"Alright… BRING IT ON!"

A taunt directed at his enemy, a monster that was bigger than him and quite possibly stronger. Its claws had some red from the previous tussle.

The Captain glanced down and saw the blood dripping from his arms and hitting the floor. Each droplet a reminder of the pain he was trying to endure.

There were no time for planning, only rash actions that may yield small victories in this battle. But what if he took a wrong step, or maybe the creature was far more intelligent than he believed? Maybe it was expecting a full-on attack from the human only to counteract him.

Was it even possible for a monster like that to think? No, he didn't want to believe in such a theory, even less so when the bear made the first move.

A deafening roar came as the bear charged towards him. In his mind he saw himself getting trampled, decimated even. At first it felt like an eternity, his body would not respond once again as the fear curled around; the monster slowly advanced, maybe it was his mind playing tricks, letting him suffer one last time for someone's amusement. `What a sick joke!´ he thought.

"No… I have to…"

It went all back to normal. The bear kept going at him at high speed and his only reaction was to do the same.

He ran towards the monster, axes in hand and screaming back. Amidst the pain he pushed forward; Ragnar did have an idea that could work but it could also spell his death. At that point anything was better than doing nothing.

Each step was like a heartbeat, getting faster and faster until there was nothing. His heart skipped a beat the moment his feet left the floor. He may not be the most agile individual but if anything he knew that he had more strength in his legs.

Ragnar jumped, trying to imitate something his friend did moments ago. The bear looked up until he saw Ragnar's foot getting closer to its head. It tried to bite him but he already landed on the top.

With an angered scream, the Captain proceeded to swing his arm at the back of the bear and make a cut. Another step forward and another cut with the other arm, and again and again.

Each step was a cut, a roar from the bear as it was getting injured. Little blood came out every time the axe was swung, coating the edge in that dark red liquid, whether it was being effective or not did not matter for him, there was only a primal rage that was slowly building up, a desire to commit to this revenge that he has waited for months now.

"Hiyaaaaaaaaaa" He screamed and another swing of his arm left another cut in the fur, letting a bit more blood coming out.

During this furious attack, Ragnar saw something lodged in the body of the creature: It was Noel's dagger. Stopping right now meant that he would lose his balance and in turn could have a similar fate to his friend. A sudden action was needed, perhaps slightly unorthodox for a warrior but it had to be done.

"Noel!" The blond shouted and positioned his body. He tried to keep his balance with one leg while the other moved quickly, the foot was ready and prepared for any incoming pain that it might have.

His boot collided with the dagger, he felt a small wave of pain upon impact as he felt the edge making a cut on a toe but he was able to kick the weapon from the bear's back, making it roar in pain once more.

The dagger was sent flying and in turn landed near the other adventurer. He turned his head at the object that was sliding near him, then at the person that was on top of the monster.

"Noel, I need you up! I can't fight things thing alone! I-" Ragnar's voice halted, the white haired saw how the other person lost his footing and disappeared from his vision not before hearing another roar from the bear who kept charging around.

The monster tried to circle around the small cave rather than focusing on the other adventurer, at first it was strange since he didn't think himself to be hidden but it didn't take long before the bear was near him and he saw the reason of its erratic behavior.

Almost like a bag, Ragnar was hanging from the side of the bear, one of the axes carved its way to the bear's flesh, although it wouldn't stay there for long as he was trying to get back up, albeit it was difficult with most of his body being dragged around.

Noel, rather dumbfounded at what he saw, kept looking at the blond until the monster stopped in its tracks and the man that was trying to get back on top of the bear was sent forward, rolling and landing not too far from the creature.

"CAPTAIN!" The boy shouted, quickly grabbing the dagger and attempting to get back up. His legs were responding but it was his arm that felt stiff, an impact from the bear and then hitting the cave's wall took a toll on his body, definitely more than he bargained for in the beginning.

After a rough landing, Ragnar was trying to get back up again; he looked to his left and saw the bear slowly approaching, his mind was not playing tricks, it was walking slowly until it was at arm's reach. The Captain was ready to swing his weapons but felt the lack of weight in his arms. The axes were close to him but a sudden movement could mean his immediate death.

The bear sniffed at him, while he remained quiet. He had no doubt that he was seeing him, even with an eye missing the monster was still quite the threat to him.

"Easy now…" He was slowly leaning, trying to grab the axes but noticed the bear starting to growl.

