Part 1

Drake awoke rather suddenly, his eyes opening all at once, as if he had woken up from a nightmare. It felt like he had been asleep for long, long time, but had only been gone for an instant. Such a feeling was entirely antithetical to each other, which only left Drake more confused about his situation.

He groaned as he slowly sat up, and began to look around at his surroundings. The serene, natural environment of the forest that he had grown accustomed to before he had been forced to come here had changed completely, instead being replaced by a strange, twilight atmosphere, filled with a vast vacant area of dim light. Pale, blue flames lit the area around him, as they slowly crossed his line of sight and continued onward on in a strange, linear fashion. These same blue flames went on almost as far as the eye could see, only stopping once the flames reached a towering ring of fire far off in the distance.

“Ooouhh…” Drake let out a low sigh. Someone… no something, looked to have moved him to this place. The reason behind that was utterly unknown to him, but he had long grown used to such a thing. For better or worse, too many people took interest in him.

However, in the end, that in itself wasn’t the issue. The problem was that some force had made him come here, and he had no control of that whatsoever. Initially, he had attributed the reason behind why the Ariel had saved him was to bring him somewhere, but now, he was having some serious doubts on whether on not even the Ariel had been tricked.

No, even that wasn’t it. Whether or not the Ariel was tricked, it was undeniable that whatever brought him here had waited for the very moment when he made contact with her. The Ariel should have been nothing more than a variant of the original species, and while he was somewhat special being a Stormsoul Genasi, even he had no ability to connect to her as he did. He shouldn’t have been able to. In fact, it defied all reason.

But he still did.

“Ouhh…” A tired cry came out from Drake’s side. It appeared that the mutant Ariel had gotten dragged in along with them, when they were surrounded by that strange doorway of darkness and fire. Although, she seemed more than a bit upset that she came here with Drake.

Not that I can complain though. I just know way too little about these sorts of things. Drake reasoned to himself.

“I… came here…?” The Ariel looked around, her eyes widening slightly as she looked around. In her mind, the destination was obvious. The personal plane that ‘Miss Bryn’ had formed and exclusively controlled. A plane that consisted of almost nothing but that pale blue flame, and herself.

Strictly speaking, most people who managed to stumble on a stray plane of existence would be regarded as nothing but lucky. While they had no control over it, they might be able to gather particularly valuable and rare resources from it. Such a place would be invaluable for the long-term growth of a person, and would do nothing but assist them. However, for beings who were capable of such a thing, creating their own plane was also possible. Given that this type was created exclusively by an individual, this also led to them having an almost horrifying amount of power over those inside. There wasn’t even a real comparison between the two types. They were simply too different, and used for entirely different purposes.

“Heh… Hehe…” The small Ariel collapsed to the ground, as only a faint muttering escaped from her form. “We’re doomed. I was never meant to enter inside. Why did she draw me in as well…” Without a doubt, she viewed her entrance to the plane as a death sentence.

On the other hand, Drake just gave a short laugh as he began to view the entire scene with a melancholy sense of curiosity. He had long since grown used to powers that were beyond him when he transformed form his human form. His own metaphorical demon had long since been conquered, and he had encountered both those who posed a threat to him, as well as others who far surpassed what was he imagined was possible. Put simply, if whoever brought him here wanted him dead, they wouldn’t have waited. They’d have struck at him the moment he entered, not even giving him the chance to wake up.

“So, I’m inside someplace special…” Drake mused to himself, only giving a small shake of his head before turning to the small figure next to him. The description of her race was just right. Mischievous was just the right way to describe her. She hadn’t meant to join him.

“Heh…” He didn’t have the heart to be angry at the small creature. They barely knew one another, and she had quite literally saved him with the help of the others from her race. Whether that was out of some misguided reason to give him to someone else, or if she didn’t want to see him die in front of her, he didn’t really care. Her actions were really all he could judge her on.

