The Goddess Athene

"When the Goddess blesses the land..."

"Thank you for coming back, Your Holiness... You are the most needed in this darkness, Goddess Athene."

Baba Lucia murmurs. She is watching the ominous clouds in the distance. Now beautiful lights descend on the land.

"Baba Lucia?"

Harrahinah appeared behind the healer, and Senya was floating beside her. She slowly placed the girl down on the ground and said,

"I'm sorry. Senya's life was put in danger and—"

"If you weren't in this town when that storm appeared, we would be like the other villages, destroyed and suffering a great loss."

"Baba Lucia..."

"I won't ask who you are. But allow me to greet you, milady." Baba Lucia kneels on the ground and bows down.

"Please, you need not do that, Baba Lucia," Harrahinah encouraged the old woman to get up from kneeling.

"Um..." Senya groans. "What happens?"

Finally, Senya wakes up, and it seems she remembers nothing.

"Senya! How are you feeling?" She's leaning toward Senya, worried if she feels any pain in her body.

"Oh, sister Harrah! What happens? Whaaaa! Snow!"

Senya suddenly jumps and runs around the yard. The crystals that were falling from the sky fascinated her. Harrah feels relieved to see that Senya is fine and, as usual, full of enthusiasm. She waves her hand behind her back, and the wind swirls around Senya and the crystal lights. The young girl was thrilled to play with the crystal lights.

"You have nothing to worry about, my granddaughter, milady. She was strong, as well as her head," says Baba Lucia, pointing her head.

She giggles. "I could see that, but you can drop calling me, milady, Baba Lucia."

"It is my honor to meet you before my life's journey ends in this world."

"Ah," she smiled. "Baba Lucia, I need to leave town. I must go to Asana City sooner."

"I understood."

"But before that, I need to reach my companion. The Grand Shaman must know where I headed."

"Grand Shaman Iore?" Baba Lucia wondered. The Shaman should be able to reach out to the goddess.

Harrah nodded. "I need to meditate, and I will try to search for him using a different dimension. I was worried that I could not feel his presence. Can I ask a favor, Baba Lucia?"

"Of course, milady."

That day, Baba Lucia sent Senya to the town to buy spices and bread for lunch. They pretend that Harrah needs a rest. When Senya left, Harrah went to the temple, where she saw a statue on the altar.

"Goddess Athene blesses the land. Or shall I say, it was you, milady?"

"But it feels hard to believe she was me. I'm just a girl from another world, and I never knew I had this power or strength to fight."

"You may be just a girl in another world, but you are our Great Athene. I have no doubts, and you are her reincarnation."

Harrahinah contemplates what Baba Lucia has ascertained for her. "Could it be that my father hasn't figured it out?"

"The Great King Lionel?"

She nodded.

"I believe he figures it out already. The moment you were born, he must have known you were different from the firstborn."

"I see. Now I understand. My father has been strict with me, not because he doesn't want me to go out. He was protecting me from the people not to learn what I can do, as I am not an ordinary human in that world."

• • •

Harrah sat in the middle of the temple. Outside the door, Baba Lucia is watching for someone to approach.

Harrah opens a dimension inside her consciousness. From there, she creates a magic circle. Her vision begins with the entire land: the ocean, the desert, the mountains, the land above the sky, and Asana City. But she cannot find Iore's presence.

'Where is he? Iore, where are you?'

Harrah widens her vision of the entire Great Land. She gasped and opened her eyes. Harrah closes her eyes once again and observes a particular place.

"Twenty thousand soldiers." After muttering that, she rose and walked toward the door. "Baba Lucia."

"Milady? Have you done searching for them?"

"A war is about to break in Northern-eastern lands. I have to go, Baba Lucia."

"Alone?"

She nodded. "If I wait for my friends, it must be too late. Maybe I will leave a message for General Leonard. But he didn't know who I was yet, and the Shaman only found out about me."

"I see. Then I will gather information if anyone spots where the Royal Knights are."

"I know where they are. I will write a letter, but it must look like you wrote it, Baba Lucia."

"I understood, milady."

"How long will it take to arrive in that land?" she asked.

"It takes more than a week for a caravan."

"Unless a winged beast. No. I will use a portal to arrive in that city."

"I will come with you!"

"Senya!"

Harrah stares at Senya with a soft gaze. She knew Senya was eavesdropping on them.

Baba Lucia heaves a sigh. "Alright. I have no choice since I cannot allow you to roam around in this land alone, milady."

"Then, grandma?" Senya turns into a cute puppy with pleading eyes toward her grandma.

Baba Lucia sighed. "Maybe my granddaughter will learn from you, milady."

"Eh, Grandma?"

"But you should not cause trouble for the goddess! You should behave and watch your brain suddenly decide things without proper contemplation."

"I promise I will behave! Just let me go with Sister Harrah! I--"

"Call her milady!"

Harrah giggles, watching the grandmother and granddaughter argue.

Now she misses her grandfather. They never argued, but she patiently answered her questions about many things.

"Baba Lucia, it's alright. No one should know who I was, and I concealed my power and presence from everyone until then."

"I understood, milady." Baba Lucia bowed.

"Grandma, sister Harrah just said don't call her milady."

"You want to spank me?"

"Ehhh…"

That day, Harrah wrote a letter. Since the land has a unique writing style, she uses her power to transform Earthen notes into this land's language.

Baba Lucia wrote her message and ordered a rider to deliver it toward the neighboring Valley, where General Leonard had a stop. The healer also arranges for Harrah and Senya to join a caravan traveling to the other town to head toward Lamont City on the northeast border.

From that town, Harrah will open a portal to arrive in Lamont City in a mere second.

• • •

"Sister Harrah! Look! The castle is too yellow!"

"Something like gold to me..." Harrah murmurs.

"Oh, gold."

Harrah and Senya just arrived in the city. The goddess plans to investigate while waiting for General Leonard and Vice General Zen's arrival.

"Come, Senya. Let's find something to eat."

"Oh! Let's check all their food stools!"

"But we have limited money, Senya," she reminded the young girl.

They knew no one in this city. She is worried about how long the Knights will arrive and whether the border enemy might commence an attack on this city. If she does not hide her identity, she won't mind facing these soldiers. However, she has yet to encounter an enemy who threatens the Great Land.

"Ahh… right!" Senya seems to have an idea. "Can you make lots of coins for us, sister Harrah?" Senya whispered.

"I guess I can do that. But it feels cheating to my ends, Senya."

"Ah! You are the Goddess of Justice! I should not forget you have a sense of fairness."

Harrah giggles and shushes Senya, not to mention anything about her identity.