I couldn’t believe it. My wish was granted. This was literally what I wanted. After all this time, I became… Special.

I wasn’t a background character anymore, and I didn’t have to live in the shadows of those around me. For once, they were coming to me, face to face.

No longer would I feel like a gnat, like I was nothing more than just a statistic in the stat sheets of the heavens or simply another face in the crowd.

And yet…

I clenched my fist, sighing as I looked out the window.

“Why are you upset by that notion? Your entire path tells me that you wished for this.”

“I did. I really did, even now. I kinda like the fact that all eyes are on me, even yours.” I stared at her, and we both looked into each other's eyes.

“I have it all. The ultimate power and potential. I have aid from gods and legendary witches. I am fighting against forces that could sunder the world… Yet now what I want more than anything is to go back home and have some peace and quiet.”

I laughed again and looked outside of the window, staring at the Kalimov Bridge as I found a familiar being: Zmey. He was sitting there, surprisingly not alone, as he had someone else right beside him. I didn’t know who, but they also felt familiar for some reason.

Morana watched my gaze and stared at the same spot with me.

“Do you wish to give up your powers then? You have been given the option, and you could try once more. You do know the price, however.”

“Even if there was no price, I wouldn’t give it up. This is my burden to bear, to handle, and all that stuff. But I kinda just…” I sighed and leaned my head against the wall. “I don’t know, I just never really thought it would be like this. I thought I would get cool powers, be overpowered, and defeat everything in one punch… Man, this though, this is something else.”

“That power is only reserved for those in charge. For those who rule over others. You desire to be a king, a monarch, a patriarch. If you did have such status, such power, what would you do with it?”

Hmmm. I didn’t really know. I didn’t think I would get that far. What did kings even do? I actually never really studied that- Well, if they had something to do with the laws of Magick and how it was practiced, and or if they were exceptional wizards, I would care, but kings uh…

‘Balthalem doesn’t do kings, they only had queens- but they had a lot of harems of guys, so gender reversing that would lead to something like what Caniel does. But that place also has the monster monster-folk, so most of the harems there are monster girl harems… You know that doesn’t sound half bad- wai,t what was I thinking about again?’

“Uh… I would… Uh, I don’t know really, I’m not cut out for making rules and stuff. Telling other people what to do doesn’t sit right with me because I don’t know what I would do either; I’d rather not have the blind lead the blind.”

“You desire power and control, yet you do not know the price to pay for it? How utterly foolish.”

I hung my head in shame and sighed. “Yeah, I know-“

“You already are paying the price. And you have already done your part as a being in power.”

I looked up and stole a glance at Morana, who had shrunken down again to be around my size. “I have? When did I do that?”

“When you took on the pain of those around you and swore to carry their burdens. That is a mark of someone who has been paying the price, and who continues to pay the price. A leader, a savior”

A smile grew on my face as a blush deepened on my cheeks. “Hah, thanks. I don’t feel like either of them. I don’t think I can be either of them. It’s kinda hard- Well, anything that’s good is hard, unless it’s like breathing- You know what uh, anything that feels nice- no that’s uh…”

I sighed, looking for a comparison while rubbing my eyes. “I think you know what I mean. I’m not really sure of anything at all. Even right now… I’m not sure what to do with this whole Harbinger vs Caretaker situation. If you saw my ‘path’ as you say it.”

“Ay. You wish to protect the Harbinger of Freedom.”

“Well… Protect is a strong word. I just- Her fight with Marian, with all of Epithet. I don’t know if I should be the one to judge it, that's all. She was tortured, imprisoned, and it’s hard for me to want to stop someone who has every right to fight back. Like, wow, I’m gonna also push her down? She had a shitty enough life, and I’m just adding onto it.”

“I have seen her path, too. If she is to grow as powerful as she desires, her trail of destruction will burn this land down.”

“Huh… I guess that's right. She’ll also be targeted by the gods.”

“And she shall be targeting you. She requires you to help her become the Unifire. With you, her fire will not simply burn all those she desires; those who are destroyed will join her in the flames. A never-ending funeral pyre that shall only grow.”

“I-You- When you say target me- cause I already knew she would, how would she like to take my powers?”

“She would consume you in her flames. Force you to become one with her. It would be as if you had given up your powers. You would be one of the many raging flames around her.”

