Chapter 14

Urd's Room

Tarikihongan Temple.

"Hurry up, Skuld. Isn't this crazy thing ready yet?"

"No, Urd. It's not. True genius cannot be rushed!"

"Well, get a move on!" Urd said impatiently.

"Are you saying that I'm not a true genius, Urd?"

"As the humans like to say, if the shoe fits..."

Skuld grumbled as she tweaked and poked at her latest invention. She called it the "Super Listening Edison Device." It looked like an old fashioned rotary dial telephone, but in true Skuld fashion, she added all sorts of modifications and upgrades, most of which served to confuse the hell out of anyone who tried to understand it. The phone had vacuum tubes, lights and wires, strange looking antennas and other unusual bits and pieces sprouting forth from the device in all directions like malevolent vines threatening to take over anything that stood still long enough to let them get a foothold. The device made all sorts of odd and sometimes scary noises as if it would either explode, launch itself into space or threaten to open up a black hole and swallow everything up into it.

Skuld attached the device to Keiichi's computer and her fingers were flying across the keyboard at lightning speed as she used the ancient computer to interface with the odd piece of tech. She would issue a long string of arcane commands through the computer, and occasionally, she'd lift the phone's handset off the cradle, put it to her ear, either shake or nod her head vigorously depending on what she heard.

"Urd, you try to make this 3 dimensional computer connect with a 10-dimensional communications system, and see how you'd do. Especially with this old piece of crap." Skuld complained, pointing to Keiichi's computer. She then launched into a lengthy explanation of the hurdles she was encountering, but Urd was having none of it.

"Skuld, the time you're spending trying to explain to me how this junkpile works could be better spent on actually MAKING it work. Get. Moving."

Skuld kept on grumbling noisily as she worked. "I swear, my genius is totally going to waste here. Nobody appreciates me."

Urd was about to say something cutting and snarky to Skuld, but wisely thought better of it.

"I wonder what Keiichi and Belldandy are doing in Heaven right now?" Urd mused. " I wonder if they paid another visit to Windsong Ridge?" She chuckled.

"What is it about Windsong Ridge that so many Gods and Goddesses get excited about? I don't get it." said Skuld as grabbed a screwdriver and adjusted a small switch on the front of the phone.

"You're a little too young to know about such things, Skuld. Maybe one day, when you're a little more mature, I'll explain it to you, and then maybe you'll take Sentaro up there and find out for yourself. Speaking of which, how is the love of your life doing these days? You finally worked up the courage to kiss him. What else is going on between you two, hmmm?"

"None of your business, Urd."

"Ooooh, you know that when someone says that, they have a lot to hide. Spill it, Skuld."

"I swear, Urd, there is nothing else going on. He kissed me, we've gone out a few times since then, and that's it. Besides, I have a lot of work to do now, so back off!"

"Oh, all right. But just let me know if our boy needs a little incentive to move things along, if you know what I mean."

"Right, I give him one of your medicines, and he'll end up either a frog or with two heads, or something else equally disgusting."

"Are you saying that my potions are suspect, Skuld?"

"If the shoe fits, Urd..."

"Touché."

"What does that mean?"

"It means, you got me, and get going."

The two bickering sisters fell silent while Skuld continued to help, encourage, cajole, and threaten the weird listening device and the old and cranky computer into working with each other. Minutes turned into hours, and finally after almost four hours of continuous work, the computer issued a deafening buzzing sound, smoke came out of the CPU, and the hard drive spun down into silence.

"It's done!" Skuld said triumphantly.

"You killed Keiichi's computer...again."

"I'll build him a new one...again."

"Skuld lifted the handset to her ear, punched in another long string of numbers into the device's keypad, lights blinked, tubes glowed, odd noises issued forth from the kludgy device, and with a loud burst of static, the two sisters were rewarded with the voices of Keiichi, Belldandy, Lind and Kami-sama.

Urd grabbed the handset away from Skuld. "What are they saying?"

"Beats me. Something about a Rage Token. What is that?"

"Skuld, you don't want to know."

Skuld grabbed an extra handset she had laying around, plugged it into the device and listened in.

