Life is a game

by HeWhoShouldn'tBeNamed

He woke up to a translucent blue text box. It comes with Stats, Quests and Skills. But how will he use this reality defying power? To survive all the beautiful women that so desperately want his affection of course! This must be that CHAR stats fault. He's sure of it. This wouldn't happen otherwise!

13. Ah! A conclusion!

Odin

His meddling intuition was once again proven correct. It has been at least a century since he did battle with the previous thing that had slipped through .

In retrospect the whole thing made him whistfull. He missed that old chariot.

Thankfully, the battlefield back then had been the realm of dreams. Odin was able to lure it close enough to the Great Red to catch its attention. The chaotic tripod had been forced to flee or be devoured after that.

'Good riddance' he thought with a snort. But in all honesty, as he gazed out at the decently destroyed human structures, he admitted that this hadn't exactly been the plan.

At first, he had been just checking up on the daughters of his war God Tyr. Cute little things, out in the world now. He just wanted to make sure they were alright. But during the process, Odin had discovered something that left him…conflicted.

It was his son. Baulder. Or, his soul at least.

Baulder was here, walking among the mortals, and in the form of a human to boot. And Odin was pretty sure that the boy didn't recognize his old man. Something that made his heart sink just a bit.

After all these centuries, his soul had appeared. Back from the brink of annihilation.

It was perplexing. Ages ago, Baulder had sacrificed himself to the well of souls in an act of desperation. All to prevent the start of Ragnarok. Leaving behind his beloved Belldandy in the process.

The death of his son was the start of Ragnarok. And it must be done in a very specific way, as is the nature of cycles. Baulder will die at the hands of Odin's adoptive nephew Loki, stabbed with a spear made of mistletoe.

It had to be mistletoe, because previously, Balder was invulnerable to anything else. His mother, Odin's first wife, had made it so.

Normally, only Odin was aware of the cycle of Ragnarok. Within the nine realms at least. Outside it was a widely known phenomenon. Some form of primordial magic within his people's lore wiped the information from the Aseir's minds if they learned of it. All but the Norns, who could only tell him what he already knew.

However, in the most recent cycle, there were exceptions. Odin was always the first to learn of their fate. By sacrificing his eye at the Well of Souls, Odin gained Knowledge outside of their reality. It was what allowed him to do battle with the outer beings, or even comprehend their existence.

He was fated to search in vain for an answer that he once thought didn't exist. And it didn't, normally. Not until he had come along.

The well of souls allowed Odin to see into the lives of his previous selves. With every incarnation, the All-father was destined to go on the quest for knowledge. Seeking a new yet undiscovered path that would lead to breaking the cycle.

In his youth, he had felt an anxiety to live up to the greatness of his previous incarnation. But as time passed and his experience grew, he found himself coming more and more out of his other self's shadow. Or, at the very least, becoming his own person.

But what truly cemented this lasting cycle was the fact that others learned of it before their time. Outliers that he couldn't remember ever taking place before.

Loki was the first of them. The boy was half Jotunn, half Aseir. Something that wasn't uncommon due to the…realities of war at the time. But also something the child deeply resented.

Odin had found him on a battlefield after one particularly bloody victory. The child had been chained at the yoke of Laufey's chariot.

Apparently the king of the Jotunn had taken a liking to Loki's almost feminine beauty. Dragging his own bastard son around like some prize. Laufey was particularly proud to display the boy's silver hair. Bragging about the beauty of the boy's mother and how he had ruined her. Odin recalled the dead look in the child's eyes as Laufey waved him around by the scruff of the sack he wore. They had been flat. Devoid of life.

After Laufey's final defeat when Odin had speared him upon his Gungnir and splattered his guts across the mud, Odin made his way to the boy.. Breaking the collar around his neck and offering his hand. The boy looked like Odin might slap him with it. So used to Laufey's abuse. But Odin hadn't, the boy looked to the propped up figure of his father, and before Odin's eyes, a fire was lit. The boy took the offered hand, and that fire that burned in Loki's was the pyre of ambition. One that burned strong to this day.

The old man sighed. He hoped that the flame of ambition didn't end up burning them all in the end. Would it have been better to have not offered his hand?

Not even the Norns could say.

Loki was taken back to the grand palace. He wasn't exactly raised like a son, exactly. He was surprisingly prideful for a youth from such a pitiful background. Or perhaps he had been compensating, afraid to let anyone close for fear of losing them. It mattered little in the end. He certainly was treated as family regardless. And a budding friendship even formed between Thor and himself after he had calmed and realized that Asgard was to be his home. Yes, he was always a standoffish lad. A bit more thoughtful and devious than Thor. But Odin was proud of him even to this day. Even if Odin was a bit weary of his most recent questionable actions.

But back then, at the start, it really had been a challenge to get him to open up. He wouldn't speak unless spoken to. And when he did, it was often with an unearned sense of snark and self righteousness. Something that went over absolutely swell with the Norsemen warriors. Not! Twig of a brat got the shit beat out of him more than once for his mouth. The kid just couldn't connect with the Aseir. That was, until the boy had seen his wife Fraya practicing her magic in the gardens.

He would watch with such curiosity and talent. His eyes entranced on the beauty of magic. In the shadows, he began practicing what he watches, thinking himself unseen. But Freya had been aware of his presence, and began to intentionally slow down and use more basic spells.

When Loki mastered those with the unprecedented skill of a born prodigy, Fraya invited him to study under her.

He was of course hesitant at first. The boy acted like a whipped dog. Fearful, bearing his teeth, ready to run at the first sign of hostility. But instead, he was met with the unceasing love of a mother goddess. To this day, that boy had a soft spot for his mother. Even if she had returned home to Vanehiem, he knew that they still kept in touch.

The boy had taken to magic like none before after just the first lesson. He was like a sponge, soaking up anything taught to him and utilizing it in new and increasingly fantastical ways. It was clear to Odin that the boy was a born God of Magic in the making.

When he had come of age, Loki ventured out with Thor, and they went questing together. As was traditional for boys of their age. For a while, Odin had begun to think that Ragnarok could be avoided.

Until one day, Loki asked to speak with him in private.

Through some means of magic unknown, Loki had learned of Ragnarok and his part to play in it. And rather than play the part of destiny, Loki set out to avoid it. Leaving asgard for parts unknown.

It was a bittersweet moment. And it broke Freya's heart. But the boy was no longer a boy. He had become a man. And so, Odin gave his blessing for it. He told his nephew to go! Explore the world! Cause a bit of mischief! And so Loki had left Asgard, a smile on his face, and magic in his palms.

Only for the kid to turn around and do the opposite of what he should have! While out in his travels, the kid had found a headstrong woman to cause trouble with. And trouble they caused. It was only because he was making an awe-inspiring impression right now that the old man didn't groan in shame at the memories.

Odin wishes he could have felt surprised when he found out about Loki's first two kids. Really?! A giant snake, and then giant a wolf!? And the wolf was practically feral! Tried to bite Odin's hand off as soon as they met! Went on a rampage that forced the old god to have a chain forged to tie it down. The snake wasn't much better. Most of the time, it was a lazy thing. Preferring to sleep the centuries away. But it absolutely despised thor. And with how dangerous its venom was, and how thick his eldest son's head was, well, Odin had gone to great lengths to ensure the two never crossed paths again.

Thankfully, the last was, while wild and volatile, at least not a giant monster of world ending proportions. Well, she wasn't a giant monster. And after a few concessions, she now happily reigned over the Norse afterlife. An entire realm to call her own.

The old man was well aware of Loki's proclivities for fooling around as an animal. His eyebrow twitched when he remembered the horse incident. "M P" should remain as a cursed tag on the most vile pages of the devil-net. Never to see the light of day. He grumbled internally. But he hadn't expected the boy's woman to be the same. Apparently she shared Loki's perversions, otherwise it wouldn't have happened twice.

Personally, Odin chalked it up to being a Jotunn thing to Fuck animals. It was the only common factor as far as he was concerned. Was that racist? Eh. Probably. But he was an old man. He was allowed to have uninformed racist opinions! What else was the point of aging?

But aside from some basic precautions, Odin was happy to leave them be. Under surveillance, but left alone.

So far, despite a few close calls, like Garmr chasing Tyr out of Hilds realm after he overstayed his one night stand, Ragnarok hadn't happened yet.

It seemed that the cycle had truly, finally been broken. But there wasn't a damn day that went by that Odin didn't ponder if the cost was too steep.

Once, his son Baulder was beloved by his people. A strong boy who had a talent for the subtleties of statecraft that his older sibling lacked, and the charisma to lead.

