Part 9: Heaven and Hell
(Bring) (Bring) (Bring)
"Hey! Can someone get that?" Urd called from the Tea room.
"What?" Keiichi and Skuld shouted from both sides of the house.
"The phone! Can't you guys get it?"
"What was that?" They both shouted.
"Honestly." Urd jumped up from the sofa and ran to the phone. "Hello, Morisato residence."
"Urd."
"EH!?" Her eyes widened and her teeth clenched.
"Just shut up for a second and listen to me!" The voice shouted.
"Mara..." Urd growled.
"Surt, the lord of Muspelhiem has formed an army out of the whole demon race! He's planning a full scale attack on Heaven come night fall!" Mara sounded panicked.
Urd had a blank look on her face for a moment then groaned. "Yeah right, like I'm going to believe something as crazy as that." Urd growled.
"Urd! This is serious! You don't know what he's planning to do through all this!!!"
"Shut up!!" Urd slammed the phone down on the receiver and growled.
Skuld and Keiichi stared at her from their rooms.
The Almighty's eyes shot wide open and he stared up at the clouds. "The day; has finally come." He sighed then stared down to see Hope, Tyr, Freya, Ran, Bil, and Balder completing a lesson with Peorth. "I pray that her training will prove successful, otherwise..."
"Very well done!" Peorth smiled at her students then clapped her hands. "Okay! That concludes today's lesson."
"Thank you Miss Peorth!" All but Tyr smiled.
"Tyr." Peorth growled.
"Um...thanks...."
"...Thanks..." Peorth rolled her hand.
"...Mommy."
"OOOH!" Peorth snatched him up off his feet. "It makes your mommy happy every time she hears you say that!"
"You're embarrassing me! Put me down!" He growled.
"I don't care." Peorth giggled. "I'll hug my lil' baby as long as I want!"
"WHAAH! Don't call me that!" Tyr shouted.
Hope stared at them for a moment and remembered Belldandy.
"Momma! Momma, look at what I found." The young Hope ran to her mother.
"Oh my." Belldandy stared at Hope's cupped hands, where a baby bird sat nestled and quiet.
"He fell out of his nest, and every time I climbed up and put him back in it, he would jump out again." Hope said.
Belldandy smiled. "Don't worry, he's just trying to fly."
"Fly? But...Momma, he's so little." Hope stared.
"It doesn't matter what your size or age is, he wants to fly with all his heart, and I believe that will happen very soon." Belldandy said.
"Are you sure?" Hope asked then stared at the bird. "Do you think you can fly?" She asked.
"As long as you both believe." She smiled.
Hope and the bird focused. It flapped its little wings then jumped off of Hope's hands.
"That's right!" Hope smiled as it started to hover then fly off. "Momma! He did it!"
"See, and it's all because you both believed."
"Yeah, Thanks Momma!" Hope hugged her.
"She babies him doesn't she?" Ran nudged Hope.
"Huh? Oh, yeah..." she sighed in a giggle as Peorth strangled Tyr to keep hugging him.
"Okay, Okay! That's enough Ma!" Tyr shot out of her hug and glared at the five. "Don't mention this to anyone!!"
"Yeah, yeah." All but Hope groaned.
"Hey!" He barked at her.
"I wont Tyr." Hope smiled.
"Alright, alright." Peorth bonked him on the head and waved her other students farewell. "Well, I'll see you two in a little bit." she started to fly off.
"Wait Miss Peorth!" Hope flew in front of her and held out a daisy. "Thank you, for everything you've taught me so far."
She stared at her for a moment then smiled. "Thanks Hope." She tucked her flower behind her ear and flew off.
"Well, so what should we do know?" Tyr asked.
"Hmm?"
"Gah...era...." Tyr blushed. "Well, you wanna go for a walk...er...something..."
"A walk would be nice. Today is a beautiful day!" Hope smiled and floated next to his side. "Where shall we go?"
"Uh...wherever...." He put his hand into his pocket and walked off with her.
They didn't say anything for a while; just walked around the heavens and listened to chatter of goddesses that were staring at them.
"Oy, Oy! You think they'd have something else better to do than stare at us huh?" Tyr laughed.
