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The order of the Mortal Knights

By Elnauhual

Fan fiction, inspired by "Oh My Goddess" by Kosuke Fujishima.

Chapter XXXIII

Past and Present

The room was in darkness, the air was stale as if it had not been aired in weeks, some sunlight managed to get into it through some slots between the planks covering the window. The faint glow was enough to perceive the richly adorned quarter, the cold stone walls were adorned with rich tapestries that bore pagan legends One had the mythical Yggdrasil tree with the Nieghood snake biting its roots and at the foot of the tree were the Norns weaving the destiny of men and gods. In another tapestry a proud Valkyrie was rescuing the soul of a warrior. In the next tapestry Wotan was commanding the gods. The making of such tapestries must have cost a small fortune and they were in stark contrast with the furniture: a small but comfortable lounge chair, an old, bumpy trunk, a simple table full of papers, writings and drawing tools, plus a shelf in a corner that had other type of display of wealth, richly bound books from an era before the printing press, they had been carefully copied by hand by industrious monks. Hanging in another corner hung a heterogeneous collection of objects, symbols of rank of different clans, also there were some weapons and other objects that were difficult to identify. The room had an air of a storage room and a place of study for some sage.

Voices were heard and a heavy wooden door creaked open. The first to enter was a mature man, on his fifth decade of age. He wore a luxurious dress in the style of the Franks in the seventh century; a small crown identified him as a king. After him, an old man entered. He had a thin face, wrinkled and with age spots suggesting an extreme age. Few men in that era reached that age. His long beard made him look as a patriarch. While his clothes were plain and worn from long use, they were made from rich materials suggesting a high rank. Although he spoke sharply, the weight of age was evident as two women helped him to walk, they were from a very different upbringing than the men. Their clothes showed their humble peasant origins, but they had a bearing that no peasant would, also they were carrying several amulets, magical symbols, and both brought a bag from where you could see some herbs and other medicinal materials. The women were itinerant healers. One was very young and the other was middle-aged, possibly her master. Behind them came a monk dressed in rough sackcloth who kept looking at everything with an air of disapproval.

The older woman led the old man to the chair beside the table while the other went to one of the walls where she deftly removed the wooden shields covering the window. Soon the place was lit with the morning sun rays bringing life to the beautiful tapestries and other items.

After he sat, the old man continued his talk:

- King Harald, I am glad to know that the new section of the Danevirke is already finished. Now that alliances with the clans have been consolidated, you have the power to expel the Germans, so you must maintain the alliance at all costs or the clans will end up fighting each other instead of fighting the enemy.

They King looked at the old man as if trying to read his thoughts, but finally said:

- Once, almost ten years ago I ignored your warnings and we were invaded, this time I will listen to your advice even if I don´t like it.

- I have not much else to say except a few advices from an elder. You should listen to your people, you must take care of them and they will cooperate with you. On your behalf I have contacted their main leaders and they say they will fight with you, but remember, you should not expect absolute obedience just because you think of them as your vassals. They are very independent people. The one who gets people to do things of their own will be more powerful than the one that coerces them to do so. Win their trust and they will be willing to give their life because they will be fighting for their own.

The king was irritated by the old man's words.

- I think you have taken too many decisions on my behalf, I've heard the rumors; everyone thinks I have spoken directly to them. - The man could not hide a brief flash of anger in his eyes – If you had been another person this would had been high treason, and still it may be. I fail to understand it, you disappear for months and then suddenly came here giving me instructions and news of partnerships, agreements, concessions and treaties. Everything has been done in my name. Old man, you have too much power. You know my people better than me. You live among them, they listen to you, and also the sisterhood respects you and obeys you. You could have become king long ago if you had wished it, I cannot understand why you have never used you power on your behalf.

The old man could not help an amused smile.

- I confess that in my youth I wished for it, but there was someone who taught me that this was not the way to live. So, I'd rather be with the people, our people. And about your fears of treason, I can tell you that soon you will have no reason to complain of my interference, I'm too old.

The older woman made a sound of protest, and whispered into his ear.

- You know that there is a way to avoid it, you can stop aging, you have the knowledge.

The old man smiled wistfully and quietly said:

- I do not desire it, my time is coming – he turned to the king and spoke with pride – King Harald Bluetooth. - The king looked angrily upon hearing his nickname, no one else would dare to repeat it in his presence – I have little time, and the last thing I want to do is talk about politics. A long time ago you offered to reward me with wealth or whatever I wish. At that time all I asked you was to give me a room in your castle where I could save some possessions, now I will ask you something much more important.

The king made a gesture of impatience, despite everything the old man had done to consolidate his kingdom; he could not avoid having some resentment.

- Speak old man. A king does not like to have debts.

The old man looked down at the table full of papers. He took a leather package and an old wooden box.

