Hollowreaper 93: Glad to hear it! They are super fun to write scenes for :)
Guest1-2: Oof, sounds rough.
xXWolfsterXx644: Hope the wait wasn't too long :D
Uday Sra: Thank you!
Nazgul60: I know what you mean, I love balancing between the story and more light-hearted chapters. They have something to deal with first...but afterwards the Hero Faction is up next ;)
Lorenzo Macchiavelli: Don't worry, action will be coming lol. Well, I already have most planned out so can't just add someone in I haven't planned. Issei is sort of his rival, but I have plans going forward too
ahsoei: That was Shalba before he was killed.
fanficcyberman: Hahahaha, maybe the chapter should come with a health warning XD Oh man, a DBZ narration...that'd be awesome. I am sure he'll be interrupted more in the future, but not every time ;) . Thank you again for such kind words, it's chapters like these I feel help hold a story together in between the larger stories. Kuroka and Koneko are such fun to work with, so many sisterly moments that canon never really got to outside of them fawning over the same guy lol. I have been doing well, and I pray the same is true for you and all your loved ones! :D
Dragonx411: Terrifyingly, the Oppai Dragon milk is a canon product XD I had to include how scary that is lol. I am so glad you liked the chapter...family trials coming up next time...which is right now! :D
And with that...ONTO THE SHOW!
"And you have your suitcase fully packed?" Dorian asked for the third time. "Do you remember the new layered ideas we went over, has your power stabilized since gaining the High Queen Piece, how about enough food for…?"
"Dorian, I am fine," Rossweisse interrupted him before he could go through the entire checklist. The Crossroads were gathered saying farewell and best wishes knowing what she was departing for and its importance to her.
She stood at the entrance to the Bifrost receptacle built in the Crossroad Tower with suitcase in hand oddly mirroring the day she'd shown up after Odin's dismissal. Unlike before, her appearance was pristine, her suit without a single wrinkle out of place and suitcase packed to such a degree that no fault could be found in placement or organization. The time had finally come for her to depart for Vanaheim to complete the trials of her family that had hounded her since she was a little girl.
"I wish I could go, even just to observe?" Rossweisse shook her head sadly, the trials being a guarded secret of the family. No one was permitted to witness it nor be told of their methods. "Well, don't worry about a thing while you're there. I'll finish all the grading so you have no work at Kuoh left by the time you get back."
"If ANYTHING happens while I'm away, call me immediately."
She motioned to Ophis currently lounging on the far-off couch watching a repeat episode of the Oppai Dragon Show while conversing with Azazel. Ever since the Gremory Team had left to begin their middle-class promotions, she didn't seem to want to do much else until Issei got back. It had been almost adorable the way she stuck to the Red Dragon Emperor asking him everything that popped into her head that could explain his sudden change. It reminded them of a little sister trying to learn from an older brother, a new sensation for Issei to be sure.
"The latest documents are on your desk; Lady Serafall left invitation cards of Katerea's upcoming birth, Yasaka will be sending over their decisions on Youkai and Shinto representatives from the list you approved, and…mmmph!"
Dorian closed the gap, planting a gentle kiss on her lips and held it, preventing her from completing the itinerary. Most of the spectators turned to give them privacy, the cheeky grins of Ratatoskr, Bennia and Thrud not among them. Rossweisse looked far calmer when he pulled back, adjusting a strand of hair back behind her ear.
"We'll keep him out of trouble," Bennia promised. "You knock these out like we do your exams and come back even beefier than before!"
"I will," she nodded before stepping back onto the platform. "Goodbye, everyone. I'll be back before you know it, behave while I'm gone." With a whoosh of energy and rainbow light, she disappeared with an awkward quiet settling on the area before a released sigh broke the moment.
"Okay, mom is gone," Bennia rubbed her hands together. "Who is ready for a crazy party?" It received a few smiles from the group, clearly a means to lighten the spirits anticipating how her trial may go. She was not alone in her jubilations at Rossweisse's departure.
"Now this woman I can get behind!" Ratatoskr climbed atop her shoulder standing tall. "Give me twenty minutes and I can have a bevy of beauties at our doorstep! You haven't LIVED until you've let me design a party for you." It worried the collected team more than a little that they couldn't tell if he was kidding or not…
A little later…
"Why, my good Azazel, if I didn't know better, I'd think you were avoiding me," the ever serious yet somehow still playful tone of Yasaka rang through the telephone connected to her in Kyoto. The fallen angel governor-general had no idea how she'd done it; indeed, he'd not been planning to take a call but she somehow overrode it from her end and just appeared as a hologram. "I didn't interrupt you and a lady friend, did I?"
"I don't have a lady friend," he half froze as it came out so naturally, the possibility passing through his mind that had been what she was trying to confirm. Surely not, though her grin said otherwise. "I thought your chats with Ajuka went well, our treaty has been signed…"
"Well then, I suppose we could get something to eat in celebration? It's been a while since we got to see one another face to face despite our many meetings, my treat with perhaps some…dessert?"
"Mother!" A second shape much smaller than the first popped in out of nowhere as Kunou leapt in front of her mother. "You are the leader of our people, restrain yourself!"
"We are off the clock little one," she patted her fuming daughter on the forehead. "I thought you would approve of me getting out of the house."
"I do not!" She shoved her finger towards Azazel, the hologram passing partially through his head. "I will never approve! YOU, Governor-General Azazel, I know your reputation. You be sure to watch what…h-hey! Put me down this instant!"
Before she could continue, her bodyguard Kari walked calmly into frame as if fatigued by her mistress' antics and scooped her up into the air. Despite her flailing and demands for release, the spider-youkai did not comply, exiting with a bow and closing the door behind her.
"She seems on edge," Azazel finally remarked once the dust had settled. "Not fond of another man in her mother's life?"
"That pain will never fully go away, but it is healing," Yasaka's hologram took a seat to continue their discussion. "She has been very protective of me ever since the attack."
"But you still have these calls with me," he swirled his drink. "You don't think that will seem…?"
"Like I am not honoring my departed husband?" She finished for him. "I knew his mind better than most, I honor him every day. My finding another to share my time and more does not belittle what we had. He would have wanted it this way, that and it would also be nice to see Kunou look up to another father figure."
"More than another big brother figure?" He couldn't resist having seen how attached she was to Dorian at his departure. "I hear tell she found one of those."
"There is that," she smiled serenely. "When we arrive at Lilith for the signing, I will have to ensure that young man is there. I…am not the only one who has lost someone, have I?" Her tone shifted suddenly without missing a beat. "I know your reputation as well, yet you avoid me, why? I know you are not unaware of my intentions."
"You're a right to the point kind of woman, aren't you?"
My favorite kind.
"It's helped me along this far," her coy demeanor sparked back to life just a little bit. "Would you not want me as the start of a new harem to follow so many you've had in the past? I find your single status to speak volumes more than you likely intend."
"Heh," and here I thought I was a man of mystery," he leaned back, with a grin sipping a bit from his glass. "Let's just say it's been a while since I decided to go that route. My previous harems, like all good things…didn't last."
"They were all human, weren't they?"
"They were, not many fallen left, devils and angels only recently started being on the table…it seemed like a good idea at the time."
"But they were mortal," she understood perfectly why the Governor-General had remained single for so long despite a drive that would rival or even surpass the Red Dragon Emperor's.
