Chapter 428: Enlightenment

Enlightenment was an incredible thing, so incredible that many took it to be the inspiration of the gods, as their minds were open to thousands of new ideas and different perspectives that they could have never dreamed of before.

Problems that seemed impossible to solve, were suddenly as simple as breathing. Many of the most revolutionary ideas came from states of enlightenment.

It was because of this that it was so coveted, but also why it was so exceptionally rare. That didn't stop people from trying to manifest it themselves. Potions were brewed, rituals were performed, spells were cast and when you couldn't afford any of these methods some people just resorted to endless, desperate prayers.

But no matter the method, none of them were guaranteed. They could certainly help, but it was all down to chance. If your mind was not prepared, no amount of drugs or magic could properly force an Enlightenment.

All of this the Avatar Raev understood, as he watched Belladonna with a slight smirk on his face. A soft, golden glow was emanating from her body, no more than an inch off of her skin, giving her an almost divine appearance as she meditated.

When Figg asked him about it, he didn't try to hide anything and simply told him what was happening, which left the Druid with one important question, amongst the hundreds of others that the conversation had generated.

"How long will it last?"

"I wish I could answer that." Raev chuckled, taking another puff of his joint. Although even though Figg tried to inhale some of the smoke, it didn't result in the same for him.

"Enlightenment is different for everyone, and for what you are trying to dicypher. It can last anywhere from a few minutes, to weeks, and even to years. There is a tale of one man entering Enlightenment as a spry young man, and leaving it decades later just before his final moments of life, never getting the chance to pass on what he learned."

Figg gulped nervously as he glanced towards Belladonna. He could only imagine what Jason could do to him if he told him that his sister was going to be missing for decades, or what Lucy would do if he told her Belladonna would be missing her wedding.

He wasn't sure which was worse. Actually... he did. It was Lucy, it was definitely Lucy. That woman could snap him like a toothpick.

Unaware of the possible time commitment she had unintentionally dedicated herself to, Belladonna was completely at peace in her mind. She was in a complete state of flow as she examined the energy she was pulling into herself with every breath, and she realised there was something familiar about it.

Not about the mana, that was obvious and incredibly familiar, but of the strange energy attached to the hurtful mana and empowering it.

She had sensed it before, she just hadn't realised it until now. It was a similar feeling that she received off of Saige whenever he cast his spells. In fact as she breathed in more of the moonlight, more of that strange energy fluttered into her system, as it came off of the Avatar in waves.

Three sources, with three different mana signatures, yet every single one of them had the same underlying power.

Naturally, it didn't take a genius or Enlightenment to understand what the connection was. Each of the subjects were linked by Divinity, which means this underlying power had to be Divine Power.

However, what confused Belladonna was that these three sources were not the only place she had felt it. A small, barely recognisable hint of this power had been present whenever Percy, or any Paladin really, used their powers. The power of Providence.

Although Providence could be achieved by making an oath to the Gods, as Percy had explained it to her it was not necessary. In his words, the Oath was what was important, not who it was to. It was just the unyielding promise and belief that it was true that would give life to Providence, Gods just made it easier.

So if this was Divine Power, how could it be used by someone who needed no connection to the Gods? It didn't make sense.

Unless... it did, and she had just been looking at it wrong. Just like she had been looking at this moonlight energy wrong.

The entire time Belladonna had been trying to force herself to adapt to the moonlight energy, but in reality the moonlight was powerless without this Divine Energy empowering it.

But why was it empowering it? Most likely because in the Goddess' final moments she wanted those that killed her, and their children, to fear what she represented and never feel safe in her temples.

In short, it hurt her because the Goddess willed it to. Everything the God's did was because they simply willed it to happen.

Just as a Paladin gave themselves power because they willed themselves to have said power by an unyielding and singular belief in the reasons why they should have it.

So, Belladonna thought, what if that was just it? What if the secret behind the Gods power, was simply being able to wield this unseen energy and use it to empower or manipulate everything else.

And what would happen if, in these small parts of energy that were flowing into her body, that Belladonna simply... removed this Will energy?

That was where the mass of Belladonna's Enlightenment became focused. Not on the understanding of the Gods power or unravelling a secret she should probably not know yet, but on removing this energy.

She was clumsy, incredibly so, and although she understood the task it seemed impossible. It was like trying to chop down a hundred year oak with a butter-knife.

But Belladonna was persistent. She hacked at the tree, even though her blade was dull and useless, and she kept hacking. Even if it would take weeks to get the smallest dent in the trunk, she kept hacking. Even if it took years to reach the middle, she kept hacking. Even if it took her entire life before the tree started to crack and fall, she kept hacking.

Because eventually, it did.