"Ase, what is wrong?" Birger demanded. Ase was deaf to all of his words. The darkness continued to claw on her bones, warning her of an impending danger which she could not understand. She rushed out of the town hall, greeted by the night fading into dawn. The villagers were still sound and peaceful, and any sign of disturbance she knew was not from Jotunheim. She glanced at the stars, gauging where Asgard was amongst the constellations.

Birger limped behind her, still confused by her sudden change of mood. But he slowly sensed the apprehension dreading her, and the urgency marked on her steps. Birger managed to catch up on her and stopped her pace by snatching her arm.

"You bloody better tell me what is happening, my child," Birger pleaded. Ase's blood chilled and her nerves riveting.

"I don't know, father," Ase answered. "I have a feeling, a very terrible feeling, that something has happened in Asgard. I must return now."

Birger furrowed his brows and joined her in her anxiety. If a calamity had happened in Asgard, Rhea might as well be involved in it. She was too important a person to evade the problems before her. He felt his daughter trembling. "Calm yourself, child. Do what you must, but you cannot do it with unsettled nerves."

"I know," Ase breathed. "It's just that… besides that, the journey back home is very dangerous. I may not survive." As if understanding her predicament, Birger squeezed her arm comfortingly. She could not believe after such a brief encounter with her own father she would be leaving him. She felt joy and grief at the same time for meeting her father. Worse still, the inconstant fortune revolving around her would mean she had no absolute possibility that she would return here again.

"Ase, I believe you are too strong to just die like that," her father told her firmly. "Go and return to your mother. Tell her everything you need. Do not wait until it is too late."

Ase gritted her teeth and nodded hesitantly. Birger pulled her into a short embrace, filled with fatherly love, and she smiled. A surge of hope brimmed her existence, and now she had much believe in herself. Birger released her and stepped back, as if he knew what she would do.

Ase took a deep, heavy breath, and grasped her necklace. Upon the touch she was reminded of Loki, who was perhaps being caught in whatever chaos occurring in Asgard. She could only pray that his device truly worked.

Gently she closed her eyes, searching for the Bifrost energy somewhere in the universe. It was like a river, its water ready to be taken. But as she reached for it, it streamed fiercely and violently to her body. She grimaced as her chest burnt from the outstanding burden, but she continued. Slowly she adjusted to the current, the necklace evidently aiding her like a benevolent supporter, and she heaved.

"Allfathers, let the dark magic flow through me!" she chanted loudly. Her body left the solid earth and travelled through the stars, the fire in her chest continuing to engulf her, and now her stomach was being pierced by thousands of blades. The journey seemed momentary in these various manifestations of pain, in addition with her disturbed mind of the premonition she had received.

When her feet finally touched the ground, her body had lost its vigour and she sacked to the ground. Violently she coughed, spouting out scarlet blood on the floor which she blurrily recognized belong to Heimdall's observatory.

"Ase?" Heimdall called to her in alarm. Ase could not reply and she finished her gory coughing fits. Her head was pounding, its pain threatening to split her mind into two, but she forced herself to rise and affirmed her footing. She shook her head and finally regained her absolute vision.

"Heimdall. What has happened?" Ase questioned hastily.

"Asgard has been sieged," Heimdall explained, though he focused on his task to erect the palace barriers. Ase widened her eyes and peered to the city, where she saw a smoke thickening form the buildings. Her heart jumpstarted her consciousness properly.

"Ase, are you alright? You need to—"

"No," Ase coughed, wiping the blood off her chin and pushing herself forward. She had no time to tend to herself, however broken her body was. She must reach her mother. Before it was too late.

oOo

Rhea observed her opponent intently, carefully calculating her moves. She did not know his abilities yet, but judging from the cracks of hell running across his skin, she deduced fire would not be most effective. She took another step, and decided ice magic would do best. It was certainly not her expertise—she had avoided it to prevent suspicions from fellow Asgardians—but she must cope with this weakness.

Her enemy was obviously targeting the defensive core. Rhea hardened her gaze and prepared herself. "You will not pass," she declared.

