There are some things that I will always remember about that day. Things I hate. Things I wish I never saw.
I remember the giant.
I remember the dragon.
And I remember their deaths.
I remember Urd's fear. Keiichi's confusion. Belldandy's Urgency. And the one who was sent to retrieve us.
The demons. The revelation. The choice presented to my sister.
I remember Hild, and the last time I ever saw Belldandy and Keiichi.
And I remember how little I could do to stop any of it…how I was little more than a bystander; a child, incapable of doing anything to stop it.
Yggdrasil…I wish I could forget that day…
~ From the Journal of Skuld Tyrdottor, Guardian of Humanity
"We interrupt your daily program with an emergency broadcast."
Skuld looked up, her brows furrowed together in confusion as she stared at the shaken newscaster on screen. "What gives?" She grumbled, placing her screwdriver down from where she'd been tinkering with one of her smaller gadgets. "What happened to Sentai Warriors? I was watching that!"
The woman on screen gave her no answer, instead taking a shuddering breath, her eyes large and frightened. "As of 3:05 local, reports have come in of a strange catastrophe over Shinjuku, Tokyo." Behind her a green screen came to life, revealing a video hastily captured by a cellphone.
Skuld's jaw parted in shock, and for a brief moment she watched the grainy footage in silence; a red dragon, small and dark against the blue sky, twisting and writhing about as it took in its surroundings, its characteristics like that of a confused and frightened animal.
"Urd?" The name came out almost a whimper, yet her sister strangely absent, the house oddly silent. "Belldandy?" Skuld called louder, and the phone owner turned to a second entity that appeared, this of a horrid grey giant, its body feminine in shape only, it's face drawn in a nightmarish snarl. "Guys?!" This time it came out as a shout, and her eyes never leaving the screen the girl scrambled to her feet, anxious for a response and yet too enraptured by the images before her to look away.
"The JASDF have scrambled jets to face these unknown threats, and are currently in route towards Shinjuku. Officers in the area are being instructed to aid in evacuation of the city, and request that all citizens follow their instructions as the JASDF will be going in with live ammunition." The camera feed behind the newswoman immediately cut off, ending the view of the foreign dragon and the grey giant. "We will now go live with reporter Setsuna Hideroki at…."
The woman trailed off, and a new scene appeared on screen, this of a young man located on what appeared to be a hill top. People clustered around him in a heavy assembly, many with phones out and pointing to the grey giant in the background. "This is Setsuna Hideroki at…" the man had to shout to be heard over the chatter of the crowd. Above his head came a roar of engines, and the camera tilted up, catching sight of a pair of F-15 J-models flying overhead. Their bellies exposed, Skuld could easily make out the two US-made AIM-9 missiles intermingled with a larger pair of Japanese AAM-5 missiles. The girl's throat went dry as she recognized the weapons. The reporter wasn't kidding. These guys were going in hot.
She missed anything else the reporters had to say, her attention glued to the screen as the camera crew followed the white stream left be the F-15's as they traveled towards the giant. "No…" She heard herself murmur, and her eyes began to burn with strain. "No, please, no…" The youth didn't dare blink for fear of missing what she knew was about to happen. She needed to see this. She had to see this. "Don't do it…please…"
The youth could almost feel it. She imagined herself, riding co-pilot in the lead F-15. "Oni zero-one, this is Dragon two-two, currently fifteen nautical from Gray Bogie, do you copy, over."
"Dragon two-two, Oni zero-one, we read you loud and clear." Came the radio's response, "You are in the clear to engage at your discretion, all known civilians have been evac'd. Recommend using two by AIM-9's followed by a second go with the AAM-5's based off weapons effect."
"Roger, Wilco."
"No…please, don't do it." Her voice came out a whimper, yet the pilot didn't hear her, too busy prepping for his attack.
"Moving in range of target, Oni zero-one."
"Copy, you are cleared to engage."
"Rodger that. One by Fox-one away," the fighter released its weapon before swerving sharply to the right. "Standby for second engagement." Skuld watched in horrified fascination as the missile struck the giant in the chest, sending chunks of gray stone and dust flying. It recoiled with the resulting explosion, its gaping mouth yawning ever-wider in a thunderous roar that seemed both close and far all at once. Within the cockpit, screens flashed and the HUD flared, alarms went off and the aircraft trembled. "What the hell? What is this? Some kind of EMP?!"
Skuld shook her head, rousing herself and bringing her consciousness back within her body. She rubbed her head, grimacing at the headache beating within her brow as the newscast continued to follow the pair of F-15s. One of them appeared to be stalling.
Skuld didn't stay to see what might happen next. "Urd!" She cried, abandoning the living room in search of her sister. "Urd, the news, it's—" she found her sister on the phone, the older woman's face tight and angry.
"Why?" The woman hissed, and Skuld took a step back, intimidated by the low, focused rage held within her sister's voice. "No Peorth, not until you give me a better explanation. What are you talking about? Everything here is…" The woman trailed off, listening to the goddess on the other line, and as Skuld watched on the hand holding the phone clenched tighter, and a long, thick crack slowly crawled up the length of the receiver. "…Are you certain?"
"Urd, the TV…"
Urd looked up, and Skuld started at the intense look on her sibling's face. Something was wrong. Very wrong. "Urd?"
"Not now Skuld, I need to talk to Peorth. Go get Belldandy. Something's happening back home and Peorth says we might get called back for damage control."
An uneasy lump settled in Skuld's stomach, and the girl bit her lip. "But the TV…there's a dragon and—"
"Listen Skuld, whatever it is we can talk about it later." Urd's tone left no room for arguments. "Now hurry up and get Bell. This is important."
The youth paused, opening her mouth to argue before thinking better on it as her sister returned her attention to the phone. A shiver ran up the girl's spine, and gritting her teeth the young goddess turned and left to fetch her other sibling.
Urd was afraid. Of what, Skuld was uncertain, and that scared her. Urd was brave. Braver than even Belldandy, though Skuld hated to admit it. The elder goddess didn't spook easily. For something to unnerve her…and the dragon, the giant-
Sliding open the door to go outside, Skuld craned her head back to look back once more at her eldest sister. Though she spoke softly and kept her back to Skuld, the girl could still hear snippets of the conversation. "Everyone? Even the demons?" Urd hissed, "Who told you that?"
Whatever came next went unheard as Skuld slipped on her shoes and stepped outside. The uneasiness in her stomach was growing, and biting her lip the youth set off in search of her second sister. "Belldandy!" She called, heading into the forest towards one of her sister's favored communal spots. Around her the trees sighed, and a dank wind that smelled like the ocean; damp and salty, whipped her hair across her face.
The girl shuddered. Something in the gale spoke of a strange and horrid foreboding, and rubbing her arms with a frown Skuld continued her search, heading back towards the shrine. "Belldandy?" She called once more. "Big Sis! Where are you? Somethings happening and Urd's freaking out, and there was a dragon on TV! A dragon! They aren't even part of this dimension!"
She was ranting now, she knew, yet Skuld found herself caring little. "What's going on? I mean is this like what happened with Niflheim? Where those stupid little imps got loose and started granting everyone's wishes?"