"Perhaps." She looked at him with a smile. "They probably think we're a couple?"
"Huh?" Tyr scratched his head then flung his arm down to his side. "Y...yeah..."
Hope shifted her right hand out into his left hand.
"Oh geez...she took my hand first. Some god I am...erah...WHAT AM I THINKING!?" He blushed.
"Something wrong?" Hope asked.
"No...nothings wrong."
As Peorth arrived, she saw a crowd of gods and goddesses awaiting her arrival. "A gathering?" she stared then landed.
"Peorth!" Elle, Ex and Chrono shoved through the crowd to her.
"What's going on?"
"It's bad!" Elle panicked.
"The demons are declaring war against the heavens."
"What!?" Peorth's eyes shot wide open.
"It's so severe that even the Almighty himself has to take action."
Peorth stared at them for a moment then forced through the crowd. "Make way! I've got work to do!"
"Miss Peorth!" The three shouted and went after her.
"Come on! We've got to get Yggdrasill to its maximum then put a shield over it! HURRY!" Peorth shouted.
"Yes Miss Peorth!"
Hope and Tyr walked into the forest, both still holding hands and smiling.
"Really? They force you to go to that poor school institution down there?" Tyr stared at Hope.
"It's not a poor system Tyr, down on Earth we learn the most modern knowledge that there is to offer so that some day we'll become...humans first class you might say."
"Still." He groaned.
"I like my school, that's where I met all my best friends." Hope sighed. "I wonder how they are right now?"
"Well, you have new friends up here too right?" Tyr asked.
"Of course."
Tyr nodded then stopped. "Uh...Hope..."
"Yes?"
"I...um..."
"Attention all inhabitants of heaven, a gathering is taking place, repeat, a gathering is taking place!"
"What's a gathering?" Hope asked.
"Crap! It's not good I can tell you that much!" Tyr quickly grabbed her hand and shot off into the air.
"Tyr!"
"A gathering is called right before a battle!" Tyr said as he followed the other immortals.
"Battle?"
"Yeah, but don't worry, it's probably something minor." He laughed.
Meanwhile in Muspelhiem, hundreds and hundreds of demons gathered around the fire realm and waited for the time to attack.
"How beautiful it is to see power hungry demons as far as the eye can see!" Surt chuckled as the army continued to build up. "My brothers and sisters! Soon the demon race will rise in power above the heavens." He shouted to receive a monstrous cheer. "Not even the almighty...no...not even the goddess of Revolution can save them now!" He roared.
"The time is coming." Despair grinned and clutched a sword tightly in her hand when she saw Mara march by her.
"Surt!" She barked.
"What is it?" He glared back at her with a grin.
"Don't you think this is going out of control, I mean...the Almighty must know what's going on."
"Yes, I expect that old coot above us has known about my plan in advance. However, I hold the upper hand." He said in a solid tone.
Mara backed away from him and glared at Despair. "Her?"
Keiichi walked into the living room and saw Urd staring at static on the TV.
"Huh? Oh, Keiichi." She stared at him for a second.
"Urd, the phone WAS ringing today wasn't it?" he asked. "But only you could hear it."
"It...it was a call from a demon."
"Mara?"
"Yeah."
That name made his heart well up with hate. "What did she say?"
Urd groaned and stared over at him. "That a war is about to break out on heaven."
"What!?" Skuld shot into the room. "We have to do something!"
"No, it's a lie! It all has to be a lie!" Urd growled then heard the phone ring, but this time Skuld and Keiichi heard it too.
"I'll get it!" Skuld quickly ran out into the hall and picked up the phone. "Hello!?"
"Skuld!" Peorth shouted from the other side of the phone. "Haul yourselves up here fast!"
"Why?"
"It's a gathering Skuld! We need all the immortals of heaven gathered immediately!"
Urd heard Peorth and her eyes widened. "Mara told the truth?" She thought in shock.
"You mean we're permitted to go back?" Skuld asked.
"The Almighty isn't one to hold up punishments against one of his own at a time like this!" Peorth said. "Just hurry!"
"Okay!" Skuld hit the phone on the receiver and stared over at Keiichi.
