The time came to meet with Jvorg again. The hope is that he’ll be willing to hand over the information I want—namely, what the Pantheon is, why it’s important, and what it might want with me.
Just things like that. You know, things that would be nice to learn, and which would give me stuff to plan around.
Of course, there’s also the fact that there’s nothing quite so annoying to me as not knowing something—especially when the missing information might be very important.
So, once again, I found myself sitting in his office, with that stunning city vista expanding on behind Jvorg, just beyond the massive glass windows.
He was looking at me with a troubled expression on his face.
“You want for more information, no?” He asked, an air of inevitability around him.
Seeing my nodding, Jvorg seemed to sink deeper into contemplation.
Eventually, he sighed.
“You see, I do not know how much I am supposed to tell you—especially when the Pantheon becomes involved. I can see a line, where bad things will happen should I disclose too much information. But the same occurs when too little is said. Where is this line? I have no idea! Everything involving you is so vague, and unclear. Your future is malleable, and under your own command for the most part.”
Jvorg paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts again.
“That uncertainty is making it difficult to see what lay in your path, and how what I might say will influence things.”
He looked up at me, his gaze heavy but bright.
“I do not know where that line of ‘too far’ lies. But I do know where the ‘too little’ ends. So, while I fear not telling you enough, I can at least tell you the bare minimum. And while that may leave you feeling…unsatisfied, it will keep events in check, as is my hope.”
Thinking for a moment, I nodded.
“Tell me what you can.”
“Then let us start with the beginning, no? It would seem the most reasonable start for what I am about to tell you.”
He paused before continuing.
“There once was a man, a brilliant man…
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His name was Klein.
He had seemly appeared from nowhere, out of a little known college off in the corner of some small country that very few cared about. Hell, even the inhabitants of this country seemingly didn’t care about anything around them.
Everyone simply went about their daily business, minding themselves and not looking to any others.
In the center of this small country was a single city. It was not a big city, but it was the largest the country had. Boys and girls from the countryside would look to this city, and think to themselves that it was a place of wonder and delight. The colors there seemed just a little brighter, the noise that much more cheerful. It was the capital of their small nation, a place full of storied history and great significance.
Nobody really knows where Klein had lived out his childhood. His parents are unknown, his lineage forgotten.
He was a nobody, from a disregarded place.
The first official records of Klein came from the college he went to.
He was solidly average.
Nothing about him stood out. There were no redeeming qualities, no special mentions. The records just have him receiving his diploma, and quietly leaving school for good.
Nobody knew that an intellectual titan had just been released.
And they wouldn’t for a few more years yet. Like most other things involving Klein, very little is known about the time right after he left college. He straight up disappeared, the next mention of him being four years later, when he is arrested inside the American Union. This was around 2120—a time where the American jails and prisons were notably brutal, with few people ever leaving them.
However, that’s just what Klein ended up doing, as he was in prison for a 7-day period before being released without any warning or reason. The only thing known about the incident involves the fact that he was let go “for being too dangerous.”
Intriguing, no?
But his life becomes even more interesting.
When he reappears next, a scant year and a half later, he is a high level scientist working on molecular compression and implosions. Employed jointly by the Americans and Russo-Chinese—though neither of them knew that the other was also funding him.
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He is given a mid-level research facility located underground in some remote location, and takes three more years to become the most famous individual in the scientific community—enough so that when the two great powers of the time do find out that they’ve been duped by him, they do not kill Klein.
Instead, he is given more funding, and starts development on a new energy source. By this point in history, humanity had already used up all their ‘fossil-fuels’, and was solely relying on wind and solar energy.
They needed something new. They had needed it for nigh on a century by this point. And Klein was going to give it to them.
Five years pass without any significant breakthroughs, though progress slowly marched on. All this time, Klein has been moving steadily towards his goal, unseen in his secret underground research center. Until he emerges, almost five years to the day he had started his work in earnest.
Klein needed something more in order to complete his findings. A last and final push, if you will.
So, he was sent to the Moon, to work at the frontier labs there.
And he finished his work a year later.
Well, it is assumed that his work concluded at that point, since the Moon-fall happened.
As to whether he meant to explode the Moon into many small fragments which came screaming down unto the Earth is still up for debate even now.
But his intent is not important here.
What happened next is.
Because, whatever Klein was attempting up there on the Moon, he succeeded at it. Whatever he did, worked.
Mana was brought to us. And new possibilities were opened.
Yes, yes, I know you already know this part of the story, Revy. It’s all a part of commonly learned history, no? With Klein, the first and most powerful Deity, and how he lead humanity from the ashes of the Moon-fall, and into the cosmos.
However.
There are things you do not know about Klein, and what he wrought.
You see—he tended to gather people with talent around him, people who were special in one way or another. People who could become gods.
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“Gods?” I asked. “Like deities?”
Jvorg laughed.
“Like, but unlike. There is a difference between the notion of a god, and a deity. The later can be reached by anyone of a sufficient strength, while the former is more complicated.”
He paused, thinking carefully before continuing.
