Serah's cottage sat at the edge of the village, half-swallowed by fog and ivy. A soft light glowed from within — golden, trembling, alive. The air smelled faintly of herbs and smoke.
When Cael entered, she looked up from her table. A bowl of clear water rested beside her, shimmering like glass.
"Holy Lord," she greeted, smiling gently. "You've returned from prayer."
"I have," he said, setting his sword against the wall. "The Goddess wept this morning."
Serah's hands stilled for a moment. "Then she remembers," she murmured. "Every tear is a life forgiven."
She motioned for him to sit. He obeyed. Her fingers, cool and steady, brushed his skin as she cleaned a cut on his arm. The sting was sharp, but brief.
"You fight so selflessly," she whispered. "Yet your hands tremble. Do they fear what they touch?"
He blinked. "They do not fear — only tire."
"Even the chosen grow weary," she said softly. Her reflection in the basin rippled. For an instant, it wasn't her face at all — something else stared back. Hollow eyes. A pale mouth stretched too wide. Then the water stilled.
Cael inhaled, slow and steady. "The Goddess tests us all."
Serah smiled again — too bright, too calm. "Of course she does."
She dipped her hand into the bowl and traced a wet line of water across his forehead. The touch burned slightly.
"I bless you with her grace," she intoned. "May your eyes see truth and your blade bring mercy."
He bowed his head. "Her mercy shall cleanse the world."
When he rose to leave, Serah pressed something into his palm — a single forget-me-not. Its petals were cold, almost waxy.
"Carry it with you," she said. "So she remembers who you are."
He thanked her, stepping into the mist once more. The flower in his hand felt heavier than it should. He tucked it into his coat.
Behind him, the cottage door shut. From within, a faint humming began — Serah's voice, sweet and cracked, singing a lullaby too old to recall.
The fog thickened. The air shimmered again, just for a heartbeat — and in the reflection of a puddle, Cael thought he saw not a village healer, but a woman in a nurse's uniform staring after him.
Then the wind shifted, and she was gone.