"What are they saying about you and Belldandy removing a spirit from Keiichi's mind?"

"I'll explain later." Urd said cautiously. "Kami-sama's saying that Belldandy and I may not have completely removed that spirit? Why, the nerve of him! I made sure that I performed the exorcism perfectly. I didn't skip one step. I should give Kami-sama a piece of my mind, questioning my procedures."

In the throne room, the four deities were making small talk while waiting for Frigga to arrive from the Medical Center. Belldandy and Lind were talking about those things that Goddesses talk about and Keiichi and Kami-sama were chatting easily about Keiichi's experiences with the Eye of Heaven.

Kami-sama said, "I must give you a lot of credit in dealing with the virus afflicting Yggdrasil as well as the issue with the Mjolnir Protocol. You might have noticed that there was not any response from me during those incidents."

Keiichi looked directly at Kami-sama and said, "Come to think of it, I am surprised that you didn't get involved. Surely you knew what was going on?"

"Of course. I am Kami-sama. There is nothing that goes on here that I do not know about."

"But why..."

Kami-sama cut him off. "Because I wanted to see how you would handle the situation. Be reassured, that if things would have truly gotten out of hand, I would have intervened. But I trusted that you would be able to see things through, and my trust thus far has not been betrayed.

"Ever since the incident with you and Belldandy facing Hild in that battle at the Temple, I had kept my eye on you. You stood up to Hild, and was willing to do whatever it took to save Belldandy's life. That is why I put the suggestion into your mind and allowed you to cast Lava Wind Barrage, despite that spell being on the Restricted List, and you only being a Second Class God. Even before then, when you appeared at the hearing to testify on Belldandy's behalf, I knew that I had to meet you."

"That was all you?"

"Yes, Keiichi. As you know, it was I that preordained you and Belldandy meeting for the first time. I also gave you the authorization to cast that Lava Wind Barrage spell. The protection of Belldandy is paramount. She and her sisters are Norns, and their existence is crucial in the creation and continuation of Heaven and the universe. Nothing can ever happen to threaten their lives. And you, my friend, have done so much and given up so much to make sure that the Norns are taken care of. The latest incident with the Eye of Heaven proved to me the lengths you would go to protect Belldandy and the others. For that you have my eternal respect. You have proven me right in the decision I made to have you and Belldandy meet." Kami-sama cocked his head to the side as if listening to something only he could hear. "Excuse me, Keiichi. There is someone you know that I need to speak to."

Kami-sama stood and turned around slowly in the direction of whatever he was hearing. Speaking into the air, he said crossly, "Urd, Skuld, is that you?"

"Damn, Skuld." Urd whispered, panicking. "He found us. I thought you said you could hack into his throne room."

"I did, but I didn't say that he couldn't detect it."

"Now, you tell me."

"What do we do? Do we hang up?"

"Skuld, do you want to make Goddess First Class sometime in your life?"

"Of course, but..."

"Then shut up and let me do the talking."

"Geez, Urd. Everything you do always gets us in trouble."

"If I remember correctly, it was you who said that she could hack into Kami-sama's throne room. And that she installed back doors all over Yggdrasil. Which as a System Administrator, I can order you to clean up, right?"

"Oh, yeah. Right."

"Ladies, you do know that I can hear you?"

"Oh, hell. Yes, Kami-sama. What can I do for you?" Urd asked sheepishly.

"I will deal with your invading my privacy and the compromising of Yggdrasil's security in due time, but right now, Urd, I need to know about the exorcism that you and Belldandy performed on the Rage Token spirit that was in Keiichi's mind."

Urd said with confidence. "Yes, Kami-sama. I can assure you that we performed the exorcism properly."

"You destroyed the Token correctly, I gather?"

"Of course, Kami-sama. Belldandy and I contained the Token within a dual barrier, I destroyed the Token with multiple lightning spells, and Belldandy used her winds to scatter the pieces to the four corners of the Earth. All according to the rules."

"But did you check to make sure that all of the spirit in Keiichi's mind was destroyed with the Token?"