"What's going on!?"
"Something bad, Urd, get ready we have to go." Skuld said then called in Banpei and Sigel. "You two watch Keiichi and make sure that he is kept safe." She ordered then ran into the bathroom.
"What...but...." Keiichi stared then looked at Urd.
"Mara told me the truth..." she stuttered in a confused way and put her hand on the television screen.
As Hope and Tyr arrived to the gathering, he realized that this wasn't something small.
"So many..." Hope whispered.
"There you are!" Thor smiled at the two.
"Thor, what's going on?" Tyr asked.
"The almighty told us that Surt, the ruler of Muspelhiem will attack the heavens come nightfall in attempt to over power Yggdrasill."
"That's terrible." Hope gasped.
"I believe it's much more than just terrible Hope..." Thor sighed.
"Someone's coming in through the transport!" A group shouted.
Urd and Skuld shot through only to come face to attack ready immortals. "WHOA! WE'RE GODDESSES!!!" They shouted.
"Huh?" Hope floated above the crowd and smiled. "Aunt Urd! Aunt Skuld!"
The two quickly flew over to her and gave her a hug before staring around. "Hope, do you know anything about what's going on?" Skuld asked.
"Surt, the king of Muspelhiem wants to overpower Yggdrasill...well, at least that's what I've heard." Hope said then felt her heart pound quickly as if she were excited. "What?"
"Are you okay?" Urd and Skuld asked.
"I feel strange..." Just then an image of hundreds of demons flashed through her mind. "They're..."
"What?"
"I can see it...they're coming...." Hope stared out into space then spun towards the crowd. "EVERYONE!"
The immortals started to sink through the ground and fell through the clouds to see an army of demons flying up towards them.
"Everyone! Guard Yggdrasill!" Thor shouted as thousands fell forward and locked into combat.
"Heh, so my first war is between heaven and hell?" Tyr made his staff appear. "Don't worry Hope, let's stick together and I'll protect you...Hope?" He stared around and saw Urd and Skuld staring around in panic. "Where's Hope!?" He shouted at them.
She still stood on heaven's floor, staring around in confusion and wandering where everyone was.
"I...I can't transport!?" Hope stared then heard solid footsteps slapping on the ground.
"It's time that we end our pain." A voice cut through the air.
"It's..." Hope slowly turned around only to come face to face with herself.
"You..." She grinned and shot a hand on Hope's neck. "Don't make this difficult, we're going to end our pain, and make the heavens pay for the crime they have committed on us."
"N...No!" Hope cried and broke free from her grip. "You...you ARE me aren't you?" She coughed and made her sword appear in hand. "What crime has been committed on us? What pain are we going to end my Despair? Tell me!"
"You should know! They stole our mother away and force us to train like we're their personal slaves! For what purpose have we trained Hope? For what reason are we suffering!?"
"For the sake to control this revolutionary power within!" Hope said. "If we were left to live as a mortal forever there's no telling what may have become of it!"
"They've gotten that poisonous thought into your brain!" Despair growled. "You fool! Can't you see!? The Almighty, our grandfather knew about Lord Surt's plan from the very beginning of time! He knew that we would exist at the time of Surt's Ragnorak!" Despair snarled. "And he, the almighty saw this as the perfect chance and opportunity to rid the universe of us!"
Hope was shocked. "No...No that's not true!"
"You can believe it or not, but you have no choice!" Despair held out a hand and Hope felt as if a bind was wrapped around her body.
"Despair! Please stop this!" Hope cried.
"Shut up!"
"Stop it!" Hope broke from Despair's spell and held her sword out.
"What do you plan to do with that?" Despair laughed in a cocky tone.
"Tell me how Surt will make life any better for us!" Hope demanded.
"I mentioned nothing of how he'd make our life better!" Despair laughed. "He will sacrifice our blood on the tree of Niflheim, and raise the demonic race in power."
Hope stared in shock, and at her disadvantage Despair struck her in the waist.
"AAH!" Hope hit her knees and stared at Despair in shock.
"You can't even take a hit." Despair grunted in pain then glared over at the gateway. "Come, its time that we end all our pain and suffering."
