Guest1 and 2: A full replacement back to the Old Satans? I see, that could be rough with how much devil kind has changed since their parents ruled. As for your other ideas, I don't know Freezing but it's great you have so many.
Hollowreaper 93: It may have been a result of her power, but she herself didn't make a move. That's the distinction to her. As for where they went...we'll find out today :D
Lorenzo Macchiavelli: Yep, lots happening at once :D I always wondered on the trials too, in canon they happened totally off screen. I am glad you've been enjoying both my fic and that one.
TheLycan2026: That is wonderful to hear! Never feel any obligation to leave reviews, only if you want to. You enjoying the story is what matters most :) I hope you enjoy this one just as much.
xXwolfsterXx644: Hope the wait wasn't too long ;)
fanficcyberman: Hahaha, gotta have some to keep the intrigue up. And you hit the nail on the head, Old God magic is unknowable by its very nature. Just imagine it mixing with standard magic spells and the outcomes. I could tell by your name, but so glad to hear again how you love Doctor Who, I'm a big fan too especially David Tennant. And thank you! I realized canon never explained why Azazel was currently single so like other aspects I wanted to fill it in. It means more than I can say how much you enjoy my slight additions to canon for depth to other characters. I am doing very well, in fact it's my Birthday today so even better. I pray the same for you and all your loved ones.
Okaze: I am glad it was unexpected ;)
Dragonx411: Always great to see your synopsis of the chapters. Sorry for the cliffhanger lol, your words are too kind. I'm honored to be the first of such stories you've enjoyed. Hopefully the wait wasn't too painful.
michaelfriede61: Wow! The whole thing in a week? That is one of the greatest compliments you can give with how fast you read it. I am so glad you've been enjoying it. As for your questions, no major details but I will say Ms. Lily will most certainly learn of Dorian's current status. Also, while we don't know exactly which afterlife his parents went to...I will say that at some point later on they will have a role to play.
And with that…ONTO THE SHOW with a special timing posting the chapter on my Birthday!
Not again! Dorian screamed along with Despoina as they were pulled within the dark swirling portal. He couldn't see or hear anything, only knew that he had to remain perfectly still. Whatever kind of rift had been made within Rossweisse's family chamber he did not want to risk touching the sides. For what felt like an eternity, it had been funneling them in one direction without allowing him to drift towards the sides.
Hold on Dorian! The Goddess of Mystery commanded. I don't know where this is heading, but these torrents of magic are beyond anything I've ever felt. Not even the Pantheon of Olympus could have constructed such a power!
That is not very reassur…Dorian did not get a chance to finish when as suddenly as they'd been pulled in, light struck his eyes and he was spit from an identical vortex to what had pulled him in. Unfortunately, he came out several feet higher in the air than before, landing with a thud face first into the cold ground.
"Owww," he groaned while trying to recover his bearings. "What…?"
"LOOK OUT BELOW!" The warning came too late as the petite, but still heavy body of Le Fay Pendragon crashed on top of him. With no time to recover from his own impact, Dorian was driven into the floor once again. "S-sorry," she apologized as she brushed off her skirt and cloak. "Just give me a moment and I'll move."
"Incoming bombshell!" A small bop knocked Dorian down as Ratatoskr landed on his head. His friend seemed almost smaller than usual; he was panting heavily as if having just overexerted himself. "That's the last time I backseat drive, I call shotgun next time."
"I'M SORRY!" A new voice came down as Iggy, having materialized midstream slammed onto Dorian's back beside Le Fay. Despite trying to cushion her fall, she ending up pinning him once more, the Einherjar unmoving and down for the count. In that moment, he realized just how large her bottom seemed to be despite its softness. "Dorian, are you okay?"
"I've been…better," he groaned weakly while the two got off him far too slowly. "Where are we? Who knows where that portal could have dumped us?"
"Not far," Le Fay pointed ahead, the wayward trio noticing that a familiar shrine in front of them that hadn't moved. "Isn't this where we started?"
