Peter was doing his best to focus on the padded target before him. Hitting it wasn’t the problem, of course, even with Jhe’fuh moving it around; the hard part, the part he was trying to focus on, was remembering the proper form for pung so he didn’t hurt himself. “Something's on your mind.” The priest noted, shifting the padded target to near his shoulder for a higher target to aim for. “Still embarrassed about st night.” Peter admitted.Jhe’fuh blinked, “Why’s that?” “… I just feel stupid?” Peter shrugged, lining up a pund hitting it with a firm ‘thwack’, “I could have tried something more quiet? I’unno.”Jhe’fuh moved the target again, “But I told you I only heard the otion because I was already up, for a te-night pantry raid.” “I… guess I was worried… you’d think I was drunk or something.” Peter sighed, “And kick me out for abusing your kindness… or worse, kick all of us out.”

  Setting down the padded target Jhe’fuh fixed Peter with a look, “Do I look like a Lumninar?”Peter wi the priest's tone, visibly, before he could stop himself — seeing that made Jhe’fuh blink. “That… makes me feel there’s more than just Shepherd d’Zaier behind those feelings.” Jhe’fuh frowned, “e on, time for a break anyway. You’ve been at this food dek minutes.” “I am still having a hard time verting things from my world to this.” Peter admitted, following Jhe’fuh off the woven mats used for training to a bench where Ennalyssa was sitting and reading a book while the pixie he had helped save st night was nibbling on some pin salted crackers drizzled with honey, sipping some ilk. “What’s fusing?” Jhe’fuh asked in curiosity, wanting to help.Peter sighed, “So. The things I get… that are easy… are the ten… ugh. Sorry, dek-day long weeks. And months being an even… nrhg… Months being three weeks long.” He sat down and grabbed a green gss bottle from a bucket filled with ice, popping it open and taking a long sip of the cool water from within, “Obviously, math being another. It’s embarrassing to have issues doing basic ting.” “Fair enough.” The priest sat near him, straddling the bench to face him, “But you’ve only been here for just about a week by now. You’re having to relearhing, rather than just learning it while you live it. Like we would.” He motioo himself and Ennalyssa. “Ngh… That’s true…” Peter sighed. “You’re being far th on yourself.” Jhe’fuh put his hand oher’s shoulder, “The fact you’ve adjusted this fast should be ended.” “I admit, hearing ‘ten-hour day’ was fusing.” Peter chuckled, “I had to remember ‘ten’ to you was ‘twelve’ to me. And then there’s the fact each hour is one hundred minutes long, and each minute is, on top of that, a hundred seds long.” He sighed, sipping more water, “So ‘a good dek’, or to me ten, minutes feels off to me because, to me, bay world, that’s not very long at all. After doing the math… what you call dek minutes is almost…” He grumbled, “Mh. Almost 15 minutes, verting from my time to yours first, that is.” “No wonder you get pissy.” Ennalyssa blinked. “Language, please.” Peter sighed, just a little, and gave her shoulder a little push in admonishment, “I mean, you aren’t wrong but you say it… not so bluntly…”She giggled, ‘rog’ at the push, “Fine, fine.” She said, not at all sounding anywhere near admonished. “Here.” Came the slightly rough voice of the pixie.Looking down, he saw the foot-tall being him up a salted square cracker nearly dripping with honey, “Oh?” “You need a snack, and it’s tasty.” She expined, him the cracker.Taking it with little hesitation he nibbled on it, “Thanks.” He smiled, “And you’re right. Sweet and salty is a tasty bo.” He agreed. “Is there anything else that’s been b you?” Jhe’fuh asked, “I’m here to listen if you need, Peytr.” He smiled. “Holy… I don’t know.” He admitted, “Shepherd d’Zaier and Havengard left a pretty bad taste in my mouth — oh, thank you—” He took another hohered cracker from the pixie and munched on it, “— something Broseff was trying to actively fix st night wheook me to the Shield and Dagger across the street.” “I see. So… you were just expeg more of the same here?”Peter winced, nodding, “I could say ‘nothing personal’… but I know that would feel false, even if it’s true.”Jhe’fuh nodded, “No, I uand, I do.” He sighed, “All I do is apologize for my fellows iher faith.” “What’s worse