Hope rests her back against the slouched cushions of the couch, looking down at the shimmering blade of Valkyrie across her lap. "That's quite a unique weapon you've got there."

She looks up, Soren eyeing the sword from his chair, and rubs the back of her head. "It's supposed to be pretty special. Made for combating the wicked. I was told long ago that if I took the time to listen, it could speak to me."

"What's it got to say?" Soren asks, chewing on his sandwich.

The devilkin laughs, shrugging. "Hell if I know. I've never tried listening to it. Never even dared touch it with my bare hands until a few days ago."

"A woman as tough looking as you, scared to hold a big blade? Ha!" The orc snorts, lighting a pipe and taking a long drag.

"I have-I had my reasons. Your son and the others helped me overcome those fears...I do wonder." She runs her fingers gingerly along the blade. "What might it have to say?" The gentle rub lulls her senses her senses, and she closes her eyes for a moment.

"Hope..." Hope sits up, looking about to find herself in a familiar place. Her old bedroom from the orphanage, complete with the single bed, the only piece of furniture in the whole room. "Hope." The voice calls out, and her eyes shift upward to the ceiling. The blade hangs over her, drifting slowly down. "Hello. It is so nice to finally speak with you."

A soft voice, lilted with a slight echo. Valkyrie rests against the bed, the blade lighting up with a vibrant green glow as the voice speaks again. "You took your time. And yet after all you've been through, it's mild curiosity that opened your mind to me?"

"I...Am I dreaming?" Hope sits back on the bed, resting her head against the wall.

"In a sense, yes. This is the place where you were at your lowest. Before you grew stronger and decided to leave Loheim."

"How...How do you know about that?" Hope eyes the sword warily.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

The voice laughs softly. "My dear champion, I've been watching everything you do since the first day I was brought to you. Every quiet moment, every momentous battle. You guarded me well these past two decades."

"I was hoping to find someone you'd grow more attached to. Not that I guess I'd be able to tell, seeing as I never asked your opinion...Sorry to be such a poor champion."

"Everyone loses their way, or else no one would ever find themselves. You walked your own path, and I was happy to walk it with you, whether it was I or a lesser blade cutting down your enemies. Do not be ashamed of yourself or your actions. You never did harm to they who did not deserve it. You've proven time after time why I chose you. We are not our blood. We are our actions, and our reasoning behind them."

Hope groans, rolling her eyes. "You sound just like-"

"He got it from me. Dane was like you once. He thought being half giant made him unworthy. Then he met a woman who led him down a different line of thought, and when he decided to listen to me at last, I told him just what he told you."

"You were wrong about him. How does it feel to have chosen poorly?"

"Wrong? No, my dear, I was not wrong. With me in hand, Hamund Dane performed great deeds and saved many lives. But like many, he became...lost."

"What could possibly drive a man to abandon everything he stood for in pursuit of evil?"

"You'd be surprised, my champion. Good can be swayed to evil for more than just to satiate dark desires. Sometimes, 'evil' is just a word. Sometimes, it's simple pain. But that is not my place to tell you his story...The reason I speak to you now is more important. There is more to this specter you face than meets the eye."

"You mean Mercy Warren? What else is there other than a vengeance seeker hellbent on destroying anyone and everyone who crosses her path?" Hope sits up, folding her arms.

"A ghost's wrath may be unfocused, but the true cause of their anger can be found if you look deep enough."

"Valkyrie...What are you getting at?"

"Beneath the rage of this spirit, there is no small amount of sorrow, pain, and I dare say betrayal."

"You're rather insightful." The devilkin reaches a hand out to grasp the hilt of the sword.

"Maybe you should listen more often, then." There's a soft giggle, and Hope sits up on the couch in the Ravenwood home.

"Had yourself a little cat nap, hm? Some guard you're turning out to be." Tyrion looks over at her from the window, eyeing the road.

"How long was I out?" She rubs her face and yawns.

"About an hour." Kira comes in from the kitchen, stretching. "What were you dreaming about? You had a strangely peaceful look on your face."

Hope shakes her head, looking down to the shimmering blade. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."