Her sister wasn't at the shrine either. The roof of the house was void of goddesses as well, and with a deepening frown, Skuld increased her search, finding her steps gradually growing more and more rushed when still no one appeared.
Had she left the shrine? It was possible that her sister had left to visit Keiichi at college, but then shook her head. It was Sunday. Keiichi didn't have class today, but had left the house earlier that morning to get some extra hours in at The Whirlwind. He was only supposed to be working a half-day, which was why Belldandy hadn't originally accompanied him to the office.
"But wouldn't she have said something if she left?" Skuld ran a hand through her hair in exasperation. "Or does she know about the dragon? Can she sense it, and that giant? Did she leave to go and grab that idiot?"
The girl didn't know, and the more she dwelt on it the more unanswered questions rose in her mind. Gritting her teeth with a mixture of frustration and anxiety, Skuld looked around. "Banpei! Sigel!" She cried, and immediately the two androids appeared, rushing from behind the house in a mad dash that would have been entertaining to watch at any other time. "Have you seen Belldandy?"
Banpei nodded and pointed. "Lady Belldandy was standing on the tori in front of the stairs last we saw," Sigel verified, "She looked troubled. Is something wrong?"
Skuld frowned. "I…maybe." She muttered. "It's…hard to say right now. Some weird things are happening and…" the young goddess trailed off, noticing the alarmed look that crossed the child-like android's face. Swallowing her own anxieties, the youth smiled, burying her own insecurities behind a mask of confidence. "It's nothing, I'm sure of it. At worst, it's probably another demon's scheme. If so a Valkyrie, probably Lind, will come down and intervene. Everything will be fine."
Her words seemed to bolster her 'bots confidence. Banpei pumped a fist encouragingly, and Sigel seemed to relax. Skuld wished she held as much confidence in her own words. "Oh, if that's all it is, then just say the word when you want us to help." Behind her Banpei nodded. "We're both eager to try out those 'anti-demon bullets' you made for us, but for whatever reason the 'usual suspects' have been conveniently absent as of late."
Skuld nodded. "Don't worry, I'll let you know. Thanks for the intel, guys." At the dismissal the two wandered off. With Sigel distracted, Banpei hesitantly attempted to wrap an arm around her shoulders, and paid for it with what amounted to a painful punch from its feminine counterpart. Abruptly, Sigel snapped something at the robot, and was then off in a burst of speed, leaving Banpei to chase after her, once more resuming their daily game of cat and mouse.
Skuld watched it idly for a moment, her gaze trailing after her two creations without really seeing them. The 'usual suspects'…she mused. Sigel's right. We haven't seen any demons other than Velsper in a while. I wonder…could it? The girl looked over to the front of the shrine, where even know she could see the tori, empty of any sort of divine resident. Were the demons responsible for the giant and the dragon?
Surely Mara or even the Daimakaicho would have appeared already if that were the case. Unless it was some new demon in town, making a name for itself and going overboard by summoning such creatures in a land that had none. But that'd be reckless, even for a demon. She thought. It'd do nothing but bring Valkyries down upon itself.
No, no…Skuld pursed her lips. "It's too soon to tell." She murmured, heading to the tori and looking down the slope of the shrine. Nekomi rested at the mountain's base, the buildings tall and gray, glimmering with sunlight reflected from windows. "We're a good many hours away from Tokyo. If the demons wanted to bother us here specifically, they chose the wrong city to summon giants in."
Movement caught her attention, and silently Skuld watched as a lone motorcycle climbed up the mountain road, approaching at a speed that would have been dangerous for anyone without the discipline and control of an experienced driver. Relief fell upon her shoulders, and as the bike drew closer Skuld caught sight of a passenger in the attached side car. "Thank goodness." She murmured. "Looks like Belldandy went to get Keiichi after all."
A part of her considered returning to the shrine to inform Urd, but then thought better of it. Urd could wait, and probably didn't want to be interrupted just for Skuld to tell her that Belldandy and Keiichi were on their way. Easier to simply guide the others to her annoying older sister instead, and then hear whatever big announcement Urd had to say.
Her thoughts drifted back to the dragon, and her mind's eye replayed its final moments: its attack against the giant, it's slow, growing victory crumbled by the arrival of JASDF F-15s arriving to take the two foreign entities down with AIM-9 missiles…The girl closed her eyes, a troubled frown on her face.
She jumped when a hand came to rest on her shoulder.
Starting, Skuld opened her eyes and looked up, wordlessly finding Urd at her side. The woman's expression mirrored her own anxiety, and instead of questioning her Skuld held her silence. Quietly, the elder Norn embraced her, and the girl leaned into the hug, taking strength in Urd's arms.
In a brooding silence, they watched the couple below come close. Their thoughts were their own, their discomforts similar, and in the foreboding disquiet they waited, eager and anxious to share what they had learned.
"Inside, quickly."
There was a great deal of urgency in Belldandy's tone, and though she rushed to obey her favored sister, it took Skuld a moment to realize that the middle Norn's words were directed more towards Keiichi than herself.
Keiichi passed them all, his face dark and grim. Skuld wondered at what knowledge could have produced such an expression.
She had little time to ponder. "Urd, Skuld, I need your aid in constructing a barrier around the shrine. Time is of the essence; the fallout will be in reach of us within the next three hours."
That got her attention. "Fallout?" Skuld looked at Belldandy sharply. "What fallout? You don't mean nuclear fallout, do you?"
Belldandy shook her head. "Nothing so simple." She confessed, looking to the heavens anxiously. "I fear the military of this country erred greatly in their rash decision to confront the Outsiders."
"Outsiders?" Urd asked. "You mean-"
Belldandy shook her head. "I am afraid I must ask that such things wait," she interrupted, "I do not know how large an area will be affected by the fallout, and I will not endanger Keiichi to that…" the Norn bit her lip but did not finish her sentence, leaving Skuld and Urd grasping at straws.
Finally Urd nodded. "Alright, let's get this taken care of." She said. "We'll triangulate a barrier that should keep anything out that's not at a molecular level." She glanced at Belldandy. "That will be enough, right? Any more and we risk suffocating Keiichi and anything else living inside."
Belldandy thought for a moment before nodding. "Yes…yes, that should be good enough."
"I can help too!" Skuld announced. "I've got an air purifier that ought to take care of anything that does pass through the barrier. It should neutralize anything harmful that might escape our notice."
Belldandy rewarded her with a smile, though it was weary. "Yes, Skuld that's wonderful. Would you please set it up once the barrier is erected? I don't want to take any chances right now."
Skuld nodded enthusiastically as Urd took over once more. "Okay girls, let's hurry. Belldandy, you get in front of the shrine. Skuld, head over to the westernmost portion of the house and back up about fifty meters. I'll do the same on the east part of the shrine. Give a shout when you're in position. Belldandy, once you've heard from both of us, go ahead and start the spell."