(Bring) (Bring) (Bring)
"Hey! Can someone get that?" Urd called from the Tea room.
"What?" Keiichi and Skuld shouted from both sides of the house.
"The phone! Can't you guys get it?"
"What was that?" They both shouted.
"Honestly." Urd jumped up from the sofa and ran to the phone. "Hello, Morisato residence."
"Urd."
"EH!?" Her eyes widened and her teeth clenched.
"Just shut up for a second and listen to me!" The voice shouted.
"Mara..." Urd growled.
"Surt, the lord of Muspelhiem has formed an army out of the whole demon race! He's planning a full scale attack on Heaven come night fall!" Mara sounded panicked.
Urd had a blank look on her face for a moment then groaned. "Yeah right, like I'm going to believe something as crazy as that." Urd growled.
"Urd! This is serious! You don't know what he's planning to do through all this!!!"
"Shut up!!" Urd slammed the phone down on the receiver and growled.
Skuld and Keiichi stared at her from their rooms.
The Almighty's eyes shot wide open and he stared up at the clouds. "The day; has finally come." He sighed then stared down to see Hope, Tyr, Freya, Ran, Bil, and Balder completing a lesson with Peorth. "I pray that her training will prove successful, otherwise..."
"Very well done!" Peorth smiled at her students then clapped her hands. "Okay! That concludes today's lesson."
"Thank you Miss Peorth!" All but Tyr smiled.
"Tyr." Peorth growled.
"Um...thanks...."
"...Thanks..." Peorth rolled her hand.
"...Mommy."
"OOOH!" Peorth snatched him up off his feet. "It makes your mommy happy every time she hears you say that!"
"You're embarrassing me! Put me down!" He growled.
"I don't care." Peorth giggled. "I'll hug my lil' baby as long as I want!"
"WHAAH! Don't call me that!" Tyr shouted.
Hope stared at them for a moment and remembered Belldandy.
"Momma! Momma, look at what I found." The young Hope ran to her mother.
"Oh my." Belldandy stared at Hope's cupped hands, where a baby bird sat nestled and quiet.
"He fell out of his nest, and every time I climbed up and put him back in it, he would jump out again." Hope said.
Belldandy smiled. "Don't worry, he's just trying to fly."
"Fly? But...Momma, he's so little." Hope stared.
"It doesn't matter what your size or age is, he wants to fly with all his heart, and I believe that will happen very soon." Belldandy said.
"Are you sure?" Hope asked then stared at the bird. "Do you think you can fly?" She asked.
"As long as you both believe." She smiled.
Hope and the bird focused. It flapped its little wings then jumped off of Hope's hands.
"That's right!" Hope smiled as it started to hover then fly off. "Momma! He did it!"
"See, and it's all because you both believed."
"Yeah, Thanks Momma!" Hope hugged her.
"She babies him doesn't she?" Ran nudged Hope.
"Huh? Oh, yeah..." she sighed in a giggle as Peorth strangled Tyr to keep hugging him.
"Okay, Okay! That's enough Ma!" Tyr shot out of her hug and glared at the five. "Don't mention this to anyone!!"
"Yeah, yeah." All but Hope groaned.
"Hey!" He barked at her.
"I wont Tyr." Hope smiled.
"Alright, alright." Peorth bonked him on the head and waved her other students farewell. "Well, I'll see you two in a little bit." she started to fly off.
"Wait Miss Peorth!" Hope flew in front of her and held out a daisy. "Thank you, for everything you've taught me so far."
She stared at her for a moment then smiled. "Thanks Hope." She tucked her flower behind her ear and flew off.
"Well, so what should we do know?" Tyr asked.
"Hmm?"
"Gah...era...." Tyr blushed. "Well, you wanna go for a walk...er...something..."
"A walk would be nice. Today is a beautiful day!" Hope smiled and floated next to his side. "Where shall we go?"
"Uh...wherever...." He put his hand into his pocket and walked off with her.
They didn't say anything for a while; just walked around the heavens and listened to chatter of goddesses that were staring at them.
"Oy, Oy! You think they'd have something else better to do than stare at us huh?" Tyr laughed.
