The trip back to Anisha’s estate proved difficult as Shawn seemed to draw attention from any passersby that drew too close to him. Whatever was driving the citizens of Central Maston to give him side quests showed no signs of slowing. By the time Shawn reached the gates of Anisha’s estate, he had over one hundred side quests clogging up his quest menu. Shawn risked a glance back in the direction he had come and groaned. A constant trickle of people funneled around the far corner clearly following him. A few voices called out and numerous fingers pointed in his direction. Shawn unconsciously took a few steps closer to the metal gates.

            “Hey!” A voice barked at Shawn from the side.

            Shawn turned to find one of the guards posted either side of the gate approaching him.

            “You best get to leaving son.” The guard unslung his rifle and held it casually in both hands.

            “I need to talk to Anisha Goldrin.” Shawn stammered out, still eying the crowd coming down the street for him. “Please. It’s urgent.”

            The guard snorted and shook his head. Shawn felt his heart sink. The drive to provide him with side quests did not seem to be shared with everyone in the city. There was a small portion of the population that remained normal. For the first time that evening, Shawn wished the person standing before him wasn’t one of those people. If the guard did want to give him  a side quest, Shawn could use it to gain entrance to Anisha’s estate and escape this madness. Just then, the guard noticed the growing crowd of individuals approaching his post. He frowned and shot Shawn an accusatory glare.

            “This mob here for you?”

            Shawn lifted up his empty hands and frantically shook his head. “It’s not what you think. I haven’t done anything.”

            The guard’s frown deepened. Just as he was about to speak further, a voice called out.

            “Captain!”

            Both Shawn and the guard turned to find a breathless Anisha rushing up to the gate. She still wore her suit of armor, but her helmet and sword were both missing.

            “Allow this man’s entry.”

            The guard’s mouth fell open.

            “My lady, I don’t…”

            “This is a direct order from colonel Pierce.” Anisha stated firmly as she unlocked the gate and swung the heavy metal inwards.

            Shawn didn’t hesitate. He closed the distance in three bounding steps before slamming the gate shut behind him. Anisha recoiled.

            “What are…” She noticed the approaching mob and her eyes went wide.

            “Let’s get inside.” Shawn ushered Anisha up the path towards her estate just as the guards began to shout at the crowd to disperse.

            Anisha followed cautiously. Anisha’s estate was lined with large walls, trees, and shrubs that completely blocked the outside world from seeing the grounds. Shawn could see a training field off to his right, a beautiful garden in the distance to his left, and the mansion that dominated the center of the expansive grounds. Shawn’s inspection was cut short by a hand reaching out to stop him in place.

            “Who are all of those people outside?” Anisha demanded, her hazel eyes narrowing.

            Shawn lifted a hand and rubbed the back of his head. He knew that, out of everyone he’d met so far, Anisha deserved the truth and would be the person most likely to believe it. After a quick survey around to make sure they were alone, Shawn began to explain.

            “You know I’m from another world.”

            Anisha nodded and folded her arms across her chest.

            “This world has…” Shawn struggled to find the right words to explain the concept as plainly as possible. “Natural rules or laws that are reminiscent of certain ‘games’ in my previous world.”

            One of Anisha’s eyebrows lifted skeptically. “What do you mean?”

            “There were games, very popular mind you, that were essentially pretend play. Your pretend character would experience pretend situations and it would fall on you to see them succeed.” The look on Anisha’s face told Shawn that he wasn’t doing a great job at explaining things. “How do you get better as a swordsman?”

            Anisha frowned slightly at the sudden change of topic. “I train every day.”

            “Okay so let's say your ability with the sword was tied to a number, starting at zero, and when it reached another number, say one hundred, your ability would improve. Every time you swung your sword, or performed a drill, that number would go up by one.”

            Shawn could see the wheels turning in Anisha’s mind.

            “You’re saying this is how my world operates?”

            Shawn nodded. “As far as I can tell.”

            “I’m not sure I fully understand it, but I suppose what you’ve said makes sense.” She turned and pointed back towards the gate in the distance. “But you still haven’t explained them.”

            “I was getting to that. Part of these ‘games’ I mentioned was performing quests, or tasks, for people in need. These were meant to help your pretend character earn these skill numbers or to earn weapons, armor, or other gear that would be useful.” Shawn jerked his head in the direction of the gate. “All of those individuals were trying to request my help in a quest to help them.”

