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I wake to the sun peeking through the many spaces in the structure of the hut I spent the night in. My body feels like one large bruise. The fight I had with Thor took my mind to a whole new level of perception of my own self and the power I now wield. The fight made me feel like my body is not in sync with my mind and that it takes pain to remind it that it’s also a part of the equation. Pain is a useful teacher that can be avoided if we choose to reflect and observe ourselves through the perception of honesty, but we tend to choose the hard way.
I stretch my body to tring to wake it up. Pain surges through every muscle fiber reminding me that I’m still very much a mortal man regardless of the presence of the mantle within me. The pain makes me want to pray to God to help my body recover faster, but I feel like I’m not sure if I know him any more, or if he would even want to know me. I carry the mantle of death but I feel further away from God in so many ways now. My connection with him has become blurry, but another connection is forming within myself. I feel guilty for feeling like I have started to fall away from God, but I also feel fear because I'm not sure what it is I am connecting with now. Ciel chose me and Ciel is a creation of God so for now I will just choose to trust in Ciel’s guidance for he is the closest thing to God I have ever met.
I step out of the hut to find the portal waiting for me that Thor had mentioned. Now is the time so I won't waste any of it and just walk through it trusting the process that has been laid out before me. The warm glow of the portal’s light is welcoming to my sore aching body. Passing through the portal is soothing, but if this portal is like the others I have passed through, I'm sure it’s going to hurt a little because of my body’s condition. Passing through the portal is uncomfortable because it feels like it’s twisting me up causing a low level of constant pain. I just hold my breath knowing that it will be over soon and I can hobble my ass out of the other end.
I hobble out of the portal into a dimly lit environment. I find myself in a cave with no opening in sight. Soft pink lights randomly light the cave extruding from sparse crystal formations protruding from the limestone walls. A few small bodies of water bubble releasing steam into the air keeping the cave warm. Small specks of green light swim around within the water like some kind of aquatic firefly but even smaller. I can see a table set with two chairs ahead of me but with the low level of light I really can’t see that far ahead. I can only see the table because it’s near a deposit of pink crystals. This cave could be full of people watching me but I wouldn't be able to see them unless they walked right up to me or stood near one of the crystal formations.
The cave has a slight sweetness that hangs in the air. Each breath I take feels like breathing in fog due to the humidity within the cave. I can't tell what the smell is but as soon as I start noticing it I couldn't help but feel comforted by it. The table’s chairs now feel more welcoming to me as I breathe in the aroma. I walk over to one of the chairs and just let my body collapse into it. My body lands with a feeling of grace, like the act is a natural thing to do, almost like I know the place even though I have never seen it before in my life. I just wait in the chair, feeling content and it feels nice to give my body a rest. I really don't want to stand. Keeping my eyes open even feels like a task after Thor’s beating.
“Welcome David, I have been waiting for you,” says a woman's voice from the shadows of the cave.
“It's nice to meet you mam. I sure would appreciate it if you can come into the light where I can see you. I have dealt with a lot of voices speaking from the shadows kind of situations and they never end that well for me so far.”
“No need to worry David”.
A woman steps into the light from the shadows revealing herself. The woman is tall, slender, but muscular. Her long black hair is intricately braided. A long white silk robe drapes over her body tied at the waist with a yellow sash. I feel dirty for a second because the robe barely hid the details of her body. I stop and think to myself, ‘why am I even feeling dirty when I didn’t think anything dirty about her? Is it my body responding to the situation even though I have no thoughts of that nature to fuel that reaction?’ It doesn't matter because no matter if my body is responding or not I am in control. I get to decide what feelings or chemical responses I act on.
“David, you look stunned. Are you ok? You also look wounded. I don't smell any blood so you must have taken some powerful blows.” she says as she waves her hand towards my damaged ribs.
Still feeling a level of discomfort because of my bruises, I lean to one side to try to take pressure from my damaged ribs. My forearms, shins, and fists all have dark purple markings from being struck, and striking. I'm so glad the battle is over but if I want to avoid ever feeling like this again I need to gleem as much as I can from that battle.
“Mam, may I ask who you are?”
“I am Athena David. I am sure you have heard of me. I am here to teach you how to use your mind in battle of both the physical and non physical nature.”
