Chapter XLIII: A God? A Fallen Angel? An Elf? (8)

Previously

“I don’t see any problem with the skill,” Ivanka replied, catching how the patch of grass that had received the boy’s purification seemed to have grown taller, lusher and richer than the rest of the greenery. “If anything, I’d think you’re right around the corner of mastering it. Although, I don’t think I remember seeing you practice your skills. 

“I practice them whenever you’re working out in the training grounds,” Willow shook his head. “But that’s not the point!” Willow sighed. “The point is that I currently possess absolutely zero offensive skills in my arsenal. Zero. And looking at the trend of my skill genre, I don’t think I’ll ever possess an offensive skill.”

Ivanka wondered whether she should give him his reason. She decided against it since she would have to reveal the history of the Maiden and she knew doing so would anger the fates, not to mention the founding mother as well. He couldn’t and shouldn’t know the full extent of his abilities yet, not to mention whose incarnation he was.

“Perhaps. But even so, you should cherish the abilities you have,” Ivanka said. “There is constant blood and strife in the world. Alterra is in constant need of those who share the same realm as your abilities so that it can sustain itself. I’m even somewhat envious of your abilities.”

“Envious?” Willow asked, surprised. “But you’re. .so strong.”

“That is all I know how to do,” Ivanka sat on a tree stump and looked down. “Wielding steel, splattering blood, decapitating heads. If I had even one of your skills, perhaps I would have been able to do something more than just taking.”

“Ivanka. . ,” The boy shook his head in pity, to which she grunted. 

“Save it. I don’t need your pity,” She said. 

“I’m not pitying you,” Willow told her. “I’m just. . .sad at the cruel life you must have led until now. I’m sympathetic. I mean, look at me. I’m completely out of reach with my sister, my family and my town’s all up in flames.”

Ivanka watched as the beautiful boy folded into himself, an attempt to protect himself from the questions that probably plagued his mind. She knew the feeling of solitude, the feeling of being all by yourself and the what ifs or what clouds that clouded your mind. However she had formed a contract and that took priority over his solitude. 

But she still wanted to provide him with some sort of solace. She considered it a favor returned, out of the many dangerous times his first incarnation had saved her from.

“Don’t let your thoughts cloud you,” Ivaka poked at his little head. “Moreover, only a week remains until the portal opens.”

Willow finally smiled at her. “You’re right. Only one more week and I’ll get to see my mom, dad and little sister.” His lips curled mischievously. “Don’t feel so lonely after I’m gone.” 

Ivanka snorted in derision. “You’re a hundred years too early to be saying that.”

“Whatever you say,” Willow said before his smile turned serious. “But seriously, do you really not know of any other alternatives to obtaining real offensive skills.”

“My trainin-”

“Something other than having to cough blood after a session please,” The beautiful boy interjected. 

Ivanka thought over it. As Willow said, there were actually other ways to gain offensive skills, multiple ways in fact, but all of them required a sacrifice of some kind. Something told her Willow didn’t really want to have claws for hands in exchange for power. The task proved to be quite difficult even for her. She may have trained a multitude of heroes over the centuries but training the Maiden to possess offensive abilities might be the hardest task yet. The Maiden and battle mixed as well as oil and water. 

She reviewed the Maiden’s constitution and abilities and remembered that the most important reason as to why any of the Maiden’s incarnations never received attack-based abilities were due to act as a counterforce to the two strongest Singular Beings heralded by the world spirit—the Celestial Hero and the Demon God. The Laws just didn’t allow it. But that’s why it proved even more interesting for her to do. She always did like pissing off the fates even if unintentional most of the time.

But there was something that was different this time. Something that stood out like a sore thumb about the most current incarnation of the Maiden. 

She was male.

Never in the four great ages had the Maiden ever come out as a male, a boy or a man and that was mostly because the Maiden was supposed to be the personification and very concept of beauty, purity and love. And due to that simple restriction as being born female, so many options to gain power had been crossed out as the very constitution would curse any incarnation with unimaginable pain whenever she casted an offensive spell or tried to build any physical abilities.

But this time, the incarnation was male. So, the biggest problem to Willow’s rise in strength also constituted the biggest question yet. Would the curse/restriction activate?

Ivanka wracked her head, went through every possible theory and simulation, living a century’s worth of time in under a second. Her answer? 

“We need to test something,” Ivanka said. A century’s worth of thinking and that was still the safest option.

“Test. . .what?” Willow asked, tilting his head. 

“To see if you can add any offensive abilities to your arsenal,” Ivanka said. 

“So it’s possible?!” Willow would have bounced around in joy if she hadn’t stopped him with a raised palm. 

“In theory,” Ivanka tried to make the last word ring. “There is something we can try but even I am not sure if it’ll be safe enough that you will walk out with your life.”

Willow shook his head and looked at her with a fire burning in his eyes. “Even then, even then I still want to try it.” He turned his attention to the crest on his hand. “You give me hope. Hope that I’ll be able to exact my vengeance on the person who took everything away from me.”

If Ivanka was a lesser woman, she would have shivered from the poisonous tone from the innocent-looking boy. She thought, after the weeks he would have forgotten and forgiven since that was the impression he gave but it appeared that he was doing nothing but repress his anger. Now that he had heard from her how it wasn’t impossible to perhaps kill his enemy, he had taken on a new mask of revenge. 

Ivanka was at a crossroad. On one hand, she wanted to tell him to give up on his path of vengeance since she was almost 90% sure he would never be able to so much as leave a dent on her accursed sister. On the other hand, she wanted to see the outcome, a curiosity—-a bad habit of hers she thought she had gotten rid of. 

Her sister did destroy a portion of her forest and Ivanka had never gotten over how the Demon God left her alone and sealed in the moon millennia ago, not to mention how she basically just dumped and left Willow to her.  She just wanted a little retribution, that's all. 

“Very well then. We’ll start first thing in the morning,” Ivanka said and turned around, heading towards her house. She didn’t see the look on the boy’s face but she knew how excited he was from the joyful skip in his steps.

The Maiden slaying the Demon God. How interesting. 

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