When the storm expanded and Nin’Yala’s suffocating huff came, Aiden gritted his teeth and reinforced the whole blizzard with the same empowering intention as the tiny, personalized dome.
His breath caught as the Nin’Yala’s unseen force tried to suffocate the blizzard again, but the ice storm held. He grinned, the exhilaration of directly challenging the Argul Denmother filling him with competitive giddy.
Aiden was rarely ever the strongest one in any fight. From here out, he would only be punching up—and big time. Despite his great ambition and continued training and refinement, he couldn’t match thousands of years old beings strength for strength, blow for blow.
But he didn’t need to. Not everything had to be faced head on. That wasn’t his specialty, otherwise he would’ve taken power as his main attribute.
He had to trust himself, trust his power, to protect him even as he moved forward. No matter how much endurance he stacked up, it would never be enough to truly withstand the forces he pitted himself against.
His aura wasn’t there as a barrier, nor was his domain just a reaction to save him from being crushed by the Void or Nin’Yala. It was vast, stretching beyond his vision in all directions, and he could move freely within it. It would not stop an enemy’s advance, but soften it, muffle it, slow it, misdirect it. While the enemy searched in the dark, the creeping numbness would seep into them, rob them of their strength, freeze absolutely.
Aiden could see clearly, move freely. No longer did the Void obscure everything in a realm of darkness. No longer did the pressure restrain Aiden. With a triumphant grin, he finished his walk toward Nin’Yala and Blizzy’s cuddle pile.
Once he reached them, he pet Blizzy’s head and looked her over. She continued growing well, bigger than a large moose now. “You coming with me, girl? I’ll need your help, and there’s gonna be a whole lot for you to snack on. Kinds of things you haven’t had a chance to eat before.”
A happy chirp later and she’d removed herself from where she’d been cuddling Nin’Yala.
“Sounds good to me, girl.” He turned to observe Anna, James, and Josh. He doubted they’d make leaving a simple matter, especially when he told them they’d be remaining behind for the assault on Valhalla.
After the melodrama previously, they would be sure to make a fuss about him changing his mind. Aiden would have to pay special attention to ignoring Josh. Of the three of them, Josh always found a way to make Aiden feel like he was betraying them by trusting his judgement and handling things on his own.
The thought had been nice. Aiden found comfort in their desire to be helpful and supportive, but the reality of the situation… He couldn’t keep waiting and they just weren’t ready. Simple.
Blizzy by his side, Aiden began his path toward the exit.
Josh took a step back and hung his head. His clenched fists let out a small boom from his power. Aiden’s expectations were surprisingly very wrong, as James didn’t move from where he sat meditating and Anna sighed and folded her arms.
“I wondered if all that talk would mean anything.” Anna let her arms drop and hang by her side. “I really did try, Aiden. We tried.”
“I don’t blame you, any of you.” He meant it. He’d been pushing himself far beyond them since the beginning.
“Of course not.” He could see in her eyes so many things left unspoken, but she pursed her lips and gave him space. “Come back alive, at least.”
“You’re starting to sound like Olivia now.” He waved away her concern. “I’ll be fine, you know it. I always make it back.” When he noticed none of them looked like they intended to follow him and their looks of determination in the moments they thought he wasn’t looking, he couldn’t help but smile. “Good luck.”
Then he and Blizzy left the hole and returned to Midrath.
—
Taking even Leyla bothered Aiden and he wished he could confront Xenith himself, but he shoved down the anxiety and searched for her. There were too many reasons why he couldn’t rush off to Valhalla to confront Xenith himself. Namely his lack of power and how Leyla would skewer him if he stole her revenge from her.
The walk back was long, and he didn’t rush.
He didn’t know how things would go with Xenith’s gauntlet, let alone if he’d ever come back to Midrath. Even if he succeeded, he didn’t know if he’d return. In a perfect world, the Authorities would be his after he defeated Xenith and satisfied Kyriall’s condition to evolve Blizzy, he’d completely lock out the gods’ influences once and for all, save Khione…
If he could do all of that, he’d be free to explore the new world. He’d already felt the expansiveness of the Mortal Realm and how many portals to other worlds he could create. There was so much out there to explore, and if the Rhexians were anything to judge by, there would be even more to protect from.