Her voice is so regal, but yet it sounds so modern. It’s soft and welcoming, but stern and authoritative. Her beauty is similar. It radiates care and compassion while feeling as strong as stone. She’s like a living marble statue.
“Mam, Athena. I am still beat up pretty badly from a fight I had and I’m wondering if there's any chance I can rest up and recover a bit before undergoing any sort of teaching?”
“Of course David. I want to have your full attention during our conversations. Just take off your clothing and get into one of the pools of water”.
“Umm, right now?”
“Yes. We don't have time to waste and the waters will only need about an hour to heal your wounds. I can also talk to you while you are bathing. I can join you if it helps-”
“NOPE! Nope, I'm good. I need some privacy to undress.”
“David, you don't have anything that I haven’t seen a thousand different ways. Besides, let it be one of your first lessons. Life isn't always comfortable and when you are trying to do the greater good for the masses it tends to require you to always do something you don't want to do. If you don't get in, I'll have no choice but to help you get in, which means I'll have to join you.”
“Oh I got it ma, mam, miss, Athena.” I can’t believe she was just going to get in like that.
I need to just get it over with and stripe down. I remove my clothes and leave them in a pile far away from the water so they will not get wet. They can use a wash after what I have been through. I wonder since they are technically part of the armor the mantle gave me, do I wash them or can they wash themselves? Walking towards the pool I notice my clothes disappear.
“Oh shit!”
“What is it David?”
“Umm, my clothes vanished.”
“I'm sure that line works on the woman back home-”
“No no no no no! That's not what is going on here, honest!”
David I’m playing. The clothes returned to where they were summoned from. You don't carry your cane around all the time but it appears when you need it. Your clothes will do the same so get in that water and focus on healing,” Athena chuckles to herself sitting at the table.
I give Athena an awkward smile. I walk over to the glowing pool of water. The heat coming off the pool feels great on my joints so I slide into the water without even thinking about it. Holy crap this water is fantastic. I swear I can feel my body healing as soon as I touch it. I look around in the water to see all the green lights dancing close to my body. I hope there is nothing to worry about and that the green lights dont stick to me. It will be weird to get out of the water and have a glowing butt crack because that tends to be where everything ends up as it makes its way across the human body. Lint, sweat, hell my car keys would end up there if they were given a chance.
“Anthena, what are these green lights?”
“Oh those are a kind of plant life. They are almost an animal with how they are structured which is fascinating. Think of them as a plant body with an insect's brain, but helpful.”
“Oh! Well as long as they mind their manners I'm good with it,” Athena laughs in response.
“Ok David let us begin our conversation. I will be briefly covering the concepts of what I call the short game, the long game, and group tactics.”
“Well mam, I feel really awkward asking this. I'm kinda hungry and could use some food. I will get it myself but I have no idea where this place is so conjuring it will be really taxing if even possible with what practice I do have. Will you please bring me something to eat?”
“Are you asking me to make you a sandwich David?”
“OH GOD NO! I didn't mean, I mean I, I'm not hungry.” I feel so embarrassed.
David, David. I'm playing with you. Some people are so overly sensitive and just look for reasons to be angry. That's what happens when your life lacks purpose. Logic would suggest that you don't know the place and that you’re healing. I will gladly help you and later show you where you can get food if you become hungry again.” Athena gives me half a smile before leaving the room.
Great, she is gone, so I can quickly get out of the water. My body has already begun to feel tons better with little bruising left. My cracked rib feels pretty solid again and I’m just happy to not be in pain from moving. My body feels more like I would expect it to feel after a good workout. I used a bit of magic to dry myself off with an air current I created and just like Athena suggested my clothes reappeared, but they reappeared on my body. I’m in a bit of awe that my clothes can appear on my body without me really feeling it happen.
For my clothes supposedly being armor as a well, they really didn't do shit to protect me from Thor’s punches. Maybe just like the cane they held back their power so I could learn from the lesson at hand. I hope in the near future they are a little bit more protective than they were in that fight, otherwise I might have to rely on my magic more often.
I walk over to the table and sit in a chair to wait for Athena’s return. She walks into the room and looks a bit surprised to see me sitting in the chair. She places a tray on the table that consists of cheese, dried meats, fruit, and a few slices of bread.
“I'm glad to see you’re feeling better already David. Help yourself and let us begin our talk,” Athena says while popping a grape into her mouth.
