I laid in my bed and rested while Komine looked after me, making sure I was resting well. She stared at me and her ears flicked. She reached for my hand then held it. Her tail swayed and she smiled a bit.
"I hope you're okay...Loki said she went back to Beigaldi and managed to revert time to save the citizens...She even put in a good word for you. They recognize you as their hero..." Komine said.
Komine felt me gently squeeze her hand. She smiled and leaned forward. "I was wrong about you...The way you battled against Solmund...You even got him to break. I can definitely see why Cornelia and Fhae likes you.."
Komine got even closer and stared at me. She began to blush and interlocked our fingers together.
"I wanna see Daddy!" Atalia cried out.
"We are, we are." Grace said as she walked down the hall.
Komine's left pointed toward the door and she backed away and tried to let my hand go, but noticed I was still holding her hand. She smiled and decided to keep holding my hand.
Grace walked into my room with Atalia and noticed me and Komine holding hands. Atalia looked at me and hurried over to me.
"Daddy!" Atalia said and hopped on the bed. "Daddy? Are you awake?"
"He's resting, Little Atalia..~" Komine said.
"It's fine.." I said softly and opened my eyes. I used my other hand to rub Atalia's head. I sat up and hugged Atalia.
Atalia looked at me and hugged back. "What's wrong, Daddy?"
I held Atalia close. I couldn't get Solmund's words out of my head.
•A few hours ago...•
"You want to know something, Hero? We know about Atalia, your adoptive daughter."
"It is only a matter of time before we get her. Oh, you thought we didn't know about her? Of course we would know about potentially one of the strongest Goddesses to ever be born! She is a key asset to Organization X..."
•Present Time...•
"I won't let anyone hurt you..." I said softly.
Atalia smiled and giggled. "I know you won't, Daddy!~"
Komine and Grace watched me and Komine's ears folded backwards. She looked at me worried. She could feel Solmund's words weighed on me a lot.
I let Atalia go and smiled at her. "I love you...remember that always.."
"I love you too!~" Atalia giggled and smiled brightly at me.
I chuckled softly and gently ruffled her hair. "I'm gonna try to get more rest so go play with the others okay..?"
Atalia nodded and got off my bed then hurried over to Grace. Grace held Atalia's hand and looked at me once more before leaving the room, leaving me and Komine alone.
"So you heard everything I said..?" Komine asked.
I nodded and smiled at Komine. I sat on the edge of the bed then held her other hand. "It was nice to hear that from you...It was really touching. I'm glad Beigaldi is safe as well... I'm glad you're safe as well as Loki and Sunna..."
{Bond with Komine Increased!}
Komine blushed and looked at our hands. She felt my gently rub her hands with my thumb and looked back up at me bashfully. "Can I ask you something..?"
"Anything.." I smiled at Komine.
"Would you mind...y'know going on a date with me tomorrow..? I want to talk to you about a few things alone and spend a few hours with you.." Komine said.
I nodded. "I'm down for a date with you..."
Komine smiled a bit and her tail wagged slightly. "Can I ask you another..?"
"Go ahead.." I said.
Komine grew a bit more embarrassed and shuffle a bit. "Can you...kiss me..?"
I rose an eyebrow and stared at her. "You want me to kiss you..?"
Komine nodded and looked down a bit. "Cornelia makes it sound like it's the best thing ever...I want to experience it as well.."
I smiled and chuckled softly. "I should've known...but alright. I'll kiss you..."
Komine looked at me. I leaned forward and gently kissed Komine's lips. She slowly kissed back and closed her eyes. Our kiss lasted a few seconds before we broke the kiss.
{Bond Rank with Komine UP: D -> C}
"How was it..?" I asked.
Komine averted her eyes and her face was red. "I enjoyed it.." She answered and her tail wagged even more.
I smiled at her and watched her stand up. She let go of my hands and I did the same with hers.
"I'm gonna let you sleep now...I hope you sleep well.." Komine said.
I nodded. "Good night.."
"Good night.." Komine responded then left my room, closing my door behind herself.
I laid back down on my bed and stared at the ceiling. I smiled softly then rolled on my side then closed my eyes, drifting off to sleep.
——————
Freyja noticed me walking toward her and smiled. "Welcome back, my dearest~"
I smiled at her and sat beside her. I looked at the sky and let out a soft sigh. "It seems that The Risi knows about Atalia. I don't know how they could've figured it out, but now I need to do more to keep her safe."
"I was afraid of that, but at least they don't know where she is... However it's best if you keep your guard because Valdana knows where you all are. She will attack and I'm afraid as you are, you can't win even with your War God Form." Freyja said.
I sighed softly then felt Freyja pull me toward her. She made me lay my head on her lap and she rubbed my hair gently.
