Upon hearing Athena claim to be the will of fate, Ian narrowed his eyes, the silvery-grey pupils slightly contracting, as if he had caught hold of some significant signal.
"What do you know?"
He asked softly, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable air. Athena didn't answer immediately, instead glancing at the other wizards in the barn who were still in shock.
The atmosphere within the barn instantly became heavy. The wizards, initially immersed in shock and awe, were now enveloped in an indescribable sense of oppression.
It was as if some invisible power pervaded the air.
"I know some secrets."
Her gaze swept over them, as if some invisible force was brushing over their consciousness—the next second.
"Boom!"
A young witch collapsed without warning, falling heavily to the ground, losing consciousness. Following this, the other wizards fainted one after another, as if struck silently by divine power, without even a chance to struggle. All the wizards fell without warning, as if cast into slumber by magic.
The gap between the divine spirit and ordinary wizards was indeed as vast as heaven and earth; Athena merely made a slight move, and all ordinary wizards fell flat on the ground, as if none of them realized a thing.
In the barn, only Ian and Athena were left.
The silence was terrifying.
"Now, we can talk." Athena's voice was low and calm, as she looked at the unconscious wizards, her expression serene: "They shouldn't hear these words."
Ian did not object.
He merely waited quietly for her to continue.
Athena walked to the wooden table in the center of the barn, her fingertips lightly brushing over the rough surface, as if organizing her thoughts.
"Zeus has always been searching for a way to surpass himself, knowing that Olympus' rule won't last forever. So, he excavated secrets in the Titans' ruins, seeking power from their remains." She spoke slowly, "For this reason, he collected their research outcomes—those buried, forbidden knowledge and history."
She paused, her eyes directly meeting Ian's:
"And I am responsible for organizing those research outcomes."
Ian's brows slightly furrowed: "You mean… you know the secrets of the Titans?"
Athena nodded, a meaningful smile appearing at the corner of her mouth: "Yes, so I understand that erased history better than any god."
Her gaze turned deep, as if penetrating the river of time, directly viewing the ancient truth.
"The Titans devoured the Creator."
Athena indeed seemed to know some history unfamiliar even to ordinary people and gods alike.
"Hmm?"
Ian's pupils slightly contracted, as he came to know this through Female Titan Claire's explanation, not expecting Zeus and Athena to have discovered this history as well.
"This is a secret."
He said in a low voice.
"Of course." Athena nodded, "Otherwise, why do you think Zeus is so wary of me? Because what I hold is enough to overturn the entire divine system."
She looked at Ian, a hint of investigation in her eyes: "But the most interesting thing is… before the Titans devoured the Creator, there was already a bird that first consumed the Creator's most core part."
Ian was stunned.
He almost instinctively blurted out: "Raven?"
Athena's lips slightly curved, seemingly having anticipated his reaction:
"Exactly. The Raven."
Her words exploded in Ian's mind like a bolt of lightning.
He was momentarily dazed.
The Raven is a scavenger. They are accustomed to hovering over battlefields and places of death, feeding on carrion. But if… if that Raven not only consumed bodies, but also devoured a kind of divinity, even the core authority of the Creator? The more he thought, the less absurd the idea seemed.
In fact… it made a lot of sense.
"You said it ate what?" he pressed on, suppressing the shock in his heart.
"The authority of fate." Athena said softly, "Infinite possibilities. The ability to manipulate reality. That is the true core power of the Creator."
There was a hint of reverence in her tone:
"Everything the Titans later gained, was just the scraps left behind after the Raven had its fill."
Ian was silent.
He couldn't determine whether Athena was lying, but her eyes told him—she was serious.
And, from certain perspectives, this indeed explained a lot of things.
For instance, why he could travel through time, why he could change fate, why he could oppose the gods with a mortal body… perhaps, all of this originated from that Raven swallowing power it shouldn't have, in some ancient time long forgotten, thus even the God of Death couldn't defeat it.
Ian felt as though he was gradually piecing everything together, continuously assembling the buried history from the moment he returned through the Bronze Gate, wondering whether it was coincidence or if entering the Bronze Gate this time was destiny's guidance.
Ian was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed.
"Interesting."
He shook his head, as if hearing something absurd, yet unable to completely deny it. Athena watched his reaction, the corner of her mouth slightly raised, as if assuming he was pretending.
"It is quite interesting."
Athena echoed softly.
Ian looked at the unconscious wizards on the ground, then at Athena, speaking casually: "If you think that me agreeing to you will spare you from Ragnarok.
Then I might as well agree here." His words carried a touch of uncertainty, for it was Athena who believed that his consent would provide protection all along.