“Thank you very much Athena. It means a lot to me and I appreciate you. You mentioned something about playing the short game.”
Athena sits down at the table and straightens out her robe. She eats a slice of cheese and dried meat together on a piece of bread. She then clears her throat with a small cough.
“The short game. David, the short game is really only used on fools and people of low intelligence because they can’t see past the tip of their own noises. Unfortunately this is the majority of humans, especially politicians. You have to be dim to some extent to follow a politician anyway because logic will expose their lies with ease but people choose to see what they want to believe. Sorry for the rant David. Let us continue on about the short game.
The short game is a simple game of cause and effect. You create a cause to get the effect you want out of people or situations. Most parenting also follows the rules of the short game. If you give someone something they want it will make them happy. A strong person will not need a hand out and will not take it. Some strong people will take it just to be nice because they don’t want to be seen as rude by rejecting your kindness, but they don't feel indebted to you for taking it. If you’re dealing with a greedy person and have something they want they will take it with haste feeling like they deserve it but their greed will always win and they will come back to you wanting more. Creating this situation is also playing the short game because we know the greedy will always come back for more and you can always count on how cause and effect will affect the greedy. Knowing suching things allows you to move such people with ease in the games we play.”
“Isn't that using people Anthena? Doesn't that make us just as bad as the greedy people using people to get what they want?”
“Not at all David. The greedy are just looking to get what they want with no real cause but to have more at any cost. The greedy will use others if we do something or not. Might as well use the wicked to punish the wicked David. If you can use a person’s greed to destroy evil would you pass it up? The short game is as simple as setting a small trap to catch a rodent. Their instincts are basic and will fool them into obvious traps time and time again. People corrupted by greed, lust, and bloodshed will always take the bait because they lack the will to resist it. This is why they never move beyond the short game.
People who believe they are complex fail to see their own simplicity and how it rules them. How their basic needs drive their important decisions. How their inability to control themselves makes them as predictable as beasts. A human being can choose to start to starve to death, but a beast will only situationally starve to death.”
“So the short game is for simple minded people for they are ruled by their basic instincts. The short game is only truly important because the simple minded make up the majority of the pieces on the board, so they have value due to sheer numbers alone. Am I understanding what you’re trying to tell me, Anthena?”
“That’s the beginning of it but yes David you are. The short game also lets you set up domino effects as well. If you have a room full of greedy people it becomes possible to get one to steal from another until you have what you need. Someone who doesn't understand the short game will walk around a room full of greedy people and steal from them one by one playing them against each other in pairs. If you grasp the short game you will only have to talk to one person and then sit and wait for the effect to play out. Masters of the short game use very little energy, but we also see that these same kinds of people can contribute to how we play the long game.”
“I understand what you’re saying but I can't help but feel it's just manipulation. It makes me think of how the agents of sin peddle influence for souls. Is the short game nothing more than just peddling influence to get a desired result?”
“It all comes back to perspective David. You have been influenced from the day you were born from people you loved. Did not your own mother tell you, you can do anything? Her statement wasn’t based on fact or your history, just a feeling alone. She told you, you could do anything hoping you would gain the ability to do anything just by believing it. Is that not a form of manipulation? Santa Claus, the boogeyman, and stories as old as humanity have been used to manipulate people into reacting, or behaving in the way we want them to. News stations feed cherry picked information to both sides of the spectrum not in pursuit of the truth, but in the pursuit of keeping the hatred for the other side going. Even when you tell someone you love them they release chemicals within their brain if they believe it. Any time one force acts on another you can call it manipulation David. It always comes down to the lens you’re looking at life through. Good people get defeated early in life trying to find the fine line to define what actions are good or evil. Don't try to define the world when you don't even understand everything that dwells beneath its surface, because there isn't enough time for any mortal being to begin to understand, and even gods struggle with this.
All you can do in this life is what you think is right, and understand that forces will always interact with each other. The real choice you have to make with your existence is: are you going to be the force acting on others, or will you be the force that will be acted upon?”
Athena’s words made the grand scheme of life feel pointless but in depth at the same time. It really feels like everything comes down to choice and what I do with it. That if I understand that which I can influence I understand my limits by knowing the extent of my reach.
“Ok Athena, tell me about the long game.”
