It was a quiet afternoon, quieter than usual even for this place. So when someone knocked on the door of the cabin, Yuan almost jumped out of his chair. Confused, he set down the book he was reading, and walked over to the door.

Colette stood in the doorway. She looked up at Yuan, a little nervous. "Hi," she said. "Sorry if I'm bothering you."

"You're not," replied Yuan. "I didn't expect to see you here. Do you need something?"

For a moment, the hint of worry in her expression grew more obvious, but she hid it almost as soon as it had appeared. "I'd like to visit Martel," she said. "Could you please let me through?"

Yuan gave her a quizzical look. "The ward should already be set to allow you entry," he reminded her. "You didn't need to ask permission."

"I know," answered Colette. "I wanted to do it anyway. I thought it'd be better if you knew I was here."

Yuan shrugged. "Suit yourself. You know where the tree is."

Colette smiled – a genuine smile, Yuan noted. "Thanks."

Once Yuan had closed the door, Colette made her way through the woods nearby. She felt a crackle of energy as she passed through the barrier, and once she had, a clearing became visible that wasn't there before. She stepped into the area, and stopped there.

The sapling had grown, although not by much. When she'd last visited this place, the situation had been far more concerning. This time, there was no potential crisis to be averted, and any concerns were Colette's alone.

She stepped closer to the sapling. From appearance alone, it looked like an ordinary tree. Only the aura of power surrounding it – and the concentration of mana in the area – gave it away. Colette took a deep breath, and spoke. "Hello, Martel."

Almost immediately the spirit materialized in front of her, unchanged from the last time the two had met. A soft smile appeared on her face. "It's good to see you again, Colette," she said.

"Has everything been OK here?" asked Colette.

"Yes, everything has been peaceful. But somehow, I doubt you came all this way just to see how I was doing. Is something the matter?"

"…Yes."

Colette looked down at her feet, and continued. "I don't really know where to go from here. Like…what am I supposed to do with my life? Up until a few years ago, I thought I knew exactly how everything would go, and how it would end. But now…"

She shook her head. "I'm not trying to sound ungrateful or anything. I'm very happy that I'm alive right now. But since I didn't expect things to turn out the way they did, I never made any plans for the future. My duty as the Chosen was all I had."

Martel put a hand on Colette's shoulder. "I carry the spirits and memories of many of your predecessors within me," she said, softly. "They would have given anything to have the gift that you've been given. But I think many of them lived their lives in much the same way you did. The purpose of their lives was clear, and without their task to guide them, they too would have been lost. There is no shame in your feelings, Colette."

"I know, but still…"

She stopped for a moment to gather her thoughts. "For a while, it wasn't a problem, because I did have plans. After the tree was planted, Lloyd and I went to find as many Exspheres as we could. But then we had to stop, and we haven't been able to start again because a lot of people still think he's the one who attacked Palmacosta and Flanoir. It's not safe for him to travel too much right now. So since I can't do that…"

Colette stopped. She'd been talking very quickly, and she hadn't realized it until now. "Sorry, did you get all that?"

"I did."

Martel paused. "Have you asked your friends about this?"

Colette shook her head. "No. They'd just worry. Besides, I think this is something I have to figure out on my own. It isn't something that anyone else can decide for me."

"I see. Might I ask you something, then?" replied Martel.

"Of course."

"If you know that, then why did you come to me?"

Colette froze. "It's…uh…"

"If you don't want to answer, it's alright," Martel assured her.

"It's not that I don't want to say it, exactly. It's just kinda personal, and a little embarrassing, and…"

Colette trailed off mid-sentence. She sighed, and continued. "It's like…I grew up saying prayers every night, OK? And after a while, it became something comforting. I knew that no matter how hard the day was, I could always count on the Goddess Martel to listen. Even if I was angry with Her, even if I was selfish or unkind, she would still be there that night to share the burden.

For a while, both girl and spirit were silent. Colette hesitated, trying to find the best way to convey the mess of feelings she'd been holding onto. "You weren't a goddess after all, but I'd been saying those prayers for so long that when I stopped, it felt like I'd lost something really important. If I hadn't learned the truth, I probably would have asked the Goddess about this, too. I know you can't solve this for me, and I'm not expecting you to. I just wanted you to listen one more time."

She looked away. "It's selfish, isn't it? I'm sorry."

Martel moved closer to Colette, and after a few seconds' pause, pulled her into a hug. Colette wasn't sure how to respond at first, but before long, she hugged the spirit back. Her embrace felt strong and warm around her, and Colette felt more peaceful than she had in a long time. When they pulled apart, Martel spoke. "I might not be what you'd expected, but if you ever need someone to listen, then you're welcome to come by," she said. "It's lonely here, sometimes, and I would never complain about a visit."

Colette suddenly seemed concerned. "But what about Yuan?" she asked. "Doesn't he ever visit?"

Martel's expression clouded, and for just a fraction of a second, she seemed a lot less ethereal and a lot more like a normal person. "Just as I am not your goddess, neither am I truly the woman he loved. She lives on in me, but we're not the same. He knows that, and I suspect that it must be painful for him to see me wear her face."

"But he cares about you, in his own way," Colette pointed out. "He's still dedicated his life to protecting the tree. I think maybe, someday, he'll learn to accept who you are now."

Martel nodded. "Perhaps."

Colette smiled. She looked back into the forest, then back at Martel. "I still don't know where my life is going to go from here," she admitted. "But I think that's OK. I have plenty of time to figure it out, after all."

"Then, was this visit helpful?" asked Martel.

"Yeah, I think so. Thanks, Martel."

"My pleasure. Wherever your life might lead, I hope that you'll cherish all that it brings you."

"I hope so, too."

Martel gave Colette one more smile, and vanished as quickly as she'd appeared. Colette took another look at the sapling. It was still small, and fragile, but it would grow strong over time. Colette took great pride in the part she'd played in allowing it to grow, but the task of keeping it safe was not hers. She had other things to do – whatever they might be – and a whole life ahead of her to do them.