Nods and murmured agreements rose from the trio, and Skuld rushed off to the west side. "Banpei! Sigel! Get in the house!" She cried, catching a blur of movement that had to have been them. She didn't bother to stop and look, too focused on accomplishing the task at hand. Approaching her position as per Urd's instruction, Skuld paused and wheeled around. "I'm ready!" She cried, and from across the courtyard she could hear Urd's affirmative reply.
A small buildup of pressure began to build around the shrine, and if she listened carefully Skuld could just make out her sister singing softly. Instinctively, the girl held out her hands, and she felt a gentle wave of magic channel into her fingers on her right hand and then out her left.
In order to get a proper triangulation of where the barrier should fall and with the least amount of energy wasted, Belldandy was using herself and Urd as place marks, creating a conduit that would guide the power to its proper locations.
Slowly, the pressure began to build around her, and through her higher senses Skuld followed the accumulation of magic as it rose up and around, then gently began to conform to a rounded triangular dome around the house and shrine. The hair on the nape of her neck stood erect at the unearthly sensation, and as the dome fell upon the earth there came an inaudible pop as the pressure trapped within began to decompress.
The pop was signal enough to tell her that the spell had ended, and Skuld shook her arms and flexed her fingers, working the tingle of her sister's magic out of her body. "Bleaugh, I hate being a channel." She muttered to herself, hopping from one foot to another as though stepping on hot coals. "It's so…nasty feeling."
Regardless, the spell was finished, and with it Skuld raced back to the front of the house to rejoin her sisters.
Belldandy was almost dancing by the time she arrived. "Come, we must get back inside, quickly." She ordered. "The fallout won't affect us, but we could still contaminate Keiichi it falls onto our bodies."
"But what is it, Big Sister?" Skuld asked as the Norns retreated inwards, feeling the hair on her arms rise as she passed through the barrier. "I don't get it—there was a giant and a dragon, and now—"
The youth was cut off as an explosion rocked the temple; a familiar explosion, one they'd all grown familiar with over the past years living on the Assiah.
The explosion that accompanied a god's descent via gate.
A cloud of dust and debris arose in the courtyard, outside of the barrier that the three sisters had erected to protect Keiichi. They felt no breeze, and the dust that would so normally sting their eyes and cloud their vision instead took a wide berth around the shrine, seemingly avoiding the small dwelling like evil spirits on holy land.
"What was that?!" Skuld jumped and turned, finding Keiichi racing out to join the trio. "Was it another one? Like the giant?" He seemed uncommonly anxious, his stress so powerful that it emanated from the mortal in waves she could feel.
Disturbed by the sudden onslaught, Skuld retreated from the mortal, standing closer to Urd as Belldandy rushed to calm Keiichi. Urd, by comparison, seemed unaffected by the man's disturbance, her gaze narrow and dangerous as the eldest Norn sought out the newest arrival at their shrine.
"Lind."
True to Urd's word, the named woman ventured forth in a rush, appearing from the dust like a ghost in fog, axe in hand and face pinched in an uncharacteristically sour expression. "We're leaving." She announced, her voice loud and clear over the protests of the others. "You have five minutes to gather what you feel is necessary." The Valkyrie made a beeline for Belldandy and Keiichi. "You two. We need to talk. Let's go." Not waiting to see if her instruction would be followed or not, the goddess continued forward, past the barrier and inside the residence without so much as a break in step.
Urd stared at the Valkyrie's retreating form in a mixture of bafflement, anger, and frustration. "Wait, that's it?" She demanded, "No explanation, just 'pack your shit and go'? What the hell Lind?!" An angry snarl on her face, the Norn followed after the Valkyrie, and not wanting to be alone outside, Skuld hurried after her as well.
In the far distance, the sound of explosions could just be made out in dull thrums of thunder.
The girl entered the house just as an argument was starting to descend. "What do you mean I have to make a choice?" Keiichi was staring at Lind in bewilderment. "Right now?" He continued, and Skuld paused in the doorway. Again, a wave of foreign emotions struck her, an anger so potent that it made her feel ill. "With everything that's happening, you want me to just-just decide between staying here and leaving with you?"
"No," Lind replied, her voice cool with authority. "I expect you to speak with Belldandy and then decide. Be happy I'm even allowing you this opportunity." She shook her head, ignoring the heated glare Urd was directing towards her. "It is only through the friendship I hold with you that I'm even allowing you an opportunity to choose. Had you been anyone else, I'd have not allowed it."
"And then what?" Keiichi hissed through gritted teeth. "If I wasn't your friend, what then? Would you have taken me by force? In chains? Knocked me out?"
"If necessary, yes." Skuld's eyes widened at the casual revelation. "We are under an emergency lockdown, and as someone who's successfully walked the Gate with a Goddess, you are now fully connected to Belldandy. The two of you cannot be separated, and so where she goes so must you."
"But you just said you're giving me a choice." Keiichi countered. "So what happens if I decide to stay? Will you let Belldandy stay as well? What then?"
Lind narrowed her eyes. "I said I would allow you the opportunity to decide."
"So that means-"
"That means she's not really giving you a choice." Mara walked into the kitchen, a bottle of sake in hand as she leaned against the wall. She waved at them. "Yo."
"Mara?!" Belldandy gaped at the woman in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
The demon shrugged. "Collecting demons for-" Lind rushed her without warning, and immediately Mara backpedaled, tossing the sake bottle at the warrior. "Oi, fuck off bitch!" The demon snarled.
Lind said nothing however, deflecting the tossed alcohol bottle with her axe, where the bottle was destroyed, coating the Valkyrie in sake. The demon retreated into the kitchen, and Lind followed after, with Belldandy and Urd chasing them both, shouting protests the entire way.
The goddesses froze when they entered the kitchen.
Keiichi and Skuld rushed to join them, and Skuld swallowed a gasp when she saw what else had payed their home a visit.
Demons…there were demons everywhere.
Demons of all shapes and sizes, ranging from those as small as pixies to ones who had to crouch lest their heads bump the ceiling. There had to be at least a dozen of them, and as Mara retreated two others stepped forward, their gate the sharp, sure step of soldiers and their gazes hungry and eager for combat. "Stand down, Valkyrie." The smaller blonde, a male that looked like he could have been related to Mara, stepped forward. "We're here in peace, but don't think we won't attack if given a proper reason." He smiled broadly, revealing a long line of carnivorous teeth that looked unnatural in a human's mouth. "And don't think you'll win against a Goetia and a Slayer. Even with that Wendigo technique a' yours, Wolf."
Lind didn't attack.
"Hey, what gives!?" Skuld finally found her voice, and the blonde looked at her, "How'd you all get past all my wards and barriers?!"
The blonde smiled at her, and Skuld had to suppress a shiver at the sight of those teeth once more. "Mine cousin has had many a year to find a way around your magic, little goddess." He chucked a thumb back, and Mara cracked a smile at her, winking at the youth before stepping forward once more.
She kept the two soldiers safely between herself and the Valkyrie.
"So, as I was saying," She started, "The Daimakaicho tasked me with rounding up all the demons in the local area." She shrugged. "You could say she's been…busy, with everything that's been happening, otherwise she'd have done it herself."
"And what's been happening?" Keiichi demanded.
