I just couldn't understand it.
On some level, I could understand the idea that after living for so long, one might just become tired. If I lived for long enough, I was sure it would happen eventually to me. And I could admit I had much more at my fingertips to keep myself entertained and living a good life.
It's why I never spoke out about people who held views that since the end was coming, they would quietly await it. I think a part of understanding people was to know that you won't be able to understand everything about them and have to accept that you have differing views.
However, the idea that someone would just want to not only die, but to make sure everyone else died along with them?
That genuinely pissed me off and I absolutely could not accept it.
The idea of hurting my friends or family filled me with utter revulsion and pain.
[You are not looking at it from their perspective.] Musū Tengai spoke from within my soul. [You understand it as life and death in absolute terms. To them, it would be a new beginning. A new story can't start unless the current one ends. And many of them have grown tired of the current story.]
I still scowled at the thought.
The atmosphere within Asgard's Throne room was melancholic.
I think nearly everyone that remained had someone close to them walking out. And it would be something else entirely if they just walked away, but instead, they were standing on the opposite side.
Though, everyone knew the situation and pulled themselves together rather quickly.
Vidar walked up to me, putting a hand on my shoulder. "As both the King of Asgard and one of its Children, I thank you for your help."
"I'm glad I could be of some help." I tried to be as polite as I could due to the situation.
"You deserved a better ceremony and arrival. I am dishonored for your treatment –"
I quickly cut him off. "We can handle all of that nonsense after everything is settled." I pat his armor. "As an apology, I wouldn't mind trying some Asgardian Mead later."
The King of Asgard, who looked like he had aged hundreds of years in the last several minutes showed a content smile. "It will be done."
"Aye! It will be a wonderful celebration!" Thor laughed but….well, it didn't feel right. Even if I didn't know him well, it felt like he was forcing it. But there was not much else he could do in this situation.
He walked up to me, holding his hand out.
I took it good-naturedly.
"I have heard a great many things about you. And I was astonished by your fight with Indra. I had hoped we would meet under different circumstances." Thor was polite.
There was a hint of challenge there despite his words coming off as polite. However, they didn't feel antagonistic in the slightest. "Another time and place, I'm sure we wouldn't be doing our greetings through words."
He had a big grin at that, allowing himself a moment of humor.
There was still another important matter to handle however.
The kids were still here.
Thor must have noticed my gaze because he too adopted a complicated look.
Vidar too seemed to realize the small oversight. The 'sudden betrayal' and all that, but he was also playing host to a group of younger generations from other Pantheons and Factions.
The King of Asgard showed that he was more than worthy to sit upon that throne.
His expression didn't waver even after seeing his brother betray them.
He walked up and sat back down, a stern look on his face and he cast his gaze over to the others. "The situation has changed. The promise was to provide opportunities for our friends from far away to experience blood and war. However, we can no longer guarantee your safety."
"If you're about to tell us to go home, you can save it." Bikou spoke up quickly. "Gramps told me to come here to earn some experience, I ain't leaving until I get to smack a God in the face with my rod."
Sairaorg punched his hand into his fist. "I came for a fight, it doesn't matter against who."
Boy Band and the others didn't voice their thoughts, but they seemed to agree with them.
"Very well." Vidar acknowledged them. "You will have the gratitude of Asgard upon the conclusion of this war."
He looked a tad hesitant, but I could understand his position. Asking 'kids' of other factions to help out was shitty, especially when they realistically can't afford to lose any help offered at the moment.
While not quite up to the level of Kronos and such, they're easily at the level where they could strengthen the battlefield with their presence.
He then turned to the Old Elf. "Thank you, King – "
"Bah, none of that." The Old Elf snorted. "If my son wants to sit on the throne, then he gets all the ass kissing that comes with the crown. It's just Folen now."
Vidar just smiled awkwardly. "Elder Folen then." He still tried to be respectful. "Thank you for coming to our aid."
"It was nothing big. I should be thanking you for allowing my people safe refuge. For as safe can mean during these times. Speaking of, come out you big rodent."
A certain pair of beady eyes appeared from the crevices of the Throne Room. The chirping sound made it obvious who it was. "How did you know I was there!?"
"I didn't." The Old Elf Shrugged with a grin.
Heh.
Ratatoskr looked…shy almost. It felt like he didn't enjoy being the center of attention. Many curious eyes were now on him and he was literally back into a corner.
Odin tapped the spear against the ground, immediately grabbing the attention of everyone. "Ratatoskr lent us aid while we fought The World Wolf and the Titans down in the roots. Without him, I may not have lived to see the sun rise."
