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A soft thwip could be heard as a portal appeared in the woods outside Shadownoct, Vander stepping out of it. Thanks to Guinevere's use of portals, he was able to make it past the burning city of Iensdel and start the journey South to His home of Cross Roads. Though, Vander wouldn't be going into the town proper, He was headed for a section of woods to the East. His Mother's Grave. He had to be careful and keep to the woods as this was technically enemy territory. He couldn't trust anyone on the Main road.

The journey was difficult, as He was getting more and more exhausted. But He had to reach the Grave before he was safe. It was Magically protected. Several times, he had to duck out of sight as Hunters were in these woods. Whether they were hunting animals, or him, he didn't know. And he didn't want to find out. Crossing the Main road was the most difficult, But He made it across, barely. He almost got caught by a caravan of those weird Cultists. Vander shuddered, remembering how they killed their prisoners to turn into shadow creatures the last time He encountered them.

With the Cultists behind Him, Vander decided that it was worth speeding up. It felt like hours, but eventually, he felt the tingle of the Magic that protected Selina's Grave. Blood Magic. Vander had used a mix of Selina's Blood and His to craft a power boundary spell when the Grave was finished. Only someone sharing Their blood could get through it. Everyone else would be subtly redirected around the sixty foot circle. Vander let out a little cry as He crossed the Threshold of the boundary. Not because it hurt, but because He was finally here. He missed Selina with his whole being. She always calmed him down after dealing with Zarell. That's probably why Zarell had Her killed. To take away Vander's Safety. He made his way to the Headstone. It was shaped like a Rose, Selina's favorite flower and the reason she called het organization was the "Rose Garden." Vander dropped to His knees and rested His head against the cold granite.

"Hello, Mother. I missed you. Something has happened and I wish you were here to help me. Zarell got into my head again." Vander said, his eyes filling with tears. The wind was blowing and making the leaves on the trees surrounding Selina's Grave move, almost as in response to what was said. Whether it was the sound of the wind in the trees or the exhaustion finally setting in, Vander didn't notice that something was inside the boundary with Him, moving in the shadows of the treeline. Something that shouldn't have been there. Something that was Watching Him. He leaned against the Stone, reaching for the dagger that had become a part of him after so many years. But all he found was Milina's dagger, now streaked with dried blood. A reminder of what Vander had done. "Mother, I fucked up so bad and I don't know how to fix this." Tears freely flowing down his face.

SNAP.

Vander's head instinctively snapped to where the sound was and locked eyes with a bear. Two things ran through Vander's mind at the same time:

One: Curiosity. Because the boundary should've stopped the creature from reaching this far.

And:

Two: Fear. Because if the Bear was here, inside the boundary, that means it wasn't a normal bear and it was probably here for Him.

Either way, Vander wasn't in the mood to fight a bear, not while this exhausted. He arose slowly, keeping eye contact. Which was the precisely wrong thing to do. As soon as Vander was fully standing, the bear let out a roar and charged, perceiving Him as a challenger.

"Fuck that!" Vander exclaimed, climbing the closest tree to a branch around ten feet above the bear. Luckily, the Bear wasn't that interested in also climbing the tree and seemed content in waiting under the branch, every so often staring up at Vander and letting out a little grunt. The wind started getting harder, blowing the leaves and branches around. The scent of bear mixing with the scent of the woods. Taking the chance, the bear stood up and his hind legs and reached up towards the branch, it's claws managing to gouge a few chunks off the underside of the branch. A particularly strong gust of wind came through, causing Vander to adjust his position.

Looking up, He saw another branch that was just barely out of reach. Vander could use that to get further away from the bear and maybe ride out this wind. As He got closer to the trunk and closer to the spot the bear gouged out, a sound rang out that despite the wind, both Vander and the Bear heard.

Crack. The branch was breaking.

"Fuck Sake! Can I catch a break?" Vander growled. He looked down and shuddered as he saw that the bear was staring at him, with Vander could've sworn was a wicked smile. The bear licked his lips and positioned himself from under the branch, knowing he was about to get a meal. Vander looked up to the other branch and chose that moment to launch himself towards it. The branch he was standing on snapped due to the stress of the jump and landed next to the bear, who snorted and shook its head.

Just as the branch came into grasping range, Vander was hit with a pain which came from the Scar across his face that he received after being marked with the Prophecy that dragged him into this mess. "What?" Vander gasped, reaching for the branch. He missed and began falling towards the ground, the bear and a painful death. "Fuck! No, No, No!" Vander screamed as he fell through the air. He squeezed his eyes shut and prayed the fall would kill him before the bear ate him alive.

Thwmp.

Minutes felt like hours, as Vander struggled to breathe, his luck not quite being good enough for the fall to do its job. Confusion started to set in. The bear hadn't went after Him. Vander could still hear it, huffing and shuffling around. He also noticed the wind had stopped. "You know, if you weren't so stubborn, I wouldn't have had to sick Bjorn on you. Now get up, I know you're not dead. We need to talk." A female voice said.

Vander groaned and struggled to his knees, finally able to breathe. "Beory? How The Fuck?" He looked around, noting that he was still in the boundary, His Mother's Grave not fifteen feet away. He spotted the bear, Bjorn, walking through the open door of a wooden cottage that should not be there.

"You think Blood Magic can stop a Goddess of Nature? You're in MY Domain. I go where I please. Now, get your ass in here, Vander." The air shimmers with Authority and Vander obeys.