Sure enough, they were still within the shrine chamber, just where they had been swallowed up by the strange rift created by Rossweisse. It was nearly the same, only noticing the stonework looked more worn but otherwise identical to moments before. That, and the complete lack of life, there was no sign of anyone around them.
"I thought they were bringing in backup to help us," Iggy looked increasingly worried. "Where is everyone? I can't sense anything."
"Smells wrong too," Ratatoskr's fur bristled across his back. "It isn't the same as when we left. It smells…different, like an old boot."
"Be careful," Dorian warned as he recalled spotting the eyes of Kassaegtha before they fell within. "This might not be her home, maybe an illusion." He tried the door leading out of the shrine, noticing immediately the seal locking Rossweisse within for the trial was not there.
That barrier was placed to keep her leaving or anyone from assisting, he recalled Rossweisse's preparation for the coming trial. It was clearly there when I came in, but it doesn't even seem like anything has been cast on this door in quite some time. What is going on?
Le Fay took the lead, calling a flame upon her staff as the hallway beyond was wholly devoid of light. The architecture definitely looked different than when he had dinner with them. It was the same style but small differences like it had been totally redesigned in the days since he'd last seen it. Ratatoskr sat atop Dorian's head as lookout, peering around with eyes that saw more than just what was before them. None knew what to say as they rounded unfamiliar corner after corner seeking the way out.
"I see the front door that way," Ratatoskr pointed in the direction of a solid wall. "If you can meander in that general direction we'll get out."
"Any idea what that portal was?" Dorian deferred to the expert magician among their numbers. "I didn't see any runes or circles powering it. It was just…"
"…a black hole in the world," her near-exact description to what he was going to say sent a chill through the Einherjar. "I do not know Lord Tyr, I tried to study it as best I could before jumping in but it doesn't match anything I recognize. Fairy, white, black devil, angel, Norse, none of the magic styles seemed associated with it. There was an air of Seidr magic, but it was completely overwhelmed by something else."
"You can call me Dorian."
"Yes, Lord Dorian."
"There was that creepy bitch in the corner watching us," Ratatoskr pointed out before the blonde student could correct her again for a less official title. "Now I may just be an old-fashioned rodent who don't know much of magic schools, but the whiff in that room was rank. Only place I smelt who dealt that before was when your stalker introduced herself after you went into the gap."
"Old God magic?" Dorian and Le Fay's eyes both lit up but for different reasons. His were worried and full of concern, hers like a child's who just learned a second Christmas was coming. "Oh, you would have been much better off if Volody had come through. Old God theory is his specialty." The young Pendragon looked truly downtrodden seeing herself as useless in that particular field.
"Don't think like that," Iggy patted her on the back, stepping in before Dorian could say a word of comfort. "None of us know what's going on. I saw you jump in on your own, you could have avoided the portal but you chose not to, all to help Dorian. That says more of yourself than any degree of power or knowledge. I am truly glad you came through with us."
"I think that door ahead can lead where we need," Dorian rushed a little forward to open it, giving the two women privacy to talk.
"I couldn't swap Lord Dorian in and then just stay back," she shuffled a bit awkwardly. "I would have regretted it forever; I just know it."
"And that is what you have that is yours alone," she smiled so serenely Le Fay couldn't hope to keep her head downturned. "You jumped into potential death to help someone you wanted to. You said before…"
Before they even stepped through the door Dorian opened, a blaring sound erupted from the hall echoing in all directions. Iggy covered her ears but there was no blocking it out, the klaxon horns announcing their presence to any that would hear it. It was unmistakable what had happened.
"We tripped an alarm?" Le Fay readied her staff with concern. Down the corridor, a squad of a dozen guardsmen, Einherjar from the look of them, materialized from other parts and rushed in their direction with weapons drawn.
"Hail," Dorian waved them down recognizing those assigned to protecting Rossweisse's family home who had admitted him prior. "Do you know where Lady Rossweisse is or her family…?"
"Boss man," Rat muttered softly. "I don't think they're the good kind of welcome party."