How many lovers did he watch wither away from age? Is that why you are so curious of Issei and Dorian? One you want to ensure doesn't make the same mistakes, the other seemingly ignores the very thing that taunts you…time.
"Dorian and Issei had the right idea even if they didn't consider it whatsoever, finding loves who will live as long as them. Women they can grow old with."
"Youkai can live just as long as devils," Yasaka mentioned offhandedly. "Maybe even longer if they are…particularly talented."
You're being an ass, Azazel told himself, she was never vague on her interest for him, the man who brought those who saved her to Kyoto, yet all the same he had been trying to avoid her in the hope that the interest was fleeting. A beautiful woman who would be the eye of any man with a healthy pair of…well a healthy man, is trying to do the heavy lifting for you. So why am I still hesitating?
He could still hear them, the whispers of the women he'd known, the thousands of harems he boasted to Issei of. So many voices overlapping, wishing him well, the sweet nothings spoken in the dead of night, the escapades that would make even Odin blush…all silent now. One in particular came to mind, a beautiful blonde who resembled Yasaka far too closely. He'd spent so much time with her, so much he couldn't count the days. She was the last, the last one before his dry spell having watched that vibrant blonde hair turn dull, and finally grey.
"Don't be sad," she'd said the last time he saw her. Even her name was so distant from his memory, perhaps what irked the fallen angel most of all. "You think so much, too much. Just see what is right in front of you."
"Lord Azazel, are you well?" Yasaka's words snapped him out of the memory, only then realizing his hand had been shaking. "You've been quiet, if you do not wish to continue, I can depart." The disappointment in her voice was practically booming.
"You know what," Azazel interrupted before she could do so. "You will be heading to Lilith soon, right? Maybe we could get a drink together," her eyes lit up in a way that only invigorated his choice. "Hell, maybe I can even treat you both."
"That sounds delightful, I am sure by the time our meeting is over Kunou will be seeing you in a whole different light…"
Crossroad Tower Bath…
"Ahhh, no vonder you took zis gig," Volody slid into the large baths of the Crossroad Tower with a satisfying sigh. "Zis is a little slice of Heaven."
"Excellent for the mind and body," Zepar agreed, the three men including Dorian taking the opportunity to relax. The fallen angel was dutifully reading a book, his glasses fogging up in the thick steam, yet somehow, he could still make out the words. The other men made sure to avoid asking about the slightly red marks on his chest and arms that looked like they should hurt but he acted as if they weren't there.
"It's very soothing," Dorian agreed, only then laying down the latest exam he was grading for Rossweisse while she was out. He was beaming with pride, having finally gotten the hang of a rune to repel water and keep the papers, as well as Zepar's book, totally dry. "I could spend a week in here."
"Would be better if we had some guests of the fairer sex," Ratatoskr pointed out while doing backstrokes still pouting that his plans had all been shot down. "But the buildings are a bit emptier without the Gremory gals. Worried about your BDSM Madam?"
"Not in the slightest," only then did Zepar close his book to give Rat his undivided attention ignoring the impromptu title. "The way they fought not just at the Rating Game, but against the Brigade in Kyoto and Lilith shows they are vastly beyond middle-class in strength. If the Devil system permitted it, a few of them could likely advance to high-class with relative ease."
"Zat is true," Volody agreed. "I zaw them all vighting in Kyoto, being able to zurvive Leonardo's army iz no easy feat. Even a vorce from any major vaction would have been hard-pressed to do the zame. I surmise you've seen many middle-class vighters in your time?"
"Indeed, and as a four-winged cadre myself I am intimately familiar with the power requirement to be considered as such. The ranking system is nigh-identical between devils and fallen angels. Being born with four was a rarity in the Grigori."
"Your parents must have been proud," Dorian remarked with a stretch, having just finished wiping down his chest that he was noticing had put on more muscle mass. "Most have to work for years to grow more than two wings."
"I believe they were, I did not get to see them often," Zepar revealed, it dawning on Dorian that despite their time together he did not know much of his past. "I was an only child, but with our low numbers after the war every child was protected to an…overwhelming degree. I could not remain with them but went with the other few children to be trained and ensure were raised to protect the future of our race. "I grew up with many, at least by the standards of our people, but no true family."
Other than Ms. Lily, I didn't have a family in the traditional sense either after the wreck, the Einherjar considered, feeling a deeper connection to the only other member of the Crossroads to share his gender. I had no idea he was so similar.
"Baraqiel was my mentor, an honor as I had the highest grades of my class. That is not as impressive as you may believe, there were only five of us."
"Dang," Ratatoskr sounded truly moved by his story. "Yer kind needs to get to baby-making BIG time, why not have a Piece system like the angels?"
"It was considered after the Peace Summit, but rejected. We do not have the low birth rates of devils or angels, merely low numbers and our pride won out over efficiency. Our leaders decided to remain with turning current angels, who wish to join, into fallen and through normal means like with myself and Akeno."
"Ah, the old-fashioned way," Ratatoskr grinned from ear to ear. "I've seen fallen angel women; your squeeze may be a gem among them but not by much. If they need any volunteers, I wholeheartedly pledge myself to the advancement of the specie…. bllbbbblllll," his oath was interrupted as Dorian nonchalantly starting shoving his friend beneath the waves. Despite Rat's dramatic thrashings, all knew full well he didn't need to breathe.
"If it ever gets dire, we can always help in other ways like we did for Kuroka," Dorian insisted. "You need to only ask."
"I know, and that is a greater comfort than I can express," Zepar removed his glasses, wiping away the condensation as he wanted his vision clear for his next words. "For that, and what you have done for Akeno. If you will have it, I would be honored to consider you a brother in all but blood."
"Zepar…" Dorian didn't know what to say, instead responding with a determined nod. "The honor would be all mine."
"Making up for years without a family, eh?" Ratatoskr clung to the surface of the water for one more jab. "Working on that harem, got you a few god bros, a goddess mommy, the universe's best wingman and now a fallen ange…blllbbublllll."
"You all have an…interesting relatiozhip," Volody had to admit from the other side. "If Nilrem had zis kind of comradery I may have stayed."
"Nilrem?" The men gave the mage their full attention. "Is that…?"
"Mage-Faction of ze Khaos Brigade, da. All zhose who couldn't make it in the Mage Association who shared zhere little fancy for destruction. Admittedly, not my finest hour."
"So, you WERE once a member before Ms. Le Fay recruited you for Team Vali," Zepar's curiosity at the newcomer they had barely gotten a chance to converse with peaked. "I assume you also had a less than satisfactory education at the Association?"
"Zat is true, when I zought out Dorian at Olympus I was firmly entrenched in their ranks. I did not know you had zis Kazzaegtha after you, but the Old God attribute to ze ztaff was unmistakable. Zey vere my area of expertise."
"The Old Gods?" Dorian's ears perked up at their mention. With Ophis' assertion they could not get Kassaegtha to come closer, he was borderline desperate to learn more about them. "How much do you know?"
"More zhan most, less than I'd like," the mage boiled a small patch of water in front of him out of habit and boredom. "Zey were the first ones, those who came before the first gods manifested on zis plane of existence. Mistress Le Vay's pet golem vas one of zheir creations lost within ze Dimensional Gap after departing beyond. No one knows vhy or vhere zhey came from."
