Chapter 10: Chapter 10: HDA

I contemplate life as I follow Faith through the halls of the HDA. I don’t really know what I have gotten myself into, but on the plus side I get to interact more with her. Wait, what am I thinking about? Why is that important?

We turn a few times at the ends of some corridors, and Faith flashes a card at the reader, before looking at me, signaling me to turn around as she enters a code. The doors open up and reveal an elevator. Taking us to the top floor of the building. As we enter another locked door, we arrive at a cozy penthouse office. At a chair behind the desk sits a woman. Mystica Parallax. Now then, let’s grab the initiative shall we?

“Hello Professor Ingrid.”

I can see her muscles visibly tensing under her outfit. I didn’t get a good look last time due to it being night. Ugh who am I kidding, I can see perfectly in the night. I just don’t want to remember my little bloodlust episode, causing me to lose control. She has a form fitting one piece bodysuit made out of something that looks like a mix of spandex and leather, with a coat of kevlar on top. The entire outfit is black, with purple lines running here and there, making it look quite futuristic. I’m assuming that’s magetech. 

“How did you know?”

“Oh? Not even going to try to deny it? Well, it makes it easier. See I first thought something was up when you did that little scrying thing on me on my first day of class. Thought really nothing more of it, until Faith here started acting a bit suspicious whenever you were around. Cutting your conversations short, the likes. I did a bit of digging on your background, and who would have thought a university professor was that rich? Connecting the dots between your acting, and that ‘Devotion’ rarely acts without ‘Mystica’”

I can see realization dawn on Faith as she figures out I made her that easily, and then makes the connection between her acting and my reveal.

“No? You just don’t, what? No normal person should be able to make that connection, that explanation was so flimsy and over simplified and you know it. I just. Haaaah.”

Mystica slumps back into the couch, glaring at Devotion.

“She wasn’t kidding. Your intelligence is no joke.”

“So, what do you want?”

“Want? I want nothing, Devotion is the one who dragged me here.”

I give Faith a wink and I see her cheeks taking on a tinge of red. Ingrid catching that small interaction and letting out a sigh before placing her head in her hands.

“So? Why did you help with that situation earlier?”

“Oh that. I simply couldn’t let my little fox looking so distressed, I just simply had to save the damsel in distress.” I give Faith another wink and blow her a kiss.

“Your fox? Since when am I yours?”

Oh, she didn’t like that. Not at that stage yet, got it. Her outburst causing me to giggle at her.

“Sorry, sorry. I just wanted some payback for that comment earlier at the cafe. Anyways I don’t really want anything? To be quite frank I wanted nothing to do with HDA outside of bare necessities, I’m assuming that I have to register in your little database and measure powers now that you have me here?”

“Well, considering you’re contracted to one of the major gods, it’s not like we can really force you to do anything. How about entering a deal with us?”

“A deal is it? What would you want from little old me?”

My comment causes an involuntary chuckle from Faith, causing Ingrid to give her another glare, shutting her up.

“For now? Not that much. I’d like to have another powerhouse to help in situations that are necessary. According to what I heard from earlier you obviously have immense strategic abilities, and are able to take command. What I would like you to help with right now is a little problem me and Devotion here stumbled upon a few days ago. Something you should know quite well shouldn’t be possible, a vampire.”

Oh, woops. That’s me! Obviously I’m not going to tell them that, if other gods gets wind of me being a vampire, I can assume all the avatars coming after me, both present and future.

“Ah vampire you say? Yes you’re quite right, that shouldn’t be possible, but if you say it’s true it is.”

That caused her to raise an eyebrow, no doubt running scenarios in her mind as to why I’m accepting it at face value. It’s quite simple really, I guess I’ll have to explain to her in a second.

“Why would you so readily believe that without any proof?”

There it is. I give out a low chuckle as to me it seems ridiculous how she hasn’t figured it out.

“My dear professor. You already have all the hints. Your little speech about universal truths in class, the display of said powers. Couple that with the fact that I have a contract with, as you say, a major goddess.”

“Oh.”

Yeah, oh. I glance over at Faith, how can she endure working with such a slow person? I mean she seems nice, but having a conversation that isn’t just random chit chat is going to be boring. Am I getting increasingly more narcissistic?

“Weren’t you afraid she’d learn that you’re the vampire they’re chasing? Considering her power to know the truth is quite strong. I’m not sure where she got her powers from, but it’s a bit unnerving not knowing if she’s going to figure it out simply by asking the right questions.”

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Nope, sorry Athena. I think I know why. I’m not surprised you haven’t noticed, but well, the fact that you haven’t noticed only reinforces my suspicion. See I think her powers are from Cosmos. Not a god we know of with our previous history here on Earth. Well, god I guess is a loose term, but you know what I mean. I think my vampiric side is from an entity of the same level. Why do I suck lifeforce out from people? Why am I a being that was erased from existence by divine beings? Why doesn’t her power work on me? Probably I was granted this, form, from a being we do not know who is.