"The Shrine Chamber has been breached!" The first shouted, his spear brought to bear on the group. "Identify yourself!"
"Dorian Held, Tyr Odinson" he raised his hands in a gesture to showcase his lack of desire to fight. "Rossweisse was in trouble, so I came in to help. Where has she gone?"
"There is no son of Odin by that name, what are you trying to accomplish?" The Einherjar moved to corner them. "The Lady Rossweisse has not visited in some time nor would ever have allowed an outsider into our most sacred hollow. Speak the truth or else."
"I AM speaking the truth," Dorian insisted, his body tensing for what he could tell was coming. "She was going through her family trials, I sensed something was wrong, what…?"
"You have trespassed upon our Lord and Lady's Sacred Grounds. The penalty for which is death. Take them!" The squad rushed forward, weapons ready crackling with lightning.
"Shit!" Dorian summoned his gauntlets along with a horned circlet upon his head. With Iggy so close by he could still access the full power of Laerad Ragnarok. "I don't want to fight! Everyone, cover your eyes!"
The women and Ratatoskr complied just in time as he unleashed a blast of light from Alfheim, blinding the men and stopping them in their tracks. Eyes burning from the power of one of the Nine Realms, they flailed their weapons haphazardly hoping to strike a foe taking advantage of the situation but hitting only air. By the time they could make out basic shapes, the group had disappeared, navigating around them towards the entrance."
"They didn't recognize you at all," Le Fay muttered as she worked to keep pace racing up the stairs and through the extravagant halls of the ancient manor. "O-odin provided mine and all of Vali's team faces when he was adopted to make sure we weren't attacked, they should have known me too."
"I know the mister of the house was pissed you were banging his daughter, but I think this goes a bit far."
"I don't like this. If we can get outside, maybe we can see what's going on."
"There they are!" A new platoon of guards shouted from the side, pouring around the corner one after another like ants. Dorian hadn't seen so many when visiting previously, the question crossing his mind as to the reason for such increased security. "Block off the main entrance!"
"How many dudes do you need as guards for one house?!" Ratatoskr held on for dear life as they raced to avoid the new threats.
"We're going to have to fight," Dorian summoned a portal, reaching inside to claim Twilight Star. His face warped into a sense of confusion after several moments of fumbling as his hand found only air. He was certain he'd opened the portal to where he kept his armory of weapons, however now there was nothing but an empty stretch of the Road Between Realms. Sticking his head inside, he looked in every direction, all his hard-earned weapons and trophies completely gone. "What the Hell, where is my equipment!?" The new foes were nearly upon them.
"If they try getting close, they're getting a face full of these nuts," the denizen of Yggdrasil pulled from seemingly nowhere a makeshift slingshot. Beside him, a bag filled to the brim with walnuts he often like using as ammo, ready to fire.
"NO VIOLENCE, PLEASE!" Iggy shouted at the top of her lungs, her hope against fighting guardsmen doing their duty driving her words, shaking the walls and shattering nearby windows.
In response to her wishes, roots and tendrils burst from the ground in all directions between the encroaching army of guards and them. Their training did not help as the summoned instruments of Jotunheim claimed them one by one, coiling about and wrapping around the confused Einherjar. Those who were not seized found themselves trapped behind walls of roots with no way around. No matter what they tried or how many they hacked away at, more came up from the Earth to reinforce them. It was all they could do to hold off being claimed by the primordial foliage much less going after the intruders.
"Thanks Iggy, that should hold them a bit," Dorian complimented her, throwing up a few quick barrier seals for good measure before reaching the front door he'd seen when being thrown through a wall only a few weeks past. "Locked!" He held up the gauntlet, swirling red and black magma-like flames of Musphelheim building upon it. He didn't have his weapons, but the young Einherjar no longer needed it to channel such power. "Stand back!"
