I Know Them

Watching the entrance of the residence, where her toy just left, Yoko flicked her tail back and forth.

"Aren't you going to follow her?" I asked.

"In the middle of the town? No way," she grunted. "Too many humans."

"Is that so."

Giving a quick glance to Azariah, she had a concerned expression.

"What is it?" I inquired.

A faint smile appeared on her face.

"I think Lady Yoko is a nice person," she explained.

Hearing her referring to the Goddess of Mischief as nice, I let out a half stifled laugh while Yoko grinned ironically.

"She's very friendly and easygoing," Azariah continued. "But I don't think it's a good idea to keep acting that way around Lady Nora. She might misunderstand your intentions."

"Misunderstand?" Yoko repeated. "How so?"

"Well… The Lady is of a very poor character. She is quite easily susceptible and she could think that you're provoking her."

Yoko raised an eyebrow in incomprehension, as she looked at the young elf who seemed genuinely worried for her. Then, she chuckled in amusement.

"Oh, sweetie, that is no misunderstand. I am provoking her. And I sincerely hope that this little Lady got the message as well."

Her eyes squinted, Azariah slightly drew her head backward, clearly confused by Yoko's answer. She then directed her gaze to me, probably expecting me to say something, but there is really nothing to say.

"Just don't mind her," I advised. "She can take care of herself."

The young elf didn't seem really convinced. Her face was full of concern. But eventually, her expression softened as her lips curled to form a small smile.

"I see," she muttered. "You must have great trust in each other not to worry like this."

I wouldn't use the word 'trust' here. It's just that you just can't possibly be concerned about a dragon when its opponent is a squirrel.

"For how long have you two known each other?" She then suddenly asked.

"Since the beginning of times, unfortunately…" Yoko responded first, as she sighed loudly.

"For a very long time," I corrected.

"Is that so? Did you met in the Church?"

The Church? Oh, right. The golden eyes. Thinking about it, it's true I've hear stories about the Church recruiting blessed children to be raised and indoctrinated with their ideology. I can see why she assumed such a thing. Well, she's not too far from the truth. Yoko and I definitely didn't meet at the Church, but the place we met isn't so different. Recalling about the old times, I grinned.

"You could say that," I finally answered.

Azariah fell silent as she looked away into the distance, ostensibly pensive. Yoko, who had been observing her for quite a while, grinned in an unpleasant way.

"What is it?" She asked with that annoying know-it-all smile of hers. "You've been wanting to ask something for a while, haven't you? What is it?"

The young elf looked slightly taken aback.

"I was just… surprised that you received the Church's education," she answered anyway.

"Well, didn't you?" I inquired.

"No, someone like me couldn't possibly have…"

Why not? She is a chosen one after all. A real one.

"What's so special about the Church anyway?" Yoko wondered, her eyes squinted. "It's just a bunch of arrogant mortals who one day randomly declared themselves as Gods' messengers."

"You don't seem to hold the Church in high regard," Azariah noted, with a faint smile. "That's surprising."

"Some people just don't know their place anymore. You wouldn't like it either if you were in our position."

"Your position?"

"So what about the Church's education?" I changed the subject, returning to the main topic.

Azariah turned her attention back on me.

"It's just that… Since it's a religious education, I thought it would strongly emphasize on theism," she explained.

"Well… It would, wouldn't it?"

The elf stayed silent for a few second, as she kept fidgeting with her hands. Then, she looked up at us.

"Do you know a lot about deities?" She asked, a little hesitant.

Uho… I see. So this is what it is about. We are stepping on dangerous grounds, we probably should stop here. But as I was thinking this, I noticed Yoko's grin growing larger.

"We certainly do, don't we Harri?" She answered while giving me a meaningful look. Then, she directed her gaze to Azariah. "What is it that you want to know?"

Yoko… What are you trying to do?

"I'm just trying to understand," Azariah replied. "What makes me… No. What makes us special."

Yoko and I squinted at her answer. Seeing our confused expression, the elf smiled weakly before continuing.

"My daughter, my son and I… I'm trying to understand why we were blessed."

Huh? That's it?

"That's it?" Yoko demanded raising a single eyebrow, as she apparently thought the same thing.

"Yes, well… It's something I've been wondering for years. Is it strange?"

No. I guess it's a given. Chosen ones would want to know this kind of things. However…

"No reasons," Yoko stated with a dejected expression, seemingly disappointed. "I hate to destroy your ego, but there probably weren't any reasons at all behind your blessings. You weren't blessed because you were special, you are special because you were blessed."

She is right. There can be many reasons why an Original would choose to bless a mortal. However, most of the time, there isn't any reason at all. Why do we bless them? Because we can, it's just as simple as this.