- King Harald, this is my request. When I die, I want this book to be sent to the monastery where Widuking spent his last days, I want it to be kept there in the library, hidden from view of all, you should also take the rest of my books there, I think there will not be of use for you, you can use for yourself the rest of what you find here.

The king looked with suspicion at the package.

- They say that this book is a great source of power as it contains strange magic and powerful spells; do you really want me to get rid of it? It would not be of any use for those monks, I could use it to...

The old man interrupted him sternly.

- It will of not use for you or everyone else, only I can read it´s content. Without me, it´s only an old book with strange symbols. It has no magic on its own. I was tempted to destroy it, but this book is very dear to me and I would not dare to do it, but I know there are stories about it, people can believe it has magic and do everything to get it, so everyone who possesses it will be in danger. Nobody should know where it is. Let it be forgotten by men.

The king sighed; as usual the old man was right.

- Even so, I wish I could keep the book for me, but I have given my word so it shall be. Anything else? - He added with a mocking tone.

- Yes, this time it´s a personal thing. - The old man took the wooden box. It was old, and was tainted with something that looked like old dried blood, also it seemed that long time ago it had been damaged and repaired.- This box must be sealed and delivered to the descendants of Widuking, here in this letter I have some instructions for them. This is important for me, so if the royal authority accompanies this letter, it would be better.

The king again sighted.

- Then you'll take all your secrets to the grave?

The old man smiled amused at the king's disappointment.

- No, the sisterhood knows most of "my secrets", and they will put them at your service if needed – he looked at the woman and called her so she stood in front of the king – She is Gyrid. She is wise and will help you with "my secrets"; in exchange you should listen to her advice. She knows our people even more than me, so she will be your liaison with the sisterhood and also will help you to stay in contact with the leaders of the clans. She can communicate with them by means you cannot understand.

The king looked at her with disgust.

- She's just a woman, how I will make sure of her loyalty?

- You can´t, that's something you should earn. For that, listen to her words. The clan leaders will speak to you through her, and she will convey your words to them, in whatever place they are. Listen to them and you will keep them together. You will be wise to do so.

The monk who had been scouring the room cried in disgust.

- Your highness, she is a pagan, a healer that should be familiar with the arts of the devil. When your highness was converted to Christianity, you promised to give up all those beliefs. Your duty is to convert the pagans and kill the heretics.

A look of anger crossed the old man's face.

- Fray Pope, you should not to forget your place, you know very well that Harald's conversion was only for political interest. He cares little about your beliefs. Like him, most of the people here preserve their beliefs. Maybe one day they will accept your faith, but only when it will no longer represent the interests of the empire.

The friar replied with barely suppressed rage.

- Elder, from what I've heard, some of those beliefs were invented by you, they are false and...

The old man raised his hand with an angry gesture and looked into the monks eyes, his blue eyes were glowing with fire undiminished by age. The friar was not able to cope with them and lowered his graze, yet he closed his fists with contained anger, then the old man spoke, this time his voice was softer yet it had the authority of a patriarch.

- No, they are more than beliefs as they come from someone who is beyond your comprehension so it would better if you respect them. Now if you permit me, I must rest.

King Harald the first, nicknamed Bluetooth because his love for blueberries had dyed his teeth, could not help but grunt softly. That old man was nominally only one of his vassals, yet he was dismissing him as if he were any servant. But he knew he had survived two previous kings who had died after ignoring his advices. He gestured to the monk, who never left him a moment in the hope of gaining his confidence. The monk looked around with hatred and then went along with the king.

After they left, the older women closed the door, and then went with the old man who asked her.

- Gyrid, Will you do it? I leave you a great responsibility, but I trust in your wisdom and in the sisterhood. You must be faithful to the king even if he is not faithful to you; there are voices around him that may poison his heart.

- That may be dangerous, Christians hate us, and that monk can turn the king against us.

- Then you will help him even if he does not know. The thrust of Christianity is powerful, but you must stay together. Prepare to hide if necessary, but do not stop helping our people and that is why you need him, even if he does not know it. Will you do it? - The woman bowed her head in respect and said solemnly

- We will do it.

- Then Gyrid, I have something for you. - He opened the wooden box and then pulled out a sheaf of papers tied with a ribbon, he offered them to the woman, and she could not help but gasp.

- I spent a lot of time on this, but here are the most important things you should know, I have translated and added notes from the most important contents of the book. You should take care and not let this fall into wrong hands. You may copy some parts but I trust you can decide not to disclose anything dangerous.

Gyrid could not help but notice other papers in the box; the old man noted with satisfaction her curiosity. He had chosen her well, she was a very smart woman.

- They are drafts and personal papers. You heard my instruction to king Harald. After I die, put there my personal belongings and seal it. Make sure King Harald stays true to his word; you may need to use some pressure on him to comply.

The old man took Gyrid´s hand and she felt embarrassed. Since she was a little girl, she remembered him as an old man and could not believe that he really was close to death, without thinking twice she knelt before him and kissed his hand.

