Part 2
Brynhild… as in, Brynhildr…” Drake stared, wide-eyed at the beautifully armored woman that lay in front of him. The Ariel had never used her full name, perhaps she had never known it, but the name of Brynhild bordered on the edge of what could be considered as the pinnacle of myth.
As a teenager, he had often delved into older mythologies as a source of entertainment. Norse, Egyptian, Greek, all of them had a wide and varying amount of myth, and the sheer grandeur of those stories provided him quite an endless source of entertainment. The role of Valkyries in Norse mythology was a minor role in comparison to other various factors, however, in Norse Mythology there was one exception. Better known as Brynhildr, the leader of the Valkyries. A figure that was on par with minor gods.
“I can’t believe that you were one of the ones that was actually given life.” Drake simply stood still, mumbling lightly to himself as he looked on. A being that held almost unimaginable power, and one that was able to almost single handedly stop wars, or rather, decide wars. He had always known of the more mundane monsters, after all, creatures like the griffin he fought soon after his own transformation were public knowledge to practically everyone. A myth like that had reached such mainstream popularity that even those who didn’t put effort into learning them would know of them.
Brynhild however, wasn’t such a monster. Rather, she was a figure of myth, and one that was quite prominent in more than a few stories. Disregarding the intimidation he felt from such a figure, her beauty alone was something that would be enough to make entire armies fight for her. Her eyes shone a hauntingly beautiful violet, while her silver hair almost seemed to blend into that same fiery shade of blue flame that she controlled. That someone like her would be given life didn’t make sense for what he considered the final goal of the aliens.
I’ve been fooled. He chuckled to himself. They’re planning something different altogether, or at the very least, not just using Earth as their personal playground. Resurrecting a literal figure of myth doesn’t exactly fit with creating various races. Especially when the person is so famous.
Well, it wasn’t exactly surprising, at least in his own opinion. From what he had seen, the various races had their own distinct personalities, and most seemed especially resentful to being used and controlled by others. Even his own Ground Dragon had only submitted to him once it had recognized him as the same Dragon-like subspecies that it had seen before. Take an individual however, and one that is excessively powerful, and it be much easier to accomplish what you needed as long as they had a few restrictions. No doubt Brynhild was one such case.
“Oh, am I truly that impressive in your eyes?” There was a light, refined laughter as Brynhild smiled. She began to approach him in a slow, steady walk, as a ring of flames erupted behind her in a flash as light, the sound of a roaring flame resonating throughout the empty room. The sight alone made her appear like a goddess of war, let alone the intense amount of heat and pressure that was radiating off of her body.
“Intimidating. Intimidating would be a good word for all this.” Drake remarked with a wide-eyed expression, only barely able to maintain himself. He was lucky that this was all a trial. If he were here in person, under no circumstances would he be able to stay this composed.
“Is that all?” There was a hint of disappointment in her voice, but it was quickly replaced with a pleased expression. “Well, I suppose so. You’ll have to forgive all this. I’m not used to receiving guests.” She waved her hand, as that same ring of fire that had appeared vanished in a flash.
“Right. Don’t mind me at all. In all honesty, this is a bit above my pay-grade.” He smiled in a somewhat forced fashion. Such a famous figure from mythology drew him into her personal plane of existence. If he said that he was in over his head, he wouldn’t be exaggerating in the slightest.
“Told you so.” The Ariel mumbled.
“Heh…” He could only agree sadly.
“So, you drew me and the Ariel inside here for you. What could I do for you?” He put on a fake smile, as he attempted to keep on her good side.
“Oh? So generous. Yes, just what could you do for me?” She smiled in a rather sweet manner, before motioning Drake over to the side of the Mausoleum with a similarly mischievous laugh. “Truth be told, I need to speak with you at length. It will be easier on both of us to relax meanwhile.”
“R-right.” He accepted instantly, if somewhat nervously. He didn’t have to right to refuse someone like her.
His instant change in demeanor wasn’t unnoticed by the Valkyrie. While it was somewhat expected, when exposed to someone that was directly related to a major god from myth, it was all Drake could do to keep on his best behavior. Otherwise he might spout off something stupid, and get incinerated or some other bad ending. The number of flags he had to dodge wasn’t something he was looking forward to.