“The long game is for those who have discipline because to play it effectively you have to keep your emotions in check, and understand just because you have the choice to act doesn't mean that you should. It requires being effective at giving up the need to talk and replace it with the will to listen. To make your actions count by understanding timing and momentum. Those who play the long game have more self awareness, so to play the long game against others who are aware you must have more patience. The one with the most discipline in the long game will be the victor. The long game is a game of erosion of the will until the person becomes exhausted by resisting the will to act and then reverts to their basic instincts. Once this happens you can play your hand and they will be defenseless against it for their emotions will have the best of them.”
“That sounds like the devil's work. Wearing a person down until they don't have the will to resist and give in.”
“Again, it’s perspective David. Life is full of duality and it uses the same process. Temperatures change because someone submits in the battle of hot and cold. Resistance is part of life and duality ensures resistance will happen. Your muscles grow as they fight to overpower the resistance you put them through. Your mind sharpens as you test its limits with the acquiring of new knowledge, challenging the world it knew before coming into that knowledge. The spirit grows as you fight your lesser qualities to achieve enlightenment. Stop trying to define the process and surrender to it by accepting it for what it is. Then you can become proficient at controlling the process of resistance and play the duality of life into your actions, setting the forces loose on those who would stand in your way. Those who would resist you for their perspective of what is right.
Once you understand the short game you have your pieces and with a knowledge of the long game you have your board in which to place them upon. All that leaves you at that point is gaining more knowledge of what moves you can make and how they can be countered. The more you play the sharper your perspective will become David.”
“So mental chess?”
“No David. In your case it's cosmic chess.”
I hate the thought of seeing people as pawns to be used in the grand scheme of saving the world, but just because I didn't want to play doesn't mean that those who would resist me weren't playing already. To beat evil I have to know the game and be better at it then them so I can counter their moves and save innocent people from being burnt up by becoming part of the game.
“If I know the game and strengthen the skill set needed to play it, that's it? I just have to work on becoming a mental chess master?”
“No David there's one more element to the game you must play because you will not play alone. You will have allies during the game but so will the enemy. You must learn how your allies play but you must also know how your enemies play. You can play the world's greatest sport and have some of the world's greatest players on your team, but they are worthless if you can’t trust them and pass them the ball when your options become limited.
Every ally you have at your side offers you a new unique combination of options you didn't have before. Your allies are like components used in alchemy. Combining them in different ways with different methods will yield many different results. It’s your responsibility to know all these combinations when you lead. You must trust in your allies and they must return your trust or the elements you use within your alchemy will become impure creating variation within that you seek to create through the harmony of your allies alchemy. Give your allies reason to trust you. Be the wisest, the strongest, but most of all the most understanding and many will flock to you to follow in your shadow. Be willing to make the hard decisions but be willing to listen, to discover better ways even when they come from outside of your own perspective. Lead with your mind as it takes into consideration the whispers of your heart and you will find that understanding your allies will come naturally. That understanding the tactics based around your allies will just be another extension of yourself.
Your enemies on the other hand will seek to cloud your mind and torment your heart. They will seek to disrupt your understanding of who and what you have before you. They will seek to create distrust and doubt in the unseen. They will distract you to prevent you from focusing on them and seeing them for what they are. You must look past the smoke screen and see your enemies weaknesses by studying what they avoid and what they choose to keep near. Their flaws will be as clear as day as long as your focus stays in the correct perspective preventing your eyes from being clouded.
David, everything outside of these words requires time and experience. You must learn to trust yourself and your own abilities before you can trust others, or see others for what they truly are. I have said all I have to say to you. Now finish eating and once you are done ring the bell on the table and its call will open your next portal.”
The more Athena talks about working with others, she gives off this stoic energy that radiates from her. It leaves me feeling like there’s pain being held inside of her that she wants to talk about, but it hurts too much to relive. I smile at her and nod my head in acknowledgement as I finish eating the few last pieces of food. Athena leaves the room leaving me alone in the dimly lit cave. Soon I will be done with traveling through the Land of Nod and its exotic locations, and will have to return to my world. Only moments will have passed back home compared to here, but years feel like they have passed in my mind. My existence feels like a rapid evolution growing chaotically. To prevent myself from becoming consumed with my own thoughts I ring the bell on the table. The familiar light of the portal appears once again before me in the middle of the cave. I stand up and brush a few crumbs off my coat and walk into the portal to know its sensation once more.