Looking back, Odin wondered if he could have chosen differently. Was there a course of action he could have taken to come about a different outcome? Had if he just watched more carefully, could the sins of the past be avoided? Perhaps if he had attacked that man the moment they had met, perhaps things would be different.

But that was the problem with hindsight. It was always so clear in retrospect. But had the course been taken, would the outcome be better? Or worse?

The most likely answer would be the cycle would have taken its course course by bow, leaving another much younger Odin to deal with the world's problems.

Odin remembered when he had met the God responsible for the halting of the cycle.

The former Christian God was old. Not quite as old as the Greeks, but close. He originated in the shifting sands of Persia. Then, when he was young, he was known as Spenta Mainyu, and had an odd obsession with fire.

Spenta Mainyu was decent, for a young god. He was fair, putting forth ideas of kindness and compassion. Zoroastrianism was the base from which all modern denominations of the Abrahamic faith rose from. From it rose most of the base work that could be recognized today.

Concepts like heaven or hell, of ritualistically cleaning oneself, and the sacred power of fire. All these originated from that time.

Spenta Mainyu himself originated from the Asian continent, and Odin suspected that his true form, Mazda Mainyu, was in fact one of the possibly millions of bastard children of Shiva.

Odin would describe Mazda Mainyu as Spenta's true form because the god had split himself in half.

It was a Hindu thing, they did that sometimes.

Spenta was to be the embodiment of all that was good. While his twin, Angra Mainyu, was to be the embodiment of all the world's evils. The creation of this twin being gruesome and monstrous. For a child to be tortured and ritually branded for the curses of all humanity. It was barbaric. But it worked. Just as the child of the Christian God would one day do, the birth of Angra Mainyu washes away the evils of humanity. And for a time, that system worked.

This was before the heaven's system. Before the angels. Hell was, at the time, just a void where damned souls were sent.

In hindsight, the root of Yahweh's failings was quite obvious. How else could a being who split himself so binarily into the concepts of "good" and "evil" in such a drastic way see the world if not in black and white?

The true fall of the supposed embodiment of good came when his twin, Angra Mainyu, demanded counsel.

His twin had grown tired and resentful of his roll. He tired of the martyrdom that being the source of all the world's Evils brought. He wanted to stand in the light, rather than forever be burdened with the dark. Who could even define what was "Evil" and what was "Good." Surely those things were contextual on the circumstances and intent of the time.

Spenta's response was to slay his Twin, and use his body as the framework for the first true hell. His embodiment of All-the-world's-evil would act as an anchor for what would one day be the concept of "Sin". Dragging those not ritualistically cleansed either by another deity or by rejection to the world that made up Angra Mainyu's corpse.

In all honesty, Odin couldn't judge Yahweh for that. He had done much the same once upon a time. His first incarnation had slain the giant Ymir, and forged the nine realms from its corpse.

God's, as a concept, were born from human belief. Humans, individually, weren't very spiritually powerful. Sure, one or two might be an exception, but as the numbers went, they were quite weak. It took tens of thousands of humans' beliefs to birth even one god. Individual fragments of fragments of souls given up in prayer and faith, formed into the shape of the collectively held thought. That was how gods were born. They didn't create humanity, humanity created them.

Once, humans had been just animals. Until they started believing in something greater than themselves. Whether it be the sun or the animals around them, eventually, given enough time, a god would be formed from their beliefs.

Perhaps that was the moment that humanity transcended being apes. Odin didn't know. He could only speculate. What he did know was, All-the-world's-Evil was a very heavy conceptual presence. So heavy, in fact, that its corpse still served as the bedrock and home of multiple different races. The exception being Hades, whose afterlife realm was his physical body made manifest.

But back to Spenta Mainyu. The God had just shown the first signs of what would be a pattern in his history. He never handled loss of control well.

With his brother slain, Spenta spent centuries trying to make humans live up to his impossible standard. Eventually taking up the mantle of a Storm god of war.

Until one day, for reasons unknown to Odin, Spenta slayed his siblings as well, and became a monotheistic god. It was around the time that the Muslims took over the region of Persia, if Odin recalled correctly.

It was around 800 AD that the firmly powerful Deity, now going by the name Yahweh, approached his current self. He came offering a supposed solution to the cycle.

Simply put, if Odin was to kill his son Balder in a way that didn't match the conditions of Ragnarok, it would break the cycle and never occur.

Odin had seen red when the idea was suggested. For a father to kill his son?! Unthinkable. Until you consider who suggested it. Yahweh was no stranger to demanding exactly that. Or of killing his family in general.

But Odin had seen how Yahweh reacted to potential enemies. Who he couldn't manipulate, he subjugated. Who he couldn't subjugate he destroyed. While the Njords were strong, the church was stronger.

It would be a lie if Odin said he hadn't learned a lot from that bastard. And at the time, he thought it was better to be manipulated rather than be destroyed.

Odin accepted an alliance between the Heaven faction and their wide eyed angels, and his grizzled warriors.

Thinking of the angels, Odin rolled his eyes.

For all Micheal and the church wanted to portray that man as a loving God and father, Odin knew that Yahweh was a man with many, many flaws. Flaws that he made up for in might and mind alone. Arrogant, wrathful, petty and self righteous, if not for his admittedly large strength and overpowering intellect, he would have been crushed by the amount of enemies he gained in his dealings. Yahweh had moved far from his goals of compassion and love by that point. He had become a dictator with goals of conquest.

With a method opperanda to boot.

Yahweh had a way of just steamrolling a pantheon he didn't like, old or new, and then absorbing its followers into his own. Odin had seen it more times than he could count. Then the scribes, under a now defunct angel corps, would rewrite the pantheon's history in a way that effectively states that they had been Yahweh's followers all along. And then they'd quite literally demonize any remnants that didn't fit into the ever shifting puzzle.

It was a cruel and terrible thing to witness. God's in their infancy put to the fire that Spenta had loved so much. Their followers claimed to his Hell and cast downward. Their crime? To be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

And if that wasn't disturbing enough, Yahweh would then take the desecrated corpses of his enemies and fashion weapons for the mortals!

Still, Odin couldn't fault their power. a sacred gear could turn the tide of battle more often than not. As a warrior, Odin could admit that at least. Yahweh was a genius among geniuses. Able to take the souls and bodies of his crushed enemies and create new weapons for the human race to wield against his enemies in his name. All bound to his grand Heaven's system.

Truly, he was a master at both war and statecraft.

But just because he was powerful and intelligent didn't mean he was an easy ally to get along with. Yes, the trinkets of Knowledge he gave out were revolutionary in their designs. The man built the heaven's system on his own after all. The very thing that the Yggdrasil system was modeled after. Certainly, Odin's previous incarnation didn't have access to the web of fate like he did.

But just because you are powerful, that doesn't make you a good person.

Yahweh's demands were often brash and unreasonable. Putting sudden stress on Asgard with no warning or reason. And that was to say nothing of the political enemies they gained in association with the Heaven pantheon.

Yahweh's problem was as it had always been. He was by his very nature inflexible. Binary. He saw the world which existed as beautiful shades of gray in something so ridiculously restrictive as black and white.

Something antithetical to being a leader and king. When things did not fall within his perimeters, he never reacted well. Usually, he was prone to sudden fits of apocalyptic tantrum.

As time went by, more and more Yahweh showed he had a cruel streak that could reach the moon and back.

Admittedly, he did mellow out a tad after having a son. But at that point, his cruelty was a defining aspect of his divinity. It wasn't even that much mellowing, honestly. It was the difference between spreading a plague in an enemy Pantheon's territory to kill off their supporters, and going to war directly with the pantheon themselves.

It was only a lack of cruelty in that it cut out the middle men.

Perhaps a better term for Yahweh would have been control freak. Odin smiled grimly. Yes, that sounded right. A perfect description. So caught up in his own hype he couldn't see the forest for the trees.

It was no wonder his supposed 'perfect' Homunculi betrayed him and his ideals. They were fundamentally flawed for their intended purpose.

Odin had the presence of mind to allow his Enharijar and citizens to express themselves as they wished. They were sentient beings with hopes and aspirations. Plucked from battlefields like reaped rice. They were citizens of his pantheon. And while they served, they remained their individual person's.

Yahweh's first children were not afforded the same leniency. He created his children in his image, because he saw himself as perfect. But he also expected absolute loyalty, and demanded an absence of free thought.

What was the point of giving the subjects you created and designed personalities if you planned to punish them for expressing themselves?

There wasn't. That was the answer. Yahweh didn't see his mistake until it bit him straight in the ass. To this day, Odin strongly thought that Yahweh would have been better off just creating automatons. Would have saved everyone a massive headache in the end.