The door blew outward into kindling unable to withstand the fires that had forged many weapons of legend. Ignoring the cries from the guards to stop where they were, Dorian, Rat, Le Fay and Iggy rushed out into the bright Vanaheim air…and a waiting army of guards reminiscent of the force Dorian had seen opening a side door of the palace his first day in Asgard. They were all arrayed for war, magical barriers and spells augmenting their armor, Dorian recognizing it as the same they wore when going to battle in Olympus.
"Ready ARMS!" They narrowed their spears towards them, magic building to an apex. "Did the traitor summon reinforcements?"
"They attacked the Shrine; they must be with the invaders. FIRE!"
Dorian threw up a defensive barrier, but it was unnecessary as the resulting explosion did not come from the army of Einherjar, but was directed at them. A ball of swirling blue and green fire landed within their ranks killing all at the center of impact and scattering the rest. As they stared in horror at the burning bodies, an oddly familiar voice called down, Iggy and Dorian grimacing at who greeted them.
"I know not who you are stranger," Loki called down, or at least it looked like Loki albeit with more grey in his blue hair and a far more extravagant robe that didn't even look like fashion native to the Nine Realms. He carried a scepter with an eldritch blue glow, but it had not been the source of the attack, rather it emerged from the maw of the giant wolf he stood atop. The monstrosity resembled Fenrir clearly made purely of metal, the eyes glowing red without the hint of a soul. "But you distracted their troops well enough for me to make my move, are you more of my allies from afar?"
"Loki!?" Dorian did not hesitate to don his full Balance Breaker armor, gems enough to use all his powers glowing bright across its surface. "How did you escape?" As he rose into the air, he left behind orbs of Hestia Flame to help as little as it could the men struggling to save their comrades below from the aftershock of the attack. Iggy turned her appendages from attack to defense to shielding and carrying as many wounded as she could to safety.
"Did you think the whelps of that Red Dragon could truly capture me so easily were it not my intent? They'll be busy with my allies for some time." He boasted, though none of them understood who he was referring to. "Twas all part of my plan to reenter Vanaheim. And now that I am here, the magic of this place will let me and my associates rip the Nine Realms apart. I sensed that magical display of yours, how did you summon such a vortex?"
"His time with his little girl hasn't made him any humbler, has he?" Ratatoskr groaned at the long-winded statements. "A week of free strawberries says I can nail him between the eyes from here."
He thinks I made that portal that brought us here, but where are we? It looks like Vanaheim, but the details aren't adding up.
That grey in his hair, Despoina pointed out. I don't think it's where we were sent, but when.
But time travel is impossible, no one in the history of the supernatural world has ever done such a thing. I admire Rossweisse's abilities above most, but such a thing is beyond her, beyond everyone.
"If you and your friends care about them," he looked down seeing Iggy trying to tend to the wounded soldiers with Le Fay using what minor healing spells she knew. "Then you are not with my associates. A pity. Fenrir, kill him."
The mechanical construct of his son released a thunderous howl. Running on seemingly thin air, the wolf bounded towards Dorian, its fangs bared before him seeking his flesh. It was a sight Dorian recognized all too well and refused to shy away from a second time.
"Not…AGAIN!" Dorian reeled back his right arm, the prosthetic created by Azazel augmented by the light of Asgard, and swung. His right hook connected with the machine's snout, sending it reeling to the right hard not having expected such resistance. The metal Fenrir slammed into the land of Vanaheim, leaving an indentation where he impacted. Surprisingly, the steel making up its face dented inward, Dorian's blow rending metal leaving imprints of his fist.
It's not as strong as the real thing, no way that's on par with the top 10 beings in the world. That or Lord Thor's training must be really paying off. Maybe it is weaker for some form of mass production? Iggy, can you return inside me? It will be safer there.
"I am trying Dorian!" She shouted up from below unexpectedly rather than speaking to him mentally. "I don't know why, but since we arrived here, I've been unable to return to your consciousness. I think I'm stuck!"
"Kick his ass again kid," Rat leapt from his shoulder before growing to a size towering over the Einherjar and bounding towards the crater left by Loki's attack. "I'll help move some of these schmucks to safety!"
"Fine by me," Dorian turned to face them head on. "We'll deal with him, then find out where…or when the Hel we are!"