He gave a half-hearted sigh before looking to the Ariel. Stuck in a place like this, he might as well get to know her better. All he really knew about her was her race, and even that was from identifying her.

“So, Ariel, do you have a name? There were others who must have helped you save me. So, you have a name from them, right?”

There was a sudden twitch from the small Ariel, as she answered, “…No.”

The Ariel turned to the side, the tone of her voice obviously subdued as she hid her face. “I wasn’t born right, so I don’t have a real name.”

“How’s that?” He asked somewhat incredulously.

Laying on the ground, she briefly brought her arms up to her side, and in a defeated voice, gave a brief explanation, “Those of my race are fairly simple. We act as protectors of our environment, driving off those who would harm and, and enhance those who would protect it. The wings we have are seen as a point of pride in that, as it means we are more connected with nature as a whole. Our own magic is heavily connected with that concept, as we provide the strength for life to spread, as well as to repel any negative influences. For me though, where my wings should be, I have arms, with my wings appearing on my back.”

She gave a short laugh, the depreciative tone obvious in her voice, “The others got along quite easily but… well, I wasn’t viewed as one of them, if you understand.”

“Hm..” Drake nodded his head in an understanding manner, as if trying to console the small Ariel. It made sense, all things considered. Despite that, something stood out.

What’s that about a real name? Drake noticed the slight distinction but continued on as normal. “Is that really a problem, though?” Drake asked with a curious look.

“From what you’ve described, you really don’t differ all that much. In comparison to the mini-harpies I imagine most of your race resembles you’re more of… an angel. You’re much cuter that way.” He held waved his hand about in an explanatory manner, before finally pointing to the Ariel with a silly smile.

“You…” The Ariel suddenly stiffened, before turning towards Drake, her expression mixed. “As for you, I don’t care about your name. Miss Bryn promised that if I brought you here, that I would be given my true form. But to actually enter her plane… it’s far too dangerous. Despite how the others treat me, I wouldn’t have agreed if it meant this.” She quickly turned the subject away from Drake’s own comment.

“That so…” Drake said stoically. Given that she was born just recently, it really wasn’t a surprise that she was shunned to some extent. Differences tend to breed dissent, after all. For any new race, and one that thrived on teamwork, cohesion between the group was paramount.

“It’s most certainly so!” She snapped. “Do you not understand what I’m saying? We. Are. Inside. Her. Personal. Plane.” She said each word with emphasis. “She could kill both of us with a thought. That kind of power is too dangerous!”

“Hm.” He turned to the side with a small sigh, his eyes being drawn to the ring of fire in the distance. Drake wasn’t quite in agreement. Sure, if that power was turned towards him, anyone who could fill such a place with so much of their own power would be able to obliterate him. However, he had noticed something before he had been drawn into this plane. If this ‘Bryn’ truly were so malicious, then he would have expected her own power to be destructive.

Her power was quite literally fire, something that is known as an incredibly destructive force, yet her own flame had done nothing but cause the plants that it touched to grow and thrive. What exactly did that say about the owner of such an ability?

Speaking of which…

“How exactly do you know this ‘Bryn’ character, anyway? You definitely don’t seem the type to be associated with the fire.” He asked. How such a simple creature got in touch with someone who could create such a place was beyond him.

The Ariel gave a short huff, only to stare daggers at him in the next. In her heart, she couldn’t help but feel that he was going to get them both killed. In the end however, she merely shook her head, and replied in a subdued tone. “I… didn’t do anything actually. Not soon after I was born, when I was… sitting, a voice began to speak to me. She told me her name was Bryn, and like I mentioned, that she could give me my true body if only I brought the man who came into the forest to her. She told me when and where you would appear, everything. I was able to convince the others, and from there, well, you know. I just can’t believe that I ended getting dragged here as well…” The tension and worry in her voice was palpable, with her voice only dropping to a low murmur as she spoke to herself near the end. She was more than a little resentful over that last fact.

