"So, Soren… are you ready to understand who you are?"
"Understand who I am?" Soren asked.
Tachi continued, "Exactly! But first, do you understand what this room is?"
"No idea, but it's huge compared to all the other ones I've been shown."
"This room is where we — gods — can train without holding back too much. There are a few like this across the Foundation's different bases, and they come from an agreement made between the top leaders of the foundation and Ilmarinen, a Finnish deity, a blacksmith god, a genius inventor, capable of making anything" explained Tachi.
Akyo began to step closer to the two of them before Tachi could finish.
Tachi went on, "So, this is where most of your training will take place. It's also where you'll be able to settle your differences," he said with a smile, seemingly trying to spark a fire — which ignited without trouble.
"Settle our differences? He's just going to jump on me like an animal and get beaten in under five minutes," said Akyo, finally arriving beside them.
Soren, who had tried to stay calm until now, felt anger rise — his hot-headed side taking over.
"What did you just say? In less than five minutes, you'd be on the ground spitting blood! You just caught me off guard last time," Soren responded, clearly in denial about his ability to fight another god.
" I bet you won't even be able to touch me" Akyo replied. The two began to radiate their energy, the air grew heavy, and they assumed a stance — their battle stances forming as tension thickened.
Tachi watched amused. He had deliberately stirred their hatred toward each other to test something.
'Hmm, interesting. Soren's aura came out effortlessly… now to see if he did it on purpose…,' he thought. He clapped his hands and spoke to them: "Alright, alright, enough — this isn't the time for that—"
He was cut off by the conflict between the two, which was starting to escalate into shouting.
"Let's do it right here and now! I'll crush you," said Akyo.
"Fine, no problem. I'll gut you — but first, I have to do what Ana told me to do," replied Soren. 'I'm not going to destroy him before delivering Ana's message.' he thought
He added, "Ana… She told me to give you a kiss."
The rage disappeared, replaced by silence. Akyo's face froze. His aura vanished completely.
Tachi approached Soren. "Well… what's wrong with him?" he asked.
"I don't know. I just told him what Ana told me to say."
"I see…" murmured Tachi.
Akyo, still frozen, glanced at Tachi, then quickly turned away, standing with his back to the other two, arms crossed.
"Did he just blush?" Soren asked.
"I believe so," Tachi replied, both of them watching the third closely.
'So that's his weak point? Ana?'
Tachi took advantage of the moment to return to the original topic. "Anyway, I've seen what I needed to see!"
"What do you mean?" asked Soren.
"Your energy… did you manifest it on purpose? I mean that kind of turquoise-green aura," Tachi asked.
"No, not at all. It usually appears when I get angry, it comes out on its own," Soren explained.
"Well, that will be our first point of work! But first, a little lesson on how divine powers operate. Akyo, I'll need your help."
"Of course!" replied Akyo, still standing with his back to the others. He moved to stand beside Tachi, who began his explanation.
"The powers of divine beings can manifest in several ways. The first is common to all, aura, which is the emanation of a divine being's energy. You will need to learn to control it. In this way, you can hide it — but more importantly, you will learn to use it to reveal your true abilities. You may have noticed during your fight with Akyo that he suddenly gained the upper hand. That's because he knows how to control his aura and doesn't use its full power without reason. When he needed to finish the fight, he simply used a bit more of his power. Think of it as a percentage. It's not perfect, but it's a simple way to visualize it."
'At what level of his power was he when he beat me?' Soren wondered.
Tachi continued:
"Now, the second point, powers are unique to each god. I group here all the classic powers each god possesses. Akyo and I will serve as examples. Akyo is actually Kratos, the Greek god of strength. First, he has an extremely resilient body, far stronger than most gods.
His physical strength is naturally superior, and he has an easier time learning how to use any weapon. His powers are based on pure combat ability.
On the other hand, I am a more elemental god. I am in fact Ehecatl, the wind god of the Aztec pantheon. I control the wind, the air itself, and I do with it as I please. Here are two examples of primary abilities — completely different from god to god.
I explained it this way, but you must understand, it's not magic. I don't control the air, I am the air. Akyo doesn't have superior strength— he is strength itself."
'He controls the air?? Could I do something like that?' wondered Soren. He asked the question: "And me? What are my powers?"
Tachi smiled. "No idea!"
'What?' thought Soren, disoriented.
"Well, being a divine creature and not a god directly, I have no idea what you're capable of. I do have some small ideas based on what is known of you, but it's not the time yet," Tachi explained. "Now, we'll move to the third point, which is actually an extension of the second. Let's take Akyo as an example. I told you he's naturally attuned to weaponry — this is the extension of that aspect. Akyo, I'll let you demonstrate."
"Alright," said Akyo, extending his arm. Something materialized in his hand: a blade of unusual shape.
'What is that weapon?' Soren wondered.
"This is a Skopis — a Greek blade, and one of my two favorite weapons. One of my powers seems to be the ability to materialize weapons, but for now I can only summon the two I know best," Akyo explained, wielding the Skopis with ease.
Tachi resumed: "See, Soren, there are many divine powers, and they reveal themselves gradually. These extensions, as I call them, will mostly unlock when you recover fragments of your memories. They contain your powers — that's why they are the key to reaching your full potential."
'What am I really capable of?' Soren wondered, still clueless. Jormungandr, as far as he knew, was just a huge serpent. What could he possibly do?
Tachi's tone became more serious.
"Now that the basics are set, I will teach you how to control your aura."
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Ehecatl — God of Wind and Motion
Ehecatl is the divine embodiment of the wind in Nahua mythology, an aspect of Quetzalcoatl tasked with opening paths and setting the world in motion. A messenger of the gods, a breath that awakens life or scatters darkness, he is both the gentleness of a breeze and the fury of a storm. Wherever he passes, nothing stays still.
Kratos — God of Strength and Relentless Might
Kratos is the embodiment of raw strength and unyielding resolve in Greek mythology — the living force of authority, power, and decisive action. Neither hero nor villain, he represents the sheer will that enforces divine law. Where Kratos stands, hesitation breaks, and strength becomes absolute.