“That, is quite plausible. But that makes me question, who and why were you given your powers?”

That my dear sister, is something I don’t know either, but from whatever fantasy books I’ve read since I came here, I’m assuming they will reveal themselves whenever needed. Maybe, or I just, die? I don’t know. Life isn’t a book.

“So, what would I get in return? You’re sort of leaving out the particulars, but you are asking for quite a lot, you know?”

“Of course. Well It doesn’t really seem like you’re lacking money, but we can offer different resources. Seeing as I am the founder of HDA, and I have a lot of political clout with the government under the guise of Mystica, I can give you access to resources and information you probably won’t find anywhere else, legally at least. I will also give you a position fitting to your abilities, and the only superior you will have is me. While I won’t order you around, as it just seems redundant to order someone stronger than you, I will ask you for help with missions and situations from time to time.”

That’s actually very intriguing. She’s giving up a lot just to have me on her side. What is it that I’m missing, why would she go that far? Obviously this deal is way more beneficial for me than her.

“See there’s something I’m curious about. Why go so far? What’s the catch?”

Faith and Ingrid look at eachother, like I just asked the obvious. What the hell am I missing?

“You’re telling me you don’t know?”

Know? Know what? What are they talking about. I shake my head at her, causing a baffled expression. Faith then sits down beside me and looks me in the eyes.

“Ethenia, you practically scream divinity. Nobody really knows you look like Athena, but you exude an aura of authority, leadership, wisdom, command. If it wasn’t for that commanding officer earlier being a changed dragonkin, who are known to never yield to anyone not stronger than themselves, I think anyone would go along with what you said. Your passive state already exudes all of the above, but it changes depending on the role you yourself assume. When we uh, met, that night, your aura kept invading me and telling me to submit to you, telling me that I wanted to belong to you. Earlier when you took command of the situation, your authority and leadership soared above everything else. To sum it up just by existing you’re enforcing your will on others, making it very hard to disobey. Of course I don’t think this makes it possible to force others to do something they don’t want to do. It just means everyone can feel you’re a being of a higher level, almost divine, just, without the divinity.”

What? I look towards Ingrid and she nods at me. How did I not notice this myself? Is that why I keep turning heads wherever I go? It’s not just my looks, I have an aura I’m leaking without even knowing it? Athena did you know?

“...”

Athena…?

“I, might have forgotten.”

You...forgot? Athena that is quite an important thing to not mention.

“I’m sorry! Okay! See when I modified your soul, as she said you sort of transformed to a higher being, between mortal and divine. You just lack your own divinity. I didn’t remember because I haven’t interacted with the mortal plane for a very long time. Last time I did was when that stupid bitch, err, woman, told everyone she was a better craftswoman than me.”

Wait, that actually happened? Oh wow. Anyways can I turn off this, aura?

“No, I’m sorry. As long as you’re in goddess form that’s there to stay. Only way to ‘turn it off’, would be changing into vampire state, as for some reason, probably the ones we discussed earlier, divinity interacts weirdly with it.”

Great. I’m in a permanent state of leaking aura. That’s going to be fun.

“Ethenia?”

“Oh, right. Sorry, got lost in thought there for a moment. Well that does explain, a lot more than I really wanted to know. Yeah I’ll accept that deal.”

I can see both Faith and Ingrid breathe out a sigh of relief, as the tension leaves their bodies. Did they think I would get offended? Am I really that important? 

“How’s your living situation?” Ingrid asks me.

“Um, secure. Why?”

She motions for Faith to answer, she takes my hand and looks into my eyes again. Why the hand holding though? I mean I’m not complaining, but did she just do that unconsciously? Is that my aura again? Is it alive and knows that I can’t forget her, or the taste of her life force?

“If you don’t mind. I’ll come with you when you leave today. See Mystica’s, contract, gives her access to certain, abilities. She can imbue those abilities into objects, essentially creating a high level version of magetech. We each have our own security measures in our apartments, creating sort of a pocket dimension. Meaning any visitors or people not registered to the dimension has to be given access. From the outside it’s not going to look any different, and access can be given simply by opening your door and inviting them in. Though if you open the door and don’t invite them in, anything in between you and the door can’t enter. That also means you can’t be caught in a surprise attack. The enchantment is really powerful and draws the necessary energy from the surroundings.”

Oh that actually makes sense. I’d been wondering why my mark on Faith sometimes has been disappearing. I’m not paying attention to it all the time, so I just sort of assumed she was out of range. Pocket dimension, yep that would suffice. That does make me question how powerful Mystica is, and if I’m stronger than her, is that due to my vampiric side influencing my goddess form?

“Well if there isn’t anything else you want to know right now, I think you two ladies should go set up that magetech. We can talk more next week, as I have to ready my end of the deal.”

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