Cannoli moved through the motions and uttered the words of prayer as guided by the prophet, but the sound hardly reached her ears. Adrenaline still coursed through her veins, and a reverent fear of their goddess stiffened her spine.

  Saoirse was watching her. Observing her. Cannoli had sworn to walk an unsettling path, and she feared what awaited her.

  I will not be alone, she calmly reminded herself. Matt, Ravyn, Keke, and Ceres will be there with me.

  No matter the future that her goddess perceived sprawling before her, there would always be someone by Cannoli’s side. As if hearing her thoughts, Buttons stirred lightly in her pocket, and she smiled. And you, Buttons. I didn’t forget.

  Besides, she had other important choices to make right now.

  After watching Matt use the iPaw, she’d felt a little jealous of his ability to see their exact Stats and Skills whenever he liked. But having the opportunity to review her own abilities when she leveled still brought the same giddy excitement that it had when she first chose [Acolyte].

  As the prophet reiterated the morning’s hymn and expanded on its meaning, Cannoli closed her eyes and concentrated. Her Skills were like warm, golden threads stemming from her heart that she could mentally touch and learn from. The ones that she poured more of her Experience Points into were brighter and easier to grasp. The threads without her points were dull, thin, and had to be coaxed into existence with care.

  [Blessed Light] and [Stabilize] both shone with equal intensity, their threads filled to the brim with Cannoli’s Experience. They wouldn’t accept any more—she would need to look at her remaining two options.

  Cannoli licked her lips and touched her clasped hands to her chin. [Illuminate] and [Myana Focus] danced in the corners of her vision, their lights a dim glow having received the bare minimum Experience Points they’d needed to reach Level 1. She recalled what they did at their first Levels, but it had been so long since she’d focused on finishing [Blessed Light] and [Stabilize] that she couldn’t remember what else they did. She reached for [Myana Focus] and beckoned the Skill’s thread into view.

  How will you help me if I choose you? Cannoli had always spoken to these threads as if they were her peers, requesting information from them like sentient beings. She’d told Keke about it once years ago, and Keke had laughed. Apparently, Keke gripped her threads like Agni would grab a bag of feed for her gigashank and handled them with just as much care.

  But not asking felt…wrong. Cannoli was certain that they were an intrinsic piece of her being; something to be respected. Keke had been very surprised when Cannoli had explained how they answered her.

   [Myana Focus] whispered.

  That could mean an extra [Heal] or attack, Cannoli considered.

  

  While it could potentially help them in dangerous situations, the ‘low chance’ made Cannoli wary. She considered the most difficult encounters her Party had experienced thus far—the [Necromancer]’s cave, the return to Catania, the Chikara, and the collapse of Rājadhānī’s wall. In every encounter, relying on a ‘chance’ could have meant another death or further injury.

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  Would it be okay if I looked at [Illuminate] before I make a decision? Cannoli asked the question while Keke’s voice chuckled in the back of her mind. “You’re asking your Skill’s permission?” But it was the polite thing to do.

   The thread retreated, as if reeled in on a fishing line. [Illuminate]’s thread slithered forward without her asking a second time and waited patiently in her mind’s eye.

  And what happens if I choose you, [Illuminate]?

  

  Another ‘low chance.’ Cannoli frowned.

  [Illuminate] continued.

  Excuse me for asking, but why would that matter?

  

  Oh…. I see.

  The thought of having to stand in complete darkness in any Defiled-occupied cave sent a chill down her spine. [Blessed Light] had been her greatest ally in stunning groups of Encroachers, and once she moved to [Priest], she would have the Skills to follow it with an attack. That alone granted more weight to [Illuminate].

  Secondly, the ‘chance to stun’ was more enticing than her ‘chance of Spells costing half.’ She could use [Illuminate] on Matt’s axe or Ceres’s polearm, granting them another option that may turn the tide of a battle if it did activate. Even if the stun didn’t activate, the risk was minimal. Unlike [Myana Focus], which would only provide benefits at a low chance.

  I’d like to bring you to Level 3, [Illuminate].

  More than anything, Cannoli wanted to help. Not just [Heal] or blind their enemies. She wanted abilities that would give them excellent advantages from the moment they entered a fight. Her dream was to stand beside them and offer more tools and options throughout each encounter, instead of waiting in the back, only able to stave off bleeding or patch wounds with her [Alchemy].

  

  Despite the scene existing within her mind, Cannoli was certain that she could feel the thread weave between the fingers of her left hand; soft and warm and waiting. The prickling in her chest that had alerted her to the two new Levels returned, and she reached inside it with her right hand. A new thread of pure, white light wound its way around her wrist, and she drew it upward, matching its end to the awaiting gold.

  The spark of their meeting made her heart skip, and a cool, refreshing sensation—a lot like drinking a fresh glass of water—trickled down her throat as her Experience Points transferred into the Skill.

  When the pool was empty, the link disconnected, and each thread retreated to its proper place.

  “—Accept her words on our lips.”

  The prophet’s voice broke Cannoli’s concentration. She was still in the middle of prayer.

  Her eyes snapped open, and she snatched the cup from its corner, dipping a trembling thumb into the golden elixir. She touched it to her lower lip and replaced the cup. The morning’s hymn was still fresh in her mind, and she sang clearly with the other adherents. This time, however, Saoirse’s presence felt sure and real. The light would guide her steps, and there was nothing that could turn her away from her truth.

  When prayer was dismissed, Cannoli stole a few deep breaths before she stood and sat with the knowledge that her [Acolyte] Class was finished. She could focus entirely on becoming a [Priest], one that everyone could be proud of.

  Saoirse herself had seen her through.

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