As it opened its mouth, ready for the bite, a pained roar came out of its mouth and all the attention on Ragnar was gone which game him enough time to grab his weapons and by the time it turned its head back to him, the Captain was able to do a swing, making a huge gash on the nose and running to the side, avoiding an incoming paw that tried to stop him.

A quick dodge and a roll and the Captain positioned himself behind the monster, where it couldn't see him. Fortunately for him, Noel was back on his feet and stabbing behind the bear.

"Captain! I'm glad that you're safe."

"I can say the same." Ragnar smiled at Noel, looking at the back of the bear that was still wailing in pain. "On the count of three, we'll attack it, together, alright?"

"Right!"

"One…" The two of them prepared for the attack, gaining momentum.

"Two…" The young one said, tightening his grip on the dagger.

"THREE!" Both of them yelled and lunged forward. Noel gave a hearty stab while Ragnar used all his strength to dig deep with both axes.

Blood came out, splashing their faces and obscuring their vision as they continued to damage the enemy that was haunting this place.

The bear roared once more and its legs gave in. The echo in the cave became silent as the monster that was threatening them ceased to move.

Their attacks also ceased, taking a few steps back after seeing that the creature was still. Perhaps it was a trap? Was a thought that circled the two of them, a fight that should've been more difficult was over and they were able to celebrate.

And yet…

"Heh…" The adventurers looked at each other, wiping their faces as smile curled on their lips. "Hah…"

There was silence once again until they started laughing. It was not an uncomfortable laugh but one of joy. It was their victory, a moment of respite after that battle; sure, it was not the most perfect combat they ever did but to fight something that was definitely beyond their league and win? Who wouldn't be happy?

Noel took a step forward to stab it a few times to confirm it but the bear did not move.

"I… I can't… it's over… I can't believe that it truly is over…" Ragnar was still processing it, a moment of victory that somehow left him with taste for more. The rage that he had was slowly subsiding as he was trying to catch his breath.

"Captain… I can't believe it either. We won!"

"Noel, after this… please don't call me Captain." The white haired opened his mouth but Ragnar raised his hand to stop him. "I know it's my title and role but please, we've been like this for months, you can call me by my name, we're friends after all."

"Alright, c-… Ragnar." The blond nodded. His attention on the younger one who was also equally happy. "So what now?"

"Now? I guess we'll have to find our way out of this place and I suppose find Bryn, wherever she is now…"

But there was still something off. Something that was eating the back of his mind for a bit now.

The bear was such a fearsome creature that destroyed many villages, including his own. Many people tried to stop it and the fact that no one else could made it look like it was a difficult task. But was that the case?

Both him and Noel were level one which meant that their overall power was not that good, and to pair that up that neither of them have any form of offensive magic made this feat even more impressive.

No, there was something else.

In this rush of adrenaline his brain tried to remember everything that he was taught and experienced ever since he arrived in Orario. How fearsome and threatening the monsters can be or how much effort is needed to kill a goblin, or perhaps he was overall weak back then? No, that was not it.

"You may weaken a monster through various methods but it is only truly defeated when the Magic Stone is broken."

Those were the words that Esther told him during the long explanation at the Guild. It was true that he was able to kill some monsters without destroying the stone but often times they were still alive.

The bear did not disappear, it was defeated but at the same time it was still there.

They made enough cuts to make it bleed but it was still there.

They did damage to the legs, the body, the back and even near the face but it was still there.

They were wrong.

Ragnar returned to his senses, the grip on the axes was tighter than before but before he could notice it, Noel's face was different than before. The smile disappeared, instead it was a look of distress. He was screaming at his Captain and pushed him away.

A similar scene played in his mind: Being powerless, careless even. Seeing how the person in front of him sacrifices themselves to make sure that he lives. The burning village, the man locking the entrance and seeing him run towards danger, albeit it was danger that came to them.

Noel pushed him away and the next thing that he saw was the bear's paw closing in on him. He could feel the impact and how the boy's eyes widened, there was visible pain as he saw the claws carved into his flesh as it launched Noel into a wall once again, only this time he had no time to block the impact nor brace for it.

The impact echoed in the cave, the sound of rocks falling nearby as the body hit the wall.

A scream of pain and Noel hit the floor, not moving at all after that attack while Ragnar landed on his back, away from the bear that was still focused on the downed adventurer.

The bear sniffed Noel, smelling that the threat was no longer there, just an unconscious body, bleeding out from the impact and the cut made from the claws.

