“When I woke up I found myself in some random forest. After wandering around, I found my way to a city. I have yet to get to this church, but I accomplished my goal of finding you, so I'm satisfied with just that.”
Helgi stretched on the bed after finishing his story.
“I see..fragments of my dagger..that makes sense..”
Yuri murmured to herself.
“It does?”
“Yeah. I've already been to the church of Freiya. It was actually where I first arrived, the entire reason I got sucked into this world was because the dagger teleported back and brought me along with it. So the fragments of it probably had the same effect...since you got some inside your blood, you were also brought along..but where did the mana come from..”
Yuri scratched her head.
“I believe, and this is only speculation.” Hikaru began “But this old woman, said something about Helgi having good blood, yes? It might refer to his blood containing mana. But since it was such a low amount of mana, combined with only a small part of the blade, might be the reason he didn't just teleport to the dagger or the church.”
“Hmmm that makes sense..” Yuri nodded thoughtfully.
“Hey Helgi..”
“Hm?”
“You still haven't explained the reasoning behind that challenge where we almost killed each other.”
“Ah..that.”
“Yes that.” She glared at him with cat-like eyes.
“Well..I figured it would be the easiest way to find you.” He said simply.
“Come again..?”
“Since it's you. You would probably continue your antics wherever you are. So If I started using your signature while taking all the spotlight...you would inevitably show up. And well, since I wasn't sure it was you, I had to get rid of you somehow. I mean you could have gotten plastic surgery for all I knew so I had to check your ability and see if you knew anything. But it turns out you really were Yuri.”
“So how long have you been stealing things in my name?”
“I'm not sure about time, but I've completely ruined several cities now, everyone ended up leaving them due to fear of having their things stolen and bankruptcy.”
He laughed, like he was talking about a funny childhood memory.
“Hmm, bankrupted several cities huh, not bad, but I've completely emptied the treasury of one city, worsened a rebellion in another, and completely turned one city into ashes and splinters!”
She bragged, not wanting to be outdone by her friend.
“Haaah? You've been here for longer than me and that's all you got? Besides I made mine bankrupt without anyone ever even seeing me, I bet everyone saw exactly who you were, like always”
“Not true! The only people who saw me was the queen of that first city, then everyone in the rebellion in the next..and most everyone who looked up in the last...awawa....but it was all according to plan! To build my reputation!”
“Oh yeah, I'm suuure. What thief lets their face be known like that, besides, wouldn't it be better to steal from the city instead of destroying it?”
“Well!! It wasn't my fault!”
“So you didn't even do it? And you were bragging about it..how hopeless..”
“Hey! I did do it!”
Helgi and Yuri kept arguing like this, but their words held no malice, it was the argument of those close enough to afford getting angry at each other without any ill intentions.
Listening to them arguing over their accomplishments made Hikaru want to sigh while smiling awkwardly.
(These two..they're so alike..equally as...let's say... amazingly unique...)
“Well at least I got some cool magic! Unlike your weird crappy paper things, how did you even make those, with markers?”
Yuri snorted at him.
“To be honest, I still don't know what this magic business is about..I got the paper spells custom made by a mage in another city. So I wouldn't know if what your friend said is true, about my blood containing magic.”
Helgi slowly got up from bed.
“Well, that doesn't matter right now, we finally met again, so let's celebrate like old times!”
Yuri exclaimed brightly, their past argument forgotten almost instantly.
“Yeah!” Helgi cheered.
“The city should arrive at its destination at any moment now, maybe we can find some place to enjoy ourselves there?”
Hikaru offered forcefully. Although he was glad Yuri finally got to meet her friend, he still felt uncertain about this man who only a few hours ago tried to kill Yuri.
As they headed out. Hikaru noticed a guilt-filled look on Helgi's face while he looked at Yuri.
“Is something wrong?”
He asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Oh. Nothing..”
