Alyza hesitantly handed Magni the pyramid. He examined it, “Odd. I do not remember the stone appearing as such.” Magni tried to crush the artifact in his hand, but even he couldn’t destroy it. He took out his hammer and lifted it up.

“Wait!” Alyza took the artifact from him, “You’ll break the bloody thing!” She started to twist and turn parts of the artifact, until glowing runes appeared on it, and then it opened. Inside, a mystic orb of black energy, swirling with immense cosmic power that they did not understand.

“Ah, thank you,” Magni took the artifact back, examining the Malefistone in all its dark glory. He closed the artifact, “I suppose this will keep it safe from the wrong hands.”

“Yeah, speaking of the wrong hands,” Victus chimed in, still sounding weak. “I got it from a certain someone who said it led to unimaginable riches. Anything you’d know about that?”

Magni chuckled, “With the power to destroy the entirety of Midgard, I imagine you could threaten the kings in all the lands. Do not worry however, I shall return to Asgard and place this in my grandfather’s vault, with all other catastrophic treasures.”

“You mean you put them all in the same room?!”

“Yes. Heimdall,” Magni took out a talisman and held it up. “Koma Aftur!” The talisman glowed brightly, and so did Magni, until he poofed into particles of light.

* * *

“You fought a god?!” Alyza shouted. She kept pacing back and forth inside the living room, while a bruised and beaten Victus was sitting on the makeshift wooden couch. Clyme was playing a slow and somber tune that slowly healed his wounds.

“Well, he was more like a demigod. His father was Thor but he didn’t say who his mother was, so maybe she was mortal? I don’t know, something tells me that I wouldn’t have survived had he been an actual god.”

“Seriously, you need to pick your fights more carefully!” She stopped to glare at him, crossing her arms. Clyme was still playing his violin until she turned and gave him a look too.

“I still can’t believe it. The gods are real..”

“And you fought one!” Clyme was as passionately enthusiastic as usual. “Whether he was half a god or not, you still came out of the battle alive! Your combat prowess only continues to amaze me, Sir Victus.”

“I’m only alive because he needed the Malefistone,” Victus thought back to how his Evolution was so easily defeated, and what Magni said about Fenrir. He wondered if the gods were aware of Evolutions. Do they have Evolutions too? Or did they create the Evolutions? Why is the power sealed in a ring? Is his Evolution the real Fenrir? All these questions and more raced through his mind.

“The artifact?” Alyza asked.

“Yeah,” he replied. “Said it could destroy Midgard, our world.”

“I heard. And you just had that in your satchel?”

“Hey, you’re the one who thought it was a toy!”

Wolfe was standing in the corner, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He seemed to be deep in thought, having an inner debate with himself. “Victus,” he stepped forwards, “Perhaps it’s time I told you..”

“Huh?” Vick turned to him, surprised he was actually talking.

“Who you really are, Knightsilver.”

“..Eh?”

“Long ago,” Wolfe began, “There was a war between the Lux and the Umbran Elves. It was a battle of morality. Let the world fall to ruin, or sacrifice the blood of all humankind to the Goddess Frigg. She did not have such power, but she could corrupt their minds and convince many elves that such was necessary to save the world, and while the human population was small at the time, it was quickly growing. The question remained: Is taking the lives of a few worth it, if it means saving everyone else?”

“I’ve never read about this,” Alyza added.

“Many humans didn’t know, so much so that many descendants of the elves aren’t aware of the war either. However, there was one elf that stood out from the rest. His name was Vir Knightsilver, a dark hero that would single-handedly put an end to the war. He had sharp red eyes, silver hair, and a hidden power that only those unlucky enough to anger him would see.”

“And you’re just now telling me this?” Victus stood up, wincing from moving so suddenly. “This ‘hidden power’ wouldn’t happen to be some giant spectral wolf that’s summoned by taking off a ring and shouting ‘Evolution,’ would it?”

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Wolfe shrugged, “I am not sure. But there’s no doubt that your ancestor was Vir, an Umbran Elf, and while there is some human blood in you, you’re still part Umbran. Darkness swirls within you, and Frigg calls out your name.”

“Does she? ‘Cause I’ve never heard her, I’ve never heard about any of this! My father was a human, and my mother was an elf, or, at least, that’s what he told me..”

“Victus,” Alyza put a hand on his arm, “Is your mother still out there? Maybe you can ask her..”

“Father said she died giving birth to me, and if she didn’t, if she just abandoned me all those years, then..”

“Vick..”

“Then I want nothing to do with her!” He stormed out of the house, slamming the front door shut behind him. The others looked around at each other, concerned.