Yahweh didn't need his creations to think, only to obey. It was just for his ego that he made them that way. He wanted his children to worship the ground he walked on. Willingly. He believed himself the pinnacle of creation. And modeled his children after himself.

The fool didn't understand that even if his children started off exactly as he designed them, by nature of being alive they began to deviate from that path.

To live was to change. Odin knew this. And yet Yahweh refused to see it. And when he could deny his creations autonomy no more, he began to study humans. Hoping to uncover the secret of their 'free-will'. Not to learn about it and improve the lives of his children. Oh no. His goal was to find the best way to snuff it out.

He wanted servants who could think for themselves, but choose not to in favor of trusting and obeying his every word.

Odin shook his head. Such a bright mind, and it couldn't see past its ego to find what was right in front of his face.

That poor boy Micheal. Always following around his unfeeling father in hopes of getting just the barest touch of approval or affection. Seeking love from a God who grew increasingly more detached to what he saw more as a means to an end and a failed experiment than an actual family.

Odin remembered that Samiel had been much the same as Micheal was now. The difference was, Samiel had begun to understand. A deep sigh escaped Odin.

Samiel had once been Yahweh's favorite. As the first son, he was most like his father. He was eager to please in all that he did. The pride of heaven, they used to call that boy.

But pride does come before the fall. And it was that boy that coined the phrase. Gradually, over the course of a few centuries, Samiel became disillusioned. No acknowledgement. No praise. Not a single act of kindness from his father. Only a blind obsession with beings so infinitesimally small that it bared laughter. At least, that had been the boys mentality Odin imagined.

All he saw was a father who had devoted all his time to something so…beneath him.

That child, he had the worst of Yahweh in him. There was a reason that the original Lucifer was associated with Pride and Wrath. He took heavily after his father.

The story goes that one day, Samiel demanded to know why his father was so obsessed with the free will of Humanity. The boy had only been jealous. Something his father, of whom he was based on, exhibited in spades. But Yahweh took offense to being questioned by something he viewed as lower than himself.

The rest was history. Samiel was cast out and swore vengeance. Not just on his father, but on the humans who captivated him as well. Building his base on their very souls, just as a spite to his father. It was an irony that only those like himself or perhaps Zeus might know that the world in which Samiel claimed was the body of his murdered uncle.

Samiel took the name Lucifer, and did just as his father had. He created a race of Homunculi based on himself post his fall.

War happened, sides were formed, it was centuries of chaos and war.

And it was during that time that Yahweh approached Odin's son. Heaven and the Norse had been working closely at that time. The prototype angel seeds were entering testing. It was a great advancement for asgard. It was just a side project for Yahweh. A final battle was on the horizon, and all parties knew it. Key among Yahweh's priorities was a way to destroy his enemies utterly.

The Fall of Azazel was something of legends. He who was tempted by a beautiful woman, and ran to his father with wings darker than night.

Change is a part of living. And Yahweh didn't react well to another son breaking away from the perimeters he had set.

Odin would laugh at the irony of it if not for the circumstances. He knew all too well how a set of wide hips, a slender waist, and a kick ass pair of tits could make a man do practically anything.

And that brat hadn't been exposed to anything of the like at the time. Poor kid didn't stand a chance.

As more angels fell, Yahweh was faced with a choice. Admit he was wrong, again, and accept the fallen back into his ridgid system. Or, alternatively, label them as defective and arrange for their destruction.

No money placed on what Yahweh chose. That was a sucker's bet. It was cruelty of the like that made Odin's skin crawl. And he was no stranger to death or carnage.

The fallen weren't like the devil's. They were angels who had taken action outside the system. Not a single one of them would remain fallen if given the choice, and yet when they begged at the gates of paradise to be given a chance at redemption, they were always met with a war horn and the point of a spear.

Azazel brat had gathered who he could, and formed ranks.

Honestly, in Odin's opinion, the boy had more right to leadership than both his father and brother. When those two met on the battlefield, it was to stroke their egos. Azazel and his fallen came to fight for their very survival.

Odin respected Azazel for that. To lead the hopeless and desperate. To assure them that there is more to life than what has been laid out for them. But Odin was getting side tracked.

He was pondering how this mess had truly started. The alliance between Asagrd and heaven allowed trust to form between the leaders. Yahweh trusted Odin's armies and resources. Odin trusted Yahweh's mind and ambitions.

It's a foolish thing to trust a man with ambition. Because it's all he values in life, and a man with ambition is always willing to cast aside everything.

Yahweh abused that trust given to speak with Baulder during a time Odin was away.

From a tactical point of view, Odin understood why he did it. Yahweh was in the middle of a war. Odin's Valkyrie and Einherjar were a powerful force to be reckoned with. His mines and dwarves made weapons and armors. His beasts provided mounts, and his kingdom provided food rations to hungry troops. If Ragnarok was to break out, Yahweh would be cut off from an extremely important supply line. Effectively losing him the war.

But that didn't excuse any of it.

By the time Odin returned, Balder had already come to a decision. And it was too late.

It was only the begging cries of his wife that kept Odin from switching sides and attacking the heavens faction. Broken oaths be damned!

The god had convinced his son that the only way to prevent Ragnarok was to throw himself into the well of souls! A death beyond death! It was to remove himself from the cycle of reincarnation! A complete annihilation of the soul!

To scatter himself across time and space! It was an idea conceived of madness! Genius in its functionality, yes. But absolute madness!

The worst part was, it would work. It had worked! Odin admitted with gritted teeth.

Ragnarok couldn't happen without its trigger. When they fished Baulder's body out, his soul had been torn apart and distributed all over time and space. For all intents and purposes, Baulder was no more.

The cycle was broken. Unable to continue. And it was at that point when Odin stopped caring. His son was no more, and the grief caused his wife and himself to separate.

The great war continued underway, and yet Odin felt no will to continue. He couldn't even muster up the will to attack heaven. He was absent from all things after that. His will to fight on smothered out like the last ember of a pyre. The first time Odin left his chamber in months after that was to participate in the final battle. Not to fight with Yahweh, but to kill off whoever was the victor after they had been weakened. Whether it be Yahweh or Lucifer, Odin had resigned himself to take the weakened Victor out even if it cost him his life.

But he never got the chance. Not after two heavenly dragons had come barging into the battlefield. Crushing ranks and destabilizing reality itself with their conceptual weight.

It took the combined might of all parties involved to slay them. Ironically, taking the life of both Yahweh and Lucifer in the process. Each reaching a deathblow on a dragon before succumbing to their wounds.

Like father, like son he supposed.

Azazel, being the sole leader to come out of that conflict alive, took a somewhat peaceful position in terms of politics. It helped that Micheal took up the mantle of his father, and despite some hiccups, was doing a fair job at leading his people. Aside from their dwindling numbers.

Odin couldn't bring up the will to war anymore. Not when all it would bring was just more death and strife.

Asgard was still technically an ally to heaven, but Odin had passed the hat. A king who couldn't find the will to lead was no king. His son was an oaf, but he was a well meaning Oaf. And his wife, Sif, would keep him from doing anything too dumb. Hopefully. As for Odin himself? He traveled wherever the wind took him. He was a free man now. Freya had moved back to Vanaheim, and so he was free to wander. To see new and amazing things. Things never seen before.

Like, for example, the soul of his long lost son stuffed into the body of a mortal. Mostly intact, just dormant. With his lost beloved contracted to serve him until his dying day. Odin wondered if the Goddess of fate might have done some time line manipulation for that to occur, but decided that it didn't matter.

It just goes to show, no matter how old you got, there were always new things to see.

Odin stopped staring at the Horizon and turned around to face the two young men behind him. His stern mournful expression warped into something goofy and slightly perverse.

These kids were a promising lot. And he smiled when he reapplied the silencing spell to the Yuki-Onna brat. His face when he was angry was pretty funny.

"Today has been a good day." He began, thoroughly intending to mess with the whippersnappers' heads. What was the point of getting old if you couldn't mess with the kiddos after all?

Belldandy

She served tea to their guests as everyone sat around the table. While it was quite late, she suspected that nobody here would be able to sleep even if a place to do so was offered.

Lord Odin sat to the far left, next to Keiichi who in turn sat next to her. Besides her was Urd, who glared balefully at the All-father. Skuld was next, sitting across from Odin at the cap of the table. Across from her, Urd and Keiichi were the two young men who had come to assist in her rescue.

Toshiyuki was tied up in a corner.

Once everyone had been served, she sat down in her place.

"I'd like to thank everyone here. Our guests especially. If you hadn't come to assist my sisters and Keiichi, I shudder to think what may happen." She bowed her head respectfully.