To begin with, chosen ones aren't as special as mortals tend to think. They were newborns among others after all. And if all newborns share one thing in common, it's their undetermined future. Contrary to general beliefs, there isn't such a thing as destiny. A child's future is completely blank. Environment, upbringing… There are a lot of factors that can determine one's future. Mortals tend to think some are just born to do greater things, but that is wrong. Some are simply raised to do greater things. In the end, even if some are starting off life more advantaged than others, mortals all have the same potential as individuals. Chosen ones are no exceptions. They weren't "chosen" because they were meant to accomplish wonders; they are simply more likely to accomplish wonders because they were "chosen". As for why they were "chosen" instead of another, this was just a matter of pure luck.

However, the young elf didn't seem satisfied by Yoko's blunt answer.

"No reasons? But I…"

Yoko sighed heavily.

"Look, if you don't believe me, and if you want a reason so bad, why don't you ask her directly?"

"Her?"

"Naia."

Hearing the name of the Goddess of Light, Azariah flinched in surprise and widened her eyes.

"There is absolutely no way that someone like me could ask Her anything…"

"Don't worry and just ask her. She'll tell you why she blessed you. Although it was probably just on a whim…"

Azariah chuckled a bit. "I wish I could, really. It would be a great honor to meet her, let alone speak to her…"

"Wait, what?" Yoko suddenly interrupted her. "You've never met her before?"

"Of course not," the young elf responded as if it was obvious.

Hearing her answer, Yoko and I exchanged a brief gaze. We both thought of the same thing.

"Pardon me," I spoke up. "As this is a religious kingdom worshiping Naia, we automatically assumed she would be the one who blessed you so we didn't ask but… Is she? Is she the one who blessed you?"

Azariah slightly tilted her head to the side. "Well, who else?"

Who else, indeed. However, it's definitely not Naia. Naia always comes in contact with her Chosen ones. Had she been the one who blessed her, she would have reached her at some point. But then, who? This land is religious, its people definitely aren't neutral. Who would care to bless someone else's worshiper?

"You're not from here, are you?" Yoko abruptly asked. "I should have thought about it, but this is a human kingdom. You probably weren't born here."

"No, I wasn't." The young elf replied with a hint of nostalgia in her eyes.

"Then Naia is not the one who blessed you," Yoko explained. "You most likely were blessed by the God of your birth place."

"That's probably not the case."

"And why is that?"

"Because I was already here when I was blessed."

Yoko furrowed her brows hearing this.

"Didn't you say you weren't born here?"

"I did, and I wasn't. But I didn't receive my blessings as an infant. It happened only recently."

"Huh…?"

Hearing her nonsense statement, Yoko and I both froze in surprise. My eyes wide open, I carefully studied her expression trying to spot any subtle cues that could reveal a lie, while Yoko drew her head backward, looking utterly perplexed. The young elf didn't seem to be lying. Instead, she was simply smiling, as if expecting our reactions.

"Hold on a second," Yoko said raising her hand up, as she recovered from the shock. "What are you talking about?"

"Did Lynett not tell you about it?" Azariah asked, seemingly amused.

No, she didn't. She never mentioned anything like that. Did she think that it was something trivial?

Yoko broke into nervous laughter.

"There seem to be some kind of misunderstand. That is very unlikely to happen."

"But it did happen."

"No, no, no, I can assure you. That is not possible." Yoko declared, emphasizing each word. She marked a pause before turning to me. "Right…?"

An eyebrow lifted in a quizzical expression, I could tell that the young elf's unwavering stance managed to raise doubt her mind. However, Yoko is right.

"No, it isn't possible," I seconded.

There is a reason why only newborns were blessed until now. It's because only newborns can be blessed. Or to be more specific, unborn mortals. It's not that we won't give our blessings to adults. It's simply that we can't. Giving or receiving blessings is a complex, multiform phenomenon that can result in drastic changes. Appearance, affinities, life-span, natural predispositions… It is something that often transcends and modifies an individual's core parameters, which is why only unborn children can be "chosen". Because once an individual is born, anything that defines them can no longer be changed. Neither by me, by Yoko, nor even by Naia.

Azariah lowered her eyes, seemingly disappointed.

She sighed. "So even the Church doesn't know…"

"Don't be so defeated," I tried to cheer her up. "There must be some kind of explanation."

"What explanation? Like some kind of super deity?" Yoko sneered as she let herself sink into her chair.

But her mocking smile vanished soon enough, realizing that there might be more truth than fancy in her half-assed joke. We exchanged a silent, but meaningful eye-contact, as we both came to the same realization.