"Perhaps." She looked at him with a smile. "They probably think we're a couple?"
"Huh?" Tyr scratched his head then flung his arm down to his side. "Y...yeah..."
Hope shifted her right hand out into his left hand.
"Oh geez...she took my hand first. Some god I am...erah...WHAT AM I THINKING!?" He blushed.
"Something wrong?" Hope asked.
"No...nothings wrong."
As Peorth arrived, she saw a crowd of gods and goddesses awaiting her arrival. "A gathering?" she stared then landed.
"Peorth!" Elle, Ex and Chrono shoved through the crowd to her.
"What's going on?"
"It's bad!" Elle panicked.
"The demons are declaring war against the heavens."
"What!?" Peorth's eyes shot wide open.
"It's so severe that even the Almighty himself has to take action."
Peorth stared at them for a moment then forced through the crowd. "Make way! I've got work to do!"
"Miss Peorth!" The three shouted and went after her.
"Come on! We've got to get Yggdrasill to its maximum then put a shield over it! HURRY!" Peorth shouted.
"Yes Miss Peorth!"
Hope and Tyr walked into the forest, both still holding hands and smiling.
"Really? They force you to go to that poor school institution down there?" Tyr stared at Hope.
"It's not a poor system Tyr, down on Earth we learn the most modern knowledge that there is to offer so that some day we'll become...humans first class you might say."
"Still." He groaned.
"I like my school, that's where I met all my best friends." Hope sighed. "I wonder how they are right now?"
"Well, you have new friends up here too right?" Tyr asked.
"Of course."
Tyr nodded then stopped. "Uh...Hope..."
"Yes?"
"I...um..."
"Attention all inhabitants of heaven, a gathering is taking place, repeat, a gathering is taking place!"
"What's a gathering?" Hope asked.
"Crap! It's not good I can tell you that much!" Tyr quickly grabbed her hand and shot off into the air.
"Tyr!"
"A gathering is called right before a battle!" Tyr said as he followed the other immortals.
"Battle?"
"Yeah, but don't worry, it's probably something minor." He laughed.
Meanwhile in Muspelhiem, hundreds and hundreds of demons gathered around the fire realm and waited for the time to attack.
"How beautiful it is to see power hungry demons as far as the eye can see!" Surt chuckled as the army continued to build up. "My brothers and sisters! Soon the demon race will rise in power above the heavens." He shouted to receive a monstrous cheer. "Not even the almighty...no...not even the goddess of Revolution can save them now!" He roared.
"The time is coming." Despair grinned and clutched a sword tightly in her hand when she saw Mara march by her.
"Surt!" She barked.
"What is it?" He glared back at her with a grin.
"Don't you think this is going out of control, I mean...the Almighty must know what's going on."
"Yes, I expect that old coot above us has known about my plan in advance. However, I hold the upper hand." He said in a solid tone.
Mara backed away from him and glared at Despair. "Her?"
Keiichi walked into the living room and saw Urd staring at static on the TV.
"Huh? Oh, Keiichi." She stared at him for a second.
"Urd, the phone WAS ringing today wasn't it?" he asked. "But only you could hear it."
"It...it was a call from a demon."
"Mara?"
"Yeah."
That name made his heart well up with hate. "What did she say?"
Urd groaned and stared over at him. "That a war is about to break out on heaven."
"What!?" Skuld shot into the room. "We have to do something!"
"No, it's a lie! It all has to be a lie!" Urd growled then heard the phone ring, but this time Skuld and Keiichi heard it too.
"I'll get it!" Skuld quickly ran out into the hall and picked up the phone. "Hello!?"
"Skuld!" Peorth shouted from the other side of the phone. "Haul yourselves up here fast!"
"Why?"
"It's a gathering Skuld! We need all the immortals of heaven gathered immediately!"
Urd heard Peorth and her eyes widened. "Mara told the truth?" She thought in shock.
"You mean we're permitted to go back?" Skuld asked.
"The Almighty isn't one to hold up punishments against one of his own at a time like this!" Peorth said. "Just hurry!"
"Okay!" Skuld hit the phone on the receiver and stared over at Keiichi.
