of sea and sky

This place was strange, different. Was she dreaming? Alessia couldn't understand what was going on, or how she got here, but there was no point in pondering the hows or whys - she was here, and here was where she would have to stay for the time. The mist, all around her, was cold, dark. There was the strange feeling of being watched. Was it a friendly someone watching, or a dangerous one? No matter. She didn't trust this place, and no measure of friendly feelings would change that.

Alessia drew her spear, held it in front of her protectively. "Who's there?" she called. "Why am I here?"

No answer was given by the mist, but as she watched, some of it began to swirl in front of her, like it was forming a shape - a shape of what? She squinted warily at it and watched as it became an echo of herself, made out of the mist, staring back at her. "Well you're obviously not me, even if you can imitate me well. I have no time for jests, so speak plainly."

There was no speaking done, but the mist dissolved from its impersonation and shifted into three symbols. Alessia stared at them - the skull, the paws, and the heart. An urging to choose made its way into her mind.

"What matters most to me? Is this some kind of test?" There was no response from the darkness, so after a moment of hesitant deliberation, she pointed her spear at the skull. "That one means mind, yes? Then that's the one I'd choose. Kindness, openness of the heart, can easily lead to betrayal, and the strongest warrior can do nothing if they have not the quick thinking to survive a battle. But knowledge, mental fortitude, can outsmart the other two and end up ahead, even in the most unsteady of situations. So there is your answer. Do with it as you will."