34

The Presence of Midgard’s Attributes

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A small candle was flickering in a silent room. The only source of light, on the bedside table, was growing increasingly weaker.

The devouring darkness grew stronger and weaker intermittently following the breath of a person. The candlelight and the darkness were in a tug of war, neither wanted to relent their essence. Until, with a large breath, the darkness overwhelmed the candlelight.

And a woman opened her eyes the moment the light was devoured.

***

Alduin was walking through the church. Snoring sounds and the whispering of people were heard as he passed the shielded sections. All survivors gathered here for shelter in the night.

It took a while but Alduin managed to find the resting area of his parents and him, although nobody seemed to be inside. But Alduin didn’t enter either, the moment Alduin pulled aside the partition wall to enter his resting area he stopped walking.

‘Is that?’ Alduin thought as he looked at the back of the church with a face full of surprise. His footsteps moved swiftly as he made his way further into the church.

After passing through the hallway, Alduin saw someone standing in front of the last door. He couldn’t help but speak in a heavy voice, “Hati.”

A whimper answered as the little pup reacted in shock.

“Come here.” Alduin’s voice concealed the anger he felt. His steps closed into the small wolf and his hand grabbed the pup by the neck.

Balling up completely in a whimper, the little wolf completely surrendered.

“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing,” Alduin said, “This is the last time, otherwise you’ll have to follow me around, Understand?” His voice grated through his teeth as he looked the pup in the eyes.

A whimper rang out as the little pup nodded in obedience. Alduin replied with a nod of satisfaction as he thought, ‘I’ll have to keep my eyes open.’

Footsteps were heard through the hallway as Veleda arrived at the last door as well. “Alduin?” she asked before her surprised voice rang out. “There you are, you know I told you not to sneak away!”

She tried to stomp her feet as she came closer but it sounded more like tapping the floor. Her anger didn’t have an ounce of intimidation as her finger waved in front of the pup.

“You came here for Hati?” Alduin asked as he handed the pup over.

She looked back with a guilty expression. Her hand tapped Hati on his head as she replied, “Yes, I was helping your mom but I suddenly noticed it was gone.”

“I’ll come to visit you in a bit, I just wanted to check up on Ise before I went to bed.” Alduin smiled back, his eyes landed on the small pup. “That was when I found it loitering around.”

He walked closer and patted the pup with a smile. “You’ll listen from now on won’t you?”

The powerless wolf could only move according to their will. Right now, both parties wanted something from the other, and it was clear that Hati was in a weaker position.

Veleda nodded in approval, she felt satisfied they were both raising this little pup. “You won’t get a late-night snack anymore.” Veleda patted it again before turning around. “I’ll be in the infirmary, Lydia still needed help with Leon’s father. Don’t forget your promise alright!”

The smiling girl kissed Alduin on his cheek before she turned around and hurried away.

Alduin looked back with a smile. ‘Right, she came here for-’

‘Wait?’ Alduin frowned. ‘She came here for Hati?’ He didn’t understand what was going on. He turned his head but the reason he came here hadn’t changed. ‘Is that why?’

Alduin’s hand moved towards the door handle, his thoughts more complicated than before. ‘Veleda awakened as well, so why?’

And before his eyes was a wall of darkness. Not a single reflection could be seen, not even the single presence of a person could be felt. But Alduin felt it clearly, the darkness itself was alive.

“Alduin?” A silent voice asked. The darkness faded as moonlight suddenly reflected inside. “You… You’re alive?”

Ise suddenly ran toward the doorway and wrapped her arms around the young man. Her voice started shaking as she tried to get her words out, “I’m sorry…”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Alduin stared at the fragile Ise, her cold temperament was completely gone. Even her aloofness was now replaced with emotion as tears started falling from her eyes.

“Right, I’m alive.” Alduin sighed, the impact he felt was quite rough as well. The woman that used to babysit him now relied on him as well. He hugged her back as his voice replied, “Thank you for saving me.”

Ise pulled back in surprise. “What do you mean? You’re the one that saved me.” She was flustered, her senses were all over the place. “And what is going on, what happened to you, no what happened to me?”

Her rambling voice quickly drowned out her sobbing as her inquisitive nature took over.

“Let’s sit down.” Alduin walked inside and said, “I’ll light a candle.”

“There’s no need,” Ise said. But she quickly realized. “Oh, the candle is by the bedside.”

Thunder had once again met darkness. An impression both of them felt, a resonance in energy, or was it a resonance in affinity?

‘Didn’t she sense it?’ Alduin thought back to Veleda, but then again, the presence of the Goblin Ruler was different from the Captains he met in the cave.

“How did you manifest it?” Alduin sat beside the bed and asked his question.

“What is this?” Ise asked back, “What happened to us?”

‘Right, she has always been like this.’ Alduin sighed as he remembered how stubborn she could be once she wanted to know something.