"Oh, it's uh. It's no trouble at all." The youngest guest said while scratching his scalp. "Just doing the job we came to do."

She smiled at his bashful respect. Such a kind soul, even if it was covered by an aura of darkness.

"And I'd like to thank you as well, Lord Odin. I understand that the woman responsible for my capture was quite strong. Thanks to you, the amount of human casualties was kept at a minimum. Our peaceful life can continue thanks to that."

The old man stopped petting the underside of his crows beak to smile at the young woman. "Hoho, think nothing of it. It's good to stretch these old bones every now and again."

Truly, her people were blessed to have such a leader.

"So, uh. I hate to bring it up, but…what are going to do about…him?" It was Skuld who spoke up. In the corner, tied up and gagged was the form of Toshiyuki. They had gone back after the fires had been put out to find him still unconscious in the alley way.

Belldandy was conflicted. On one hand, it was unbecoming of a goddess of her status to hate. But on the other, she well and truly despised that man in a way she had never quite experienced before.

The room was silent for several moments. Lord Odin specifically was actively not participating in the dialogue.

Then someone gave the most extreme option. "We could just kill him, be done with it."

Tsukune sat next to Gray when the older man offered that solution. He frowned at Gray's bluntness. "It would be the simplest option. Just be done with it and move on."

Tsukune…it wouldn't be Tsukune's first choice. But...given the circumstances, he could see the merit in the simplicity. Then his morals caught up with him and he frowned. Was he really so far gone that he had begun to see an execution as an acceptable answer?

"No. Absolutely not." Belldandy halted that line of thought. In the corner, a sweating bound man let out a muffled sigh of relief. He didn't want these freaks to know he was awake yet. He was listening and trying to figure out an escape plan. Currently, it consisted of 'get untied and run!'. He was still working on step one.

"But big sis! He did all those horrible things to you!" Skuld protested. "He even had that woman attack Keiichi! Don't you want revenge for that?!"

Belldandy's lip straighteners into a hard pressed line. In truth, yes. She did want Toshiyuki punished. Badly. A line had been crossed and there was no going back now. But Belldandy could not condone killing of any form outside war.

Even if he was a truly wretched human that probably deserved it.

"I agree." All eyes turned to the knockout with tanned skin.

"Wait what?!" Skuld asked wide eyed. The last person she expected mercy from in this scenario was Urd.

"You do?" Belldandy questioned. Her thoughts much along the same lines as Skuld's. Urd shrugged, then grinned sadistically.

"I do. I have something much worse. Something…poetic." From her…somewhere, all eyes watched as she took a vial and placed it on the table.

"Poison? Urd, I thought I said no killing." Belldandy protested.

Urd shook her head. "It's not poison. Or, well, not the traditional kind. This is a failed potion I had laying around. I was originally going to use it to heal keiichi. But thankfully, a better option presented itself." She sent a wink towards Tsukune. The boy blushed and looked away embarrassed. "It has the effect of turning a man into a woman."

Around the table, people wondered how that was worse than death. Until the All-father asked. "Ho? I know that can't be the end of it. Please, explain. How will being a woman cause him to suffer? I'm curious?"

Urd's response was to stand up, walk over to the man who was frantically trying to worm away, roll him over and remove his gag.

"Wait! Hold on! I have money! I can-blmmm" He said no more as a vial was jammed down his throat more or less, causing him to swallow the foul tasting liquid.

As the effect took shape, Urd finally elaborated. "For a man such as this worm, I've basically sent him to his own little hell. He loses all of the status he once held as a man from a rich family.

Additionally, none of his IDs will be valid. He'll lose access to all his money. His family will assume that he himself is dead or missing, while some woman crazily tries to tell them it's actually her.

His birth certificate and governmental documents will be worthless. In effect, he or should I say she, will be an illegal alien. Someone who doesn't exist.

Perhaps she'll even be investigated as the primary suspect of her own murder? Oh! It's just like that show I saw the other day!" Urd smiled as the woman's struggle slowed.

As the potion finished its effects, Toshiyuki passed out. A wave of Urd's hand had Toshiyuki disappear in a magic circle.

"Where did you send him..er, her." Keiichi asked curiously.

Urd shrugged. "Somewhere in Korea, I think. Along the border of China."

Gray's eye twitched. "You sent…her…to North Korea!?"

Urd's brow furrowed. "I…suppose. Was that bad? I just wanted somewhere she would be seen as asian, but also a foreigner. I figured the language barrier would add an extra level of pain onto the pile. What's in the North of Korea? Last I checked your mortal maps, it was just a peninsula nation off the main continent of China."

Gray resisted the urge to give a full explanation of the Korean war and how it affected the two separate nations.

Thankfully, Keiichi walked over and whispered an explanation into the Goddesses ear. The woman's expression went from intriguing, to confused, and finally landed on mirthful. "I see." She said as Keiichi went back to his seat.

"Well, I can't do anything about it now."

She definitely could do something . But she wasn't going to. The old man in the room laughed boisterously. "Hohoho! I'm sure they'll be fine. They're a beautiful young woman after all! Hohoho!"

Tsukune didn't know how to feel. On one hand, he was absolutely alright with that guy dying a horrible death in a foreign nation. What he had done basically amounted to slavery. It was disgusting.

But still, Tsukune had always been a middle of the class kind of student. Enough that he flunked his highschool entrance exam. But even he had heard about the awful state of North Korea.

Despite himself, Tsukune wished the guy- girl! He wished the girl luck.

That was when Odin perked up suddenly. One of his Ravens flew in after phasing through the wall. It landed on his shoulder and began to chirp in the old man's ear while everyone watched. When it was done, the All-father saw he was the center of attention in the room.

"Hmm. It seems my minder is getting close to catching up. I suppose it would be about time to head out. I'm sure you boys and girls are ready to head off to bed."

Keiichi smiled as he addressed the old man. "Thank you sir. Yes, we're all pretty tired. Some sleep would do us good."

Odin smiled at the boy, a twinkle in his eye. "Yes, I'm sure. Hmm, you've made an impression on me young man. Might I know you the name of the mortal who courts one of my Norns." Belldandy blushed, feeling as if she had been caught red handed. Thankfully, Keiichi had missed the connotation of the idea they were courting.

"It's Keiichi, sir. Keiichi Morisato." Keiichi offered a hand for Odin to shake, and the old man grasped it firmly. Not just with one hand, but with both of his own.

Odin leaned in so as to stare the boy in the eye. "I see. Well then, Keiichi Morisato. I want you to know that I have seen your bravery tonight. You, a mortal man, went running toward a battlefield dominated by gods and devil's alike. All for the woman you love. That's something I find impressive."

Keiichi sputtered. Out of reflex, he looked over at Belldandy, and saw that she was just as red as he was in the cheeks. He turned back towards the old man. "Uh, thank you s-sir. But, perhaps love is too strong a-"

"Nonsense!" Odin interrupted. "A man doesn't run head first into certain death over something trivial! Don't insult my wisdom boy, I see what's going on here." Odin gradually raised his voice as he spoke, becoming more firm as his grip on the college students hand tightened enough that he couldn't pull away. "You believe you, a mortal, are good enough to be the partner of a goddess? A Norn?! Hmmm?"

People around the room grew nervous. Things had escalated so quickly! "Well!?" The pantheon leader demanded an answer. And before Keiichi could think to stop himself, he shouted out.

"Yes sir!" He was so afraid right now. Every person in this room could splatter him against the wall if they wanted. But, if that's how it was, then he, a mere human, needed to say his piece. "I care for Belldandy! Very much sir! She means the world to me! And if necessary, I would walk through hell itself for her!"

The old man gained a stern expression. "Oh you would, would you?"

"Lord Odin, please. Forgive his disrespectfulness. He's just had an eventful day! He isn't thinking clearly!" It was Gray who pleaded the boys case, surprisingly. Tsukune had just sort of frozen, and the Goddesses only watched on in horror. Images of what they knew the old king could do rapidly flashed through each of their minds.

"Quiet!" Odin said as he focused back on the boy. The room was entirely silent now. Only the sound of Keiichi's heavy breath could be heard. He panted as the adrenalin pumped through his veins. "Quite certain of that, are you, boy?"

Odin's one eye had narrowed into a fierce slit. A stone gray iris cast itself over the boy whom he questioned.

It was a struggle to answer. Keiichi was certain that at this moment, his life was on the line. The idea that this nearly all-powerful god might make him do just as he said he would crossed his mind.

But then, Keiichi remembered who he would do it for. He was still afraid. Terrified in fact. But another, more dreadful fear pushed its way through him. What if he lost her.

