Destiny Fulfilled

An office?

Tabili falls to her knees, clutching the talisman to her forehead. She looks in pain. We're inside an office full of people staring at us in confusion.

Valerius: "Tabili, what happened? Are you hurt?"

Tabili: "Inconsistent... power..."

Valerius: "Don't use your power anymore, okay? Let's get out of here the normal way."

I help her up and accompany her to the nearest elevator. People follow us with their eyes, but don't say anything out loud. I press the button for the ground floor. The door closes, leaving just us, the camera and the mirror.

Tabili touches the mirror, fascinated. I smile.

Valerius: "These are us."

Tabili: "Us...?"

Valerius: "I will take you to a safe place. Please do not use your power unless you know what will happen."

Tabili: "Unpredictable... Tabili doesn't want to hurt humans..."

I bend down to her height and pat her on the head.

Valerius: "That's the spirit."

Tabili: "Soft..."

Valerius: "Everything's going to be alright."

I can't hand her over to the police if they're planning to sell her...

Tabili: "You... you are a kind human..."

I don't know how to take care of children, but I'll have to take her home until I find a better solution.

The elevator door opens. We step out, with many strange looks assessing us, as expected.

I guess it's fair... we just infiltrated this building out of nowhere... I hope they don't see us as criminals.

We leave the building.

Where in the world is this? It doesn't look like Rome.

The street is surrounded by skyscrapers, like a metropolis.

Shit, I don't know where to go… I don't even have my phone anymore.

Tabili: "Hm…?"

I smile at her, feigning confidence.

Valerius: "Let's go for a walk, shall we?"

Tabili: "Oh…?"

I also need to calm my mind. Then we can find a way out.

I lead the way awkwardly, as if I've never walked through a city center before. Tabili seems intrigued by it all, and so do I, as I'm not used to this view, although I like it.

Tabili: "What is this place…?"

Valerius: "A part of human civilization. Do you like it?"

Tabili nods innocently.

Valerius: "How long have you been a statue? Are you… human?"

Tabili: "Long ago… humans changed…"

Valerius: "We changed? How?"

Tabili: "Different clothes… and weapons…"

Valerius: "Have you been inside that church since you were born?"

Tabili: "No… outside it was different… tall, shiny buildings are new…

Is she talking about what we just experienced or the real world?

I smile at her. We walk through the streets, breathing in the big city air. Polluted, but refreshing. I become more confident as we go, realizing that worrying too much about the present or the future is pointless.

Let's enjoy the moment... it doesn't matter where or when we are. What matters is how we are. And Tabili seems to be doing better after she stopped using her power.

We visit a mall.

Valerius: "I don't have any money, but we can walk around."

Tabili: "Money…?"

Valerius: "It's a currency… like some kind of energy we humans transfer to each other."

Tabili: "Energy…? Why?"

Valerius: "We exchange items or services for money. It's not spiritual energy or anything."

Tabili: "Oh…"

We walk through the mall, window shopping. Tabili stops occasionally to look, intrigued.

I wish I had money…

Valerius: "Do you want to use the bathroom? Wait, do you even need to…"

Tabili: "Hm…?"

Wait, now that I realize, I don't feel hunger, exhaustion, or any basic human need... Am I still human?

Tabili tilts her head, confused.

But I can't say I'm not enjoying this... this is probably the best day of my life... Not a high bar, I know.

We head to the cafeteria. The smell of fast food fills my nostrils, bringing back sensory memories. Tabili also seems excited.

At least I can still feel joy. That means I'm still human!

I get distracted for a second, and Tabili is already poking at someone's burger. They smile, finding her cute.

Valerius: "Tabili! That's not ours…"

Tabili: "What is this…?"

Valerius: "It's food. Humans need it to have energy and survive."

Tabili: "Survive…?"

Well, she's indestructible… I guess she doesn't know the concept of mortality.

Valerius: "Our anatomy is different from yours. Which isn't bad, of course. But we're much more fragile and have many different needs."

Tabili: "Oh…"

She doesn't seem to fully understand, but nods. Then she approaches the girl with the burger and nibbles on her earlobe.

Valerius: "W-What are you doing?! Tabili, come back here! Sorry, miss!"

She laughs, as the little bites tickle her ear. Tabili walks back to me.

— You look young to be a father… is she your sister?

Valerius: "W-Well, kind of…"

— She's cute and has a lot of energy.

Valerius: "Yeah… Sorry, I'm not used to babysitting…"

But it's not as bad as I thought… especially because Tabili is a good girl.

— Don't worry, I like kids.

I give an awkward laugh. 

We leave the mall and walk around the city a bit more.

Tabili slows down and holds her talisman, panting.

Valerius: "Tabili? What happened?"

Tabili: "Mom…"

I touch her forehead; it's very hot, especially where her talisman is. I help her up, and we walk to a bench in a nearby park. We sit. The peaceful greenery helps calm her mind.

Valerius: "Do you know what might be causing this?"

Tabili: "The artifact... it controls my power... but it is very unstable..."

Valerius: "But if we remove it, you'll turn into a statue..."

Tabili: "No..."

She holds her head in pain.

Tabili: "My power was... accumulating... now it's being released all at once..."

Valerius: "Wait, so you don't need the talisman, right? Can I remove it? Either way, turning into a statue is better than what's happening to you."

Tabili: "She's... tracking me..."

Valerius: "Who?"

Everything around her heats up; I unconsciously take a step back.

What am I doing? The talisman is doing all this; I need to get it out!

As I approach her again and touch the golden shield, my fingers ache with heat, but I summon the courage to ignore it. Just as I'm about to remove it, a blinding light emanates from it. After a moment, my vision returns to normal.

The talisman is on the ground; Tabili is a stone statue again. The hand I used to grasp the artifact is...

...gone. I feel no pain, no bleeding; yet it is no longer on my body. It has been completely erased. In front of Tabili's motionless body, there's a trail of melted earth. I look to the side. A huge swath of the city has disappeared.

— You've trained my child... very well.

Before I can turn to see who's talking to me, something shoots out of my stomach. It's a fist. Its appearance is unclear, blurry and glitchy. This time, I bleed.

— Instability is unpredictable... but you surprised me, human. Few survive an encounter with a deity.

The source of the voice pulls her fist back, making me stumble to the ground.

I can't move... I can't do anything... Am I going to die...?

— Congratulations, human. Being praised by a goddess is nothing short of impressive. You fulfilled your role.

The cosmic figure grabs the talisman, touches Tabili, and they both disappear.

Really...? Well, at least I have no regrets...

I feel my life force seeping away. I smile faintly.

I guess this confirms that the supernatural exists... I won't rest any time soon...

I lose consciousness.

...which is a good thing... because the fun part has just began...