Bombs and guns have replaced bows and swords. World leaders are now experimenting with chemical and biological warfare. Technological advances in medicine have made it possible to save more lives, yet more people are being killed everyday.
They say they fight for God, for gods, for country, for the people, for peace. The leaders of their countries are called "chancellor," "emperor," "president"...but the words all have the same meaning: A figurehead for whom they will sacrifice their own lives and the lives of others.
As the population increases, so too do my responsibilities. There is not one prayer I do not hear. It rends my heart to hear their pleas, but we must not interfere. That is the creed of the gods. We may observe them, guide them, even visit them, but we may not use our powers to harm or help them. As a valkyrie, all I can do for innocent humans is offer them a quiet place to rejuvenate their souls and replenish their spirits before sending them back to Midgard to be born anew.
How could so many lives be destroyed at the whims of a handful of crazed, powerful men? I thought that without divine intervention, humans would learn to resolve their differences peacefully.
"Silmeria?"
I turn to him and nod. "Dylan." My most trusted einherjar. What did we fight for, back when you were called the Lord of the Undead?
"For a moment, I thought you were going to disappear." His voice is monotone, but his eyes reflect concern.
I smile sadly up at him. "I am a goddess. I'm not going to disappear." My smile fades, and I turn back to watch the scene unfold before us. "I have told you about the war we fought against the gods, have I not?"
"Yes."
"Brahms and I…" A lump forms in my throat. "We had a dream…the two of us. We believed in it with all our hearts, and so did my einherjar and the undead who sided with him. We thought that if we could throw off the yoke of the gods, we could attain peace in our worlds. Even the gods would be better off."
Dylan hung his head. "Yes…It is shameful, what we humans have done."
"But it's only a few humans!" I clench my fists as the battle reaches its climax of bloodshed and the screams of a hundred more dead reach my ears. I have more souls to recruit. It is overwhelming, the amount of people that can die at once. A valkyrie's job is never finished.
But…
"Dylan," I say, "you fought more bravely than anyone. You cared about the fate of Midgard more than anyone. When we fought side by side, I could believe that the humans would resolve their differences peacefully!" My eyes fill with tears. Would it be better to do as Odin did and destroy these countries? But that would root out the innocent along with the guilty.
"Midgard will never be peaceful, will it?" I ask sadly.
He shakes his head. "Probably not. I, too, once believed in that dream. But after seeing the horrible things humans can do, I can no longer think that they will ever achieve peace."
My voice begins to tremble as my tears spill over. "I thought Ragnarok would be started by the gods. I didn't think the humans…" How could these humans I loved so much do such horrible things?
I put my hand on Dylan's arm to steady myself, looking at the ground so he can't see me crying. "Please…let me stay like this for a minute. Only you can see my weakness."
He does not move, but his voice lets me know he's here. "I understand."
I had a dream of the word "love"…