Mara blinked, staring at the man in surprise. "You mean you don't know?"
"None of us do." Belldandy replied. "All we know is that an unregistered goddess…the grey giant, suddenly entered this dimension with no warning." She shook her head. "It…she was attacked and…"
Mara looked at Urd, who crossed her arms and frowned. Her gaze then dipped to Lind. "You mean you haven't told them?"
"There isn't time for explanations."
The blonde male snorted. "Oh, that's rich." He muttered. "You hearing this, Cousin Marller?" The demon didn't take his eyes off Lind. Lind, likewise, kept her gaze squared on the two soldiers before her. "You had plenty of time to gather us all up and explain to each and every one of us what was going on and why we had to return, yet a Valkyrie sent to receive a family of divinities all living under one house can't be spared as much." He snorted in disdain.
Lind bristled. "We are not under the same restraints." It was a poor excuse, one that sounded weak even to Skuld.
"Then how about I explain things to them?" Mara's smile was unkind. "I was just getting ready to explain things to your pet pussy…cat," She bit the last word off, an unveiled insult to the cursed demon, "when you all decided to join us."
"We don't have time-"
"Nonsense," Mara's cousin cut in. "You've got plenty of time. The fallout will remain predominantly in Shinjuku until someone has the bright idea to nuke it, and that won't be for years to come." He smiled. "Really, there's plenty of time to sit and hear what mine cousin has to say." The demon beside him suddenly vanished, and Skuld gasped, feeling the hair on the nape of her neck rise in alarm as she heard the hiss of atoms rematerializing behind her. The girl looked back, and the Angel Slayer grinned down at her.
"Really, I insist. Mine cousin has some interesting things to say."
Keiichi suddenly appeared between her and the demon, and roughly he shoved her back, almost knocking her into Urd, who was quick to steady the youth. For once Skuld let the action drop. Keiichi's expression was hard and serious, and he glared at the demon balefully, the fear that should have normally dominated him absent from his features. Keeping his eyes on the demon blocking their escape the mortal spoke up. "Well, we're now your captive audience. By all means, tell us what you know, Mara."
The demon woman smiled, revealing the fangs she was so infamous for. "That's more like it. Seems you've got a bit more common sense then your Norns, Boy."
"Just get on with it." Urd muttered gruffly.
"At exactly 1500 Local Time, a grey giant appeared in the Shinjuku area. This was immediately by the appearance of a red dragon and it's rider in roughly the same area." Mara began, "For reasons that are still under investigation both of these Anomalies began battling one another, using an alien caste of magic no demon currently on this plane of existence is familiar with. What we do know is that the strange giant, that ugly-ass gray statue, radiates with divine magic, which has led us to the conclusion that it is some sort of unregistered goddess." She glared hard at Lind, who returned in full force. "That is one reason we believe a recall is happening on both sides, as this unregistered goddess is, quite frankly, screwing both sides over with its sudden appearance."
Skuld's jaw dropped. "You-that thing's a goddess?"
Belldandy shook her head. "No…no, that can't be." She said, "I sensed no diving magic from that creature, only…only anger and…only anger and hate. So much hate." She sent Mara a perturbed gaze. "How can you claim that to be a goddess?"
"How can you claim creatures like Lamashtu or Chernobog as divinities?" The blonde male countered. "One's a literal cradle robber and the other is the infamous God of Evil. Both would make better demons than gods, and yet you still hold a place for them amongst your ranks. What makes this one any different?"
Belldandy bit her lip, but made no move to reply.
"At 1530," Mara continued from where she'd been interrupted. "the Japanese Air Self Defense Force scrambled jets to take out what Niflheim has labeled as Anomalies. As of…" She paused, looking at the clock that hung above the fridge. "…1600 local, the goddess has been intercepted by the JASDF, interfering with the battle between the giant and dragon. Once they finish with the goddess, and have no doubt, they'll take it out, they'll direct their attacks on the dragon."
The demon paused there, examining the faces of the goddesses and mortal before her before continuing again. "We've already predicted that the JASDF will take out the dragon like it did the giant. However the dragon isn't the main concern. It is a minor creature in comparison to the giant-a being brought into the wrong place at the wrong time, and will be taken out because of it. The real concern is the goddess."
"Niflheim DEMINT has been running tests on this creature since it's initial appearance," the blonde male took over at Mara's nod. "And they've deduced that it's body isn't fully on the physical plane of this world. That alone is problematic, because of the fact that there's still going to be a fallout from the body that was destroyed." He eyed Keiichi, who was too busy glaring at the Slayer to notice the Goetia's blue gaze. "The fallout isn't fully manifested on the physical plane, and the resulting damage that's going to arise because of that fact will be horrendous."
Urd grit her teeth. "Are you telling me it's going to affect the inhabitants of this plane on an astral field as well?"
"That's exactly what we're saying." Mara replied. "How or in what way, it's too early to say. But it's a goddess, and one that seems to be fueled by hate at that, so you can make your own guesses as to say that whatever it is, it won't be pretty."
Behind them, Keiichi swore softly, risking his eyes off the demon to send a look at Mara. "Isn't there anything that can be done?" He asked.
Mara shook her head. "We know next to nothing about the Anomalies, which is one of the reason's we're being called back now. My guess is that it's the same or similar for your divinities here-they don't know how it will affect creatures of a higher plane of existence, and neither sides is willing to risk any one of their people."
"And yet both sides seem perfectly fine leaving an entire country to deal with the aftereffects?" Keiichi retorted.
Mara shrugged. "You were the fools who thought to attack it and blow the shit out of it." She reminded. "It's no longer our problem. Our biggest concern-my biggest concern-is to evacuate any demons stationed on this plane as soon as possible."
"I don't understand." Skuld protested, "How come Asgard isn't doing anything to help?"
Mara smiled at Lind. "Would you like to explain?" She asked. "Or would you prefer the truth come from a demon's lips?"
Lind grit her teeth. "The incident is being treated as an initiation of an Ultimate Destruction Program." She confessed. "That's why there's such a heavy evacuation. Treating it as a UDP means we must evacuate ASAP, and…" She hesitated, staring at Mara, who gestured her onwards before finally turning to face the Norns and Keiichi fully. "…and we aren't allowed to get involved."
Keiichi paled. "What?" The word came out a breathless whisper, and numbly Keiichi pushed his way forward, moving past Skuld and stepping in front of Urd, who retreated to stand at Skuld's side.
Without thinking, Skuld reached out and grabbed her sister's hand. Urd squeezed it gently.
"What do you mean you aren't allowed to get involved?" The man's voice trembled ever so gently, and Belldandy looked at him worriedly. "My…there are innocent people here." He said. "People who had nothing to do with this-this thing popping up out of nowhere. How could you just…just abandon them like that?"
Lind pursed her lips. "It's not my decision." She said, "This is direction straight from the Almighty Himself."
Behind her Mara nodded. "He passed similar warnings to the Daimakaicho." Mara confessed, "The mortals of this plane have initiated their own UDP, therefore neither side is to involve themselves in what happens next." The demon scowled.
