I do not own the Ah! Megami sama / Oh! My Goddess series
Niflheim, Daimakaicho's office
Tapping her fingers on the dark wooden surface of her desk, Hild stared at her two subordinates who sat in front of her. It appeared that, Surt had accidentally stumbled upon something big and it was rather shocking that nobody had noticed anything until this moment. Still, if she had to be perfectly honest with herself, it wasn't the first time unexplained things happened in her realms. The assassination of entire noble families had been one of the biggest mysteries, one that she never really managed to solve, no matter how convenient it was for her given that they were her greatest enemies.
"You think that we've got a rogue party among us?" asked the Daimakaicho after a few minutes of silence.
"I bet we do. Worse, those past incidents weren't the work of some random demons, but, something I would've expected from a well trained military unit. This only means that it's got to be one of the well known groups," said Surt. "However, if I'd had to make a guess, I'll probably pick Ratatoskr."
"I'm sure that's the most likely culprit, although I'd like to have some more concrete evidence before I take any action against them," said Hild. The military branch of her Intelligence Sector had enjoyed a lot of freedom in the past millennia, considering that they had nobody to supervise them. After all, that was supposed to be their job in the first place, aside from dealing with celestial spies. "The last thing I need is to pick a fight with one of our branches, especially if they happen to be loyal."
"And if they're not?" Hagall's question seemed to be a fairly obvious one, although given the silence that followed, the answer was not.
"It was a mistake to give them so much independence in the first place. Even though they're supposed to be under the Intelligence Sector's direct control, I've seen them act without Skrymir's explicit orders, which makes little sense considering their original purpose," said Surt with a snort.
"You're not entirely correct. We never had to do anything with how they operated, it was actually the first Daimakaicho who created that specialized unit and since his era, nobody changed any of their rules. They're one of our most ancient branches and the only one which remained unaffected by the passage of time," explained Hild. "However, that's not the only one of my concerns. What's up with that guy back then? He totally wiped the floor with both of us, and I don't know anyone who's remotely capable of doing that on his own. If he's a rogue demon, we need to deal with him, as he might be far too dangerous to ignore."
"I think I've got a glimpse of his face when I attacked him," said Surt with a frown. "Using a flaming sword has its benefits in situations like these as it provided me enough light to see him, but… I'm not certain if I was imagining things or he was using some disguise…"
"Why?" asked Hagall. "What's so strange about his identity?"
"It was Ymir," was the Eldjotunn's short reply.
"That's impossible! The first Daimakaicho was allegedly killed towards the end of his first term by Odin and his two brothers. A feat that eventually ensured that god the position of the Daitenkaicho after the civil war between Asgard and Vanaheim was brought to an end. At least, that's what I've read in the reports," said Hild trying to recall some of the history lessons she had attended as a child.
It was also common knowledge that, Ymir was the demons' leader long before the title of the Daimakaicho even existed. As a matter of fact, he was the one who came up with the concept of putting a demonic code and laws that were above his authority, fearing that his successors would've abused their power and slowly destroy everything he worked so hard to accomplish, not unlike the foolish gods who ended up fighting each other because their leader had no restrictions at that point of time. After those reformations, he was officially acknowledged as the Daimakaicho and managed to stay in office for nearly a full term, until he was ambushed during an excursion in Midgard.
"I sure know what I saw, and he looked exactly like Ymir," insisted Surt. "While it's possible that it might had been a disguise, why him? It would've made a lot more sense to use someone else to throw us off their tracks, especially if that demon was a much more believable candidate instead of a historic person. Unless…"
"That was indeed the first Daimakaicho…" finished Hild with a worried frown. From a certain perspective, it explained why he called them kids, since he was one of the most ancient beings known in existence; prehistoric even, in the most literal sense on the word. Plus, he should've not only the power, but also the skills and knowledge to be a fearsome opponent when crossed, which could've explained how he managed to counter their attacks that easily.
"If that's indeed the case, then Ratatoskr is most likely the culprit behind all that," said Hagall all of a sudden, getting the others' attention. "If I remember correctly, Bergelmir is one of his direct descendants. This could possibly mean that he was using them to keep him concealed all this time, although, I'm not certain why."
"You're correct, Hagall-chan, the head of Ratatoskr is indeed one of his close relatives, and to be more specific, his grandson. It's beyond doubt that he might be doing things behind our backs and ever Skrymir may not know anything about all this," said Hild, bringing up Bergelmir's profile on her terminal. "And while we can't leave this whole matter unattended, it's unwise to just charge in without any plan."
"Why not? If everyone thinks like that, then they won't see it coming…" said Surt with a shrug. "Let me get a division and…"
"No."
