Aurelia heard an unfamiliar voice talking to the ghost that served as her mentor. The trek up the long incline that was the Sunset Road had left her tired as usual. So she stopped by the side of the doorway.
    "She's a fine pupil, Myddrin, but she lacks ambition." That was Orania's voice.
    The other voice chuckled. "Ambition?! Isn't that what ruined Atlantis and caused the Great Collapse?" Orania didn't answer this Myddrin, who continued after a moment. "The people of Del Atardecer have good things to say. Aurelia sounds like a courageous young woman. Isn't that right, young lady? Don't be shy, come on in so we can meet for the... first time."
    Unnerved, Aurelia entered the Atlantean-styled parlor, so unlike the myriad other styles of El Camino del Atardecer. The ancient man was tall and lean, with wild hair and grand beard of graying auburn, dressed in plain undyed travelling clothes.
    "So sorry. I don't live like a normal person. Time's a harsh mistress after all. It's also the last time we'll meet, but... well. Destiny is equal parts chance, free will, and necessity. This is the necessity part, really."
    Aurelia sat down, confused. "Myddrin, right...?" She'd paid that much attention.
    The ghostly form of Orania opened her mouth as though to answer, but the old man stopped her politely with a raised hand. "Merlin. That's what my name's been turned into over the years. I'm sure you've heard _stories_. I was born Myddrin though. Anyway it's not important."
    Aurelia opened her mouth then closed it, sitting down in her confusion and feeling like reality had decided to take a turn down an insane little alley again. She glanced at Orania, whose face didn't betray anything about what was really going on here. She chose her next words slowly and carefully. "So what can I do for you, Myddrin? I'm just an engineering student you know." She smiled nervously and shrugged a bit, fidgeting with the zipper on her jean jacket. "Are you going to tell me I'm some chosen one, heir to King Arthur or something?"
    Myddrin roared with laughter. "Oh heavens no! Next I suppose you'll ask if your weapon is Excalibur!" Aurelia turned red with embarassment as Myddrin composed himself and wiped away tears of laughter. "No, it's the Sword in the Stone. It's not even really a sword!" As Myddrin chuckled, Aurelia remembered the cryptic words of the groundskeeper in that deathly realm: *THAT* IS *NOT* A SWORD.
    Myddrin sighed. "This is the necessity part. Let me explain." From a pocket he produced a small smooth stone, round but not perfectly so. "What is this?"
    "It's a rock." Aurelia was annoyed at the very obvious question.
    "Wrong. It is a weapon." Seeing the puzzled look on her face, he went on. "If I throw it, it's a weapon. Sometimes the smallest things can cause the biggest changes. It was a humble stone like this that struck down the King of the Fomorians, Balor of the Seven Veils, and routed the Fomorian army. Of course, it was a living god that slung the rock through Balor's eye, but... you are what you do when it counts. You will do well to remember that."
    "I'm sorry but I don't see what any of that has to do with me or my sword." The tinge of frustration was obvious in Aurelia's voice. Myddrin sighed heavily.
    "What we do when it matters changes us, just as surely as the rock changed when Lugh killed Balor with it. It *became* something else; a weapon. The stone became diamond, and from it Arthur forged a spear fit for a king. You were a frightened girl when the grendel took your family and you've become a leader, honed and changed by all your experiences." Myddrin and Orania looked at Aurelia expectantly, for signs of understanding.
    Aurelia thought about the years as a maho and how she really was a different person now. She nodded confidently. "You are what you do when it counts."