15: You are Weak! (I)

Space-Time?! How dare you place them at the same echelon. One is the literal Keystone of the Cosmos, while the other one is but a small fly trying to weave the boundless universe.

-Enigma to Cahethal also known as the Spell Maker

***

In the depths of the Cretan mountain range, a vast meadow, veiled from the sun's grace, sprawled. An array of vibrant flowers blossomed on the ground, only to soon perish under the steps of divine beings who held no regard for their insignificant lives. 

Two of those divine beings stood face to face, their eyes locking onto each other, unblinking. One had blond locks that seemed to replace the sun's brilliance, while the other bore jewel-like white eyes devoid of any evident emotions. 

On the side, five other gods observed them. Their emotions manifested differently akin to a painting; Hades' eyes flickered with interest, Hera's lips betrayed her boredom and Hestia's anxious breaths punctuated the air. 

A grin played on Metis' lips as she stared at Zeus. Her pearly eyes of a white tone glistened with the subtle hint of provocation. She opened her mouth and whispered a few words that fell deaf to the gods on the side. Zeus, however, heard her clear, his brows furrowing in response. 

"Come," said Metis declaring the beginning of their spar. Her pride could be felt as she stood unwavering and unconcerned in front of Zeus, son of the great Kronos Titaneus2 himself. 

The young god did not hesitate for a second, summoning a perfectly straight lightning bolt resembling a spear. He held it as one would a javelin before hurling it at Metis, tearing the air apart. 

Yet, the Titaness took a simple step to the side, dodging the lightning spear with graceful ease. Then, she rushed toward Zeus in the hope of closing the distance between them.

The god, however, did not wish for her to approach him as such a surge of pure lightning akin to a tsunami collapsed on his surroundings. Metis was compelled to halt her course by jumping backward, falling a few centimeters away from the scorched land. 

Zeus smiled with triumph, he had found the opening he was waiting for. Metis' jump backward was an error none should commit. It was his cue to victory. He outstretched his arms as thunder started to crackle in the sky; grim roars and eerie lights flashed above them. 

Then, with a resounding *boom*, an abnormally colossal thunderbolt descended from the sky. 

Yet, once again, Metis seemed unconcerned as she dodged it by a hair's breadth. It was as if she knew the exact impact point and the extent of its destructive potential. 

A large crater was found where the bolt fell, showing how powerful it had been. It was beyond what lightning was supposed to be able to do. Zeus was a god, who controlled the natural force but also took them to another level. 

This was what gods were capable of doing.

However, no matter how impressive it would seem to a normal mortal who hadn't even reached the level of a Neophyte1, in Metis' eyes, it was underwhelming. "Is that all?" she spoke her taunting words with the devil's smile on her face. 

  "No" retorted Zeus as a simple answer, while his emotions were escaping his grasp. A minuscule trace of anger flashed in his pure, azure eyes. And the sky responded to his emotions, casting thick, dark clouds looming over the meadow and hail plummeting to the mountains. 

To the ordinary eyes, it would seem like an inescapable onslaught, after all, rain was not something one could dodge. Yet this did not perturb Metis, whose eyes opened even wider than before. The very air around her seemed to shift, as though an impending presence was just around the corner, watching over their very movements, no matter how ridiculously small they seemed. 

'What is that?' thought Hades surprised. He leaned forward, his hands glued together, hiding his rising lips. His pale blue eyes were wide open, glimpsing at things his siblings could not discern. It was as if Metis' presence had become clearer and the world's strings surrounded her.

Metis raised her palm forward, which led to the conjuring of a flame, burning with a protective warmth. That flame blossomed akin to a rose, its petals shielding her from the falling hail. 

'Is that…Magic?' exclaimed Hades in his mind. Magic was something he had a great interest in. It was filled with unsolved mysteries. This particular "element" was both an energy of its own that living beings could use but was also connected to divinity. There were gods of magic, however, if it was a power of its own, how was that possible?

Or did this mean that a god of divinity itself could exist then? 

Magic was a strange phenomenon. He had read a few books about it, yet learned nothing of importance. No real advancements had been made in its research or maybe it was just him who did not have access to the truly enigmatic books that explained this mystery. Even as a god, he was not one of the strongest beings in the omniverse.

No, he was but a big fish in an ocean filled with megalodons. 

Hades' sapphire gaze glistened. His eyes observed Metis with great interest, almost unblinking.

And while his greed shimmered, his siblings' surprise was no less apparent. Metis was the titaness of wisdom, cunningness, etc. but nothing related to fire in any way. Yet she had still harnessed its power. This was a dawning revelation for them who had only believed in the divinity they were born with. 

It was a reminder that individuals were not bound by their origins and could still go beyond their initial limits.

Zeus was like his siblings. He froze, stunned by the unforeseen turn of events, while it was only for a minuscule moment, this was enough. Metis waved her hand, quickly followed by a surging wave of water aimed at Zeus' only use of his lightning powers. 

She then rushed toward him, dual blades of water in her hands. She poised them against his neck, asserting her dominance. 

She had won, while Zeus had lost.

He who was so sure of his victory had lost. He who believed himself stronger than anyone else had lost against someone who was not even primarily a fighter. He who had been raised to dethrone the mighty Kronos could not even win against his counselor. 

It was a blow to his ego. His eyes were cast downward, devoid of their usual light. While in the god's head, his thoughts swirled, mocking his defeat. 

He had been humbled. 

Yet would Zeus rise again, or would he fall to the abyss without having achieved anything to be prideful of?

And as if she had devoured his pride, Metis stood unarmed, a faint, enigmatic smile on her face. She looked so demonically beautiful as she spoke her next words filled with the first sin, pride. "Come at me all together, I'll show an end to your arrogance." 

***

This spar is related to chapter 13 when Zeus underestimated Metis and believed that she had nothing (in term of power) that she could teach him. 

Btw now Webnovel added that we can use bold, italics and even add an explanation text which will probably be super useful to explain things from myths and all. 

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