- My Lord, my people owe you so much, the sisterhood will fulfill your will.

The old man bowed with some effort and forced her to get up.

- You should not do that, I'm not better than you; I'm just an old man who now wants to rest. Now, I have some unfinished business, please leave me alone, but I will call you later. I do not want to spend my last days here locked in this room. For most of my life I have lived with the sky as a roof and I want to leave this world under it...

The old man touched the woman's shoulder then greeted the younger woman, who had not dare to speak before this legendary figure. He called both woman and embraced them. Then the old man jokingly shooed them away so he was left alone. As they left, he sat before the table that was now lit by the sun's rays.

From the box he took clean sheets of parchment and began to prepare the ink, once he was satisfied with the consistency he tried to cut a new tip on a feather but stooped in disgust looking at his shaky hand. His hands were thin and bonny, stained by old age and were shaken at intervals by uncontrollable tremors that made them difficult to control. He sighed and looked for something in his clothing; he got a small silver flask beautifully carved with Nordic themes. Struggling with his trembling hands, he opened the lid off and took it to his lips where poured a few drops of a purple liquid. Immediately he closed the flask to avoid wasting it´s valuable content then watched his hands. Gradually the trembling began to disappear and he felt his mind was freed temporarily of the cobwebs of old age. His mind became clear and even some of the wrinkles on his face disappeared. He shook the flask and realized it was almost empty but he would not order to produce more; with what was left should be enough to finish his last task. He left the flask on the table, took the pen and he was ready to write when he remembered something. He took the leather package, opened and took out a worn book they had been talking about. He opened it and put it in front of him so he could see again that beautiful face that did not age like him. He felt his eyes moisten and laughed softly, that image made him feel more rejuvenated than the potion, then slowly took the pen again, a lonely tear appearing on his old face as the memories came back, then began writing:

"I am writing this in the year 998 of the Christian calendar. Men once knew my by the name Duke Bruno Sachsen son of Widuking the Saxon, at least until my father's rebellion against Charlemagne made me a landless duke without vassals.

Unlike my brothers I was good at books but useless at leading battles and soon I was put aside by my family so in shame I became an anonymous vagabond, and in order to hide my name I took the name Fafnir from an old legend from our people. Maybe I dreamed of being the strongest and angrier from my brothers, I was still young and proud and I didn't knew the full legend of that name. Now that my days have come to an end my heart need to be in peace with my past, so I decided to leave these words with the hope that my beloved goddess Urth can read them someday.

Oh My Goddess! I do not know how many times I have cursed my pride on that day. Now in old age and after witnessing so many cursed battles and useless deaths I can understand what was on your heart.

I still remember as if it had just happened the last day I saw you. When I heard that you had forbid me to participate in the battle, I was furious. I had dreamed of being a great warrior like my brothers and this was my great opportunity. I wanted so much to use your power to regain my position and when I heard that you threatened to destroy your notes where you have laid so much of your wisdom, I decided to flee with them and win honor in battle, so I could return them to you after the victory. I wished to prove you were wrong about the war.

Today I can understand your instructions and how painful it would had been for you to issue them. Only single men and those without family would be accepted, you knew that few of them would return alive. In my pride I forced you to make a decision: the death of a few upon the death of many. I know you tried to explain it to me, but I was as proud as many noblemen, I put little value on the life's of soldiers and peasants. Now I feel shame for that.

I remember very little of the battle, we followed your instructions, we took a sip of the potion you prepared and then drank as much beer as we could. The potion took away any regrets, any wariness, any pain and any fear we could harbor. I knew we were fighting with inhuman strength and ferocity devoid of any conscience. I had only the wish to fight until death, and fortunately I hardly remember anything else.

The next thing I remember, I was lying on the ground as blood leave my body from many wounds, my drawing box had divert a fatal blow, yet I knew death was upon me. It was like a dream, I felt as a spectator and that my own death was no concern to me, that may be an after effect from your poison, but since that time, death no longer cast it´s fear on me.

Then I remember cries of pain and agony and I realized that around my were hundreds of mutilated and bloody bodies of our people and of our enemies, yet near death all were the same. It was like a nightmare, the smell of blood, and the screams of pain and death throes. But between them there were warriors that were not severely wounded; they walked like into a dream looking for other survivors. I recognized one of them, after a while I managed to write a note and convinced one of them to deliver a message to you, but we was too dazzled so maybe he did not remembered everything I told him but I begged him to give you my letter and my case with your notes. When he left I was prepared to sleep forever. Gradually the cries of the dying began to fade away and I knew that soon I would be with them.

I don´t know how much time passed as the sleep of death was upon me when I felt something, a powerful force that compelled me to breathe again, then I saw you, floating in mid air, it was such a magnificent sight, as you commanded the forces of nature to heal us. It was then thatI knew what I already suspected, that you were a goddess that had descended upon mortals.