"What's going on!?"
"Something bad, Urd, get ready we have to go." Skuld said then called in Banpei and Sigel. "You two watch Keiichi and make sure that he is kept safe." She ordered then ran into the bathroom.
"What...but...." Keiichi stared then looked at Urd.
"Mara told me the truth..." she stuttered in a confused way and put her hand on the television screen.
As Hope and Tyr arrived to the gathering, he realized that this wasn't something small.
"So many..." Hope whispered.
"There you are!" Thor smiled at the two.
"Thor, what's going on?" Tyr asked.
"The almighty told us that Surt, the ruler of Muspelhiem will attack the heavens come nightfall in attempt to over power Yggdrasill."
"That's terrible." Hope gasped.
"I believe it's much more than just terrible Hope..." Thor sighed.
"Someone's coming in through the transport!" A group shouted.
Urd and Skuld shot through only to come face to attack ready immortals. "WHOA! WE'RE GODDESSES!!!" They shouted.
"Huh?" Hope floated above the crowd and smiled. "Aunt Urd! Aunt Skuld!"
The two quickly flew over to her and gave her a hug before staring around. "Hope, do you know anything about what's going on?" Skuld asked.
"Surt, the king of Muspelhiem wants to overpower Yggdrasill...well, at least that's what I've heard." Hope said then felt her heart pound quickly as if she were excited. "What?"
"Are you okay?" Urd and Skuld asked.
"I feel strange..." Just then an image of hundreds of demons flashed through her mind. "They're..."
"What?"
"I can see it...they're coming...." Hope stared out into space then spun towards the crowd. "EVERYONE!"
The immortals started to sink through the ground and fell through the clouds to see an army of demons flying up towards them.
"Everyone! Guard Yggdrasill!" Thor shouted as thousands fell forward and locked into combat.
"Heh, so my first war is between heaven and hell?" Tyr made his staff appear. "Don't worry Hope, let's stick together and I'll protect you...Hope?" He stared around and saw Urd and Skuld staring around in panic. "Where's Hope!?" He shouted at them.
She still stood on heaven's floor, staring around in confusion and wandering where everyone was.
"I...I can't transport!?" Hope stared then heard solid footsteps slapping on the ground.
"It's time that we end our pain." A voice cut through the air.
"It's..." Hope slowly turned around only to come face to face with herself.
"You..." She grinned and shot a hand on Hope's neck. "Don't make this difficult, we're going to end our pain, and make the heavens pay for the crime they have committed on us."
"N...No!" Hope cried and broke free from her grip. "You...you ARE me aren't you?" She coughed and made her sword appear in hand. "What crime has been committed on us? What pain are we going to end my Despair? Tell me!"
"You should know! They stole our mother away and force us to train like we're their personal slaves! For what purpose have we trained Hope? For what reason are we suffering!?"
"For the sake to control this revolutionary power within!" Hope said. "If we were left to live as a mortal forever there's no telling what may have become of it!"
"They've gotten that poisonous thought into your brain!" Despair growled. "You fool! Can't you see!? The Almighty, our grandfather knew about Lord Surt's plan from the very beginning of time! He knew that we would exist at the time of Surt's Ragnorak!" Despair snarled. "And he, the almighty saw this as the perfect chance and opportunity to rid the universe of us!"
Hope was shocked. "No...No that's not true!"
"You can believe it or not, but you have no choice!" Despair held out a hand and Hope felt as if a bind was wrapped around her body.
"Despair! Please stop this!" Hope cried.
"Shut up!"
"Stop it!" Hope broke from Despair's spell and held her sword out.
"What do you plan to do with that?" Despair laughed in a cocky tone.
"Tell me how Surt will make life any better for us!" Hope demanded.
"I mentioned nothing of how he'd make our life better!" Despair laughed. "He will sacrifice our blood on the tree of Niflheim, and raise the demonic race in power."
Hope stared in shock, and at her disadvantage Despair struck her in the waist.
"AAH!" Hope hit her knees and stared at Despair in shock.
"You can't even take a hit." Despair grunted in pain then glared over at the gateway. "Come, its time that we end all our pain and suffering."