Urd was caught short, and she knew better than to lie to Kami-sama. "Ummm, no. We heard Keiichi screaming during the exorcism, but we could not stop the spell to attend to him. We knew that the screaming was as a result of the spirit leaving his mind, but once the spell was done, Belldandy went to attend to Keiichi. We assumed at that point that all of the spirit was gone."

Kami-sama sighed deeply. "There may be a chance that not all of the spirit was removed. Belldandy and Keiichi were almost drawn into the Portal leading to the Eye of Heaven just a few moments ago. I am sure that you understand what could have happened had they been lost to us."

"Yes, Kami-sama. I understand."

"I have Frigga coming over from Medical with a spirit detector to check Keiichi out. There is a possibility that the spirit has been completely removed, but we can't go on speculation. I'd advise you and Skuld to remain where you are until I contact you." Kami-sama said sternly. "And to make sure that you and Skuld don't listen in on any more of what I have to say to Keiichi and Belldandy..."

Kami-sama raised his hand and repeated a Word of Power.

And instantly, Skuld's Super Listening Edison Device exploded, forcing the two mischievous Goddesses to duck as pieces flew across the room.

"Dammit, Urd, we're in trouble now."

"For once, little sister, I'm inclined to agree with you."

Chapter 15

Kami-sama's Throne Room'

The Palace, Heaven.

A few moments after Kami-sama said his peace to Urd and Skuld, the door to the Throne Room opened and a tall blonde Goddess with powerful Nordic features entered the room. She wore the robes of Authority befitting a senior supervisor of the Medical Department. She had a slight smile on her face and was carrying a large carrying case.

Kami-sama spoke pleasantly. "Ahh, Frigga. I am sure you remember Keiichi and Belldandy. You also know Lind?"

"Of course." Frigga said with a kind, but professional air. "Belldandy, I see that you are still looking well, no side effects from the attack?"

Belldandy said, "I'm feeling as good as ever, Frigga. Thank you once again for taking care of me."

"No problem, Belldandy. And congratulations on your wedding. You married a good man."

"I know," said Bell as she gently caressed Keiichi's hand.

Small talk aside, Frigga said, "Well, let's get to work. Can't stay long. We're swamped over at Medical."

She opened the case and pulled out a floppy cap that she placed on Keiichi's head. Also in the case was a small computer and screen.

"Keiichi, what we are going to do is to scan your mind to see whether there remains any of that Rage Token spirit. If there is a sign of it, we'll try and remove it. You may experience some discomfort."

With that warning, Frigga turned on the machine. It booted up quietly and lights came on above the detector's keyboard. The Medical supervisor punched a few keys and checked the readings on the screen. "Starting the probe...now."

Keiichi started to feel a slight tingling in his head as the machine went to work. "So what exactly are you looking for?" he asked.

Frigga said, "We're looking for any residual signatures left by the spirit during the exorcism...When spirits, whether good or evil, enter or leave a being's mind, they leave a distinctive spiritual energy signature, that can be interpreted by...wait a minute...I see something here."

Belldandy rushed to Keiichi's side. Frigga said, "Don't touch him, Belldandy. Just in case."

An intense stabbing pain roared through Keiichi's skull. His eyes snapped wide open, as his skin flushed deep red. He tried to hold back the pain as best he could by using magic to quiet the roar, but he couldn't concentrate hard enough to block the assault. A scream came forth from his mouth followed by a stream of unintelligible words—The Old Language.

Kami-sama leapt into action. He held his hands over Keiichi's head and started loudly speaking an incantation of Power in that same Old Tongue. Chaos reigned over the throne room as Frigga was madly typing commands into the spirit detector, trying to shut down the probe. Keiichi and Kami-sama were spewing forth spells from a long dead language. Belldandy stood back, helpless. Unable to do anything for either her husband nor her Master.

Lind tried to rush in and help, but she was driven back by the tremendous magic that filled that room. It became as a heavy fog weighing down all within it. Whatever Frigga had done in probing Keiichi's mind had awoken something, and it wasn't one bit happy about it. The incantations that Keiichi and Kami-sama were chanting interfered and violently clashed with each other causing magical storms and turbulence to appear in the confined room. Spirit-fueled lightning and thunder filled the space. Explosions of magic and loosed Power threatened to destroy the Throne Room.