"The Dark Lady was mighty upset when she left that meeting." Her cousin continued. "Five demons were beat within an inch of their lives because they had the bad idea to ask for details." He scratched the bridge of his nose. "…We started making a wide berth around her until she actually ordered us into the field to help mine cousin retrieve demons."
"So Hild won't help either?" Keiichi's voice was tight with suppressed rage. Quietly Belldandy rested a hand on his shoulder, the action seeming to have the intended effect of calming him. "I-my family is here though. My parents-Keima and Takano, Megumi, the gang at the Motor Club, Chihiro…" The man buried his face in a hand. "Are you telling me I'm supposed to just abandon them?" He demanded. "How could you ask me to do something like that?"
"Well, for starters, the Heaven's aren't asking you-they're telling you." Mara snorted. "And no one said the Daimakaicho wasn't going to help." The woman dug into a pocket of her blue jeans, pulling out a small vial. "Catch, Belldandy." She tossed it to the woman, who easily caught it with two hands.
"What is it?" She asked, staring at the vial in curiosity.
"All the help the Daimakaicho will offer you with the UDP active." Mara replied. She glanced at Keiichi. "You wanted a choice? That's your choice."
"But what is it?" Urd demanded, her face heated. "And why shouldn't I take that blasted potion and crush it beneath my heel right now?"
Mara shrugged, unconcerned. "You'll have to see if Belldandy and her man will allow you to do it, first." She replied. "All gods and demons have to evacuate, and that includes any mortals connected to them via the Gate." She pointed to the potion. "But a goddess who decides to live a mortal life is an exception."
"What?" Startled, Belldandy held the potion out at length, staring at the object as one might a rabid dog on a taunt rope. "But-why would she..?"
"Because for whatever reason, the Daimakaicho likes you, Belldandy." Mara replied. "You and your man both. And we demons are all about choices. What you hold in your hand right there is a very special potion. One that will bind your spirit to the third-dimensional body you now wear in a more permanent fashion. You'll be deregistered as a goddess and your form will cease its immortality. With that, you'll live and die as a mortal, right beside your man." Mara smiled; a dark one deep with maliciousness. "For better or worse…but only if you so choose to drink it."
Silence descended within the shrine, and Belldandy stared down at the potion with wide eyes.
"Belldandy…" Urd whispered, "…Bell…give me the potion. We don't know if she's telling the truth."
Belldandy ignored her though. Instead she looked to Keiichi, who stared back at her, his expression torn. "Bell…" He whispered. "I…you shouldn't do it."
"But Keiichi…" The goddess bit her lip, and Skuld could feel her heart race just a bit faster. Anxiously she glanced between Keiichi and Belldandy.
"Big Sister…" Her voice came out a scared whimper, and a part of her felt disgusted at the sound of her voice. "You-you can't! You'll be stuck here, without us! And then whatever is going to happen to everyone…it'll happen to you too."
Belldandy said nothing though, staring numbly down at the potion. Across from her Mara continued. "She's right you know," She continued. "Anything could happen to this realm with the Anomalies dead. There's nothing to guarantee that you and your man will live out a long, fulfilling life."
"Give me the potion, Belldandy." Urd continued, her eyes darting anxiously between the potion and Mara. "Don't do this to yourself. Don't even consider it." The woman glanced at the Valkyrie, who was similarly tensed. "Lind…"
The Valkyrie acknowledged the Elder Norn with a barely noticeable gesture, and together the two goddesses inched closer to Belldandy.
Keiichi noticed. "Hey, wait a second, we haven't even come to a decision yet!" He protested.
"Of course not!" The blonde demon barked, "And they won't let you, either! But then, that is why we demons are here." His smile was feral. "We have no love for humans; however as they were born of a god's madness and the flesh of a demon, neither will we abandon them. That is the freedom of a demon. That is the freedom of man."
Unnoticed by all but Skuld, Keiichi slowly entwined his fingers with Belldandy's.
As one Urd and Lind lunged, intent on wrestling the potion from Belldandy's fingers. And just as quickly so too did the demons pounce, leaping atop Norn and Valkyrie as Goddess and Mortal turned and bolted. The demon at their back offered them no resistance, though when Skuld moved to chase after them, he stepped up to bar her path.
"Not this time, Little Godling."
She kicked him in the balls.
He went down with a broken whimper, and Skuld leapt over him, chasing after Belldandy and Keiichi as the two raced out of the house, not even slowing for shoes in their efforts to put distance between themselves and the others. In the hallway behind her she could hear Urd's shouts and bestial snarls from the demons.
The child did not look back. Instead, like the two before her, she raced out of the house, chasing after her older sister and Keiichi as fast as her two legs could carry her. "No, no no!" Skuld cried. "Belldandy! Stop, don't do this! Please!"
For a brief moment Belldandy looked back at her, her face conflicted…yet the goddess did not stop running.
If anything, she and Keiichi ran harder.
The youth swore an oath she'd heard Urd use a time or two, and then called upon her robots. "Sigel! Banpei! Get out here, now!"
There was no response.
Anxiety tore into her gut like a ravenous wolf. "Banpei?! Sigel?!" She cried again, receiving much the same dead response as before. And yet Belldandy and Keiichi were growing further away by each passing moment; there was no time to stop and worry over her creations.
Behind her, an explosion rocked the foundation of the house, propelling Skuld forward and to the ground. Grunting, the girl picked herself up and turned, looking back to what had grown to become her home in the past several years.
There was nothing left.
Nothing but a flaming wreckage of broken boards and shattered tile.
And Urd.
Urd stood amongst the wreckage, her silhouette dark against the flames at her back. Someone, no Mara, was held in her grasp, raised high above the Norn's head with one hand around her throat. The demon clawed and kicked at the goddess to no affect. Another form, Lind, rose from the wreckage, followed by a silhouette she didn't recognize; that of one of the demons who'd come to inhabit the shrine.
Together they attacked Urd, bringing the woman down and freeing the demon in her clutches. Urd responded with a monstrous bellow, and then directed her focus to her newest targets. The two soldiers worked together with a communion shared only by seasoned warriors, and together with magic and brute strength, assaulted the Norn.
Their attacks did nothing to the woman.
Like ragdolls Urd batted the two combatants to the side, catching the demon by the leg and throwing him back into the fire. She easily caught a punch from Lind, and with a strength Skuld knew she didn't have the Norn lifted the woman up and slammed her to the ground, forming an impact crater around the Valkyrie's body. Straightening, the goddess ground her heel into the warrior's stomach, and Skuld felt a shiver race down her spine at the ragged cry that tore from Lind's throat.
The girl crawled to her feet, her heart in her throat. "Urd! What are you doing!"
She took a step towards her sister, only to freeze as the woman immediately cast her gaze upon Skuld.
A pair of red eyes glared at her.
Urd's lips peeled back in a bestial snarl, and with a deep growl the woman abandoned her initial prey in favor of stalking towards her new target. As she grew near, Skuld could just make out the five pointed star on her forehead. "Oh no…" She heard herself whisper. The child couldn't move. "Oh…Almighty…Urd, what did you do?" She breathed, trembling as the freshly-turned demon advanced on her.