So, she knew that I would appear, and had the Ariel find me? The thought boggled Drake’s mind. It all implied that the Ariel was specifically sought out, along with him. It was important that they were brought together, and to her. Otherwise, it would almost be child’s play for someone else to drag Drake to that flaming portal, his own consent be damned. Given how much information was given on him, he simply didn’t believe that it could be anything otherwise.

Just what were we brought here for… A thoughtful look flashed in Drake’s eyes, as an ever so slight smile began to creep onto his lips.

The Ariel floated upward towards Drake, careful to not touch him again, lest she be hit with that sudden bolt of energy from Drake again that led them being drawn into the plane in the first place. “That look. What are you thinking?”

“I’m going to see this ‘Bryn’ you keep on talking about.” He said simply.

“What! You big, dumb idiot! Who knows what she wanted you for!” The Ariel yelled, her eyes full of shock and confusion.

“If she wanted me dead, there’d be much easier ways than to get you to do it. Think about it.”

“I am thinking about it! Ahhh! Are all of you so frustrating!?” The Ariel grabbed her feather-like hair, as she twisted and bucked her body in mid-air. Trying to reason with Drake was like talking to a brick wall.

Drake on the other hand, couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight. Her visibly frustrated, squirming figure, coupled with the accusatory daggers that she was staring at Drake, he simply enjoyed them all a bit too much.

“Let’s go.” Drake called out with a confident voice. “Maybe she can help me find someone.”

“Find who? Wait, you’re going to ask her for help? There’s no way they’re important enough for her to know about.” The Ariel’s eyes widened as she immediately circled around to Drake’s face, doing her best to stop him from walking forward without touching him.

“Arghh…” He snarled involuntarily as a chill made a way down his spine, before he stopped walking altogether. The small Ariel had inadvertently hit a nerve. “Listen, we don’t know each other very well. Obviously. So, when it comes to this, just stay out of my way.”

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“And as for reasoning with this ‘Bryn’, just think of it as a normal conversation, that’s all.” He ended on a more playful tone.

“You…!” The Ariel stopped herself from spouting off more insults, before giving him a stern look and landing on his shoulder, careful not to touch his body herself. She gave a slight sneer as she landed, before twisting and maneuvering her body in a more comfortable position before she took a longing look at Drake’s ‘hair’.

“You know, if you had real hair instead of that crystal junk, this would be a lot more comfortable. Even I wouldn’t consider trying to relax there.” She said poignantly.

“Yeah, yeah.” Drake let out a small laugh as he and the Ariel made their way to the prominent ring of flame in the distance. He had to give some credit to the Ariel. She knew not to push him on the matter of finding his partner, even if he himself wasn’t sure of their identity.

After indulging in the small bit of banter with the Ariel, Drake made his way to the mysterious, ornate structure at a brisk pace, all the while taking cursory glances at the large balls of flame that seemed to be increasing in number as they approached the ring. Unlike the mindless linearity in movement he noticed before, it almost seemed as if the balls of flame were drawing closer to him, as an increasing number began to follow behind him and the Ariel approached it. That wasn’t all that Drake noticed, either. Hidden deep within the flames, lay a structure that was almost entirely obscured by shimmering waves of heat surrounding the strange structure.

Even behind the towering ring of flames, it was obvious to see that the structure was obviously of extremely high class, at least in comparison to what was made in the real world. All the furnishings on the outer walls were elaborately ornate, giving the structure an air of elegance and rarity. On the outer walls, a series of large banners stood, a brilliant shade of dark blue, complete with a strange symbol of a shield and thorn emblazoned across the front.

“And that, must be where she is…” Drake grumbled.

The flaming ring that Drake had spotted from the moment he arrived was in reality, a vast barrier that guarded the entrance to a vast castle-like building that lay in the center. While Drake had his own misconceptions about the nature of the blue flame that pervaded this plane, the ring itself undeniably acted as a barrier. While both he and the Ariel felt an utter lack of heat, the flames didn’t lose any sense of danger.

