Congratulations on Your Promotion

That day always comes—the day when you realize that things change. Well, I mean, of course things change, but you expect them to change in a predictable manner, a Newtonian universe, if you will. But for those who prefer to have a plan, with some wiggle room for unseen inputs, the fact that we live in a quantum universe is highly troubling.

I was sparring once again with Moonlight Guardian. She was right; I had indeed been getting better. It wasn't until I realized I was no longer putting conscious effort into maintaining the wraith blade I could no longer deny my progress; I could manifest it and maneuver it as easily as moving my arm. Today was also the day that I realized that I had indeed surpassed my previous level.

Moonlight Guardian came in from below, but I had anticipated this and parried, redirecting her sword and leaving an opening. I took it; I was certain I had her this time, but...

She pivoted, brought her sword around, and blocked it before leaping back. I still couldn't hit her, but I had made her block; I had never done that before, she always parried or evaded. I felt quite proud of myself.

Moonlight Guardian lowered her sword, indicating that this match was over. She nodded her head. "Very good, Indigo. You have attained a level of proficiency." Moonlight Guardian and I were now very close, like siblings. However, she was still sparse on the complements. So hearing these thoughts left me beaming. "How old are you now?"

"I'm 9."

She tugged at her chin. "You still have a ways to go, but I feel comfortable leaving the village under your protection; the usual threats will pose no issue for you."

I supposed that was true, all the beasts I'd seen were not much of a threat, and even in large numbers, I felt like I could handle them. But the way she said it left me uneasy.

"I'm... glad you think so?" I tried to coax her into giving me more insight into her thoughts.

She came over and patted me on the head. "I have been pushing you hard lately, Indigo; you have done well."

"Is that why it felt like I wasn't progressing?"

"...Yes." She withdrew her hand. "I hadn't intended to be so rough, but I wanted to get you up to par before winter." It had just become autumn.

"...Before winter?" A knot was forming in my stomach.

"Yes. I can handle the weather without issue, but I don't think Dawn would fare as well."

"Moonlight Guardian... What is going on?" I was certain I was about to get some news that I wasn't going to like.

"Sorry Indigo. I waited to tell you because I didn't want it to be a distraction." My heart rate was accelerating and it wasn't because of the sparring. "Dawn and I will be leaving on a sojourn."

"..." I stared at Moonlight Guardian.

"..." Moonlight Guardian stared at me.

"..." I continued to stare at Moonlight Guardian.

"Indigo?"

"WHAT!!??" She flinched back. "You are leaving!?"

"Calm down Indigo." She placed her hands on my shoulders. "Yes, I will be leaving on a sojourn. It's about time I started looking for a mate."

A mate?? I didn't know how I felt about that. I kind of didn't like the idea. It wasn't like I had any romantic interest in Moonlight Guardian, but still. I suppose in principle I would be okay with it, assuming he was worthy of her—and that was a high bar to clear. The main issue was that it would cut into my time with her. I didn't want to get in the way of her happiness though, it would be selfish to monopolize all her attention. At any rate, the mate wasn't the main issue.

"But if you find a mate I'll never see you again..." It seemed like my downcast posture was causing an unnatural shadow to form around me.

"It will be alright." She bent at the waist to look me in the face. "Even if I find a mate, I will still return to complete your apprenticeship. I can't leave the village without a Guardian after all."

Was this supposed to make me feel better? "But you will still leave."

She placed a hand on my head and stroked it softly. "Don't worry Indigo. I'm primarily going as an escort for Dawn." That's right... She had mentioned Dawn. I looked up. "It would be a long and dangerous journey for anyone, and Dawn is a domestic girl."

I felt some color come back to my face. "So you will be coming right back??"

"I will do a proper sojourn, but worry not; this village's defense is my primary concern." So it sounded like finding a mate was just a side quest, picked up only due to its ease of access.

Still... "What will you do if you find a mate?" I still didn't care much for this "finding a mate" idea.

"Well, he will have a choice. He can either wait until I have raised you into a proper Guardian, or he can follow me here." Well, the latter option was certainly preferable.

"Is returning to your village with a mate something that happens?"

"There is no rule saying you can't." Even still, I hoped she wouldn't find anyone. It wasn't like I wanted her to be an old maid... Maybe just a middle-aged maid.

As proof of her confidence in me, she essentially deputized me on the spot. What did that mean? Basically, I was given full autonomy. I was permitted to use my judgment and didn't need to defer to Moonlight Guardian. In reality, not much changed; it was rare that I needed to consult with Moonlight Guardian in the first place. However, they would be leaving soon, and needed to prepare for the sojourn. So I was pretty much flying solo when it came to patrolling.

