Paths of Creation

Several weeks later.

Hestia was sitting on the church sofa, flipping through Bell's status sheet with an expression of awe. "Bell, your stats have increased a lot! And you've gained a new unique skill!"

Bell, who had been sitting on the sofa examining his new dagger, looked up when he heard Hestia's words. He stood and approached her, curious. "A unique skill? What is it?"

Hestia smiled proudly. "It's called 'Hero's Soul,'" she declared, as if she were the one who had gained the skill.

"Though it's rare, I've never heard of this kind of skill before... I thought about asking Hephaestus, but I decided against it," Hestia said, scratching her hair in frustration.

Bell looked at his flustered goddess and walked over to her side, smiling reassuringly. "Don't worry, Goddess. I'm sure I'll learn how to use it properly. In fact, I can ask Akasha for help," he suggested, making Hestia nod in understanding.

Hestia's eyes lit up when she heard Akasha's name. "Yes, yes, yes! That's it! I'll ask Akasha to help you master your new skill. He's already helped Yara a lot with her spatial manipulation," Hestia said, clapping her hands with a smile.

Bell smiled happily, seeing his goddess so enthusiastic.

---

Meanwhile, in the church courtyard, Akasha watched Yara as she tried to compress space. "You're not doing badly, but you lack concentration," he pointed out in his usual indifferent tone.

Yara sighed, frustrated but determined. "I know I can do better. I just need more practice."

Akasha walked around her and pointed at the unstable space. "I told you to stop trying to recreate the shield you used in the fight with the Minotaur. You don't even know how you created it," he said before restoring the space to its previous state.

Yara avoided Akasha's gaze, blushing. "I just thought... maybe, just maybe, I could do it again," she said, trying to defend herself.

"Don't try to run before you can walk. I've taught you the basics. Master the ability to shape the space around you first. Then, if I see you're ready, I'll teach you how to make the shield," Akasha said as he sat on his favorite rock.

Yara stared at him for a while without saying anything, then finally sighed and nodded. "Alright, I'll put that aside and focus on the basics," she promised, sitting down beside him.

Akasha simply nodded, his gaze fixed on the rising sun on the horizon.

Yara stared at him without blinking. Akasha's blue eyes were so penetrating, yet so empty of emotion. Yara's heart ached as she looked into them.

Yara followed Akasha's gaze and smiled as she felt the sun's warmth on her face. Smiling, she turned to look at Akasha.

"Akasha, now that I think about it, I've told you about my past, about my family. But you haven't told me anything about yours," Yara said suddenly. "It's not fair. Come on, tell me about yourself."

Yara began to tug at Akasha's arm, pleading with puppy-dog eyes. Akasha looked away and closed his eyes.

After several minutes of insistence, Akasha finally sighed. "Fine, fine. What do you want to know?"

Yara smiled upon hearing this and began to think. She put her hand on her chin and nodded.

"Okay, first, I want to know your real name. Also, tell me about your family," Yara said, wasting no time as she listed her questions one by one.

Akasha listened to each of her questions, his mind filling with more and more question marks. Slightly frustrated, he stopped her with a hand.

"Alright, let's take it one question at a time, and keep it brief. You need to go with Hestia to buy dresses for the gods' party tonight," Akasha said, making Yara's eyes widen as she nodded quickly.

Akasha looked at her and sighed. "Alright, ask."

"What's your real name?"

"I don't have one, but I've always been called Akasha," Akasha replied.

Yara stared at him with dead fish eyes, clearly not believing him. "Seriously? You're telling me your parents didn't give you a name? What kind of parents are they?!" Yara practically shouted the last part.

"I don't have parents," Akasha replied, making Yara freeze.

Yara blinked, searching for any sign of a lie in Akasha's eyes, but found nothing. Her expression softened as she slowly moved closer to him until she was right beside him.

Akasha simply looked at her in confusion until Yara unexpectedly hugged him.

Yara felt Akasha tense in her embrace, but she didn't let go. She hugged him tighter and stayed like that for several minutes before slowly releasing him.

She looked into his eyes and smiled. "I'm sorry you don't have your parents, Akasha, but..." Her face turned red as she looked away.

"But you have me. We're the same—we both lost our parents. So... it's only fair that we support each other. I'll always be here for you. That's what couples do, right?"

Akasha said nothing as he looked at her, slightly stunned by her words. "Since when are we a couple, girl?" Akasha asked in his usual indifferent tone, though there was something hidden beneath it.

Yara turned even redder, like a tomato, and waved her hands. "No, no... I didn't mean it like that, I... I... ahhh!!" She didn't even finish speaking before standing up and running away.

Akasha didn't try to stop her. Instead, he looked at the spot where she had been sitting, closed his eyes, and remembered the warmth of her embrace.

After several minutes, Akasha opened his eyes. In them, there was calm, peace, and immense love—a stark contrast to the indifference and emptiness they usually showed.

"You're still the same naive, kind-hearted woman I fell in love with," Akasha whispered with an ironic smile on his face.

Sighing, he stood up from the rock and walked toward the street outside the church when Bell called out to him.

"Akasha! Wait for me!" Bell shouted as he caught up to Akasha, blinking in surprise when he saw a smile on Akasha's face before it disappeared as if it had never existed.

This left Bell even more confused, but he decided to ignore it. "Uh, Akasha, can I talk to you? It's about my new skill," Bell asked.

Akasha nodded, his expression slightly gentler than usual. "Sure, I'm planning to go to Hephaestus's shop. We can talk on the way."

"You're going to Goddess Hephaestus's shop? Are you planning to buy something?" Bell asked, surprised.

Akasha thought for a moment and shook his head. "I don't know. It depends if there's anything of value. But mostly, I'm going to observe," Akasha said as he began to walk.

Bell followed him and nodded upon hearing his plan. "Alright, that sounds good," he said with his characteristic naive smile.

"So, what did you want to talk about?"

"Ah, right! I'm having trouble with my new skill. I don't know how to use it, and both the Goddess and I thought you could help me," Bell explained, sounding a bit nervous.

Akasha nodded without hesitation upon hearing his reason. "Sure, tell me about it, and I'll come up with a suitable training plan."

Bell smiled happily, relieved that Akasha could help him, and nodded. "Sure, I'll tell you everything once we get back."

---

On Hestia's side.

She and Yara left shortly after Akasha and Bell had gone. They were heading out to buy dresses for the gods' party.

Hestia was thinking about what kind of dress to buy for herself when she noticed Yara walking distractedly. She approached Yara and linked arms with her, startling her.

This amused Hestia as she narrowed her eyes. "Hmm, you're distracted, Yara, and nervous too. Is it because of the party tonight?" Hestia guessed before shaking her head.

Yara, on the other hand, grew even more nervous as Hestia tried to figure out why she was acting this way. Just then, something clicked in Hestia's mind.

"Ohhh, I see!" Hestia exclaimed before whispering in Yara's ear. "It's Akasha, isn't it? Is it because of your conversation this morning? Hehe," Hestia said, making Yara blush.

Hestia, being wise, decided to drop the subject to avoid embarrassing Yara further. "Don't worry, I won't meddle in whatever's going on between you and Akasha," she paused, looking around before fixing her gaze on Yara.

"If I were you, I'd hurry. Akasha is a very handsome man, and there won't be a shortage of women who want to be with him."

Yara's expression soured slightly at the thought. She knew Akasha was incredibly attractive, and it was certain that many women would approach him. Just thinking about it put her in a bad mood.

Hestia simply watched, amused, as Yara's expression kept changing.