Odin sat regally in his chair. To most, it would look like he was utterly unaffected by everything that had just been revealed. The girl who had summoned him was his granddaughter by Loki. His granddaughter had been sent to nuns who had whipped her nearly to death. Her own father had cursed her then been compelled to remove the curse. He’d been unable to remove the curse completely because it had ‘mutated’ as Akira had said. And because of that, she was dying. Yet, she was completely at peace with the thought of dying young. That simple fact astounded him.

Odin looked to the young man who had begun sobbing. He looked just as broken as Loki had when he’d finally come out of his room for his wedding. It was then that Odin understood that the boy was deeply in love with his granddaughter. He sighed and rose from his chair. The room seemed to hold its breath. He approached the bed slowly. Asena stood and stepped back to allow him to kneel at her bedside.

“Why has one so young as you suffered so much?” he asked.

“You are the one our people go to for wisdom,” Akira told him.

“That does not mean I know all,” Odin sighed.

“The Christians believe their God knows all yet he is not present,” Akira said. “He is rarely felt and none have ever seen him. Their book says he sent his son to die for our sins but after he died and rose again few ever saw him again. Also, their church has picked and chosen which books went into their bible and which did not. History is always told by the victors. Why do you think our people are forever looked down upon? It’s because they refuse to understand us. For centuries, they have forced their doctrine upon any they deemed pagan. Those pagans who refused to convert were labeled barbarians. My mother was born into this religion. My father was born into the religion of his ancestors. For as long as I can remember, I have always found flaws in the religion my mother held so dear. I was always more drawn to my father’s ways and nature. So, when my mother sent me to the nuns I felt out of place. I knew everything they were teaching us like the back of my hand thanks to my mother but I felt no connection to it. In fact, you could almost say I despised it. There was nothing new to learn. With my father’s guidance, I learned something new almost all the time with his faith. There is always something to learn and it has brought me much peace over these last few years, more peace than I ever found at the nunnery.”

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Odin studied her for a moment. It was then that he noticed just how much she resembled Loki. Her face was nearly identical to his save for her lips. Her eyes, though different in color, changed between two different colors much like his did. When she had been standing, she stood at near to six feet in height. Her hair was long and though it was white, Odin suspected it had once been close to Loki’s auburn if not darker judging by the color of her eyebrows.

“I am at peace with death,” she reitterated. “I knew the risks of having this curse removed and traveling to my father’s homeland.”

“But if you are returning to your father’s homeland, shouldn’t you be going to Asgard?” the second of the young men who had entered with Asena and the one Akira had called Ehren.

Everyone stared at him in shock. He was right. Akira should have gone to Asgard.

“Loxley Eames was the only father I ever knew Ferros,” Akira sighed. “My mother…well, Loki wanted it that way until he and my mother decided to tell me the truth. They never did. But I loved Loxley and though I was never his by blood, I was his daughter in every other way. He gave me my love of archeology and told me all the stories of the Bloodshed that his father had told him. He was my father up until his death. I will always be his little Ylva.”

The room fell silent again until a man stumbled into the room. He was disshevled and out of breath.

“Kira!” he panted, his eyes wide with terror.

“No!” the word was barely a breath but the entire room heard it.

Odin watched as his granddaughter shoved her torso up and rolled painfully to her feet. She paid no heed to the fact that her shirt was in shreds and left her essentially topless in front of the whole room. She stood quickly enough that she had to close her eyes for a long moment. When she opened them, she practically ran from the room.