Despite that however, no matter what he did, he wouldn’t be able to stop her if she attempted anything. All he could do was obediently listen, and join her. She obviously was looking forward to talking to him, although the reason unnerved both him and the small Ariel on his head.
“So, I’m sure you want to know why I drew you here.” She said offhandedly.
“Eh, a bit.” He said shyly.
She chuckled to herself, before leisurely walking over to the entrance of the Mausoleum. She gave another playful bow, before returning upright and gesturing inside.
“Truthfully, it would be easiest to simply show you first.” She said with a mischievous smile.
Drake tilted his head to the side at the cryptic comment, as he gave her a questioning look. He wasn’t sure, but her insisting he look inside really only left him with one real option. Taking a brief breath, he approached Brynhild, and slowly rounded the corner of the entrance to the Mausoleum.
As he did, he stopped in half-step, his mind in complete confusion over what he saw. “W-what… am I looking at…?”
Laying in front of Drake on a bed made of that same white stone that made up the rest of the castle, lay what could only be described as Brynhild herself. Armored in that same, intimidating set of armor that she was wearing right next to him, she was completely motionless, and was laid across the stone as a simple corpse would be. Her eyes were closed, and her arms were lain across her, leaving her almost exactly as one would do for a funeral.
Drake couldn’t believe his eyes. The woman next to him was clearly the same, but in that case… how was she speaking with him? What did this even have to do with his own trial?
“You still don’t understand?” Brynhild glanced at Drake only for a moment, before looking to the Ariel on his head.
“You. You already recovered your memories, however. Even if it’s partial, you know full well who you are.” A playful smile emerged, as she lifted the Ariel off Drake’s head without a second to spare. “In his own dream, you were nothing more than a confused girl, but it seems you benefited from passing through the barrier. His own mindset must have led to his continued confusion.”
“…” Drake remained silent, but his mind was filled was nothing but shock.
“I’m correct, aren’t I?” Brynhild merely laughed, before gesturing to the young Ariel.
“Yes…” She nodded, only a faint voice escaping from her lips.
“Good. Good.” Brynhild smiled, only nodding to herself with a self-satisfied look.
Turning to Drake, her eyes narrowed much like a predator would once they had cornered their prey. It wouldn’t be an understatement to say that she was practically brimming with excitement at sharing such a detail, based on his reaction alone.
“Drake, this isn’t a part of your trial. It took a bit of effort, even going so far as to lead you to the entrance of my own plane, but I can assure you, this place, this entire plane of existence, is quite real. As well as the girl in my hand.” She motioned to the Ariel with a cat-like smile.
Drake glanced at Brynhild for only a moment, before his eyes were drawn to the small Ariel in her hands. He had seen that her personality had changed the moment she passed through the barrier, but… she was the one he was looking for all this time?
“What are you saying? This… can’t be real.” He shook his head, still in total disbelief. He was in his own trial, practically his own world. How… no, why would someone even take the initiative to interrupt something like that. It simply made no sense to him. But then, the existence of ‘two’ different Brynhild cemented the fact that something had already gone wrong.
“Don’t tell me you still can’t discern the truth from what you’ve seen. Is your own sense of self that deluding?” Her voice dropped almost immediately into a more derisive tone.
The look of shock and confusion she had expected, and even happily anticipated had only resulted in flat out denial. Similar to a small child’s excitement when given a new toy, Brynhild’s own isolation had only resulted in a great deal of eagerness and delight when she had been able to draw Drake into her own plane. That he rejected that entire basis wholeheartedly annoyed her to no end, especially when met with such evidence.
“This is what I deserve for choosing a prideful one, I suppose.” She merely shook her head angrily, before gesturing to the Ariel. “You speak to him. Something as simple as your name ought to enlighten him a small bit.”
“R-right. Umm…” The Ariel responded faintly, as she nervously clasped her hands together. Her expression twisted into one of regret and sadness, as she looked to Drake with a teary expression.
“I… mentioned before that I didn’t have a real name. Well, that was only a half-truth.” She paused, only shaking her head lightly as she fidgeted about in mid-air.
“What she said, about me and about this place. S-she’s telling the truth. All of it, Drake. I’m your Yami.” The Ariel’s head sank down, her voice on the edge of tears, as she spoke to Drake. “I… I thought I would know as well… only I… didn’t… Not one bit.” Tears began to well up, as she hastily wiped away the drops that were already welling up in her eyes.