Her enemy roared like thunder and charged. He was fast. Rhea shifted sideways, his blade narrowly escaping her face. She grabbed his arm and screamed when his skin charred hers. Instinctively, she pulled back and pushed him powerfully with her force. Her attack merely moved him several feet away. Rhea swung her arms and further threw him far from her. He tried to march forward, but Rhea held him on the ground with every ounce of her strength.

Realising that she could no longer hold him, she hastily chanted a spell, her daughter flashing across her mind. His feet slowly froze to, the ice creeping up his legs and up to his torso. He tried to wriggle free, but the ice was proven too adamant for him. Impressed by the effectiveness of the spell, she pulled her hands back and entwined her fingers together. Using the fractional time the ice bought, she closed her eyes and concentrated her magic. She tapped the energies of Jotunheim. Heat was robbed from the surrounding air, and an uninvited wind came.

Rapidly, ice began to encase her opponent's whole figure. He groaned furiously and began exerting himself to break the cage. But Rhea did not stop there. When she saw, or felt, that her opponent was trapped in the thin ice, she flicked her arm and blasted a frost of magic towards him. The blast created an enormous ice monument of her enemy, towering her like a mountain. Rhea panted and smiled.

"I am too old for this," she sighed, leaning down to regain her breaths. Perhaps the terribly feeling she had had before was only her imagination.

Then she heard a distinct crack.

Rhea glanced up. It was too late to react.

The ice sculpture glowed flaming red before it exploded into tiny pieces, its force sending Rhea across the room. She groaned as her back crashed to the granite floor. The enemy stepped towards her. From his steps she knew she had not harmed him.

He shouted a battle cry and lifted his weapon. Rhea rolled to the right and saw, to her horror, his blade cracking the floor. She rolled back to evade another attack. Rhea gasped when she saw the blade rising to her jaw. She lifted her tiny dagger to block it, only to receive a painful crack from her chin hitting with the blunt edge of the blade. Desperately, she lifted her hand to push him, her vision now blurred by the fierce impact. But he took it and threw her with a livid strength. Rhea screamed when she felt her body flying in the air.

Flaming pain burnt her back as she smashed the ground. For a fraction of second, her mind went blank, and her conscience hovered above her. It was a moment between life and death. She was in life and the death. But she knew it was not her time, not her shame to wait for her enemy to end her life.

"Bloody monster!" Rhea cursed as she pushed herself up and blocked his sword with her bare hand. Fresh blood flowed to the ground, but it did not deter Rhea. She exerted force upon his weapon, with every drop of her vigour. The sword cracked open and smattered into pieces. Her enemy staggered back in recoil and Rhea jumped up. She took a guard's spear and began paying back her opponent. Ruthlessly she amplified her attacks with brunt force, pounding the warrior repeatedly until he fell to his knees.

Rhea yelled and plunged the spear's blade deep into his chest. Her enemy coughed and wheezed. Rhea did not relent and pushed the weapon further. "Die, evil," she declared.

Suddenly her enemy grabbed her neck and squeezed it. Rhea gasped and instinctively reached for his hand. His grip was scorching her skin, sucking out her living soul as its touch lingered. Rhea grasped his arm in her last seconds and immediately froze his arm. She was losing all her energy very rapidly. He was absorbing it, gaining more strength every second.

Please, she pleaded. Please!

Her plead was answered by a sharp stab to the stomach. Then another. And the third stole all her vigour from her. She loosened her grip on her enemy and momentarily glanced downward. He pulled out her own dagger from her stomach, blood oozing from the wounds and splattering the floor. Rhea's face sank.

She felt his grip released from her and she sacked to the ground. Futilely, she began healing her wounds with her dying energy. She looked up to see her enemy destroying the defensive core. The structure exploded and sent a wave of energy towards Rhea. Trembling, she lifted her hand and shielded herself from the blast, but not from the pain.