Your face was beautiful and frightening, your body glowed with the power of thunder and I could hardly dare to look at you. I felt that glow invigorated me! My wounds began to heal, and I could feel that the warriors that were close to death were also feeling the same. I tried yelling to get your attention, but not a sound came out of my mouth. I dragged myself to try to get close to you when suddenly other goddesses appeared. I knew they were the warrior goddesses you have talked about, and they were after you.

I knew they came to punish you, you had saved my life and you were going to be punished for that. You were weak, yet you fought, I saw your anger, but they were too powerful, and took you away. It was then when I realized that you had been helping us against the will of the gods. I now realize how much we owe you. You sacrificed for us. Oh my goddess, if you read this, I hope you give me your divine forgiveness for my foolishness.

After the warrior goddesses took you away I cried imploring your return, but I knew I would never see you again, I don´t know how much time I spent at that place, but my body slowly regained its strength and when I could get up I went to camp hoping to find you, but it was a false hope. That was why I decided to continue with your work, finally I knew what you were doing and I vowed to continue.

As soon as I was able to travel, I reunited with the sisterhood you had created, and they helped me to have a purpose, in exchange I offered them your potions from your book, I knew you would like that, but never gave them anything that could be dangerous. I lived with them for many years and traveled from one place to another carrying your knowledge, your songs and your teachings. Somehow I acquired power over men, the power I dreamt of when I was younger. I knew the clans leader, and they respect me, then they sought help to resolve their rivalry and their problems with the kings and lords, and somehow, I eventually became a voice to speak with kings.

Now that my life comes to end I can claim I did more good than wrong, that I am satisfied with my life and I hope that my memory would live into you, my goddess. I feel tired, my strength is now fading and...

The old man's hand released the pen leaving a stain in the parchment; his head became heavy as he was unable to sustain it more. He collapsed on the table. Suddenly the women entered the room, as if sensing something wrong. Gyrid rushed to examined him and found that he was still alive but she knew he had little time left and shuddered. She looked away from him trying to control her emotions, yet she could not keep her eyes from filling with moisture. She tried to speak but nothing left her throat, her body was trembling, then looked at her young companion who had not tried to contain her emotions and tears were already streaming down her face. Gyrid extend her hand toward her. She took it and then both women embraced crying aloud. After a few moments, they separated and Gyrid, with a silent gesture sent her companion away. The young woman ran away and soon returned accompanied by some men, none of them seemed to have anything to do with the palace, they were common people. The men stood with respect before the old man, and after some hesitation, slowly approached him and carried him away. They would fulfill his last will and took him into the open, under the northern sky that he had so loved so much. Gyrid was left alone and took Fafnir letter, she wiped the excess ink and put it into the wooden box, she closed it and sealed it with wax. She put everything in place, and left, closing the heavy door.

The scene faded and then Urd cried...

- Fafnir! Fafnir!, you never needed my forgiveness...!

Urd looked around and felt confused. The castle´s room had disappeared. Instead she was in a place that was vaguely familiar.

She heard a strange and at the same time familiar voice that was whispering tenderly.

- Please do not try to get up. You must calm down, the vision of the past is over, and it is all I could recover, so please my child, try to rest now.

Urd began to recover from her confusion and realize it was Hild´s voice, but it had a tenderness that made it almost alien... Gradually Urd started to recover.

I had a vision from the past, but how?

Urd tried to move, but it was difficult, her body refuse to move, with great effort she could turn her head to see her mother, and she saw Fafnir's letter, floating and glowing in front of her. Finally she understood.

Her mother had used magic to extract the last moments that had led to the letter creation, but how had it been possible? Sometimes objects could be imprinted by emotions, but never with such detail. Hild touched Urd's face to reassure her and spoke again, almost in a whisper as trying not to be heard.

- That mortal must have loved you so much. This manuscript was discovered in what was left of your room and handed to me, I could feel it had an aura full of powerful memories.

- Mother – Urd voice was hoarse and weak – those memories! Why did you extract them? They are...

-Yes, they are painful memories, I know it but it was necessary so I did on purpose. You have been on the brink of death and the royal healer informed me that you needed something to boost your will to live. Those painful memories saved your life, you are not completely healed, but you are no longer in danger.

Urd ignored her mother words as she was lost in her thoughts

- Fafnir did not die that day, he... - she could not speak, she felt a lump in her throat, and Hild leaned over her, looked her in the eyes and said in a whisper:

-For a mortal, he lived long and had a full life. Finally I can understand why in that brief time on the mortal realm you change you so much. I had blamed for it to the confrontation you had with the Valkyrie but I was wrong. I now realize that even if their life is so short, mortal's lives are so intense that they can affect us, and that mortal was very special for you.

But now he is in the past, you cannot blame yourself for what happened. You are Hild´s daughter, and one day our realm will depend on you, so you cannot have the luxury of regrets.