This old man was Belldandy's boss, as far as he could figure. That meant he could take her away, even anul their contract! It was certainly possible, he thought. "I…" he struggled. Forming a complete sentence was difficult. His mouth was dry, and his lips were numb. But still he tired as he suffered under the scathing glare of the king of the Njords.

He put every ounce of strength he had into the next word.

"Y-yes!" Then it felt like a damn broke. "Yes sir! I would! I'd do anything for her! She's everything to me! She's the warmth that takes away my chills! The breath of fresh air when I'm all stuffed up. She's the face that calms me from my nightmares! I would do anything for her!" Belldandy blushed hearing Keiichi's declaration of love. Her heart fluttered in a mixture of emotions like joy, fear, and hope.

The air hung stagnant, and all prepared themselves to see the boy be smited.

But that didn't happen. Because Odin, King of the Njords, All-father to the great tree, cracked a smile and leaned back.

"Very well then. You have my approval. From this moment forward, consider yourself an honorary citizen of Asgard. With all the perks that entails." Keiichi glowed for a moment as Odin placed a runic blessing on him. It was nothing too complicated. Just an Extended lifespan, and a sign that would tell Heimdall to let the boy onto Asgard. Odin also nullified the restrictions placed on Belldandy, wondering how long it would take her to notice. All present stared dumbly at the mood shift.

His work done, Odin stood up, stretching enough to pop a few joints. "Hhhnnn. That feels good. You two, care to join me at the bar? The night is still young." Odin asked Tsukune and Gray abruptly. Tsukune was about to say no seeing as he was underaged, but he was stopped by an elbow to the rib. He looked over to his mentor for this mission, and the man seemed to convey with his eyes that Odin word was to be followed. And that any requests he may have should be met immediately.

"We'd be honored, Lord Odin." Tsukune rubbed and rubbed his side. They got up to follow Odin out. The old man held the door open and offered to let them out first. After they did so, Odin leaned back into the room.

He smiled when he saw that the goddess was currently giving the boy the smooch of his life. Clearly, the act of proclaiming love to goddess in question had moved her. Odin wondered how far she might extended her gratitude to the boy. He smiled perversely at the thought. Her sister's stared on, confused and amazed by the boldness.

"Ahem." He coughed lightly. The goddess broke away and did her best to act composed, as if she hadn't just broken her facade in favor of rewarding her man. Now that all eyes were on him, he grinned and eye smiled. "I expect to see a ring on her finger next time we meet, young man. Otherwise a very scary woman will come after you. And even I, the All-father Odin, won't be able to protect you then." He was of course referring to the Norns Belldandy and Skuld's mother, Asnuz. The former head of foreign affairs, and a master of Divine Runes.

That woman was, Odin shuttered, an absolute nightmare. Tyr could never help it when the opportunity to stick his dick in crazy arose. Then again, the supernatural world had a disportionate amount of extremely hot, extremely crazy women. So maybe the old war God was onto something.

Keiichi didn't understand, but nodded regardless. He looked at Belldandy, and she looked back at him. Her eyes were filled with love and compassion, and he could only hope she saw in him what he saw in her. Marriage was…big. But, it couldn't be bigger than all the crazy things he'd seen so far.

A ring…shouldn't be too hard to find. Not for Belldandy.

At a bar, two hours before last call

Three men sat in a booth at an otherwise empty bar. At least, that was what the bartender saw. A father taking his son's out for a drink. Nothing unusual or worthy of noting.

The man sighed. It seemed that a huge fire had broken out in the industrial district. A friend of his on the fire brigade said it looked like a war zone. Multiple buildings gone and collapsed. Currently the working theory was one of the warehouses had experienced an electrical fire. That combined with improperly, possibility illegally, stored explosives had led to the rather disastrous results. Thankfully, nobody had been hurt.

The man cleaned a glass as he watched the clock. About another half hour and he could begin cleaning up.

Tsukune sat next to Gray as the three men drank. Though, Tsukune felt he could hardly be considered a man.

It took a lot of assurance from Odin and Gray to get him to look past the fact he was under aged. Currently, he was three glasses in. A far cry from Gray's 8, or Odins…Tsukune looked at the stacked pyramid of beer glasses. The man was only now starting to get a dusting of red on his smiling cheeks.

Gray and Odin had been insistent that this was the proper way to celebrate a victory. Gray said it was how his guild used to celebrate, and Odin insisted that any Njord worth his salt drank to celebrate at every opportunity. Though as far as Tsukune was aware, Odin had just shown up and solved their problem. Easily.

But the god was easy to get along with, even if he could be scary when he wanted to be. Currently, Tsukune was just watching as his HP ticked down slowly. Not to any worrying degree, just enough to outpace his natural Regen.

The system registered alcohol as a poison. And while a prompt had appear stating:

You have consumer alcohol! Would you like to enable status effect (Intoxication)?

Note, not enabling will caused all alcohol consumed to register as a weak poison.

Y/n

Tsukune had decided he didn't want to lose his mental faculties.

"So I say to this dumbass flame brain, I said, you can't just go swimming in lava! Fire proof or not, lava ain't like water! It's de..den..uh…it's too thick!" Gray had been telling a story about his days in his guild. Apparently a teammate he was often paired with by the name of Natsu Dragneel had had the idea to try swimming in an active volcano.

Odin was absolutely losing his shit with laughter as he slammed his fist in the table. Being sober, Tsukune wondered how the simple wood didn't shatter into dust.

"You know, boy. I can't help but notice you never answered my question! How can I convince Azazel brat that Asses are vastly superior to tits if I can't collect data! Fess up! What's more important on a woman?"

Tsukune had avoided the question earlier, but now it didn't look like there was any escape. Personally, he didn't have much of a preference. But if he had to choose. "I guess I would have to say…legs. And maybe waists." His ears were red after admitting that. But Odin did look thoughtful.

"Hmmm. Legs huh? I'm gonna just mark that down as ass. So, a point for me Azazel brat!" Odin celebrated with another beer.

"What about you, Gray? Do you have any preferences on women?" Honestly, Tsukune was looking for a way to shift the conversation more than an actual answer.

Gray stopped chugging his drink to ponder how he should answer the question. He set the glass down and shook his head. "For me? Neither. I'm not a fan of breasts, and women's butts aren't the type I look at."

Tsukune didn't understand, but Odin caught on quickly. "Ho? Is that how it is? You prefer something a bit more masculine?"

Tsukune still didn't get what was being implied, but thankfully Gray spelled it out for him. "Let's just say, my husband wouldn't appreciate it." Tsukune's eyes widened. Gray was gay? He certainly didn't act like the stereotypes that Tsukune associated with the idea.

It wasn't like Tsukune cared in that way it just came as a culture shock. Gay marriage, and even relationships were very much still a taboo subject in Japan. But then, Gray had been part of a Mage Guild. So who was to say he hadn't met his partner outside Japan. The supernatural world did seem a lot more accepting of things like that after all.

Speaking of Gray's past, he remembered that Gray had mentioned asking about it again after a couple drinks. Something about a snow sculpture. "Hey Gray, before on the train, you said to ask you about your home after you've had a few drinks. Is it alright to ask now? I'm curious."

Gray's eyebrows raised, and something between a smile and a frown cast itself into his face.

"Yeah. I suppose I did say that, didn't I." He sighed deeply. "Fine. What did you want to know?"

Tsukune put his hand under his chin while he pondered what to ask. "I suppose the most obvious question would be, what are you? If that's alright to ask."

Gray shook his head. "No. It's no trouble. To put it plainly, I'm of the race of Yuki-onna. A kind of ice elemental from Mt.Fuji."

Tsukune nodded, but noticed a discrepancy. "Wait, but…aren't Yuki-onna-"

"All women?" Gray filled in, predicting Tsukune's question. The boy nodded. "Yeah, normally. But males are born. About one in every ten thousand or so Yuki-onna is born male. To the families with a male babe born goes status and wealth within the Village."

"Why is that?" Tsukune asked while starting his fourth drink. He assumed that eventually they would begin to taste good and he would understand the appeal.

Gray shrugged. "It's a cultural thing. My people live in a collection of villages high in the mountains. We're dying out in numbers, like a lot of supernatural races these days. It's slow, but at this rate, we'll drop below a thousand in less than three centuries. Basically, we are facing extinction. It's very important that Yuki-onna have as many children as fast as possible. To the point that if deemed nessisary, our high priestess will arrange a marriage with an external party. Something of a quid pro quo.

To avoid being effectively sold to strangers, our women leave the village in their fertile years between the age of sixteen to twenty one. Their goal being to find a husband and bring them back to our village. When that isn't possible, they come back pregnant and raise their daughters in a community.