"Ragnarok is approaching us...I want you to always be strong. As the Hero, you are fated to be the one to stop Ragnarok. Tyr failed to stop Ragnarok and his life was taken as a result. Most of the Gods and Goddesses have died already. The Risi are moving quickly and this was a problem for years." Freyja said and looked down at me.
"How did you survive for so long?" I asked.
"I didn't..." Freyja smiled softly. "I am actually dead, but my spirit lives on here in Folkvangr. If I am to leave this area...Folkvangr also disappears. Vanadis is my reincarnation."
"Your spirit lives on huh..? Who killed you?" I asked.
"Surtr." Freyja answered. "You see, I am one of the few who survived Ragnarok... because I never partook in the battles. But I can tell you that I have one other form...or persona that is the strongest of all."
"So you aren't truly dead?" I asked.
"This body is dead, but my strongest form is named Frigg. If you wish to meet her, you'll need to traverse to a Mythical Domain known as Fensalir." Freyja answered.
"Frigg...How do I get to Fensalir?" I asked.
"You're looking at your passage..~" Freyja giggled softly. "If you want to meet Frigg, you'll have to do something for me first."
"What?" I asked.
"Marry me." Freyja said.
I sat up and looked at Freyja. "Really?"
Freyja nodded and smiled at me. "Yes, I'm serious. If you were to marry me, you'll be able to freely come to Folkvangr without the need for sleeping plus when my spirit finally disappears, Folkvangr will still be much alive.."
I stared at Freyja. "But...if you disappear..."
Freyja held my cheek and smiled sweetly at me. "My dearest...You will have Frigg who is still me in a sense. I've ran my course while Frigg still plays a major role in keeping Valhalla and Asgard from destruction, plus if you're married to her, the other servants to Frigg will undeniably love you as well. But I won't disappear until I step into Fensalir."
I looked at Freyja then closed my eyes. "I understand, but don't think I'm selfish for not wanting to go to Fensalir at the moment.."
"Oh I completely understand~ There is no rush either. The Risi can't even scratch Frigg. Not even Solmund or Valdana. We have a lot of time to spend with one another~ I may have been married to a lot of Gods, but there's something... interesting with being married to a human. I think it'll be a nice experience.." Freyja smiled.
{Freyja is able to be summoned in battle!}
I looked at the notification and tilted my head. "I can summon you in battle?"
"Oh yeah~ One of my special abilities is called Seithr Manipulation. It takes a long time to master, but since you're married to me now, you have a few benefits. One of them is being able to freely use it with no drawbacks as your power is linked to me. You have an infinite supply of Seithr! If you ever need my assistance, just call upon my name and I shall come down and assist in anyway possible." Freyja explained.
I smiled and nodded. "I experienced it once when I called upon you the first time. The sky turned golden and golden beams of light crashed down and saved me, Grace, and Vaja from Solmund."
"I wouldn't dare not respond to you in your times of need. Not when Atalia deeply loves you. I can't bare to watch you die.." Freyja said and got closer to me.
Freyja held my hand and summoned ring then placed her forehead on mine. She slid the ring on my finger then kissed me. I kissed her back and held her hand. After a few seconds, she pulled away and smiled softly at me.
"I will make sure you're unstoppable. No matter what..." Freyja said in a soft and soothing voice.
"I appreciate it.." I smiled then noticed my body fading away. "I keep forgetting time here and on Isoria is vastly different...so this is goodbye for now.."
Freyja nodded and kept holding my hand. "Be safe out there, my love.."
I nodded and closed my eyes, fully fading away.
——————
I woke up and sat up slowly. I looked at my hand and noticed the ring on my finger then smiled. I got out of bed and hurried to get ready for the day. As I got ready, I noticed a message from Komine.
{Komine: It would appear Atalia is joining us, so I guess it's a family outing!}
I chuckled softly and smiled.
{Me: Thats fine with me. It allows her to get out this HQ so I'm fine with her joining. After all I'm sure she would love to explore with yours truly.}
{Komine: Alright, Mr. Hotshot, calm down.}
I chuckled and finished getting ready for the day.
After getting ready, I hurried out of the HQ to meet with Komine and Atalia. Atalia noticed me and hurried over to me.
"Daddy!~" Atalia said happily.
I picked Atalia up and smiled. "Ahh, you ready for the day?"
Atalia nodded and smiled. "We're gonna have a lot of fun with Mama Komine!~"
I looked at Komine and noticed her rosy cheeks. "Yeah we are." I chuckled.
I set Atalia down then crouched down so she could get in my back for a piggyback ride. I walked over to Komine and smiled at her. Her ears flicked and her tail wagged slightly.
"Ready?" I asked.
"Y-Yes." Komine nodded.
"Alright let's go." I smiled.
"Yay! Let's go!" Atalia said happily. "Onward!"
Komine, Atalia, and I began to make our way to District 1 to start our morning with a nice breakfast. Komine and I talked for a bit as we traversed the sidewalk together. Atalia enjoyed the fact that I was getting along with everyone which made her really happy.