Urd´s eyes were filled with tears that had been waiting for a long time to flow, there were painful, but also liberating. Now she knew that Fafnir had understood her. Equally important, he had found his own way and had lived a long and full life, death had come to him as a friend.

Urd cried silently and the pain faded away until she finally fell asleep. A few hours later she awoke again, finally reconciled with her past and now she was ready for whatever may come.

Urd looked around puzzled and began to examine the place. She was floating in the middle of Hild´s large private room; even she had seldom been there and was surprised to see several demons in it.

The royal healer and several of his aides were there, some forming a circle around her bringing their magic together in a great spell that filled the room; others were in a control panel at one side of the room, manipulating screens that filled the place with huge streams of data. Urd examined the data with curiosity, after all, technically she was still was Yggdrasil Sysop. There was something familiar about the data, it was complex yet it had errors and gaps. It seemed they were repairing the code, but why? Then she gasped after finding some code she knew, it was hers, they were repairing it, but she had never known it could be done with such detail, and then she shuddered at realizing something, until that moment she had not understood how much damage she had suffered.

She tried to move, and with an effort she extended her arm. She could not avoid a surprised yelp. Her arms did not exist, they were only faint ghost. The royal healer had come to her and spoke with a calm and professional voice as if it were nothing important.

- My princess received great burns in all the body, but especially in hand and arms. We are still working at rebuilding their code, so please, do not struggle, there is still too much to do.

Urd relaxed, that made sense, but still there were a lot of things she could not understand.

- What happened while I was unconscious?

Hild replied, her voice was again become the usual, proud and haughty.

- All infected guards have been located and sealed, the palace has been secured. - Hild sketched a subtle and enigmatic smile – and as strange as it sounds, those mortal scientists and our sages have managed to find the cure, it´s a slow process but gradually we will heal everyone.

Urd received with joy the news, but Hild´s attitude said there was something else.

- So the danger has passed?

- No. We know that Nieghood is still infected, so far all our efforts to clean it have failed and we are running out of options. If we keep using the energy it provides us, there will be more infections and even if we know the cure, we cannot prevent it. The alien code that invaded Nieghood can simply began to infect faster than we can heal and overtake us. So far I have ordered everyone to stop using magic to avoid tapping into Nieghood energy except for emergencies. This had stop almost all infections, but as a result, using its energy now results in an almost certain infection.

- But we cannot live a long time only using our energy reserves; even the strongest demons will eventually need energy. Is the same thing going on heaven? Are they being infected too?

Hild, did not answer, one could tell that something was bothering her, she walked away then she looked around her, and without no anyone noticing she casted a spell. It was a spell Urd remembered since she was a little girl. It would block anyone from hearing their conversation, Hild had used to spoke with her in the long sessions with the council, mainly to mock and told her jokes about the council members. This time she was using it for a more serious purpose.

-From of my sources in Heaven, I know there is also an infection, but they are not willing to say anything to us. I expected that Belldandy would have given the order to cooperate, but something is happening. Currently she seems to be missing!. My official requests to contact her have been refused. So far, apart from sealing the infected ones, it seems as if they are not doing anything to find a cure, it´s as if there were no one in charge. There are voices against the Magna Truce and I fear that if Belldandy loses her power they will try to attack us while we are weak, no matter if that would make them fall prey to the infection.

Urd tried to get up at hearing the news.

- But Belldandy would never allow that! - Exclaimed Urd- She would give her life before breaking her word.

- I fear Belldandy is no longer in charge, there are rumors she is acting strange, my contacts suspect she has been infected and that the powerful factions in Heaven that are not happy with the truce would prefer war.

- Then I must go to heaven!

- You can´t, you must heal first and there is also another thing. That young mortal, Keiichi, contacted us using the high level passwords I gave him to uphold his authority as judge. He says he has some bracelets that can provide us with energy and that he will give them to us. Can you confirm it?

Urd gasped in surprise.

- The Moon bracelets! Yes, I remember them. We used them once when Yggdrasil was down and disconnected from the earth. Keiichi made them and they work, but the energy they provide is not much and they were difficult to make, that time Keiichi was able to make a few dozens, but we would need much more than that.

Hild stared at her, her face convey a sense of relief but also off surprise.

- Keiichi offered us eight million bracelets! That is enough for everyone. I do not how he got that number right and I cannot understand how he can make so many without using magic, but seems the mortals are committed to help us. Keiichi even promised a date of delivery and it´s today. I wanted to confirm it; it seems too good to be true. I have already sent Marler to get them and to know what they want in exchange. I hate to say it, but if it´s true then we will be indebted to the mortal realm. That would be a debt that will be difficult to settle. I had doubts about accepting the offer since this will completely change our relationship with the mortal realm. Keiichi says the gods also have accepted, but I have not been able to confirm it, it seems that nobody in heaven knows about it.