When she passed through the towering wall of flame that guarded Brynhild’s castle, she had recovered a portion of her memories, and had realized that Drake was her partner. That part of her, the portion that contained her memories, had been so confident in knowing Drake from the moment that she saw him, to greet him and have that instinctive connection from the moment that she met, that her outright annoyance with his careless behavior had struck her to her core. It was all she could do to stop from sobbing at the realization that she had been so rude to him.
“Yami…” Drake was stuck to the ground, his eyes only narrowing as he looked to the Ariel with a deep, deep sense of déjà vu. “I… found you?” He murmured quietly, as his own mind was fighting the realization.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
“Bah… Raven scraps, the both of you.” The Valkyrie sighed out loud, before releasing the Ariel into the air again. Between Drake’s muddled denial, and the Ariel’s partial memories resulting in its own problems, she was going to have an aneurysm at this rate.
“It seems that I’m going to have to do this the hard way, for the both of you.” She complained. “Easy one first, I suppose.
“Ariel, or rather, Yami. You recovered memories, but truth be told, you’re only a fragment of your original self. Nothing but a spark of the original, and judging from what I’ve seen, one that seems to have a large amount of personal emotion and care for him put into it.” She gave a brief explanation, with only a wave of her hand.
“As for how you no doubt feel now, you worry too much. You appeared as apart of his dream due to your bond, but with the faint influence of his demonic magic on your soul, and your own circumstances, you simply appeared as a mutant of your original race. No memories, as it should have been, and so, no innate emotions towards him. Given that he is especially stubborn, there’s no harm in thinking that your original would have felt the same way about his actions.” She answered.
Yami’s own personality couldn’t be changed so simply, just by removing her memories of Drake. That same condescending tone she often took, her constant warnings of danger, even her original body was vaguely similar to the impish form that Drake had known from the moment he had met her. In a way, it was no coincidence that she soon assumed the same role as the real world.
“As for you…” She turned to Drake with an indifferent smile, as she lazily leaned against the white walls of the Mausoleum.
“Technically speaking, what you’ve been through was nothing but an illusion. A self-fulfilling one at that. That is where the problem laid. Typically, a demon’s trial is simple, especially at such an early stage. Their memories and experiences are shallow, and so they often result in them replaying what drew them to their own power in the first place. However-”
Her eyes narrowed dangerously, as she continued, “This process never accounted for one that already had decades of experience. Typically, one is drawn into your own dreams, advance through a trial, and based on the results, are granted the increased abilities that are well known.”
“You however, from the moment you began the trial, began to treat it as a second life. Because of course you would. As a result, this shoddy illusion you have around yourself forced you deeper into your dreams, and now, well, the magic is beginning to stagnate so much that it’s almost pathetic.”
She waved her hand lazily towards Drake, only for him to feel an intense wave of energy bombard his entire form. His entire body began to visibly shake and distort, and much like Yami before him, portions of memories from his life began to stream back to him, before stopping altogether.
“A-ah…” For a moment, his entire body felt as if it might even collapse on the spot, as his body warped and blurred around him, only for the brief blast of powerful magic to recede, leaving him to quickly return to the body he had grown used to. That of a Stormsoul Genasi.
“See. Nothing but an illusion.” Brynhild remarked with a displeased gesture.
Drake clasped his hands together, almost in a daze, as he took in what she had said. He had another huge surge in memories the moment Brynhild had waved her hand, and even as he stood there, more memories were revealing themselves to him. Memories of the cute imp he had grown to care for intensely, vague memories of a brooding, but immensely reliable Satyr, and even a flash of memory of a certain, needy Lamia. That was the least of what Drake was taking in, however.
He stood completely still, only getting a feel for the intense surge of energy that had overcome his body in that brief moment. For just a split second, it was as if all the energy that he felt he had used fighting and escaping the Wolf Brood had exploded in him, filling him and his entire body with an almost overwhelming sense of power compared to what he had. It wasn’t of the lightning element, either. It felt eerily similar to that strange sensation he felt when he made contact Yami outside of Brynhild’s plane.
“So, I was really that far gone, huh…” He finally understood just how wrong he truly was.
