We finally made it out of the gray wasteland. It's been a month, or perhaps even longer, since we were awakened and summoned back to our duty in the waking world. I couldn't be sure of the exact duration, especially given the time we spent in that desolate expanse where barely any sunlight penetrating its thick, gray clouds.

The place was infested with powerful monsters, some prowling the land, others soaring through the ominous sky, and a few even lurking beneath the earth's surface. It was a damned nightmare, to put it mildly.

What a godforsaken hellhole, I thought inwardly, though I dared not utter such words aloud. I was a valkyrie, after all. Poise and decorum were expected of me at all times. But could you really blame me for my frustration? Out of nowhere, I was awakened from my slumber and sent on a mission to apprehend a blessing stealer, a task I was more than willing to undertake. In fact, I felt honored to be chosen for such a grand mission. However, my elation was short-lived.

Soon after my awakening, I realized that I wasn't the chosen one for this mission; I was simply one of many chosen ones.

There were two valkyries who had been my fellow maiden valkyries back in the day that were brought back alongside me. But it didn't stop there. The Odo tree had summoned many other valkyries, each tasked with the same objective: to capture the thief who had stolen the blessing. In other words, we were just one contingent among many.

With my fellow valkyrie, I entered and made it past the Shadowfen Forest, which, in my younger days, I had often been told was a forest without an end.

Teeming with monsters and dangers at every turn, this place had been a nightmare for our younger fellow valkyries—the ones sent before us. Many of them had already met their demise within its treacherous confines before we were awakened.

We, on the other hand, made it past with relative ease.

However, in hindsight, the losses we sensed in the gray wasteland, compared to those in the Shadowfen Forest, made the latter seem almost trivial when contrasted with the horrors our sisters must’ve encountered upon entering the gray wasteland.

The wasteland was a place of despair and death. It had already devoured many of our sisters. Without me daring to use my wings even once, for fear of attracting other flying creatures of the wasteland, we pressed on, sensing how the place had claimed the lives of many of our sisters. The gray desolation seemed never-ending, and with each step we took, we couldn't help but wonder if we would ever emerge from that accursed place. But eventually we did.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the bleak, gray landscape began to give way to signs of life. We had reached the verdant valley, a breathtaking sight compared to the desolation we had endured. However, our joy was short-lived. Just as we entered this verdant paradise, we felt it—the unmistakable sensation of another of our sisters' deaths. And it didn't stop there. Soon after, another warning came, indicating the loss of yet another valkyrie.

What were they fighting against? We couldn’t tell for sure.

It could have been the elusive thief we were sent after, or perhaps they had fallen to the countless monstrosities that roamed this world. The uncertainty was maddening, but we knew one thing for sure—we had to see this mission through to the end.

There was a chance that these valiant sisters of ours had lost their lives in a battle against the BlessingReaver, the one at the center of everything, or perhaps just against another monster. But regardless of either conjecture, they’d lost their lives in the pursuit of him, and the best we could do in their memory was to avenge them by defeating BlessingReaver and bringing his corpse to the Odo tree for the matriarch to retrieve her stolen blessing.

I was a winged valkyrie, and now that we were no longer in that gray wasteland where flying was equivalent to flagging oneself as an appetizing target for flying monsters, I could have simply flown ahead to the spot where I felt the death of one of our fellow valkyries had occurred. However, my fellow valkyrie and I knew very well that things could change in a matter of seconds, so we decided to stick together, just as we had thus far. In total, there were four of us: my fellow maiden valkyrie, another valkyrie younger than us by thirty years, and me.

As we continued our journey, we eventually arrived at a place that seemed to have been used as a battlefield. But we could tell with more or less perfect certainty that it wasn't where our sisters had been killed. Instead, our instincts told us that the source of the death we felt was further ahead.

We followed that sixth sense of ours until we reached a corner where many trees clustered together—not quite a forest yet, but more like a group of trees.