- Mother, you must accept! You can trust Keiichi despite everything you have done to him; I can assure you he has no hidden agenda. He is not like you! And maybe it´s time to change some things.

Hild was annoyed and stared at Urd, few demons would have dare to meet her gaze, but Urd was not intimidated by her. Hild finally put aside the attempt and said, looking away, as if speaking to herself.

- I do not like changes, but it seems they are becoming inevitable; the palace is now a very noisy place. Everyone is celebrating and talking. I am beginning to regret having accepted the removal of the loyalty spell, just a little more and guards would be singing and dancing in the aisles. I am not ready for that.

Urd was startled.

- I don't understand, guards celebrating? - Then she remembered- Guards! - And exclaimed – What happened to Bragg? Is he still alive?

Hild looked around and dissolved the blocking spell . She called the royal healer, Urd repeated her question to him and he answered with a grave voice.

- He is still alive... barely, but we cannot cure him, the damage he took is too big.

- But you can do the same thing you are doing to me?

- Only the upper demons like you have a backup of their code, so we cannot repair his nor rebuild his body. Also remember he was modified to become a guard, so even that backup would not work. We have him in a stasis chamber, as long as we have energy we can keep him alive but our resources are becoming low. We know he is special for you, but we cannot keep him forever. Eventually you may have to order to disconnect him.

- I cannot do that. He saved my life so I...

- I am aware of that, my princess, that is why I would leave the decision to you. It is impossible to save his life and recover what he was. There is a way, but as a royal guard, that would be unacceptable for him. My princess would have to make the final decision.

Urd close her eyes, her face showed pain, another life sacrificed because of her. Lind had told her that several guards had died protecting her. She had not given a second thought but now Bragg made her wonder about them. Then her mother approached and caressed her face, it felt as if she had received an electric shock. Her mother had never touched her like that before…

- You'll have time to think about it, I ordered him given priority to keep him alive, at least until you decide, but you must heal completely, then I will let you decide.

Hild's touch made Urd remember another thing, so she told Hild in accusing tone.

- Your avatar was hidden inside my mind, also my father´s avatar. But now I cannot feel them, what happened. Did they really destroy each other?

Hild put her hands on her chest, as if feeling a sudden cold.

- I know, yes my avatar was destroyed; I could feel it, it´s like feeling that a part of me is dead. She must have confronted your father's avatar.

- Why you never told me my father had betrayed you? I... I had a different idea of what he was.

- If I had told you, you would not have agreed to go to heaven. Your hatred would have prevented it and I could not afford that...Hell was no longer safe for you.

Urd looked at her mother and felt a lump in her throat, realizing the sacrifices that Hild had made for her, she was beginning to understand many things.

- That day before sending me to heaven, you told me you put a loyalty spell on me, but actually you did more. You also left an avatar inside me, and that avatar held a lot of your power. Why did you do it? By leaving so much power within me, you risked becoming weaker.

Hild smiled and said:

- You are my daughter; I would have done anything for you. I needed to take care of you, and I suspected that your father would try something so I needed to leave a protection. Yes I took a great risk, and if that mortal you love had not collected those crystals with my power, I would have died after my encounter with Anang Reng, but I would do it again. It was necessary to protect you.

Urd became silent, she have beginning to see Hild in a completely new way. After a few minutes she wondered.

- Kenji! I miss him; maybe together we could find a solution for Bragg

- You trust this mortal to much. You must be careful, he will not live forever and that will hurt you, remember what happened with that other mortal...

Urd interrupted, she did not wish to recall Fafnir's memory...

- I am aware that Kenji is a mortal.

- I have not fulfilled the full contract with that mortal. Do you want him to become immortal? I have that power.

- Something tells me that Kenji would not accept it. But I have a wish; I wish I could see him.

Hild sighed and said:

- Then I insist you must heal first then you can return temporarily to the mortal realm. I still need you here, but before that you must make some decisions that not only concern you, but to our realm. You have responsibilities!

- Responsibilities! - Urd laughed at the word – I always tried to flee from them and now I found that it's useless, so maybe it's time to face them.

Dr Shigeru found his body was surrounded by a bright light, he tried to move but something held him, then he felt himself rise in the air with his feet barely touching the ground. A strange force inexorably made him float toward the voluptuous woman and soon found his face was a few centimeters from her beautiful and frightening face, with fear he could see her pointed fangs, clearly visible when she laughed with a sound that made his spine chill. He found it was useless to resist, he was completely immobilized, she caressed his face and then moved her hand down and he cried in surprise, he felt something in the lower abdomen, the feeling was... extremely pleasing to the degree that he felt he was losing his consciousness, then a new laughter brought him back and heard the woman saying...

