It had now been three years since Geoff entered the Starry Night church. Three years since he had met Hanya, and quickly established a relationship with his mentor. Granted, it was more her establishing the relationship and him following along, but she hadn’t been his mentor for very long afterwards, anyways.

Soon after their trip to the Siren’s Song dungeon, Geoff was promoted to become an official priest of the church, and began joining Hanya in her daily duties. Every now and then, he would try to take another mission, though it did not necessarily go too well for him. In the modern age, there were simply too few cases of someone needing the church for protection, or at least knowing that they would need it in advance.

The few missions that he did take often turned out to be simple escorts or helping those who were otherwise less fortunate. While it was perhaps not as glamorous as he initially expected, Geoff nonetheless undertook these jobs with the same determination as he would if someone’s life were truly at stake. He had joined the church to help people, so he wasn’t about to take it easy on what jobs he could get to do so.

This pattern continued for the full two years, Geoff having fully adjusted to his life in the church. That is, until one day both he and Hanya were called to the bishop’s office without any kind of explanation. Hanya shifted nervously as she walked, glancing over at Geoff. “Do you have any ideas what he might want?”

Unfortunately, Geoff could only shake his head. “I don’t talk to the bishop that often, so you would probably know better than I would. Since he called the both of us together, we’re either being punished for something, or getting some kind of secret mission.” His eyes all but shone at the idea of a secret mission.

While he wasn’t entirely wrong, he had no idea just what they were truly in for. Upon entering the office, their bodies trembled uncontrollably, sensing the powerful divinity from within. Standing next to the bishop’s desk was an elven woman with softly glowing silver hair, her black dress dotted with starlight.

Immediately, the two priests dropped to their knees, their heads lowered. “Goddess Leowynn.” They said in unison, neither one having ever seen the Goddess in person before. They had only ever seen her in statues or paintings, or the rare video of her that made it onto the internet.

Leowynn simply smiled at the pair, before glancing towards the bishop. “I apologize, but would it be fine if I were to speak with them alone?” She asked, to which Bishop Fry nodded his head without a moment’s hesitation. He stood and left the office, closing the door behind himself to allow them their privacy. “There, that is much better. There are some things that we need to talk about that I do not want overheard before I’m ready.”

“If you have anything to say, Goddess, please do so.” Geoff spoke, his head still lowered while Leowynn simply sat at the bishop’s desk.

“First, the two of you lift your heads and take a seat. Given what I’m here to ask you, I should be the one polite here.” Leowynn told them with a soft, almost sad smile. The two looked at one another in confusion, slowly rising and moving to the chairs positioned before the desk. “Now, as I was saying, I would like it if the two of you keep what I tell you here a secret. Depending on how the talks go, I will likely be handling the personal training of both of you, together with a few others from the Greater Pantheon.”

Hanya let out a shocked gasp at that, her eyes going wide. “We do not deserve such an honor, Goddess.”

“If you accept my request, you deserve all of it and so much more.” Leowynn assured them. “There is a terrible threat looming over the Keeper’s worlds. If it is not dealt with, it will undoubtedly bare its fangs at his worlds soon. In order to stop this from happening, we require two volunteers, which will be trained with a very particular set of skills.”

“One of you will become the Fallen God of Immunity, while the other will become the Fallen God of Starlight. Due to the nature of this foe and our plan to defeat them, I cannot explain why these two domains are required. All that I can say is… regardless of whether you succeed or fail in this mission, the warriors that we send will not be able to return. The very nature of this mission ensures that return will not be an option.”

The two froze when they heard that, their minds chilling. Now they understood why even the Goddess herself was taking this so seriously. She was looking for people to send to certain death. “If… if I may ask, Goddess, why us?”

Leowynn’s smile turned gentle as she answered Hanya’s question. “For one, neither of you have embarked on the path of perfection. You both work well together, and are suitably talented for void training. More importantly… out of everyone in my church, I could think of no two more willing to brave dangers in order to protect the world. I understand if this is too much to consider right away, and if you need more time I can always come back later.”

“No, it’s fine.” Geoff said as he took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. “Is it fine if I ask some questions about this mission?”

“You… can ask.” Leowynn agreed. “Though, as I said, there are things that I simply can’t say. As long as what you are asking does not fall in that area, I will do my best to answer you.”

Geoff nodded his head. “First… how long do we have to train?”

“Ten years.” Leowynn answered readily. “The date can be pushed back if needed, but it would be best if all of our preparations can be completed within that time.”

