Chapter 10
Prayer from the heart
In the eastern part of the Kingdom of France, near the German border, the village of Domrémy is where a young Jeanne d'Arc, aged just 13 in 1425, blossomed. She has lived there since birth with her parents, three brothers and a sister.
"The laying looks promising, Catherine. You've taken good care of the chickens and they're doing us proud." Jeanne says to her sister.
The two girls gathered the eggs.
"We'd better get this back to Father right away." Catherine says as she gets up.
But all this apparent peace hides a much darker context that young Jeanne d'Arc can't help thinking about. A terrible war has been threatening the country for almost a hundred years. And Jeanne is frightened by this war.
"The Burgundians and the English are coming, have you heard?" Jeanne asks her sister, carrying her basket of eggs.
"They have no reason to hold a grudge against us, we're just farmers."
"Catherine, they burned farms and looted houses. We'll be no exception."
Despite her fears, Jeanne had her own way of feeling secure ever since she was a little girl. The young girl prays daily. She got it from her mother, a devout believer and firm disciplinarian. Every day, morning and evening, Jeanne goes to pray at the church just a stone's throw from her house.
"Lord, I entrust myself to you and ask for your help in guiding this country. Protect our families from evil, spare our infants and grant us your strength to liberate our holy homeland from this war."
A man approaches Jeanne, someone who has become her friend over time. It's Perrin Drappier, the Domrémy church bell ringer.
"Always repeating the same prayers, right?"
"Only the Lord can help us in this bloody conflict." replies the young girl.
Perrin sat down.
"I've never met a more devoted believer than you. If there's one person God can answer, it's you."
Jeanne smiled at these words. But no one could know what she was destined for, because her life is about to change.
A few months later, in the summer, the future heroine of France witnessed an unbelievable event while alone in her garden.
"Jeanne, you have to do it… The Kingdom needs your help… Jeanne, go..."
The young girl didn't seem to understand. Her vision becomes blurred, that soft voice repeating in her head.
"Jeanne, you can do it! Jeanne, Humanity needs your help! Jeanne, go ahead!"
That voice didn't resonate in Jeanne's head. It came from outside! Turning around, she sees King Charles VII in the stands, cheering her on with his royal guard.
Athena looked at her opponent with a hint of understanding.
"I've figured out your little game, you can see my mind, can't you? And yet you can't see that I'm right to want to put an end to the human race." Athena says, her heavy words crushing the stands of humanity.
The goddess is right, and many understood this. Many sinners, people aware of having committed evil, but also all those who lived in denial but who deep down knew they were guilty. Jeanne d'Arc, meanwhile, lowered her flag spear.
"You're right, déesse. But it's your position that makes you blind, whereas I, as a human, know our faults and qualities. Whatever the obstacle, we keep moving forward in search of the best in ourselves. If you can't see it, there's nothing wise about you."
Every human without exception took these words in admiration of the one who had always believed in them, even though her god had abandoned her.
"Take that in your teeth!" Selira shouts.
Jeanne d'Arc attacked, while Athena parried with her shield. But the human didn't stop her assault.
"Pathetic." Athena whispers. "Your beliefs are useless."
As Jeanne launched a powerful attack, Athena raised her shield in the air.
"Holy Shield Blocking!"
The parry is perfect, and not only that, it destabilizes Jeanne. The French warrior tried to get back into fighting position, but Athena impaled her on her spear, right through the shoulder. Jeanne grunted in pain and bit her lip until it bled.
"It's a very violent blow! Jeanne could do nothing." Rhymus says.
The Maid of Orleans manages to free herself and glances at her shoulder, which is in a really bad way. But despite this, she smiled once more
"Merci… to offer me a fight so that I can lead Humanity." she simply says.
Athena brings her spear down, spurting Jeanne's blood onto the ground.
"You think you're strong? How about this." Athena thinks, knowing that her opponent can hear her.
The goddess thinks of an attack from the right, forcing Jeanne to protect this flank, but Athena actually attacks from the left and slashes the saint's arm. And she continues. Athena's thoughts are just feints to fool Jeanne d'Arc, but if the first ones are effective, the French woman finally manages to grab the goddess' spear and force her to leap back.
Jeanne had been wounded several times by this assault, but that only made her stronger. She rushes towards Athena for another attack.
"Holy Shield Blocking." the goddess says and parries Jeanne.
The saint manages to get away before being hit by her opponent's thunder spear.
"It's all over for her, she won't be able to reach Athena without a quick attack." Apollo thinks up from the gods' stands.