Helgi looked away, his thoughts drifting slightly while Yuri blabbered on about her favourite pastries from around here.
His mind drifted to his unclear memories of what happened just before he arrived in this world
–
“-you were unlucky enough to have good blood! I will pray for you!”
He heard the old woman's voice vanish further and further away until it vanished.
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
His vision was dark, yet there was light that twisted in the distance.
His body heavy and his mind felt like it would break at any moment.
The lightly slowly twisted more and more, eventually becoming an almost coherent image. Drifting slowly towards him.
Blinking, Helgi eventually clearly saw what the light was.
It was a table. A long table. It looked like a fairly simple table. But he could it tell that it was made from materials far from simple.
At the table sat several people. It was a surreal sight. The table seemed to be a normal size, if a bit long.
It seemed like it could fit around ten people or so.
Yet...He could probably count out at least fifty people. Sitting at that table.
The strangest thing about it, is that it seemed like they all fit perfectly into those ten seats. Despite that not being logically or physically possible.
Yet the image he saw, he couldn't say that the table was too full. In fact it might have felt slightly emptier than it could have been.
The figures at the table did not look upon him. Nor could he gaze upon them. For when he did, he felt his sight gradually disappear. Looking at them, even through the corner of his eyes. Was impossible.
This table, with the unseeable people. Slowly drifted closer. The only bright thing in the darkness around him. It eventually stopped right in front of him.
“Ohhh? Hey ---- did your wolves bring in some trash again?”
One of them said, by the voice, Helgi could tell it was an older man. His voice gruff and deep. He could hear what they said, but there was one word he couldn't hear. A word used to address someone else, presumably a name.
“Oh shut it ---- if anything it's probably your doing, these jokes get tiring when they're too obvious you know”
Another one replied, this one a woman.
“No...I don't think this is a joke...”
Another woman replied and he felt her eyes resting on him, the strength in her gaze slowly crushed his body. He could not gaze upon her form, but he saw her gaze. It was the gaze of something that was far beyond the realm of the normal. A gaze so bright white and full of energy that it crushed anyone not strong enough to withstand it.
Now that he paid attention. They all had the same glowing bright white eyes.
“What are you talking about, what else could it be other than that?”
“I think. It might actually be..a human.”
Her voice sounded more amused than surprised.
“How could a human make it here. Don't spout nonsense ----!”
“This is interesting..hey human. How did you get here?”
She addressed Helgi. But he didn't have the ability to answer. It took all of his strength to not just simply faint. Talking was beyond him.
“Talking to a human? Don't be ridiculous. Are they even capable of speech?”
One said.
“Did you forget? They learned speech thousands of years ago. Must have been a while since you've been there huh?”
Another answered.
“Well, whenever I go there, someone gets mad at me for accidentaly stepping on their followers!”
“Well if you ate less, perhaps you wouldn't be so big, would you!”
Some of them laughed.
“Why you bastard..!””
“Shut up already and calm down!”
The woman spoke again.
“Hey human, you better say something. Or else I can't promise that these guys won't dismantle you for fun. I'm against violence, but the rest sure aren't”
Helgi felt his attention flicker.
Being dismantled? As in being killed. He couldn't afford being killed yet. He still hasn't found Yuri.
He can't die until he has made sure his friend was safe. What kind of friend would he be anyway, if he did that.
He may not believe in people other than himself. He may be selfish, and all of his interest may lie within monetary greed.
But he still had morals. His morals. They were simple really. He didn't have many people he trusted. So those he had. He would make sure to keep safe.
And Yuri was one of them.
“I'm...”
He spoke with slurred words.
“Ohhh, it can speak! That's impressive!”
One said.
“I'm...”
His body was shaking. He felt as if he was crushed beneath the depths of the ocean, the pressure pushing against his body from every angle. Pulverising his bones and churning his organs into soup.
“I'm...!”