As we entered the cluster of trees, it didn't take us long to notice something strange. Deeper into the heart of the tree cluster, there was a large open area where the ground, up to the trees themselves, was covered by a thick, viscous layer of a golden substance. As valkyries, we couldn't help but immediately identify it as Odo. However, what caught our attention was the fact that this Odo seemed to have solidified, leaving behind evidence that it was once most likely a liquid. Scattered throughout this strange scene were two valkyries, their lifeless forms partially submerged in the now-solidified Odo. It was a grim sight to behold, and there was no sign of the BlessingReaver or whatever was responsible for this eerie tableau.

Surveying the surroundings we sought out for anyone or anything’s presence. There were none.

As we stood amidst this unsettling scene, my fellow valkyrie and I exchanged glances, a silent communication that conveyed our shared unease. There was a heaviness in the air, a sense of foreboding that hung over us like a dark cloud.

Dia’rna, the eldest of the three of us, spoke first. "This... this isn't right. What could have caused this?"

Tamara, the youngest of us four, her voice trembling slightly, replied, "I don't know, but this Odo... it's like nothing I've ever seen."

"It's solidified, as if time itself has been frozen here," Dia’rna noted, stepping into the golden surface and making her way to the corpse up ahead.

I nodded, poking the solid golden surface with my leg.

Dia’rna who arrived to the corpse side, followed by the other much bolder than I was, mumbled, "These valkyries…"

"Do you know them?"I asked, my wings twitching nervously, as I finally dared to make my few steps.

"I don’t, they’re must much older than us but it seems they to have been caught in it," Dia’na once again noted. "But there's no sign of struggle. It's just as if they were just left there to be engulfed."

"Do you think it’s his doing, Blessingreaver?"

As I voiced my question, my thoughts mirrored the inquiries that had haunted me throughout our arduous journey. What was the true nature of this BlessingReaver? How could he harness all three great powers, defying the warnings we'd received? And how had he managed to steal the Matriarch's blessing, setting all of this chaos into motion? My frustration simmered silently within me.

Dia'rna responded, "I don't know, but it's possible. He wields not only Odo but the other three great powers as well. No doubt he might be capable of—"

Her words were abruptly cut off as she stepped back, retreating from the corpse she had been examining. The rest of us also hurriedly backed away.

"What the hell!"

Without warning, the partially submerged corpse melted into the viscous golden layer, disappearing into it as if it had never existed.

As we took in the strange sight of the corpse dissolving into the golden layer, we were suddenly caught off guard once more. The golden ground beneath us liquefied, and something reached out to grab our legs. Well, not mine, but I reacted in panic, causing two of our group to stumble. Only Dia'rna and I managed to keep our balance. Dia'rna jumped back, and I quickly lifted off the ground with a flap of my wings.

I thought I had escaped it, but my relief was short-lived. The thing that had grabbed Dia'rna's legs emerged and lunged at her, making her lose her balance. Suspended in mid-air, I watched as a humanoid figure covered in golden substance emerged from the ground, not only under Dia'rna but also under the other two valkyries. These creatures, partially humanoid but with strange appendages on her back similar to mine, pounced on them.

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Amid the chaos, I regained my composure. I wanted to rush to Dia'rna's and the other’s aid, but then another figure surfaced from the golden layer on the ground. This one was also humanoid, cloaked in the golden liquid but smaller in size, almost like a young boy. It was then that everything clicked in my mind, and I realized who we were dealing with: BlessingReaver.

Before I could react, BlessingReaver released a gust of wind at me, sending me backward through the air. I managed to regain my aerial footing with a frantic flap of my wings, preparing for an attack. However, my heart skipped a beat as I saw lightning crackling all around me. But it was nothing compared to what I felt when I saw BlessingReaver holding a large stake of pure, condensed lightning in his hand.

Covered in golden liquid from head to toe, BlessingReaver looked up at me, a smile spreading across his face, his white teeth gleaming. He was smiling at me. Fear momentarily gripped me, but as the bolts of lightning crackled and swirled around him and the others, it soon became apparent to me that I was not his target.

