“Of course, the cards cannot tell that you are cheating. Sleight of hand is a skill and you do not have it. Or any other skills for that matter.” Kao watched as Orn adjusted his archery targets in the tree.

“But I do not remember learning it. So how am I doing it?” Orn pulled the knot tight on the ring and looked at Kao below him.

“And you should not.” Kao said as he climbed down from the large oak. “It is not something you learned in this life. I blocked the memories of your past life, so you can actually live this one. But some of it will still bleed through.”

Orn dropped himself from the tree and landed next to her. “When you say bleed through…”

“It means some of the abilities from the past life will guide you. Think of a dry stream bed.” She drew a dip in the air with her hands, “If it rains, the water will quickly find its way along the old stream’s course. This is why you are grasping math and reading so quickly. My blessing does not help much with non-skill matters.”

“Quickly? It feels like it is taking an eternity.” Orn groaned thinking about how he struggled through his lessons.

“That is another effect.” Kao patted his shoulder, “Your soul remembers being able to do this and the emotion is bleeding through. Deep in your soul you remember, and you annoyed that you are struggling with it.”

“So reading, math, and cheating at cards.” Orn shook his head and picked up his bow. “What was I some sort of great noble?”

Kao stared blankly at him then laughed, hard.

That is a no then… Orn thought as the young goddess cackled. Definitely, NOT a great noble.

“No, he was the furthest thing from great nobility. He was a completely unremarkable man of common birth.” She paused and seemed to turn inward before chuckling again, “That is if you exclude his ridiculous hobby.”

“Good to know…” Orn sighed and turned away. Serves me right for asking a dumb question.

Coming back to herself, she noticed his expression. Stepping quickly to catch up to him she got in front of him. Her expression was serious for the first time that afternoon, “I did not mean to hurt your feelings. I…” he shoulders slumped a bit and she looked at her feet, “I should not have laughed. I am sorry.”

Before Orn could process the sudden change in her behavior she looked up at him, smiling conspiratorially. Placing her hand on his shoulder she whispered, “You did not hear this from me, but imagine if I told you, he was also uncommonly brave. Or if is said, my sisters wanted him to be a bad person. Imagine he was supposed to hurt others, but he categorically refused. If instead he chose to be kind, if a bit silly. A man who’s very existence tweaked their noses… by say saving someone using those skills. Even if he recognized he was bumbling through it comically, even as it cost his life.”

She winked at him as he processed what she had told him. “Of course I am not allowed to tell a soul about their past life. So even if that was all true, I would not be allowed to tell you it was.”

Orn nodded. It was not his life, but at the same time being laughed at had hurt. “Why did you laugh at my question then?”

“His hobby. He had one passion and most people would have made fun of him for, had they had known about… The Great Hoodunni.” She stressed the foreign words. “He gave himself the name of a great man in the field and added the title ‘Great’. But even he knew how good he was. Middling is the term that comes to mind.” She shook her head, “He was second rate even at his hobby. But he reveled in the ridiculousness of it. Comparing him to the great nobles your mother has you reading about is so absurd, he would have laughed at it.”

Orn felt the tension fade, “A ridiculous person.” He paused, like a bedridden boy deciding he would protect a goddess against other goddesses. Ones that ruled the world… How much bleed through is there?

Trying to clear his thoughts he looked at the targets hanging form the tree. In a smooth motion he drew the bow and sent an arrow flowing through three of the hanging hoops. It was the first time he had ever managed to get the arrow through that many.

I did… or is this not really me? Is this him? Orn cleared his throat, “You said I was good at archery a while ago. Is that also related to him?” Orn turned slowly afraid of what the response might be.

Instead he saw her starring expressionlessly at the targets slowly turning in the breeze. “No. That is all Orn.”

Orn felt a sense of satisfaction welling up. No, matter what else he had gotten form another life, another him, this proved he was different. He was Orn.

“Like the rest of your relatives, you are a freak…” Kao added instantly deflating him.

Orn glared at the goddess who grinned back at him, before disappearing with a giggle.