Stepping over the threshold of the cottage, Vander suddenly felt invigorated, He no longer felt exhausted and his body didn't hurt, despite falling out of a tree. If this is how this is going to go, He's going to come out swinging, "I'm being stubborn? You sent a bear after me. I thought I was going to die! What the actual fuck, woman?"

"Watch your tone, Vanteer. If I wanted to kill you, I would've done it when you were bleeding on my doorstep years ago. Eat. You need it." She sets a plate down with assorted meats and potatoes on the table in the middle of the room and then walks over to Bjorn, giving it a head rub before dismissing the summoning magic used to create it.

"Don't call me that. You know how I feel about that name." Vander growls, sitting down and stabbing some of the meat with a fork. His face relaxes, "You got any wine?"

"Just matching your energy... Don't be a dick." Beory pauses, "I thought you didn't drink." A glass of white wine appears before Vander, who sips it in between bites of potato.

"I don't. But I need something stronger than tea if I want to get through this with any sanity left." With that statement hanging in the air, Vander tucks into his plate and wine. Aside from the sound of the fire, the only other sound was Vander eating and the occasional sip of wine. When the food and drink were consumed and the dishes washed and put away, Beory finally spoke.

"Who said you could give away my Amulet? Especially to a priest of Ilmater?" She says with a hint of amusement in Her voice. Unlike the first time Vander saw her, this time, she was in the form of a middle aged Woman. Still beautiful, just younger. "Though, as I recall, you also used some of it to appease a Dragon. How's that new bow treating you?" At this, Vander looked shocked. He didn't know that she knew about that. She laughed, "Oh yes. I am aware of you using the broken pieces as offerings. They are divine, I can see where they are."

"It's fine. Havent had a chance to really test it out. Shit happened. As for the Amulet, you gifted it to me. It's mine to do with what I will. Emeric is..." Vander pauses. "...Was my friend. I believed he could use it more than I can. What am I going to do with a gift from a Goddess I no longer follow?" Vander flicks his eyes to Beory as he says that last part.

"I see we are going to skip right to the meat and potatoes..." She chuckles at her joke, "So, you've renounced me and my path. May I ask why?" She laces her fingers together and rests her chin on top of them.

Vander sits up straighter and says, "You let me almost murder an innocent carriage driver!" To prove his point, Vander takes out Milina's blood stained dagger and stabs it into the table. "I've been to your temple, I've seen how your Followers live. Those things contradict each other. How can a Goddes of Nature both require their Followers to live like that AND let them murder someone?" Vander stops and looks at the dagger and then straight at Beory, tears in his eyes "Why didn't you stop me? Why did you let me almost become Him?" That last word coming out as something between a growl and a sob.

Beory is quiet for a while before taking a deep breath. She stands and plucks the dagger out of the table before handing it back to Vander. "I am not your Mother. Selina was a shining example of what Mortals can become. I am a Goddess. There is a difference. You have to choose to be a better person. You have Free Will. I can't force you to anything. Those people who follow me chose to live like that, freely. Openly. You made your decision and you have to live with it. Zarell only has power over you if you let him. For what it's worth though, I knew from the Moment I offered you this path that it was only temporary."

Vannder looks at Beory, "Then why did you save me? You could've let me die. I wanted to die."

Beory smiles and ran one of her fingers along Vander's ear, "An opportunity arose. To come full circle. To atone. To be better. Someone needed you, Vander."

"Someone...Vrondis..." Vander said after a few moments.

Beory nodded. "The Dragon Prince who has become a great Dragonborne. You created so much pain and suffering with CJ, but you also caused so much joy and righted an unnatural wrong with Vrondis. You saved him and gave him a life he wouldn't have ever known. That was your path, Vander. Your purpose under me. And you have fulfilled it. Your journey with me has concluded."

"Is this the part where you take my magic away?" Vander choked out, tears streaming down his face.

It was Beory's turn to look shocked and confused. "Why would I take your magic away?"

Vander looks down, his voice wavering, "I didn't have any before I met you. You gave me my magic, so now that I'm no longer on your path, you're going to take it away."

"Oh sweet Vander Elmpool, I didn't give you your magic. You've always had it. The reason why Zarell wasn't able to get it to manifest in you was because your Mother Bound it, anticipating Zarell would try to use you like he used her. And she was right. That night you came to me, all bloody and on Death's door? That magic that surrounded us when you accepted my path? That was you. That was your own magic finally manifesting. I'm proud of you, Vander."

Those last words destroy what little dam was holding Vander's emotions in and he sobs. Openly and Unashamed. He hadn't heard those words in years. It made him miss his Mother even more. He cried for a long while, Beory by his side, not talking, but there, offering a comforting presence. After Vander gets himself together, and a cup of tea this time, he found his voice. "Thank you, Beory. Hearing those words helped me more than you will ever know. I will never forget them."

Beory smiles, giving Vander a warm embrace "You are more than welcome, Vander. I wish you luck in the rest of your journey. I want you to know that I will be keeping an eye on you. Even though you aren't on my path anymore, I am invested in you. I promise not to send any more bears." She laughs. "Now, please get out of my house, it's been three days."

Vander wakes up against the tree he fell from. He's no way of proving it's been three days, but he believes it. He stands up, the Full Moon shining through the leaves of the tree and walks to his Mother's Grave, running his hand along the top, looking up to the sky. "Hello Mother, you wouldn't believe the last few days I've had." The winds starts blowing, bringing with it the smell of earth. "Or maybe you would."

To Be Continued...