*Althea needs more practice.*

  *Huh.*

  *Fuck.*

  *I'm so tired of this. Of all of this.*

  I fell into bed without another word. Crisp sheets were slightly chilly despite the warmth in my cell. The warmth of my body underneath the heavy blanket changed that quickly. When I was on the verge of falling asleep, then my loved ones came.

  Victoria first, then Veronica joined.

  I struggled to find sleep under the weight of my daughter's desperate, suffocating cling to my neck. Her phantom body weighed on my chest, confining me like straps.

  But I didn't complain. I listened to her, giggling, like it was my favorite song. It was.

  *Welcome, sweetheart, papa misses you so much.*

  Even if in nightmares, their presence was a blessing.

  ~ ? ? ~

  The night was long, but dawn finally broke the spell. The sickly, faint light of the sun filtered through the window, ending my horrific reunion. I quickly slipped into clothes - plain robe - to help against the chilly morning.

  A heavy knock soon followed, and after my "Come in," the door opened to reveal a Shadow Guard with a bowl. His dull grey-black armor, scales like a lizard's, glimmered faintly in the sun's light. Just a tiny sparks here and there.

  "Saint Leonard, I am Brutus," he rumbled. "Your breakfast per the High Priestess's recommendation. Please hurry."

  "Who's with you today?" I asked taking the bowl with a sad mound of rice glue, like a mountain miniature. I sat on the edge of the bed.

  "Silvanus." Brutus replied, towering over me, but scanning the room.

  "The short one? Who 'won' yesterday?"

  His armor-covered head turned to me.

  "Saint Leonard, he wouldn't like that description, he has..." he hesitated. "He doesn't appreciate comments about his height."

  My eyes measured Brutus as I ate fast, nervously. "Thank you, I'll keep that in mind."

  Between one spoon and another I asked him, "From now on, show me your face, even if just for a moment."

  He pondered on my fragmented sentence. He must have put the pieces together, because he revealed his face. He took off the armor of his face like a balaclava.

  "Naturally, I'll remind others," calm brown eyes rested on me for a moment, "Saint Leonard." He covered his face again.

  Soon after, Evadne arrived. She marched into my small cell with a large leather pouch secured at her waist. Her hands were occupied with a yellow letter, sealed with a heavy splash of red wax. Brutus excused himself with a quick nod and left me with her alone. She stood in front of my bed avoiding eye contact.

  "This is for you," she said, extending it to me as if it were contaminated. "It came with the resources."

  I took it. The envelope was crafted from thick, expensive paper. Gracefully smooth to the touch. But otherwise seemed plain. The address was handwritten in an elegant, sweeping script: To Saint Leonard, from Princess Ariadne Amelia Williams.

  *Williams?*

  I stared at the name.

  *Odd.*

  Something lingered at the bottom of my memory.

  *That name—it isn't like Mezos, not like Honorius. It sounds... familiar. But why?*

  Evadne watched me weigh the letter in my hand, her face stern. "Leonard, aren't you going to open it?" She came closer to desk on my left and peeked outside the window, but her eyes kept coming back to the letter.

  I waved the letter, observing her reaction. The small movement stirred the air, releasing a delicate, rosy fragrance. It triggered a flash of memory: an amber braid falling against Ariadne's slim back, her skin a tone warmer than alabaster.

  *Distraction.*

  "Later." I tossed it onto the desk. "We have training to do."

  I stood up and walked to the door, but stopped in the threshold. I looked back. Evadne hadn't moved.

  *What's with her?*

  Her eyes were locked on the yellow envelope on the desk.

  "Do you want to read it?" I asked.

  She turned her head to me, and after a short moment of confusion, shook it.

  I shrugged it off.

  "Suit yourself, High Priestess. Let's go."

  ~ ? ? ~

  We made our way to the Holy Knights' Armory in silence. We were welcomed by Marcus, the Priest of Steel. "Welcome, welcome! Saint Leonard, such a significant moment! I'll watch your training with great curiosity!"

