Luke stared up at the statue of Goddess Bonnie. Every drawing and statue of her he’d ever seen had shown her as a neko. But every time he’d met her, she’d been in the form of a fairy. He was sure philosophers would have something profound to say about that, but it just made Luke think she was really a changeling.
Sighing, he walked up the steps of the church. Two priests stood guard at the door, welcoming people.
Luke found priests interesting. He found it hard to believe in the goddess, but in the same way he didn't believe in Maki. Priests tended to treat her like an all-knowing force of nature, while he knew her as a kinda annoying… aunt.
These priests greeted him and Maki, bowing them through the open doors. Luke stepped over the threshold, internally sighed as people around him gasped, then flicked his now-glowing tail and raised his arms.
“I bring a message from Goddess Bonnie,” he announced.
The church erupted into chatter and movement. Priests ran to get higher-ranked priests. Normal people ran to get a look at his hair. High-ranking priests ran to get him out of the doorway.
Luke was ushered through the long building and onto a stage. He was put in the center, into a ring of sound amplification runes. He looked out at a sea of attentive faces, and froze.
He’d never spoken to this many people in a single day, let alone all at once. Throat freezing up, he felt his ears fold back against his skull. He couldn't do it. How did people talk while so many eyes stared at them?
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Suddenly he was pulled out of the ring. Maki stepped in, ears straight and a grin on his face.
“My friend is a humble servant of the Goddess,” Maki said. “I am a not-humble guardsman, who was tasked with keeping a group safe as we traveled here from Goldvale. On our travels, we discovered many troubling reports of earthquakes and hotspots. Finally, our wagon was attacked by an ursa major.” There were gasps from the crowd, and Maki nodded, tail twitching. “As you are aware, there was no possible way of us escaping alone. At that moment, we were saved by direct divine intervention! The Goddess used her magic to save us from the bear, and at the same time, she chose the best of us to send a message of warning to the world!” He stopped, looking at Luke.
Clearing his throat, Luke took his place in the circle. “In- In two months, the continent is going to crack. Volcanoes will form and erupt all across the western side of the… continent. We- We have fifty-four days to warn everyone.”
Maki gently pushed him aside. “This is no idle warning! You’ve all felt the earthquakes, right? We have a mere two months to warn everyone in the whole country; everyone in the world. The Goddess has given us time to prepare, and we must make the best of this opportunity!”
Luke had to admit, Maki was good at this. People were already moving, hurrying off to tell other people.
An older priest in a fancy hat walked onto the stage. Everyone in the whole building stopped, watching what he’d do.
The old man lifted his hand and pointed at Luke. “Identify Active Spells!”
Luke glanced at Maki, who smirked. Old people tended to say their spells out loud, even if it was completely unnecessary. Sure, it helped kits learn how to focus on spells, but once the feel for magic was learned, saying the names-
The priest gasped, interrupting Luke’s train of thought.
“Holy shiiii I mean, this young man is speaking the truth! He has been Chosen by Goddess Bonnie to warn us of the future! Praise her name!”
The people in the church praised her name, and Luke did his best to not cringe.
Who is Best Girl?