It's a tradition of my people for the mother to sculpt a statue of her children's father, and place it in a sacred snow field outside one of our temples. That way the kids know what their father looked like if they never had the chance to meet them.

As for why being born male is a big deal, it's for practical reasons. A woman of my race can only have a maximum of five children. Though most will be lucky to sire two. The chances of fertilization drop off significantly every year after a Yuki-Onna reaches the age of maturity. After around twenty two, my race becomes barren. That applies to both genders by the way.

The pressure on the women of my village is a very real thing. And it's not uncommon for a woman to miss her chance. Thankfully, my people take the phrase 'It takes a village to raise a child' very literally.

Those who can't find a husband or man to sleep with in time can find solace in the care of others children.

When a male is born however, it really is a whole other deal. While I'm passed my time now, were I to swing the way of most men, I would find myself drowning in women. Families from all across my village would offer boons to my own for the 'Privilage'" Gray said that while making air quotes. "Of sleeping with me for a night. And that's just the women of my village.

A woman can only have one child at once. A man can have as many children as he has willing women. As a man, I was expected to leave the village at some point and, for lack of a better term, spread my seed."

Odin, who was listening off to the side, was the first to see the problem. "Hmmm. But you have no interest in women. I'm sure that didn't go down very well."

Gray shook his head. "No. It certainly didn't. I tried with a few women too. Back before I understood myself better.

I won't go into much detail, but I'll say that women don't…take it well when you can't perform. In fact, I'd say that in my experience, they take it personally.

The first few times, my family was able to convince me that it was the girls fault. And I'm sure her family said the same thing. But, after a certain point, it became clear it was me.

I didn't even know what I wanted back then. The village has a population ratio of ten women to one man. Because in this day and age not many men are willing to drop everything, abandon their aspirations and dreams, and come live in the mountains playing husband. The ones who did were often skewed older. Which is a whole other discussion when you consider how young the girls who were sent out were.

Culture shock, am I right?" He joked lightly. But given the subject matter, his joke seemed to fall flat. Being met with only sympathy from the Older and younger men. Gray's frown made it clear that he wasn't enjoying talking about this. Tsukune would have asked him to stop if the subject was causing him duress, but Gray had already built the momentum. He continued.

"Anyway, the men who lived there were husband's, almost exclusively. Not a single other man like me who could explain why I felt absolutely nothing for the female form.

Up until a man came to visit. More of a boy, really. He was around my age. His name was Leon. An ice mage who had come to consult our guardian deity, Jack Frost.

Some stuff happened and we really hit it off. I was only in the temple due to the priestess attempting to divine if I had been cursed.

Over the course of a few months, he would visit me while gaining access to the priestess's archives. He was looking for information on how to save his mother who had trapped herself in a shell of eternal ice while she contained a powerful demon.

I'll spare you the details, but we sort of…circled around each other. Until one night the mood was right, and I discovered why I couldn't feel anything for women."

Even if he was slightly uncomfortable with the subject matter due to his lack of exposure, Tsukune couldn't help but be moved by the emotion Gray had in his voice as he told the story. That frown Gray had sported disappeared when he talked about this Leon.

Tsukune hoped that he could find love like Gray had one day. Just, with a woman. And it was frustrating to him when more than one face appeared in his head. Both Moka and Kurumu we're just his friends. He didn't consider Yukari a contender in this. Not at her age. But, maybe with the right circumstances, maybe Tsukune could find himself loving one of them. Maybe.

Gray took a moment to drain his mug. It clacked onto the table as he set it down. He had more story to tell. "Of course, we couldn't keep it a secret forever. Not when we were both hormonal teenagers. We were found out pretty quickly. Leon was banished from the village immediately. My protests fell on deaf ears.

As for myself, well, things became unpleasant.

You gotta understand. My people, we're very traditional. Very traditional. And while two women together wasn't unheard of in our village, two men wasn't even a thought worth mentioning.

Men must be with women, according to the priestess and our doctrine. And gods do I hate that woman in retrospect. I don't know if you know what this is, but the states have something called conversation therapy. It's when they try to force you to switch what gender you like.

I can tell you with 100 percent accuracy that it doesn't work. My family all but locked me in my room at home. I was the subject of daily screaming lectures by not just my mother, but several extended family too. Just about the only people who didn't outright hate me at the time was my little sister Juvia, and my cousin.

They kept sending naked women into my bedroom, each one trying to coax me into a workable state."

Odin hummed in a way that made it clear he was picturing just that. "Hmmm. Seems like a dream come true if you ask me."

Gray shook his head. "Not likely. I'd be as if your family kept sending random men into your bedroom. Each one attempting to give you a handjob, and not taking no for an answer. All the while your family just can't understand what you found wrong with all that."

Odin frowned. That certainly was an unpleasant thought senario. Perhaps he had been a bit insensitive.

"Wow. I'm so sorry that happened to you." Tsukune said as he processed the horror show that his handler had been forced to endure.

Thankfully, Gray was made of sterner stuff. He Tsukune off with ease. "Nah. Don't worry about it kid. I'm in a better place now.

But anyway, I think you can tell that the situation was unsustainable. My family hated me, and I was absolutely miserable. So, one night, I left.

Just packed a few things in a bag and headed out."

"That must have been difficult. Being on your own after being sheltered for so long." The old man noted with a tone of respect. The boy had clearly made it, even with all of his handicaps.

Gray shrugged. "Yeah. It was. But, thankfully I found a certain red headed spellsword. She introduced me to her guild. And it was all uphill from there. Hey Tsukune! Maybe one day I'll introduce you to old man Makarov!" Gray took one last long pull of his drink, finishing it off. Tsukune didn't know who 'Old man Makerov' was. But if Gray wanted them to meet, he wouldn't say no. Not as long as it wasn't too far out of the way.

Tsukune just was happy that Gray had found a new family from the sound of it. The older man hadn't spoken much about this 'Fairy Tale'. But from the few times he had mentioned it, he'd made it clear that he considered that place to be his true family.

Tsukune would confess he rather liked Gray. Even if he was only a handler for Tsukune, something about him clicked with the teenager. He hoped he would see more of him in the future. But there was one other thing Tsukune wondered about.

"Did you ever find Leon again?"

The man smiled wistfully. "Yes. Yes I did. And you'll be happy to know that after a few years, he put a ring on finger." Odin and Tsukune looked down to Gray's bare hand, noting a lack of said ring. "Figuratively. We tied the knot and all that."

Things had gone from sober to chipper in what felt like the blink of an eye.

Tsukune was happy to be here, on this assignment. He'd met some really good people on this trip. People who weren't afraid to show their true colors.

The door was suddenly kicked in, causing both Tsukune and Gray to be on guard for a fight. Odin remained calm, but Tsukune doubted much could hurt him.

It was a girl with silver hair, sporting a black suit with blue accents. "Lord Odin! There you are! Do you have any idea how hard I've been looking for you?" She asked as she stormed over to their table.

The old man's response was to grumble under his breath. Then he slumped as if he'd just been given bad news. "Hello, Rossweisse." Odin looked up to see Gray and Tsukune at attention. "Calm yourselves my new friends. This is just my …hmmm…chaperone? Baby sitter? Ah! I know! Mandatory eye candy!" Tsukune looked over to the irritated woman as she stood at the front of their table.

"Lord Odin! Please sir! I am a Valkyrie in your service!" The old man shrugged and continued chugging the beer like it was water.

The girl sighed when she saw she was being ignored. That's when she noticed them, and her attitude changed immediately.

"Oh! I'm sorry. I didn't see you there. My name is Rossweisse. Valkyrie in service of Asgard, and personally bodyguard of Lord Odin!" She bowed respectfully.

"Eager to please prude is a more accurate title." Odin grumbled.

Tsukune expected the girl to explode, seeing as she had stormed in here like a wrathful natural disaster. But instead, she clenched her fists and her eyes teared up slightly. "L-lord Odin! You! You're so mean!" She appeared to be just a breath away from breaking down crying when the bartender approached the table. He stuck out a finger at Rossweisse, his face clearly angry.

"I don't know who you think you are! But you're gonna find a way to fix my damn door!" The suited Valkyrie winced, realizing she had basically kicked it down while coming in.

"O-of course! Sir! Let me just-"

"What's wrong with your door?" Odin interrupted.

"What's wrong with it!? Look at-" He stopped when he looked at the door. It was perfectly fine. Not broken or hanging off its hinges. It was pristine. "I…uh…just…don't kick my door." He finished weakly. Internally, the man vowed to make sure to get a good night's rest. Clearly he was too tired and seeing things.

