Several hours later, a large explosion sounded off inside Loki's office.
"%$^@#!!" Loki spouted a string of obscenities in a long-dead language.
This damn stupid bead!! Who the hell places such complicated seals on a bead?! Thousand layers, fuck, even the first 109 were goddamn annoying!!
Loki had made a misstep in solving the 110th seal, causing it to explode in his face.
He was quite angry, glaring at the bead as if it was his archenemy, as if it has comitted some personal wrong against him. The bead was comprised of at least a thousand layers of seals, but each one of those seals were comprised of smaller sub-seals. Each single seal was created from a series of smaller, more intricate seals that formed a very complicated pattern, all of them constantly changing and evolving as time went on.
This made it so that the formula to unlock each seal changed every minute. Not only that, but each time you unlocked a seal, the next would be nearly double the difficulty as the previous! What kind of sadistic individual created this thing?!
Was this not created simply to wear down a person's patience?
Suddenly, Loki felt him being called. With a snap of his fingers, a giant flat crystal screen appeared in front of him.
"Yes?' He asked in irritation, his mood sour.
A beautiful woman appeared on the screen, wearing a set of silvery armor and sporting a head of light blonde hair, looking every bit the warrior she was.
"Lord Loki, we have nearly reached the academy with the family, as you requested. However, we have run into a bit of a problem."
"Well, what is it?"
"There is a large number of soldiers blocking the path. They say they are with the clan of two of the people in your care and are demanding that we take them to see you and ask that you relinquish them. How should we responde?" The voice was cold and indifferent.
Loki was now even more annoyed. That damn clan, as soon as they heard about how the two girls were with Loki they immediately demanded he hand them over.
"Kill them. Why even bother me with this? Im busy! Hurry up and deal with it."
"Understood. All obstacles shall be eliminated. However, this will delay our arrival considerably"
"Fine, fine. Just dont let the family come into any harm, got it? Ah, also, dont let them near the bloodshed."
"I hear and obey, Lord Loki. We will arrive first thing in the morning." The connection broke, the screen going dark.
Loki sent Abigail to inform Roland and the rest of the delay before returning to work on the bead
-----
Sometime later, the woman who had talked to Loki turned and looked over at the several dozen corpses littering the ground, her gaze showing absolute calmness.
"Lets go" She commanded. The ten-odd group of silver-clad maidens set off.
Three people sat in a carriage several dozen feet behind them, escorted by two more armored maidens. One was a man with deep brown hair and a fit physique, just past his prime. He had an arrogant and imposing manner to him, a sharpness in his eyes that could cut diamonds.
As if to contrast this, the woman, who still retained her youthfulness and beauty, had a motherly look to her. She had a gentleness in her eyes and looked as if she smiled often. The feeling one got from her was warm and likable.
Sleeping on her lap was a small, adorable young girl.
The latest battle had lasted a total of three minutes, longer than the last, but no noise from any of the battles had entered the carriage.
-----------
early the next morning, Loki called Roland and the other four into his office. When they arrived, there was a middle-aged man and woman who sat on some of the chairs, along with a still-sleeping young girl napping on a couch to the side,
The girls, upon seeing them, let out jubilant cries.
"Mother! Father! " The two rushed at the man and woman, throwing their arms around them. They had little memory of their actualy birth parents, and so the two before them who had treated them with love and kindness since young were like their true family. Obviously they were excited to see them.
"Reina, Lilith, we missed you so much!" The woman had tears in her eyes, hugging them tightly. The man was more conservative, but one could notice the relief and fatherly affection in his gaze. He smiled, patting them on the back and giving them a firm squeeze on the shoulder.
"Oh, you two had me so worried! Where have you two been? you've been gone for several days! I, I thought that despicably clan of yours had come to retrieve you. That we wouldnt see you two again. . . " She let out a sniffle, holding them even tighter. The two felt deeply ashamed to make their mother worry so much.
"It's okay, we're still here, okay? We arent going anywhere" Lilith assured her, speaking softly.