It turned around, the dark fur coated in red and reflecting some of the natural light of the cave. Its eye was focused on the one that was still alive.

Ragnar stood up, horrified at what happened to Noel. His vision was blurry, his breathing was ragged and shaky and could feel some of his body was not responding. The many thoughts that circled his mind were about Noel's safety. Did the bear did not consider him a threat because he was dead? Did the impact knocked him unconscious or was he gone? The bleeding, how much was it? Was he alive?

The bear was now entirely focused on him, the survivor of this attack, still holding his weapons while his brain was still trying to scramble any ideas on how to continue. It growled, taking a few steps forward while the human was still in place.

He was panicking, he needed to focus, to fight the creature that was in front of him, but how? That was the question; he was alone and with no clue as to when will reinforcements arrive or if they would even arrive in the first place and even then? What would Brynhildr do? She could be good but a level one can't do this alone.

"You… you took everything. My home, my father, my friends and the people I knew. The place I belonged… You-!" The Captain could not finish his sentence as the bear marched forward to try and maul him.

He had no other option but to follow and also charged towards the monster with both his axes raised. He was decided to kill it, to finish this battle in a victory, he couldn't let this creature live anymore, it would kill other adventurers, it would go on to ruin more people's lives. Even if it was brought down eventually, it had to be done now. Maybe his death would not mean anything to the overall city but if he could go down by killing it…

Just as the two of them were ready to clash, the bear got up on its back legs and raised one of its paws, the claws were out and the blood in them shined against the cave's light.

Ragnar swung first, opening two cuts on the belly of the beast who let out a roar in pain.

"I will not let you-" But as much as he wanted to gloat with that attack, it was the bear's turn to counter.

A heavy swing, he wanted to block it but it was too late. He held to the axes, hoping to make another cut but the paw was already too close and the claws where starting to rip the cuirass to shreds, tearing leather, cloth and ultimately the very skin of Ragnar.

He was pushed away and fell on his back. His brain was rushing through a lot of information that he was processing. The attack from the bear left him in a disastrous state, he looked down at his chest and saw that the armor that protected him was gone, the few pieces that remained either fell off or were far away from him, the shirt was tattered and the jacket that he wore was also mostly destroyed leaving him with barely any protection.

To make matters worse, the marks of the claws were going from his shoulder and across the entire chest, the blood was coming out and his vision was blurry once again, like he was going to pass out at any moment.

Fortunately for him the adrenaline of the moment kept him from feeling most of the pain, although if he could he would be screaming.

He slowly tried to get back on his feet, even is his body was begging him to stop. His mind was almost gone and his body was not going to let him continue, but he had to. He needed to finish this.

"You… you big fat ball of fur!" He spat some blood, getting the attention of the bear once again. "You already took everything from my life… but I will NOT let you take more, not my new friends, my new life… not even my Goddess… I will return to her and I WILL be back to Fimbulvetr!"

He never made a promise, but if anything he owed Skadi all this time. She accepted him into her Familia, she gave him a roof, food and a place where he could belong if he wanted to. Even if he does not feel like his life belonged in Orario, he couldn't deny that he appreciated the help that she gave him and wanted to repay it however he could, even if it was most likely that she would not accept such a thing.

"It was the right thing to do." Ragnar imagined those words with Skadi's voice. It would be something she would say or at the very least think.

"Yeah… I know…" He muttered to himself, looking down with a smile at his axes. "I said I would be alright, didn't I? " He found it funny that he couldn't lie to the Gods, such a stupid rule but at no point he told her a lie; he believed that she knew some things but he couldn't bring his heart out to tell her.

"Nah, I am not going to lose…" His attention shifted once again at the bear. "Not to the likes of you… and not to anyone. For I am Ragnar Strand. I am the Captain of the Skadi Familia and I. Will. Beat. You. DOWN!"

It happened again, the blond was driven by fury as he rushed forward with his axes at the sides, letting out a blood-curling scream. However, this was not enough to scare the bear, if anything it took the challenge head-on.

It was a rough dance between the two. The human and the bear, the swing of the axes and the paws against each other.

Blood was spilled and wounds were opened. Despite being a level one, Ragnar was starting to make more than just a dent on the bear but it was far from defeated; but on the other side, the bear was gaining more advantage as well. In a battle of attrition the winner would definitely be the monster and that was something Ragnar could not afford.