"Everyone, back off from there!" I yelled, rushing toward my comrades who were restrained by the humanoid silhouettes, desperately wanting to help. However, I hadn't even covered half the distance when BlessingReaver raised his left hand and slammed the lightning into the ground before him. An explosive surge of electricity burst forth, engulfing the surroundings in a powerful, destructive onslaught of raw power.

The entire tree cluster was instantly obliterated by the electrical explosion, and I, using my wings to shield myself, was sent reeling backward into the distance by the sheer force of the blast.

For a moment, I was in a daze, unable to hear or see anything. Nonetheless, I instinctively flapped my wings while suspended in mid-air. As precious seconds passed, I slowly began to regain my vision. However, what I saw left me horrified.

Before me loomed a massive mushroom-shaped black cloud. I didn't need to see through the thick electrified smoke screen to understand what had just happened.

"Tsanta, Tamara, Dia’rna…"

As a valkyrie, I could feel it in the depths of my being. Three of my sister valkyries… lost, just like that.

I wasn't even given a single moment to mourn the loss of my sisters. Suddenly, two sinister figures emerged through the fog, soaring towards me with chilling grace. Their forms were haunting, and their presence felt ominous. As they drew nearer, I could make out their grotesque details.

“What’s that!”

They were clad in gleaming golden armor that covered every inch of their bodies, more like a second skin than armor. They, like us, bore an unique crown of Odo. However, their faces were blank, devoid of any features— no mouth, no eyes, no nose, nothing but a smooth, golden layer. Their wings, similar to mine, beat with a dreadful metallic rhythm, making them a grotesque mockery of winged valkyries.

I immediately materialized a sword with Odo in hand as the fake valkyries approached, one of them wielding a spear. With anger, sadness and determination in my heart, I readied myself for the battle ahead.

The fake valkyrie wielding the spear lunged at me with incredible speed, thrusting the weapon forward with precision. I deftly parried the attack with my sword, the clash of metal against metal ringing in my ears. Their movements were unnatural, almost mechanical, as if they lacked the fluidity of true valkyries.

I countered with a quick slash of my own, aiming for their exposed flank. But to my surprise, the fake valkyrie's body seemed to shift and contort, allowing them to evade my strike with an uncanny flexibility.

They retaliated with a powerful thrust of the spear, forcing me to leap back to avoid the deadly point. As I regained my footing, I realized that these fake valkyries were unlike any opponents I had faced before.

We continued to clash, our weapons meeting in a flurry of strikes and parries. I had to rely on my training and instincts, as their faceless forms made it impossible to anticipate their movements or read their emotions.

Even with their unsettling appearance and robotic movements, I wouldn't yield. My determination was fueled by the memory of my fallen sisters and the valkyries' honor. With each sword swing, I aimed to defeat these impostors. But just as I mustered the courage to overcome my fear, a foreboding noise echoed, hinting at what I was fearing the most: being ganged upon more than I already was.

I flapped my wings to create distance between the impostors and myself, then turned toward the source of the echoing noise. To my dismay, another impostor was rising into the air, joining the two others. In the arms of the said impostor valkyrie, BlessingReaver was held, cradled in a bear hug lift as though he were a child —which, given his appearance, wasn't far off. But his sinister smile, the oversized crown he bore on his head and the way he gazed at me with those piercing blue eyes made him look like everything but a child; he looked like a monster, or even worse, a demon.

"Well, Miss Valkyrie, I am Dream," he began with an unscrupulous smile. "But you can call me BlessingReaver too; it's all fine by me."

What’s with this smile?!

What’s funny about this? Is this just a game to you!

"Bastard," I cursed internally.

"What? Aren’t you going to give me your name?”

"Why would I do that?!" I screamed inwardly, turning away. "Screw this, off I go!"

Breaking my promise to avenge my sisters weighed heavily on my heart, but my foremost mission as a valkyrie was the one bestowed upon me by the Matriarch: to retrieve her stolen blessing. Dying here would mean losing all chance of ever completing that sacred task. It was better to flee now; I would return stronger next time, with reinforcements. And then I will avenge my sisters.