It was only a few words but they suddenly all looked at the big squirrel in a new light.
"On behalf of Asgard, thank you, Mighty Ratatoskr." Vidar proclaimed. "Know that as long as Asgard's walls exist, refuge is here for any of its allies."
"Yeah….right." The Squirrel seemingly didn't know how to respond to that. He scampered up to the Old Elf, sort of hiding behind him and looking around to me briefly as if to check that we're okay.
"What're your plans?" I asked him.
"My plans?" He sniffed.
"Do you plan to hibernate, or stay around?"
"…Do…..you want me to stay around?" He hesitantly asked.
"Well, your help is always welcomed. You saved our asses back there and having a friend that can travel through Yggdrasil as easily as I can breathe is always welcomed. But, it's not really your fight in a way. You're able to sleep through it and can avoid the fighting."
"I'm not a fighter!"
"That's fine, not everyone is." I smiled.
"….then what do you expect me to help with?"
"Whatever you think is best."
His claws tapped against the tiled floor a few times and began to sink into the ground. "You're the first person to call me a friend." He said disappearing.
Well, that was strange.
But I suppose Ratatoskr wasn't exactly normal either.
"Await the return of our armies. Then we will call a council to await Loki's attack." Vidar ordered.
It would take a few hours at a minimum for the front lines to properly retreat and return to Asgard. And then immediately we had to prepare for an upcoming siege.
It was going to be a long next few days.
His words were basically the indication that the court was dismissed.
Thus, I walked over to greet the others.
"Wilhelm!" Sairaorg greeted.
I happily took his hand. "It's been awhile. I didn't expect to see you up here."
"You as well!" He grinned. "How long have you been up here?"
Obviously, he meant the Norse realms in general. "A couple days at this point. We intended to quietly deal with the Titans taking up refuge around here, but that went to the wayside after full on war broke out. Unfortunately, we ran into them down in the Roots, but Fenrir was there too and he was just as much of a monster as the legends say."
"I see, it must have been a tough fight. I admit, I'm kind of confused as to what happened just now…" He scratched his cheek.
"That…" Where to begin? "Loki had a scheme going on down in the Roots. The Box is Pandora's Box, and he was sort of using Níðhöggr as a vector to corrupt Yggdrasil." I was about to go into more detail, but I guess it didn't really matter. "Anyways, we realized that Loki didn't know we had been down there by the time we came to Asgard, so Odin used the opportunity to force everything out in the open and make everyone draw their lines in the sand."
Which didn't really change much on our end and only benefited us. Our enemies would have been our enemies regardless.
"I understand." He nodded.
I pat his shoulders. "Looks like you had a hard time?"
He shrugged. "I've never fought in a war. It's a different experience." The armor around him shimmered, and another familiar face appeared at his side.
"Yo." The Nemean lion raised his hand casually.
"The others in your peerage here too?"
"Nah, only Neme here cause he's technically my Sacred Gear." Sairaorg said casually.
I understood. The whole concept of this get together for them was to supplement each faction with a combined group of the younger generation. Lop siding it with Sairaorg's entire peerage would make things awkward.
"Bikou." I greeted the new Monkey King.
"Sup." He put his Divine Staff up against his shoulder. "Didn't think you'd be here, should have guessed."
I flicked my hand up in acknowledgement.
"Boy band!"
"Fuck off." Vali scowled.
I just grinned, moving on to the next. "And I don't think we've met?" I looked at the kid dressed in Greek style armor.
And as far as 'kids' go, he looked to be the youngest of the group.
"I-I'm Achilles!" He quickly introduced himself, stumbling slightly.
"Are you now?" I raised an eyebrow. "….spirit inheritor?"
"Um…yes sir!" He nodded. "And…um, my Great Grandmother is Thetis."
Wow, that's not going to be awkward at all.
But I suppose that's Greeks for you.
Achilles was going to have fun when he finds out he had a mini-me running around here.
Lastly, was the 'Jade-Beauty' and the Church Girl, both of which, well, I didn't really have a positive relationship with.
The girl I pissed off while I was playing around as a young master in Nuwa's palace.
I waved, she scowled and turned away.
Yup.
As for Church girl, well, I was basically the 'enemy' of her face, I just gave her a polite nod and she seemed to slightly do so in return even if her expression didn't change.
"You guys sure you want to stick around? I can easily give you a ride home." Well, easily was me being prideful. This whole place was fucking with my normal usage of my Magic. Even with Mirage, it's all fucky and I'm still figuring it out.