His arms were starting to feel dull and his legs were not as quick as they were in the beginning. The blood loss was starting to kick in and his vision, despite being full of red from anger, it was starting to get blurred again.

"No… not like this!" He swung again, making the beast roar as he made a few more cuts near the neck.

The bear started to adopt different tactics on top of using its claws. It bit him twice, once in the leg and the other on the shoulder, not too deep but enough to add to the blood loss.

His anger kept rising and the pain remained a constant, something he was fighting through in order to defeat this monster.

Even thorough all of this, he was surprised his body was able to hold on this long; if he wasn't fighting for his life he would be happy that the Ragnar that first ventured in the Dungeon was a far cry from what he is right now. Still a level one but if anything there were improvements. Or perhaps it was just his last stand that made him fight to the bitter end.

The bear opened its mouth once again to bite him but Ragnar opted for a different strategy of his. He opened his left palm and let some of the blood hit the bear's eye, clouding its vision and allowing another hit for the adventurer who then backed away as the monster tried to see again.

Ragnar felt that his moment was soon here. His body was barely responding after that and the moment of truth was near. He held Rati's axe tight, knowing that he would be putting one of the training exercises to good use.

"Don't fail me now…" He moved his arm back as much as he could, aiming directly at the bear's head. A direct hit to the brain would make things easier but at the same time he was considering that it was a difficult shot. So much training had to pay off, or at least that's what he believed.

The blond took a step back and then forward, using the momentum to increase the throw speed of the axe.

The wild movements from the bear made this even more difficult but a smile appeared on the Captain's face when the axe landed on the target, or rather, very close to where he anticipated.

The axe was on one of the front leg, almost near the joint at the top. The throw was good enough that it was able to stay there and cause some more damage.

"Heh, his training did pay off..." However, despite how smug he looked, he was still a bloody mess, and on top of that he lost one of his weapons. Sure, he could retrieve it but it would be perhaps the last thing he would do.

No, this was battle was getting close to the end, he could feel it and so did his opponent.

"You and I share so many things, you know?" Ragnar spoke up, knowing full well the beast can hear him despite its attempts to get the blood out of its eye. "We are willing to fight to the bitter end, we are stubborn and definitely are angry that our friends and family are gone. Whether by other adventurers or by many of your species."

The bear finally was able to clear its eye and have a perfect view of the heavily injured adventurer.

"Perhaps I can be called a monster too because of how I am acting, just a mindless individual eager for a fight. But if anything there is a key difference between us. No, it's not the size or the fur or hair… whatever." He chuckled. "Nah, this is far simpler: The difference is that when you kill me you will continue with your life, not thinking about the human in front of you. But me? I will relish this victory, even if I die, I will enjoy it to the last bit."

Ragnar took a stance. He grabbed his axe with both hands and looked at the bear. The bloodied vision of a warrior against the lone eye of the mindless beast. The two of them on their last legs.

"This axe… it's a family heirloom. My father gave it to me days before you showed up at Winter Pine, for my birthday. It may not be the fanciest gift but I liked it. It was used to chop trees and mince deer and lone animals in the forest but now? I will make use of it for something different. As a weapon, a tool that can end lives with the sole purpose of achieving victory."

"Maybe… maybe it was not about myself anymore… maybe it's just my duty as an adventurer…" He grinned. "So… are you ready? "

The bear didn't respond and instead it huffed.

"Sounds good to me… Let's go!" Ragnar ran forward, knowing this will be the last charge. The last attack.

His mind was focused on the enemy, on the one what will be cut down. A good swing of the axe right on the head should make a good dent on the skull, maybe a proper blow to the belly could reveal the Magic Stone and then land the actual hit that could kill it.

There were so many strategies, many of them could work or they could even fail. It was a gamble and all the odds were against him but even if that small chance of victory was a one percent he had to take it.

But amongst all the possibilities that he could imagine at the moment, he forgot about one crucial one, a wild card that was not accounted for.

"Fire at that bear, aim for the legs! "

A commanding shout was heard from the other side of the cave and Ragnar saw multiple people joining the fight, two of them were figures he recognized.

The owner of that voice was the small Captain that has been assisting him so far while the woman next to him was the one he saved earlier, the foot soldier of the Odin Familia who looked slightly injured than the last time that he saw her.

Many members of the Heimdall Familia joined, mainly to fire their bows or throw the javelins. While plenty missed the few ones that were able to land on the legs and back of the bear caused quite an impression.