After a few terrifying moments, through sheer force of will, Kami-sama was finally able to gain control of the situation. With great effort, he forced whatever it was that was stirred up within Keiichi's mind to stand down. Peace slowly returned as the conflicting magical forces dissipated. Keiichi had passed out again, and Belldandy went to her husband's side to comfort him. Kami-sama's appearance was disheveled. He collapsed into a nearby chair. The strain of the recent events written all over his face. Lind and Frigga consoled each other in a hug.

Kami-sama broke the silence. "Well, that was unusual."

Chapter 16

Kami-sama's Throne Room

The Palace, Heaven.

Belldandy was able to awaken Keiichi and she continued to cradle him in her arms. Frigga returned to her professional demeanor.

"Well, there definitely is still some kind of spirit remaining within Keiichi's mind."

Kami-sama asked. "Is it part of the spirit of the Rage Token?"

Frigga closely checked the results of the probe on the detector's screen. "It is part of the spirit of the Rage Token, but it's also different in some way. From what I gather of the information shown here, the Rage Token implanted a spirit that caused Keiichi to abuse Belldandy. The part of the spirit that caused that behavior was successfully removed through the exorcism performed by Belldandy and Urd."

"And?" said Kami-sama.

Frigga double and triple checked the readout on the detector's screen. "This remaining spirit was somehow added to the spell used to infuse the Rage Token the first time. It is not affected by Belldandy's presence at all. It seems to have been placed here to be triggered by a specific event, such as the magic from the Eye of Heaven's portal. I'm guessing that the magical energy used by the detector was close enough in composition to the Portal's magic to trigger an attack."

Frigga turned to Belldandy. "Bell, since the Rage spirit was removed, to the time of the recent attack at the portal, were there any other incidents like the one we just had?"

Belldandy said, "No, none at all. Can this spirit be removed, Frigga?"

"We will certainly try. I can't guarantee that we'll be successful. This spirit is buried very deep into Keiichi's mind. We have to be extremely careful. There could be lasting permanent effects if we do the wrong thing. I would be more certain of our chances if we were dealing with a born God. But Keiichi being a human turned into a God is another thing entirely. There's still so much we don't know in that area."

Noticing the deep concern on Belldandy's face, Kami-sama said, "I am sorry that Frigga's words do not bring you comfort. I wish that I could give you the reassurance you desire. All I can say is that Keiichi will be in the best of hands, and you can stay by his side for as long as it takes to see him recover."

Belldandy asked, "But what is the function of this spirit? The only thing it seems to do is to cause Keiichi to speak in the Old Language."

Kami-sama said, "You do remember why the Old Tongue is no longer taught, don't you?"

"Of course, it was because...oh, no!"

"Right, Belldandy. Look at Keiichi's face."

She looked down at Keiichi's face. She hadn't noticed it at first, but she could tell that Keiichi had definitely aged a few years. He was 23 going on 24 when he and Belldandy were married, but he now looked like he aged at least two years. There were subtle differences in his face, a few minute lines around the eyes and mouth that weren't there before. Now that Keiichi was a God, he would essentially live as long as Belldandy. But it still bothered her to see him age quicker than he should.

Kami-sama said, "It looks like Hild and Torvald are trying to burn out Keiichi's life force, by forcing him to speak the Old Language. And as you know, the more a God or Goddess uses it, the more life energy is used, and the faster it is expended. Frigga, get Keiichi over to Medical at once. Put him at the head of the line, my orders. Report your findings and suggested treatment back to me"

"Right, Kami-sama." Frigga said. She got Keiichi together and using her message cube, teleported him out of the throne room.

Kami-sama turned to Belldandy and Lind. "Belldandy, you head over to Medical and be with Keiichi. Also, Bell? I suggest you close down your Sacred Coupling with Keiichi for the time being. There's no telling how that spirit's behavior could affect you, and I don't want that spirit to possibly transfer itself into you through that Coupling.

Lind, you get over to Valkyrie Intelligence and get as much information about Torvald as you can, and get back to me."

The two Goddesses teleported to their respective destinations, leaving Kami-sama alone in his Throne Room to speculate about what was really going on.