" Thank goodness you two are okay." The woman smiled" Oh? Somehow, you two seem a bit taller?" The woman commented. No, didnt they seem just a bit older?
The father, meanwhile, turned his sharp gaze to the men who had arrived with them. The two younger ones looked pretty similar to eah other, most likely brothers. They were both young men and had blonde hair with tall, muscular bodies. One of the two had a scowel, but didnt seem to be a bad sort. The younger looking one had a thoughtful look about him, but had a stubbornness to his chin that the man had often seen in young warriors.
The other man had midnight black hair and a tall frame that wasnt as muscular as the other two but was more compact and defined. The way he moved, as if one with the rhythm of the earth, was like a predator in his element. Graceful, yet at the some time almost primal. From his gait, the man was almost certain he was a swordsman, and a skilled one at that.
The most attention grabbing was perhaps his deep azure blue eyes that seemed almost to glow with an inner light. They seemed to pierce through you. When was the last time that the man had felt this deep sense of insecurity around someone? No, rather, it was a sense fear?
The older man thought that the person before him was very dangerous. He had a faint aura of blood about him that could only be acquired after killing countless people. But the man had known many individuals like that. Something like this wouldnt cause him to be on guard.
He couldnt explain it, but his every sense told him to be very careful around the young man.
He regarded him cautiously.
The young man didnt seem to even notice.
"Girls, these three are. . .?"
"Oh, right. Sorry. Let me introduce you. The two over there are brothers. The older one is named Saren and his younger brother is named James. The last one is Roland. He's the one who helped us out. Still helping us" Reina made a quick introduction.
" Helping with what?" The mother asked suspiciously
"Before we get into that, how long did you say the two were missing?" Roland cut in, a small frown upon his face, seeming to have caught on to something.
The woman peered at him for several seconds before she answered. " . . .Several days. We were so worried when they suddenly disappeared"
"Several days. . .?" He muttered. He walked to Loki, speaking low. " That cant be right. Loki--"
" Yeah, i know. When i felt their minds, they had at least several months worth of blocked memories. Do you think . . .?"
"Yeah."
Probably. . . a sub-dimension. Like pocket dimensions, but much larger. Places that have their own Time Laws. If they entered a place like that, then a day in this world could be several weeks or more within the sub-dimension. But entrances to such places were rare in the lower realms. Just where could they have entered one from? And when exactly?
His thoughts were interupted by a cold voice."Can you explain exactly what is going on? Why these two suddenly disappeared, and who you are?" The middle-aged man cut straight to the point.
"Hm? Ah. . . Well, the situation is a bit difficult to explain. We arent too clear on things either." Roland said.
Roland roughly explained the situation from the beginning. The mother showed shocked a expression. However, the father had a grim look in his face, his thoughts well-hidden.
"This curse. . . What proof do you have that it truly exists? For all we know, you had kidnapped them yourselves and created an elaborate ruse to get them to trust you. I can sense nothing wrong with either of them." The man accused.
"Father!" Reina exclaimed.
To make such accusation, wasnt that a bit too unreasonable?!
However, Roland was as calm as ever.
"The curse, we believe, was created when they were very young or perhaps even the day they were all born. It is natural you would sense nothing wrong with them. As for proof. . ." Roland walked towards Reina. Slowly, he raised a hand and flicked her on the forehead.
The strange move caused eveyone but Loki to look at him oddly.
"OW! What was--?"
Suddenly, everyone felt a cold, malicious energy erupt from her body. Her eyes turned white, falling unconscious, and a thick miasma of dark energy seeped from her pores which was slowly eroding everything in its path.
A powerful wind flowed inside the room, causing various objects to be thrown around chaotically.
"What did you do to her!" Lilith yelled.
Everyone but Roland and Loki was pushed back several steps by the strong force that accompanied the malevolent aura. A strange feeling of dread welled up in their hearts. The father instinctivly held his wife's shoulder and put himself in front of her body to protect her. From what, he was not entirely sure.
The young girl was still sleeping, undirsturbed and protected inside a glowing sphere that Loki had conjured an instant before. Yet even then. she furrowed her eyebrows as if in a nighmare.