Now, it was time for the dwarf to act. He moved forward and had his maul with him. A guttural sound came from his throat as he swung the maul with plenty of strength at the floor in front of him.

The impact caused the floor to shake but most importantly it created a crack that was directed at the bear. It advanced quickly and the moment one of the small cracks was below the bear's foot, the ground broke and the creature was partially trapped in that gap created by the maul.

A painful roar came from the beast as another hit from the maul created another line that trapped the other back foot.

But the bear would not go down with a fight, it tried to escape and was able to let one of its paws out of one hole.

Ragnar knew at that moment that this was the golden opportunity. He took a deep breath, channeling all his strength for what's going to come next.

"BRYN!" He screamed out and got the attention of the girl. "BACK ME UP!"

"WHAT?!"

But despite her surprise, Ragnar proceeded to run towards the still-trapped bear. She didn't understand what he meant by that at first but then knew what type of strategy he would do.

Whether it was a connection or just outright understanding on how an adventurer operates, she had something in mind and even if it could come as a surprise for Ragnar, she believed that he would use of it to the fullest.

Whispers came from her mouth as she twirled the spear in her hand. The other was drawing a strange symbol in front of her as stones were suddenly circling at her feet.

Near the bear the floor started to shake and suddenly there were a few platforms that were rising from the ground.

Ragnar grinned on his way there, taking the first step up, then the next one, and a third. He kept going until he had the higher ground over the bear.

When the platforms ceased to appear he knew what the next step was: He jumped.

All the eyes were on him. Amidst the pain and the blood, there was a warrior that was up in the air, his left hand held the heirloom that was passed down to him months ago, the right hand was positioning to hold the axe as well. His lips were still curled in a smile, one that knew that the victory was near.

`Whatever happens next, I don't care.´ He was repeating in his head as the fury was unbearable – no – it was something he wanted. This fury and anger were fuel for him, it's what drove him forward for this revenge, it's what allowed him to reach Orario and what prompted him to become stronger, for this exact moment.

What would happen after this? If he won, what kind of goal would he have? At that point he didn't care.

"I waited some time for this…" He could feel the weight of the axe getting, power that belonged to him, ready to slice down the monster.

Even though he couldn't see it, his axe started to glow, it was a mixture of white and blue, similar to the metal that it was forged in. Everyone else noticed it while he was still focused with his murderous intent.

The moment he knew that his ascent has halted, Ragnar put all his strength on the fall, he would give one last blow that will either kill or heavily injure the bear.

"HiyaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-" Like a falling star, the Captain started his descent, with the glowing axe in tow.

The bear noticed this advance and quickly moved from the trap and got on its back legs, its claws ready to kill him.

A moment of silence.

The sound of metal carving on flesh and bone came afterwards as Ragnar was standing on the bear's `shoulders´ with the axe dug deep into the creature's skull.

It was still alive, but for how long?

"Huh? " He noticed the glow but could not understand what caused or what it was exactly, only afterwards came a realization in the form of a white crystal that formed on the bear's skull. He didn't need to touch it to notice that it was cold, it was not just any crystal, it was ice.

Then another one appeared right next to it, and then another. It spread out like a virus, more crystal popping out of the beast's body as it tried to roar in pain but even its organs were affected by the cold crystals.

It was then when it happened. The bear let out one last roar before the crystals exploded and the enemy that he was fighting turned to white dust.

Ragnar's back hit the ground hard. His belly moving up and down as he tried to catch his breath while his eyes were focused on the ceiling of the cave.

The air was cold, it reminded him of his home.

He could see the white breath coming from his mouth. "Heh… it's gone…" He whispered to himself, quickly realizing what he had done, or rather just most of what he did.

The Captain tried to get back up to see his handiwork. It was painful, even more so than before. He was on his knees and then took a lot of strength for him to get up; his legs were shaking but allowed him to move a few steps forward.

The bear was no longer there, and the only thing that remained was just echoes of what it was. But there was one thing that was not definitely there before.

Snow.

He looked up and saw that there was snow falling from the ceiling, not just on his location but all around this cave.

It was a byproduct of the ice crystals, when they exploded they cooled the area around them and in turn caused a small ecosystem that allowed for the snow to fall. Surely it would regulate eventually but to see snow in a place like the Dungeon? It was something that Ragnar was definitely impressed if not amazed.