"It was because they were bored," Dorian muttered less in answer and more reciting what had been said before. "They had seen everything and didn't see any reason to remain another moment longer. Even with the current gods coming in…"
"You know of zis?" Volody inched closer. "Zhey told you?"
"One did, she…"
"Coast is clear ladies," Bennia's voice shook them from their conversation from the other side of the divider. Despite the trust between them and the men of the team, they still maintained a private section of the bath for most days. The four men floating on their side could hear the clamoring of many women, likely the entirety of the Crossroads and their guests. "I'll never get tired of this, oh, you come in too!"
"You can trust them," Irina assured the unseen woman. "It took time for me to get used to the Japanese tradition of public bathing too, but it's so relaxing!"
"No need to be shy," Kuroka promised. "My young protégé is okay with it. The boys are on the other side so they won't see you, and don't bite unless you ask nicely."
"I-I suppose," the soft timid voice was unmistakably that of Volody's fellow mage, Le Fay Pendragon who had yet to utilize the facilities of the Tower or Hyoudou Residence since arriving. "Maybe just a bit…"
"My turn!" Aika's shout broke through next followed by an enormous splash. "You live like kings in here! I wish I would have been turned into a cat girl sooner. I swear this tail helps out with balance so much, and the strength is incredible, I feel like I can swim for miles. Who is up for a race?"
"She seems to be enjoying herself," Ratatoskr smirked, clearly desiring to peer over the wall at the sight awaiting him on the other side. "A second cat girl is never a bad thing; and we were criminally low on glasses types. She could be a bit more impressive in other fields though."
"AND my new ears are SURPRISINGLY good," Aika shouted, clearly pointing out that she could hear every word spoken. "And if someone doesn't want their measurements broadcast to the town, I suggest they think about what they say."
"HEY! I am VERY proud of my armaments given!" He fired back, slamming his head against the wall to be as close as possible. "It's adjustable in size!"
"That's what they all say," the resulting laughter set Ratatoskr off, rubbing his hands together while coming up with a counterattack.
"Don't compare me to most men you've 'scanned' with your dark powers! Why, I could show…blbbbblubllll," once more, the squirrel found himself sucked beneath the waves this time courtesy of an air bubble generated by their resident mage behind him.
"Zis, and many other magical spells can be yours," Volody sounded like a salesman hawking their wares. "If I am ze one to contract with you Dorian. Just zay the word…"
"Hey! Don't try choosing for us both just because I can't come over there!" Le Fay found her voice in the bathing house of beauties. "Issei hasn't returned yet; we have to pick one each."
"Vell, maybe I vant to map these Crossroads. The Red Dragon Emperor's growth could be a future prevue to investigate."
"I believe I have to agree to anything, correct?" Dorian interrupted the pair fighting like predators over a meal. "Whichever you want to, the pact has to be mutual. Rias told me about her past mage contract."
"Hey, if you don't want one, I'll take them!" Aika added before a retort could be thought of. "I want to learn EVERYTHING about everything supernatural."
"Sorry, but you don't really have an equal exchange of knowledge," Le Fay shot her down. "No offense."
"I could teach some Devil techniques," Seekvaira offered the mages, the heiress having already discarded her towel, having no shame around the women and no worry should Dorian happen to see her. "If you are interested."
"Hey, I'm all the teacher you need-nya," Kuroka boasted, throwing out her chest as she became the center of attention. "By the time I'm done, you and all others in our future team will be true nekoshou in every sense of the word. I should have paid more attention to the school beforehand; you have a surprisingly high affinity for magic for a normal human. Do you know any others who might make good candidates?"
Kuoh Candidates? Dorian pondered the implications. There are many supernatural students but far more normal ones with no idea of the greater world around them. He remembered hearing that Serafall could destroy Japan six times over if she had the desire to or in protection of Katerea's upcoming child. How small the normal world seems taking that into account. Hecuba is the closest we have to a normal human, though even she has the soul of an ancestor hero within her.
"You look deep in thought," Zepar whispered to Dorian. "Are you well?"
"Just thinking, thinking how the normal human world would react knowing just how big things can get. That…and if the Crossroads are a meeting for all groups, that perhaps they should have a voice as well."
"That would be bringing a child into a land of giants. Would you bear the consequences of their reaction?"
"OPHIS? Vat are you doing here!?" Volody sunk beneath the water a bit deeper out of instinct as the uncomfortably young appearing woman stood at the entrance to the men's section utterly naked without even attempting to cover with a towel.
"The women's side is over there!" Dorian blurted out, Zepar allowing his glasses to fog up accordingly. "This is the men's side!"
"So?" She tilted her head to the side. "I was an older man only a few years ago. Is this due to my appearance? I can fix that." With a swirl of energy, Ophis' features twisted, her height increasing, hair growing fuller and longer. When the light cleared, she stood before them as a voluptuous woman appearing at least in her twenties or thirties. Ratatoskr was the only one enjoying the view as she waded out into the water, her nude body on full display for all to see. "Better?"
"Not reall…blubbllbblll," this time Dorian found himself being pushed beneath the waves as Ratatoskr grew to a size to match, shoving him underwater.
"Hey, you don't let me peep, but if they are out in the open willing to wade into our side without a care then who are we to argue boss?"
Dorian pushed back, the pair grappling with one another sending ripples across the surface. The quarreling men pulled and wrestled back and forth, one occasionally outright tackling the other as Volody and Zepar could only sigh. Dorian and Ratatoskr were so close as to be brothers since before coming to Kuoh. That could never be denied, the duo fighting as if they had grown up together and developed the competitive bond all siblings shared.
"Don't make me break out the roots!"
"Don't threaten me with a good time! Save it for your future Mrs. Tyrs!" He slapped his tail down sending a wave oddly similar to Thor's lava attack which Dorian narrowly deflected with a magic seal sending it flying over the divider onto the other side resulting in a scream of surprise as the hot water rained down on the women's half.
"What is going on over there?" Hecuba was the first to ask, her face popping up unexpectedly over the divider between sides. Surprising mostly due to the fact it was a good thirty feet in the air, her climbing abilities beyond question.
"Oh, I see," Ratatoskr loudly proclaimed. "When YOU do it, it's fine. But when I do it, I'm a terrible pervert." Dorian found himself agreeing with his friend for once as he lowered into the water under her gaze.
"Ophis, if you are going to be in a woman's form, wouldn't our side be more comfortable?"
"There are too many over there," she replied flatly, leaning back and pressing out her now-sizable chest. "Silence is preferable, or in the absence of that, as few conversations as possible."
"Ophis is over there?" Seekvaira's head was the next to poke over followed by every other woman's one by one until the men found themselves under the downward gaze of many only about half of which were actually looking at the infinite dragon. "H-hello Dorian, please do not mind us…" She did not see the sideways glance of Thrud at the soft blush coming to her cheeks spotting the naked Einherjar.
"Come on in ladies," Ratatoskr called out with enthusiasm, craning his neck hoping to see more of them hidden by the wall. "The water is just as fine on this side!"
"I do not zee Mistress Le Vay among you," Volody called out with a teasing tone, noting the young magician was keeping her head down unlike the others. "Vhere is zat convidence you had vhenever we were practicing?"
"H-hey!" Her voice peeped up from behind the wall. "Th-this is very unorthodox! I've never been around men like this before…"
"You'll get used to it here," Thrud tried to reassure her. Don't worry, other than the furry one Dorian and Zepar won't take advantage of this situation. I don't know your friend well enough though…"
"I am ZHOCKED, ZHOCKED and inzulted at such inzinuations!" Volody started raising his voice in an over-the top manner. "Vhy, I feel I zhould come over there and give you a piece of my mind!"