“Huh… Okay…” And on today’s news on stuff I really didn’t want to happen to me…

“I’m guessing Marian needs something similar from me as well. Man, this is just… When I wanted to be chased by women, this isn’t what I meant.” I gave out a little laugh and sighed silently.

“How many women would you have wanted to be chased by?”

“Uh, not the ones that are trying to use me as the fuel source to burn the world. Whatever that number is.” I laughed and turned around, leaning on the wall.

“Hmm, strange thing to ask, but if you’re the goddess of winter, and there’s winter… All around Galfania, does that mean in the last battle, that you won? And have been winning forever and ever?”

A dark smile curled under her lips. It was cold, as cold as a thousand winter nights. I was afraid that if I saw her eyes in that moment, I would be frozen forever.

“I only had to win once. Perun was summoned to battle against the invaders of Balthalem, against the Aetree Speakers and their shackled demons. He and the rest of the pantheon fought. A legendary clash in which no ordinary mortal was left standing to witness. We fought with manifestations and mantles, summoned as protectors and warriors through rituals and our followers. However, while we were mighty, the other side was mighty as well. One by one, our manifestations were defeated as we took down the Balthalem forces. We won, of course, but in that moment, I managed to strike back against Perun, and with my strength, I brought winter onto the land.”

I remembered what she said about what happened to the followers of Perun. How he was afraid of what she did, or rather… Now that I’m thinking of this, what happened?

“You, you’re the reason why there’s an Eternal Storm? After the war, nobody could manifest or mantle Perun. Nobody who could do the same for you either. You won.”

“After thousands of years of being sacrificed over and over again. I won, and now my domain is all across the land.”

“Huh… Wow, so that's the reason there are monsters everywhere? At every corner?” I tried not to let my voice rise, but… She was the reason Andrei died, she was the reason why so many of us died, why thousands of us…

The souls chanted all around me, screeches of those who were slaughtered by the horns of the Bes, or drowned by the many monsters within the lake. Eaten by giants or dismembered by Bauk’s.

“Ay. It was one of the reasons. Since winter came and much death happened at the hands of the enemy, they were brought back as monsters, regret-filled and bound by their hatred. However, that would have always happened whether I defeated Perun or not. The shadows made from blood will always stay, no matter what.”

My anger subsided, but the Eternal Winter was still her fault. But… I can’t really fault her for that. If she were continually forced to become a sacrifice. It’s hard to say who’s right or wrong there, but I can say that it’s fucked up.

“What do you gods gain out of it? Out of land? Out of domain? You guys are like… Well, gods, the only people on your level are other gods or beings on that level, like angels, maybe, or some freakishly powerful Ruler like Caine. You guys can bend the world to your will like it’s nothing.”

I pointed to Zmey. “He literally fought me while I was creating memories into reality and shoved my mind into him, and he still won. And I bet right now, you can take him.”

A proud smile appeared on Morana’s face when I asked that.

“Ay, I could; it would be of most ease for me to do so.”

“See, so what was the point of wanting more land?”

“So that my influence can reach outward, and that I may be able to be summoned once more in that world. We are not simply beings; we do not bend reality; we are a part of reality. I am every snowfall, and Perun is every thunderbolt. Veles is as much as every willow tree as Mokosh is every piece of dirt. But if we want to have a greater impact, we must create a more individualized form. If I desire to live out with my followers above, to experience your world as you do, then this is what I have to do, this is my burden to bear.”

“So even right now? Do you not consider this living at all?”

“Nay. I sit here alone, trapped in the Nawia. My only companions are those that died under my domain and those that have served me, and while I am endeared by their presence, even they wish to be with the living once more, to be with their brothers and sisters, their mothers and fathers.”

“…” Does that include backstabbing? Does it even count as backstabbing? Perun murders her to change the seasons so that… Literally, it's like every year,

“As long as you exist, winter comes, and so does death and destruction. You need to die again and again, an eternal sacrifice… What an awful burden. That’s what your whole life is? That’s what you are?”

“Ay, and as long as I am Winter Incarnate, then it shall always be my life.”

I would say no one should have to live like this, but she’s a goddess. She’s not a mortal, she’s not like me, or Jane, or anyone else. She’s a living force, a personified law of nature. I’m just some random 22-year-old guy; I don’t really have the wisdom or knowledge to judge this or her.

Yet when I looked at her, or her followers, there was this empty pit inside of me that grew, something screaming out that wanted to help.

“…Maybe, if I could carry on their burden, I could carry yours as well.”