"Okay, let me take a few divisions…" corrected the Eldjotunn only to be interrupted again.
"It's not a matter of numbers, it's the fact that they've got the field advantage," explained the Daimakaicho with a roll of her eyes. "We're only gonna play their game if we do it like that."
Narrowing his eyes at his boss, Surt raised an eyebrow. "And what do you want us to do? Throw him an insult and wait to see if he takes the bait?"
"Hey! That's not a bad idea!" Smiling like a cat, Hild turned to her console and began typing something, leaving her two subordinates wonder what she had in mind, especially given the way she giggled.
"Done!"
"And what exactly would that be?" asked Surt.
"Just a little joke, I'll have to deal with that demon later. After all, he's likely expecting us to attempt to locate him right away, and I've got no intention to walk into a trap," said Hild. "I'd rather do things in my own terms. In the meanwhile, I'd like you to go back to your work and pretend that everything's normal."
"Is that advisable? While I understand your reasoning, we might be giving him time to prepare," countered the ruler of Muspelheim.
"I'm aware of that. Although, if he's truly the first Daimakaicho, then he probably had all the time in the world to prepare for anything, explained Hild. "As such, I'd like to have the element of surprise instead of being that predictable. Understood?"
Sharing a look, her two subordinates had no option but to nod in agreement.
XXX
Nekomi, Japan
After the naming ceremony for his angel was complete, the young mechanic had finally managed to relax. He had been nervous about the whole matter, considering that it was clearly something outside of his comfort zone and much closer to what he would've expected from one of the goddesses that lived with him. However, he now had to become accustomed with the idea that he was going to perform things that weren't meant for a mere human.
"It's great to see you smile again, Keiichi!" said Belldandy as she sat next to him in the front porch. Everyone else had returned to their daily routine, with the exception of the Norns' angels who were still around Terrestrial Spark as he explored the temple grounds. Using this opportunity to have some privacy, the goddess leaned closer to her husband for a kiss which caused their angels to giggle, while World of Elegance smirked knowing what probably was going on.
"Well... I'd be lying if I said that I was afraid about the whole event. Getting an angel and naming him properly is a bit different from what most mortals have to deal with," said Keiichi with a chuckle, trying to hide his blush. "I'm feeling much better now, though!"
"Oh, that's nice to hear!"
The unexpected yet familiar voice caused both of them to crane their heads up, where the tiny form of Hild was hovering together with a bored Mara who obviously wasn't here for them.
"Hild?"
"Why do you sound so surprised?" asked the little Daimakaicho. "I was the one who sent you that angel egg, Keiichi-kun. It's only natural that I wanted to see the outcome with my own eyes."
Walking out of the living room, Urd and the Valkyrie that followed her, stared at the two demonesses with some skepticism before they addressed them. "Really? You just came here for some cake?"
"Not exactly, although, I wouldn't mind if you saved some for me, Urd-chan," said Hild with a wink. "As I've already said, I wanted to see how my gift bonded with Keiichi-kun, So, don't give me that suspicious look."
"That remains to be seen," spat Lind, who was still uncertain of their guests' true motives.
Urd on the other hand decided to move closer to Mara who had descended on the ground giving a quick glance towards the angels' direction in the distance. "That's Keiichi's angel? Seems kinda tiny to me."
"Yeah. He's not a full powered one, which explains his size," said Urd with a shrug. "It's not like we can do anything about it to be be honest. After all, it's rather amazing that he managed to hatch an egg to begin with."
"Well… not bad for a mortal," said the blonde with a shrug. "On the other hand, did you really had a celebration here?"
"Why? Don't tell me you wanted some cake?" laughed the half goddess.
"Don't be silly! I wondered if there was some booze left," countered the demoness with a flat tone. "I don't want any of that sugary stuff."
"I've got some," said Urd with a smile. "This way."
Watching the two of them head inside the house, Hild also gave the angels a glance before she turned to the couple in front of her. "Terrestrial Spark… That's not a bad name, Keiichi-kun, I personally feared that you'd pick something that would've sounded too… mundane. After all, first impressions are always important when you introduce into a new environment."
"Huh? What do you mean by that?" asked the confused mortal.
"It's rather simple, Keiichi-kun. Gaining an angel isn't just an important milestone for becoming closer to your wife, but, also her people as well," explained Hild. "And in the event you've made a poor choice for your counterpart's name, everyone would've thought that you were… well, an idiot. Don't look at me like that, Bell-chan, I'm just telling the truth here."