But even if Athena and the gods had understood that Jeanne could hear her opponent's thoughts, they were far from aware of the mighty power of the greatest saint. Knowing that fact from Apollo, Jeanne d'Arc then set about finding the perfect combination to attack Athena.
"Do you understand that you are no match for divine judgment?" Athena asks.
Jeanne leaned on her spear, looking visibly unwell.
"You talk a lot for someone who wants to get it over with."
Athena winces and grits her teeth.
"Don't get fired up." she says on purpose before attacking.
Jeanne waited for the right moment to reveal her trickery. She had simulated an uncomfortable position, even though her wounds were causing her pain, to surprise Athena.
"Flag of France!"
Twirling her spear, Jeanne d'Arc manages to wrap the flag at the end around Athena's spear and wrest it from her hands. The Frenchwoman seized the divine weapon and redirected it towards the goddess of wisdom. Surprised, Athena could do nothing and was wounded in the left flank by her own weapon.
"It's- simply unthinkable! Jeanne d'Arc was able to wield Athena's divine weapon and turn it against her: she is truly the envoy of the gods!" Rhymus says in awe.
This turn of events surprised gods and humans alike. And for the first time in seven million years of human history, mankind had stopped praying to the gods to pray to one of its own. Whatever their beliefs or religions, all joined hands to believe in France's one and only heroine, Jeanne d'Arc.
"She can... she can win!" Phearl says smiling.
Despite this, everyone had seen the previous human fighters in good position, and yet they all perished forever. Druca is the first to realize this.
"Of course, I hope so too. But as long as Athena breathes, Jeanne won't have finished fighting."
Further down in the arena, Jeanne throws Athena's spear to the ground. The goddess didn't bother stooping to pick it up, instead using her foot to lift the spear and seize it.
"Do you hear this, ma chère?" Jeanne simply asks.
"What are you talking about?"
Spreading her arms, Jeanne let herself be lulled by the silence, a breeze rippling her hair.
"The silence of a prayer. For the first time in my life, I'm not a slave to a will beyond my control. I embody it."
Jeanne d'Arc takes a deep breath before plunging back into the fight. Athena took up position, ready for an attack from the French saint. But what the goddess didn't know was that Jeanne had taken this short time to perfect her attack. She slammed her metal gauntlets together, quickly creating sparks.
"Pardon me, mon roi. I'm only doing this to give us victory."
The young saint's thoughts could not have foreshadowed what she was about to accomplish. Sparks gradually fell on the French flag with its fleur-de-lis, setting it ablaze to everyone's surprise. Jeanne twirled her spear, creating a thick braise and cloud of ash in front of her. Leaping through the flames, she attacks with disconcerting speed.
"The Maid of Fire!"
Athena raised her shield to retaliate.
"Holy shie-" she prepares to say. "Damn, she's too fast!"
Athena had no time to block and used her spear instead. Jeanne d'Arc's powerful attack crashed straight into her opponent's spear, but without stopping. The blow continues until it splits the goddess's helmet in two. Athena was the first to realize the damage done by the attack when she saw that her spear could be held in both hands without them being aligned. Her helmet then split in two and fell to each side of her feet.
"You dared to break the spear I forged in homage to my beloved father."
"You should be honored; I burned my kingdom's flag for this." Jeanne replies
Did the goddess underestimate this human? A frail, innocent girl who has seen the horrors of war right on the battlefield.
"I understand now. This Jeanne d'Arc is a deserving warrior." Ares says.
"Well, it looks like you have a brain at last. Still a bit slow on the uptake though." Apollo replies.
Ares clenches his fist, probably his teeth too, but the shadow of his helmet still conceals his face.
"Don't mess with me, blondie. I could give you a good punch in the face."
"I take back what I said, still no brains after all..."
Athena looked at Jeanne with pity in her eyes. All that determination is wasted at her taste. Joining the two broken pieces of her spear, the goddess sent out a blinding beam that dazzled not only Jeanne d'Arc but the whole arena.
"What the- it burns!" Rhymus says covering his eyes.
Jeanne was blinded, she tried to concentrate on Athena's thoughts but the thoughts of the other gods were too numerous and all she heard were internal complaints about the glare.
"Blinding Spear Riposte!"
The saint only heard the name of her opponent's attack before she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. Athena had just stuck both ends of her spear into it. When the light faded, everyone could see it.
"What just happened? It looks like Athena hit her opponent!" Rhymus exclaims.
The goddess of wisdom immediately withdrew the pieces of her spear from Jeanne's belly, bleeding profusely.