She heaved brokenly and realised that she was still alive. Still bloody and fortunately alive. I need to get up, Rhea prayed to herself. If he's this strong then more lives will be lost. More lives—

Her enemy, who had just fallen from the blast, stood up slowly. He cracked the ice on his hands and moved on. Rhea returned to stillness, evading his observation. She breathed heavily as he left the room, heading towards Frigga's drawing room. Rhea knew who was there and what was at stake.

He must not have the Aether.

"Get, up!" she ordered herself. She screamed in agony when the effort worsened her wound. But she ignored them and fiercely limped to tail her enemy. She took the wee dagger which had victimized its owner, and marched towards Frigga's drawing room.

Each step took her a part of her life. She did not care. She was Rhea, the head of the court sorcerers, master of magic. No, it was far more than that. She was Rhea, mother of Ase, a strong woman who she must meet again. She would live until the last drop of her blood, and she would make a difference with the split amount of time left.

oOo

The air reeked of blood and smoke. The bodies of the dead were everywhere. In the halls, the echoes of weapon clashing against one another played continuously like music. So was the pounding in her head. Her mind could not think straight, her body driven only by the desperation to find her mother.

"Rhea!" Ase screamed as she pushed her way through the hordes of enemies. Barbaric was an understatement for her current state, for she lashed and threw her enemies like a wild mountain woman. "Rhea! Where is Rhea?" she repeated.

"Lady Ase!" one of the sorcerers called. She glanced and found him. Staggering at an unearthly pace, she arrive before her informant.

"Where is she?" Ase demanded.

"Last time I saw, Lady Rhea was going to the defensive core at the central basement," he rapidly answered. Ase nodded and sprinted to her destination. She grimaced and stumbled, but her pace did not falter. Corpses littered the floor, some prisoners some guards.

Please make it in time. Please make it in time!

Ase took a sharp turn around the corner and smelled burnt metal. She widened her eyes and stopped to see the deformed defensive core blocking her way. There were dead soldiers there too. Horrified, she began searching for her mother, but her body was not there. Had she been swallowed by the explosion?

No, she answered to herself as she paced once more. She could sense her magical energy still somewhere in the palace. The sturdiness of her breath shook her lungs as she called forth magic to search for Rhea. She found the slow pulse of her energy, dying slowly, heading towards Frigga's drawing room. There were several powerful entities as well.

Whatever she was intending, it was a suicide mission.

"No!" she screamed and forced her legs further, but they did not bid to her will. Tears welled in her eyes. Her body was failing itself. The dark magic was punishing her. Why now of all times?

Then she heard a voice, a very familiar voice. It was calling to her. She glanced to her right to see Thor supporting her. "Come on, we can make it!" urged Thor. The hope in his eyes gave Ase a surge of strength, and she continued her steps with him. There was a sliver of hope left. A sliver, but still capable of changing their fates.

But before they could even get close to the room, they heard a scream.

oOo

Frigga eyed this intruder warily. Never had she sensed such hatred emanating from a living being before. The hatred of a Dark Elf, the immortal enemy of Asgard.

"Stand down, creature," she warned. "And you may still survive this."

"I have survived worse, woman," he retorted. Frigga narrowed her eyes.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"I am Malekith," he answered. Frigga shivered upon hearing the accursed name. "And I would have what is mine." He ended his statement with a look towards Jane. Frigga immediately understood his intentions, and she understood well her role. With a glance she slashed at her opponent. He took out his blade and she replied by disarming his weapon from him.

Frigga mercilessly assaulted him. He evaded every one of her attacks. Frigga spun and drew out her dagger, piercing his cheek. He hissed and staggered back. Frigga frowned and proceeded to put her blade at his neck, ready to end his life. She caught a glint on his eyes and turned around.

A monster was waiting to lunge at her. But she saw another figure emerging from the doorway.

"Stop!" Rhea screamed and threw her dagger at the new intruder. He screeched in pain and turned to face Rhea. She charged madly towards him and grabbed his head. Rapidly, she chanted, and frost began to materialize itself upon his face. "Frigga!" Rhea pleaded.