“The hint is in the name ‘Pantheon’. Just as members of ancient pantheons were gods of various names and strengths, Pantheon is inhabited by people who are also gods.”
“Makes no sense?”
“It is complicated.” Sighed Jvorg.
“Look, you probably know what I mean when talking about what makes someone a god, no? It is not how powerful they are, nor is it their personality, age, sex, or any other physical characteristics. What makes a person a god, is that their mana belongs only to them.”
“What?”
“Just as I said. A god has their own mana. It is separate from the mana found naturally in the cosmos. They generate it themselves, unlike most others who take in natural mana and refine it throughout their bodies. This is what makes a god unique.”
“That’s it?”
“Well, there are other things. Being able to create mana inside themselves causes some other, stranger things to happen. For instance, every person capable of doing so finds themselves naturally in tune with in idea, concept, or story which has been passed down through human history.”
“Gods?”
“Yes, gods. Those that can generate mana are normally drawn towards the idea of a god found in humanity’s history. Their abilities and powers are generally related to said god as well.”
“But why?”
“Nobody really knows. We can make our theories all we want, and assume things—but in the end, no one has any idea what causes these phenomena.”
“Why not common knowledge?”
“I know what you ask. Why are people like this unknown, and seemingly hidden away, no? It is because such a person is not common, by any stretch of the imagination. The entire population of humanity is approaching something like 4 trillion, no? Then, there have been 400 or so people who could generate their own mana. This is in contrast to the thousands of deities who have ascended to their positions of power. It should also be added that the knowledge of such people has generally been suppressed by the Pantheon. It is their own secret, and what makes them powerful.”
“Makes sense.” I said.
“Yes. It does. They also keep to the old ways, and have little interaction with information mainframes like the internet. This is why you have not heard of them before, no?”
I nodded, comprehension dawning a little.
“However, I refuse to believe that you did not know about some people being able to generate their own mana. After all, you are one of these people.”
The room was silent for a moment.
“Yes, I am.” I eventually said.
Jvorg nodded, like the answer was expected, and he was happy to have been proven right.
“Then, you also know which god you are attuned to, no?”
I nodded again. That bit of knowledge has been known by me for quite some time now—ever since those dreams of mine started happening, and right after mother’s experiments ended for good. How ironic it was that she labeled me as trash, right before I realized that was furthest from the truth?
“So you do know. I had my own thoughts, but no matter. Though, there is one more thing I must tell you.”
“Only one?”
“Ah, how I wish I could say more. But that would be going too far. No, this is the one last thing I may say, safely.”
Jvorg looked directly at me, dead seriousness in his eyes.
“No matter what god you are attuned with, no matter what powers you have—when the Pantheon’s delegates arrive, you must tell them that you are Freya. Do not disclose your real identity.”
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Revy left my office displeased.
It is easy to see why. She didn’t get nearly the amount of information she had wanted.
I could not give it to her. Not in any good conscience, at least.
Such a delicate balance which must be maintained. One word too many could potentially cause her to act destructively, and immaturely. One too little would cause her to dig deeper, to uncover that which is not ready to be uncovered yet.
The sad truth is, something is coming. Something that requires everyone to do their duty, no matter how hopeless the situation seems. I just hope Revy matures before that time comes. As it is, she is still a child.
Oh, sure, she is smart. Brilliant, in fact. She is strong as well, standing well above the 10th divide, and maybe even the 11th. I can tell that she won’t flinch away from difficult things, nor will she falter in key moments.
However, for all that, she is not mature yet.
Revy runs away from herself. Willing to confront all but herself it seems, no?
This is a flaw that needs addressing. Otherwise, Revy will not make it to where she needs to, having fallen to her own emotions and repressed desires.
It is my hope that she will not have to suffer the worst futures I have seen. Truly, such things are not to be wished upon anyone—not even the worst of enemies.
Sighing slightly to myself while walking out of the office space, my study beckoned. Or, the study built for me in this city. It is not the study I have painstakingly stocked full of the rarest and most informative volumes of books, nor where most of my research is kept.
This is just a pale imitation, meant to placate my nerves until returning back home.
Oh well. This place serves it’s purpose well enough.
Turning to a corner of the room covered in scrawled writing and various magic circles, humming with the underflow of raw mana supplied directly from my own store, he was quickly summoned. A translucent form appeared before me, almost instantaneously gaining a human-like shape—though without any features to speak of. It’s gaze could be felt wandering over me briefly, before it spoke directly in my mind.
“You rang, Mimir? I’m assuming you want the latest news on the border situation. Well, it’s not good. I give you people ten years—fifteen tops. Though, I will say that finding Revy was a very wise move. But I suppose that’s life with foresight, right~? Say, do you ever lose socks? Or is that something you can just use your powers to solve? Inna sort of “~Oooh, great and mystical future vision, show me my socks~!” way.”
Smiling a little, I greeted the form.
“Hello Narrator. I have a few other things that have to be asked, as long as you are willing to answer.”
While the Narrator had no mouth, his happiness was palpable.