"Aetherius is more malleable than this. There is room for heroes to quest beyond the bounds of Sovngarde… perhaps to find their kin who dwell with Zenithar, or to meet an unspoken love dwelling with Mara, or even…" he paused and bowed slightly "to walk beside the source of one's heroic inspiration in his own hall."

"Such a quest would be exceptionally risky, of course. The Mists Between are trackless and full of danger. Hungry spirits would gladly prey upon you; should you fall to them your light could be wholly lost. Others, both Aedra and Daedra, would tempt you to turn aside and join their realms."

"However, should you win through your victory will touch the living. Those who keep some part of you in memory, without even realizing it, will be inspired to add this to your heroism in life. They will spread the tale. You will grow, without wholly losing yourself."

"This sounds like Arkay speaking." I crossed my arms.

"I see you have been paying attention – and not only to me. In sermon and scripture mortal scholars and theologians reveal the path my brother Arkay blazed to achieve apotheosis and gain dominion over the afterlife. He and I have long debated the merits of other souls following his example."

"I'm guessing that you were in favor and Arkay was opposed?"

"Yes, though not for the reasons you might think. Arkay did not fear someone usurping his place. Nor did he oppose some soul achieving their own apotheosis and creating a Tenth Divine. What he feared most was the hazard of the journey to the soul assaying it. He further argued that no soul could achieve apotheosis without creating a wholly unique path."

"In your case apotheosis seems far beyond reach. Not to belittle your deed, but you do not have a lifetime of acts on which to build a deity. But for you Arkay's path offers a blueprint for something more than a faded memory of the man you now are."

"A faded memory… what a wonderful image," I answered, my mouth twisting wryly. "Alright, you've got my interest. A path that leaves me fresher than a flower pressed in a book sounds like the better option."

My brow quirked upward as I regarded the god. "Forgive me for asking, Lord Talos, but what do you gain from all this?"

Talos threw back his head and laughed. The time-stilled rafters of Sovngarde rang with it.

"Gaius Marcus, I begin to think that had you been granted a full measure of life you might have made a discerning advocate of Julianos! Again, you see with clarity."

"Should all be accomplished you might become a saint, possessed of more influence on the mortal realm than a heroic spirit, but less than a full god. Such beings are exemplars, showing a way for mortals to become something more than they are. They are guides pointing toward a personal, eternal existence rather than simply returning to the Dreamsleeve to be reincarnated."

"A saint, while more influential than a heroic spirit, still needs a deity to anchor them. This is particularly important because saints, unlike gods, are not tied to cosmic concepts and responsibilities that consume their attention. They are free to engage more directly with mortal souls, to provide guidance and inspiration."

"I would hope that you would bind yourself to me, Gaius Marcus. This path I propose will expose you to all of the Aedra, many of the Daedra, and some spirits of Aetherius who are wholly unknown to mortals. All of them are powerful and have realms of their own. Many, if not all of them, will endeavor to win you to their service."

"Should you succeed, Gaius Marcus, whoever you bind yourself to will gain by your strength, courage, cunning, and may I say, your decency. They will gain by the souls you inspire to deeds in that being's name. Last but perhaps most importantly, they will gain by tipping Mundus ever so slightly in the direction of your patron with every act."

"While you may not be able to act directly in both planes as a god does, a god is constrained to acting when his or her followers appeal to them. A saint may act more freely, acting on unspoken hopes and unrecognized potential. In many ways you can shape Aetherius, and thereby Mundus, in subtle and wondrous ways I cannot hope to emulate."

I looked up at Talos, arms still crossed. "A saint." I shook my head in disbelief. "With respect, Lord Talos, I'm hardly saint material. Ordinary soldiers are not sainted. I didn't do great things dedicated to your glory. I didn't leave behind sermons or learned writings musing on the nature of divinity and god's wills."

"All very true, Gaius Marcus. Or it would be, were it not for the epic act of valor that brought you here. Yet Arkay himself acknowledges that there is something primal about your deed that breaches the customary rules governing the afterlife. What you did touches the very souls of the Nords you saved. It echoes in their hearts. They feel compelled to share the tale and enlarge on it. To be honest, had you performed the same deed in Cyrodiil or Blackmarsh or Hammerfell you might not be faced with the same dilemma. Heroic spirit you might be, but the choice to become something more might have been denied you."

I shrugged. "What other choices do I have?"

Talos nodded. "You could remain a heroic spirit, taking whatever chances history and belief cast your way. As I mentioned before you could seek to repeat your great deed in life, battling the great beasts of Aetherius. There would be the danger of falling in battle, in which case you would fade and return to the Dreamsleeve. Should you succeed you could sustain the unconscious belief and memory of who you were. This is the path most heroic spirits follow."

"For you that path is fraught with peril. The living have no name and no persona to link to you. Even your family cannot venerate you as a revered ancestor, since your deed and your fate are unknown to them. Given the circumstances, even should you become the greatest huntsman of Aetherius your chances of you transforming into someone other than who you are – or of fading altogether - is extraordinarily high."

"You also have the choice to let everything go." He swept the room with both arms. "To leave this. To surrender to the Dreamsleeve, slowly forget, and ultimately be reborn. To get a fresh start, as it were."

"They are not bad choices, Gaius Marcus. Even the Dreamsleeve is not a bad choice. To be freed from one's failings and faults in life and start again can be a great gift. But they are just that - choices."

I frowned. "Are there no others?"

"Every word and act is another choice, Gaius. But alas, I can think of no other options. I have discussed this long with my fellow Divines, and other spirits of Aetherius as well. I foresaw that someday someone like you would happen along, a bold and heroic soul whom circumstances placed in a tight spot."

"Alright, how would I go about this… quest… to visit all the happy places of Aetherius and become the Saint-of-Something-or-other?"

Talos chuckled. "Very bold words, Gaius Marcus, given that you speak to a god. But then, I invited you to speak informally."

"There are many ways to start. The path to sainthood, like the path to apotheosis, is a very individual thing. You could ask the likes of Alessia or Jiub, but their life paths were quite different from yours. Their advice might be of limited value, and simply reaching them would be a quest unto itself.

"Ysgramor might be your best bet. He is as close to a Saint of Heroism as there is. He advises many other souls on their journeys, both on Mundus and Aetherius. He has the added benefit of being right here in Sovngarde, which makes the starting all the easier."

I shook my head. "Somehow I think Saint Alessia and Saint Jiub might be offended by the likes of me trying to join them, even if it seems the best of the available paths."

The god grinned through his silver-white beard. "When you meet them you can ask, Gaius Marcus. You might be surprised by their answers."

Talos leaned against the banquet table, crossing his arms. "I should be off. Ysgramor is right over there," he gestured toward a tall, broad shouldered warrior in ancient, ornate Nord armor. "Listen well, for he knows the pitfalls of Aetherius better than any other."

"May we meet again soon, Gaius Marcus. Rest assured I will be watching your progress closely."

I blinked, and Tiber Septim… Lord Talos… was gone.