Colleöne reverted to a mundane Dobhar appearance and then smiled at Uscfrea.

“Do you know of any secluded locations nearby, Steward of the Dobhar? We will need a location where we will not disturb or be disturbed by anyone.”

Uscfrea nodded.

“The cliffs and beach to the north are uninhabited. We do patrol the area but if you let me know where you’ll be I can instruct them to skip that part.”

“Thank you, that is most appreciated.”

Uscfrea bowed his head again.

“Anything for you, Mighty Ardith.”

Colleöne then turned to NSLICE-00P and Ateia.

“If you are willing, I would like you two to accompany me, that I may instruct Ateia on her new status.”

Ateia nodded repeatedly.

“O-Of course, M-Might Victoria!”

“Query: Is this unit relevant to the training?”

Colleöne nodded.

“She is bound to serve you, so it is important that you understand her nature. Additionally…you are responsible for a Material Plane now. It will be good for you to understand those of us who care for the first.”

“Affirmative.”

At that moment, Estrith frowned.

“Um, Mighty Ardith, may I ask a question?”

Colleöne smiled and nodded.

“Of course.”

Estrith took a deep breath.

“Will the training be dangerous?”

Colleöne shook her head.

“Not in the manner you are thinking. So long as they are with me, no harm will come to them. This I swear as the Lady of Courage and Victory.”

Estrith bowed in response, then turned to NSLICE-00P.

“My Queen…if you do not have other need of me, I would like to request some time with my people. I…wish to see the home your people are building.”

NSLICE-00P’s robotic eye flickered for a moment but it did not take her long to calculate. If they were on a low-risk training mission with safety guaranteed by an entity predicted as more powerful than herself, then Estrith’s presence wasn’t necessary. And likewise, if Estrith was staying in the secure home base of the Dobhar, then she would not be at excessive risk of termination herself.

“Affirmative Response: That is acceptable.”

Estrith saluted.

“Thank you, My Queen.”

And so Uscfrea arranged from some supplies. Ateia, Taog, and NSLICE-00P got ready to go while Estrith returned to Uscfrea’s side.

Meanwhile Agedia stood on the beach, gazing across the sea.

“Turannia, huh? I wonder if I’ll see Tibbers…”

But she shook her head. Tiberius was in the Imperial part of the province, over a day’s trip away. Agedia was no longer willing to part with Ateia for that amount of time.

And…

She had failed her charge, her duty, and her friend. She had avenged herself on every tangentially responsible party she could find, and then spent the next decade trying to drown her grief in drink and violence.

But then…a handful of bright spots broke through the haze. She remembered battling alongside Tiberius and Vafum. She remembered the celebrations they had back at the tavern. She remembered the nights she spent with Tiberius…

She shut her eyes, and bowed her head.

Then Tiberius had left, off on the mission that should have been hers. She said it was the smart choice, and it was. The Hero of Elteno moved to Turannia to keep his and Aedinia’s daughter hidden. If the failed Imperial Knight suddenly up and moved after a decade of staying put, that might have drawn attention. It was the smart thing to do.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

But that wasn’t why she did it.

She was…afraid. She had finally started to put her failure behind her…only to have it thrust in her face once again. She was not ready to rejoin that fight.

Vafum had wanted to go too, but he stayed behind for her sake. So Tiberius had gone off, alone.

And then, perhaps by the will of the Aesdes, Ateia had arrived in Velusitum. Ready or not, Agedia was thrust back into it.

And then she failed again.

So…she didn’t deserve to see Tiberius. How could she look him in the eye, when she had failed the mission that should have been hers, that he shouldered on her behalf? How could she be happy, when Aedinia had died and Ateia had been mortally wounded?

No…this was the will of the Aesdes, to remind her of her failure, and why she…

“You think too much of us.”

Agedia jumped and whirled around, finding Colleöne standing behind her. Colleöne shook her head.

“Only Elséró knows the end of anyone’s path. The Aesdes may see a bit further into the possibilities, but we ultimately experience time as it happens, not that differently from you. Our sight is wider and our wisdom is great, but we are not all-powerful or all-knowing. We only do our best, as do you.”

Agedia frowned and bowed her head.

“I am sorry. I did not mean any offense, Mighty Victoria.”

Colleöne shook her head again.

“And I did not take any. What I mean to say is that your suffering is not our intention, nor is it something you deserve.”

Agedia grit her teeth.