"Victory…" He whispered. "Dad… you can… you can rest… easy now…"

The smile remained as he raised his bloodied fist as a sign of victory. However this pose would not last long as his legs gave in and the vision of the snow falling around him was soon fading since all he was seeing was black.

He was prepared to feel the floor once again but someone caught him before it happened.

"Boy!" Thom took off his helmet and put his ear by Ragnar's chest. He could hear a faint heartbeat. "He's still alive!" He pulled his bag forward and took a potion and made the human drink form it.

Some of the members of his Familia joined him. The dwarf wasted no time as he took Ragnar and carried him over one shoulder while he had his maul on the other.

"How's the other one?"

One of the adventurers approached Thom, he was carrying Noel on his back. "Lavenza stabilized him but he needs treatment."

"Good. The same applies to him." The warrior addressed the rest of the group. "I need two runners."

"Sir!" An elf and a Pallum stepped forward.

"Get to the surface as fast as possible. One of you heads to Fimbulvetr and tell Skadi that her children are gravely injured and that she has to go to the hospital, the other one go back to the tavern and inform Heimdall, I'm sure he will want to be with Skadi. I need someone to pick up what remained of the bear and the kids' belongings. The rest of you, I need your eyes and ears peeled, we will try to leave this place as quickly as possible, minimize fights and find quick routes."

"Yes!"

There was a stark difference between Ragnar and Thommerlum in terms of how a Captain acted and right now the experience that the latter brought was necessary.

As they were leaving the cave, the dwarf stopped by Bryn who looked at the battle site, the blood, the cracks on the floor and the area where she was pushed into.

"Lass." She turned at Thom. "Would you mind joining us? You look like you could use some treatment too."

"Um… y-yeah." She nodded her head and followed the dwarf along with the rest of the Heimdall Familia out of that cave system.

…

"Ah!" Ragnar opened his eyes. He looked at his arms and then at his body. The claw marks were missing or rather they were never there. He was wearing a winter jacket and was sitting in front of an empty desk.

All the pain that he suffered back in the cave was gone but there was something else going on. Noel was nowhere to be seen, the bear was gone but this was not his room at Fimbulvetr, nor was any place he recognized in Orario. He did recognize it.

The blond looked ahead and opened the window to reveal a snowy forest.

"Home…"

"Ah, fell asleep again?" That was something else he recognized, the voice he never expected to hear again.

Ragnar stood up and ran towards the kitchen and saw a man cutting some vegetables. He was wearing a typical winter outfit with an apron on top of that. The man had golden hair and blue eyes, different than the brown ones from the boy. The lack of wrinkles or indentations on the skin made it clear that he was young, or at the very least looked the part.

"Don't go too far, dinner will be ready soon."

"Dad…" His vision started to get clouded, not from pain but from tears. "Dad I… I can't believe that…"

"That you get to see me again?" He chuckled. "Well, I will admit, it is nice seeing you again and all, even more so with recent events."

"Wait… what do you…" He looked around. It was truly his house, that small cottage that served as his home for seventeen years, it didn't change much at all. It was there when in reality it shouldn't. Something was indeed off.

"Dad… what… who are you?"

"Mh?" He wiped his hands against the apron and turned to face his son. "You know the answer too well. The question is, who do you think I am?"

"Well… you look like my dad, you talk like him and even move and dress like he would. But…"

"I should be dead? Well, you are not wrong." He returned back to the counter and continued preparing the dinner. "Call it lucid dreaming if you will. What you see here is your head, memories of our home and even from me." He remained silent, raising the knife and looking at the window. "Which means that I'm-"

"Not real…" Ragnar sighed in disappointment. "My mind is playing tricks on me." The Captain looked around and found his seat by the table. Rather than discussing on how this was possible or the logic behind it, he just wanted to spend some time with his father. "Dad… I did it."

"Oh?"

"The bear, the one that destroyed the village, the one that-… I killed it."

"Oh, I know. And I will admit it was quite the performance! I am proud of you."

"Heh, thanks." He smiled, scratching the back of his head. He was not well accustomed to the compliments, even less so from his father. "You know… I wish I could stay here longer. Spend more time with you. I… miss you ever since that happened. I wish I could've seen mom…"

"I am sure she would've been so proud of you and happy about the man you became. I know I have not been the best father when you were growing up but… I did my best." Both of them sighed. "But let me ask you this: If you stayed here with me wouldn't everyone else feel sad?"

"Huh?"