Not that I And couldn't open a portal, but it's significantly more difficult while on Yggdrasil.
"It's fine, Gramps didn't raise no coward." Bikou shrugged. "Besides, it's not like we can't run away if the worst happens."
That was very true.
"If you're here, then I can handle it too." Vali huffed indignantly.
The others, well, I didn't know the two others very well. "I thought there was more of your little group? I don't feel like everyone's represented here."
"There's another group that are helping the Celtic Pantheon." Bikou explained.
Huh, imagine that.
Well, I wouldn't talk them out of staying. I would be a hypocrite if I started spouting nonsense about it being dangerous and all that.
I would do my best to keep an eye on them at the very least.
"Oi, brat." Odin hollered. "Come with me, I wanna show you something."
I said my goodbyes to them, and quickly caught up as Odin didn't even wait for me before he left.
[***]
"So, what do you want to show me?" We had walked out of the Palace and sort of back around it to some secluded area.
"Well, nothing really important. I just wanted an excuse to get a little bit of time away." Odin admitted openly.
Jeez, I didn't even know what to say to comfort him.
Odin looked up at the sky. "He's not a brat any longer. He's a man, a God. He will have to take responsibility for his actions."
It was clear who he was talking about.
"It's hard to blame him. I went to some lengths myself because of Scáthach." He wasn't so lucky as me to have a means to bring back the woman he loved.
"I don't know what I would do if given the offer of bringing back Frigga." Odin sympathized as well. "However, before I am a Husband, a Father, and an Old man, I am a God. The needs of Asgard come before my heart."
"I couldn't handle being responsible for so many people all the time." I respected him for it honestly.
"Well, there is a specific kind of courage to openly admit that sort of thing." Odin chuckled. "Come here, there's something good." He led me through a sort of garden, and I came to the realization of where we were.
Before I could speak, a small head peeked over a bush at her arrival. "Grandpa!" A young voice called out, flying to Odin to give him a hug.
"Oof, you're getting so big." He smiled, returning the gesture.
A small girl, perhaps a year or two younger than Kunou based on her stature and with a head of blonde hair.
"Come now, introduce yourself to Grandpa's friend."
She broke away from Odin and did a cute little curtsey. "I'm the Goddess of Youth, Iðunn." She beamed.
I looked at Odin and he gave me a short look and I ignored my question for now. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Iðunn. I'm Wilhelm Henry Schweinorg, you can call me Wilhelm." I adopted the same mannerisms when I was handling Kunou.
Odin whistled and his two Familiars came flying down. Iðunn Looked ecstatic and she immediately started playing with them.
Honestly, it's almost exactly what I did with Kunou sometimes to distract her.
I guess some things are universal.
Odin silently led me a little further to the side to a bench. He let out a grunt sitting down and I joined him.
In front of us was an innocuous tree, but the aura it exuded could not be hidden.
"Is that…?"
"Mmm, it's the Golden Apple Tree." Odin nodded. "Figured you'd like to see it since we have a small amount of time before everyone arrives."
The Golden Apples were pretty much the same as the Greek Variety. And they are equivalent to the Peaches of Immortality.
I glanced at the adorable child running around with the two Ravens. "Is she really Iðunn?"
"Yes and no." Odin let out a tired sigh. "She is the child of Iðunn and Bragi. Bragi died and Iðunn suffered mortal wounds. I suspected Loki, but I had no evidence to support it. I believe he wanted to cut off our access to the Golden Apples that grow here. Iðunn was as stubborn as she was kind and despite suffering pain that would make any God wish for death, she made it back home and gave birth…in a manner of speaking."
"She…gave birth to herself?"
Odin shook his head. "Her child was also hurt, so she did the only thing she could. With her connection to the Golden Apple Tree, one of the most powerful expressions of life within the Nine Realms, she bound her Daughter to the Tree and offered up her own Godhood. Iðunn passed away, but Iðunn was saved." Odin stretched his body. "It took a long time for her to be 'properly' born as she had to 'ripen' before she could be 'picked' from the tree. She's technically 471 years old, but realistically, she's closer to 40 years after being separated from the Tree."
"As a Goddess of youth, does she grow slower?"
"That, and the fact that she's even more connected to the Golden Apple Tree than her mother. It'll probably be a few thousand years before she's properly an adult." Odin smiled, watching her play.
"Grandpa!" Iðunn came running over. "The Birdies told me what happened!"