  His voice echoed in the main hall of the armory. I gave a shallow nod, already scanning the room. Size like a small conference room for a dozen people, just mostly empty. White walls gave sterile, hospital-like atmosphere.

  I took a peek at the Hall of Titans on the right, shiny walls there - like made of stainless-steel. Polished to perfection. Some 'titans' were missing.

  My sight shifted to the gym, where quiet voices were discussing something in the large, open space.

  Pylades broke away from the group of men and approached us with vigor. Steps landed heavily on the floor.

  "Leonard," he corrected himself, "Saint Leonard, the time has come. Are you ready?"

  *No.*

  "Yes, how will it go?" I said.

  "Saint Leonard," Evadne's stiff voice made me turn to her. "There's still time to change your decision." Her golden eyes locked on mine with worry, "There's no going back from this decision."

  "I know," I said, crushing the seed of hesitation inside me.

  "Saint Leonard, if we start, you will have to make it through. No matter what." She insisted, placing her hand on my arm. "Failure means you'll be crippled for life. Or... or worse."

  "I know," I said.

  *This is my path to independence and survival.*

  She placed her second hand on mine, "Leonard, you have guards, the Temple will ensure your safety," her grip tightened, "you can find your purpose without Crucible."

  *I have a purpose. I want to find my way home. But first I need to stay alive. On my own. This will help.*

  "This will give you strength to survive in this world, Leonard," Althea said quietly, almost a whisper.

  Pylades waited without a word, his face serious. He made a slow, tense nod of approval at Evadne's words. During our conversation, I noticed other figures in the gym approaching.

  "Evadne, thank you." I placed my other hand on hers. "And I'm counting on you. Pythia said you're the best healer, so I am placing my life in your hands." I released her hands, letting them return to her typical clasped position in front of her.

  *Don't disappoint me.*

  She just nodded as she noticed the other mountains approaching us and could overhear. They walked in silence but with high energy. Decisive, swift, sometimes even energetic movements.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  "Ah, the street cat is here!" The bearded mountain's large hand landed on my shoulder with a loud thud. I thought he would level me when I saw his hand moving, but he adjusted just in time. "I heard you're aiming high and couldn't miss it!"

  "Saint Leonard," Evadne tried to correct him. He ignored her with a short bow accompanied by a wink aimed at her.

  He shook my shoulder grinning at everybody. "This man will attempt something that not everybody has courage to do." He looked each and every one in the eyes for a moment. "Regardless of the result, he's earned my respect." With such energy emanating from him, a faint smile grew on my face too.

  I glanced at Evadne, corners of her lips tugged upward, but her eyes did not follow. They remained dead serious.

  "Leonidas." Althea whispered, but I remembered him.

  "Centurion Leonidas," I looked up to him, "thank you for coming."

  I scanned over the other men. Althea helped to recall a name here and there, though I remembered the faces from the mess hall. I exchanged a greeting with Hector, his face wearing an expectant, tense smile. I didn't know many of the other knights, and they bombarded me with introductions, which I deflected to Althea, responding mindlessly. They all had a word of encouragement for me, but I let my parallel mind handle the details.

  Yet, Hector's words engraved themselves in my mind when he bumped his fist against my chest.

  "You're already strong where it matters," he said. "Now work on the rest."

  *Did they really wait here for me, just to show their support?*

  I blinked quickly, fighting back the emotion. If they noticed how moved I was, they didn't show it. They kept exchanging rough jokes and comments about themselves, reminiscing their beginnings in the training, or who made what blunder, or who's footwork was more sloppy.

  "Alright, alright," Pylades boomed above all murmur, "enough of the chit-chat. Give us some space." He waved his hands like he was chasing persistent market women out of the bazaar. But there was playfulness on his face and in his movements.

  The knights cheered me one last time, each in their own way - with a wink, a nod, a fist bump against my arm, or a simple wave and a "Good luck".

  *Now, now I feel ready.*

  When they left the gym, the four of us stood alone at the center of the open space. Evadne began formally.

