Urd versus the Underworld

Chapter Four: When the Tide Turns

"Urd! It's really you!" Skuld cried with happiness as she ran for her sister, Belldandy and Keiichi close behind. Urd turned from Mara and her demon company to see who was calling her, the firelight flashing dangerously in her eyes.

Skuld stopped, not far from the demon's campsite. Something wasn't right. Urd didn't seem to be a prisoner at all!

Urd stood up from her spot by the fire, the demons surrounding her continuing their ritual dancing. The wind howled fiercely as it whipped her hair about her face, her violet cloak billowing out from behind her.

Then, in a flash, Urd raised her hands high up into the heavens and began a devilish chant Skuld could not understand.

"Urd.please don't!" Skuld whispered, stepping backwards into Belldandy.

The sky lit up with a tremendous shot of light which zipped down into Urd's palm, ready to be released at her command. Mara smiled, knowing that her plan was successful.

The dancing demons began to move more frantically, twirling and leaping high into the air, dipping and diving into the fire, never once getting the slightest of burns. As the lightning bolt in Urd's hands grew and sparked, the demons became a blur of darkness, racing around the fire with their medieval dance of death.

Belldandy took Skuld by the hand and sent her to Keiichi. "Please, make sure she stays safe," she requested faintly.

Belldandy bravely began moving closer and closer to Mara and Urd, the dead and dry twigs beneath her feet cracking and snapping. As she approached the edge of the group, Urd released her blast. Belldandy shot up above it and continued her advance.

"What?" Mara questioned, spitting out her sake. "How was she able to dodge that?"

Urd's eyes narrowed as she prepared her next assault, all the while Belldandy drew nearer to the fire.

"Be careful, Belldandy!!" Skuld screamed, trying to free herself from Keiichi's grasp.

Mara stood up next to Urd. "Hurry, you fool! Shoot her!" she yelled. Urd turned away from her target of Belldandy and sent her lightning straight into Mara, who flew at least one-hundred yards away from the circle with the force of the blast.

Before Urd could turn back towards her sister, Belldandy was already upon her. Throwing her arms about Urd, she sobbed into her cloak. "Oh Urd! Please say it isn't so! You must fight it; don't let it destroy you! Come home with us," Belldandy pleaded.

In an instant, the heartless demon version of Urd unleashed her fury into Belldandy, who dropped limply to the cold ground.

Keiichi let go of Skuld. "Belldandy!!" the two screamed in unison. As they both lay down at Bell's side, stroking her soft, golden brown hair, Urd stared down at them, considering what she should do with the new intruders.

Skuld looked up at Urd, pure hatred burning in her heart. "You are not my sister!" she cried. "You are nothing but a selfless demon, and I hate you!"

With Skuld feeling so passionately about something, she invoked her inner angel, who sprang out from in between her shoulder blades. The angel's expression was the same as that of Skuld, determined to destroy the demon and get the real Urd back.

Skuld stood and took a step closer to her demonic sibling. "This is for Belldandy."she whispered. With a mighty roar, she sent her angel after Urd.

Urd dodged left and right, but the angel never gave up its fight. Finally, the angel grasped Urd by her hair and threw her down to the ground, trying to pummel the evil out of her. Struggling madly, Urd sent her fists into the angel. Skuld keeled over from the power of the blow and her angel returned inside of her.

"Skuld! Are you alright?" Keiichi asked. Now both Belldandy and Skuld were injured, but what could Keiichi do?

Belldandy slowly began to open her eyes. "Keiichi." she began weakly. Keiichi looked away from Skuld and focused his attention on Belldandy.

"Keiichi, you must. you must sing some polka music," she said.

"Excuse me?" Keiichi whispered, wondering how this would help them in their situation.

"Yes. Please do this, Keiichi. Austrian polkas will put Urd to sleep until I can recover some of my energy."

Keiichi ran his fingers once more through Belldandy's soft hair. "Er, ok. I'll try to."

Urd floated closer to Skuld while Keiichi racked his brain for an Austrian polka. Laughing hysterically, Urd prepared one final lightning strike.

"I've got it!" Keiichi cried, bursting into song. "Oompah oompah pah pah!" he sang.

Urd held her hands over her ears and twisted madly. All the dancing demons around the fire stopped their interpretive movements to watch what was happening. "Nooo! Stop it, now!" she screamed.

However, Keiichi continued his song. "Oompah pah pah Oompah Oompah pah!"

"Eerraarrgghhh!!!" Urd cried as she fell to the ground in a dreamless sleep. All of the demons ran away from their fire, terrified that their master had just fallen in battle.

Belldandy smiled at Keiichi, gripping onto his hand. "Thank you," she said.

Skuld began to crawl to her feet, rubbing her head vigorously. "Owww. what happened?" she asked, seeing Urd sleeping peacefully on the ground.

"I guess that Urd just doesn't enjoy polkas," Keiichi chuckled.

Belldandy forced herself wearily to her feet. "Alright, I think it's time that we get our Urd back, right, Skuld?" she questioned.

Skuld hugged her sister happily. "That's right, Belldandy!"

Keiichi helped Bell over to the spot where Urd lay, for she was still weak from the blast she took.

"Oh holy light, show her the way," Belldandy started her chant, "Let her heart return and her spirit soar; please make our sister Urd, a goddess once more."

A strange and beautiful light was sent down by the gods, brightening both the Underworld and Urd's heart. Urd's body lifted off the ground and began glowing like the stars at night, her goddess-like qualities being returned to her.

"Ooooo. it's so beautiful," Skuld murmured while watching Urd's own inner angel spread its wings and re-enter Urd's soul.

Keiichi looked dreamily at Belldandy. "You did it again, Bell."

Belldandy didn't say anything, but her warm and gentle smile was enough for Keiichi.

The heavens closed up as Urd's body landed gently back on the ground and the Underworld returned to being dark and damp as it had always been.

Urd's eyes opened a little at a time until she was staring Keiichi, Belldandy, and Skuld in the face.

"Aahh!" Urd yelled, backing away from Kei and her two sisters. "Why in the world would you have to get that close to me!?" she huffed.

Skuld laughed merrily. "It's good to see that the old Urd is finally back," she chuckled.

Urd looked at her surroundings. "Where am I? Is this the Underworld? What happened?"

"It's a long story, dear sister," said Belldandy. "We'll tell you when we get home."

"Yes, let's get out of this god-forsaken place," Keiichi muttered.

The happy little group all supported each other and began walking to the spot where Skuld had dropped her remote for the teleportation device on the ground.

"Hey!" Skuld yelled in shock. "It's not here! Actually, I don't see it anywhere!"

Keiichi let go of Urd, who fell to the earth with exhaustion ("A little help, please?"). "Oh no! It has to be here somewhere!" he said, panic- stricken.

"Let's all look for it!" Belldandy called, already searching on her hands and knees.

Skuld raced around in the mud like a mad woman, frantically searching for her remote. "No, no, no! Please, let me find you," she whispered to herself.

As Skuld focused her thoughts on the ground and searching for her device, she rammed into something. Briefly looking upward, she saw a metal, burgundy boot.

"Uh-oh," said Skuld as she glanced at the owner of the boot.

"Hey there, sweetie. Were you looking for this?" Mara croaked, holding up the control to the teleportation device.