Natasha the Halve

I faced the Goddess. “What do you think of War?”

“It's a necessity,” she immediately replied. “As I've told you before, conflict is an integral part of existence. I am not blind to what Filestra meant, Young Halve, but there is no denying War brings bravery, heroism, and sacrifice out of mortals. It is a means of defending their homeland, upholding honor, and preserving cherished values. Warriors were revered for their courage, loyalty, and willingness to lay down their lives for a greater cause, embodying ideals of chivalry and valor. Those Warriors speak to me in the same way a great performance speaks to Saravia, celebrated as exemplars of strength and virtue, with their exploits immortalized in epic poetry and folklore. You saw the battle between Tri'Kha Tilensis I and Stepana Boldani Ulgov, great Warriors of their times that brought great victories to their countries.”

I nodded.

She continued, “War has played a crucial role in shaping the course of mortal history, driving progress, and facilitating cultural exchange. Conflict has spurred technological advancements, from the development of specialized equipment and their enchantments to innovations in Alchemy and Healing. The pursuit of victory in War has propelled mortals to push the boundaries of knowledge and ingenuity, leading to transformative breakthroughs in the variety of Classes. This clash on the battlefield has also paved the way for the exchange of ideas, art, and philosophy, enriching civilization and fostering cross-cultural understanding.”

I frowned. Those were good arguments, even if they seemed too optimistic to me.

“In times of conflict, the collective spirit of unity and sacrifice that emerged reflected the noblest aspirations of mortals, underscoring the enduring belief in the righteousness of defending their beliefs and way of life, even at great cost,” Shorvanna recounted. “The valor and selflessness exhibited by Warriors of all kinds evoked admiration and respect on others, as they willingly placed themselves in harm's way to safeguard values cherished by their countries. Pokh'Orra is one such example. She was a soldier, and I have no doubt that her victory in Bokh'Ila, albeit against monsters, brought glory to her name within the army as she defended the way of life of civilians living in the settlement.”

I squinted my eyes at noticing something. “Correct me if I'm wrong... but Demons got here a bit before War was banned, right?”

“Correlation is not causation, Young Halve,” the Goddess pointed out, seeing through my thought process. “Also, they were not numerous enough to tip the scales.”

“Ah...” I breathed out. “Got it.”

“Young Halve,” she called. “It is not my intention to convince you to lift the ban on War. I simply asked because your behavior will shape how mortals see Warriors, and by extension, the concept of conflict.”

I hummed, then asked, “Am I honorable, Shorvanna?”

“You are disciplined in your emotions considering your extremely young age and your past lives, you exercise restraint when necessary, compassion when needed, respect when earned, and seem to be loyal and fair overall. You are on the right path, Natasha.”

My face burned and my tummy fluttered at being praised. A slight frown took over my lips, however. “Compassion? Restraint? I broke Elena's mind and choked Pokora,” I sighed.

“Did you do that out of malice?” she countered. “Were your actions driven by arrogance and selfishness? Did you disregard the circumstances and robbed them of any explanation that would help them understand your actions?”

I shook my head. “No,” I replied, the frown vanishing.

“Then that's it,” Shorvanna concluded. “Whoever you choose to punish with violence may perceive any explanation as unfair, Young Halve, and that is acceptable.”

“Mhm. Maybe,” I half agreed. “It's not that simple.”

“It can be,” the Goddess reasoned.

I sighed and turned back to the forest, ruminating on the short conversation.

A few minutes went by with us in comfortable silence. The fire didn't make a sound despite the strong winds blowing on us that high up, and no smell came from it.

A snowflake landed on the tip of my nose.

I looked up.

The clouds had turned gloomier and heavier, carrying the promise of snowfall.

I changed my armored pants and leather undergarments into a comfortable pair of track pants, my boots and leather socks into a pair of sneakers and cotton socks, and sat down on the roof, then closed my eyes.

As snow began to fall, I delved into meditation, taking the opportunity to do so given the circumstances.

I should get the conjuration thing done with, I considered, stretching a hand and visualizing the spear.

Shorvanna's presence approached the edged of my mind, but didn't enter or ask to. She simply was there.

I pictured a three dimensional image of my spear in my mind, rotating, spinning, and magnifying it to check the details.

A two hundred and twenty centimeter long light blue pole with a gritty surface and a pointy tip on one end transitioned to an eighty centimeter long bright orange blade that was twenty centimeters long at the widest, ending in a pointy tip.

It had a simplistic design despite its quality being Mythical, but that worked in my favor as it was easier to imagine.