"If this causes conflict," Ophis interrupted before spells could fly from either side. "I can change my form as often as needed." Without awaiting a reply, her body started to shift and morph once again.
What will she become this time!?
Dorian's fear alleviated a little bit as her chest deflated, hair started to grow on her face and chest, muscles filling out. After several seconds Ophis sat before them still, only now as a brawny older man with streaks of grey in his dark hair. The girls' first thought was how he almost looked as if he could have passed for Issei's father. Believing that fixed the awkwardness, Ophis leaned back, relaxing once again.
"I can retake my feminine form when The Boob Dragon returns, he clearly prefers it over this one or others I have used before. I must admit, this water is quite nice."
"You've barely known Issei, but seem to be getting along," Dorian tried to make conversation with the now-male Ophis.
"He is easy to speak to, I have not known many as such in my time. My presence normally causes an increase in tension yet he has been very accommodating to my questions."
If I didn't know who you were, I'd think you were a little kid, Dorian chuckled to himself. If they keep it up, Issei may have a little sister after all.
No one else knew quite how to react to the deescalated situation, the women hesitantly returning to their side as the crying wails of Ratatoskr rang through the room lamenting the loss of the bountiful bosom the infinite dragon gave up for her new transformation. However long the ouroboros was going to be with them, Dorian had an idea that the awkward situations had only just begun.
Vanaheim…
"A member of our family must be strong to face threats of the world," the voice of Göndul boomed around her as Rossweisse stood within an enormous room deep within the basement of her family manor. "As such, offensive might is a necessity."
They had wasted no time as was their way, as soon as Rossweisse arrived her family; parents and Göndul included in addition to her cousin who watched from afar, whisked her away to the tunnels beneath their home long before it was as grand as it had become. These had been where she, at such a young age, failed the first time.
But not now, I am ready. The family crests will be mine and all the power and augmentation spells that comes with them!
"Should you stand alone, one against many, how will you fare?" The sound of her grandmother faded as windows opened all over the room, dozens at least, causing Rossweisse to tense up. When she was a little girl, there'd only been a handful of enemies little more than weak monsters that roamed the Nine Realms. Seeing so many appear made her heart start to race, it was now clear it would not be the same as before.
Sure enough, the bellowing roar of Trolls, Ogres, Draugr, lesser drakes, Hydras and other creatures poured through the openings. Rossweisse immediately took flight, power crackling from the magic seals she had set up ahead of time. Every strategy she could formulate ran through her head, the young Valkyrie muttering to herself every step of the way.
"Hydras, weak to fire, focus on them first, Trolls and Ogres no discernable elemental weakness, overwhelm with bombardment, Draugr resistant to magic, trap to slow…"
The room lit up in a dazzling display, dozens of seals surrounding her similar to during her drunken barrage back in Kyoto but far more controlled and with no risk of exhaustion. She calculated each element, guiding it towards the creatures that were most susceptible. Despite their overwhelming numbers, they could not get close against her defenses arrayed against them. Cascading explosions filled the area, all the while Rossweisse soared about with absolute grace and confidence, the occasional ranged ability of theirs utterly useless against her barriers.
Offensive magic, defensive magic, these things I excelled at even then. This part of the trial held no fear over her. This was what set me apart from my family. Spiritual power was so easy to them, but offensive they were only above average. I am far beyond them in skill with this, yet back then it was all I could call my own.
In her contemplation, she missed an especially large Troll, potentially an elder chieftain, resist her spells taking them head on and reached melee range with her. With a single powerful fist, it rained blow after blow upon her barriers without the slightest effect save a single crack, the only sign that Rossweisse's focus had briefly waned.
Melee range, my weakness I found in years since. Heracles beat me that way, Thrud claimed her title that way as I had no answer to her. But she showed me much, and not just her…
Rossweisse clenched her fists, seals layering one after another upon them. She was still nowhere near Thrud in close quarters, but in that moment, she felt the need to show off what the daughter of Thor had taught her over the years in their private moments. Blasting upward, she delivered a powerful uppercut. Alone it would not have been enough, however an Olympian seal shimmered that stuck to its jaw, the slow crawl of stone encasing its body. As her perfected rune of petrification took root, the force of her punch blew the monster into the back wall shattering upon impact. She stood there resolute, finally clear of all opponents in every direction.
"I…did it…" She sighed in relief. "Please, tell me what…"
A blow from seemingly nowhere struck Rossweisse across the face, her seals fragmenting from the sheer power of the assault. She slammed into the ground with such force it broke beneath her. Biting back a pained expression, she looked up at the next opponents of her trial.
"What…but why!?"
"The two foes you never truly defeated," Göndul explained through the intercom. "Can you overcome them both with no one to aid you?"
Before Rossweisse stood Heracles fully adorned in his armor and smug grin of superiority over her, and beside him was the one person she could never see as an enemy. She knew they could not truly be there, could not be real, but that did not lessen the blow of seeing both their faces staring down at her as if she were worth less than dirt.
"I beat you so easily," Thrud spat while hefting the twin blades she had wielded at Olympus over each shoulder. "You don't deserve this second chance."
"And all that vaunted magical prowess was less than nothing against me," Heracles sneered. "Do you need your beloved to save you every time you try to do anything of true worth?"
Road Between Realms…
"You return?" Fenrir huffed as Dorian approached, the usual enormous plate of meat in tow. "Just when the day could not get worse."
"He just had a lovely conversation with his brother," Yggdrasil revealed his secrets once again. "Why, he was so cordial I actually expanded the platform here to give him more legroom." The son of Loki just glared at her silently asking what he did to warrant such torment.
"Hela sends her best," Dorian took a seat looking more comfortable than the others who had accompanied him; Irina, Volody and Le Fay standing much further back. "She is still busy holding Helheim together until the eagle hatches and can start up the winds again."
"She hated her post," he crossed his paws while gnawing on an especially thick bone belonging to one of the larger predators of Jotunheim. "Yet now works so hard to maintain it."
"Maybe she found her inspiration," Dorian smiled as he munched on a sandwich of his own. "You know what this means, you'll be an uncle soon." He pretended not to see Fenrir's renewed glare, eyes widening as if considering what that meant. "I can let you see it if you want."
"You'd release me?"
"Well, no. Until we have a way to tell you won't fall back on bad habits you have to stay here. That, and you killed a lot of people after all, free of Loki's manipulation or not, you have to pay for that. But I can open a portal so you can see, like a window."
"Such a champion of justice you have become Lord Tyr," his tone at the title said in a mocking tone. "Is that the position you will claim? So, I am sentenced to such mind-numbing activity as to inevitably drive me insane first."
"I would be remiss if I allowed that," Dorian rustled through his sack as the wolf tried to peer around him to see what was inside. "Instead, I thought this would help."
"A Tafl board?" Fenrir raised an eyebrow, the Einherjar laying out the pieces for both sides. "I haven't played one since I was a pup."
"Then this will be a nice bit of nostalgia, give us both something to do other than subtly implying dire fates for each other and keep your mind sharp to stave off the inevitable insanity. Since you already declined me playing the lyre…"
"Very well…but if I win our first match you must jump in my mouth willingly this time." The sharp gaze was clearly serious without the slightest hint of joking. "If you win, you get to live."