Suddenly, a glowing golden mark appeared on Reina's forehead where Roland had flicked her. A gold brilliance burt forth and thoroughly surpressed the evil aura.
The entire thing lasted only seconds, but once it passed a death-like silence filled the room.
Roland caught Reina's unconscious body before it hit the ground, "Was that enough proof for you?" He asked coolly.
The father looked coldly at the young man. " Explain."
Roland smiled, knowing he had won." This was something that only developed recently. Im not entirely sure what is causing it, but im certain that it has to due with the cures they all bear. Each one is different, and hers is only the first to manifest. Soon, the others probably will awaken as well. The curse is real. If you doubt everything else, at least believe in that."
The older man frowned, thinking. He didnt think that the younger man would take such drastic actions. However, that cold and evil aura. . .It felt like it was almost draining the lifeforce from its surroundings. Truly terrifying. He no longer doubted Roland. He had much experience, and he knew a curse when he felt one. But, he never encountered one so powerful as to manifest its own aura like that.
Could Lilith truly have something like that inside her as well? From his story, that young man Roland had instantly sensed the curses on their bodies.
The father now knew that there was indeed a curse on Reina, and likely on the other three. But that still didnt mean Roland had nothing to do with it. He could have planted them himself, or had someone else do it and spun this story to appeare like a kind savior.
He could have simply held the two ransom though. Yet he didnt. Was he aware of the background behind the two girls? If so, that could explain why he chose the route he did. Of course he would not want to invoke that family's wrath. But, would someone who knew their background really dare to make such plots? No. At least not without substantial backing of their own.
And the two boys, there would be no reason to involve them. From their bearing, they were probably of common birth. Using them in such a ruse would serve no worthwhile purpose.
If Roland was truly so audacious as to plot against them like this, what was his aim? Money? Priceless artifacts?
The man himself had access to such things. It was also possible that the man wanted the girl's real family to feel indebted to him. The man had seen how Reina had looked at Roland as she introduced him, so full of trust. It could be Roland wanted to marry into her family. It would make sense, especially now of all times.
Create an elaborate ruse where he kidnapped the two, drugged them to make them not remember the last few day, have a curse placed on them, hire some experts to threaten the girls and then defeat the evildoers while suddenly "discovering" said curses and offer to help them remove it.
Then, as he appeared like a hero in their eyes, slowly woo one of them and at the same time help remove the curses. After, he would tell his accomplishments to the girls' family to gain their favor and eventually make himself useful so that he would have a position to ask for the hand of one of the girls.
Such a plan may even work, as Roland was definitely not simple. Even if he embellished the story and had not truly beaten a group of Immortals, he should still be pretty strong!
And even in these times, strength made a lot of difference. Even the girls' original family would not want to turn down a young genius especially given their recent decline. It was not a great decline that they were incapable of getting out of, but because of it they would not turn away someone with talent.
Even if they knew of the plot, Reina didnt have a high status among her clan. If Roland knew even that, then he probably concentrated efforts on her alone. If it was only Reina, even if the clan discovered what Roland was up to, they may not care and even welcome him into their fold. Reina would probably be married off anyway, why wouldnt they use her to rope in a talented individual?
Hoever, as the man thought more, he didnt think any of that was the case. First, the boys, as far as he could tell, were of no use and involving them in this would only complicate things. No one would make such a mistake if they intended to pull the wool over the eyes of the clan the girls belonged to.
Second. . . The man knew very well who the young boy beside Roland was. God of mischief, fire and insanity, the next in line to rule over Asgard and one of the most influential beings in the Higher Planes, Loki Jotunheim!
As enigmatic as Loki was said to be, would he make friends with a mere nobody who only thought of personal gain?
Never. He would also not mix with some shameless liar! So, Roland's story was most likely true!
If he accepted that everything Roland said was true, and that he defeated several Immortals, then the thought of someone that powerful thinking up such a dastardly plan was laughable. If true, then Roland was already as strong as himself, an expert that cared not for mortal machinations and bids for power.