He was never meant to truly explore his new body, he understood that now. He was meant to search out the power of his old one, the one that had been growing inside his original body all this time. The fact that he had missed that completely and utterly stumped him. He had known from the moment the trial had started that he was missing someone important to him, but he didn’t know of her even when he had met her? It was only his own body’s reaction that he even had an inkling that they were connected.
His own instinct, and even the help of the so-called Myconid. They had all been useless. The Myconid were supposed to have kept him on the right track, yet they had inadvertently led him deeper into the illusion. There was no doubt in his mind now. They hadn’t simply ‘skipped’ over the week Drake had missed, they had lived through every moment, and had intended to lead him along, only so they could continue to accumulate experiences of the outside.
They would certainly point him in the right way at pivotal moments, after all, they were practically contracted by Aesir to help him in the trial. That didn’t include leading him down the quickest path, however. No doubt without Brynhild’s interference, he would have continued down that winding path, diverting from where he needed to go, only to be redirected at a pivotal moment. They would have led him to his own damnation simply to sate their own curiosity, there was no doubt in his mind now.
“And, you. You knew all of this and were content to simply let me rot.” Drake snarled at Brynhild, more upset at his own ineptitude than her. He could have lost everything, due to such a simple mistake.
Brynhild showed a rare moment of glee, as she pushed up from her position against the Mausoleum. “Ha, do you hear yourself? Let you rot. Well, why are you quite self-important,” laughed Brynhild with a cheeky smile.
“Of course, I did. If you were so far gone that your connection with Yami was fruitless, then I certainly had no use for you. But you weren’t, so I didn’t.” She replied with another predatory smile.
It was left unsaid, but both Drake and Brynhild knew that Yami had been instrumental in bringing Drake back from the brink. She was tied intimately to his own soul, and so was directly connected to his own power, even if she didn’t know it herself at the time. If he truly had been trapped in his own illusion, to the point that even she couldn’t get through to him, then he would simply be left to waste away in his own dreams. There would be no point in saving someone who didn’t even realize they needed saving.
“Huu…” Drake replied with an annoyed growl, before merely shaking his head.
The intense feeling of energy he had felt moments ago had almost faded, which left him feeling strangely empty compared to when Brynhild had intervened. He wasn’t sure how she did it, or what she even did, but it seemed apparent to him that he’d need her help. First however, he’d need to know why he was drawn into her plane in the first place.
“Fine. Tell me why you brought me here. Are you some kind of double, or does it have to do with that, ‘refined’ set of circumstances when I first met you?” He waved his hand with a hint of sarcasm, as he went straight to the point. She clearly needed his help for something, even going so far as to orchestrate his meeting with Yami.
“There we are.” She tilted her head with a hint of hidden glee, as she merely smiled.
“Well, you’ll have to excuse me, but it may take a moment.”
*****
In the dead of night, a hooded shadow slipped past a closely organized set of buildings in the more dilapidated area of Fortress, into a narrow alleyway. The black hood combined with the otherwise ordinary appearance of the individual would lead most to believe that she were simply another scoundrel that had migrated to this part of the town. However, on this particular night, there was no chance that any such person would be out.
“Check every alleyway! We can’t let them escape, otherwise they’ll just return with more!” A far-off voice echoed the nearby walls, as a chorus of voices led them closer and closer to her location.
A short curse escaped from the hooded figure as the stature of the individual shifted in an unnatural manner. Similar to the shimmering heat in a mirage, the figure grew taller and their skin shifted into an unnatural gray before the changes receded quickly into the original form. The figure seemed out of breath from the sudden transformation, with the hood falling even further down as they hung their head.
“Dammit. How did everything go wrong so quickly…” The shadow slowly removed its hood. Age-wise, she didn’t look any older than her mid-twenties. Her face was attractive, but in a vaguely exotic way. The sort of look that was expected to attract men at a glance, but equally, gave off a feeling that something was dangerous about her, as if she might reveal her true nature at any moment.
“How did they know we were in the city, with such certainty…” Azura cursed again.
The female demon, one of the three that Drake had forcefully formed a connection with and had threatened to learn how their magic worked, had been on the run for almost a full day at this point. In the beginning, it seemed like nothing but an average day. Reinforcing their control over the weaklings in their district and letting them raid any others that approached too close. As she and Ranvar made their patrols however, they were suddenly frozen on the spot by a small group of mages, both arcane and holy.
