After a long day of training, Shu felt the weight of fatigue settling into his muscles. He had pushed himself to the limits, testing the boundaries of his newfound powers under Athena's meticulous guidance.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the mountain, Athena's voice suddenly crackled with urgency.
Wh... what is this?
Shu, startled by the abruptness, responded quickly, "Wha—what? What happened, Athena?"
There was a brief silence, and then Athena replied calmly, Nothing happened.
Shu felt a twinge of unease at her response but decided to trust her. He began his descent, eager to return home and rest.
---
Back at his house, Shu immediately went to take a bath, hoping to wash away the day's exhaustion. The warm water soothed his aching muscles, but a lingering worry gnawed at him. Athena had been unusually quiet since their last exchange.
After his bath, Shu changed into fresh clothes and called out to Athena in his mind.
Hey, Athena... Athena?
There was no response. He sighed, thinking she might be dormant or recharging. Trying to distract himself, Shu turned on the TV, hoping to catch up on the news and maybe find out if there were others with abilities like his.
The first news story was a live report from Echo Ridge Village. The screen showed a chilling scene—villagers frozen in place, the entire area encased in ice. Shu's heart raced as he absorbed the devastation.
Hey, Athena,
Shu called out mentally, urgency in his tone.
Is this the work of an ability user or something else?"
After a long pause, Athena answered, Yes, it is the doing of an ability user.
Shu's mind whirled with questions.
Did you know this was happening when we were coming home?
Yes, I knew, Athena admitted.
Shu felt a wave of anger and confusion.
Why did you hide it from me?
Athena's voice remained calm.
I didn't tell you because even if you knew, you wouldn't have been able to do anything.
Shu responded, "Huh! Who told you I was going to do something? Let me tell you something, Athena. I'm not going to take any action against them, nor do I care about their actions. But if they interfere in my life, even if a god comes in front of me, I will still finish them off. So from this point on, don't hide anything from me."
Athena responded,
Yes... understood, but I thought you were going to fight against bad ability users and save people, like a superhero. This is what always happens in novels.
"It may happen in novels but not in reality. For me, I just want to live a comfortable and normal life. But if there is a situation in the future, I would rather choose to become a villain rather than a hero."
And why would you choose to become a villain rather than a hero? Athena asked.
"Because a hero can sacrifice his beloved to save the whole world, but a villain is completely opposite of a hero. A villain can sacrifice the whole world to save his beloved."
Shu took a deep breath, trying to steady his emotions. "Athena, tell me everything you’re hiding from me."
...Yes, understood, Athena responded.
You have three powers. The third power allows you to access and control any technology, and you can also create new technology or machines. I didn't want to overwhelm you because controlling three powers would be too much for your brain to handle at this stage. Your brain isn’t strong enough yet to manage all three powers simultaneously. I planned to tell you after you mastered the other two."
Shu listened intently, processing the new information. Athena continued,
I can provide you any kind of knowledge. If you allow me, I can assist you in controlling your three powers. With your permission, in critical situations, I can take over your body to use your powers to their full potential. However, after such exertion, I will need to shut down for two or three days to recover.
Shu felt a mix of emotions—relief at finally knowing the truth, fear of the responsibility ahead [he fears, responsibility of saving people that he doesn't want to do], and determination to master his abilities. "Thank you for telling me, Athena. We have a lot of work to do."
As the night deepened, Shu knew that the path ahead would be challenging. But with Athena’s guidance and his growing powers, he felt ready to face whatever came next.
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