I awoke with a groan and immediately since my eyes shut as the bright light shot waves of pain through my head. I rolled over and pulled the blanket up and over my eyes. I felt like absolute garbage. After a few minutes of blocking my eyes, I peeked them out and glanced around the room. What happened last night? The last thing that I remembered was Nia pressing her hand against my forehead and then a flash of overwhelming pain. 

  I closed my eyes and ran my fingers through my hair, and rested a hand on my leg and felt the small bag that contained all the coins that Nia gave me. I cleaned my fingers around them and felt overwhelmed. I am so thankful that she gave me the money that I needed. Normally someone who was marked by the gods got a free ticket into the Adventurers Guild, but followers of Nemesis were more feared than anything else. I guess people were scared of them, which I don't blame them in the slightest. Nemesis was a scary goddess, and I bear her mark on my right arm, though I don't know what I did to earn it. The Gods were somewhat aloof beings. 

  I pulled my legs up to my chest and selected my notifications menu since the blinking light was really starting to annoy me. 

 Titles Received: 

 Everchosen candidate: You have been chosen by the gods to become their Everchosen. Due to the nature of this title, all system restrictions due to class are being lifted. You now have the ability to pick up any ability, or class and can be switched at will. 

 Chosen of Kairos: All attributes will be increased by ten percent. All attributes gained will also be increased by ten percent.

 The Touch of the Immortal- You have received temporary immortality for the span of one hundred years. Once you reach the age of twenty one you will stop aging. If the Everchosen quest is not completed at the end of this duration, you will lose this immortality and perish.

Quest Received: 

  You have received a second mark from the Kairos the Silent Overseer. This opens up a secret questline. Due to the nature of this quest, you have been granted a basic level of immortality.  

 The Quest of the Ever Chosen:  

  1) You must receive the mark of every deity that exists at the onset of the quest. The marks must be earned by completing trials set by the gods. 

2) You must sacrifice something of great value to show that you are willing to complete this quest. This requirement can be done at any time but must be completed to finalize the quest.

3) The user must obtain a class of no less than the (Exalted) level before the quest completion. 

4) The recipient must defeat (2) Monsters of the trial to complete this quest. Once the first monster is slain, this can not be activated again until ten years have passed. 

 Wait. What? I reread everything once again, and my mouth dropped. The gods chose me? My mouth dropped, and I dismissed my screen. Why me? I was just a poor girl who meant nothing in the grand scheme of things. I hugged my legs as the thoughts started to wave heavily on me. I had no idea where to start or what even to do. 

  I reached into my pocket and pulled out the small bag of coins, and I clinched it tightly in my fist. The first step would be to join the Adventurers Guild. I would use it as a stepping stool to get to the various kingdoms and maybe find a start to my new journey. 

  I placed the bag back into my pocket and got out of the bed. I shouldn’t let indecisiveness dictate my future. I need to tackle this with everything I got. I opened up my closet and frowned as it opened with a tortured squeal. Everything in this house was either a hand down or taken from the streets. I detested living this way, though I know my mom is doing her best. I rummaged through it and pulled out some of my better kept clothing, which wasn't much nicer than what I was wearing, but it was still something. 

  I pulled out a plain long sleeve tan shirt and a pair of grey woolen trousers that had a drawstring attached to them. I shed my other clothing and folded them up neatly and placed them on my bed. I slowly donned my new choice of clothing while pondering what I need to do next. I need to head to Adventure Guild’s headquarters in the merchant district, which was a thirty-minute walk from my house. Once there, I would need to give them the application fee and take the test to see what rank I would be. It was a relatively simple process that allowed anyone to join regardless of circumstance; the only downside is that it was a tough job that had a very high mortality rate. 

  I smoothed out my shirt and ran my fingers through my hair. I slipped out of my small room and into the living area of my house. My mother sat at a table, sipping at a hot liquid. She was wearing a plain blue dress and had her hair tied up in a loose bun. Her eyes glanced from the window towards me, and she gave me a small smile. The sunlight reflected from her skin caused her to glow with a faint warmth, and I couldn't help but smile in return at her. 