The male demon that she accompanied had been killed, almost on the spot, by a flurry of magic attacks that bound him to the spot and flayed him alive. How they were found when their mana was supposed to keep others out of their small portion of the city, was anyone’s guess. She had relatively fewer binding spells cast on her, and so was able to escape, while the so-called leader that was the basis for her magic had slunk away the moment Ranvar was killed. The contract she had with him was still in place, so he wasn’t dead, but the fluctuation in the magic that kept up her disguise proved that he was caught up in trouble of his own.
Despite her own disguise maintaining itself for the most part, somehow the humanoids were able to maintain her trail. It didn’t matter how she hid, within thirty minutes, they would be on her, even in the parts of the city they didn’t even control. It was impossible for her to even attempt to hide in a crowd as well. There were no residents in the streets, all the major shops were shuttered, and the only ones active were those who had experience on the outside. The sheer quality of those who were chasing her was a complete 180 compared to the weaklings they controlled in their own part of the city.
She gave a short huff, as she made her way deeper into the remnants of the newly built city with renewed vigor, despite the mixed expression she had as made her way forward. The Sin of Envy never truly suited her, but at the time it seemed to be an easy method to power. Much like Drake was able to draw the latent mana from the environment around them, she and the others in the city were able to siphon off energy of those they had some power over, but even to her, it left a sour taste.
Weaklings drawing power off those who were even more pathetic. That’s all that those they controlled really amounted to. Every demon wished for true power, the sort that allowed them to live however they wished, but their own leader? He was content with simply forming a poor imitation of the human’s own structures, even going so far as to construct the symbol of the human’s dominance of the area, the so-called Guild. In the end, it was nothing but just that. A poor imitation, a fitting tribute for what he tried so hard to make his own.
She was haphazardly wandering through various alleyways now, only barely attempting to evade the growing noise behind her. Even her stature had changed. It was impossible to escape the city, and it had already been a day full of hiding. And then…
“It was nothing compared to what he had…” In spite of herself, her mind wandered to the almost overpowering draw of the crimson mana that had been used on the three of them. With nothing but a small flick of his finger, they had felt their very souls be connected to a small gem that he had conjured out of midair. It was a terrifyingly powerful ability in comparison to the crumbs that was available to her, and it was made all the more mysterious by his utterly human-looking origins. Not that it mattered now.
With a resigned look in her eye, Azura felt a sudden brush of air, both behind and in front of her, as two masked men appeared from above her and landed with deadly silence.
“Back already…” She did nothing but shake her head, as he held her hands aloft. She wasn’t going to be able to leave the city. Even if she did, no doubt they’d track her down in the same way as before. Her leader only focused on subterfuge and minor control, meaning that in a full-on fight she was hopeless. She was going to die here, at the hands of some nameless humanoids. What a horrible way to go.
“You’re quite lucky. Not a moment sooner, and you’d have been caught and killed. Pretty wasteful way to go. Still, you’re an actual one, huh?” There was a short pause, as the figure looked over the false visage the demon had over her.
“Don’t look special to me. It’s flimsy at best.” The figure in front of her had a low, but refined voice, his face completely hidden in an even more extensive outfit than her own.
“Who… what are you?” Azura was put immediately on guard. She was expecting a swift death, not unlike what Ranvar had been put through. This however, was completely out of her expectations.
The figure in front of her wasn’t large, nor overly bulky. The speed and power that she would have expected was clearly missing from them, yet there was a palpable feeling of danger from the both of them. Even more confusing, was that there were no signs of magic use at all. The mana in the air was perfectly still.
“Curious? Ha. Still, we have one actually capable of speaking to us for once. Suppose it’s not all bad, after all.” A sneering laughter emerged as the confused demoness could only look on in confusion.
“Aaahh.” A frustrated sigh came from behind her, as a hand was suddenly placed on her shoulder. “Alexi, just get us out of here. We’d be attacked the same as her if we’re caught.”
“There is such a thing as quality to worry about, you know.” A smile flashed behind the heavily cloaked hood, as a red hand emerged from the heavy cloak and touched her as well.
“A devil’s child…” The demoness almost shrieked in fear, before a sudden flash of energy burst out from the man in front of her. In only a moment, the three of them were completely enveloped, and in the next, they were gone, leaving only the faint stench of rotten eggs hanging in the air.