"Think it about this, everyone is waiting for your return. Back to Orario, to Fimbulvetr, back with Skadi and Noel. Your place is not here."

"It is, this is my home!" Ragnar stood up immediately, slamming the table with a fist. "Dad, I went through so many things to get back home, my place is here! You are wrong!"

"Am I?" A sly smile appeared on the adult's face, eyeing the young adventurer from the corner of his vision. "All of this is your own mind playing tricks as you say. Everything that I know is something that you know. So maybe it's not me who is wrong, maybe I am right and you are not accepting it."

Ragnar's dad finished cutting the vegetables and then returned to his son. Placing a hand on his shoulder. "Let's say you go back to Winter Pine, what else? This place is going to be nothing but ruins, ashes and cinder. Is that a place you can call home?"

"Well… no but-…"

"Home is not just a place, it can be anywhere. Tsch, I sound like your dwarf friend now, it's something that he would say."

"Yeah… Thom does sound like that…" Despite the fun comment, Ragnar was still sad. "Dad, I… I don't know what to do now…"

"That's the best part, don't you think? The world is ahead of you now. The big bad bear that has been lurking in your mind is gone. Just because you don't have a goal doesn't mean that you can't find a purpose now, if anything it's the best part of it!"

"I… I guess."

"Come on, when was your father wrong? Or are you implying that Bjorn Strand is a liar?" Bjorn poked at the young one on the cheek who just waved it, both of them laughing at each other's reactions. "Now go. There's people waiting for you."

There was a light coming from behind Ragnar, he saw the door to this house shine, as if it was the way out of that dream world. "Will I ever see you again?"

"Who knows? But remember these words, after all these are your thoughts as well! It is alright to remember the past. Events, people or even family. But just because the past was better or happier it does not mean that the future will not. Remember the past but do not dwell on it for too long, alright?"

"I'll-"

"Think about it. I know, at least you're doing it." Bjorn smiled back at the Captain. "Now go, there's someone waiting for you on the other side."

With those words, Ragnar nodded and walked towards the door. He held onto the doorknob, unable to turn it around despite the light coming from the outside, inviting him to leave the warm embrace of the cottage.

He looked at his father once again, encouraging him to leave.

Part of him was happy that he saw him again but at the same time he was heartbroken that it was all in his mind. Still, another chance to see his father now that the nightmare that has been looming over him was gone.

Ragnar turned the knob and the bright light enveloped him, seeing nothing but white until his vision faded into nothingness.

It was dark, he couldn't see anything and there were no sounds either. This gave him some time to think about the recent events. How he brought Noel and Brynhildr to help him with his personal revenge, how both of them were injured and one of them on the brink of death.

He was willing to die just to keep Orario safe but at the same time it was making him wonder whether he did it for himself or it was his purpose as an adventurer.

"I wish it was simple…- Huh?" He saw in the distance a light, he tried to reach it but his body could not move on his own, if anything it was being controlled by something or someone. It was impossible to resist, much less to exert any kind of strength, he was powerless.

It was only then that the light caught up to him and his vision was once again bright. He could hear people talking, albeit no one he recognized.

He was starting to make up some figures. A ceiling that he did not recognized, beds, medical supplies and even he understood that he was in a bed too. Out of all of this, he recognized a figure that was near him, holding his bandaged arm.

The brown hair and crimson eyes were the giveaway. Despite wearing a more casual outfit the hood was still there, lowered, but it rarely abandoned her collarbone.

The face of the person was one of sadness, worry but there was even some happiness in between that. She was happy that the person whose hand she was holding was awake.

Tears started to form, unable to contain her happiness for this moment.

"S…Skadi…" Ragnar's voice, much like his body, was weak.

"Ragnar…" She sniffed. "You're back…"

And so the battle that has been teased for a while is finally here. I will admit that I struggled at first with how the combat would go and where to end it but I do believe I found a good end point there.

Fun fact: This is the second longest chapter that I've written for this story, it is also the second longest chapter that I've ever written in the site.

Regardless, I am happy with this result and I hope you also enjoy the chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Thanks to everyone who's been following and putting the story on favorites as well as writing reviews!. I know the story is not that popular but I appreciate all of you who take you time to read this small project that I started last year.

I will keep my stance that I hate the formatting on this site so it looks all clumped together at times.

With that being said, it is time for me to go to bed. Hope you have a good week and as always: See you in the next chapter.

Next chapter will be the end of Act 1, so be there!