"Bell…dan…dy." The Elder Norn growled out, and with a start Skuld realized the Norn wasn't staring at her, but at the trees past her, off in the direction Keiichi and Belldandy had vanished.
"No…" Skuld shook her head in denial, taking a step back. "You-are you so afraid for her that you'd become a demon?" Her voice trembled. "But-" revelation hit her, and the girl's eyes widened. "That's what Hild wants." Suddenly everything became frighteningly clear. "That's what Hild wants." She repeated. "That's why she gave Belldandy the potion…she knew what would happen. That it would push Belldandy and Keiichi into a corner. A voice whispered in her head. That it would force them to make an immediate decision. That Keiichi wouldn't abandon his family, that Belldandy would not abandon Keiichi, and that the both of them would rather choose a painful, mortal death to the heavens, leaving behind everything Keiichi knew and loved.
That Urd would know, and would do everything in her power to stop it.
Even if it meant giving into her demonic heritage once more, where she easily fell into the category of demons Mara was 'retrieving' for Niflheim.
The youth shook her head, her eyes wide as tears began to leak from her eyes. "No…Urd please, you need to stop." Hesitantly she stepped forward, the motion fulling bringing the turned-demon's gaze down on her. She flinched under its hungry gaze. "You-you need to turn back!" She cried. "Don't you get it? This is what Hild wants! Don't you realize they'll drag you to Niflheim if you stay like this? You need to change back!"
Yet the demon was unresponsive to her cries. "Bell…dan…dy." She repeated, and almost zombie-like she lurched forward, fueled by the single-minded desire to find their middle sister.
"Sku..ld…" A hand reached out and grabbed Urd's leg, giving the woman pause. Skuld looked down, finding Lind, beaten and bloody, at its source. "RUN!" Her cry was broken and hoarse, yet it was enough to spur the youth into action, even as Urd once more placed her attention on the Valkyrie beneath her.
And it was the vicious snarls of a demon's attack and the screams of a Valkyrie that chased after Skuld as she dove into the woods, chasing after her underneath a sky that had grown dark and gray with stormclouds.
It was by pure chance she stumbled upon them.
Keiichi was what gave them away. "Belldandy…I just, I don't know what to do." The man sounded lost and desperate, and for a single moment Skuld felt an alien amount of pity for the mortal. "I mean…what would you do?" He continued. "If…if it came down to your sisters, your parents, your world versus staying with me…what would you do?'
She found the two of them nestled up together against a small cliff face. Above them, the surrounding rock jutted outwards, providing a natural roof for the two, while a heavy cluster of boulders created just enough shelter from any harsh winds. The boulders also made an ample hiding place within the resulting nooks and crannies, and if not for the movement of a shadow and Keiichi's voice, Skuld would have missed them altogether.
Now she silently approached, a piece of her wanting to keep quiet for fear of interrupting the couple's conversation. Even if it was one she was certain she didn't want to hear.
Belldandy was silent for a long moment, and as Skuld crept around the back of the boulders, she caught a glance of the Norn leaning her head against Keiichi's shoulder. "I don't know." She answered quietly. "Such an answer should be simple: We've walked the Gate together and passed it successfully. The obvious choice should be to stay with you. Yet when I place myself from your perspective…" the woman trailed off, and Skuld heard the jingle of glass tapping lightly against a hard surface.
"I want to be with you, Keiichi." She finally decided. "Whatever you decide, I will stand with it."
"And doom you to a short and painful mortal life?" Keiichi countered. He sounded upset. "Belldandy, I can't do that! If it's just me, then fine, I'm okay with that, but you? No. No, it's not fair to you."
There was a shuffle, the gentle rustle of clothes. "But neither is it fair for me to ask you to abandon everything, everyone you know and love." She reasoned. "Which is why, regardless of circumstances, I am willing to accept a mortal fate."
"But I'm not." Keiichi persisted. "It's—" The man sighed. "We should have given the bottle to Urd." He confessed. "If we didn't have the choice…"
"Yet that is precisely why Hild gave it to us." Belldandy said gently. "She knew the strife it would bring, and that makes our decision all the more important.
"I know." Keiichi whispered softly. "And I can't stand it…If I'd known…Almighty, I'd have never asked for a choice."
Belldandy hummed in understanding. "Sometimes it is the gift we want most that harm us the greatest. I feel no one understands this more than Hild."
Keiichi snorted, and then to Skuld's surprise, chuckled lightly. "That woman…you know, I hate to say this about anyone, but she's a real bitch when she wants to be, you know that?"
Belldandy sighed, ending it with a soft giggle of her own. "Yes, I suppose your right." She agreed. "She is Urd's mother, after all."
Skuld's jaw fell open and nearly hit the floor.
"Belldany!" She cried, and saw two shadows jump. Wide-eyed, Belldandy peeked out from behind the boulders, her cheeks a light and embarrassed pink.
"Skuld-"
"Save it!" The youth snapped, a part of her surprised with her own anger. "You need to get rid of that potion now and come back with me! Urd's rampaging; I think she might have really hurt Lind! She's already destroyed the house!"
"Urd?" Belldandy's face darkened with concern, and now Keiichi peered over as well. "What do you mean, Skuld? What's wrong with Urd?"
"It's—"
Above their head the sky rumbled with an ominous thunder, and Skuld felt herself grow cold. "Hild…" She whispered, looking to the sky and then back to her Belldandy. "Urd's gone demon!" She cried, "Urd's gone demon over that stupid potion, and Hild's coming to drag her to Niflheim in the mass evacuation!"
The woman's eyes grew wide. "Oh no…" She whispered, and before anyone had time to react the Norn was up and over the boulder in a single bound. "Urd!" She cried, and in a less than a second was gone, leaving Keiichi and Skuld in her wake.
"How bad is it?" Keiichi moved to Skuld's side, and the youth looked up at him. "Urd. How…will this be anything like the Lord of Terror?" He sounded tired. Not even scared or angry anymore. Just…exhausted.
Though it shamed her, Skuld would have been lying if she said she didn't pity the man. "I don't know." She confessed. He'd been absent when Urd had given into her demonic heritage during the Hagall's rebellion, and that had taken nothing short of a antiproton bomb and the risk of all of Niflheim's elimination to bring Urd back to her senses. "I-I really don't know, Keiichi…but we have to do something before Hild gets to her! None of the demons stopped her, and Lind…" She shuddered, recalling the woman's bloodcurling scream.
"I see." Keiichi murmured, before closing his eyes with a sigh. When he opened them once more, a strange sort of resolution had settled within his gaze. "Alright then. Let's go take care of Urd…then…I guess we'll leave for the Heavens, right?"
Skuld stared at him, startled, yet the man's face was calm and certain; the man had made his choice.
Her mouth fell open in surprise. She wanted to tell him off suddenly, to insult him, to scream at him; he was abandoning his family, his race, his world! All so that he could join them in the heavens! All so that Belldandy could stay with them in Asgard! He was-
Skuld grit her teeth and looked down. "Yeah, let's go." She said quietly.