Frigga returned to Malekith, who had taken his sword once more. But Rhea's strength faltered and her frost was not fast enough to knockdown her opponent. He punched her wounded abdomen and snapped her hand away. He took her head and pounded it against the floor, creating a large crater and a scream from Rhea.

Frigga glanced at her friend and lowered her guard as a result. Malekith took his chance and disarmed her. The tables were turned. His henchman seized Frigga and placed his blade upon he neck. She trembled and uselessly tried to break free. Malekith approached Jane, who stepped back in fear. He observed her intently and finally realised the trick up on Frigga's sleeve. He waved his hand to Jane's illusion and instantly boomed with rage.

"Witch!" he shouted. Frigga glanced at the crippled Rhea. "Where is the Aether?" Malekith further demanded.

"I'll never tell you," Frigga replied, her voice shivering. Malekith tilted his head. Horror washed over Frigga.

"I believe you," Malekith replied. A cruel blade pierced through her chest. Frigga grimaced and closed her eyes.

"NO!" two voices screamed. A bolt of thunder scorched Malekith's face and a slither of ice rushed towards his henchman, freezing his feet solid to the ground. Frigga was released from his grasp and fell to the ground as Thor and Ase pursued the intruders. His henchman threw the blade towards Ase, who dodged it just in time by falling to the ground. He easily broke free of the ice and snatched the fallen Malekith. Thor tried to prevent their escape to no avail. They jumped to an invisible airship, which teleported out of the dimension as quickly as it had arrived. His hammer could never reach them.

Behind him, Ase rose to her feet. The worse of her nightmare had become true. She saw Rhea's cold body sprawled on the floor, blood drenching her dress, dyeing it red. "Mother!" she called and sank next to her. Ase slowly flipped her mother's body so she could see her face. She was still conscious, but faltering. Ase instinctively pressed her palms on the largest of wounds—too many, they were just too many—and her hands glowed a dim emerald. The light flickered every second. Ase sobbed as she desperately healed her mother. To no avail.

"A—Ase?" her mother whispered.

"Yes, it is I, mother," Ase answered. "Don't worry, mother. Help is coming soon."

Rhea did not hear her. She lifted her hand and touched Ase's cheek. Ase pressured her body further and blood trickled from her nose. More tears began to prick her eyes.

"I am sorry," Rhea said weakly. "I am… so sorry… for not loving you… properly."

Ase shook her head and furrowed her brows. "No, no, mother. It is I who should have said sorry. I never thank you enough, never accept your sacrifices to me. Whatever you need me to forgive, I have forgiven. As long as you stay with me. Please."

"No," Rhea disagreed. "I- I" Tears welled in Rhea's eyes as well. "I am sorry I will not be able to be there for you again. I am so sorry."

"No, no, no," Ase pleaded. "You are going to live, mother. Please stay with me. We have much to learn." Ase sobbed and leaned down to her mother. Her breath was growing faint every second despite her efforts to heal her. There was nothing could be done, she know. Her fate was inevitable. She was so foolish to spend so long priding herself. Her mother was innocent and she didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve this.

Rhea ran her fingers across Ase's face. Ase looked at her mother's fading gaze. They were very warm, like the colours of lit hearth. Filled with love and memories. They thought of Ase, even now. Ase's heart broke down into pieces.

"You… are the grea—greatest… Magic. In my… life," Rhea chanted and breathed. "I love you, my daughter."

"I love you too," Ase replied. "I love you too mother. Mother…"

Rhea never replied. She stared at the skies, a smile decorating her face. Ase wept deeply and painfully, wailing in agony as she pulled her mother into an embrace. As Thor and Odin grieved on Frigga in sorrowful silence, Ase screamed in despair.

That day Asgard lost many of its souls. Loved souls.

oOo

The stars dimmed under the shadow of grief. The lights held by Asgardians, meant to shine Frigga's path to Valhalla, was not enough to extinguish the forlorn tears of the people. When Frigga had passed on a beautiful boat amongst all the people who had shared the same fate as her, her body drifting away to the skies and transforming into sparkles of dust, another funeral was held. It was of the greatest sorceress to have ever existed, honoured as grandly as their queen.