is that I don’t know if those two, and a couple others, ruined just… that religion, all religion, or the world as a whole.” He sighed, “And, well, I guess I don’t mean ruined-ruined… but, again…” “A very bad first impressiardless.” Jhe’fuh nodded, “Yes, I have overheard that most of what the guards do is just… hours worth of drills, offered a strict diet of bnd food, they aren’t paid muor do they get to truly utilize their mandatory days off due to how things are id out, it feels like more trouble to leave the grounds than it’s worth.” He frowned, looking to Peter, “Ah, perhaps I should crify. Many people oyros worship and follow multiple members of the family. So even though they are in the Church Luminous, I see many of them here as well, doing their best to find a bah their training and duties at that temple. I… overhear them talking.” “Ah. For a moment I feared you broke fessional.” Peter chuckled, at the priest’s fused look he blinked, “Ah… oh dear… um. fession is a rite in one of the religions of my old world.” He expined, “An adherent of the faith would go to a priest or elder, and talk to them, fessing any sins they had itted against the tenants of the religion, the priest then gives a penance, as well as hopefully good advice at how to be a better adherent of the faith.” “You say ‘hopefully good’…” Jhe’fuh asked.Peter sighed, “… he end of my life I was fairly ical and depressed ing my religion’s as. A lot of the time the advice boiled down to ‘do better’, with a leaning towards total faith rather than… say… seeking medical help for one’s addi to alcohol or dependency of a drug.” He paused, looking to Ennalyssa and back to Jhe’fuh, “Uh…” “That… kinda reminds me of what the Church does…” Ennalyssa paused, shaking her head to correct herself, “Erm, the Church Luminous does.” She looked to Peter, “They have a rite called Admission where you admit you’ve sinned against the Goddess and beg for her fiveness.” “Beg, hm?” Peter asked. “That’s how Shepherd…” Ennalyssa swallowed softly, “That’s how d’Zaier said it.” “I see.” Peter said softly, “And afterwards? After you admit to your sins?” “Ato of your sins.” She whispered, looking down at the book in her p, shifting unfortably on the bench.The pixie spoke up, “Ato always seemed harsher for others than when he did Admission himself.” “You… saw this?” Peter asked.Startled, not realizing she had been heard, the pixie tugged at a lock of her bright green vine-like hair, “I… well. Aye, yes. I saw him administer Admission and Ato several times there.” “Oh.” Peter said, curious but not wanting to push things with either of them, “Let’s… talk about something else.”

  “Aye.” Jhe’fuh agreed, “Enna, ss, I think your tutor is ready for yic lessons.” He o the bookish figure standing in the doorway to the practice hall — she was a slim beastkin with the features of a bird of some kind; her legs from the knees dowhe scaled legs that ended in three cwed toes with a fourth, smaller, toe pointing backward; her nose was a short, sharp-curved beak with high-set nostrils and she had tail feathers as well as a crest of feather-like hair. “e on, then.” Peter said, standing up, and looking back to the pixie he smiled, “Thank you for the crackers and honey.” “Oh, not a problem for one like you.” The pixie smiled, showing little cat fangs. “Peter, I’d like to speak to you for a moment.” Jhe’fuh spoke up, standing up as well.He nodded, looking to Ennalyssa, “Go on ahead, I shouldn’t be far behind.” “Alright.” She said, running off and waving at the bird-beastkin woman.Jhe’fuh sighed, looking a little ed, “For what it’s worth, I, again, am sorry. As a man of faith, it upsets me when some use their faith to abuse others for power and trol.” “You wouldn’t be the one needing to apologize. And those that do o won’t.” Peter sighed, “All the same, I appreciate the se.” “May I ask a personal question?” “After the st couple minutes? I’d say that versation was fairly personal already.” Peter said, “Though that’s likely my personal taste in avoiding speaking ion… it was always a … sensitive subject to talk about…” He motioned behind himself, “You know, back there.”Jhe’fuh nodded, “I see. Well, my question is… I was notig something during practice. You’re holding back.” “Pardon?” Peter asked. “In practice.” He crified, “You’re