"That doesn't sound like a fair exchange," Dorian stared unmoving at the awkwardness of the offer. "How about for every round you win, I extend the chain by ten feet? And for each round I win, you tell me something about your time growing up with Hela."
"Hmmmm," he mused while eyeing Dorian before laying down before the board with an intense stare. "Very well, but in addition to the ten feet you will regale me with the boredom of your childhood as well. Make your first move, I look forward to using up every inch of these accursed chains you have remaining."
Not Far…
"Does he converze often with ze beast?" Volody asked Yggdrasil standing a safe distance away, the others out of hearing range.
The magician was currently fingering a nearby branch determining the alien properties from foliage on Earth. Irina was basking in the light of the central trunk all the while Le Fay had an enormous parchment out drawing rather haphazardly the pathways they had already traversed. Despite spending no more than an hour inside, her map was a spiderweb of roads and paths in all directions. He saw now why Ratatoskr was needed as a guide, calling it a labyrinth was a supreme understatement.
"As often as possible, Dorian sees himself as responsible for Fenrir. Even having lost his arm to him, he doesn't let that cloud the punishment owed for his crimes," the ancient being explained.
Though sometimes he wants to, that fear will always be there in some form, I fear.
"He is a jailor of sorts, though I think that is too harsh a word. At first, I believe Fenrir truly wished to devour him, but as time passed and his father's influence waned that is no longer on his mind."
"But how could he know? He could just be vaiting for him to get clozer. He did warn us of the safety border."
"Did you not notice?" Yggdrasil pointed to the tree marking the edge of Gleipnir's chain binding the wolf. It was only then Volody realized that Dorian had already ventured past it shortly after they arrived. If Fenrir had lunged for him, he would never have enough time to get away. Instead, the pair continued to talk, Dorian already making a move on the Tafl board as Fenrir snuffed in annoyance at losing another piece. "Don't say a word. I fear if you do, Fenrir will eat him just out of sheer stubbornness to not admit his change."
"This place is magnificent!" Le Fay blurted out. "I don't even think we're breathing air, there is just…no end! Five years wouldn't be long enough to map all of this, not even five-hundred years! Do you use transcendental principles to keep all of this around, or is there more magical substance to it?"
"I am as I have always been," Yggdrasil answered simply yet cryptically. "This realm held up yours as it was being constructed before any possible record could attest, it was the ideal place for me to take root and grow."
"So, you were elsewhere first, was that Earth or another dimension, are you a race or a unique entity like a god? Are nutrients of some kind needed to upkeep this place or are you totally self-sufficient?"
"I believe vhat Mistress Le Vay is trying to ask is, may ve study vhile ve are here?" Volody asked once Le Fay paused to take a breath. "Zhere is so much to learn and know, a treasure trove of knowledge."
"Y-yes," Le Fay corrected herself. "That's what I meant."
"So long as you do not damage even a single bud along the paths, I would welcome such scholars with open arms." She held her hands out to showcase her literal meaning. "Before my daughter gave Dorian the gift to enter this realm, the number of guests I'd had in this place from your world could be counted on one hand. And not all were kind."
"You had troublemakers?" Le Fay asked, drawing Yggdrasil's full attention.
"One in particular, yes. He wished to devour my very roots themselves." She admitted. "But he is no danger to anyone any longer, for he choked to death on his very goal and his bones rest at the base of…"
"Iz Heaven like this?" Volody asked Irina, having snuck away as Yggdrasil continued her tale to an awestruck Le Fay. "You have been ztaring at that zince we arrived."
"Yes and no," the second-year angel said without taking her eyes off the main body of Yggdrasil lightyears away yet so large she could make it out perfectly. "Nothing can surpass the beauty of Heaven, and yet…I almost wish I could stay here forever."
"It iz peaceful."
"Yes!" She finally spun, realizing it had been Volody talking. "Sorry, I can see why you want to contract with Dorian to see here more often."
"And you get to zee here vhenever you vant, being a childhood vriend."
"Oh, not childhood," she corrected. "Issei was the only boy I knew when I was that young, I met Dorian when we were in England…three years ago, almost four now."
"Izzei, ah yes, ze Oppai Dragon," Irina stumbled a bit at that title he had earned in recent months. "He doez zeem quite interesting as dragons go, and you for angelz."
"You chose to betray your people, Nilrem," Irina suddenly remarked, surprising the descendent of the Baba Yaga. "If you hadn't been at Olympus, Percelos may not have held the shadow at bay long enough. Thank you, I doubt I could ever do something like that, leaving my group behind."
"Vell of course you couldn't," he retorted immediately. "Iv I may zay so, you may be ze most innocent voman I have ever had ze pleasure of meeting." Irina looked away again, not sure how to respond to his words. "You just…gravitate to ze side you feel is doing what'z best. First Heaven, now ze Crossroadz. Ze Brigade had files on you, do not worry, it vaz nothing that will help them and I destroyed vhat I could on the vay out. Zeeing so many different views must be good to grow your repertoire. I personally believe you are incapable of choosing a side zat is not working for ze greater good."
"It's all I ever wanted to do," she admitted. "Help everyone I can, serve Heaven and maybe open a small bakery on the side." She paused as Volody started to laugh.
"An angel bakery? Zat is a new one in my book."
"We can't be fighting all the time. Surely there must be something you've wanted to do that does not involve magic and combat?"
"Vell," Volody cupped his chin in thought. "Vhen I vas little I had zis little dream of running a bookstore…"
Irina suddenly shoved the former Nilrem mage backwards several feet, allowing him to narrowly avoid a Tafl board, pieces and all, flying through where he had been standing. It seemed that the peaceful match between Einherjar and wolf had gone poorly.
"This is a foolish game!" Fenrir bellowed loudly. "What sense does it make to require two to take down one? One can be more than sufficient!"
"Hey, Rossweisse bought me that board at discount!" Dorian fired back, storming closer to the son of Loki. "No need to throw a tantrum just because you are losing and don't like the rules!"
"I should bite off your other arm as recompense for humiliating me so!"
"Well, at least that would even me out!" Dorian's words came out in response more than true meaning, Irina thinking how it almost felt like when he and Issei would nearly come to blows. "I'm STILL finding things Azazel put into this thing," he referred to the prosthetic replacing his right arm. "Do you have any idea how awkward it is to find out it has a microphone and recorded three hours of snoring!?"
"You didn't have that turned on by accident during any private moments, did you?" Ratatoskr grinned from a tree with a smug expression as he acquired new ammunition against Dorian. The young man's face contorted in worry, suddenly having theories on how Azazel got recordings of them for the toyline. "Maybe your lady friends would like a gander at how they sound." The pair had never seen Fenrir smile so sinisterly, basking in the Einherjar's wide eyes realizing what he meant.
"Dorian! Oh my, what now?" Irina rushed over, Le Fay and Yggdrasil following at last risking to venture closer to Fenrir. Volody was not planning to be left behind, following the rest as they went to their friend's aid.
Vhat interesting dynamics zhey have vith one another. Perhaps Miztress Le Vay and I are looking at it wrong. It doezn't matter who contracts with who…they are so entwined zat regardless of who we draw close to, ze others vill be there. If zhey weren't, I doubt I vould have survived that encounter with ze darkness back at Olympus.
