our footsteps. My eyebrows shot up.

  *She can act sweet like that?*

  That moment, she looked more like a girl than High Priestess.

  "Oh, I talk with Micheal quite often." She eyed me. "Just... inside me."

  I stopped dead, my own footsteps abruptly silenced.

  *Inside? Telepathy?*

  The massive stone pillars lining the hall suddenly seemed to lean in, ancient and imposing.

  *But Pythia said... Althea can't hear my thoughts.*

  My mouth opened slightly, but no words came out. Evadne paused with me.

  *Althea, can you hear me?*

  Nothing.

  *Althea, you bitch!*

  Seal pulsed without a change.

  *Huh.*

  "It's less like talking, more like sharing thoughts and intent," Evadne explained. "But Micheal is different than your..." She trailed off, studying my reaction with focus. "Althea. Did I guess her name right?"

  "Y-Yes," was all I could manage while resuming our walk.

  *Pythia said my Guide can't hear my thoughts. Is Althea that different?*

  We reached a wide staircase rising in flights. The repetitive motion of climbing kept me grounded. The rhythmic tap of our feet on the worn stone steps organized my thoughts.

  "Is this why I'm a saint? My Guide? Because she's... different?" I asked Evadne.

  Her laugh was clear and bright. Echoed from the stone of the stairwell.

  "What? No." She seemed genuinely surprised by the idea.

  We reached a landing where a tall, narrow window cast a bar of dusty afternoon light across the floor. She stopped in the beam of light, turning to face me.

  "It's much simpler than that, Leonard. You are Pandora's chosen," she said, as if it were the most obvious fact in the world. "That practically makes you a saint."

  The dust motes danced in the light between us when I stared at her.

  *That's it? I'm some chosen-one crap and done? Poof! Saint!*

  The pieces were falling into place, but they were forming a picture I didn't understand.

  "Okay," I said. "But what does it mean to be a saint?"

  She opened her mouth, but hesitated and closed it.

  Then something mischievous danced in the corner of her eyes.

  "Leonard, uhm," she mimicked my hesitation from before, "don't be mad, but ask the Highest Priestess Pythia, okay?"

  And she shamelessly winked.

  I chuckled.

  *You got me on this one.*

  She shifted to her usual 'High Priestess' grace.

  "Now let's meet with Pylades, Legatus' office is right there," she added.

  After everything that's happened, Leonard has decided to trust High Priestess Evadne. What's your take on his decision?