            Anisha’s eyes widened. “But there are so many. Isn’t it irresponsible to try and take on so much at once?”

            “I didn’t do it intentionally.” Shawn threw up his hands in exasperation. “I didn’t say a single word to anyone, but they all began swarming me out of nowhere.”

            “And that’s…” Anisha paused briefly. “Not normal?”

            Shawn shook his head. “Usually it would fall on me to seek out these quests. I don’t know why they all started seeking me out, let alone why they’ve been so aggressive about it.”

            Anisha’s head popped up. “Is that what happened to Colonel Pierce and Lieutenant Teige?”

            Shawn shrugged. “Most likely.”

            “Have I asked you to do one of these quests?” Anisha placed her hand to her chin.

            Shawn had to chuckle as he watched her brow furrowed in concentration as she thought back over everything she had ever said to him.

            “It doesn’t seem to affect everyone. I’m not sure why, but some people aren’t compelled to ask me to solve their problems for them.”

            Anisha’s concerned face lifted slightly at the news. “Oh. That’s good then.”

            “So, what about you?” Shawn leaned up against one of the short trees that lined the pathway they stood on. “What is this whole business with the divine?”

            Anisha let out a sad sigh and lifted her face skyward. “The divine is the deity that created life as we know it. There was a time where all cultures and races worshiped the divine in some capacity. Centuries of war, famines, plagues, and hardships have eroded that faith.”

            Her eyes fell and met Shawn’s own. “I can honestly say that I wasn’t a believer in the divine until two nights ago.”

            “The dream you mentioned?” Shawn summarized.

            Anisha nodded. “I was in a colorless plane of existence. There was nothing as far as I could see in any direction, but I felt no fear, only warmth and peace.”

            Shawn chuckled and caused Anisha’s face to burn.

            “Don’t laugh at me.” She stomped the ground angrily. “I believed all the nonsense that you spouted off.”

            “No, I wasn't laughing at you. Honest.” Shawn rushed to correct her misunderstanding. “I just laughed because I know exactly what you’re talking about. I was in that place right before I came here.”

            “Oh.” Anisha’s face fell. “Sorry. I guess I’m just defensive because no one outside of the church wouldn’t believe me.”

            “What church?”

            “Right, sorry, I forgot that you’re a newcomer and wouldn’t know anything about our nation. The Kaydian Empire has a state religion dedicated to the divine. While what I said earlier was accurate, and the practice of worshiping the divine has fallen out of favor over the years, the church still has a lot of power in the empire. If anyone was going to believe my story about the divine, it would be them.”

            “Did you tell them?” Shawn asked.

            “I didn’t have time.” Anisha tapped her armor. “I was told to find you near the front as soon as possible so I left right away.”

            “Thanks for that, by the way.” Shawn smiled at her. “I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to pay you back for saving my life out there.”

            Anisha’s face grew red again. “Oh. It was nothing.”

            An awkward silence fell between the pair. Shawn straightened up and cleared his throat.

            “So,” He broke the tension between them. “Do you think the people in this church would know anything about reincarnators or travelers such as myself?”

            “If they don’t, I’m not sure who would. The church has kept one of the best and most accurate histories of the human empire. They know a lot about a lot.”

            Shawn felt a slight shot of hope flood his veins. Maybe he could patch some of the holes in his knowledge about his new life.

            “Could we go there and talk to someone? Is there a church or temple in town?”

            “There is though…” Anisha smiled sheepishly. “You probably should take a bath and change your clothes first.”

            “Oh.” Shawn kept forgetting how terrible he looked at the moment.

            “I imagine you’d be pretty tired as well.” Anisha gestured towards the manor. “You should get cleaned up and take a well deserved night’s sleep. We can go to the local church tomorrow.”

            “You’d be coming too?” Shawn asked. “From what you said earlier and the colonel’s behavior, I thought you’d never be able to leave again.”

            Anisha’s smile turned mischievous. “The colonel doesn’t stay here all day every day. He has plenty of responsibilities that require his attention elsewhere. As long as we don’t leave town, we can be out and back before anyone knows I’m missing.”

            Shawn laughed. “All right then. Lead on.”

            Shawn followed Anisha into the manor.