An Explanation

"So, let me get this straight. Lohikaarmi is the Inferno Dragon, and you and Astra are from another world?" Faye asks.

"Yes."

We are seated around the fire, the small camp one, not the forest fire, which has gone out by now. I explained as much as I could to Faye, but I withheld Astra's identity since that's probably still not a good idea.

Faye stares blankly into the embers, trying to take it all in. Lohikaarmi's got her clothes back on and sitting beside us. Cisca has gone to sleep. Astra is on her own trying to scoop out still-liquid syrup out from the pots.

"Now you know everything, do you still want to travel with us?" I ask.

Faye looks up from the fire.

"Of course. I wanted to travel with you guys because I thought you are a good man, Kris," Faye says, "and that hasn't changed. I mean, you were willing to sacrifice yourself back there to save Astra and me."

It wasn't much of a sacrifice. There was no way the ogres could have hurt me through the Exosuit, but there's no harm in her thinking that.

"Thank you," I say.

"So, when you said that you wanted to change the world, what did you really mean by that?" Faye asks.

"Our goal is to introduce technology from my world to this, so the civilization can advance to a point where we can bring more people from my world over."

Faye nods silently.

"Don't worry," I say, "We share a common goal. Class discrimination is a terrible system and can hinder our plan greatly. We will help you achieve what you want."

"Having you guys on my side is great." Faye smiles.

Faye is similar to Lohikaarmi in that if I ignore her pointy ears, she would look just like a normal human girl. Her smile reminds me of those of some actresses back on Earth. She would no doubt shine like a star under the limelight, but that's not to say she's not already shining beside the firelight.

"Although…" Faye says and looks at Lohikaarmi, "to think that Old Man Finor's story is true… not only that, but the almighty Inferno Dragon calls a human her Master… no offense."

"None taken."

"It was also surprising to me when I found out how much the elves of Alventyr revere me," Lohikaarmi says.

"It's much more than Alventyr. Legends about the Inferno Dragon is well known in all the elven villages," Faye says.

"It makes me happy to hear that."

Lohikaarmi has really gone loose on her stoic face.

"Oh yeah, Faye, random question," I ask, "How old are you?"

"Me? I am twenty-two years old," she says.

"Wow. I asked Tiasha, and she said she is in the hundreds, but she doesn't look much older than you."

"Yeah, unlike humans, we elves stop aging almost completely once we reach adulthood," Faye says.

"But you are a half-elf, right? Does that change things?" I ask.

"Sometimes. It depends on which parent the child is closer to. As you can see, I have elf ears, so I possess all of my mother's traits, except for… the reproduction cycle," Faye says and looks down at the ground with an uneasy face.

That's oddly specific thing for her to discover.

"Reproduction cycle? How do you know?" I ask.

Faye's face dyes red from one end of her ear to the other.

"M-My…" She struggles to let out a word.

She leans over beside Lohikaarmi and whispers into her ear. A second later, Faye pulls herself away.

"I am sorry. I do not think I understand," Lohikaarmi says.

"What did she say?" I ask.

"She-"

Faye covers Lohikaarmi's mouth before she can continue.

"I-It's better that you don't know," Faye says with glowing cheeks.

Oh, I think I have faint idea. Yeah, it's probably not a good idea to keep going.

"So, what does it mean?" I ask.

"It means that I bear children like humans," she says.

"Right."

Faye clears her throat and calms herself down.

"What about you, Kris? Are humans from your world the same as here?" She asks.

"From what I've seen and heard here, yes, but I'm different. I have been modified to have a life span of a thousand years," I say.

"Really? Is that the same for Astra?"

"Uh, yes."

"Wow, a human who can live as long as an elf. I have never heard of that."

I have so much more that she has never heard of.

"You know, Faye, we have had problems like yours before back in our world," I say.

"Problems like mine?"

"Yes, ones about discrimination."

"But you don't have elves."

"No, but we discriminated against each other, although, that was a long, long time ago."

"What happened?"

"Well, people like you came along, and they solved it."

That is a massive oversimplification, but it's not like I am the one with a Master's degree in history.

"Really?" Faye asks with sunshine coming out of her face.

"Yes. Some of them succeeded, some of them didn't, but in the end, they are all remembered as heroes by everyone, regardless of which side of history they are on."

"That's… really good to hear." Faye chuckles.

I don't know why, but seeing Faye happy gives me a warm feeling, and it makes me happy too.

The fire is all there is now. It's just Faye, Lohikaarmi, and I in this lone forest, sharing the night with each other. Astra is now snoring away in the carriage with an empty pot in her arms.

It's rather comforting to know that we are destined for greatness. If the Goddess has indeed a plan for every one of us, ours have already been set in motion. There is no scrambling in the search of purpose. We have the weight of the two worlds on our shoulders, and I have no intention of letting anyone down.

Faye puts her hand on my knee. I can't feel her touch through the suit, but it's a tender one regardless.

"Kris, do you know about the Hall of Saints?" She asks.

"I've heard of it, but I don't know much."

"Well, basically, the Church has this belief that some people are given a Saint's blessing by the Goddess when they are born. It's a blessing that can only be realized through self-actualization, but once it has been, that person will bring great joy upon this world. Then, the Church will recognize them as a Saint and put their portrait and name in a hall in the Grand Cathedral, remembered for their accomplishments forever," Faye says.

I think I have heard of something similar in the old Vatican before, well, minus the Goddess and the blessing, of course.

"And?" I ask.

"And I think you are a Saint, Kris," she says.

My heart skips a beat. What is this feeling of tightness in my chest?

"T-Thank you," I say.

I stare into Faye's eyes. There is a whirlpool of kindness in there, and I almost can't get myself out of them.

Faye clears her throat and turns away, her face glowing from the firelight.

"S-Shall we go to sleep? There's a few more days of journey ahead of us, isn't there?" Faye says.

"Yeah, that's right."

Faye gets up from the fire and looks at the carriage.

"You know, I think I am going to sleep out here tonight," Faye says.

"Sure, but why?"

She gazes into the sky. "I think the stars are beautiful." Her straight brown hair gently flow down to her slender waist, and the twinkling lights of the night are reflected in her big, watery eyes.

Beautiful, indeed.