And in this way, Ise was informed of what happened during the time she was unconscious.

“Are you serious?” Ise asked.

“Yes.”

“Does your mom know?” Ise asked again.

“Not yet, my father should be aware, but I still need to talk with her.”

“When did you decide this?”

Alduin sighed, it was a lot for him to ask, but right now she was a vital part of his plans. Not to mention the fact that she had already proven herself.

His silence didn’t last long as he replied, “The moment I entered the dungeon,” He said, “No, it was the moment I faced the Goblin Ruler.”

Alduin looked Ise in her eyes and continued, “You should feel it as well, but let me show you.”

His breathing became focused under the watchful eyes of Ise. From his tensed muscles to his pumping heart, his stomach seemed to warm up more and more as his blood increased its flow. A warm current flowed through his entire body waiting to erupt outside.

“What?!” Ise’s voice rang out in shock.

A spark of lightning moved between Alduin’s fingers. A bright snake of light completely coiled around his hand as each movement showed a different phenomenon.

“How are you doing that?” She asked with wide eyes. Her instinctive fear was ignored as she wanted to touch it. But the moment her hand moved forward, all light disappeared.

“What are you talking about?” Alduin laughingly asked. “You’ve been emitting your attribute from the moment you awakened.”

His laughing voice was met with shock as Ise only now realized what Alduin meant.

“I’ll explain everything I found out,” Alduin said, “I don’t know what the prospects of this ability are, nor do I know how to develop it.” Alduin paused and pondered. “You’re also the third person that awakened to this energy.”

Ise looked even more surprised hearing this than what she just saw. “Wait, who are you talking about? There shouldn’t have been any gemstones left?”

She had been paying close attention to his explanation. From the black pebbles to the sky-blue cores and lastly the pitch-black essence of the Goblin Ruler.

“It’s Veleda,” Alduin replied, “I don’t understand it either, but after I came back from the dungeon I found out she had fainted.”

“Are you telling me?” Ise was dumbfounded.

“Right,” Alduin said, a serious expression on his face. “I think she awakened naturally.”

“What?” Ise frowned. “Then why didn’t we awake na-, wait…” Her rambling thoughts made her interrupt herself by asking another question. “What is her attribute?”

“I’m not all-knowing Ise.” Alduin sighed. “I am as much in the dark as you are, and the black pebbles have no effect, not as far as I know.”

Alduin looked at Ise and thought, ‘Well, that little kid seems to like them.’

He sighed as he tried to stand up. “And I don’t think she has an attribute. She might be more similar to the core of the goblin captains than what we have, so…”

“That’s why you want to leave?” Ise asked.

“Right, we’re not alone. We don’t even know how this thing works.” Alduin stood up and smiled at Ise. “I was sure you would heal up, I was hoping for that Ise. But our fight is not over yet, it’s just that the scale has increased from this our homes to a different playing field.”

Alduin tucked in Ise as he laughed. “Now, get a good night’s sleep, we’ll talk tomorrow. You don’t have to come if you don’t want to, just think about it alright?”

Ise looked with a frown, this entire conversation was too much for her to comprehend. From the ability they possessed to the scale at which this was playing out. Shivers ran over her body as she realized the young man in front of her was preparing himself for something she couldn’t even fathom.

“I’ll come.”

Alduin turned around. “I still have to break the news to my parents and Veleda.” He smiled a gentle smile as he replied, “Thank you Ise, I’m glad you’re fine.”

The chair he was sitting on was pushed to the side as a soft voice rang out once again. “I’m… sorry for tasing you.”

Alduin couldn’t help but laugh, the strict woman that never relented to letting him stay up past his curfew, or the woman that ruthlessly ate his snack had apologized to him. Right, she was family, someone he also wanted to protect.

His hand moved forward as a small spark flew toward her forehead.

“AH!” Her expression showed shock as her hands immediately held the place the spark had landed.

“Let’s consider us even now,” Alduin said. “Get some sleep now, we have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow.”

Alduin turned around and smiled at Ise before closing the door, leaving Ise stuck in her thoughts.

‘Now, I just need to tell mom.’ Alduin walked through the empty hallway toward the door where light escaped from. A heavy expression showed on his face as he thought back to his mother crying in his arms, ‘It’s been hard on her.’

And with this thought, Alduin pulled open the door to the infirmary where Lydia was treating Leon and his father, Alfred.

“Oh,” A voice responded in surprise. “You’re coming to visit your mother at work. Have you been waiting for me?” Happiness sounded in her voice as her son came to look for her.

Veleda seemed to have left already as the patients had all been taken care of. And right now, only Lydia and Alduin were left.

“You have been busy lately haven’t you,” Alduin replied with a gentle smile. “Do you want to talk for a bit?”

Alduin had no choice but to leave this place. It was to protect those he loved, but in doing so, it was inevitable to hurt them as well.