But if he stayed, could he ever leave? Would he ever be happy with himself? Or would his duty, the weight of his responsibilities, and the crushing desperation for more power so he could protect the things he loved crush him?
All of that, in this moment, felt so far away to him in a comforting way. Before any of that held any weight, he first needed to get past Xenith. “Step one, beat the big bad afterlife immortal who thrives off combat. Surely no problems there.”
Leyla would get her revenge should they win, but would it be enough? He wondered regularly if they won and she drew on the black stigmata what would remain of her in the end.
Only time would tell, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to rush to Leyla to begin finding out the answers, but each step still carried him closer steadily. His plan was set. He knew what had to be done. All that was left was to do it.
“I hope Oli’s okay.”
—
“Damn it all!” Blade scraped helplessly against ice. “I.” Another swing rebounded. “Will.” Another. “Cut you!”
Leyla furiously screamed at the fifth segment of icy monoliths Aiden had created before leaving, ever-stubborn. He’d specifically stated for her to find a method outside of the Vorpal Blade to cut the damned thing, but she wanted to disregard his annoying instructions and leave all of them in piles of shredded flurry.
Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
“Infuriating man!” she howled, her scythe descending again to the same result. He wasn’t even around for her to express her anger either!
What made things even worse, she knew rationally the power of their combined souls should enable her to cut the block. He should not be able to create a thing she could not also cut. In all regards, they were equals. Unless one side was far greater than the other, such as someone’s defensive magic being drastically higher than their combined physical offensive might.
Which stung.
She was a Valkyr, a Fallen! Pure physical might and diabolical magical enhancements was her specialty!
It didn’t matter. She couldn’t. No matter how many times she tried, or how many support buffs she got from the turtle boy, she couldn’t do it.
She knew what it meant, but she didn’t want to accept it. Her and Aiden, they were equals. Bonded partners destined to walk as equals. She could not be so powerless against his overwhelming magic, could she?
Not if she wanted to remain his equal.
Which meant she had to cut the icy pillar. At this point, even a scrape, a minor cut, anything that showed she could have the possibility of damaging the hastily erected structure would count.
And still, she couldn’t.
Was she nothing without the cursed prophecy, weak and helpless without the Vorpal Blade to draw on? Surely not.
Each failed cut redoubled her efforts. Harder, faster, stronger—she could do it! She had to!
The others gave her a wide berth as she moved, her assault violent and unrelenting. She heard them talking, but the words of such insignificant burdens meant little to Leyla. They were all burdens for Aiden, took and took and gave nothing back due to their incompetence.
She refused to be like them, couldn’t allow herself to. Her pride as his bonded could not take it. If she wasn’t better, did she deserve to be bonded with him? Would he grow to resent her if she were not capable as a battle partner?
Was that something humans even valued?
As she pushed herself harder, two feelings warred with one another. The desire for approval and the fear of rejection. She’d never had a chance to grow comfortable with another, rely on them, trust them.
She learned she liked the feeling, but now when she thought of him, her Aiden, her bonded, she couldn’t think straight. Proving herself worthy of their bond was paramount. What if he began to wish for their separation? Would she have to skewer him a few times to show he couldn’t run away?
Then her blade glanced off the icy pillar once more. Could she skewer him? Could she show him her value through combat?
Leyla couldn’t take the growing pressure and uncertainty any longer, needed to see him. Her scythe dematerialized and she leaped into the air, her wings unfurling. “Where are you, infuriating man!”
—
Strolling along casually with Blizzy by his side, hands behind his head, Aiden’s neck tingled. Experienced enough to know what that meant, he grinned and pulled Silver out of his pocket and clicked the back.
Still yet to adjust to its newfound power, he watched in awe as it activated and seamlessly intertwined in hexagonal snowflake patterns by the thousands, the influence of Blizzard Mastery and possibly the Truth of Crystallization Greater Path. Extraordinary as the first time, a miniature blizzard swirled from the tip down the length and solidified as his sword. Same shape and size as when he used the Ice Discipline.