"Did they now?" Odin leveled a glare at the two Ravens, both of whom squawked and looked like they wanted to run away.
"I can help!"
"Can you?" Odin hummed, humoring her.
"I can fight too! I'm a Goddess!" She reached into a small pouch she had at her side, her arm disappearing into it, making me realize it was bigger on the inside like my Ring. Very quickly she pulled out something very large.
A hammer, a hammer that was comically big in comparison to her. The 'head' of it was probably four times her size. She held it up easily, waving it around. "I can fight, see!?"
"I do see, that's why you have a very important job. Your job is to protect the Golden Apple Tree. It's a very important Job and I can't trust it to anyone else but you."
"Is it really important?" Iðunn asked skeptically.
"Really really." He nodded.
The little girl pursed her lips, and dropped the hammer on the ground.
I honestly expected it to be a toy. The quake it generated as it hit the earth, and the way it sunk down into the ground made me rethink that.
For some reason, that just made her more adorable.
Maybe Kunou and her would get along?
I was about to bridge the topic with Odin, but a horn reverberated throughout the surroundings. Frankly, I think everyone within Asgard could hear it.
"The Gjallarhorn." Odin stood up. "They've returned."
"I'm coming too!" Iðunn declared. "I'm a Goddess."
Odin stared at her for a moment and seemingly relented. "Come, our time grows short."
[***]
The short respite was welcomed, but it ended fairly quickly. I expected it to take a few more hours in all honesty, but then again, Vidar also prepared on his end before he realized Odin had returned, so maybe not.
We quickly returned to the palace, where many new faces greeted us.
"Let's skip the pleasantries. "Brat, Meet Freyja, Heimdall, Ullr, Sif, and Tyr. They're the ones who were mostly holding the lines that just came back." Odin quickly introduced.
I silently nodded to them, and they did the same.
"Odin, you didn't say he was so handsome." The woman, I'm presuming Freyja, sauntered over rather seductively.
"Keep it in your pants, Thot." Odin grumbled.
I nearly choked at hearing the way he spoke to her.
"Bite me, old man." She scoffed. "I've been covered in dirt, snow and blood for over a week straight, forgive me for wanting to be pampered a little and treated as a proper Goddess of Beauty!"
"You're forgiven."
The Goddess rolled her eyes.
"Ignore her, she just likes people drooling over her every step. But she's one hell of a Sorceress." Odin stated.
"We do not have much time." A deep voice carried over. "I can hear the drums of war intensify." He breathed out, cold air dissipating into the air. "And the Temperature falls."
Pretty sure that's Tyr, the God of War.
"I see them, they march upon us in uncountable numbers. The Rulers of Jotunheim lead." Heimdall, I presumed, looked off into the distance. "They will be upon us shortly."
"I've already started ordering our defenses." The Woman wearing full armor among them interjected. The Goddess Sif, Wife of Thor. "My husband, along with our Children set out to buy us a few more minutes to prepare."
Thor and Magni at a minimum might be able to cause them to slow down a bit without fear of dying.
As if to answer, a thunderous boom shook the keep. Thor landed upon the entrance, letting out a breath. "I apologize for my poor timing, however, my attempts to stall did not fare too well."
"It's unfortunate, but not unexpected." Odin shook his head. "Vidar."
"Yes, Father." Vidar nodded, something between them. "The Barrier around Asgard is being raised as we speak."
I could sense an overwhelming amount of Magic thrum through the air. I closed my eyes and focused on it, and I could feel it taking shape around the entirety of Asgard.
"I should be thankful we made it back in time, but this timing is annoying." Freyja grumbled. "Out of one fight, into another."
"A final round of drinks for myself and my brothers." Thor grinned.
"We say goodbye to our fathers and mothers." Odin followed suit.
"For Valhalla calls, and it will wait no longer." Vidar joined in.
Despite the somber atmosphere, they all pushed away their inner feelings and current turmoil, focusing on the issue.
"Heimdall, you will be in charge of moving around our troops. Father, you're still hurt, preserve most of your strength for now. Thor, focus everything you can on killing the Warlords that dared to cast their greedy hands towards Asgard. Freyja, you're handling our Magical Defenses." Vidar began ordering about. "Wilhelm." He looked at me.
"I can handle some Jotuns."
He smiled. "You have the same duty as my brother. If their leadership collapses, we will have a chance. However, be on guard for our traitors and their allies."
Kronos, Hyperion, and the plethora of Gods along with Loki who will be present.
And that's not considering all the God-like Giants running around and other powerful foes.