We made it to the cafe and went to the counter to order a few donuts and drinks for us. I paid for it and got us seated at a table. As we ate, I noticed a few people coming toward us asking if Atalia was ours.
"So she's actually yours?" A woman asked with curiosity.
"We adopted her together." I smiled.
{Bond with Komine Increased!}
Komine looked at me then at the woman and smiled with a blush. "Yeah...she really caught our eye. We had to claim her for ourselves... She's a real joy to be around."
"She's just so adorable!~" The woman said and smiled as she watched Atalia enjoy her donut without a care in the world.
"Thank you." I chuckled.
The woman walked off with her husband. Komine and I looked at each other then she looked at Atalia with a smile.
"I want another one!~" Atalia giggled.
"You've got quite the appetite~" I chuckled and gently wiped her mouth with a paper towel.
Atalia giggled and pushed my arm away playfully. She reached for another donut and grabbed it then chomped down on it. She noticed some jelly oozing from it and her eyes sparkled. Komine giggled softly and watched Atalia.
——————
Komine and I sat at the park and watched Atalia play with the other children. Atalia was having the time of her life with the other children playing tag and doing other activities with them.
"I remember when you first crashed into my house with her in arms...She was really attached to you and now you two are damn there inseparable at times at HQ. You're rarely seen without her." Komine smiled.
"I can be quite the doting father at times. I care about her safety a lot. Whenever she gets hurt, I'm always there to make it better. I want to be in her life for as much as I can. Be there for her always. She is my first actual child even if she's adopted.." I said and smiled.
"I can respect that a lot. I've never had children of my own let alone tried to make one.." Komine said.
"Never once tried to have a litter of kits?" I asked.
Komine looked at me surprised. "A litter..?! I might be a kitsune, but I'm not an actual fox. I can't reproduce that much.."
I chuckled softly and rested my arm against the back of the bench we sat on and looked at Komine. "Hey I'm sorry. You're literally the first of your kind I've met so I don't know how it works."
Komine rolled her eyes and leaned against me. "Whatever..."
I smiled and wrapped my arm around her and kept watching Atalia play around with her friends.
Two hours go by and Atalia finally came back to us a bit tired. She played until her heart was content and she was ready to go after saying goodbye to her friends. Komine and I got up and got ready for one more activity which was the movies. Atalia wanted to see a movie while we were out and I agreed to it.
——————
"Come on, Daddy! We gotta get the tickets before all the good seats are taken!" Atalia said as she dragged me toward the cinema.
"We're coming, Princess." I chuckled.
Komine happily followed us and the three of us entered the building. I used the kiosk to get two tickets since Atalia was free because she wasn't the age of 10 and older yet. Komine and I were able to use our Valkyrie Discount so it only came up to $15 for two tickets.
I got us a few snacks and drinks and together we went to see the movie named The Goddesses of Gold, a movie inspired by Freyja and Gullveig. As we took our seats, I gave Atalia her snacks and the drink she wanted.
The movie...let's just say it did not do any justice to Freyja nor Gullveig. It might be because of bias since I personally knew Freyja and Cornelia but in the end it was an interesting watch. Atalia seemed to enjoy it and Komine...well she fell asleep on the movie.
"Mama Komine, wake up." Atalia said and shook Komine.
Komine made a soft sound and her ears folded back then she opened her eyes. "Huh..? It's over..?"
"You missed the entire movie." I chuckled.
"Oh...sorry. I was just...a bit tired. The sun from earlier tired me out...I don't do very well in the heat..." Komine said and stretched a bit.
"It was so amazing! I feel like I know who both Freyja and Gullveig are..." Atalia said.
I smiled at Atalia and gently ruffled her hair. "They are important figures after all."
Atalia smiled at me and nodded. "That's why they have a movie! They are important!"
I nodded and stood up. "Let's get back home so sleepyhead here can take her naptime break."
"Shut up..." Komine said with a blush and stood up.
We all walked off to throw away our trash and headed out the theater. Atalia spoke to us about the movie the entire walk back to HQ and Komine happily listened to her. It was always nice to hear Atalia speak about her favorite things because of the joy she felt when she talked about it.
We soon made it back to HQ and Atalia hurried forward when she noticed Fhae watering a few plants in the yard. Fhae smiled at Atalia then looked at me and Komine and waved.
We waved back and smiled at Fhae.
"I had a wonderful time out today..~ It's...strange for me to have fun with men, but hanging out with you was very enjoyable. We should go out again.." Komine said.
"I agree..~ I'm happy to take you out any time you please.." I smiled.
Komine nodded and kissed my cheek. "I'm gonna get some sleep..."
I nodded. "Sleep well.."
"Thank you.." Komine smiled and walked off.
{Bond with Komine Increased!}
{Bond Rank with Komine UP: C -> B}