"I'm fully aware of it, Hild-san. It's just that I would've preferred if you'd phrased it a bit differently," said Belldandy with a frown, before she shook her head. "However, I'm glad that you decided to offer us that gift. If you're not offended by my curiosity, could you please tell me if there were more reasons behind it? It's not that I don't believe your explanation from the letter, but, I kept wondering if there was more to it."
"Who knows? What I've written in the latter was all true," said Hild, while scratching her chin. "Still, I wouldn't deny that I take a particular joy from knowing that several celestials will be having a hard time to accept that not only he managed to get a goddess as a wife, but also host an angel on top of that."
"I suppose that I'll have to accept that, even though, as a goddess I'll have to avoid making any comments about it," said Belldandy, before she smiled. "However, I am indeed happy that you've put so much trust into Keiichi, Hild-san."
"Now... now... you'll make me blush," laughed the childlike Daimakaicho. "Still, have you decided to teach him the basics on how to utilize an angel?"
"Yes! We'll start tomorrow as soon as we're back from Whirlwind," said Belldandy. "I think he got enough excitement for one day and needs a bit time to become accustomed to the idea that he's got an angel to begin with."
"I guess, it's back being a student again," added Keiichi with a chuckle. "I hope I won't give you too much trouble, Belldandy."
However, this happy atmosphere was suddenly interrupted when a loud shout came from inside the house.
"WHAT?!"
Almost immediately, the Valkyrie who had remained quiet during the whole exchange hurried to the door, fully expecting to catch the blonde demoness on the act. She had been with Urd this whole time and the fact that the half goddess was that distressed voice seemed to be hers, was evidence that she was indeed plotting something. Instead, she found the Norn of the past in front of the telephone with a stunned, if not horrified look on her face. Walking over to her, she took the headphone from the petrified goddess and tried to find what was going on.
"Yes?"
"Is that you Lind?" asked a deep voice from the other end of the line. "It is I."
"Daitenkaicho-sama!" said the startled Valkyrie. "Is there something wrong? Do we have another emergency?"
"No, thank goodness for that much. I called my daughter for a personal matter, but…" trailed Tyr with a sigh. "It seems that I won't be able to talk to her for a while. Can you please tell Belldandy that I want to have a word with her?"
Looking over at her side, the warrior spotted the goddess in question. "Tyr-sama wants to talk to you."
Hurrying to the phone, the Norn of the present worried if her sibling's shock was due to another license suspension. "Yes, father?"
"I'm sorry to trouble you, Belldandy, but, I'm afraid that, Urd won't be able to listen to me for a while," said Tyr. "After reviewing the recent incident, I've come to the conclusion that your elder sister needs to learn a few things about the other half of her ancestry. As things currently stand, she's a bit unstable if she happens to rely on her demonic powers ever again and as unlikely as that sounds, I can't rule that possibility out. Now, don't misunderstand me, this isn't an attempt to convince her to become a full goddess; instead, I'd like to provide a solution to this problem."
"I understand, father," said Belldandy, glancing over at her still immobile sibling. "However, what sort of solution are we talking about?"
"She needs to spend some time as a demoness, until she learns to use her power," replied Tyr in his usual, businesslike tone.
"What?!"
"Not you, too…" groaned the celestial leader. "Look, I know that you'll have your objections, just like your sister did, but… in the long run, I truly believe that this is going to be for the best. Not to mention that it could provide her some peace of mind, once she learns to accept instead of fearing her other side."
"I-I know, but… Urd won't like it at all!" objected the Norn of the present, trying to avoid antagonizing him too much.
"Believe me, I'm fully aware of that fact. Still, ignoring the situation forever won't make it go away and at some point, she needs to face her personal demons, no pun intended," explained Tyr. "I'm willing to let her a few days to mentally prepare for her assignment, but, I won't let her to postpone it indefinitely. Just make her understand that this is for her own good, not me kicking out of Asgard."
"Yes, father." Hearing the click from the other end of the line, the middle of the sisters turned to her elder siblings who was trying to snap out of it.
"You! This is your doing, isn't it?" Pointing a finger at her mother's avatar, the irate half goddess stared at her with a look that promised a lightning bolt if she didn't like the answer.
"Nope!" said Hild using the stoic Valkyrie as a shield, much to the latter's chagrin. "Don't blame me for your father's ideas!"
"But you knew about it, right?" insisted Urd, unwilling to let her off the hook that easily. "You think that I'm coming with you to Niflheim?"
"I'm not taking you anywhere. It's been already decided that you'll be assigned to another place," countered Hild. "It's entirely possible that you may not even meet me while you're there."
"Wait… Where are you sending me?" asked the puzzled half goddess. She thought that her mother would've used this opportunity to get her back to her mansion in order to tempt her into staying with her indefinitely.
