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nShe was, fortunately, understanding, just smiling before reaching into her pocket and taking out something smooth and shiny.

n“This is a charm my family gave me. It will keep you safe, and by the time we hopefully see each other again, I expect to treat you. Otherwise, do not come to me, alright?”

n“What if I’m dead?” I lightly chuckled, taking the smooth tiny beetle charm and stuffing it into my armor.

n“Well, at least I’ll have hope that you reach some kind of nirvana. I will pray for you every day, so please stay safe,”

nYou have received the Charm of Madam Han

nMadam Han…? Is that her name?

n“Miss, may I know your name before we split ways?” I asked the woman who began to gather her few items from the horses carrying our belongings.

n“You can call me Han,” She smiled, and as I glanced down at the charm in the center of my palm, I lightly smiled.

n𝑂𝚟𝐋xt.𝐂𝑂𝐦

n“My name is Orion. Please take care. I will pray for your safety as well,” I chuckled just before the woman walked up to me and hugged me, her hands running through my hair in a bit of a gross manner.

n“I knew it,” She muttered before quickly reaching down into a small leather bag and pulling out some herbal medicine, applying it to the dry wound on my head. “Your hair makes it hard to tell whether you’re bleeding or not.”

n“Now, we can part ways… I guess,”

n“Of course. I hope to see you soon, friend. Don’t die on me, and if you do, I better see your spirit come to me….”

n“Of course,” I giggled, covering my mouth with my hand before waving the woman goodbye as she took a separate route from the one towards the town.

n…

n“So, what did you call me here for?” I asked the man, slowly walking over to the vacant seat in the middle of a fancy office.

nHis hand rubbed against the polished wooden desk, rubbing his fingers together to see the very light layer of dust trail off of his skin.

n“To be honest, I do not believe what you said. If you really do such a thing, I hope you know I will have to kill you as per my contract with-“

n“With Zeus? Do you have a contract with a man named Zeus? Is that how you were able to wield such power?”

nThe man was almost unphased, but as he dropped into the vacant seat, he let out a long sigh, a small smile slowly overcoming his expression.

nI couldn’t tell whether it was out of excitement or amusement because I knew which one would most likely lead to my death… or possibly both. Who knows what this crazy general would do?

n“Okay, I understand that you have the same powers as me. You’re interesting because I thought I was supposed to be the only one with such capabilities,”

n“May I ask how you acquired such strength?”

nThe man paused for just a moment as if waiting for a sign, only to find none in his vicinity. “I was stuck. Completely stuck on my strength. No matter how many times I swung my halberd or shot my bow, I couldn’t pierce a mountain. I needed the strength of a god. I needed the strength of a deity,”

n“Don’t your people not have a god? Or is it Bhudda? Maybe just nirvana,”

n“I don’t believe in that bull**. I never did, and I especially won’t now. There are things in this world that are beyond human capabilities… and one day, when I was stumped on my power, I looked up at the sky, imagining myself in the clouds…..”

nThe man slowly turned towards the window just behind him, looking at the empty sky devoid of clouds, staring not only at the blue emptiness but into the stars hiding behind the glint created by the mighty ball of fire just shining there in the sky.

nHe was about to continue his story before he paused and then smiled, gesturing for me to follow him as he exited the room.

nWe exited the large palace and immediately saddled our own horses, riding them out of the town and to a familiar hill, greeting me with its slight breeze.

nFrom the path leading to the open face of the mountain, we diverged into a very dirty one that led around all the way until we saw a slope we could climb.

n“If you can’t follow me, then I don’t believe you’re worthy of hearing my story,” The man smiled before grabbing the halberd from his horse and beginning to walk up the side of the hill, eventually climbing it effortlessly.

nI also followed him until we reached the top, yet another breeze sweeping past our long hair, fluttering it ever so slightly.

nAs if reacting to the presence of the general, a few clouds drifted by, blocking out the sun for just a moment as the man grabbed his halberd with both hands for the first time.

nHis stance was as sturdy as the hill below him, even digging a few inches into the ground as a strange pressure gathered around his body.

nIt focused on one point at the very tip of the man’s halberd before he swung down, no magic wrapping around his body or weapon.

nFWOOSH

nMy jaw dropped as I looked at the clouds blotting out the shining rays of sunshine, parting at the will of the man who had just swung his halberd, completely splitting them in half.

n“This was the level I managed to reach upon being blessed by a deity named Zeus. In exchange for becoming his servant, I was granted power beyond the comprehension of man. I am now able to split the sky, granting me the title of Heavenly General,”

nAs my eyes began to bake in the shining rays, I quickly diverted them away and took a quick glance at the man’s presence who shimmered before me.

n“Why tell all of this to me? I thought you would kill me?”

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