holding baot using your full strength.” “I… well I don’t want to hurt you, or myself.” Peter pointed out, “I’m still a beginner, and learning how to fight, right?” “That is fair, yes.” Jhe’fuh aowledged, “Though, in ter, I would like to know your upper limit. You o know your upper limits, so we know what to push through, against, or stop.” “That~ is… more than fair.” Peter admitted, not meeting the priest's eyes, “But right now I am fog oeique. Learning it properly, so I don’t mess it up and my muscle memory remembers it wrongly and I hurt myself. Or others.” “Is it because you don’t eople to find out you aren’t a Champion?” He asked.Peter bristled, “I am not…” He started to speak angrily, his body tensing in sternation, then, all of a sudden, his eyes widened like he had been spped in the fad he took a step back, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to snap Jhe’fuh. I am not a Champion, I am just… someone who got summoned.” “Which, by category, makes you a Champion. Had you been reinated from another world, born here as a baby, you would be a ‘Hero’.” He expined, “Granted, her title means you would actually be a champion or hero. Those are decided by deed, after all.” “Right.” Peter sighed, tugging at his ponytail, “I remember talking about those terms before.” “Did whomstever you spoke with mention our third category for travelers like you?”Peter winced, “Ah, yes… the… Godchild? was mentioned.” “That would be the third yes.” Jhe’fuh nodded, crossing his arms, “Then I shouldn’t have to tell you that Godchildrehose who e to our world by intervention of a divine force.” “Makes se’s in the name.” “Right. While both Heroes and Champions receive gifts from entering our world… things like enhanced physique, increased athyrik aptitude, peak reflexes, and the like… Godchildren not only get that but more.” He motioo Peter, “So, Peytr, I ask again… are you holding back because you don’t eople knowing you’re a Godchild?” He paused, eyes widening, “… Is it because of who you’re a child of?” “I don’t…” Peter stammered, looking at his feet, the floor o his feet, anywhere he could except the priest, “…I ’t…”Jhe’fuh stepped forward, putting a hand heavily oer’s shoulder, “You be scared. Not here.” He said, “If you’re worried about Ennalyssa’s safety because of your identity getting to the wrong people I assure you that those here are trustworthy.”Peter looked up, eyes going wide, then narrowing at the mention of Ennalyssa, with a spark of golden light seeming to fsh along the tws of gold in his eyes. “Easy, Peytr, I wasn’t making a threat.” The priest said, “That’s… That’s it, isn’t it? You don’t want ao find out because you’re proteg her.” “I made a promise, to protect her…”Jhe’fuh nodded, “I only ask so I train you properly. As a Godchild one handle more. Yes, you’d still have to work up into it, to it, through it… but it’s more than a Hero or Champion usually.” “Always exceptions, huh?”He nodded, chug, “Always. Also, if I am mistaken, I apologize.” He motioo his eyes, “One of my skills, a fairly unon… almost rare one… is aura sight…” “Oh.”The priest nodded once more, “No wonder you pulled off that little trick the other day with no more than a deep sleep and looking like you went three rounds in a Pillers’ Temple debate.” “Fine.” Peter sighed, “I am a Godchild.” He admitted, “I had been keeping it a secret because if anyone from the Church Luminous found out who—” “Wait.” Jhe’fuh cracked a grin, “If you were that worried…” He ughed, a long, hearty, deep ugh, “You’re Na’at’s child?!” “I am.” Peter said seriously. “Oh, no no. I believe you, Peytr.” Jhe’fuh smacked his shoulder again, gripping it, “Oh. By the fertile soil… I see why, now, you were so hesitant. d’Zaier would have hated you knowing that.” “Hated me more maybe. We werely the best of friends, after all.” Groused the otherworlder. “Regardless.” He waved it off, looking at Peter, “You really are Na’at’s child, then…” “Not something I’d lie about, to be sure.” Peter gave a half-smile. “Nor would I call you a liar.” Jhe’fuh chuckled, “I’d rather not have the gods called down on me.” He grinned, pokier, “You know that’s given you a reputatiht?”Peter just sighed, nodding, “I know. I know… which is also why I wao keep it on the down-low, as they say bay world.”

  ====================