Road Between Realms…
"You pace more than my brother," Midgardsormr remarked in a rare moment of energy. "You are worried for Dorian?"
"He's not in this plane of existence anymore," the avatar of Yggdrasil fussed, walking to and fro despite not being her actual body. "Just a moment ago, after he left. I can't sense him anywhere."
"Nor can I, though my power still flows to him. It would appear our pact transcends even the limits of the world. You knew this would happen, didn't you?"
"I knew SOMETHING could happen; it was inevitable but I never imagined so soon. My daughter who hasn't been born yet, his immunity to all time-related magic, this Kassaegtha taking an interest. In all of my years, I've never seen anything like it. And neither has she clearly for an Old God to be so active in pursuing him."
"So, he has gone to that land where his soulmate hails from?"
"Yes, I have no doubt anymore. Oh, my dear little one," she shed a single tear at the thought. "If you see what haunts your nightmares, what will that do to you? But Dorian is there with her, Ratatoskr too. Surely, they will give each other strength."
"If anything happens to him, my pact will end and I will feel it. If that should occur, I will tell you," the dragon gave a solemn promise before yawning wide and long feeling the desire to sleep once more come upon him. "He has a good head on his shoulders, I would not have taken his deal if that was in question. I will rest, and when next I awake, we will know his fate for good or ill."
For good or ill? For thousands of years, I have grown within this place watching the world turn. I have protected the roots from attack, occasionally visited and seen how the world we hold up has changed. Yet, in this moment…I would give that all up if it meant making sure my little girl was safe. I am being so selfish, is this what it's like for humans to be mothers every day?
Vanaheim…
"You are stronger than the rest of these pathetic Einherjar," Loki complimented as Dorian confronted him from below. "But still a gna…"
Loki was unprepared as Dorian rushed forward, hitting him like a javelin and knocking the deity off balance. The Einherjar pressed his advantage, devil and angel wings emerging from his back for a moment as he plunged a blade of light towards his chest while releasing a wave of dark energy. The blade broke off the defensive barriers but clearly strained them and the wave buffeted his opponent. Frustrated by his ability to fight back, Loki seized him by the face in an attempt to crush it, the fast creation of his horned helmet the only thing protecting him from succeeding.
"How many times are we going to do this?" Dorian groaned as he seized Loki's arm, turning while using every muscle he could muster and with a great roar throttled his foe over his shoulder. While he knew Loki would surely have anti-gravity measures in place, he slapped a seal onto his shoulder that temporarily interrupted any magical process. More surprised that the evil god had not thought to counter such a move, it worked as he continued to fly through the air before impacting a nearby building. The wall caved in as Loki rolled with a quick recovery before the debris could land on him.
He could have shapeshifted to avoid the blow; my seals can't stop that. What is going on, if this is the future, has he just wholly changed his fighting style? It feels almost too easy, he couldn't have grown weaker or…
"It has been a long time since one other than the Red Dragon and his spawn have dared to touch me so. Let this be your reward." Loki raised his scepter, an unfathomably complex magical formula appearing before it generating an attack none of the three recognized.
"Dorian!" Le Fay raised her staff, adding defensive magics of her own as support. "I don't know what that is, but you do NOT want to get hit by it! I can feel the magical torrents from here!"
Loki's sinister grin twisted almost beyond what seemed possible for the confines of his lips before the attack was released. The surge of swirling black and purple energies disrupted the air and very magic of Vanaheim as it tore through everything towards Dorian who could barely follow its course. Before it struck home, the attack was nullified with a booming crash by a similar wave of black and red energy from above.
"I don't know who you are either," a young man with red hair who didn't look a day older than Dorian remarked. "But you clearly are not with Loki or the Underworld Lifeforms." He looked upon the Norse God, leveling a blade towards him that was undoubtedly a legendary item just from the aura it emitted. "Did you really think your pawns could delay my siblings and I for long?"