“Ten years…” Geoff muttered under his breath. He was only an eighteen year old human, so a ten year training period still felt like quite a while to him, despite knowing that many people train far longer for godhood. “Next… is there truly no way to live past this mission, regardless of our outcome?”

Leowynn began to nod, before a thought occurred to her. “There is one method, in a way. When you leave for your mission, you will be sent outside the Keeper’s realm, from which there is no return. However, if the two of you register your Virtual selves before leaving, you will still live on in that sense. There will be no recovery for your main selves, but we can ensure that your Virtual selves will want for nothing after you are gone.”

That… wasn’t quite what he had in mind, but it was clear that the Goddess was trying to come up with anything she could to make this easier for them. “Then… what happens if whoever you send fails in their mission?”

Leowynn’s face dropped at that, and she let out a heavy sigh. “The target of the mission would be able to learn our secrets, sharing them amongst our allies, or using them himself to launch an invasion on our world that could end all of creation. The invasion that shattered Harvus Prime, the one that led to my own death, those would be nothing compared to what this enemy could unleash on us. I wish I were exaggerating when I say that all of existence within the Keeper’s domain hinges on the success of this mission.”

Geoff’s eyes widened at that, his hands balling into fists on his knees. Hanya glanced over at him, and gave a wry chuckle. “I know that look… you’re finally getting your chance. Goddess help us, but it looks like we’re in. What would you have us do?” She turned her attention back to Leowynn as she asked that, who seemed surprised at their acceptance.

“Really? You will undertake this mission, even knowing all of this?” When Hanya heard that, she simply grinned.

“Geoff here has been wanting to protect someone since before he joined the church. This is his big chance, regardless of what it means. If he turned it down, well… that just wouldn’t be the Geoff I know. And if he’s in, I’m in.” Geoff glanced over briefly when he heard the determination in her voice, as well as the affection, before nodding his head in agreement.

“In that case… then from the bottom of my heart, I thank the both of you.” Leowynn said as she stood, actually lowering herself to bow to the both of them. “These next few years will be incredibly difficult for you, so that we can prepare you for what’s coming. I sincerely hope that you don’t regret this decision.”

“Oh, trust me, Geoff’s brimming with fighting spirit.” Hanya said, reaching over and gripping Geoff’s hand. He could feel her own hand trembling when she grabbed his, looking over and meeting their gaze. While Geoff was joining this mission with the goal of saving the world, he could tell that Hanya was joining this mission purely for him.

“In that case, would the two of you like to decide which domains you would like to train for, between the two that I mentioned before? In order to make the most out of the time that we have, it’s best to decide on this right away.”

After Leowynn said that, Hanya immediately spoke up. “I’ll take Immunity. That sounds like it’s the support role of the group, and that’s perfect for me. I’ll make sure to keep him safe, and he can protect me with the powers of Starlight.”

“I see.” Leowynn nodded her head knowingly, able to understand why Hanya had made her decision. “In that case, aside from having basic void lessons from both myself and Chelsea of Deckan’s foremost research facility, you will also be working closely with Udona and Keliope. Meanwhile, Geoff, you will be working with me personally for your Starlight domain, as well as my two assistants, Lyra and Strea.”

“I’ll let the two of you have today to process everything, and then we can begin preparations tomorrow. I’ll have Aurivy come and collect you when it’s time to begin, so try to be ready as early as possible. If you have any questions, simply pray to me, and I will do my best to answer.”

The two priests watched as Leowynn finished her explanation, looking incredibly relieved that she had managed to find the warriors that she would be training for this mission. After telling them everything that she could think of to prepare them, she offered another bow, her body dissipating into starlight.

“That… really just happened, yeah?” Hanya asked, drawing in a deep breath after the Goddess’s departure.

Geoff hesitated to answer, as he too felt that it was too extreme to have been true. Out of nowhere, the Goddess appeared before them and asked them to undertake training for a certain-death mission? Although he relished the idea of saving the world, he still realized how ridiculous this whole thing was. “I… think so.”

“I guess I’m getting my wish after all.” Hanya said in a half-joking tone. “I’ll be able to spend the rest of my life with you. Though, admittedly I had planned on it being a slightly longer life. At least we’re doing something important?”

Geoff blinked, looking over and taking Hanya’s hand now. “We’ll still have Virtual.” He assured her. He didn’t think that would help much, but the assurance caused Hanya’s face to truly light up, nodding her head happily.