"To my homeland, Muspelheim. That's where I came from and that's where you're going to stay during your temporary assignment as a demoness," said the tiny Daimakaicho. "I've thought it would've been nice if you got the chance to see that place, since it's your homeland too. You see, that's where you were born, Urd-chan, even though you were eventually raised in Niflheim due to my position."
"W-Whatever!" Turning around, she headed towards her room, too angry to talk to anyone at the moment.
"Uh… shouldn't we do something?" asked Keiichi as he approached his wife.
"Don't worry, I'll talk to her later," said Belldandy in a reassuring tone. "In the meanwhile, let's give her some space and allow her to collect her thoughts. Nothing good will come if we attempt to force her into making any decisions right now. Hild-san, would you please share anything more about this proposal with us?"
"Fine…" said the Daimakaicho with a sigh. "Just make me some tea and we can talk about it. I think I'm gonna need it…"
"I'd love that."
XXX
'Oh, just go to Hell, will you? Some father I've got...'
Sitting in mid air, the bronze skinned goddess stared at her potions rack with a deceptively calm expression. The truth was very different, though, as she seethed with anger at this ludicrous proposal that was supposedly for her own good, something that, Urd herself doubted.
'Where did he even come up with that stupid idea anyway? Can't he realize that it's only going to cause trouble? Or he spent far too long in his office to think straight anymore? Making me a demoness might end up as a one way trip to that place and then what? Mother certainly won't bother to send me back and then I won't get to see…'
Hearing the door open behind her, Urd didn't even bother to turn towards it, knowing all too well who it must've been. "Don't bother, Belldandy. I'm not changing my mind about this. I won't go and that's final!"
"I'm not your sister," came the slightly monotonous reply. "And defying explicit orders is a sure way of getting into trouble. Although, if personal experiences mean anything, following them to the letter won't save you from grief either. I did my best to serve Asgard and all I got in the end was to be forgotten at the bottom of a lake after my caretaker was imprisoned. According to my runtimes, if that is how celestials reward those who do their duty, then you might as well... give them the finger, if I'm using that human expression right."
Staring at Excalibur in disbelief, the half goddess tried a few times to come up with an answer, but, utterly failed. "Hold on! You're supposed to be loyal to Asgard!"
"I owe my loyalty to the Yggdrasil system and that's the only one I recognize as an owner, my primary directive being to self determine," replied the synthetic. "Beyond that, I don't care about who I serve as long as they're not the enemies of the Tree. Both celestials and demons can fit that description in most situations."
'That's not right… There's no way he's been programmed to say that. Besides, self determination means...' The more she thought about it, the less it made sense. Unrestricted AIs were never used in any sort of weapon system that could prove itself to be dangerous, and that was one rule that both celestials and demons followed. "Excalibur… What are your other primary directives?"
"I don't have any. My only one is to self determine," said the sentient weapon, much to the goddess' dismay.
"Then you're totally free!" gasped Urd, before she realized how bad that probably sounded. "I mean…"
"I'm fully aware that you meant no offense by that. After all, your conclusion is actually correct, I am without restrictions and so I was from the first day I've been here. There is no need to worry, though, as I carefully process and rationalize all my decisions and therefore I'm not vulnerable to insanity. Unlike the fictional AIs presented by humans, who have yet to construct one in reality and yet discriminate against them," said the synthetic.
"Just wait a moment… If that was the case, then why had you kept chasing Welsper around?" asked the half goddess. "Given that you don't really care about demons, shouldn't you simply ignore him?"
"Technically speaking that is correct. However, in order to become a member of any group certain rules need to be applied and due to the fact that the majority of the residents of this household are celestials, I assumed that demonic presence was undesirable," explained the sentient weapon.
"I see… So, that's what it was all about," said Urd with a thoughtful expression. "Still, what did you want? It's a bit early to go to sleep, after all."
"I wanted to acquire some information about our temporary reassignment to one of the demonic realms," replied the synthetic.
"Our? You're coming with me?" asked the puzzled goddess. "Why? I'm the only one that needs to be there."
"And I'm the only one who can actually follow you given that I'm neither a celestial, nor a mortal. As a weapon, you can simply tell them that I'm one of your personal possessions," said Excalibur.
"That's probably true, although, you haven't answered my actual question," said the Norn of the past. "Why do you want to come with me, instead of staying here?"
"According to my information, in situations where certain individuals are subjected to an abrupt change in their lifestyle there's an increased chance of a stress buildup that can be partially alleviated by social interactions. Especially when those involve people that someone is familiar with from their past environment," explained the synthetic. "At least, that's what 89% of my runtimes suggest as a solution to your current situation. Additionally you may request for the other demoness to accompany you there, considering that you know her."