 “Hi, mom. I actually have some good news for you!” I told her as I crossed the room and sat down on the worn wooden chair.

 “Oh, what would that be, Ziva?” She asked as she took another sip of the liquid. Since I was closer, I could smell a faint touch of lavender emanating from the cup.

 “Well, do you remember, Nia? That pretty girl that we showed around Orsalon?” I asked her as I reached down to my pocket and clenched the bag of coins, just to make sure that they were still there.

 She raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow and hummed an agreement in response. “ Well, I bumped into her last night, and we went exploring around the city. She gave me some money so I could go apply to the Adventures guild!.” I told her as I felt another wave of excitement course through my body. 

  She gave me another radiant smile and set her cup down, causing a small tap to echo around the room. “That's good, Ziva! That means you won't get drafted into the army!” I nodded my head enthusiastically in response. 

 “Yes, this couldn’t have come at a better time. However, there is something else that I am not sure about.” I replied to her, and I set my arms on the table. 

 She tilted her head, and she reached her hands across the table and encased my hands with hers. “What's wrong, Ziva?” 

 “Well, last night, I received a mark from another god, and it unlocked a secret questline for me, and I am not sure what to do about it,” I told her as I rolled up the sleeve of my shirt to reveal the blindfolded visage of a woman with a pair of blades crossed above her. Right above, it sat a violet star that pulsed with eerie violet light, but the light was so faint that unless you were actively looking for it, it was easily missed.

  My mom took my arm and ran her fingers across my newly acquired mark. “I don’t know what to say. First, Nemesis marked you for Helios knows what. Then you receive a second mark?” 

 I pulled my arm away from her and dropped my sleeve down. “I am not sure of it myself. I only know the basics of the quest, and something is telling me to keep it secret.” 

 My mom nodded and restricted her hand, “That is probably for the best. There is no telling who would use that information for their gain.” She reached back down to her cup and brought it back up to her full lips and took a small sip. 

 “I only told you cause you are my mom, and I don’t know who else to rely on in this situation.” 

 She set the cup back down and reached out and took my hand in hers. “I’m not sure what help I will be in this situation, however, I can offer you some advice.”  I placed my hand on top of hers and felt the rough callous skin scratch against mine. 

 “In your darkest of times, never give in. I don’t know the details of your quest, but never give up, no matter how hard it gets. If you give up once, it gets easier, and before you know it, you will have lost your way.” She told me as she clenched my hand tightly in hers. 

 I stood up and moved around the table to pull her into a tight hug. “Thanks, mom, I will remember that.” 

  She wrapped her arms around me and pulled me in tightly to her. “No problem sweetie, I am sorry that I couldn’t be of much help.” 

 I pulled back and gave her a smile of my own. “It’s okay, can you keep what I told you a secret, though?” I asked as I broke the embrace and sat back down on the wooden chair.  

 “Of course! What kind of mother would I be if I didn’t keep my daughter's secrets?” I giggled in response to her words and set my arms down on the table. I didn’t want this moment to end, but I needed to get going if I wanted to complete my quest. 

 “Mom, I’m going to the Adventures Guild today and applying.” 

  The look of happiness in my mom's eyes slowly faded away, and she set the cup back down. “So soon?” Her words sounded sad, and it broke my heart slightly.

 “Yes, I need to get started on my quest, and besides, the sooner, the better.” 

“I suppose you are right. It just pains me knowing that you are about to leave.” 

 “I know mom, but I will be back, I don’t plan on leaving the city for a while yet.” I tried to reassure her. 

 She smiled at me, and I could tell that she was trying to hide her sadness. “ I know. Just stay safe, okay?” 

 “I will mom, don’t worry! I will be back as soon as I can.” 

 She stood up and pulled me into a tight hug, which helped reassure me since I was feeling nervous about going there. I let out a sigh and took a deep breath, enjoying the smell of lavender that stuck to my mom's dress from her tea. 

  “I need to get going my self too, so I will walk with you to the guildhall since I need to be in the area.” I pulled away and nodded my head in turn. 

 “Sounds like a plan, mom.”