Crow nodded when Penelope said she trusted his word. He believed her, but he also wondered if what he was about to tell her would be too much for her to accept. It was quite a ridiculous story, after all. He didn’t even know if he would believe her if their positions were reversed and she was the one who had met a goddess in person. He sighed. Whether she believed him or not, he still had to tell her the truth for the sake of the mission.

He moved out of her embrace, dropping his arms to his sides. “I know you must be thinking that since I stole the king’s staff that must mean the legend surrounding it isn’t true, right?” he began, fidgeting nervously. “Well… that’s not exactly the case.” [i]Gods, this is going to sound crazy,[/i] he averted his gaze for a moment and then looked up at her again. “When I touched the staff, I sort of… died… I think. It was only for a moment, but it felt like it was a lot longer.” He paused. He knew what he was saying already sounded insane, and he hadn’t even gotten to the strangest part yet. 

“While I was… dead, I met the Younisian people’s goddess, Aeklora. She said she turned me into a spirit because she wanted to talk to me,” he winced at his own words and ran a hand uncomfortably through his hair. “I know this sounds completely ridiculous, but please just bear with me.” He sighed again and then went on, “I asked her why she didn’t kill me, and she said something about rules changing and her people being in danger and their king dying… I didn’t understand most of it, but basically, it sounded like she let me live because she needed to get the staff out of Younis before their king passes away.”

Crow’s gaze turned serious, “She also told me that there are people out there who don’t want us to get the staff back to our king. I don’t know who they are or why they care, but I think they may be the ones who sent that mercenary after us. It’s the only thing that makes sense.” He reached to take her hands in his, meeting her eyes concernedly. “The last thing she said was that all three of us need to be alert on our journey back or they’ll succeed in stopping us. So, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but even though the castle is behind us, the danger isn’t over yet.” He blinked, recalling one last bit of advice the goddess had given him, “Oh, and she also said that until we pass the border into Brerra, I’m the only one who’s allowed to carry the staff without being smote. I’m not sure why she’s only making an exception for me, but that’s why I didn’t let William take it last night.”

He lowered his gaze and scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, “So… I think that’s everything. I know it’s a lot to take in, but I swear it’s the truth.”