At the same time Silver formed, Blizzy chirped excitedly and bounded away a short distance where she sat and continued chirping, amused.
Aiden didn’t hesitate to throw himself out of the way and raise Silver to block Leyla’s fly-by follow-up attack. “Nice to see you too!”
“Shut up and fight!” she screamed, not to his surprise.
Valkyr are just wired different.
The first time he’d seen something of the sort, he’d tried to break up the fight back in Zion. He quickly earned the respect of two more Fallen for overpowering them and properly learned their customs.
Leyla, in trying to kill him, was effectively saying “I respect you, do you respect me?” And respect in their culture was the closest thing they had to a form of affection.
Something must have bothered her while he’d been gone for… “How long was I training?”
“Infuriating man!” she hissed, swinging her scythe with a sickly violet energy coating the edge. “It’s been a week! A week of hellish failure against that damn pillar!”
Ah. “You couldn’t cut it, could you?”
“But I can cut you!” With the aid of her wings, she launched herself forward, swinging the blade.
When he ducked, she threw a punch at his face, and he blocked it with a tiny replica of Ice Shield. He couldn’t help but notice keeping up with her speed was less of a problem after his ascension. Her power still overwhelmed him, but she couldn’t keep up with his magic or endurance.
All he needed to do was let her burn off her anger and frustration, then she’d mellow out enough for them to speak of departure to Valhalla and turn her hyperviolence toward dealing with Xenith.
Blizzy, all the while, chirped and cooed as they traded blows. Nin’Yala must have rubbed off on her, as she often blew huffs of frosty wind toward them whenever things started to get too slow for her liking.
Her skills with the scythe, her ability to control distances, and her hypermobility and ferocity kept him on the defense. No matter what direction he tried to turn to get some ground, she was there pressuring him. He weathered the bladestorm, punches and kicks, and the occasional chaos bolt until her shoulders shook from exertion and she struggled to take another step forward.
“You really went all out that time. I’m impressed. I couldn’t do anything to retaliate.” Not entirely true, but he knew better than to antagonize her if he ever wanted to move away from the random forestry. Unfortunately, their plan to depart would be delayed so that she could recover her full strength. “I’m very proud of your performance.”
“You didn’t even attack back seriously once!” she growled. “You demean me in this fight as if to say I am not worthy of you!”
“Not at all.” He shook his head and took a step closer, knowing better than to let Silver drop from its guard. “We both don’t need to be in recovery as we prepare to move against Xenith.”
She seemed split between wanting to continue questioning her worth to him and her heated, relentless desire for vengeance. “I need no rest to move against that woman.”
He appraised her with great skepticism. When she huffed defiantly, he held Silver forward and unleashed a cone of frost from its tip. The attack ended as fast as it began, and the result caused Aiden to chuckle. “That’s an interesting look.”
“Bite me,” she snarled, staggering forward with squinted eyes. “We go for Xenith’s head now? Do not lie to me about this.”
Aiden gave her another up and down look. “Once you’re rested, certainly.”
“What of your friends now?”
“Does that really matter to you?” He hadn’t expected her to be concerned about the others at the mention of taking on Xenith, but she always managed to surprise him.
“If we arrive and our lack of numbers means we cannot slay her, I will be very upset.” She showed her sharpest teeth. “You have yet to see me very upset, so I wouldn’t wish for us both to die by rushing off with high hopes, only to tuck our tails and retreat. My pride would never survive!”
“What pride?” He had to admit she had a point. Should he commit to abandoning the route with the others as participants, they wouldn’t have enough numbers. “But the Valkyr respect honest warriors more than the limitations that shackle and bind. Would Xenith truly deny us if our desire to fight is genuine?”
“Is that a gamble you’re willing to take?”
He was. “She may not see reason, but she understands violence and steel and honor, much like you.”
“Honor means little if one is dead, though my pride preens at the idea.” Leyla rolled her eyes. “So we are like-minded, bite me.”
“Right now?”
She licked her lips and staggered forward, her scythe dissipating as she collapsed forward. He easily caught her as her exhaustion won out. Deftly, as so many times before, he swept her into a princess carry and began the trek back to Zion with Blizzy chirping, greatly amused.