Vaneheim Trials…
Rossweisse slammed into the ground once more, barely moving save for a few shivers of life. It was like Kyoto all over again, her armor covered in blood from multiple wounds with several bones broken all the while her opponents stared down with no empathy in their eyes.
"You put up a better fight than before," Heracles kicked her while she was down, the resulting explosion throwing her far once again. His armor was cracked and blood trickled from his face due to her counterattacks, but his confidence was unshaken. "Do you want to finish her?"
"Might as well," Thrud flipped her swords, wiping off a small portion of the blood encrusting them on her sleeve. "She hasn't learned a thing since we were little."
"This…this wasn't the trial as a girl," Rossweisse muttered barely able to speak. "It wasn't this cruel…"
"It takes on many forms," Thrud knelt, using the flat edge of her sword to lift Rossweisse's head towards her. "As a child it was expected you didn't have much baggage so your intellect was tested most. Now, you are an adult and should know more, experiences are taken into account."
"I've learned so much," she coughed up blood. "Studied more than anyone, I was Odin's bodyguard, a member of the Crossroads…"
"Yet you are still so insecure deep down, do you have ANY idea how infuriating that is?! How low I have to drag myself down to your level anytime we are together?"
This isn't Thrud, this could never be her. Rossweisse glared up angrily at the construct the trial had taken in her appearance. These dark thoughts, did I truly fear that in the back of my mind? I always wondered how Thor's own child could take such an interest in someone like me back then.
"An interest in you? I felt sorry for you, almost as sorry as I feel now. Just look at you on the ground ready to…!"
She heard that? But I only thought it, not said it. This is…!
The Thrud construct froze as Rossweisse gripped the sword blade, her hand encased in seals preventing further injury. The false daughter of Thor shirked back upon seeing the glare of absolute anger directed at her behind the silver Valkyrie's eyes.
"You are NOT her, don't even think to try pretending just because you wear her face. Those dark thoughts will not plague me, her friendship was the truest part of growing up for me. If she thought as such, she could never look so joyously when Dorian and I are together yet still harbor her own feelings. And YOU!" She snapped her head towards Heracles. "I lost to you, completely and utterly, but I have learned, that blemish will not follow me any further!"
"Cause you'll just rely on Dorian?" His final attempt to break her failed to elicit the desired reaction. "He's only a crutch to you, and you a burden to him."
"You will not insult him again," the magic seal around her hands suddenly dismantled itself, reforming into a new configuration around Thrud's weapons. The copy of her friend was completely unprepared as both swords flew from her grasp, the blunt ends butting her in the nose so hard it sent her sprawling and drew blood. "You are incredibly resilient to magical damage, but I should have been cleverer in Kyoto about physical attacks. If I hadn't been drinking, I may have thought of this!"
Heracles had no time to react as the twinblades spun head over heel, slamming into his chest one after another obliterating what was left of his armor. He only made a gasping sound and a weak pull on the handle before falling over, dead once again, now at Rossweisse's hands. Only one opponent was left still recovering from the sudden retaliation.
"You aren't real, none of this is, I knew that from the beginning but didn't know how." Rossweisse breathed in and out easily. "And you've been working as one, yet when apart you two weren't reacting as I would have expected, slower I think. Then you made the mistake of responding to a thought, only one way I can think of to do that so seamlessly."
The Seidr Sun Stone, Thrud mentioned they removed it from the vault. I must have been pulled in without noticing after I defeated the army of monsters, this was the second test seamlessly added to the first. When I was a little girl, it only checked my attentiveness and focus. Now, it showed me the deepest insecurities within and turned them against me. They will always be there, but not to such an extent they will make me afraid of the future!
"You haven't defeated me yet," Thrud gave up trying to reclaim her weapons realizing the seal was disrupting her connection to simply pull them back. "I'll beat you into pulp just like back then."
"No," Rossweisse held out her arms just as she had on the bridge in Kyoto. "You won't. Thrud beat me then, and she earned that title. You will never win with her face, thank you for reinforcing just how much she means to me."
The false Thrud only got a single step closer before the barrage of magic was dropped atop her head. This wasn't using Rossweisse's real stamina or energy; she knew that now. With that in mind, there was no limit to the powers she could bring down upon the shadow of her darkest thoughts. She did not stop, the attacks continuing one after the other as Rossweisse didn't even slow down to check the status of her opponent. She had no reason to hold back. Only when the very world around her started to flicker, a sign of her opponent's wavering strength, did she finally cease the assault.
"That was magnificent Rose," the fake Thrud coughed, her body charred from head to toe and armor nearly vaporized. "I daresay that may have beaten the real thing today." Rossweisse rushed forward, catching the falling woman recognizing the speech patterns of her foe, realizing who she'd truly been fighting.
"Why?" She asked again. "Why did you go this far? The purpose of the trials didn't require this, why make me fight you like this?"
"You are a grown woman now," Thrud wheezed with an older voice. "You are held to a higher standard. That, and maybe deep down, this old woman wanted to fret over you just a bit longer. But…now that you found that Einherjar, I don't have to worry anymore. He will take care of you, and you him when he needs it most. Don't lose to any others in that arena either, not even Thrud."
"Granny…" Rossweisse let out a single sob before Thrud vanished in her arms, the room around her returning as it had been before being jumped by the two warriors. Her guess had been correct, everything about the fight after that blow had been within her mind, even her injuries had vanished, the blood-soaked armor returning to the pristine silver-white state it had been before.
"You pass the first two trials," the voice of her grandmother echoed around her again with a noticeable strain. "Continue to the inner chamber to face the third…and well done."
Rossweisse wanted to call out, but knowing the sense of propriety her grandmother had, she held her tongue. The previous discussion had been in her mind, none but the two had witnessed it. With a polite bow, she turned towards the opening door, proceeding deeper into the halls of her ancestors.
"What did you have her see?" Helmwige asked at her side, turning towards the family matriarch. "She looked…oh my! Mother, you're bleeding!"
"I am alright," the elder magician dabbed at the trickle of blood running down her nose. "To think she'd come so far to be able to contend with me in the Sun Stone's domain. "Whatever may result of her new attempt at the final trial, I couldn't be prouder of how far she's come."
Which makes my scrutiny of the man she's grown attached to all the greater. She loves him truly, there is no doubt there. I hope you are aware of how fortunate a man you are Dorian Held, Tyr.
Road Between Realms…
"Your allies are curious people," Yggdrasil remarked as she and Dorian walked the paths of the Roads. Volody and Le Fay were off on their own pouring over the region finding everything fascinating.
"If I hadn't grown used to this place, I'd be down there with them," Dorian remarked before noticing what looked like an eye twitch from the elder world tree.
"Oh, have I grown standard?" She asked, her tone only half in jest. "My boughs have become mundane, have they?"
"No, I didn't mean it like that," he tried to explain as she crossed her arms indignantly. "I mean…I know I can come here anytime with Iggy so I know I have time. You've been around for so long; I could bring my kids here and it would barely be a blink to you." He chuckled for emphasis as if such a concept was outlandish.
"Hmmm, it has been a long time since the patter of young human feet were felt upon my paths. Many of the entities that live here, but no children in eons. I expect there to be enough or your progeny to fill the Roads. I will accept no less as an honorary grandmother!"