"Flying like that... so reasonable. So un-valkyrie-like. I like that," I heard from behind, accompanied by the rhythmic noise of the impostor pursuing me. I tried to increase my speed, but just as I did, I heard, "I like it, I think I like it, but the thing is I don't think I can simply let you go."

At that moment, I glanced behind me and saw her spear hurtling in my direction. I quickly dove downward to avoid it, but it seemed to be within his prediction, as he immediately ordered, "Go, get them girls."

Much like a loyal dog responding to a command, the other two imposter Valkyries swiftly closed in on me, displaying remarkable speed. Faced with no alternative, I pivoted to confront them, engaging in a brief exchange of blows with the impostors.

However, I soon realized that this fight was different from the previous one. After just a few exchanges, it became clear that I was battling a different kind of opponent. Their movements were more agile, less stiff, but still somewhat mechanical.

We exchanged several more blows, with neither BlessingReaver nor the other impostor intervening. Despite this, I found myself overwhelmed. They fought more and more like true valkyries as the battle went on.

As I struggled for my life, I muttered to myself, "What do I do? What do I do? I have to do something!"

Things took a turn for the worst when I heard wings flapping from the impostor cradling BlessingReaver. He declared, "It was an insightful interaction, but you're running out of Odo. I might be a horrible person, but I take no pleasure in torturing more than necessary, so let's finish this."

At that moment, an Odo spear appeared in the impostor's hand. Soon, the Odo spear flared with a bright golden radiance. I had no idea what it was, but I knew it was bad news. Without hesitation, I flapped my wings and flew as fast as I could. They pursued me for a while but eventually fell behind.

"I can make this," I naively hoped.

However, that hope was instantly crushed when I felt something hurled at me at incredible speed. It hadn't even reached me when it exploded, engulfing me in its blast.

I was engulfed in the explosive blast, a blinding and searing sensation that overtook my senses. The force sent me hurtling through the air, my body spinning uncontrollably. In a matter of moments, I realized the inevitable: I was plummeting to the ground.

My heart pounded with terror as I braced for the impact. The ground rushed up to meet me, and I crashed against it with a sickening thud. Pain erupted throughout my body as I tumbled and rolled across the unforgiving earth. Bones cracked, and my vision blurred as I struggled to regain control of my battered form.

For a moment, I lay there, my face pressed against the unforgiving ground, dazed and disoriented. The world spun around me, and I could feel warm blood oozing from various wounds. But I couldn't stay down. I had to get up, to fight on.

No, wait, I must run. That’s what I must do. Run.

Summoning every ounce of strength and willpower, I began to push myself off the ground, determined to flee from this nightmarish battle. I had to find safety, to regroup, and to come back later. No, in fact, I don’t even need to come back, one of my sisters will eventually fulfill the Matriarch’s wish to retrieve her blessing.

Oh, Goddess.

This was a mistake.

I just wanted to be eternal and nothing else. I didn’t ask for any of this.

Someone like me shouldn’t have been one of the chosen one for this mission in first place

As I struggled to find even the tiniest glimmer of hope, I began to delude myself, clinging to the belief that only a miraculous miracle could save me now. But even that fleeting hope was swiftly crushed by the unmistakable metallic flapping of wings. Panic surged through my veins as I turned my head to look in the opposite direction.

There, descending upon me like avenging angels, were the three impostors and BlessingReaver himself. It was a horrifying realization that escape was no longer an option. I was trapped, surrounded by my relentless pursuers, with no way out.

I wanted to beg to have my life, but just as I was about to, I realized that at least in these final moments, there was still part of me that kept my pride as a valkyrie.

Having come to terms with my fate, I stared back at the one that was supposed to bring forth my demise. Extending his arm toward me, he summoned a spear that hovered in the middair and said, "Well then, Nameless Valkyrie, your duty ends here—"

I already know that. You didn’t have to voice it like that. It’s frightening enough.

"Fuck," I finally said without restraint as the spears were hurled toward me.