The Valkyries' arrival was as good a reason to depart as any. Odin waved the boys off, content to keep drinking for the night. His silver haired Valkyrie joining him. They waved goodbye as they exited, the sound of Odin teasing the poor girl fading into the distance.

They traveled through the empty town under the light of the moon.

"So, Gray. I've been wondering."

The man quirked a lazy eyebrow, he hadn't bothered to replace his shirt or blazer, leaving him standing shirtless in just pants and shoes. "Hmm?"

"You said you were married, to your husband." Gray nodded while side eyeing the boy. Tsukune felt like this question might come off as insulting if he didn't phrase it correctly. "Uh. Well, please don't take this the wrong way but, how? I mean, I didn't know two men could get married in Japan. At least not as of 1999."

Gray shook his head. "It's fine. You're just curious. To answer your question, we aren't married in the mundane world. Mostly because neither of us have real lives in normal human society.

The supernatural world has long since accepted gay marriage. Or at the very least acknowledged the concept due to the Devil's proclivities for such things. The only major exceptions being places like back home."

Tsukune nodded. He supposed that made sense. He guessed in a world where Polyamory was seen as, not expected but common, being gay wasn't that big a deal.

They stopped at desolate train station. Seeing as it was around 2 in the morning, Tsukune was confused. He decided to ask his Sempai.

"Hey, gray?" Tsukune asked as he gazed down the empty tracks. Overhead, the buzz of filament bulbs filled the silence.

"Hmm?"

Tsukune thought about how to phrase his question. "What…are we doing? The trains have all stopped for the night. Why are we just standing here?"

Gray nodded, checking his watch. "Yeah. Normally, you'd be right. I had to call in to the boss earlier. Gave him a sitrep. He's arranged for our transportation. It should be here any…ah. Here it comes now."

Before Tsukune could ask what he meant, he heard a train whistle. Except, it didn't sound like a normal Japanese transport train. Or even a western steam train. The whistle sounded like a woman screaming in terror. The sound of train wheels on tracks could be heard, but the normal sounds of a piston were replaced by the off-putting noise of a heartbeat. Just in front of where the train station platform began, a crack formed in the earth. And then the ground began to fall into a deep ominous hole. It glowed an unholy red as the sound of screams and heartbeats grew faster and closer. And then a massive spectral steam engine launched itself out of the cracked portal to hell. And it was hell, because Tsukune could smell the sulfur.

The train arched through the air until it was obscured by the platform roof. Then it came crashing down, phasing through the solid concrete above them to land loudly on the tracks.

It only had so many train cars above ground. The rest remained dangling in the pit. The train itself was green and transparent. Upon it's front was the chained up skeletal remains of what must have once been a woman, based on her tattered wedding dress and long hair. Her emaciated face screamed in agony as some contraption pulled up on her limbs. Her jaw extended past what was physically possible as her tortured scream acted as the whistle.

"Gray…" Tsukune whispered. "What the hell is that."

Gray just shook his head, the ushered the boy inside the front train car. "I'll explain inside. Just…know that it's older than either of us, and we're safe to use it."

Tsukune didn't want anything to do with this thing. But he quickly found himself inside the train car.

Tsukune had seen a lot of things after gaining the system. He accepted that monsters were real. He accepted that Hell was not just a place, but multiple places. He accepted that his friends weren't human, and three out of four actively were considered predators. The bowl of raw meat came to mind.

But this thing…Tsukune came to the horrifying realization that the big world that he was now a part of could be absolutely terrifying.

Despite the outer appearance, inside the train car was much like he had seen many European trains in media. It was a mostly wooden interior, with several booths to the side of the hallway. Each had its own set of doors.

They made their way up to the first booth and shut the door.

Tsukune sat down at Gray's behest. The man wasn't as freaked out as Tsukune, but he did look a bit on edge. Tsukune was bout to ask questions, but Gray stopped him.

"Hold on. It'll be easier to explain once we start moving. Less interruptions that way." Before Tsukune could ask what he meant, a pale clawed hand wrapped on the door to their booth. A tall faceless Yokai was gesturing to open up.

Gray did so, allowing the faceless man to step inside. It didn't speak, only holding out it's hand. Gray shook his head, causing the Blank to grow irritated.

"You should have received a call. We're under the employ of Lord Tenmei Mikogami. The Dark Lord of Light. Speak with your superiors if you must." Gray explained. The faceless man made no noise, only tilting it's head. After a moment, it seemed to calm and closed the door. Tsukune let out a sigh of relief from his seat. Gray sat down across from him. "Sorry about that Tsukune. Boss man wanted us back Asap. I guess he got wind of Lord Odin being in town. As well as everything else."

Tsukune didn't understand how that was possible. It only happened a few hours ago. When he asked, Gray chuckled. "That's just the boss man for you. He just knows things. Anyway, I know you have questions. Ask away."

"What is this train? Why does it look like that? Why is the inside solid? Why is there a woman chained to the front? Why is-"

"Whoa! Whoa! Slow down!". Gray said with his arms outstretched. "I can only answer one question at once."

Tsukune frowned, and asked the same question in order. Allowing gray to explain.

"Right, so in order. This train is something known as a Psychopomp. An entity used to transfer the souls of the dead to their prospective afterlife. Why it looks like it does is anyone's guess. But if I had to speculate, it's probably because it's main stops are the various Hell's. And it's usual passengers are normal humans who were evil in life. The only train car that looks like a normal car on the inside is this one at the front. The rest are entirely spectrul. It's made that way so it can transport VIPs like us. Finally, the woman chained to the front is probably some tortured soul. Who knows what she did, but she probably deserves it. Despite what most holy books might say, the only mortal souls in any of the hell's deserve to be there. Good, or even just not actively evil souls are more or less distributed among the various afterlives. Or, so I'm told by a necromancer at my old guild.

Does that clear things up any?"

Tsukune nodded. That did indeed. The train had been triggering something in his demonic heritage the entire time, and now that he knew it was just the ambient energy from the different hell's he relaxed some.

Still, it was odd to think that he could just visit hell, should he feel so inclined.

The train wailed and began to move. Gray settled down in his seat while Tsukune watched out the window with interet. The train began normally, traveling the track as a mundane train would. Up until the tortured soul gave a longer wail than normal. Then the train began to sink into the earth. Until Tsukune watched as the horizon was swallowed by the earth. Now the dirt has consumed them, leaving nothing but darkness Nothing but the interior light could be seen for several minutes. Until they dropped low enough that they passed through some kind of barrier. The window lit up with great swirls of fire.

Tsukune watched in awe as the train snaked over a river of fire as if it were an eastern dragon. Great subterranean volcanos spewed a trickle of magma into pools before his eyes.

"Impressive, isn't it?" Gray asked sounding a bit…bored.

Tsukune looked at him confused. "It is, but…you don't sound very impressed."

Gray waved him off. "Eh. You see one molten slag heap, you've seen them all. I used to team up with this guy who used a kind of magic made for killing dragons. He specialized in fire, and had absolutely no self control. Every mission he went on ended up with a burning creator. So, like I said. You see one, you've seen them all." Gray yawned. "I'm gonna catch a few Z's. Wake me up when we get there."

Tsukune nodded to Gray as the man leaned against the side of the booth wall. They had been on their feet since early this morning. Or, rather, yesterday morning? Tsukune sighed. And before that Tsukune had fought with Kuyou.

Despite that, Tsukune didn't really feel the need to sleep. Sure, it would restore his HP and remove any status effects or crippling, excluding being knocked out apparently, but he didn't feel very tired.

Eventually, the swirls of red, yellow and orange became black again as the train moved through solid earth. That gave Tsukune a chance to look at his notifications finally.

Life Quest alert! (In Service of a Lord)

Quest 1(The Fates Declare!) Complete!

REWARD!: Player Dungeons Unlocked!

500XP!

Return to Tenmei Mikogami to receive ¥200,000!

Tsukune blinked. Those dungeons looked great! Like a real video game! He wondered if there would be loot to get? He hoped so.

He examined the new ability in the information tab.

Player Dungeons!

Sleep and be prompted to enter the Player Dungeon. Collect loot for Weapons, armor, and crafting equipment!

Available Dungeons!:

Soldiers(Human)

So he would get armor and weapons? And what was this about crafting? As far as he was aware, he didn't have the option to do that. Unless he did?

Softly, he whispered "Crafting", not wanting to wake Gray up. Nothing happened. He felt a bit stupid, but in his defense, he hadn't known about Inventory until just a day ago.

He sighed as he dismissed his system panel. It wasn't quite enough to level up, but one more quest should do it. Speaking of leveling up, he still had 35 points to put into attributes.