"The others have already taken their posts, let us join them."
[***]
We, very quickly, made our way through the streets of Asgard that had become both chaotic and rather orderly.
Weapons and Food were being carted to the front, and civilians were being ushered to the back.
All along the walls of Asgard, I could see thousands of Soldiers. Gods in some part, spirits in another.
Einherjar, the spirits of the fallen that fought for Asgard.
Among them, there were also women in particular positions. Wings on their backs, and identical armor upon them.
Valkyries flew high overhead.
Since the armies of Asgard pulled back, I could see them for their true worth.
Hundreds of thousands they numbered. It really put into perspective how strong each Major Faction truly was.
They would roll over anything the Youkai could potentially do to mount a resistance if they fought in a similar manner.
By using the standards popularized by the Devils, I think every Einherjar was at a minimum, Middle-Class in strength.
I found myself a spot upon the Walls rather quickly, and on the ground in front of us sprawled many more formations of Asgardian warriors.
"A magnificent sight."
I looked to the side to see the Old Elf come up to me "It really is."
"Makes me wish I grabbed my good bow before coming over." He grumbled.
That made me pause and think. "How good are you with your bow?"
"I'm alright." He said casually.
"No, seriously. How good are you?"
He looked at me with a more serious expression. "Outside of Ullr on the other wall…and maybe him included." He looked thoughtful. "I could probably be in the top Three."
It pained me, like almost physically, but I looked into my ring and took out Auriel's Bow and held it out to him.
Letting my friend or family use one of my treasures was one thing, and even though the Elf helped me out when I was hurt, I just….it was something I didn't like to do. It went against my draconic nature to part with anything from my horde.
"What the Hel is that thing?" The Elf's eyes widened.
"Think you can handle it?"
He hesitantly took it from my hand and flicked the bow string. "Yeah, I think I can do pretty alright." He cracked a smile.
It was better in the hand of someone who can fully make use of the bow's abilities right now. If the situation wasn't rather dire, I would not be lending out my Treasures.
Tyr wasn't lying when he said the temperature was dropping.
Approaching us was a fog, a thick cold air that blew past the forests and the mountains. Rumblings hiding within, eyes glowing balefully behind the frigid winds.
The first one to step out was a giant 30 or 40 meters tall. It was easy to tell they were a woman, but they looked to be completely made of Ice.
She let out a roar, and the cold winds lashed out, carrying with them even more under the cover of the chilling colds. Jotuns of smaller sizes and bigger sizes came stomping forward. And along with them came a plethora of other creatures and nasty enemies. The majority of their forces seemed to be composed of Draugr, but the Trolls were noted in large numbers, filling in the gaps so to speak.
"I take it that's an important one?" I asked, pointing at the Jotun who appeared to be made of Ice.
"That would be Thiassi, one of the Eight Warlords of Jotunheim. Her name means Ice. Among her siblings are, Kari - Tempest; Beli - Storm; Thrym - Frost; Johul -Glacier; Frosti - Cold; Snoer - Snow; and Orifta - Snowdrift. Each of their names represents the harsh environment of Jotunheim." He explained briefly.
So far, it appeared to be something of a standoff.
The tension was palpable, and no one made the first move.
"Want to boost our morale?" I asked.
"What do you have in mind?" He looked at me.
"Take a shot with that bow at the Jotun." I pointed to the Ice one.
The Old Elf looked at me, then down at the bow. He shrugged, putting his own bow onto his back and holding up Auriel's Bow.
Ever so slightly, he pulled the string back, and the light around us dimmed.
As if all the light in the world swirled around him, converging, and condensing into the form of an arrow as he continued to pull the string back.
At this point, I think everyone noticed the phenomenon occurring, at the very least, everyone important did.
Even the Jotun he was aiming at, she looked…confused, shocked? And that quickly turned into fear as the arrow fully formed.
From this far away, I could see her eyes widen.
There were no words as the arrow was let loose.
The Fog dispersed almost completely, a bright light soaring to the horizon.
And with that, one of the 'Rulers' of Jotunheim was missing an arm.
Honestly, I thought it would have an immediate effect like our side cheering with a big morale boost, but instead, everyone was just sort of staring our way.
"What the hell did you give me!?" The Old elf exclaimed.
[***]
A/N
Battle for Asgard beings, and we're approaching the end of the Yggdrasil arc.
If you want to read 10 chapters ahead or support me, visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m / astoryforone
I also have a boosty for those who can't use the above under the same name.