I stood on the boundary of the cool glowy border thing with my arm poised to knock on the smooth transparent surface to see if the adventurers would let me in when it hit me.

Literally.

Upon hearing a loud twang noise, I looked towards the fire where a woman in leather armor was holding a bow, and my eyes widened as I saw the silhouette of the bow’s deadly payload arcing towards me through the night sky with a slight whistle.

My ears filled with the sound of fluttering wing beats as I reflexively used my defensive skill, Butterfly Born. I hadn’t even used it before, but I had a vague understanding of what it did. I was proven to be right as my body itself fragmented, giving way to a swarm of purple butterflies that burst from the cracks. A large hole opened in my chest for the arrow to pass through, revealing the intricate lattice of wings that made up my body.

This was weird to see to say the least. I stared at myself for a moment, noting how even my insides were just butterflies that seemed to be interlocking, almost merged together. I looked at the rest of my skin and nope, it seemed normal enough, but when I focused on my hand, I could feel the individual butterflies making up my fingers and palm, their presence somehow both being eerie and comforting.

A bit creeped out by this, I decided to ignore it and turned my attention back to the matter at hand.

The adventurers, noticing how the arrow seemingly had no effect, started yelling and running about as a tall man wearing shining armor and with a longsword shouted instructions. All of a sudden, I was faced with a wall of shields with spears sticking out and archers at the back.

“DEMON!” the man thundered. “WHY HAVE YOU COME?”

I squeaked, not expecting such a violent greeting. Hell, I wasn't even expecting violence at all for some reason. I was unsure why, but I guess I expected my Immortality to just resurrect me if I died, so I didn’t really have to worry about dying.

The only reason I wasn’t this carefree with the slime was because I had an idea of what it could do when it touched me, if that tree was anything to go by. Honestly, being immortal probably changes a person. If I was immortal back on Earth I would never have just strolled up to possible danger like I just had, so I suppose if anything I could say progress goals!

This train of thought was interrupted however, as I felt Psyche seething in my mind. 

An almost poisonous feeling permeated her thoughts as she growled [Those fucks just called my Cyn a demon?] She seemingly glared at the leading man from beyond the veil, who, apparently somehow feeling Psyche’s animosity, shivered and grew slightly pale, before steeling himself and continuing.

I was a bit confused by how she had called me hers in such a possessive way, but I supposed it was because I was her Avatar. It filled me with burning warmth anyway, knowing that I had such a powerful goddess looking after me, even if she sometimes was a bit childish.

“STATE YOUR NAME AND REASON TO BE HERE OR WE WILL OPEN FIRE AGAIN!” The man bellowed across the opening towards me.

I stood up tall, my chest having reformed, and got ready to yell back at them and tell them how I wasn’t a demon, when a man who had apparently been standing guard elsewhere saw me closer than the other adventurers did.

“Wait!” He pleaded back to the man in shining armor, “you can’t shoot! This girl isn’t a demon!” 

He turned back to me and bowed low, “My lady Psyche,” he begged me, “please forgive my comrades, they didn’t know a goddess such as yourself walked out here!”

With my unique race and skills, the man must’ve believed me to be Psyche, who was after all the goddess of butterflies and would’ve been represented much the same as how this new body looked.

Confused a bit, I looked at him. He was bowing low to the ground, still clearly believing I was Psyche. “Alright then,” I said, unsure of what to say. “Psyche forgives you, I guess”.

[I do NOT forgive them Cyn,] Psyche harrumphed. [Don’t tell them I do!]

[I’m trying to make peace here Psyche,] I explained. [We might need them to reach civilization.]

Finding this fair, we both agreed to lay the matter of myself being shot (again) for another time.

The leader of the caravan, the man in shining armor, approached me carefully, before gasping and also falling to his knees. I must really look a lot like Psyche to them. I thought to myself, grinning inwardly. The idea made me sort of fuzzy in a good way for some reason. 

"Lady Psyche!" The leading man's voice echoed through the clearing as he too bowed low next to the original lookout. "This one asks you to spare his company at the expense of his own life!"

I recoiled, stunned by the leader’s devotion to his comrades. His willingness to lay down his own life for them made me feel guilty about taking the situation lightly, and I decided to tell the truth.

“Please listen,” I implored, a hint of panic in my voice, “I am not Psyche.” The words tumbled from my lips as the man’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Then who are you?” He asked cautiously, and I sensed a fleeting touch in my mind, which I later understood to be his use of Identify.

Shaking off the strange sensation, I introduced myself for the first time since arriving in Caladias. “I am Cynthia, Avatar of Soul.” 

A surge of pride swelled within me when I declared this, for I was no longer merely a wandering presence but a beacon of Psyche's influence, entrusted with the sacred duty of bridging the gap between deity and mortal.

The man’s astonishment was palpable. According to Psyche, there had never been another Avatar of soul before, so it was understandable for him to be surprised.

I wondered how Psyche had been known then, if she had no way of contacting the Mortal Realm, but when I asked her this later she told me that before she ascended, she was a well known legend in this world for her discoveries in magic that eventually led to her ascending to become the Conceptual embodiment of the soul itself.

Despite their initial shock, the two men took this news in stride. Their faces shifted slightly from fear to something more akin to curiosity, and they apologized again for shooting at me and offered to make amends, something that I eagerly accepted, anxious to reach civilization after two straight weeks of walking.