“So, any ideas on how we get in? You’d think we were expected given what has happened.” Drake remarked sarcastically.

“You…! She can hear us…” The Ariel shrunk down before giving Drake a sudden glare. He just didn’t take anything seriously.

As if responding to her words, the one of the balls of flame that had been following them all this time to the barrier suddenly flew forward, taking both of them by surprise. As the flame that had been following them made contact with the barrier, they promptly canceled each other out, leaving a small opening in the barrier.

“See. Ask and you shall receive.” Drake laughed.

“You are literally going to get us killed for what amounts to a bad joke, you know that, right?” She retorted angrily.

He merely chuckled to himself at the scolding, as he took a closer look and examined the opening in the flaming ring. Canceling out wasn’t quite the right way to describe the process. It was more as if the ball of flame was holding back the power held within the ring of fire.

“Interesting.” Drake walked forward, only taking a cursory look as he passed through the barrier with ease. As he did, there was a sudden wave of energy that passed over him and the Ariel. He noticed a strange feeling overcome him, but the more dramatic reaction was felt the Ariel on his shoulder, as she suddenly flinched and leapt off his shoulder entirely.

“Hey, you alright?” He asked. He didn’t feel that different, but the Ariel’s expression had changed completely.

“A-ah…” The Ariel’s face had completely twisted from the annoyed expression she held before, turning into one of strained pressure. She was holding her head with one hand, as she looked to Drake with a look of pain and shock. It’s also worth noting that this was not an act, whatsoever. Even now, she was shaking her head from side to side, her eyes wide in disbelief.

“Hey, Ariel, are you… what…?” As Drake began to make his way towards her, the ball of flame that kept open the barrier suddenly shot out towards them, before quickly manifesting into a strange creature. It actually resembled the cute Ariel somewhat, but with all of the bird-like features being replaced with a wreath of blue flame, complete with its skin color shifting to blue and small, flaming wings on its back.

“Yo.” The creature held a hand up in greetings, a manic smile plastered across its face. “Glad to see that a few guests finally arrived, and I must say, you’re quite lucky. Lady Bryn wouldn’t typically allow anyone inside willingly. She must like you.” The creature cackled, holding its hand to its mouth as it looked on approvingly.

It’s gaze quickly shifted to the Ariel, as it looked on with a more neutral, questioning expression. “Huh. Why are one of you in here? Better question, how are you even still alive in here? You should have burnt up the moment you passed through the doorway.” It tilted its head questioningly, the intense stare only worsening as the second’s passed.

“Wait… you… neither of you…” The fae’s eyes widened with surprise, only looking between the two with increasing interest, as it mumbled silently to itself. Things were finally going to get interesting.

“Huh… Well anyway, nice to meet ya, cousin. There’s no sense in waiting here. Follow me. I’ll lead ya.”

“Sure…” Drake nodded, before looking to the Ariel. Putting too much thought into the actions of every single individual creature simply wasn’t worth it, as most seemed to have a certain quirk about them. The fae that had appeared from that ball of fire was no different.

Disregarding the new fae, the Ariel still seemed to be struggling with something, as she continually grimaced in pain before looking to Drake, over and over again. Every time she seemed to break out of the rhythm, it repeated, which began to leave him worried about the cute creature.

“Ariel, you’re coming with me, aren’t you?” He reached out toward the winged fae, his expression one of concern. He hadn’t known her for long, but he couldn’t simply leave her there.

“Drake.” She spoke his name, as a moment of clarity overcame her.

“Right. I’m coming, Drake.” She murmured as she drew closer to him again, and landed on his head without a second thought.

“Change your mind about laying there?” He laughed, as he motioned his head upward.

“Y-yeah…” She murmured to herself.