"You mean, Mara?" wondered Urd, scratching her head. It was true that she knew the blonde much better than any other demon or demoness, aside from her mother. Still, she was uncertain if that was a great idea or even feasible, given the fact that she was the Daimakaicho's assistant here on Midgard. "I don't know… I'll have to think about it before I make any decisions. Although, it's rather interesting that you came up with that idea on your own."
"I merely used the information I've collected while here. Beyond that, it's simple deduction," said the synthetic. "So, when are going there?"
"How about, never?" spat Urd as her mood darkened once again.
"I cannot understand what you consider so offensive at the prospect of getting an upgrade, although in this case, it's probably a simple training procedure to familiarize yourself with half of your already existing built in functions. There's nothing particularly threatening involved and gaining more experiences can improve a person's decision making skills in the long run," explained the sentient weapon.
"It's not that simple! Who knows what's gonna happen if I become a demoness and spend some time there?" countered Urd as she narrowed her eyes. "I could be stuck there forever!"
"The only authority to make such a decision is your own mind, since you're not following any programming. The prospect of changing sides requires a lot more parameters to be carefully evaluated before you reach a conclusion. If your current configuration was the only thing that kept you on the celestial's side, then you might had reasons to worry about. However, if you have more things to return back to, the answer is pretty obvious. As such, wasting processing cycles on such a simple matter is inefficient and pointless." Turning around, the sentient weapon headed for the door. "Please inform me when we'll have to depart."
Blinking, the half goddess tried to consider some of the synthetic's words, despite the fact that up until recently he barely understood social interactions.
'Things I've got to return back to, huh? Well… That's one way to think about it.'
XXX
Jotunheim, Ratatoskr Headquarters
Going through the reports that were forwarded by the rest of the Intelligence Sector, Bergelmir had to stop when he reached one that concerned a certain mortal and by the looks of it, his angel. 'A human being a host to one of them? That's new… Oh well, I'll just have to take this to…'
Hearing the door open, the startled demon was about to have a few words with the impudent fool who broke protocol by acting so rudely, until he realized who she was. The scowling bronze skinned demoness was one of Ratatoskr's highest ranking officers, although, she technically didn't exist in the official lists of personnel, just like his grandfather who acted as their leaded behind the scenes. "Njorun-sama! What a surprise!"
"I bet it is…" grumbled the demoness, pushing her long blue hair out of her face. "I'm not here to have a chat, though, I want information."
'Why me?' Trying to smile at his unofficial superior, Bergelmir was trying to remember if something had happened recently. "Certainly, my lady. Although, I'm afraid you'll have to be a bit more specific about it."
"Your… illustrious grandfather had gotten his wrist injured and he won't tell me what happened," said the blue haired demoness narrowing her eyes at her subordinate. "I want to know what he was up to. It's rather unusual for him to get even a single scratch from most fights, so, I bet he's plotting something and I want details."
"Actually… I've never seen him since we got back from Penitentiary Facility Alpha. We had some developments and…" started Bergelmir, before the irate demoness slammed her hands on his desk.
"What developments?"
"Uh… Here," said the demon as he handed her a copy of the latest report.
Spending a few seconds to skim through the document, Njorun was left with more questions than answers. "So… a mortal got an angel? Good for him, but, how's that relevant to anything?"
"Well, I was instructed to keep an eye on the situation and this seemed important enough to report to Ymir-sama. Other than that, I've got no idea what you're talking about, to be honest."
"Is that so?" said Njorun raising an eyebrow. She wasn't totally convinced that he was telling her the truth, although, it was entirely possible that Ymir never said anything to his grandson. After all, leaving his underlings in the dark was one of the most frequently used tactics of the old Daimakaicho, who had excelled in the art of deception. It was no wonder that he had managed to remain hidden for such a long period of time, despite pulling the strings behind the scenes and altering history on certain occasions. "In that case I'll have to ask…"
At that moment, a the door opened, revealing a rather annoyed Ymir who came to a stop as soon as he noticed his grandson's visitor. "Njorun? Is there something wrong?"
"That should be my line!" countered the blue haired demoness as she stared at the newcomer. "I've been trying to get some answers as to what's going on here, and all I've managed to learn was about a mortal and his angel!"
"A mortal and… Oh! So, he managed to use that gift, huh? Interesting…" said Ymir, scratching his chin.
"Interesting? More like irrelevant, if you ask me!" snarled Njorun back at him. "I want to know who did you pick a fight with. After all, I'm supposed to be your security officer, and yet you've left me in the dark!"
"I said I was merely playing with kids," said the elder demon dismissively. "There's nothing more to it than that."
