“That’s not the point! It shouldn’t work like that!”

She screamed at him. Lantal froze as he saw Cara’s wide eyes, the—fear?—on her face.

“What? Skills?”

“Yes!”

She grabbed at her own throat, as if to tear it out and see what was wrong. Lantal just stared at her.

“But your Skill restores our stamina. It doesn’t—call fire from the heavens. If it could—”

He tried to smile. Cara visibly collected herself, trying to explain in a strained voice.

“People can’t—shouldn’t—have that power. It’s not right.”

Lantal heard shouting from the walls. He had to return. But he was unprepared for Cara’s…weakness.

She stood there, terrified of something he didn’t understand. Something that was as natural to him as breathing. It took him a minute to even figure out what she meant.

“You mean levels? Classes? But those are part of the world, Cara. They make legends out of mortal men and women. If we had but one Archmage of Wistram, they could pull down a firestorm against the undead. Or a [Hunter] of Noelictus could slay thousands of undead by—”

“No, no, no! Stop it!”

Cara tried to cover her ears. She focused on Lantal.

“No! It can’t be! No heroes! Not me. I’m just an [Actor]! Not even that! I’m an actor. I can’t be—”

She looked around, desperately. Lost.

“A song changes nothing. It’s just a song. Where I come from…I can’t be a hero.”

Lantal looked around incredulously. The walls were threatened by the dead. What troubled her so?

“Miss Cara. What do you mean?”

“I—”

She stared at him and shook her head. Cara moved backwards, almost slipping on the roof. Trying to escape.

“I can’t be that person. I know myself. I’m not that brave. I’m just pretending. Pull me off the stage and I’ll collapse.”

“Then pretend to be—”

“No.”

She took a shuddering breath, tried to explain again.

“It’s not right. Where I come from—there are lots of songs. Lots of stories. About war. About suffering.

Lots of attractive, famous people who condemn it. Even world leaders. With pretty words that do nothing. A song has never changed anything. Never. Anything. People don’t become heroes. People can do great things. But ‘hero’ is just a word. We can’t do more than any other person can.”

“You believe that?”

Lantal looked at her so strangely. Cara shook her head. She backed up again and realized she was coming to the edge of the house’s roof.

“I don’t want this power. I don’t deserve it. No one does. It was fun. But it’s too much. I don’t want this.

I don’t want to be a—”

Hero? The word seemed to bother her as much as [Princess]. Lantal stepped forwards, cautiously reaching for her arm.