Blessings

Ophelia being a Blessed wasn't too surprising given her heritage, but Altair was a bit confused as to who could be her Patron God. The Augustus Family didn't have a centralised religion in order to keep the balance between the Churches, so she could follow the faith of any of the four Orthodox Gods on the Continent. Thanks to the presence of Gordan and Zeze, Altair knew the Blessing didn't originate from Sol or Dendron. and the faint Divinity coming of her was also different from the aura that belonged to Return to Roots, the artefact used by the twin Priestesses of the Gaia Church. Zephylte was the most likely given she also had an Air Affinity, but Altair liked to consider the less likely options too. 

'Well, it doesn't affect me in the slightest anyways. It's basically confirmed the Gods know of my identity, or at least my approximate location, so having an additional Blessed breathing down my neck really doesn't mean anything. Fucking System, weren't you meant to stop "Them" from locking onto me?!'

[The System has stopped the Gods from confirming Host in the Abomination, but it cannot made them ignore the logical conclusion. By the time the System managed to contain Host's Seed of Ascension, the Energy of Infinity had already leaked. But again, the Gods are unable to confirm anything with Host even if "They" personally observe. If Host can, somehow, draw "Their" attention away and create a substitute then "They" may reconsider "Their" answer.]

'Yeah right, how am I going to make "Them" second-guess "Themselves" when there have been no other signs? Did you forget what happened in the Astral World? I was face to face with the majority of "Them", "They" definitely have my signature down by now. My only advantage is that "They" seem to be playing the long game for some reason...'

[Host is more useful alive and free to the Gods than captive and restricted. It is "Their" best interest to allow you to grow stronger.]

'Why?'

[Insufficient Authority Points]

'Fuck you.'

On the topic of Blessings though, his thoughts wandered to his own Lineages: one from Nyx, and another from Zephylte. Lineages were essentially hereditary Blessings that varied in strength but were generally weaker than the progenitor of the Lineage, the actual Blessed. Each Blessed was hand-picked by a God, and Blessings could be removed at will if the user went against their God's teachings or wishes. On the other hand, Lineages were much tougher to remove once the bloodline reached a certain length, and there were several cases of Magi clans with a Lineage continuing to exist despite losing the favour of their God. 

You could have multiple Blessings, but the highest recorded was the rulers of the four Empires in the Dark Era, whom were each Blessed by the Gods backing them. In modern times (the Fifth Era), the person with the most Blessings recorded was a Saintess of the War Church who was Blessed by Xerxes, Nyx, Consus, Metallus and Ingrid. How much a scenario came about was a massive puzzlement for scholars, and none of the Gods involved ever spoke about it. Said Priestess perished over four hundred years ago in a conflict against the Blood Coven and was apparently revered on the Tartarus Continent. 

Raphaniel had the Lineage of Zephylte but no Blessing, while Sia held both the Lineage of the Wind God and a Blessing from the Goddess of Secrets. The latter was a closely guarded secret that caused Raphaniel no shortage of stress, with Altair attributing it to the identity of his mysterious father. From all the research she and Jace had done on the subject, Altair believed the Blessing to actually be an evolved Bloodline, and not something Nyx personally handed out to his sister. In that case though, it meant their father was a certified Blessed, which raised questions since he seemed to have betrayed an organization that believed in the Goddess of Shadows. 'Ah, convolutions upon convolutions. Why can't everything just be simple and clear-cut?'

This was just the Human side of him talking though, since Altair lived for the thrill of conquering mysteries and engorging his knowledge. He would never accept an answer on a silver plater, not one as intriguing and important as this anyways. 'Well, my heart bleeds for Sia though. She would be far more interested in getting answers immediately than slowly piercing things together. If the circumstances were any different I would merely scoff at her for being a hasty mortal, but now I cannot deny seeing her side. Hmm, mortals do indeed lack an appreciation for suspense and mystery. Is this how Fallacy feels, heh?'

Another difference between Blessings and Lineages was their affect on the user. Those Blessed by a God would have their original selves slowly blurred, altered or downright consumed by the Divinity bestowed, gradually aligning with the God they worship. All changes were internal however, and under normal circumstances their appearance wouldn't change. Those descended from a Lineage though, had traits unique to them: eye and hair colours were the major examples, but bone structure and even stuff like allergies and preferences would all be passed down generation to generation. The corruption is absent for Lineage bearers, though they might have certain inclinations in life due to lingering influences. 

'Wait a second...Sia is a Blessed of Nyx!'

Altair felt like he had been hit in the head as he just now connected what exactly was so special about Sia. It would also explain why Raphaniel and Jace appeared so grim when her Status was revealed. 'System, will anything happen to Sia?'

[Insufficient Authority]

"Son of a bitch!"

Falling into deep contemplation, Altair went over everything he knew about Blessings and Lineages, in both this Universe and the Main. After several seconds of ultra-fast calculations, he relaxed his posture. 'Since the Blessing Sia possesses is one evolved from a Lineage rather than directly bestowed, she should be spared from Nyx's influence. Especially since the Gods on the Gaia Continent wouldn't let the Goddess of Secrets get a grasp over the heiress of a Ducal House. Still, I should keep a closer eye on her...'

Analysing Sia's Blessing brought Altair to another train of thought however: there was an incongruity with his own Lineage and his characteristics. As someone with the Bloodline of Zephylte, he and Raphaniel should have had light green hair or eyes, but had neither. Stroking his vibrant red hair, he began to muse over what was so different about the Atrazarks. 'The Gods most commonly associated with red are Navruavati, Xerxes and occasionally Seraphic. There is no way we're related to the Evil Gods, so that leaves the God of War...Hmm, a new mystery has made itself known to me.'

Hands in pockets and mind occupied by various thoughts and theories, Altair strolled through the streets and came upon his apartment block.