Ethenia has spent a couple of days in Athena’s domain, simply getting to know her new sister, and getting more familiar with her new [High Elf] traits and body. She’s asked questions about the ‘outside’ world, but every time she got the same answer, that Athena isn’t allowed to say anything, so she eventually gave up.
That is not to say she doesn’t care about the outside, sure some things she really doesn’t care about, but there are people she knows, like her parents.
Ethenia has felt a few tugs on one of her bonds, the one leading to Earth, as if the other side is sad, annoyed and in general feels negative feelings, but there is currently nothing Ethenia can do about it.
Today is the last day she’s to spend with Athena, before setting off into the tundra, trying to cultivate her seed.
“Are you ready?” Ethenia’s musings and reminiscence is cut short as she turns towards her sister.
“Yes, can you explain the process?” Ethenia asks, as Athena hasn’t said a lot regarding this subject.
Athena gives her a smile, slightly tilting Ethenia’s head to face forwards, so she can keep brushing her little sister’s hair.
“Becoming an [Avatar] is permanent. Each deity can only have one, and there are a myriad of reasons. Some create [Avatars] to have a mouthpiece on a planet the deity cannot descend, some do it for power, some simply take pity on a person and do it on a whim. While each deity can only have one [Avatar], it does not mean they can never have more, they simply have to wait until their current one dies. Making someone an [Avatar] does not prolong their lifespan, it simply gives them a plethora of other abilities, and the tools for the [Avatar] to become a higher [Tier] existence on their own.”
Ethenia bobs her head in a nod, making Athena tell her to ‘hold still’ while her hair is brushed.
“The process of creating an [Avatar] is simple. Normally there would be more steps, but seeing as we already have a bond created by a higher being, we can simply skip that part. The best example I can give is turning the bond into an AC powerline from your world, or an internet cable. I will supply you with power, elements, knowledge, and in some cases temporary divinity. There isn’t a lot I will personally gain from you as my [Avatar], at least I don’t think I will. It’s my first time having one, and you being a [Progenitor] might make a difference.”
“Why could that make a difference?”
Athena lets out a humming sound as she brushes another few strands of hair. “In the beginning, nothing, I think. Eventually, if you end up siphoning divinity, a part of that might be transferred to mine, increasing my own divinity.”
Ethenia, having picked up her sisters’ habit, lets out a hum of her own, closing her eyes as Athena lightly massages her scalp.
“So, what are the advantages of becoming an [Avatar]? More specifically.”
“You will gain access to the Holy element, and your class will gain evolution options based on that element.”
Class evolution is something that slightly surprised Ethenia, but from Athena’s explanation she surmised that class evolutions don’t simply happen when going up in level or tier. You have to fulfill certain conditions that you won’t know about. One example she was given, is if a swordsman, shield user or a class involving one of those, gains a connection to a deity, they can become a Paladin, a class that can use both magic and physical weapons, something that normally isn’t possible.
“Once you reach [Tier 3], you will also gain the ability to fully transform into an [Avatar] for a short while, meaning you can borrow my power and divinity, to become a higher [Tier] being, or something akin to a Demi-Goddess. The abilities and power you gain will vary depending on your deity, but in your case you will most likely become a one-woman army, as both your talent, and your deity, me, are focused on battle and war.”
As Athena’s hands untangle from her scalp, Ethenia turns around for a short moment, hugging her sister before laying down in her lap.
“Okay, I’m ready.”
Ethenia looks up at Athena’s smiling face. Her golden pupils filled with warmth, and her white wavy hair slightly dancing in the breeze.
She follows her sister’s finger as it’s placed on her forehead, and a gentle intrusion can be felt. It feels a bit weird and uncomfortable, like water getting into your ear, but it also feels somewhat familiar and refreshing, like having an itch scratched.
Ethenia’s eyes become drowsy, and her eyes slowly close on their own, as Athena’s energies changes her body.
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Waking up I immediately noticed differences with my body. Not in the physical sense, but the internal. I felt lighter, despite that being a [High Elf] trait. I also felt more energetic, like I could run for miles without growing tired.
My connection to Athena feels stronger, and a foreign, but welcoming element lies dormant just under the surface of my skin, rippling and waiting to be released. I can only assume it’s the divinity part of our connection.