“…isn’t it? If I had been stronger…if I hadn’t been so weak…then they never would have been hurt. And if it weren’t for the shiny girl, they’d both be dead now.”

Agedia felt Colleöne’s hand on her shoulder and her head shot up.

“Agedia, the most loyal and brave of the Imperial Knights. She who chose humiliation and scorn to protect her charge, who spared nothing, not even her own honor to fulfill her duty. You lost, and were defeated. But you did not fail. You gave everything you had. And even after you lost, when Ateia arrived you rose to the challenge and did it again. You did not allow the tremors in your heart to overwhelm your compassion for the girl.”

Colleöne looked her in the eye.

“Victory is elusive and fleeting. It is possible to do everything right and still to lose. That is not weakness, that is life. You lost…but I believe there is no shame or condemnation in that, Agedia. You fought with courage and heart, and the blow you struck to your foe set them back by years. If not for that…perhaps they would not have waited for NSLICE-00P to appear at all.”

Colleöne patted her shoulder again.

“And that is why you should not neglect yourself, Agedia. You have fought a battle with your own heart as much as with your foes. Every warrior needs rest…and companions to share their burden with. You already know, don’t you? Aedinia would want you to be happy. So go. And take heart, I will guard Ateia in your stead, until you are ready to return.”

Agedia’s eyes filled with tears, and then she bowed her head again.

“T-Thank you, Mighty Victoria.”

And then she slithered as fast as she could. She came before Ateia, bowing her head and apologizing. But Ateia just smiled and sent her off.

And so Agedia leapt up the cliff and past the Legion keep, shooting down the road to Castra Turannia as fast as she could.

Colleöne, NSLICE-00P, Ateia, and Taog made their way north, until they found a secluded cove in the rocky cliffs. They set up a camp and then split up. Taog was cooking some food while Colleöne, NSLICE-00P, and Ateia stood on the beach.

“The first aspect of the Aesdes you should know is that we are more deeply connected to the world than other beings. We do not experience reality the way other living things do.”

Colleöne reached down and picked up a rock lying in the sand.

“When we look at any part of the world, whether it be a person, an animal, a plant, a mountain, or even a humble rock, we see more than the crude matter that composes its structure. We see the object’s spirit. We see its past, and the records etched on its being.”

Colleöne cast a spell and images began to appear in the air. NSLICE-00P observed as a volcano erupted, hurling a ball of lava into the nearby sea. She watched as the ocean burst into steam, and the lava cooled into rock.

“We see its spirit in the present, its intent and its will. And we can glimpse its potential, the possibilities the stretch out before it.”

The image split into hundreds of smaller scenes. Some showed Colleöne tossing the rock into the sea. Others showed it lying on the beach, slowly eroding into sand. Others showed it picked up by a Dobhar child, placed into a pouch with a sling. And then the images vanished as Colleöne slowly placed the rock back on the beach.

“You have already experienced this, in fact.”

Ateia furrowed her brow.

“The memories?”

Colleöne nodded.

“More accurately, you were viewing the past of the people connected to you, the events etched on their spirits that even they may have forgotten. And this brings us to the second point. Beings in the Material Plane are defined equally by their matter and their spirit. It is not so with the Aesdes. We are beings defined primarily by our spirit, with our matter following suit.”

“Query: Logs from NSLICE Ateia’s cybernetic components do not appear different from a normal human. Requesting elaboration on NSLICE Ateia’s physical condition.”

Colleöne rubbed her chin.

“A good question, and one that ties into this discussion. Because the Aesdes are defined by their spirit, our nature, our matter, and our powers as you would think of them may be impacted by our wills, our records, and our stature. Ateia, for example, has been a human all her life. That record is firmly etched upon her spirit, she will cling to that form, and I suspect it would take great effort to change it.”

Colleöne’s face turned serious.

“Likewise, Ateia, when you were in a dark place following the injuries your foes inflicted upon you, your powers reacted to your emotions.”

Ateia’s eyes widened and she frowned.

“So…the reason all the memories I saw were bad…”

Colleöne nodded.

“Because you could not yet control your sight and your heart was disturbed, you ended up reaching for similar records in those around you.”

Colleöne walked over and placed a hand on Ateia’s shoulder.

“But we are here to resolve this. In fact, that was part of the reason I was given leave to come before you. I will teach you how to focus your powers, so that something like that will not happen again.”

She took a step back and gave Ateia a smile.

“Are you ready to begin?”

Ateia took a deep breath, and then clenched her fist.

“Yes!”