He chuckled slightly at the shy response, before he continued on his way at a brisk pace, following the flame fae as it quickly led him to the entranceway of the grand, castle-like fortress. It was deeply reminiscent of some of the castles that the English and others built across Europe, both to house their troops and provide themselves with some layer of defense against invaders. However, while the building itself looked to be created out of a curiously shaded white stone, looking closely, Drake could see a long series of strange glyphs that was embedded into the stone. In fact, the amount of these glyphs only increased as the fae led them deeper into the structure.

“So, you’re native to this plane? Who exactly is this ‘Bryn’ person, anyway?” He brought the attention of the small flame fae that was leading them to himself. He had attempted to get the same information before with the Ariel, but that only led them to be dragged into this place. He didn’t have any trouble understanding this one however, so he could at least get answers from it without much trouble.

“Hm? Oh. Yeah. You could say that I’m a native. The actual answer is a bit complicated, but simply put, I’m a Jinn. Nothing but an obstacle to keep others from progressing, at least normally. The place gets pretty boring, just wandering aimlessly outside the ring. That’s why it’s such a breath of fresh air to get to enter inside the ring. It’s almost impossible for us otherwise.” The Jinn laughed.

Why is he speaking like he’s trapped here as well? He is so easy going, and he doesn’t seem afraid to lead us, but he’s taking us to the creator of this place, isn’t he? Drake’s mind spurred itself on, the explanation only further confusing his understanding of the situation.

“So, what is this place, then, and just who is your master?” He asked.

The Jinn turned around momentarily, leisurely guiding them down a long pathway as it floated backwards. The question seemed to greatly amuse it, as did the indication that Drake questioned who was really in control.

“The plane itself is rather special, so we don’t get many visitors. Well, we have had one other guest arrive, but he did it in a different way, so he didn’t last for very long. As for what this place is, just think of it as a small hideaway. One that leaves all of us in a position where we’re unable to leave. Although, that may all be changing now.” The fae laughed mischievously to itself, before continuing.

“Lady Brynhild is, well, you could say she is a special case. Although she’ll no doubt tell you, her bringing you here is breaking the rules in more than a few ways. No doubt she’s wanting to escape from here, despite how things are supposed to go. Likely, she’s wanting you to rid her of her problem. Whether or not you’ll be able to on the other hand, all depends on just how powerful you are.” The Jinn said cryptically.

“Nothing but riddles, essentially.” Drake muttered, only scowling as he listened on. There was no doubt in his mind that this Jinn was related to the Ariel in some way or another. It seemed to take great pleasure in droning on in a cryptic manner, much like the Ariel enjoyed toying with those it saw fit to play with. The Jinn always gave some information, but in such a way that only encouraged Drake to ask more questions, all for its own amusement of course. He wouldn’t be able to get any solid information out of the creature, no matter what he did. That much was clear.

As for where the Jinn was leading them, it was obvious from the surroundings that this place was practically abandoned. Nothing but series of empty rooms, after empty rooms. The structure was gigantic, there was no doubt in his mind about that, and the air radiated a strange energy, one that he had begun to notice with increasing frequency as they ventured further in. The Jinn obviously thought it was somewhat special that it was able to enter, but he would have expected to at least see others inside. Instead, there was nothing, just empty. Completely and totally barren.

The Ariel glanced around from her position on Drake’s head, her mind whirling with different thoughts as they passed a myriad of stairways and halls, all connected with the same, ethereal white stone as the outer castle. The castle itself was impressive, but that was all that had such an enormous amount of detail put into it.

“How could all this be the plane of Miss Bryn… it doesn’t match up at all with what I was born with…” The Ariel on his head murmured quietly, with only the faintest of sounds making its way out of her mouth as the continued their way through the strangely beautiful castle.

