As I'd predicted, our limited food sources have worn down the other two far more quickly than myself. Both chastised my unwillingness to hunt, Tatyanna deeming me "selfish," Ulrich muttering some slight under his breath. I told them if they quit wasting their energy whining about hunger pangs, they'd be faring better. That shut them up, for now, at least. Though, I've mostly chosen to keep to myself. I, on the other hand, find the pain an ideal anchor for meditation. And for cultivating that state of clarity, I credit what happened next. Late last night, from somewhere across the vast expanse of dark, I heard a call—is this what Tatyanna claims to hear, when Ulrich and I venture into the ruins and leave her alone? It began as a low rumble. In a state of half sleep, I mistook it for the early thrums of thunder. Then I started to make out coherent words... "They see not your promise... What you're capable of..." Stirring me fully awake, I decided to brave the night. I ventured out, trying to decipher the direction of their source, still unsure if they were dream or reality. As if to reassure me, the voice called out once more: "You're a righteous man... Please, help me..." Then, silence, save for the hollowing wind. I lay awake the rest of the night, in something between a meditation and a stupor. Had I imagined it? Was this voice the product of an empty stomach? Of a lone mind coloring in a blank chasm? No. It was real. Clear as the toll of a lone bell across the abyss. "You're a righteous man." I spent the night pondering the message and its source. As of now, I'm unsure whether to share it with the others—it may be the last wound that drives Tatyanna mad, and I am unsure what lengths Ulrich would go to secure his mission to our false prophet. Beyond this, they don't seem eager to indulge my company. But that's of no importance. My earliest memories onward have been a lone wade through life's flood. Saul too bore the immensity of revelation alone. But rather than hoard its light, he held it before him like a lantern, guiding those around him so they too could see the way. -------------------- As a vessel of Devotion, give me the strength to fulfill my role as guide, to set the unseers upon the right path. May I act as an offering, my body a sacrifice, a transmutation of mortal flesh. I am the Votive, the lit flame, from which darkness bows to light. I chose not, rather I was chosen, to illuminate the Way. --------------------