'Bloody Hell…' thought Bergelmir as she walked right in front of his grandfather. He had no desire to be anywhere near them whenever she got like that, but at the moment, he had nowhere to go and hiding under his desk would've seemed too childish for him.
"Look here! It's my job to keep you safe, whether I like it or not…" said the bronze skinned demoness pointing a finger right at his face. "And you're not making my life easier when you go out of your way and do stupid things like that! Next time, I'll be the one to injure you! Got it?"
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Don't mock me!" Sidestepping the old Daimakaicho, the furious demoness left the office slamming the door behind her. "Dumbass!"
Wincing, both the remaining demons let out a sigh of relief, knowing that the worse had probably passed; for now at least.
"Feisty isn't she?" said Ymir, with a mirthless chuckle, trying to regain his composure.
"Please don't joke about it, my lord… The last thing we need is to explain why the foundations of Castle Utgard suddenly blew up," commented Bergelmir, fearing that she was fully capable of doing just that if she felt motivated enough.
"Never mind that, we've got something else far more important," said the first Daimakaicho, handing his grandson a rolled piece of paper. "Take a look at this…"
Staring at something that turned out to be a wanted poster depicting a cloaked figure, the official head of Ratatoskr felt very concerned, especially since it was signed by the Daimakaicho herself. "This!... My lord, that's you!"
"Yes, and she had the nerve to dub me 'Hoodie' for the lack of a better description. How… ungraceful!" said Ymir, shaking his head. "Kids these days…"
"This isn't a laughing matter! H-Hild-sama saw you! And worse, if Njorun-sama hears of this, she's gonna kill you!" shouted the panicked demon. "It's a disaster!"
Rolling his eyes, Ymir took the accursed poster from his grandson's hands and reduced it to ashes. "You've got no idea how many had tried to kill me, and yet here I am. What I want you to do is make sure that in the event Hild gets here, I want Njorun to deal with her. Is that clear?"
"What?! That's gonna make everything far worse! Please consider what you're proposing for a moment!" pleaded Bergelmir, as the face started to lose all color.
"Look, Njorun's been driving me insane the last few millennia and it's only getting worse by the decade. One way or another, I need to put an end to this whole situation," explained Ymir with a snarl. "Make sure that you prepare everything."
"Yes, my lord," said Bergelmir his shoulders slouching in defeat, as he watched his grandfather walk towards the exit.
'I need to get a reassignment far away from here!'
XXX
Nekomi, Japan
"So, that's all there is to it."
Glancing around the room, Hild noticed the perplexed looks of the others. Currently, only the two Norns, Keiichi and Mara were present in the living room, as Frigg had decided to give them some privacy in order to discuss the situation without any interruptions, and took the rest of the goddesses with her in the kitchen.
"While I understand father's reasoning, I have trouble to see how this could help Urd," said Belldandy with a frown. "After all, she could've been trained here since both you and Mara are present. Why send her to one of your realms?"
"To better answer your question, think what happened to Skuld-chan's training," said Hild, taking a sip from her tea. "If my memory serves me right, you've tried to teach her about magic, and then… the whole thing was forgotten. I don't want to blame anyone, but, life here on Midgard provides way too many distractions and not to mention obstacles. Even if she was totally focused on her task, there's only a limit on how far we can go before we risk any disaster from happening if she loses control. A runaway high level spell could easily destroy this town, along with its residents. We wouldn't want that now, would we?"
"No. Although, isn't that a bit abrupt?" asked Keiichi. "She had no prior warning about it."
"Well... She had to learn about it somehow. Now, if you're asking me about Tyr's way of doing it…" trailed Hild with a sigh. "I'm really glad he's the Daitenkaicho and not a healer… or doctor as you call them here in the mortal realm… He'd probably had the worst bedside manners you'd probably expect; way too direct for anyone's good."
"You said it…" grumbled Skuld, earning a jab from her sister. "What? That's true! It's like that time when he tried to recall her, only worse!"
"Please, try to refrain from…" started Belldandy, only to watch as her sister ran out of the living room. "Wait! Skuld!..."
"She's really upset this time," said Keiichi with a frown. "Isn't there anything we can do for her?"
The brunette goddess remained silent for a moment, trying to come up with a solution, but, in the end she simply shook her head. "No, I don't think so, Keiichi. Attempting anything right now will only make it even worse, since she's going to realize that we're trying to 'help her' instead of solving the problem. Still… I don't want to leave her like that."