"Yggdrasil, I was…" He started explaining before turning to see her smug grin denoting her own jest. It was all he could do to turn around if only to hide from the embarrassment. "So, you did have kids here before?"
"None of my own, just three young ones from beyond my realm. How they got here, I do not know as they were all from different places. All the same, I stayed to help them stand and grow. I am glad to see they are doing well, though not all for the best. Ophis could have gone down a better path, but that is the regret of all parents in a way."
"You knew Ophis!?" Dorian's eyes opened wide, his expression clearly begging why this was never mentioned before.
"She and the one who became known as Great Red, yes," Yggdrasil smiled with a warmth that only one recalling their days as a mother could hope to match. "They were so small back then, I hadn't even rooted myself yet, though did shortly after they left. Those three beings, I knew they would go onto greatness."
"Three, who was the other?"
"Well, it was…" Yggdrasil was about to answer before she paused, mouth hanging open as if what she wanted to say was on the tip of her tongue but would not come. She held that expression for several moments, eyes blinking as she strove in vain to recall the identity of the third whom she had nursed in ages past. "I, I can't understand it. I KNOW there were three, yet when I try to picture the third…it just falls out of my mind."
"Well, it was so long ago. Maybe with some time you can…!" Dorian suddenly stopped, falling to a knee. Accompanied by a bloodcurdling cry of pain, he clutched his chest with such force his skin turned pale beneath his fingertips. Yggdrasil swiftly knelt over him checking for injury, even Le Fay who was close enough to see him rushed over.
"What is wrong Dorian? Where is the pain? What happened?"
"R-right here," he gripped his chest tighter over his heart, breath coming short and shallow as a single realization came to his mind. "Rose is in danger!"
"How do you know?" Le Fay asked quizzically. "She's back in Vanaheim."
The High Queen piece, we are connected now, Ajuka mentioned. Is that how? No time to explain, I have to get there now!
"RAT!" He shouted past Yggdrasil with an almost manic expression, feeling something happening to her but unable to tell exactly what. It was the same sense of anxiety one feels knowing they have forgotten something important but many times more intense. "Where is the closest road to Vanaheim? Rossweisse's family home specifically!"
Vanaheim…
Rossweisse reached the final room, the one that had thwarted her as a child. Despite the years since last seeing it, she recalled its features or rather the lack thereof. It was a small chamber, noticeably smaller than she recalled due to her growth but the rest she'd never forget. Other than the ornate drapes with the emblems of their family and the archway behind her the room was empty save for a small stone shrine carved from the floor. The obvious runes of Yggdrasil ran across its surface as well as spheres denoting the nine realms, below which a single candle burned. She knew what she had to do even if Göndul had not explained once again.
"Spiritual magic, the specialty of our family utilizing such skill tapping into that which runs deeper than the well within us. To claim the family crest and show your growth, you must draw spirit magic from this place where our family began and use it accordingly however you desire.
Here I am again, the Valkyrie mused as she knelt before the shrine. As a girl, she'd struggled, meditated and surely burst several blood vessels trying in vain to draw in the magic permeating the air around her. In the end, she'd been left in tears at her failure crying until her grandmother had let her out, carrying the small girl to her room. Her family intended no shame beyond disappointment, but it had been the greatest failure of her life, even her loss to Heracles did not compare in her mind. It took great composure to not start breathing heavily as the embarrassing memories flooded back. But I am older, surely, I will not fail again. Seidr's use spirit magic for divining the future, perhaps just a glimpse…even a second of the future or past would be enough.
She still had no means through runes or magic she had mastered over the years to do so, however glimpses into those of their new allies had given her a new perspective lacked as a child. The Olympian tome given by Zeus from which she made Dorian's Enneagram, Devil magic of the Underworld shown by Seekvaira and witnessed in many fights, Irina's holy light, even the Sage Arts Kuroka wielded every day. So many different forms capable of amazing feats, but one thing had donned on her through studying them all.
Energy is energy, be it devil, holy, runic, or even science. It's all about locating the form, its content and harnessing it into what we will. Surely, spirit magic works under the same principle. If so, I need only seek out a source I do not recognize…
The determined Valkyrie reached out, coming up empty on calling spirit energy to herself like she had as a child. Rossweisse tried again and again, her eye twitching slightly in frustration as the minutes ticked on, though was uncertain exactly how long she sat. She was no child this time and would not give up, but she slowly started feeling the pangs of hopelessness. She fidgeted a dozen times in the vain hope that even something as simple as body placement could help.
What is it? What is it that makes spiritual magic so elusive? Is it solely something hereditary? That one gene I didn't get yet my cousin did in spades? That…that's not fair. I've always believed anything can be overcome with hard work, perseverance, sacrifice. I gave up so many years to learn everything I could, to advance my career and secure my future. It won't have been for nothing…it won't, if only I had successfully done this years ago…
"It is nice to meet you as well Rosevice."
In that moment as memories swarmed her thoughts, growing her frustration, one that warmed her heart broke through to the forefront. The first time she'd met Dorian in Lady Freyja's room before he could even pronounce her name right. He was not alone, she saw Rias Gremory and her team, Seekvaira when she aided with her maimed wing, even Thrud whom she had started spending more time with only after her failure. It was as if a puzzle had been completed before her eyes, the image made clear.
If I had succeeded, I would have moved to Valhalla or the towers and not been able to come out often. I would never have become Odin's bodyguard, grown close to Thrud…and I would never have been introduced to or assigned to Dorian as his magic tutor. If that hadn't happened, how many people do I spend every day with who I'd never even have heard their names?
She could feel it, a new sensation she did not know before. It was warm yet sent a chill through her being when she touched it with her aura. A scattered collection of energy that hadn't been there when she first entered but now, she could see it was everywhere. She let a single tear slip, all the frustration falling away.
Th-that's it! This is spirit magic, no doubt about it! Is that all it was, a sense of perspective? She contemplated a hundred scenarios but had no way to know which led to her success. That put things in a new light for her, that magic could be found and lost based on the state of thought on the subject in addition to study and talent. Such epiphanies would have to wait, she was too overcome with joy at having succeeded, planning how to use the newfound magic and complete the trial. I can collect as much as I need, perhaps a divination, or even astral projecting myself to grandmother. That would surely show my success! Hmm, what is that?
Rossweisse suddenly felt cold, almost as if she wasn't alone in the room yet knew that couldn't be true as it was a sacred rule for the trials to be without aid. She could sense the spirit magic around her, yet there was something else just beyond and it felt darker. In her open state of mind, she saw it clear as day, resting in the corners of the room, a mass of black energy with two gold orbs peering towards her. She did not mean to do it, but as she drew in the spiritual particles generated by the shrine, so too was she bringing in stray molecules of this unknown energy that she did not want to experience.
No! Wh-what is that? I need to sever the connection! Whatever it is, I don't know what will happen if…
Only a single atom of the foreign substance merged with her spell, that was all it took to send the room into absolute chaos. The small divination spell Rossweisse had been forming to peer into the near future exploded with such force she was blown away from the shrine, a great void appearing where she once stood. As quickly as she was blasted away, the object suddenly reversed its pull trying to draw the hapless woman within. Rossweisse unleashed a flurry of magic seals to surround the rift hoping to collapse or seal it, instead each attempt was sucked within.
A black hole? What did that do to my spells?! Without any magic left to stop its pull, she gripped the far door handle hanging on for dear life.
