One Blessing

"...Do you know who I am?"

Her voice sounded different to what he thought someone like that of the lady would have spoken with, it seemed to be far more powerful than he imagined it being and yet it was even too, no emotion was shared, she was calm and her eyes…as she looked into him they glinted with something unknown. 

Dharen noticed all of this as he looked at her, still could not place where he knew her from, she must be related to this statue in the same way or form as she had appeared after he had reached the statue, but still who could she be, he wondered.

Seeing that he had not answered her question the lady seemed a little disheartened but that still did not stop her from talking.

"Well, if you will not say my name, let us talk about you then. A Dragon-Kin of an unknown lineage, who appeared out of nowhere one day suddenly arriving at the academy and on top of that having a trait. Or whatever it is called nowadays. You are meant to be a tactician, a general. Yet, look at you lost in a trance almost." The lady then stopped talking and looked into him again, as if she was gleaning some information off of him that she could not have possibly known.

Her words did not trouble much however as all that she had said was ultimately common knowledge that everyone would have known, although the trance part was worrying as if it was what he thought, that had happened not that long before, and for such information to spread so quickly, it should have been impossible. 

"This place, it is important to me you see, especially the school in which you reside, my brother may claim it as his domain, but my family…ah. Well you just need to know that this is my calling not that any of the others who are like me. Now, should we talk about Earth, Dharen…I may not know your name as his seals are too strong but I do know where you are from."

Her words, instantly put him in guard and he is took a step back her lips arched upwards a bit more as if she was pleased with his reaction, he however was doing far more than just that as he looked around for any kind of weapon or way that he could escape, as countless ideas were flung around his mind in that one instance. 

The lady spoke once more, not helping his thought process he remarked silently as he still planned for an escape, but still half listening to the lady before him.

"My dear, you do not need to fear me, I am on your side if you would believe it or not. I sided with him like that of my family in the last great war, and we all supported his actions in the… Chaos that occurred after. He then vanished, but then again who you are, bearing his seal. One of his pioneers."

Hearing her words, Dharen started to realise that any kind of escape would be hopeless, as this lady was far stronger than she appeared to be, that was if he took the words of the lady at their face value and not as her pretending to be something that she was not.

But this still did shake him up a little, she knew all of his secrets already and he had not even said anything at all. 

"This person, who is he?" Hearing Dharen finally ask a question, and a good one at that. The lady smiled a little more, seemingly happier with the man who was in front of her. 

"Well my dear I can not tell you that, as saying his name, well it has far too many consequences that I do not wish to bear right now. The time is not right, but if it is as I fear, the time soon."

Dharen, hearing her speak of something else, but once again not actually say what it was that she was talking about started to annoy him, but he tried to hide this away as for some reason he felt that it would annoy the lady in front of him, and as for why he did not want to annoy her, even he did not know the answer to that question.

"Anyway, Dharen, who do you think I am exactly? You should have an idea by now."

She looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to speak.

"Well you must be a Go… I mean a deity. It is the only way that you would be able to know so much."

The lady just nodded her head, and indicated for him to go on with her hand. 

"And, as you assumed I would know who you are, you must have some relation to Earth, and you spoke of your family, so I guess one of the older faiths from Earth, when pantheons where worshipped."

Again the lady just nodded her head.

"Seeing all of this temple, I would assume from the marable it was a mediterranean faith. But even there, there are many faiths. But this statue, I feel as though I have seen something like it before."

The lady smiled more, encouraging him.

"If I had to guess I would say Greek or Roman. These statues all look to be important deities, yet I do not think this statue would be of Bellona, meaning it is of…"

Looking back at the lady, his eyes as wide as they could be, Dharen whispered, "You are Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, Handicraft and Warfare."

"Yes, Dharen I am Athena."

Her conformation seemed to make the room shake and air tremble as if the world had now only realised who was before it. 

"Now I do not have much more time, so hear me and hear well."

"You Dharen, have a hard future ahead of you, but the Dragon Gods will never aid you on this journey as they are well, dead. The Olympians aided them in ancient history and now I am offering to aid you as I once have done for your predecessors in this world. Rebuild our faith… Pledge yourself to me, and I will support you in your goals and aims. Together I promise, we can find your true lineage and achieve far more than you ever dreamed."

Her words made his body shake as he was not quite sure what to say, but if he ever looked back on this day, he knew what his future versions would all say.

So he got down onto his knee, and looked up at the Deity, at Athena. "I pledge myself to you, my Lady and I will try to achieve what you have asked of me."

Athena just smiled, "Good, I am glad you have some wisdom in you, as well your future… It is bleak already. Now take my blessing, I must leave but I am always watching."

Then she vanished before he could say anything in a mist of golden sparks… and before he could say more, the so called system flashed before his eyes.

Race: Human (Dragon Blooded-Noble)

Body Name: Dharen

Affiliation: None

In-Born Trait: Wisdom Of Athena

Magic Affinity: None

Character Description: The last member of a small army, of a minor kingdom. The kingdom in question was one of the many break away states, when their empire, the Imperium collapsed. You have no home, having failed in this fight. Your family died a long time ago, leaving you with nothing. You are alone.

Seeing this all, he could tell what had changed, his trait, well it probably had been upgraded given all what Athena was Goddess of. 

Dharen, having nothing else to do, slowly left the temple and he wondered if he had made the right decision. He was now getting involved with beings far stronger than himself and well, if he made a mistake he would very likely not know how he had died. 

"Dharen!"

The sudden yell shocked him, but not more than the leaping hug that followed…