He probably could have used those in the fight with that woman. But…would it have even mattered? Honestly, Tsukune wasn't even sure he and Gray could win without the interference of Lord Odin.

If that woman hadn't gone off the deep end and gained control of whatever power-up she had received, he doubted the extra stats would have done much good.

Tsukune decided to take Gray's lead and doze a bit. Some time passed before he felt the train jolt. They were stopped. He was in the middle of stretching when a familiar white hand knocked on the door. Gray was awake by then to stand up and open it.

It was the same faceless Blank as before. It gestured for them to exit the train. The two men complied and Gray made sure to thank the faceless Yokai for the train's services.

Now at another abandoned train station, it was a short trip to the back alley of the nice neighborhood.

There, they found the bus driver casually leaning on his bus, waiting for them. The man's eyes glowed under his cap as he puffed on a cigar. "Have an eventful trip?" He asked with a wide grin.

"Something like that. I'm sure the boss will give you the details if you ask, lord Narari." Gray explained.

The bus driver grunted and flicked the ashes off the tip of his cigar. He opens the door to the bus and took his place at the driver's seat. The two men were soon seated and traveling through the kaleidoscope of colors.

The ride back was quiet. Gray had continued to nod off, leaving Tsukune alone with his thoughts.

This mission for the headmaster had gone along as smoothly as could be expected. Confusion aside. And while the end of it had been pretty extreme, he didn't think it had gone badly.

Still, he felt he needed a place to sit down and think. Tsukune was well aware that slowly, bit by bit, he was losing his humanity.

It was happening so slow in fact that he didn't know if it was caused by the recent changes to his environment, or some side effect of the system. Regardless, as the bus exited the tunnel to Yokai academy, he resigned himself to try to keep as much as he considered his core personality intact.

The meeting with the headmaster had gone well. Gray had given a full report of the events from his perspective to the Lord Of Light.

Then it was Tsukune's turn. He tried to emulate Gray as closely as possible, but he still bumbled though it. He felt some details were unimportant, but stated them anyway. By the end of it, the head master was looking annoyed.

"Damn Njords can't figure their heads from their asses." He had grumbled. Then he had produced two briefcases.

Gray took his immediately and left the room with a salute to his boss. Tsukune was a bit slower on the uptake, but followed Gray's example once more. The headmaster nodded to him as he took the Briefcase off the desk. Tsukune had turned around to leave, and it wasn't until he was on the precipice of the door to exit that the headmaster spoke up.

"Mister Aono?" Tsukune was just outside the doors now. He looked into the pit of black in which the headmasters eyes were the only thing giving off light. "Excellent job. You are excused from school for the day to rest. I'll call upon you again when the time comes."

Tsukune was about to thank him when the doors slammed in his face. Blinking at the dark wood inches from his face, he let out a breath. "Man, that guy is intense."

"You'll get used to it." Tsukune turned around to see Gray, shirt unbuttoned and tie loosened. His chest was once again exposed. "So, aside from all the craziness, how was your first mission kid?"

Tsukune had to think about it. It hadn't been all that difficult. Up until it was that is. Mostly he had spent the trip rolling with the punches. Being reactive instead of proactive. But…that was kind of how he was, wasn't it? "It was…good." He settled on.

Gray grinned. "And the cash in hand has nothing to do with how you feel?" Gray gestured to Tsukune's briefcase with his own.

Tsukune looked down. ¥200,000. That was so much money. He didn't even know what to spend it on. He was a freshman in highschool, and he could already afford a sizable down payment on a house. Or buy a car outright with cash. Or, all the game consoles he could ever want! A Nintendo! A super Nintendo! Even a Nintendo 64! And this was only the first of potentially many payments.

Gray chuckled. Tsukune looked up to see Gray had figured out exactly what he was thinking of. Thean shook his head. "Try not to spend it all in one place Tsukune." Gray stretched and let out a yawn. "Well, anyway. I guess this is where we part. It was good working with you. You're new, but I've got a feeling you'll be a pro in no time. I hope we can work together again then." They shook hands and Gray departed. Leaving Tsukune standing alone in an empty hallway, with only the moon above to provide light.

Seeing as it it was full just two days ago, it provided quite a bit of light as it crested.

He…wasn't really sure what to do now. It was around four in the morning, and dawn hadn't broke yet. It was too late to sleep, but he also didn't really feel like going for a run.

So he wandered aimlessly, passed the school gates and into the forests between the academy and the dorms. He no longer feared what might be going bump on the night, subconsciously recognizing himself as not a prey animal, but a predator.

The dead looking trees did nothing to snuff out the light of the moon as it provided light to the path he walked. Eventually, Tsukune found the pond he had met Kurumu at. He hadn't noticed before, but it was shaped like a heart.

He chuckled as he remembered the leap of logic he had come to when meeting the rambunctious succubus. Mushrooms! Of all things, his mind had jumped to mushrooms!

Though, in his defense, he had just learned that anything was possible. He just wished he hadn't done so in front of a pretty girl.

He sat down against a tree, the pond having a sort of calming effect on him. This seemed like as good a place as any to sort out his problems. Taking a deep breath, he focused on what was bothering him the most.

He looked down at his hands. Turning them around, his eyes focused on the sharpened points of his nails. These hands had…well. No use denying it. They had killed.

He winced a bit. Just a few months ago, he had never even entertained the idea of killing another living being. And yet somewhere between then and now, his perspective had shifted so far that he considered killing some stranger as a viable option to take. If only to avoid a headache.

That…couldn't be normal. He shook his head. Was it just that killing had become easier? Or, was it due to the Infernal race changing his mind set. He supposed an easy way to test that would be to switch race and become a vampire. But, he doubted that the two races would think that differently. If anything, they might be a lot more similar. As far as he could tell, both races were predators, and he assumed that should affect his thought process more than anything else.

Of course, the alternative was he had just become desensitized to killing. That he had began to feel it was, an unpleasant act, but one he was willing to preform.

Tsukune let his head fall back against the bark as he stared at the moon. This was getting him nowhere. It was just pointless speculation.

Maybe he just wasn't smart enough. His eyes narrowed, and he pulled up his stat sheet.

Name: Tsukune Aono

Class(Damned Infernal)

Lvl:17

XP:575/850

HP:1872

SP:2484

MP:1386

STR: 20

DEX: 23

VIT: 16

INT: 11

WIS: 14

CHAR: 23

END: 13

He frowned when he saw how low his INT and WIS were so low. Was that his problem? The reason he couldn't self reflect enough to divine his issue was because his stats were too low? Well then, what would happen if he raised them?

He had 35 points laying in reserve. He had been saving them in case he needed them, and he supposed this applied. And it wasn't like he wouldn't have any left, just in case.

With a sigh, he boosted both stats up to 20. That left him with 16 points.

His eyes buldged when he saw that his MP jumped all the way up to 6800! What on earth and beyond could he possibly use that much MP on!

Then he got a set of notifications that answered his unasked question.

Progression Alert! For reaching 20 in INT you have gained the Skill Direct Mana Manipulation!

You may now direct and shape your mana to your will!

Progression Alert! For reaching 20 in WIS you have gained the Skill Overload! Overcharge any offensive skill for double the casting cost!

His brow furrowed. He didn't feel much more intelligent. Mentally, he attempted to do a simple math equation. His mind ran through the entire process in less than a second.

That felt…weird. But good. So, had that just made him think faster? What about the WIS? Where had that gone?

"Wisdom doesn't work like that, cutie." A voice said from behind him. Which was quite scary because his back WAS TO A TREE!

I'm back! Yay! And the it's a two for one!

Now, I'm sure that a the smooth brained among you all might be upset about how I've decided to portray the sexual status of this universe's version of Gray Fullbuster. Please be assured that your opinions mean less than the dirt I walk on.

Not only do I not care. I laugh at your stupidity.

For those readers with a brain larger than a raisin, you can probably tell that this has some plot relevance. It'll come in handy in the FAR future.

Updates will be as slow as ever, because I unfortunately have a life and responsibilities. Regretfully, we live in a society.

Thank you all for the positive reviews, they keep me invested.

For those wondering what is taking so long between updates, the main reason is I'm a working adult in my late 20s who is currently doing my best to gain my GED. I was expelled from highschool for the terrible crime of being homeless.(Which is a legal thing that schools can do, by the way.)

And unfortunately, Math is evil.

So that takes my priority over this. Still, I do enjoy writing when I have the time. I'm trying to stockpile up chapters, and release like, one per month. No promises though.

I hope all of you have a wonderful day, and ask that you be kind to those around you. And if you can't do that, don't act surprised when someone clocks you in the face for being an asshole. That's just the risk you take.

Peace!