"Rose!" Göndul's voice boomed over the intercom clearly full of fear. "Hold on! I don't know what that thing is but we're coming in to close that rift. HOW LONG TO GET THAT DOOR OPEN!?"
"We're trying!" An unfortunate overseer could be heard as she left the signal open. "It was sealed for the ritual, we need about two minutes to disable the wards."
"My granddaughter doesn't have two minutes! That thing is expanding off the spiritual energy and whatever monstrosity was in there!" Her Grandmother's wrath was on full display. "Everything will be absorbed within thirty seconds!"
"Thirty seconds!?" The desperate hopelessness in the man's voice cut through Rossweisse's very soul like a blade. "W-we can't do it! Not even the Allfather could breach the room that fast!"
Her heart nearly broke, but once more it was not allowed to.
An azure portal exploded into being behind her, a branch of Yggdrasil emerging to seize her arm a moment before it would have given out. Finally letting the tears fall, she realized who it was who reached halfway out of the Road Between Realms to save her from whatever awaited within the swirling blackness.
"HOLD ON ROSE!" Dorian called out, the strain of holding her clearly great even with the magic runes surrounding him both of his own making and Le Fay who had followed behind. "Can you climb to me? I can't reel you in!"
"That's one Hel of a vacuum, my old girlfriends would be jealous!" Ratatoskr called out holding onto Dorian's legs. "Can you pour on any more power little lady?!"
"I'm trying!" Le Fay held out her staff, the light growing in intensity with seemingly no effect. "This feeling, it's Old God magic powering the portal, I can't disrupt it!"
"I…I can't hold on!" Rossweisse called out, the pull growing stronger and stronger realizing it had only gotten more powerful when Dorian opened his path to the Roads. "Close the Roads or you'll get pulled in too!"
"Stop talking like that!" Dorian looked every which way for another option coming up empty. He couldn't change to other powers or else he'd lose the roots holding her nor were any of his other spells working against the pull of death coming from the unknown rift before them. "Le Fay!" He called back with a shout of desperation. "Do you have any spells that can teleport her out!?"
"Not without getting closer or more preparation! All I got that would work from this distance is a substitution spell and that would just put you in her place!"
"Do it!" He screamed, the memories of a similar situation holding Fenrir at bay passing over him.
"What?" She was taken aback by the lack of hesitation. "But that would..."
"Swap me and her if you can, I'll close the Road's Portal and cut it off from the rest!"
"N-no," Le Fay muttered, a look of sorrow crossing her face. Rossweisse shouted the same lost to the torrents of magic drawing in even sound, the portal growing so large it had nearly reached them. She muttered another refusal before seeing the determination in Dorian's eyes. "Dangit, FINE!"
The young mage gave up on helping pull in Rossweisse, a magenta light encapsulating her hands and eyes. With a series of motions, the energy leapt to Dorian covering him until he was completely blocked by the light. Like the popping of a bubble, the energy dispersed revealing Rossweisse exactly where Dorian had just been. Tears were fully running down her face as she realized what he'd done.
"Dorian, you bastard!" The use of language was so unlike her, the berating of the man she loved ceasing as she realized his situation. The portal had quadrupled in size at the moment of replacement as if it sought him out more than anything else. There was no hope of him escaping it now, however small it was before.
"One aberration in time to devour another," a voice whispered from the shadows, gold eyes visible and unaffected by the rift. Dorian knew immediately who it was but no time to process the knowledge. "Tied to the divination asked of it, you gave just what it wanted…and all that could have closed it. Have fun Dorian Held, or is it Tyr now? I can finally get this off my chest next we meet."
"Rose, I…" Dorian couldn't get off another word before he was absorbed by the blackness. As suddenly as it had started growing, the anomaly began to recede, shrinking in size having claimed what it sought.
"Oh no ya don't you bitch!" Ratatoskr jumped from the root towards the closing iris. "You don't get rid of me so easily. I promised Yggy I'd watch over her girl and your sorry ass, she'd whoop mine if I slacked, GET BACK HERE!" He too vanished within.
"Wh-what…where are you going!?" Le Fay fumed half-pouting as the guilt of having swapped him washed over her. Her incorruptible side would not allow him to go in alone after she had set him on the path. "Ms. Rossweisse, please pardon my rudeness." With a final leap and flourish of her cloak, Le Fay followed suit with an awkward dive forward, making it a half moment before the portal finally closed ceasing all attempts to devour the world around it. The Silver Valkyrie was deposited on the ground, the Road Between Realms having sealed itself the moment the ones maintaining it had vanished from reality.
"Rose!" Göndul rushed in, the barriers finally down and with the collapse of the anomaly was safe to enter. Embracing her granddaughter, she pulled her close uncaring who saw her softer side of concern. "Are you alright?"
"They're…gone Granny," Rossweisse muttered as she stared where they had been. "Where? Where did that portal lead!?"
"We were hoping you could tell us. The power to generate that was beyond anything we were capable of. How did you do it?"
"It was HER," Rossweisse stood up with wrath in her eyes focused above. With a power she didn't know she enveloped every binding technique she could muster upon the corner of the room. The black shape was pulled down, dragged before them without resisting until the golden orbs were eye level. "What did you do!?"
"I did nothing," a feminine voice replied, the shape condensing down until a woman with a Kuoh Academy uniform was standing before them held down by a dozen seals and more added on by Göndul. "You are really something, to go from being unable to sense me to actually drawing in a fragment of my power to add to your spell. How naughty of you. With Ophis protecting Dorian I couldn't get close, so came here to observe the next closest to him, was this intended to happen or a pleasant coincidence? Isn't not knowing grand?"
"Stop stalling," Göndul held a shimmering hand up to the woman's throat. "You are elder than everyone in this realm, what did you do with my granddaughter's intended? Where is he?"
"Wrong question wand-bearer, your snow-covered Rose was not trying to view a place, now, was she?" Göndul paused at the usage of the title she'd not used in many decades, the being's familiarity with it unsettling.
"No, I was trying to…" Rossweisse's complexion paled as she recalled the exact details of the spell she had attempted before drawing in a fragment of the Old God's essence.
I was trying to divine the future, a future where Dorian and I were together. But that's impossible, time travel has been disproven a hundred times over. If that was my final thought, by all the gods…where did he go!?
Elsewhere…
"Have you finished?" Cao Cao asked the white-haired young man. Despite such how few years he had under his belt; Leonardo looked older, his skin tighter and gaunt with a paler look than before. The Hero Faction Leader couldn't be sure, but felt that many of those years had been tacked on recently since he started studying the Evil Dragons provided by their associates in other Brigade Teams.
"I-I am," he answered short and to the point sounding out of breath, barely able to talk. "No one can stand against us now."
"Then prepare your forces, we shall make a concise attack at the very spirit of this alliance of supernatural forces."
"About time," Siegfried performed several flourishes with Gram as a form of stretching. "Our new recruits can prove themselves. Where is the target?"
"The current residence of our former leader. We can make our departure from her leadership; gain the power we need to challenge any further opposition, and crush these fledgling Crossroads AND Heavenly Dragon Teams all in one single strike."
Rossweisse's family trials take a turn at the unexpected arrival of a being whose magic throws her formulae into chaos. With Dorian vanishing to parts unknown, a dark glimpse into what may come looms on the horizon. Until then, I hope everyone stays safe, Reads and Reviews...but most of all Enjoys! :D