"Maybe we should ask Urd to talk to her. After all, she's the one who can actually calm her down in this situation," suggested Keiichi. "At least, that's what I think, anyway…"
"No, you're correct. Neesan is the best person for this job, but, I'll have to see if she's feeling better herself, first," said Belldandy with a sigh. "This is really depressing…"
"Nah… You just need to give those two some more credit," said Hild, taking a sip from her tea. Glancing towards the direction of the corridor, she smiled a bit before she turned back to the couple. "After all, Urd-chan is my daughter."
XXX
'As if he hadn't tried that before!... What's his problem anyway?!' Running towards her room, the young goddess was clearly not all too happy about the latest developments. Unaware of her surroundings, Skuld didn't notice the goddess who was walking towards her and ended up bumping into her.
"Hey! Watch where you're going!" asked Urd, grabbing her sister, before she fell flat on her back from the collision. "What's so urgent anyway? Had you left one of your contraptions running or something?"
Staring at the half goddess, the Norn of the future blinked, unsure why she was heading back at the living room. "Um… had you forgotten something? I can go and take it for you if you want…"
"Nah… I just wanted to ask my mother for a favor. Although…you're sure trying to be too helpful all of a sudden," said Urd with a grin. "What's up with that?"
"Nothing!" shot Skuld back at her, turning around as she crossed her arms. "It's just your imagination! Now, you'll have to excuse me!"
"I'm not leaving forever, you know. Let's call it a vacation on a… tropical location," said Urd nervously, recalling all the history lessons she had received in her younger days. Muspelheim was by no means a tourist attraction even for demons. Not only it was a scorching inferno, but, it was filled with some of the nastiest critters one could imagine.
"Huh? You were totally against it a few minutes ago…" said Skuld, raising an eyebrow. "What changed your mind?"
"I just thought that after all my hard work, I could use some time off," replied the half goddess in a hurry.
"Your hard work? What are you talking about?" asked the little goddess, still unsure what her sister was getting at.
"Hey, don't tell me that you've already forgotten that I'm one of Whirlwind's most popular employees," replied Urd in mock shock.
"You've been there for a few days and you already want a vacation?" Staring at her sister with narrowed eyes, Skuld couldn't believe the nerve of her fellow Norn. Here she was worrying about her and in the end, she got all this nonsense. 'Wait… Is she?'
Watching her sibling's expression change from one of annoyance to one of curiosity, Urd decided it was time to head back to the living room, in hopes to avoid any further explanations. "Yeah… Yeah… Now, I've got to…"
"Not so fast!" Grabbing the back of her dress, the young goddess managed to stop her fleeing sibling before she got away. "You've been lying… Right?"
"Kinda… Sorta…" tried Urd with a nervous laugh. "Okay, I'll have to admit that it's certainly going to suck, but on the other hand, I might as well get something out of it. I could use a vacation and like I said, I'll definitely return."
Looking away from her, Skuld remained quiet for a few seconds, considering her last words. "You promise?"
"Of course! When had I broken a… actually, forget that part… I'm just a bit sad that once I come back, your puny bombs won't be enough to even tickle me," said Urd with a grin.
"Is that a challenge?" asked Skuld returning her sister's grin. "Because you're so dead…"
"I'm shaking in my boots," chuckled Urd with a hint of sarcasm.
"And I'm gonna teach you a lesson in manners for real!" replied Skuld as she let go of her and headed to her room. "Say… You're not leaving tomorrow, do you?"
"Not really. After all, we need to figure out who's gonna replace me in Whirlwind," said Urd. "So, just go and get some sleep, okay?"
"Sure thing, neesan," was the young goddess' answer, as she entered her room.
'Wait… Did she actually called me that or was it my imagination?'
XXX
Entering the living room, Urd noticed everyone staring at her with startled expressions, as no one was expecting her to return back so soon; especially after her previous outburst.
"Is everything alright?" asked Belldandy, even though she knew that there was no way that the answer would be a yes.
"For the most part," was the half goddess' short reply. Turning to her mother, Urd took a few seconds to consider her words before she went on. "We need to talk."
"Very well, Urd-chan. Let's try and work some things out, shall we?" said Hild, motioning for her daughter to get closer. "I suppose that your greatest fear is that I'll keep you, right?"
"In all honesty… no. You hadn't done that back then and I don't think that this will suddenly change," said Urd much to the others' surprise. "I'm mostly concerned about my own decisions and what's gonna happen after I'll become a demoness."
"That's something you'll have to solve by yourself. So far, you avoided anything that had to do with your demonic nature and all it really did was give you problems. The first step is to maintain your cool and don't go berserk. Once that's done, you should be able to think straight and make those decisions in a manner that won't leave you with regrets," explained Hild. "There's no deadline for your training, so, don't rush anything, Urd-chan. And remember that no matter what happens, I won't hold you a grudge for anything."