Victus sat at the pond, staring at his distorted reflection in the murky water, feeling that it no longer belonged to him. Alyza was right, he was so sure of who he was for so long, and yet the world simply decided that he shouldn’t be. He wanted to deny his reality, he felt that the truth was much too overwhelming. Nothing is ever easy, nothing has been the same since he died, since Duncan died, since father died. He wondered if maybe he was dead too, and that this was all some cruel trick the gods were playing on him.

Auburn sat next to him. He only saw her in the reflection of the water, avoiding actually looking at her. He thought he desired to be alone, he didn’t want any comfort, he didn’t need any. All that he needed was himself. That’s how it’s always been for the past few years, that’s how you avoid getting hurt. In her face though, too, he saw a subtle sadness.

“Mama said dinner’s ready. She told me to come tell you, but she also told me not to bother you.”

“Don’t worry, you’re not bothering me,” he thought that he’d lied to her. He was lying to himself, “I’ll go in a moment.”

“Okay.”

“..You’re not gonna go?” He finally turned to her. She kept staring at the water, lost in its reflection of the gray clouds above, unflinching even as the sky thundered.

“..I’ll go when you go. I can wait,” she poked the water with a stick, ripples traveling along the pond’s surface.

“..Okay. Thanks.”

“Mhm.”

He looked out past the pond, feeling a sense of relief as the trees and mountains came into view. Regardless of everything, of all that’s happened, the world’s beauty endures. Maybe his lineage is what caused him to feel this way, or maybe that’s just who he is.

Victus felt that the world's beauty should be preserved, and all its inhabitants, regardless of race, should be kept safe. The gods be damned, he thought. They can fight over any other realm, but this one was under his protection. He knew that this was impossible, that this wasn’t his responsibility, but he didn’t have to go it alone. Auburn was living proof of that. Alyza, Wolfe, Clyme, and anyone else he’s met and will meet, they’re all proof of that.

He stood up, holding his hand out, “Let’s go eat.”

Auburn nodded and took his hand, getting up.

The next day, Victus and the others packed their things, setting for the road. He apologized to Aura about her door, which was a bit loose now. She smiled, shaking her head, “Be safe out there, all of you. I’ll pray for your safety.”

“Thanks. Oh, and this is for you,” he took out a large sack of gold, “We all agreed that you should have it.”

Her expression saddened, and she shook her head, “No, I couldn’t possibly take it..”

“Take it. Please. We insist. It’s the least we could do after letting us stay here.”

She hesitantly took the money, setting it aside and giving him a hug. Wolfe hugged them too, piggybacking Auburn. He waved his hand, gesturing for the other two to join in on the group hug, and Clyme immediately did, followed by Alyza after rolling her eyes. He held them all together tightly, then let them go, and they all laughed and giggled.

“Alright, we should get going. Thanks for everything, Aura. You too, Auburn,” he helped her down off of Wolfe’s back. She smiled at him.

“When I get older, can I join your party?” She asks.

“..Of course, kiddo,” he knelt down, pinching her cheek.

She giggled and hugged him, “Thanks, Victus..”

“Hey, I probably wouldn’t have been here if it weren’t for you, Goldilocks,” he hugged her back. “Thanks for saving me..” Victus pulled away, taking out his fancy dagger, in its sheath. “I want you to have this. It’s very sharp, so be careful with it.”

Auburn took the dagger, mesmerized by its white and gold sheath. She slowly pulled out the blade, looking at her reflection in its lustrous edge. Her eyes lit up in the silver.

“You better practice if you wanna get good. Just, don’t break it please,” he patted her head. She looked back up at him, sheathing the dagger. Victus joined the others, and they all waved one final goodbye, setting off.

“We could always come back, you know,” Alyza walked.

“I know, but we’ve gotta move on too. Even if it’s hard..”

She huffed, smirking at him, “..Whatever you say, leader.”

He turned to her, shocked, but then Clyme put an arm around his shoulder, “Yeah, leader, let us venture all of Virunia, stripping it of all its mysteries! We shall leave no cave untouched!”

“Why does that sound perverted?!” Victus shouted. Wolfe chuckled and smacked his back, and he cried out in pain, “I’m still sore, you big oaf! Gods, that hurt!” Wolfe laughed louder, and the Nekomata joined him, the two laughing heartily.

“Man, you all really are insufferable!” He sounded mad, but he said so with a smile as they continued to laugh, Alyza smiling too. The four of them seemed inseparable, unaware of the forces that would attempt to pry them apart, uncaring of the dark future ahead of them. They had each other at that moment, and that was enough. Would it really last forever?