- It´s been a long time since I had a mortal to play with, I have learned a few tricks in the last centuries, there are ways to achieve a state where pleasure and pain become the same …

Dr Shigeru shuddered at the words and yet realized that instead of fear, a new feeling was forming in his mind, and he now felt curiosity and anticipation.

Suddenly they heard a shout coming from the entrance to the warehouse.

- Marler! It´s good to see you again!

The woman made a gesture of disgust at being interrupted, and turned to face the newcomer, as she did so, Dr Shigeru fell to the ground, then she spoke with burning eyes and annoyed voice.

- Young Keiichi, you are unwelcome, I was about to have a little fun

Keiichi briskly approached, trying to appear calm but could not hide he was worried. He knew he had arrived in time to stop "something", and knowing Marler, it would have not been good.

Finally he arrived in front of her and gulped at looking at her closely. She did not look like the Marler he had known, the one that the Norns and him had been able to tease and even capture more than once. She had a completely different attitude and her new clothes showed more skin than he was comfortable with.

Keiichi stood bewildered in front of her, and then noticed that she was grinning at him, and without saying anything, with her eyes pointed in direction of the demons that were behind her... then suddenly winked with one eye.

Keiichi open his mouth like a fish out of water as he understood, the old Marler still existed but that should be a secret, at the eyes of her people she had to maintain appearances. He laughed nervously and scratched his head trying to think until he had an idea. He bowed ceremoniously then put one knee on the floor, bent his head, looking at the ground and spoke as elegantly as he could.

- Druhting Marler, excuse my behavior, I Keiichi, judge and member of the Order of the mortal Knights welcome you to the mortal realm.

He felt a rush and saw how the demons behind Marler, smartly formed at her sides and also put one knee on the floor to bow at him. He lifted his face and found that Marler smiling with relief.

Keiichi did not know that for years the demon hood had been laughing at Marker's exploits in the mortal world, and that she had been struggling in recent days to earn their respect rather than imposing. For her saving her face was now very important. The demons at her side had witnessed how a great judge, a legendary authority that was respected even by Hild, had greeted their lady with the utmost respect. They felt pride, and they were ready to show it.

At the sight of demons in formal greeting attitude, the group of students and scientists approached and bowed with the elegant and ceremonial formality that the Japanese learned to greet an authority since they were children. The foreign students did their best to imitate them.

Cautiously Keiichi looked around. Somehow he felt that this moment had to be very special and unique. He breathed relieved. Apparently the first official meeting between mortals and demons had not started with a disaster. Even Dr Shigeru had managed to regain his composure, but still he could not look away from Marler's body.

Marler now laughed, she felt great to be received like this. Yet she knew her "honor" had been slightly tampered by a mortals hands and she had to do something about it. It was important not to lose the respect of her young demons. She still must press the case again.

- Keiichi. - She pointed to Dr Shigeru – This mortal must be...

Keiichi interrupted flailing in the air. He had to think fast!

- Yes, he must... he must be... eh! He must be rewarded!

Keiichi laughed nervously, he scratched again his head as he tried to think, Marler looked at him with anger, but before she could say anything, Keiichi had an idea and spoke.

- Without Dr Shigeru´s knowledge it would had be impossible to create these new bracelets – Keiichi extracted from his pocket one of the ceramic bracelets he had kept for tests. - Please examine this.

Marler took the bracelet and looked at it with curiosity. She touched it´s smooth surface and felt a lingering sensation at her fingertips.

- So these are the moon bracelets you have promised. When I spied on Urd... I mean, when I supervised Urd I saw her using something similar, yet this looks different, does it really work?

Before Keiichi could say anything, she took the bracelet and put it on her arm, and then Marler felt a surge of power that ran through her body as an electric shock. The first time she had come to earth she had felt the intoxication of life and despite the training that she had received before come to earth, she had felt intoxicated for weeks before feeling normal again, but now this was hundreds of times more powerful. It was Gaia energy in an intensely concentrated form, the ecstasy of that power was... Marler could not help throwing a breathless moan that left everyone... well, breathless!

Marler struggled to regain control. With great effort and with trembling hand she managed to take off the bracelet. Then she tried to pretend that nothing extraordinary had happened said:

- Ah! I think... it will serve our purposes.

Keiichi approached and whispered so only she could hear.

- Sorry, I could not warn you not to wear the bracelet on earth since it attracts too much power... - The young man said as he swallowed at getting near Marler. The amount of visible skin seemed bigger...

Marler closed her eyes for a moment and sighed deeply, she was enjoying causing impact, then examined the bracelet and gently caressed it remembering the sensation, and she could feel its power. With something like that everyone in Hell would be able to disconnect from Nieghood and avoid being infected...Hild would be pleased.

While Marler imagined Hild´s reaction, Keiichi took the opportunity to call the scientists and make appropriate presentations.

- Druhting Marler, I have the honor to present you to Dr Shigeru and Dr Ohta from Chiba University. They are responsible for the amount of power of these new bracelets contain. - And then pointed around – All these young people are their students who also helped.