With his body feeling like it would burst open. Well beyond the point where even those with the strongest of wills could endure. Well past the point where anyone would start to look at another solution.
He kept pressing on.
His hands moved. Ever so slowly.
The people at the table watched him silently. He moved at a snails pace, but the people at the table seemed to be in no hurry, and just watched patiently.
Eventually he got his hands beneath him, pushing his body up.
His legs moved slowly, pulling against the ground that was there but also not.
He eventually managed to get on all fours.
And slowly. Very slowly. Began to move his body. Standing up, he felt his body in such immense pain that his nerves almost burned out.
“I'm...!!!!”
His knees shook, but slapping them, he made them stand still.
“I'm not going to die...Until..I...Find...Yuri..!”
He muttered under his breath.
He no longer had the energy to even speak.
“Yuri..? You say?”
The woman spoke up.
“Why are you looking for that..person.”
“Yuri...Is..my...best..friend...”
He breathed out, blood running down his chin from his veins starting to burst.
“Is that so..”
She muttered.
“Come on --- since you love humans so much, maybe you should help him out. It seems interesting.”
A man spoke lightly.
“Oh no, I'm not falling for your tricks again ----”
“What tricks. You saw it yourself. He managed to stand up, in here. As a human. He surely seems more interesting than the rest. Can't you see it. The potential.”
“....Sigh..right. I forgot you only do things that interest you. Hey human? You know moving around so much in here is very impressive. No human has ever done that before. But doing that, also means that your fragile body is already starting to decompose.”
Helgi looked down and saw the giant pool of blood at his feet.
“But like ---- said. You're interesting...this Yuri. I can let you meet them. I can even heal you up so you live a long life. I can also add some other small bonuses.”
She smiled.
“What's...the catch...”
Like any professional thief. He knew that people never did things because they were interesting. Nor out of the goodness in their hearts. People always managed to try and get as much out of a deal as possible. And he figured these...things. Would probably be similar.
“The catch..? Hmmm. Well I just need you to do this one tiny thing. In fact if you accept, you will accomplish this task, or I will make sure to take away all the things I gave you, and hide your very soul somewhere it can never find its entrance to whatever afterlife you believe in.”
“Heh...Seeing as I...don't believe..in an afterlife...sounds...like a good deal..”
“Haha, look at him talk back. Boy, do you even know who we are?”
“Don't...know...Don't...care...”
He answered while spitting out some blood.
“Believe in what you want, the terms are the same.”
The woman answered simply.
“Then..I also..want..something else..”
Helgi breathed out slowly.
“My, humans these days are so greedy. But I guess they've always been. What is it?”
“Your name..that I can't hear..I want to know it.”
He requested this, not because he thought he needed to know. But because something about not hearing the name of the one he made a deal with, just simply bothered him.
“Hearing my true name will change the way you see the world as a human forever. Are you sure you're okay with that?”
“A deal..needs...a name..exchange..I'm...Helgi..”
“Very well Helgi, the first human to stand in the presence of all living rulers of this realm. I ----- appoint you as my contractor once you speak my name. Then the terms of the contract must be fulfilled to the last letter we spoke of. Or else suffer the consequences.”
Somehow. He felt the unheard name stick to his brain. He knew it. He couldn't pronounce it. Not even in his head. But he knew it, as clear as the sky is blue and as clear as the the ground the brown.
“----”
He spoke her name. The world around him instantly changing.
No it wasn't the world that changed. It was his view.
He suddenly found himself understanding concepts he couldn't before. Even if he couldn't put them to words. He still felt an understanding of everything.
“Helgi of the first to stand. I will now send you down to the rest of the mortals.”
He felt his body healed as if it was never damaged.
“As for the terms of the contracts that you agreed upon...the task I require of you is.......”
The words she spoke made his eyes open wide, his vision filling with the glowing whites of the people around him, before he blinked. Finding himself in a normal forest, unsure if what he just witnessed was dream or reality.