Appearances were not always what they seemed, as many experts had youthful appearance. Perhaps the young man was even older than himself!
The man had already made up his mind that Roland was probably an old expert, one who was even friends with the Mischief-Maker himself, Loki!
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This belief hinged on the mere fact that Loki was present!
"Alright, but exactly what do you have in mind that could help them?"
" Im planning a certain trip in a few days. I have a friend on the planet who may be able to help, and once we leave, we will take the opportunity to look for him" Roland explained.
The older man looked at Lilith and the two brother. " What if their curses activate before then?"
"I'm pretty sure i can forcible surpress the boy's curses for at least a while even if they do activate. Theirs seem pretty straightforward, so unless i have seriously misjudged their properties, nothing is of real concern there. Lilith and Reina, however, are a different matter. I cant see through Lilith's curse, and Reina's is equally complicated. Right now Reina is in possession of a Divine Flame that is keeping that malevolent force at bay, but i can feel it is growing stronger each day. If something isnt done, she will be taken over by that force. After that, i will be forced to kill her before she becomes a danger to others."
Divine Flame!
As soon as he heard the words, he showed surprise. Something like a Divine Flame, even if he searched for his entire life, he may not be able to find even a clue as to one's location. Even if he did, would capturing it really be easy? Finding one was actually the easy part!
The woman, hearing this, rushed towards Reina's side and took her from Roland's hands. She cradled her head, looking at her husband. " Dear, we cant let that happen! We have to do something!" She cried.
"I know, But. . . "
"I have already examined them myself. I dont know how to cure them. This is outside my knowledge, but our friend will most likely be able to help. Well, probably anyway~ More like, if he cant help, we would probably have to take more drastic measures~" Loki cut in, humming softy. If Solomon couldnt help, then they could always take the four to the Higher Planes. Someone there would know how to help, he was sure. But, they have quite a few enemies there. It would cause a lot of trouble and dealing with it would waste a lot of time.
Roland wouldnt go through that much of an annoying time for just anyone though. And Loki himself doesnt really mind if the four die. He doesnt have any strong feelings for them, but after a few days of living together Roland may have developed a real liking to them.
Arent they lucky~?
the husband sighed. If Loki, as old and knowledgable as he was, was at his wit's end then no one he knew would be able to help them either.
It looks like if they want to get Lilith and Reina help then they can only rely on them and their mysterious friend.
But with that clan demanding Reina and Lilith be handed over things may not go smoothly.
" I cant leave them here alone after knowing all this." The husband began.
"Dont worry, you can bunk with Roland and the rest. I have them all living together at the same place already and there is plenty of room for more." Loki said, sounding bored.
The woman was furious when she heard this. " You have two underage girls living together with a group of men?!"
" Well, two boys and a man, but yes" Loki looked a bit interested in the woman's expression. Actually, when he got a closer look, she was actually really pretty wasnt she?
" Shameless!" The woman exclaimed. " Dont you have any tact? Two young, unmarried girls living under the same roof as three members of the opposite sex is unacceptable!"
The husband also frowned. Reina and Lilith were, indeed, two beautiful women. To have them living together with the other three was not a wise idea. He considered himself the father of the two young girls, and what father wanted his daughters to be living with a group of men?
For their part, Saren and James were very offended. One part was from Loki's comment, but the other was because they knew just what the husband and wife were thinking. When had they ever looked at the two girls with lust in their eyes?
Although the two could truly be considered women of high quality, nether of them felt any bit of arousal for them. Rather, what they felt was a strange protectivness almost like what they had for each other. Saren wasnt even mad at Lilith for nearly killing James anymore.
To assume that they akin to wolves eyeing their prey hurt their pride and dignity.
Lilith was also very indignant, eyeing her mother in displeasure. She was about to open her mouth to argue that she was perfectly capale of taking care of herself, but thought better of it.
Roland merely raised an eyebrow in front of the wife's concern, wisely saying nothing.
" I really dont see what the pro--" However, Loki who was intending to play the fool, was silenced with a sharp glare from the woman. He frowned.