Once that was done, I went ahead and pushed E'er into the formula Shorvanna's had taught me the last weeks to materialize the weapon.

E'er flowed, tickling my nose with the heavy smell of hot metal.

I closed my hand and opened my eyes.

There, between my fingers, a glowing translucent golden spear pointed at the sky.

I immediately checked my status before absorbing any E'er or awe could take over me.

 

 

Three thousand seven hundred... I noticed the cost, then absorbed E'er.

My pool of E'er went up one hundred points each second.

I squinted my eyes and fully focused on absorbing as much E'er as possible in one breath.

The number went up by two thousand.

I hummed and focused on the E'er around me to discern its density.

It was a little below half, meaning E'er made out less than 50% of the air around me.

“You know,” I started, my eyebrows furrowing a bit. “I get there's spots where E'er gathers in higher density, and other spots where it's the opposite... but that makes it a bit more complicated than it should in my opinion.”

“The same happens with oxygen, Young Halve,” Shorvanna explained. “The higher you go, the less there is.”

I noticed the Goddess used the word кислород instead of оксиген, which was weird since Yolin and Hanna both used the latter when speaking Orkish.

Even though I knew the words they spoke, translating the conversations between us meant some things got lost in the process.

That made me think of some things.

“We called it like that as well back on Earth,” I shared. “There are a lot of similarities...”

“Then Divines similar to us must have existed there,” she declared. “Celestial has heavily influenced most languages in Galeia.”

I nodded. “Languages are quite the interesting thing, aren't they?”

“They are,” Shorvanna agreed. “And that is yet another beautiful thing.”

I rolled my eyes at hearing that for the billionth time. A sigh left me and I twirled the conjured spear in my hand. “How long until the Sentinel is done?”

“Forty minutes,” she replied.

I stood up and swung the weapon around, stabbed the air, and swiped it left and right. “How long will this thing last for?”

“One hour according to the formula you learned,” she stated. “It took you thirty eight seconds to materialize it.”

“But why one?” I asked, cutting falling snowflakes with the blade. “I asked for a bunch to spawn and shoot in all directions.”

“You can change what it does and how many you can conjure after turning the knowledge into a skill. It will be instant, cheaper, and stronger that way,” she reminded me. “The formula you used just now is only the conjuration portion of the whole.”

I raised an eyebrow, retrieved a notebook from my storage, and leafed through it while cutting snowflakes until the formula showed up.

It was bigger and more complex, the conjuration portion sitting right in the middle of it.

“Got it,” I accepted and returned the notebook to my storage, resting the butt of the summoned spear on the ground. “Now what?”

The Divine walked to me until her helmet almost touched my nose, bringing with her the scent of blood. “Flight.”

“Sure,” I shrugged, no apprehension in my still high mind. “Let's make the most of it.”

She offered a hand.

I took it.

The suit of armor enveloped my hand, then my arm. In a few seconds the Divine was around me like a normal suit of armor. “Focus on the flow of E'er,” she instructed, her voice echoing around my head.

I nodded, the action moving both of us, and did as told.

E'er concentrated on our backs, gathering in the shape of large wings with blades for feathers. A thin, almost imperceptible coat of energy covered our bodies, clinging tightly.

Then, suddenly, we shot up into the sky, going through the clouds high above in an instant, then came to an abrupt and instant stop.

“If you choose wings they will function based on your strength,” Shorvanna told me as we floated, suspended mid-air above the clouds, but the wings remained still. “They will be as tough as your skin, muscles, and bones since they will be an extension of your body as I told you before. Very useful for fighting while flying.”

The clouds stretched far into the horizon in a sea of fluffy and gray white, a few mountains peaking above them in the distance. The suns bathed them in light, making for a spectacular sight.

I took a mental picture for later.

“Take control, Young Halve,” she proposed, moving our right arms to point at a distant peak. “Fly us to the mountain over there.”

“Shouldn't we wait until I learn Celestial to learn better?” I inquired.

“Your understanding of Celestial makes no difference in regards to its function,” she informed me. “I have taught you using Celestial, and you have understood the intent behind the words.”

My eyebrows climbed my forehead. “Why learn it, then?”

“For many things,” she simply replied. “One of them is to chat with us and with Galeia.”

“Ooohh!” I breathed out in understanding. “So I can chat with the planet?”

“If Galeia wants to,” she added. “Instead of a pull to obey duty, you will receive words and clearer instructions like distance, names, events, levels, terrain, and such.”

I hummed. “I should have eaten the Sentinel back then,” I concluded.

“You should have,” Shorvanna stated with a slight scolding tone. “Enough words, Young Halve. Take control.”