Looking up from her lap, I notice Athena’s golden eyes looking at me with warmth and love. Despite only knowing each other for a short while, she’s become my most important person, my sister, as if we’d been together throughout my entire life.
I know that my connection with Athena is forced and manipulated, but I honestly don’t care in this instance. I know in my soul, - or life essence, as I suppose it is-, that we’re now sisters for eternity, never to betray each other. It’s become a fundamental aspect of my life, and hers. I suppose this is what a higher being truly is capable of, reality altering phenomena.
Breaking our unintentional stare off, I look around her domain and I can feel the shock on my face. The world is more vibrant, not awfully so, but enough that I can notice what is, and what isn’t filled with life essence or divinity. What is alive, and what is not.
Everything in Athena’s domain is alive in some way, or at least has some aura of divinity. I know I haven’t grasped the concept of divinity, and I don’t think I will until a time where I become a deity.
Tilting my head at that thought, I didn’t feel any hesitance in stating that I’m going to become a deity. Is this due to that being, fate, or something along those lines?
Shaking my head of those errant thoughts, while they may be important, there is nothing I can do about that topic right now, besides delving deeper into the rabbit hole and becoming paranoid.
I’m broken out of my thoughts by my sister. “So, Ethenia, how do you feel?” I turn back towards Athena.
“More alive, energetic. While I know from you that [High Elves] have something akin to magesight, noticing the specks of divinity around your domain is different, and feels different.”
She smiles at me, her white hair billowing in the wind, and her golden eyes reflecting the sunlight.
“You should take a look at your new status, familiarize yourself with it. You need to get started on your seed soon, and that will take time.”
“How much time?” I ask, as we haven’t touched that topic.
She taps a finger on her chin, looking up into the sky. “Hmm, possibly decades.”
My mind reels, decades? Won’t I be dead then? I voice my thoughts and Athena laughs.
“Silly, you’re a [High Elf] now, your natural lifespan is around 10 times the average human, and if it wasn’t for that, once you become a [Progenitor], you’ll be immortal in the sense of time and disease.”
Immortal, a concept I’ve thought about in works of fiction, but never thinking would apply to me. I mean, Earth was a ‘normal’ place until just a few days ago, and I don’t even know how much has changed there.
“Doesn’t that mean that by the time I get back to Earth, most of the people I know would be dead?”
Athena shakes her head. “No, while some time will have passed, there is a time dilation. A decade where you’re going should be around a year or so in your world.”
My world, which is still such a weird concept. We’ve been, well, Earth for so long, and suddenly being connected to gods, fantasy concepts, other worlds. I’m excited and worried about what I’m going back to, once I do get back.
“Ethenia, you should take a look at your status soon.”
I nod to my sister, before bringing it up.
Name: Ethenia Vermillion
Race: High Elf, Progenitor (Seed)
Apostle: Athena, Goddess of War, Wisdom and Victory
Class: Elementalist (Electro, Holy)
Level: 8 (86%)
Tier: 1
Physical: B
Magical: B+
Mental: B+
Talent: Battle Mage
Not a lot of changes there, my status has improved, which reminds me.
“Athena, there’s something I forgot to ask about, what is the baseline for Mental, Physical, Magical? What does it range between?”
My sister lets out a snort. “I actually forgot. So the range is EX, SSS, SS, S, A, B, C, D, E, and F. There are half steps until S, so there’s A+, etc. For the baseline, I suppose the closest would be that a newborn human in your world is F, and an average human male is E+. A world class athlete could go as far as D+.”
I let that sink in while looking at my own status, my Physical is B+, so that means I’m stronger than the strongest normal human on Earth, before anything changed. I still don’t know too much about what that truly means. The confusion must be displayed on my face, as Athena explains.
“It’s a somewhat exponential scaling. An A in Physical should let you punch through most natural material, and some reinforced. With Body Arts you could easily punch through magically reinforced material, or treated, tempered or magically forged materials. EX is simply the upper limit that the system displays, but not all EX beings are equal, a physically focused EX deity could easily be ten times as strong as a magically focused EX deity, even if not all deities are automatically EX.”
“I see.” I somewhat grasp the concept, but it’s still going to take a while, and seeing it, to truly understand that these simple letters translate to superhuman strength.
Athena walks up to me and grabs my hand. “Come, let’s get you outfitted for your journey.”