"I'll break your will by breaking your body first, then I'll kill you when I hear you admit you're wrong." Athena says threateningly.
Planting her spear in the ground for support, Jeanne d'Arc held her stomach. Yet there's still no hint of hatred in the saint's eyes.
"I'm afraid you'll never make it." Jeanne replies smiling.
Athena began to let her emotions overwhelm her, far from the wisdom she was supposed to display. She leapt towards Jeanne d'Arc.
"Attack to the right and slash her neck." Athena thinks while attacking on the left with the intention of injuring Jeanne's hip.
The holy warrior dodges with ease. Athena wouldn't budge.
"Give her a blow with that shield and then drive that spear through her heart." while Athena attacks first with her half spear.
Jeanne d'Arc dodges again and manages to make a perfect, swift cut at the goddess's hand, forcing her to drop her spear tip. Athena took a step back, visibly astonished.
"It can't be… Her ability adapted to my feints? How deep has she penetrated my mind?"
"Quite deeply!" Jeanne exclaims in a pure voice as she charges towards Athena.
Seeing how the Maid of Orleans had turned the situation to her advantage, many humans separated their hands to stop praying. But this was not to the liking of Charles VII.
"Don't stop praying! We must continue to believe in Jeanne to the very end and in every moment." the king says.
Hearing these words, many began to pray again, and it was at this point in the arena that Athena witnessed something she could never have foreseen, despite all her strategic genius. Jeanne d'Arc's body began to glow like that of a goddess, and her wounds seemed to heal on their own.
"There you go, you so-called goddess of wisdom. You've just made the mistake that's going to cost you this fight." Druca says.
Phearl and Selira turn to her.
"Wh- what do you mean?" Phearl asks clueless.
"Well, Jeanne actually has a hidden ability that's just showing its face."
For once, Selira seemed more lost than Phearl.
"What does that mean?"
"To explain it to you in a term you're familiar with, it's as if Jeanne d'Arc possesses a passive ability that resides in human prayers. The more they pray, the stronger she becomes, and her wounds are only light scratches." Druca explains to Selira.
"Ah, now I understand!" replies the young girl.
But Phearl made a rather interesting remark.
"But why is it only activating now?"
"It takes time for a prayer to be heard, and Athena made the mistake of giving Jeanne too much time to admit she was wrong. I knew our champion would never do it, Athena should have finished much earlier if she wanted to win."
Athena gritted her teeth and dashed back towards Jeanne. The latter again dodges the attack with ease and grace.
"There's nothing more she can do!" Rhymus shouts. "Athena seems incapable of touching her opponent again; it's as if Jeanne is dodging by the second without a care in the world!"
Any attempt by the goddess to even scratch the skin of the saint in front of her is immediately dodged. The strikes of Zeus' favorite child are sloppy and seem much closer to Ares' raw power than Athena's precision. Jeanne leaps, slides and bends her body in a kind of bewitching dance, lulled by the modesty of history's greatest saint.
"She's simply sublime." King Charles VII says in admiration.
Athena seemed exhausted and paused in her attack, which had been useless anyway. The gods couldn't believe it, a mere human, and what's more, almost a child, is now surpassing a goddess. Is the fate of this fight sealed?
"What are you doing Athena?!" Ares shouts with all his might. "How can you not even get rid of a simple human!"
Many gods began to think that the fight might already be over. All their thoughts converge towards the spirit of Jeanne d'Arc. The saint did her best to concentrate solely on her opponent's thoughts, but it was an arduous task. As the goddess of wisdom rushed towards the French warrior, the latter ducked and yet... a large quantity of blood gushed from both ears.
"What is- what does this mean? Jeanne d'Arc looks wounded, yet she avoided the attack!"
Druca is the first of all the spectators to understand what has just happened.
"Oh no, everything but that..."
"Druca? Druca, what's going on?" Phearl asks panicking.
Druca put both hands to her mouth.
"Jeanne's ability had reached its limit... between Athena's attacks and the sorting out she had to do between the thoughts of all the gods in the arena... her mind had to burst from the inside."
And indeed, as strong as her spirit was, Jeanne d'Arc had reached a limit so far beyond which even she had just given in. Athena used her shield to attack, propelling Jeanne backwards several meters.
"She managed to touch her! This powerful attack could not be dodged and Athena sent Jeanne d'Arc flying like a rag doll!"
It was at this point that humanity lost all hope, and even Charles VII and his men seemed on the verge of despair. Jeanne d'Arc had just lost her most important asset, which gave her a considerable advantage over her divine adversary. The Maid of Orleans remains on the ground, unable to get up.