I was in charge of protecting the village while Moonlight Guardian was away. I didn't really have any concerns about my ability to do so. All the threats were minor, though maybe not those looters from before. I could probably handle one or two of them, but certainly not the entire encampment. If necessary I could probably rally the Hunters to drive them off, or the Forest Guardian for that matter—he wasn't a fan.

I promised Moonlight Guardian I would do my best and I meant it, but that didn't stop me from pouting. She didn't hold it against me. I think she knew she was asking a lot of me, and not just in terms of responsibilities.

They would be leaving in a week (10 days), and I was bummed out for that entire week. I carried out my duties but that crestfallen shadow continued to follow me. It must have been pretty heavy because people would try to stay out of my way, which was fine; I wasn't in much of a mood to socialize. Those who knew me well, however, tried to offer their support and bring me out of my gloom. I couldn't help but feel they were trying to fill Moonlight Guardian's place, but nobody could do that. When I thought about it rationally, I realized I had become overly attached to her, and honestly, this time away from her was probably a good thing. But rational Indigo got a hard veto from emotional Indigo, so I would continue to drag around this black cloud.

The day of departure came faster than I would have liked. I had tried to maintain my dignity by not checking in on Moonlight Guardian at every chance I could manufacture an excuse to do so. So I only checked in on her twice a day... during the patrols... I had decided that checking in with everyone twice would be just good practice.

But the day came. Dawn had been talking at length about this sojourn while bouncing on her heels anytime an opportunity presented itself and would often manufacture one if it didn’t. However, for all her gusto, I couldn’t miss her eyes welling up by the time she had drawn to the part of leaving her friends and family behind. Who could blame her? Just Moonlight Guardians departure was giving me a complex. I had been spending a lot of time with both her and Moonlight Guardian. There were a lot of preparations needed for such a journey and I didn't miss the opportunity to help them prepare. It was during this time that I learned just how difficult leaving the Two Trees was for her. She had cried several times, and Moonlight Guardian proved to be far more nurturing than I thought, often reassuring her and playing the role of a big sister. In those moments, despite my own misgiving, I was glad that Moonlight Guardian would be with her for the first year—it turned out a proper sojourn is at least a year.

She said her farewells to her parents and to River Hunter. As you can imagine they were quite emotional, not that I had any room to speak. She was dressed in a warm coat. It wasn't exactly cold yet, being the early half of autumn, but it got chilly at night, so having a coat wasn't a bad idea, at least for the first leg of the journey. They would be passing through the Raincaster region, which was sure to be quite miserable I wagered. A trip of just over 1500 miles by my estimate—assuming this planet was the same size as Earth and that the maps were mostly correct. Moonlight Guardian reckoned that it would take no more than three moons or three months. That seemed highly optimistic to me. That's about 17 miles a day as the crow flies, which is doable. But I can't imagine it will be a straight shot. Then again. Moonlight Guardian could fly, she didn't do it much, but she could. Therefore, she could just fly them over any obstacles they encountered.

"I guess you made it happen," I said to Dawn, not quite sure how you say goodbye to someone forever. "I will admit, I was a bit skeptical at first."

"Yeah, I wouldn't have been able to do it without everyone's help. Hailstone Priest, Moonlight Guardian... and you Indigo." She clasped my hands in hers.

"Me? What did I do?"

"Inspiration! I wouldn't have found the courage or resolve without your example and support." I didn't think I provided much in the way of support...

"What will you do if you don't find a mate?" I asked out of concern.

"Hailstone Priest assures me that I will be welcome regardless; Priests are in short supply." She thrust her chest out. "Though I'm sure the God of Clear Skies will abide." A dude abides, huh?

"Well, I wish you the best, for both finding a mate and your happiness."

"Thanks, Indigo, but I think those are both highly entwined," she said with a laugh.

I was going to miss her. I was losing two of the most important people to me in one go. Well, one of them was coming back, but still! I felt the tears welling up. "Don't cry, don't cry," I told myself. "Real men don't cry... At least not in front of other people."

Dawn gave me a big hug and I couldn't stop from reciprocating—perhaps a little too strongly. She didn't say anything though.

"Alright Indigo, the village is in your hands until I return," Moonlight Guardian said after Dawn and I had finished our farewell. "I know you will do a fine job." She tousled my hair as her parting gesture. I couldn't bring myself to say anything; I just nodded sharply. I think she understood though.

They turned, backs facing the Two Trees as they took the first steps of their journey. All I could do was wish them well. I noticed Moonlight Guardian had taken her lute along with her. I smiled despite myself, thinking back to how timid she had been when I first learned she played it. I was glad she would not neglect this hobby of hers, but it did give the distinct feeling that she was going away for good, kind of like a traveling troubadour.

I stood there and watched until they had completely disappeared into the forest. I had considered following them until the village's outer limits but thought better of it. It was better to just rip off the bandage.