A super deity…? Thinking about it, she is her mother, right? And even if it's true that no one should be able to bless an adult, if there was someone capable of doing that, wouldn't that be her? Moreover, she did mention once that she gave blessings before. Oh, that fool… She didn't dare, did she? Did she actually bless her own mother?

"When you say you were blessed only recently, when was it exactly?"

"It was twelve years ago, I believe," the young elf responded after hesitating a bit.

Twelve years ago… She returned fourteen years ago. That timing is way too convenient. This can't be a coincidence. That fool really did it. She blessed her own mother.

"That fucking idiot…!" Yoko grunted, as she probably came to the same conclusion as me.

"Is something wrong?" Azariah asked, seemingly confused by her sudden outburst.

Yoko let out a loud sigh as she brought a palm to her face.

"Naia is not going to be happy about this…"

Yoko is absolutely right. Naia might be the Goddess of Light, she is also the Goddess of Order, something that mortals tend to forget. She is a stickler for rules and doesn't like abnormalities. And as stubborn as she is, she can be a pain in the neck.

Blessing her own mother wasn't a smart move... I hope the Creator knows what she's doing.

◊◊◊◊◊◊

"Let me in!!"

An abrupt yell came out of nowhere. It was high-pitched, likely a child. The sudden commotion attracted a lot of attention. A couple of servants came out of the mansion, rushing towards the entrance of the residence.

"What is it, this time?" Yoko complained.

"Please, don't worry about it." A maid responded as she re-filled our now empty cups of tea with the same usual professionalism. "It's just a beggar. Nothing you need concern yourself about."

A beggar? I'm pretty sure I heard the voice of a child.

Directing my eyes towards the gate, there was indeed a child. Surrounded by some guards and a couple of servants blocking his way, he was seemingly trying to get inside the residence.

"Let me pass, you idiots!"

"This little brat! Stay still for a second! Do you even have any idea where you are?!" A guard groaned as he tried to immobilize the child, but the boy did not listen. Instead, he kept struggling, wiggling his way out of his grasp. But each time he tried to force his way inside the residence, he was blocked by a wall of servants. The scene went on for some few minutes.

"That's enough!" The head house-maid eventually lost patience. "What do you think you're being paid for? Get rid of him this instant! Make his head fly, for all I care! This is the private property of the Marquis of Eskor! This is no place for a beggar!"

The guard ground his teeth as he glared at the head maid. I could tell his pride was wounded, being yelled at by a woman. But the house maid did not flinch. Instead, she shot him back his glare. The guard clicked his tongue before directing his frustration back on the boy.

"Out of my sight!" He grabbed the boy by his collar and violently tossed him on the ground, before drawing his sword. His job at stake and his pride wounded, he lost his temper. He was no longer treating the child as a child, but as a mere intruder. "Another step and you'll be considered a trespasser! As a guard of the House and according to the law, I'll execute you on spot!"

"Such a cruel way to treat a child…" I heard the young elf at my side mutter, as she watched the scene full of concern.

However, the boy was not intimidated. He immediately got back on his feet as he wiped the dust on his face, before provoking the guard even further by sticking his tongue out.

"Dumbass!! Let me in! If you don't, you're the one who's going to get executed!" He threatened in his turn. "I know the lord and I know his family!"

The guard's face turned crimson red. "You little…. How dare you utter such an obvious lie! Do you truly wish to die?!"

"That's not a lie! They're my friend! I even drank tea with them!"

His veins popped out, the guard raised his sword in a menacing stance. "Since you keep blabbing lies, I hope you're prepared for the consequences!"

However, before he could drop the blade on the boy, a loud voice interrupted him.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

The guard turned around in surprise, and everyone else imitated him.

"You're giving me a headache!" Yoko hissed, as she slammed the table, spilling the tea at the same time.

The head maid approached calmly before ordering one of a subordinate to clean the table and bring a new set of tea.

"I apologize for the inconvenience," she said with her head down. "We will deal with this immediately."

Then, she gave a meaningful look to the guard, who flinched as he met her eyes.

"For fuck's sake, humans are so loud…" Yoko continued to grumble.

As I took a look at the guard who was about to comply with his silent order, I noticed the boy looking in our direction with round eyes. He blinked a couple of times, and then suddenly, startling everyone, he let out a yelp of surprise.

"AAAAAAH!" He exclaimed, his finger pointing at us. "I know them!"

"Eh…"

"What?"

----

Note From Ozen_Ice: Another mass release this week, honestly I prefer mass release to the normal scheduled\daliy updating. Anyway I'll try to do my best and updating as much as possible.