☀️ Arselia and Akonia

- Thank you, Kline, for this decision. An honest and heartfelt account of the trials and tribulations you have faced should help both me in reaching a verdict and you in re-evaluating your own life. Please proceed.

—Thank you. I will try not to take up too much time, as I see that many other supplicants have arrived with me. I am from Kridenaar, and I was not bound by allegiance to foreign goddesses or dark arts. For the past few years, I served in the imperial family, under the first princess. Perhaps we have met before in Margel, but I cannot recall for sure. Three months ago, in the south, I was cursed by a powerful sorcerer and lost my human form. Do not worry, the goddess punished this villain, and he soon fell victim to his own magic. Unfortunately, even after his death, my curse did not dissipate.

—At first, I believed that my soul was doomed, and that there was nothing that could save me and return me to the world of the living. I thought that sooner or later I would turn into a mindless creature of darkness, and therefore I planned to drown myself in the sea or bury myself in quicksand. But over time, I realized that a spark of humanity still remained within me, which served as the first, but not the last, reason why I eventually dared to return to Margel and now stand before you.

—I do not need a separate confession to atone for my sins, because for the past three months, not a day has passed without me regretting the mistakes I have made. Due to my incompetence as a commander, my dear comrades suffered, and one of them even found peace. I failed my close friends, and now I think that my curse is a natural and deserved consequence of the weakness of my character.

—From that moment on, I began to hope that perhaps even someone like me could be given a chance at redemption. By fate, on my way to Margel, I met one of the allies and escorted her to the capital. We had to cross the eastern forest, where a local resident even bestowed a natural blessing upon us. A kind warrior helped us reach the capital. Upon my return, I was given hope that I could shed these hideous shackles and regain my living body. And today, I learned that three of my comrades, by the will of the goddess, are alive and well. In you, I have found a person to whom I can finally reveal my soul.

—That is my story, holy father. I do not wish to inconvenience righteous people with my presence in Margel. And yet... I have a duty here that I would like to continue. Under my care is a girl, who, through my fault, has suffered far more than I have. I fear that, as it turned out, she has no one but me. Caring for her and working helps me to preserve the humanity of my own soul. If you decide to banish me, holy father, I ask you only one thing: take care of Sanex at address 57-2. If something happens to her without me, I swear that not even a hundred banishment rituals will be enough for my soul to find peace in the afterlife.