The leading man nodded in agreement before calling over a man named Jameson, who could apparently help me cross the glowing boundary that still separated us. As he approached, I couldn’t help but notice his unique features, he had goat-like legs that carried him with barely a trot, and a pair of horns curled above his unruly hair. Other than myself, he was the first non-human I had seen so far, leading me to wonder how rare we were here.

With the help of Jameson, I managed to make my way through the border and into the camp, the watchful eyes of the adventurers still formed up in their ranks tracking my every move with suspicion. As we approached, tension hung heavy in the air, palpable even amidst the flickering glow of the campfire.

As we approached the leader introduced me to his adventurers. “This is Cynthia, Avatar of Soul," he announced, a note of uncertainty lacing his words. But his words seemed to have an effect. Seemingly relieved, the adventurers gradually resumed their activities, their earlier festive mood slowly returning. 

Amidst the lively chatter and clinking of tankards, the leader beckoned me over to join him by the fire, a silent invitation to share in their company. With cautious steps, I approached, and joined them amidst the flickering warmth of the flames.

The leader of the caravan guard extended his hand in greeting as he introduced himself as Captain Sam Browne. I returned the gesture, taking note of his authoritative stance and the determined glint in his eyes. As my gaze shifted towards the caravan, I spotted a stout figure within. Sam introduced the dwarf as Arduin, the caravan owner. A tentative smile graced Arduin's lips in response to my friendly wave, though traces of skepticism still lingered in his eyes.

I waved goodbye to him as together, Sam and I made our way back to the flickering warmth of the campfire, settling down for a conversation. Eager to learn more about the land of Caladias, I directed a flurry of questions towards Sam. Despite having Psyche as a guide, her knowledge was limited due to her isolation. Additionally, she didn’t actually know where she had sent me, leaving gaps in both of our understanding of the world around us.

As we sat, I asked Sam a bunch of questions about Caladias, and he told me that the nearest town was merely a half-weeks walk away down the trail. He even said that he would pool some money from the guard company to pay for my transport to a bigger city that apparently had a lot of magic and people for me to help.

When I expressed my desire to help people, Sam showed me the wounds some of his fellows had suffered from a slime that they had apparently fought earlier in the day. I could only hope it wasn't the same slime that had hunted me.

Sam got very excited when I showed him I could help people through the use of Soul Siphon, and asked me to use it on him and transfer some of his own vitality to his hurt friends, I smiled, before telling him that that wasn’t necessary and boosted them by Siphoning my own soul. The people I healed stared at me wild-eyed as I soothed the pain of their wounds and bolstered them.

Despite the relief I provided, I couldn't mend their wounds. It served as a stark reminder of my limitations with healing magic—a skill I vowed to master upon reaching civilization. 

I couldn’t do much for their body beyond that due to the soul's limitations in healing. But as I worked, I heard the familiar ding! of a stat increase twice as my [Mind] stat improved due to my continued practise of my skills.

I stood up, and continued walking around, meeting the adventurers and making conversation as I did so. Eventually, I got tired, and looking up at the sky it was easy to see why.

The sun had already long set when I was still hiding in this tree, and the night sky spread out above me in a beautiful expanse. I smiled, happy to have finally met more people after weeks of walking, and excited to be so close to a town. 

As the night’s festivities calmed down, and people began to turn in for the night, I crept up to Arduin. The caravan owner was happy to provide a spare bedroll, having long since gotten over his distrust of me over a mug of mead, which had to be some of the best stuff I had ever drunk.

Carefully unfurling the bedroll, I settled into it with some caution, mindful of my wings' delicate membranes. With hands laced beneath my head, I savored the soft embrace of the bedding, a stark contrast to the unforgiving earth I'd called a bed for the past fortnight.

As a gentle breeze rustled through the trees, I sighed as I was overcome with a drowsy contentment. “Ahh, now this is just right!”

[Goodnight, see you tomorrow!] I wished Psyche, the hint of a smile on my face.

[I’ll talk to you again in the morning, my Avatar,] Psyche returned, a soft warmth in her voice that made me feel safe. [Pleasant dreams.]

With those words lingering in the air like the faintest whisper of a promise, I closed my eyes, letting the tranquility of the night embrace me. The stars above seemed to shimmer with a newfound brilliance, as I fell asleep with my face bare to the night sky.

PurpleMonarch

Why purple butterflies?

Spoiler

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The color purple is historically seen to represent:

• Loyalty
• Spirituality
• Magic
• Rarity
• Royalty

Butterflies in various cultures across the world are seen to be:

• Messengers from the spirit realm
• A symbol of rebirth
• Transformation
• Joy
• The butterfly birthing from it's cocoon is said to be like the soul shedding it's mortal body upon death
• Enduring hard times
• the honored souls of the dead
• A pair of butterflies are said to be "Butterfly lovers."
• Souls are said to either take the form of or be guided by butterflies to the afterlife
• The souls of loved ones
• Human souls in search of mothers
• The chrysalis is said to be the shell of the dead
• Resurrection and spiritual transformation 
• One of the pleasures that await the deceased in the  afterlife

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Thanks for reading today's chapter. I'd like to remind people reading that while there is a fair bit of fluff in this story, and while this story is currently fairly light-hearted, the content warnings are there for a reason. In a coming chapter you'll see why. I will put a TW at the top for when this happens, but it will get dark quickly.

Thanks again for reading,

- Monarch