He was abandoning his sister so that Belldandy could stay with hers. So that she could have Belldandy.
Wordlessly, Keiichi headed down the path that had initially led the trio to the cliff face, and Skuld watched him go, the man's white shirt disappearing into the foliage like a ghost in the mist.
"…God damn it." She whispered, and followed after as well.
Hild was already present by the time Keiichi and Skuld emerged from the forest once more.
The courtyard had degraded into a battleground, and from all angles the bodies of the demons who'd occupied their house were strewn about. From where they emerged, Skuld spied Mara's unconscious form lying beside that of the blonde male, wrapped protectively around demon as though trying to protect him from further harm. One demon was unconscious in one of the trees near the trail the duo were on, resting upside down and looking so much like a corpse that Skuld was half-tempted to reach out and touch him, just to see if he had a pulse. Lind was no where to be seen.
And at the center of it all stood Hild, Belldandy, and Urd.
Hild's smile was wild and mad, something that was almost mirrored in Urd's own features. "Now, now Belldandy, was any of that really necessary?" The smile on her face grew to the point where Skuld imagined it would split her face in two. "You know I've only come to retrieve what's mine. And after I was so kind as to offer a solution to your problems, too!" She wagged a finger at the younger woman patronizingly. "You really need to learn when to take a hint, Child…" There was a dangerous edge in her voice, and her eyes were hard, like a pair of sparkling amethysts shining in the reflected light of an inferno. "Gifts are meant to be used, not pondered over like a child's puzzle.
Near Belldandy was Urd. The woman was kneeling a short distance away from Belldandy, her lips peeled back in an animalistic snarl reinforced by the angry growl reverberating in the back of her throat. A strange, almost unnoticeable blue magic bound her to the ground, and rigorously the woman thrashed against it, howling in bestial rage when her bindings did not give. It was Urd who noticed Skuld and Keiichi first, and the woman hissed at them, her eyes flashing a maddening red as she renewed her struggles.
Belldandy didn't so much as glance their way. "There are times when one must ignore such hints in favor of what is truly at stake." She said, her gaze centered on Hild. "And it just so happens that this is one such time." Despite the gravity of the situation, the middle Norn was calm. The woman that had so bolted both from and to the house was absent, leaving in its place an individual completely at ease in her surroundings.
The Daimakaicho narrowed her eyes ever…so…slightly. "So it seems." Hild murmured. "An…unfortunate error on your part, Dear Girl."
Belldandy stood her ground. "I won't let you take her, Hild."
The demon raised a silver brow. "Is that a fact?" She purred. "Then tell me, what do you intend to do in this circumstance?" She inquired, "You're little Valkyrie friend was quite…insistent on your return. Do you plan on taking dear Urd with you as well? In her current state?" The woman swept her arm to Urd, and Belldandy flinched. "Have you any idea just what they'd do to her, as she is?" Hild pressed, "What your…people would do to my daughter? Your sister?" Hild released a bark of laughter. "Please…you know as well as I that she'd be in better hands with me. "
And would you leave your precious…hmm…how to say it, in-laws on this doomed world as well?" The Daimakaicho smiled aggressively, then took a step towards Belldandy.
The Norn didn't move. "Would you truly abandon the family your Hubby holds so dear?" She pried. "Would you be able to stand the guilt that came with knowing who you sacrificed on this plain?" Hild's gaze suddenly moved to Keiichi, and the man sucked in a deep breath. "…Would Keiichi?" The question was said aloud, yet somehow Skuld knew it was not directed towards any particular person. Something in the Daimakaicho's gaze was off…"
"Tell me, Belldandy, would he?" Hild turned to face the duo fully now, and Skuld felt the hair raise on the nape of her neck. "When he knows what may befall his family…A life of anarchy…a life of uncertainty…" She was moving towards them now, and unconsciously Skuld moved in front of the man, gently pushing him back in an effort to keep the distance between themselves and the Demon Queen. "One of salt and death…or perhaps madness and murder…"
The woman stopped suddenly, and smiled. "Tell me Keiichi Morisato, what do you think?"
And with her words Keiichi fell to his knees, clutching his head and screaming in pain.
"Keiichi!" Uncertain of what was happening, Skuld knelt down beside the man, yet the mortal did not seem to notice. She couldn't even say he saw her, for his eyes were glazed over and unseeing, the pupils dilated as though staring at something far away. Scared, she grabbed his shoulder, and the man looked towards her. What he saw the youth could only guess at, for he screamed all the louder and threw her from his person, staggering backwards and scrambling into the underbrush in a vain effort to escape whatever nightmare engulfed him.
"Keiichi?!" Belldandy's voice rose above his screams, yet the man seemed unable to hear her. The goddess moved to rush towards them, only to freeze as Hild once more directed her attention to the Norn.
"Ah ah ah!" Hild wagged a finger at the woman. "Nope! Not this time, Little Girl!" A growl was growing more and more predominant in the Daimakaicho's voice, and it was at that time that Skuld realized they were in deep shit. "You picked the wrong day to toy with me, Belldandy. Now, I'll give you a choice," Skuld was really starting to dislike that word, "You can either release Urd into my care, or you can let your husband suffer an early onset of…what did they name it again? Ah, that's right, 'White Chlorination Syndrome'. But you better decide fast, Belldandy, because my patience has been tried, and it's nearing its limit."
The woman's eyes widened at the Daimakaicho's words, and the Norn's face tightened into a grimace, torn between that of her sister and that of her husband.
Skuld felt her chest constrict. The choice is obvious. She thought to herself, her voice failing her as she looked to her sister with large, dark eyes. The choice is obvious. I know you love Keiichi, Big Sister, but please, please, don't choose Keiichi. Don't let Hild take Urd away, Belldandy. Don't let her tear our family apart!
Belldandy bit her lip, growing more anxious with each passing second
And then Urd spoke.
"Seal…" The word came out in a barely-understandable hiss, and abruptly Skuld and Belldandy looked to their wayward sister. "Seal…" Urd repeated, "Seal, seal seal!" The word became a chant, one so steady and rhythmic that even Hild paused to stare at her daughter.
"What is she…"
Yet Belldandy understood.
Belldandy always understood.
It took less than a second for the Norn to call upon her full powers as a goddess First-Class.
Recognition dawned on Hild's face only to be quickly swallowed by a look of sheer, primal rage. "Don't you dare, Belldandy!"
Oh, but she did dare. She very much dared so, and as a spell began to form in Hild's hand, so too did Skuld, recognizing the futility of her own effort and yet hoping only to spare her sister a few extra seconds.
From within the affectionately-dubbed 'Hammer-space' where she stored all weapons of interest, Skuld withdrew her most powerful bombs; ten of them, to be exact, and an interdimensional shield as an afterthought to protect herself and the fallen Keiichi. Working with a speed that would have astounded those who knew her, the girl erected the shield, and then made a single announcement:
"Hey Hild! How well can you juggle?"
Hild, a snarl on her face, did not respond, instead throwing the magic build up initially meant for Belldandy towards Skuld. The girl responded with tossing two of her bombs, and then looked away as magic and explosives collided in a terrible display of destruction.