It has to be said that the only woman who had ever made him shut his mouth was his own mother, Frigg.
To be able to match her, wasnt this woman too overbearing? Even though she looked nice. . .
"Well, let's not get into that. For now, Let get you guy settl--"
"Reirei . .? Lilith. . . ?" A soft, childish voice called out.
"Lottie?" Lilith looked at young girl staring at her groggily from across the room.
"Lilith, why's Reirei sleeping on the floor?" The voice obviously belonged to the young girl. She seemed to be half-way between dream and reality. Her voice came out slow and quiet.
The cute little girl made Roland smile a bit, wanting to pat the girl's little head.
Even Loki had to resist the urge.
The wife smiled down at her daughter." Dont worry honey, Reina is fine, okey? She was just a bit tired and fell asleep."
"But, floors. . . Arent for sleeping, 'kay?" The little girl asserted, rubbing an eye with the back of one of her tiny hands.
Loki nearly choked.
What was with these levels of cuteness? Even his own daughter was never this adorable!
"Haha, i know dear, but she was really, really tired. Let her off the hook just this once, alright?" The woman pinched on of the little girl's cheeks, causing her to pout.
" 'Kay. Just this once." She yawned softly, then prompty fell back to sleep.
" . . . Hey, by any chance do you want to trade daughters?" Loki asked.
The two parents looked at him coldly.
" What? I had to ask" He sighed.
"Well, as I was saying, let's get y--"
"Are you guys okay?!" At that moment, Abigail barged into the room in a fluster. calling out to them loudly.
"SHH!!" The mother glared at the younger woman.
Abigail looked around, seeing the mess the room was in. However, the others all seemed weirdly calm in comparason to the chaos the room was in.
". . .Uh, did I. . . Miss something? I was sure i felt . . " Abigail asked, confused. She was sure she felt some kind of evil force, and had rushed here to assess the situation. She Dindt think there was anything that could harm Roland and Loki, those two monsters, but the four tenagers, a married couple and their young daughter were a different matter.
". . .Siren" Roland suddenly said, having a flash of inspiration
"What?" Asked Abigail, mystified.
" Nothing" Roland sighed, waving off her question. Damn, he was sure he was right that time. Sirens always knew when danger arrived, but it seems he was wrong. Although, if she was a Siren she would have let out a warning long before now. Hm, it seems he would have to think about it a bit more.
How odd, Abigail thought. She had noticed recently that Roland had a strange habit where everytime he saw her, he would say some strange word and then shake his head. She was not sure what it meant, though. At this point she was a little scared to ask.
" Anyway, while you're here, take these two to get settled down will you. Ah, and remember to go out to one of the towns nearby and shop a bit. The girls cant exactly keep borrowing your clothes forever" Loki told her.
For the past few days the two girls had been using some of Abigail's clothes that she never really wore, but Lilith had a bit of trouble fitting in them, especially around the chest area. Reina was a similar case, albeit not to the degree of her sister.
Abigail's eyes flashed. She rarely had the time to go out. Loki was hopless and required extra attention, lest he set up something ridiculous like a gambling ring or something inside the school. His laziness and trouble-making made her job 10 times harder than it should have been.
It was then that she noticed the state Reina was in. " She's okay, right?" Concern was evident in her tone.
" Probably" Loki shrugged.
". . . Okay then. Well, if you would two would follow me. . ." She led the two parents out, the man grabbing the sleeping girl and carrying her on his shoulder. They cast a glance at the others. However, it seemed as if they still had something to discuss and so they merely followed the woman out the door. Although they were worried about Reina's currrent state, they knew Lilith would take good care of here sister. She always had.
Reina was still unconscious, with Lilith holding her head. Lilith looked at Roland with fire in her eyes. " So, when were you planning on telling me that Reina's curse actvated. And when you said 'recent development', exactly how recent are e talking about here? Also, i dont see Saren and James all that surprised. You dont mean to say that you told them but neglected to tell her own sister, right?" She demanded.
