Athènia's POV
??? : Athènia.
I slowly opened my eyes after hearing the voice. I was in the Celestial Garden, where I saw the Goddess sitting in her chair.
Athènia : Goddess.
Goddess : Come, sit down, my child.
I walked closer and sat on one of the chairs.
Goddess : Do you know why you are here?
Athènia : No, I don't.
Goddess : I know you are grieving Tevi's departure, but it was not unexpected.
Athènia : I know, Goddess, I know. But when I saw him die, I forgot about destiny. All I could see was my friend dying before my eyes.
Goddess : Yes, but now you must gather your strength.
She handed me a cup of tea.
Goddess : Drink it, and do not spit it out.
I took the cup and drank. I bit my tongue to stop myself from spitting it back out — it tasted like bitter water.
Goddess : Give some to Kora.
Athènia : Kora!
I looked down and saw Kora in her lupine form. How was it possible that she was here?
Kora : Well, are you going to give it to me, or do I have to get it myself, stupid?
Athènia : Oh, please…
Of course, it was really Kora. I gave her the rest of the tea and placed the cup back on the table.
Goddess : Athènia, you already know that it takes two deaths for your power to fully awaken.
Athènia : Yes.
Goddess : Tevi is already gone. Only one remains.
Athènia : Dracos.
Goddess : Yes, my dear. But now, your powers will awaken—together with Tevi's.
Athènia : What do you mean?
Goddess : Each time a sorcerer dies, their powers are passed on to their children. But Tevi gave his powers to you. His strength will only enhance yours, which are already very powerful. The yellow light you saw when Tevi was stabbed—that was his power. It blasted Im far away from you. When you touched Tevi, that yellow light transferred to you. In that moment, his powers became yours.
Athènia : So it was like a transfer of power.
Goddess : Exactly. That's how Im grew stronger—by killing sorcerers and absorbing their powers. Now it is your turn to awaken, Athènia.
Athènia : I have a question.
Goddess : Go ahead.
Athènia : Why did my powers come so late? Normally, the earlier a sorcerer awakens, the stronger they are. Kora keeps saying that my powers are incredibly strong.
Goddess : And they are. Your powers should have awakened when you were very young. But because you are the first woman ever to possess such powers, the process was slower. If they had appeared too early, you might have died—or turned evil. And now, you may begin to experience physical changes.
Athènia : Wow…
Suddenly, we heard a bell ring, sounding like music of liberation.
Goddess : It is time.
She vanished, and the Celestial Garden disappeared. I floated in darkness, until a yellow light appeared—a radiant jewel. I floated toward it. When I touched it, a brilliant light exploded in the darkness. I didn't know what it was, but I felt energy coursing through my veins.
I gasped and opened my eyes, sitting upright.
Mara : Lis, are you okay??
She rushed to me. I looked around and saw Asher, Garth, and my uncle standing there, all staring at me in shock. My room was in chaos, destroyed by the awakening. I caught my breath.
Athènia : I'm fine.
I tried to sound normal. But they still looked at me strangely—more than just surprised.
Athènia : What!? What is it?
Mara : You're… different.
Athènia : Different how?
She handed me a mirror. I froze. My once white hair now had a streak of silver. And my eyes… they were half-blue, half-violet—the same colors as Kora's.
{Kora : Ugh, couldn't they at least put a shirt on?}
I noticed Garth and Asher weren't wearing shirts. Wait—what!?
Athènia : Kora, how did you even know they weren't wearing shirts?
{Kora : What do you think these new eyes are for!?}
Athènia : Wait… does this mean we can see the same thing?
{Kora : And our powers are finally awakened—yeeeeeees!!}
She screamed in my head. Ugh, I was going to get a headache.
Garth : The awakening of powers.
Athènia : Yes.
Kévin : What a mess. My awakening wasn't nearly this catastrophic.
Garth : Mine either.
Athènia : What do you mean?
I looked around—my bed was broken, the window shattered, the wardrobe flipped over, clothes scattered everywhere, my desk reduced to ashes, my computer smashed on the floor, and the door broken in two.
Athènia : Oh… I see.
Mara : Girl, you're gonna need a new bed, a new desk, a new door, a new computer…
Athènia : No need.
I closed my eyes and used my powers. My bed was restored, the glass shards reformed into the window, my door became whole again, the ashes of my desk reassembled into its proper shape, and my clothes neatly folded back into the wardrobe. I opened my eyes.
Asher : Seriously? That's cheating.
Athènia : All's fair.
I got up and disappeared into the bathroom. They finally left my room. After a bath, I changed into a white t-shirt and white pants. When I stepped out, they were all staring at me again.
Kévin : You really love white, don't you?
Athènia : Of course. It's the color of peace—my inner peace.
Asher : Lis, we may have discovered something about Im.
Athènia : What is it?
Mara : The Supreme could be Andrea's son.
Athènia : Andrea… Rayen's wife?
Asher : Yes. The Supreme might be her second son, Malluk.
{Kora : Malluk is already dead.}
Athènia : That's possible… or maybe Jinking himself is the Supreme.
Kévin : What!?
They were stunned.
Garth : But he died.
Athènia : A hybrid can only be killed by another hybrid. As far as I know, my ancestor wasn't one.
Atlas : Then he would be unnaturally old… But we're not sure. We only know he's a vampire–werewolf hybrid.
Athènia : That's what we need to find out—whether he has a third side, that of a sorcerer.
Asher : Even if we knew, we still couldn't defeat him.
Athènia : We must discover which side of him is strongest—whether it's the vampire, the werewolf, or the sorcerer.
Garth : But how do we figure that out?
Athènia : Either in the second battle, or in the final one.
Mara : And you—what's your dominant side?
Athènia : Both.
Asher : You're joking. Hybrids always have one side stronger than the other.
Athènia : I know. That's why I must be different—so I can defeat Im. Both my sorcerer and werewolf sides are equally strong.
Kévin : Alright, enough talk. You should all eat before heading back to the university.
We sat down and ate together. Now that my powers had awakened, I knew it wouldn't be long before I met Dracos. And when that time came, my true training would begin. New class, new teacher.