Belldandy didn't even flinch.
Not waiting for the resulting debris to clear, Skuld immediately tossed two more bombs in Hild's direction.
Yet Hild had greater priorities now, and as her silhouette grew visible Skuld saw that the woman didn't even pause in her step, merely deflecting the munitions and hardly flinching when the bombs instead detonated against her.
Dust and smoke grew haphazardly through the area with each resulting explosion, and the air grew thick and black to the point where it hurt to breathe. Only the Daimakaicho's eyes, red with the sheen of a demon's bloodlust, remained visible. And through it all; however, Belldandy did not stray from her spell, nor did Hild pause in her step.
"That's enough Hild!" Another form barreled into the demon, and it was only Lind's voice that gave the Valkyrie away. The woman collided into the Daimakaicho with enough force to push the demon back several feet, yet as the air cleared a second glance revealed that Lind was unsuccessful in her initial attack, both fists caught in Hild's grasp.
"You shouldn't have done that, Valkyrie." Gone was the anger, gone was the growl, and in its place nothing but a silent, calm whisper emerged from the Daimakaicho's throat. The demon bore down on the Valkyrie, and Lind's eyes, bright and golden with power, widened in pain as Hild squeezed.
Lind grit her teeth, and Hild leered down at her. The Valkyrie's legs buckled, and then with a gasp the woman fell to one leg, giving the Daimakaicho a further advantage as the demon bore her weight and strength down on the warrior. Small, audible pops grew audible, and with each one Lind trembled, her face scrunched up in a grimace of agony.
Hild began to twist her hands, and it was at that point that Lind broke, releasing a howl of pain so grotesque that Skuld clamped her hands over her ears in the hopes of blocking it out. "Do it Belldandy! Hurry up and finish it!" The Valkyrie screamed, her voice cracking and breaking before suddenly falling to silence as the Daimakaicho kneed the woman hard in the face.
The enraged demon released the Valkyrie then, and Hild released her, watching expressionless as the woman slumped to the ground. The woman spared her previous opponent not even a glance in favor of Belldandy and Urd, who still continued her mindless chant of 'seal seal seal!'
The spell was almost complete, and with a sudden urgency the Daimakaicho vanished, reappearing in front of Urd right as Belldandy finished her spell.
And with a victorious, rebellious smile on her face, the demonic Urd flipped her mother off right before she vanished in a seal, her final words clear and concise. "Fuck you, Hild."
For a long, tense moment Hild remained stationary, frozen in her initial position of where she'd reached for her only child. Slowly, agonizingly so it seemed, the woman then straightened, and turned to Belldandy.
The woman clutched something tightly in her hand; the seal, no doubt, and immediately retreated from the Daimakaicho, teleporting from her spot and then to Skuld's and Keiichi's side. The woman kneeled quickly, her arms moving around Keiichi's trembling body, and she graced Skuld with a single look. "Run." She whispered.
A shriek arose in the compound, inhuman and terrible, and melding with Keiichi's own screams. Shaking Skuld looked to Hild.
The expression on her face was murderous.
Belldandy grabbed the girl's arm and yanked her, and Skuld once more looked at her sister. "Run!" She snapped, and passed something into the girl's hands. "Now, before you get caught in her spell as well!"
"But—"
"Go Skuld!"
So she did, turning and running through the trees, clutching tight whatever it was that Belldandy had passed her. Hild was screaming something behind her, yet the girl was too terrified to stop and listen. Instead, she looked over her shoulder, sliding to a stop as she watched Hild toss a spell at Keiichi and Belldandy.
She watched as Belldandy closed her eyes in acceptance, holding Keiichi tightly against her body.
And with tears cascading down her face, Skuld watched as the Norn of the Present Belldandy and her husband, Keiichi Morisato, vanished in a flash of violet light.
Even with Keiichi gone, Skuld could still hear someone screaming, and it wasn't until her throat grew raw, that Hild looked her way, that the youth realized the sound was coming from her.
Turning, the youth once more resumed her run, racing into the forest and down the mountain, running as fast as her legs would carry her. At some point she lost her footing from…a tree root, perhaps, a pile of dead leaves, maybe even a slippery rock and the girl fell and rolled, tumbling and screaming as the world around her blurred into a dizzying blur of browns and greens and grays.
It was a fallen tree that finally stopped her roll. The girl slammed the back of her head into it with enough force to break the wood, yet splintered though it was, it did not yield, leaving the youth to lay in a world of swirling treetops and dancing stars. Sobbing, the girl curled in on herself, wrapping her arms around her legs, her entire body protesting every movement with a fresh throb, a new burst of pain.
Yet she ignored it, burying her face against muddy knees and crying, waiting for Hild to appear and finish her off as she had Belldandy and Keiichi.
She waited there for minutes, hours, until her tears fell no more and her sobs grew to little more than hiccups and silence. Until the pain in her body grew more painful than the dread in her chest, and her joints grew stiff and protested each movement.
Through it all, Hild did not appear.
No one did, for that matter.
It was not until the light grew dim and the clouds cleared to a clean sunset that Skuld uncurled from where she laid. There, dirty with dead leaves, dirt, and tears, she examined what Belldandy and slipped to her. With it, fresh tears began to fall from her eyes, for it was the potion Marller had tossed to Belldandy, and it was empty of its contents. Empty of all but a seal, which she felt only on the very back of her conscious.
The empty vial held Urd.
Recognizing what she held in her hands, what the empty vial implied of Belldandy, the young Norn held the bottle tightly against her chest and cried once more.
For the sisters that had been lost; one to a seal, one to humanity's mortality.
For the man who'd been lost to a demon's retaliation.
And for the Valkyrie who'd given all she had so that her elder sisters might make their choices.
It was in such a state, asleep and clutching the vial with all her might, that Ansuz discovered her, the child's sleep so deep and all-encompassing, like that of Belldandy in times where her energy was scare, that Ansuz picked her up and took her home. Home to Asgard, where there were no mortals. Home to the Heavens, where there were no demons. Home to divinities, where giants and dragons were never shot down by Man's weaponry.
And in the forest where she'd rested, upon the soil where a goddess's tears had fallen, in the light of a full moon, a silver flower grew, blossomed, and shined, while in the ashes of broken city, salt began to rain from the sky.
Comments of a Madwoman: This fic is in response to the Skuld's World Fanfic Challenge for2016 from the Goddess Relief Office Forum. This is the prologue.
Notes: This story is a crossover with the Drakengard/Nier series, and will follow its own strange chronological order regarding the Nier storyline before delving back into Drakengard. The main character will be Skuld, with only the occasional other A!MG character mentioned at key points. All other characters will be primarily from Nier, before eventally delving into Drakengard, explaining the dragon and giant.
The story takes place after the manga ends and Ending E of Drakengard 1, which becomes the prologue for Nier. The red dragon (and it's rider, unmentioned) is Angel(us) and Caim from Drakengard 1. The Giant is known as the 'Queen-Beast' or Mother Angel, and is the final boss of Endings D and E in Drakengard 1.