James was curious about that too." Yeah, why did you even reveal her condition? I thought you s=didnt want to worry them."
"True, i didnt. But i dont think their father would have believed my intentions otherwise. And even i i asked them not to, they would tell Lilith and Reina anyway. I didnt have to explain anything at all, but from a glance i knew that they really cared for these two. They deserved to know everything, right?"
"And I didnt? You told Saren and James, but you thought that it was okay to leave me out when it was my sister who was in danger?!"
Roland scratched the back of his head. " Well. . . It wasnt really important for you to know. There wasnt anything you could do about it even if you knew. Why worry you? And as for how recent this happened, it was the day i took her out to train. Im not entirely sure what triggered it, though. Also, i did tell these two. It was a precaution. Their own curses could activate soon and they needed to know about it"
"I didnt?"
"That depends. Are you going to overreact like i thought you would?"
"If i did, it would be justified!" She snapped. " You should have told me! She's my sister!"
" No, she's your princess, and you're her knight. Was that not always the way it had been between you two? The little sister needing your protection, the one would couldnt fend for herself and you, the elder sibling, always coming to her rescue?" Roland scoffed. " But she isn't as weak as you think." He told her. " Besides, even if i had told you, there was nothing you could have done to help. You would have gotten angry and frustrated over something you cant control, isnt that what you're doing now? Something like that isnt going to help anyone, especially not Reina."
" Even still, I had a right to know!"
"Maybe. But now that you know, what will you do? What can you do?" He pressed.
His questions and his sudden sharp gaze caught Lilith off-guard, dousing the fires of anger that burned within her.
" I. . .I can. . ." She faltered.
Loki suddenly cut in, smiling at her mockingly. "Do nothing. Go ahead, say it. You~ cant~ do~ an~y~thing~ about it~"
Loki laughed. "Your sister could die any day now, and you're wasting time arguing with the only one who wants to help you, the one who actually, amazingly, cares about whether you all make it out of this alive. Do you even understand who Roland is? Do you think anyone else with his sort of power would give a damn whether you and your sister lived or died? You two are pretty, but not that pretty."
The two boys watched the exchange with mixed expressions. Really, they never gave it that much thought. What exactly do they know about Roland anyway? Other than the fact he was strong, nothing.
They didnt even know how strong he was, but to know a god with power and influence like Loki, how could Roland be simple?
When you think about it, why would someone like Loki give them a place to stay in the first place? He didnt know them at all, they were strangers to each other. He obviously didnt care much about them.
The only reason he would help them out. . . was probably because Roland asked him to.
And didnt that mean Roalnd himself was pretty amazing? So why would he even care about a few mortals who he had not known longer than a week at most?
He said it was because he had nothing better to do, that he was only bored. But their problems had already grown past being capable of using that as an excuse to be involved. No one would help them out if it meant going through so much annoyances, no matter how bored you were. Sure, if it was a problem that was easily solved, they would have helped,
But it's been several days already. And it seems like their troubles were only just beginning. When you took that into account, somone like Roland had no reason to help. Loki was right. Neither the boys nor Reina and Lilith were pretty enough to go to such extents for.
If one had to say, the only reason that someone like Roland would still offer them a helping hand at this stage. . .was because of kindness, wasnt it?
Realizing this, the two boys felt ashamed of their thoughtlessness and for taking his help for granted.
Lilith, also, couldnt say anything back. It was infuriating, and made her feel bitter to admit it, but It was true. Nothing she could do would be of any help. She was blaming Roland for taking into account that she would be of no help, and would only feel bitter over her uselessness, when he chose to not tell her anything.
All of them were in a delicate situation where there was practically no one else with both the power and connections who would bother to take the time to help them, other than Roland.
Also, the more time she spent clashing with him, the less time he had to help rid them of these curses.
Although she hated it, she had to admit that Roland was not in the wrong with his decision.
Roland looked at her, his face undreadable.
Finally, he turned and left, only pausing to glance at Reina before continuing on with Loki following close behind.
Several minutes passed. Without speaking, the brothers helped Lilith carry Reina back to the house.