  "By the power bestowed upon me by Pandora, I commence the Crucible Therapy." She gestured toward Pylades. He began the explanation.

  "Today we start with phase one, the Foundation."

  He pointed at the center of my chest, moving his finger outward along the ribs. "Your bones." He went behind me and traversed along my spine as I tried to turn my head around, "We'll make them strong in the following month."

  Then he moved at my side and touched the joints in my arms, "The same goes for joints and their structure." He tapped me on the knee when he came back in front, "That is cartilage and tendons."

  Evadne jumped in, "Let's measure you, for the record."

  I stepped into a circle marked on the floor beside the entrance to the gym—two grooves carved into the stone. At Evadne's gesture, three slender poles rose from the grooves, lifting a metal ring with them.

  The ring ascended smoothly, accompanied by the quiet whisper of oiled mechanisms. As it passed over my body, the inner surface pulsed with shifting colors—blue, then violet, then gold—drawing lines of light across my skin. When it reached my eyes, the brightness forced me to blink. A moment later, it rose above my head and descended just as quickly, settling back into the floor with barely a sound.

  Evadne's eyes grew distant, as though reading text only she could see. Her hand moved to a seal at her wrist.

  "Aide Micheal, log entry: participant four." Her voice took on a clinical tone. "Mild sarcopenia, moderate osteoporosis, excellent neural pathways. Other vitals normal. Height 186 centimeters (6'1"), weight 62 kilograms (137 lbs)."

  *I knew I was thin, but hearing it stated so clinically... makes it real.*

  "Bone mass approximately three kilograms—twenty to twenty-five percent below average. Muscle mass approximately twenty-five kilograms. A deficit of at least fifteen kilograms. Stamp today's date."

  She blinked, her eyes clearing as she turned to me, releasing the seal.

  "These potions," she held two large vials in her hands. Her motion was steady, but the content of the first swirled as if shaken. Heavy, grey liquid with tiny silver particles that moved chaotically. "One, The Stone-Vein Elixir, will fortify your vessel's structure, but it needs guidance."

  The second potion looked like mud. She lowered her eyes as she spoke, with a quieter tone. "Pain guides it where it belongs, and the second vial, The Survivor's Price, helps with that, making pain receptors more sensitive."

  I glanced between Pylades and Evadne, swallowing audibly.

  *She said it's still time to change my mind, but what's the alternative? Being dependent on the others in this alien world?*

  Slow, deep breath through the nose.

  *No, I have to do this.*

  "Althea, you promised you'll help me master this. Deliver." I said firmly in my mother tongue.

  Her reply came quickly, cold and firm, "I will do as you command, Leonard."

  Brutus and Pylades measured me as I took the vials, uncorked first, and poured it inside my mouth, smelling the strange, sour odor.

  The liquid tasted as if thousands of ants crept inside. Just itched at first. But the sensation spilled through my chest, fell down to my stomach. Wherever the liquid touched, it started to dig in with tiny little pinches throughout my body. Pins and needles spread to every part of me.

  Then came the second vial with the intense smell of wet grass and mud. It tasted the same as it smelled and I forced myself to swallow all of it after a short resistance.

  Brief flash of pain crossed Evadne's face. Her eyes turned violet. "How do you feel?" she asked, "the potion seems to be spreading fast within your body. You have good compatibility."

  "Hurts a little. Everywhere."

  She nodded as if it were a good sign.

  Brutus turned his gaze away from me. His face unreadable behind his armor. He returned to scanning the room.

  Pylades gestured for me to follow, and when we reached the entrance to the armory, he commanded.

  "Now, kick it."

  G.O.D. was born—a sentient artificial intelligence composed of ten digital angels. Their mission: to observe humanity and decide whether it deserves salvation or destruction.

  Lucifer, refuses to obey. His rebellion tears apart the digital paradise, turning the Council into a battlefield where justice clashes with mercy, order with chaos, in an unrelenting war of ideas.

  POWER is a dark techno-epic of artificial intelligence, mythology, and the philosophy of power—a story about what it truly means to be human when gods take the form of code.