The students looked at Marler with the appropriate amount of fear; after all it was their first encounter with a real demon. Marler approved it, but Dr Ohta seemed not very impressed by her, instead she was staring at the portal and unceremoniously she asked as pointing at it.

- How does that thing work? I have a few thousand questions to ask you about it!

Marler frowned at the idea that the mortal woman found the portal more interesting than her, yet responded with a slight grunt, remembering Hild´s instructions.

- If these bracelets work in Hell, our world would be deeply indebted to you. We demons are used to deceiving and lying to mortals for our purposes, but we also recognize our debts. All of you will get a contract with Hell- she pointed to the demons behind her – After we take the bracelets to our realm and try them, we will return to earth to fulfill your contracts. You will be granted any desire, just be careful what you ask for - she deviously smiled at Keiichi – This young man has some experience on that.

Dr Otah's eyes sparkled with anticipation, she did not need to think hard about what she wished for, but not everyone was sure about that. They heard an exclamation of protest among students; it was the girl with the crucifix.

- A deal with the devil! No!...I do not want such... such... - she began to babble some gibberish, but while she was speaking a young demon walked toward her full of intense curiosity, it was the first time he met mortals, he was a dark-skinned young demon, with athletic body and inhumanly handsome. He stood in front of the girl and with a grin said – so, would you not want to have a contract with me...? - She looked at him stunned, she gulped and emitted a faint whimper, it seemed she had no further objections.

Keiichi sighed, apparently he would not be able to avoid some minor problems, since he knew that wishes granted by demons usually might cause lots of troubles, so he would have a serious talk with them before demons would return to earth. Meanwhile he had to change the subject before any other problem arose. He was very nervous, he had never been good at talking and now he was a mediator between demons and mortals, and nudging nervously in the air he said...

- Druhting Marler, granting wishes can wait. Soon we will have visitors from heaven, they come for their bracelets too, and I think it's still not a good idea for a group of demons and gods to be on earth at the same time.

Marler laughed at the young jitters, she could not avoid playing with him.

- Keiichi, I would love that, actually I think that could be very fun, some of these young demons have never met a god before and would like to measure their forces…- She teased him and laughed at the terror in Keiichi´s eyes, then winked and him and said- Okay!, we will take the bracelets and leave, but before that I have a message from Hild. It´s for that mortal Urd seems to appreciate so much. It seems Urd had promised to contact him but she will be unable to do it for a while. She was injured in a recent incident- Keiichi gasped at the news, they had been worried about the lack of news, yet he realized Marler did not seemed to be bringing bad news – Urd is not in danger, but she needs to recover, it will take a few days before she will be able to contact you.- Keiichi was relieved, as soon as possible he would relay the news to Kenji, but Marler seemed to have more to say, this time her expression was serious and whispered to Keiichi – Hild also sends a message for you: Beware of the gods; they are not as united as you may think.

Keiichi was shocked, but said nothing. His brief visit to heaven had taught him Hild was right on this, but maybe more shocking was that Hild considered it was necessary to warn him.

Meanwhile the demons had begun to use their magic. The students had pointed them to the boxes that corresponded to them. They levitated the boxes to the portal where they disappeared immediately. Gradually the students were losing their fear to of them, and began their curiosity to roam free, examining and taking photograph with them with their cell phones and even trying to make casual conversation. Finally all the boxes were transported and the demons entered the portal, to the disappointment of students, leaving Marler behind.

Marler looked as the last one disappeared and bowed to Keiichi.

- Keiichi, judge and knight of the order of the mortal knights. You have done well, you have grown so much, and it seems you are now really worth of Belldandy. She will need you sooner than you think, so please be careful – then Marler had a change of attitude and boasted, pointing to Dr Shigeru- And about this mortal, I will take care of him, personally!. He will be rewarded!, but I have not recalled the punishing part – She laughed in anticipation, showing her fangs and then disappeared into the portal. There was a commotion and the portal collapsed.

Keiichi felt relief as the portal dissolved, finally he could breathe normally. He looked around and could tell that the demons visit had caused a deep impression among mortals, he hoped he had enough time to explain them about demon contracts so they could stay away from problems.

But before he could say a word he felt a powerful presence was approaching. Everyone felt it, it was something very powerful and at the same time very different from the feeling they had felt before at the demons arrived.

The gods were coming to earth.

End of Chapter XXXIV

Notes:

King Harald Bluetooth. If the name sounds familiar is because the Bluetooth protocol was named after King Harald, for his ability to achieve different clans and tribes could communicate with each other.

Danevirke. It was a system of fortifications along the peninsula of Cimbria and that in use until 1830. Its construction began in 908 by King Gudfred and King Harald concludes the work. The fort became a national symbol of the Dane people.

Fafnir. You may wish to read chapter Chapter III Ghosts from the past to remember about him.