Her body was placed on a bed full of flowers, carried to the Garden of Solitude where the remaining sorcerers had waited with glowing flowers in hand. It was a private funeral, for only a handful of people knew Rhea and only they could honour her completely.

"A warrior has sacrificed herself," chanted Odin. "The greatest sorceress in history, the embodiment of valour and wisdom. Here lies Rhea, daughter of Magic, guardian of Asgard. May her soul find its place in Valhalla."

Odin placed the flower on the bed, followed by Thor. The other sorcerers followed, one by one, till her last resting place had been embellished with colourful blossoms. Ase stepped in the last, laying her flower on Rhea's chest. She looked as beautiful as she had been in life. She grimaced and a drop of tear fell on her lips.

"May we meet again, mother," she whispered before she kissed her forehead. Then she pulled back and lifted her arm. Without a sound she chanted and a blue flame burst from her hand. She pointed her finger to Rhea's corpse and closed her eyes.

The flame engulfed Rhea almost immediately, its entirety too bright to be observed by the naked eyes. The blaze sparked to the skies in vibrant colours. Her death was too beautiful to be witnessed. Ase looked up and she too saw her mother turning into mesmerizing red dust, joining her brothers and sisters in the sky.

Thor stayed and offered condolences, of which he also shared. But Ase was wordless and left the Garden of Solitude alone. The sky rumbled and rain fell upon the earth, as if grieving as well. She walked under the rain to the dungeons, dragging her lifeless clothing with her. The dungeons were empty. The guards dared not talk to her as she entered, drenched in water. She limped to his cell and saw a guard standing in front of it.

"We are sorry," said the guard before he took his leave hastily. Ase passed him and stopped before his cell. He looked at her, his gaze empty. She touched the barrier between her and him and gazed down. He stepped closer and put his fingers against hers. They spent a long moment of silence together, trying to accept the fate which had been thrusted to their mothers. But Ase eventually gave in and sank to the floor. She grabbed her knees and curled herself.

Then she wept once more, this time more quietly, swallowing the pain burdening her heart. Loki stared at her. He slowly sat down and covered his face with his palms. He too, cried, and it was painful.

In the impending storm, they continued on. They could feel the pain in each other's heart. They understood, just like before. They tried to comfort each other.

Yet it was impossible.

oOo

He heard a voice.

Birger rose from his bed and looked around. There was no one in the hall at this time of the night, only him and his books. He scratched his head, confused, for he was sure he heard a voice. A very soft and gentle one. It disturbed him.

He crawled out of bed and stepped out of his dwelling. He searched the skies, wishing for an answer. He was superstitious at times and he believed the stars could sometimes solve his predicaments. He just needed to reach and pray.

"The stars are exceedingly bright tonight," he murmured to himself. He ran his eyes across the skies and found a cluster of them glittering. His heart sank and he closed his eyes. He remembered the tale she had told him, that their souls would return to the stars when they passed on. He chose not to believe it, despite how superstitious he was.

He heard the voice again. This time clearer, as if conveying a message. He recognized the voice. He calmed his conscience and felt her reaching for him. She embraced him one last time before she bid farewell. He let her go. She sand a soft song as she turned away.

Birger grimaced and shed a tear. He decided not to return to his chamber and instead sat there for a moment. He watched the stars dance under the moonlight, speaking words to him, and did not sleep.

A/N: Hello my friends. It is a strange fate that this chapter coincides with the darkest hours of my life. I am going through a series of difficult experiences at school and in my daily life, with so much stress pinning me down like an immovable stone. I am tired, exhausted, and sometimes thinking of stopping. I wrote this chapter months ago, but it reflects my distress perfectly. I am picking myself up, hopefully returning as good as new next term, but I am still struggling to keep up. So, if my updates have been inconsistent, please bear with me. I will try my best.

And I like killing people in my stories, you know that already. Hehe. Thank you for reading!