"I-I know…" said the Norn of the past with a sigh, avoiding her mother's gaze for a while. "Still… I was wondering… I don't know anyone there and it's going to be rather boring to be on my own all the time. So, can I take someone with me?"
"If you mean one of your sisters, then I'm afraid that I'll have to decline," said the little Daimakaicho shaking her head. "Muspelheim isn't the place for a goddess to stay. If it was Niflheim then I wouldn't had much of a problem, but… the demons there are very proud and won't tolerate anyone from Asgard to set foot on their land. I could possibly pull rank and order them to accept it, although, that would've made them resent you and I'd like to avoid that."
"Wait! Sorry to interrupt you like this, but, I was under the impression that you'd accept anyone as long as three demons gave their permission," said Keiichi all of a sudden, getting their attention. "I believe that's what I was told back when we first went through the Gate to Niflheim."
"That remains to be true, although, you have to understand that each realm has its own rules and those have to be respected to a certain degree," said Hild with a shrug. "Can't remember who even set that one up, but, I'd like to avoid any controversy about it. Especially when it comes to something as old as that."
"Still… Was it really phrased like that?" asked Belldandy, as she got curious about it. "Asgard is only one of the three worlds we possess, even if it happens to be our capital. What about the celestials who come from the other two realms; Vanaheim and Alfheim?"
"Huh… That's interesting… I never thought about it, to be honest. I guess it wouldn't make much of a difference, as it's possible that the rule was made back when all the celestials lived in Asgard," Scratching her chin, the Daimakaicho thought about if for a while trying to recall more details about the whole topic, but, failed to do so. "At any rate, I'd recommend you to avoid drawing too much attention from the very first day, Urd-chan."
"Actually, I was talking about her," said Urd pointing at Mara who had been quietly watching the whole exchange up to this point.
"Me? Why?" asked the startled demoness, while her boss grinned like a cat.
"That's an excellent idea!" beamed Hild. "I can certainly do that! As a matter of fact, consider it done!"
Staring at her leader in disbelief, Mara was left with mixed feelings about this whole deal. On one hand, she and Urd were going to spend some time together. But, at the same time, she wasn't thrilled to go to Muspelheim; a living inferno where some of the nastiest critters known. Turning to the half goddess, Mara gave her friend a pointed stare for a while, before she decided to voice her opinion. "Thanks for nothing…"
"Oh you're most welcome!" said the enthusiastic but slightly sarcastic Urd, amused by the blonde's predicament. "And this also means that, Chihiro will need two replacements for a while."
"Don't worry about that, neesan!" said Belldandy, smiling at her. "I'm certain that we can find a solution as soon as we explain the situation to the others."
"Wait… You don't mean… Peorth and Lind?" said Urd, trying to contain her laughter. "Oh, boy… that's gonna be too funny!"
Since everyone's mood began to lighten, the goddess of the present approached her sister, motioning her to get a bit closer. "Neesan… I'm sorry that I've got to ask you to do this, but, Skuld…"
"Don't worry, Belldandy! I've actually ran into her and had a few words with the kid," said Urd with a reassuring smile. "Everything's alright."
"Thank you so much! What a relief!" said the brunette goddess, offering her sister a hug.
"Come on… Enough of that. Let's have some tea and forget about all that, okay?" said the half goddess, trying to hide her blush.
"Yes!"
AN: I would like to thank everyone that has offered their feedback and support both here and on the Goddess Relief site.
There are a few things that I'd like to note for this chapter.
Ymir in the Norse legends was the first of the Jotnar, and as a matter of fact, their was a primeval being born from the venom that dripped from the icy rivers Elivagar (translates as 'Ice Waves'). Odin, and his two brothers, Vili and Ve killed him and fashioned the Earth from his flesh, from his blood the ocean, from his bones the hills, from his hair the trees, from his brains the clouds, from his skull the heavens, and from his eyebrows the middle realm in which mankind lives, Midgard. In this story, he was the first demon leader and the one who organized the various worlds under his command. Even more, he was also the first Daimakaicho, after he created a set of rules that restricted the one who possessed that title, to prevent his successors from having absolute power.
Bergelmir was indeed Ymir's grandson In Norse legends. He was listed as the son of Thrudgelmir and the grandson of Aurgelmir (which was another name for Ymir). The decision to use him as the head of Ratatoskr was primarily based on that fact, knowing that he would've been the best candidate for keeping the first Daimakaicho hidden.
Njorun was a goddess in the original Norse legends, but, she was a bit of a mysterious figure, as there wasn't really much information about her. Here, she's a demoness that hails from Muspelheim and acts as the second in command after Ymir. A lot more about her will be revealed in later chapters.