According to what she knew, the plane Bryn had created was undeniably dangerous, yes, but at the same one of immense beauty. While the fire element was known to be dangerous, it wasn’t as if nothing could grow under its influence. A wide variety of creatures could survive and even thrive, such as those like the Salamanders, Magmin, and Hell hounds. The more intelligent races such as the Azer and Efreet took this to the extreme, creating entire societies for themselves in such places. That such a plane was so utterly desolate, with only the blue Jinn wandering outside a barrier ring, made no sense.

The Jinn moved quickly, leading them further into the center of the fortress, before they finally reached a massive, ornate doorway in the center of a large passageway. A wide array of ornate designs was embedded into the wood, as well as the same symbol of a shield and thorn emblazoned into the center.

“This is as far as I can go. It wouldn’t do me any good to go past this point.” The Jinn said simply.

Drake simply nodded his head, and accepted the Jinn’s words at face value. “Hm. Thanks for showing us this far.”

The Jinn smiled devilishly as it accepted the thanks, before twisting in mid-air and disintegrating into a line of flame before traveling back the way they came. No doubt a faster method to travel when it wasn’t actively leading someone else.

Drake heaved a large sigh, as he was left in front of the doorway. He still felt in over his head somewhat, but when was he not? Still, with the somewhat cordial way that the Jinn met with them, and the complete lack of danger they were met with, it was reassuring to him. He wouldn’t meet instant death as soon as he opened the door, right? All he had to do was simply open a door, and meet this Bryn.

“Here we go.” Drake placed both hands on the door, only to be met with considerable resistance as he did. It was much heavier than he was expecting. Still, after a few seconds passed, and he managed to build up some force, the doorway began to creak open every so slightly, leading to Drake to slowly open the door.

As the door swung open, Drake was met with a beautiful sight. In front of him lay a wide, underground catacomb-like area, but one that was filled with brilliant-blue flames of almost every shade and hue. The flames sparked and glittered like he imagined only gems could replicate and with those flames, stood an intimidating suit of armor covered in an elaborate design, in front of a small Mausoleum.

“Is this where we were supposed to meet?” Drake mouthed out wordlessly, his eyes wandering to the various flames suspended in mid-air. A wide-open space, filled with a horde of beautiful, yet deadly flames.

“Ah. The Anomaly and the Fragment. It’s my great pleasure to finally meet one that has eluded my search for so long.” A voice echoed out across the vast, empty space, tinged with a faint ring of anticipation and delight. “And under such a refined set of circumstances as well.”

A voice… He tensed.

Drake’s eyes instantly locked onto the set of armor that lay in the center of the vast room, near the ornately decorated Mausoleum. It had stood out from the moment he had entered, but looking closer, it seemed to radiate out a feeling of power and nobility. The metal itself seemed to resembled steel in some places, only it warped into a beautiful shade of violet and blue flame in other areas. The design as well was wholly intricate, with the leg-guards layering on top of each other like the feathers on a wing, while the chest and arm-guards creating an almost monstrous look to the armor, with the only real respite being a beautifully intricate decorative piece on one shoulder.

The voice he had heard had echoed, making it seem as if it had surrounded him fully, but the source itself was obvious, if somewhat curious. The mere presence of such an ornately decorated, and intimidating set of armor was off, given the vast stretch of space and the lonely building set directly in the center, instantly made it the target of his attention. It couldn’t have just been a suit of armor for a warrior, could it? No… It simply couldn’t be. He could have sworn he spotted movement.

As his gaze concentrated on the figure in front of him, the armored hand began to noticeably move. At first, it was only a slight twitch, then as if moving all at once, the hands slowly reached up to the helmet. As they slowly removed the piece, he was left with what he could only describe as an utterly flawless, beautiful woman. While the armor no doubt hid most of her body, her hair, colored a striking shade of silverish-blue, splayed out beautifully from within her helmet, before cascading down her armor-ridden frame.

“Brynhild du Volsung, at your service.” The woman gave a playful bow.

No, not just a woman, or even a warrior. It was a Valkyrie.