"Tch, foul Gremory brat!" Loki's demeanor broke, the sheer hatred towards the man in front of him clear as day. Without another word he released a barrage of spells without elegance bent solely on obliterating him.
Before Dorian could even move to help his savior, magic seals erupted into being between them by the dozens. Not even Loki's attack could hope to pierce them being swallowed up into the complex patterns. In return, they inverted from defensive to offensive, releasing the energy received back at the opponent.
"Well done, Helmwige!" The first man called out to someone above Dorian couldn't see. "Hold the worst of his magic back and we'll deal with him in close quarters."
Those seals, they're from Rossweisse's personal style! He recognized the intricacy of the formula work anywhere. Did he say Helmwige, so her mother is here too?
Dorian added to them using his knowledge of their underlying formula, layering an augmentation spell that lit up the night sky. Even Loki's barriers cracked under the pressure much to his growing rage. With a little touch he was particularly proud of, an extra burst of light blinded the deity. In response, his mechanical son leapt to the defense once more targeting the redhaired man.
"Stay away from my brother!" A girl with long blonde hair and green eyes emerged from a summoning circle delivering a double-fisted punch onto the top of Fenrir's head. The metal dented inward forcing him back. The newcomer was supported by a half dozen others none of whom Dorian recognized. "We brought you in once, we can do it again." With the threat of the false Fenrir contained, Dorian was able to focus all his efforts on Loki.
"My eyes!" Loki swore as the pain of the blindness subsided. "You will pay…for…?" He was about to make a grand proclamation on how doomed they were but was too stunned as he saw what was coming his way a fraction of a second before it collided with him. Using one of Le Fay's circles as a springboard, Dorian had launched himself through the shattered remains of the Norse God's defenses, hands extended as if imitating the super heroes of his childhood. He closed the gap landing a right hook clean across his face drawing blood and sending him tumbling back through the air.
Before, I wasn't able to touch him until I had Mjolnir. This time, he won't get so lucky! Every day I work my way further up.
His second punch was stopped as Loki drew to his full height, tapping into the Jotun strength of which he despised utilizing. He attempted to generate a new spell with his free hand, only for Dorian to retaliate with a high kick, forcing him to use it to protect himself instead.
"You are strong, Einherjar," a look of confusion wracked his face having no idea who he was fighting. "How is it I have never seen you before? You would surely have been made part of that DxD force by now with such might."
"You don't remember me?" Dorian grimaced, assuming he was toying with his mind once more. "After everything you did, attacking Rossweisse, nearly killing Baldur…"
"Baldur?" Loki had to stifle a laugh. "That fool has been sealed away for decades with his father and brother. When could I possibly have had a chance to do a thing to him?"
"Keep him in melee range!" The red-haired man called out from above. "He is strong, but detests such confrontations."
"I already know that," Dorian latched roots of Yggdrasil around Loki's feet to prevent him from flying away.
The god threw a straight on punch that cracked even Laerad Ragnarok's balance breaker and drew a pained cough from deep within the Einherjar's throat. Melee may have been where Loki was least proficient, but he was still a god. Dorian could almost match him with his new strength, but that gap widened as the Norse deity took him more seriously.
Rotating through the powers of his gear, he focused upon those of Heaven to the forefront. A halberd of light shimmered into being as he brought his arm down, delivering a slice across Loki's cheek. His practice fashioning different weapons beyond spears and swords with Irina was paying off.
He insists he doesn't know me. If that's true, then he doesn't know my moves either!
The magma-black flames of Musphelheim creeped up the handle of the makeshift replacement for Twilight Star, lashing out and licking the god's skin darkening it. There were seals of defense specific to fire, but without the foresight to be fighting those ones in particular, Loki had taken no such precautions against the eldest flames of the Nine Realms.
"Begone, CUR!" Holding out a palm he released a magic rune to blow Dorian away. Dropping behind his shield, he weathered the attack, the worst being he was pushed back a dozen feet. "This is unfathomable, how came you to wield the powers of our realms? None has ever command so many to such a degree!"
"I don't know how, but it gives all the opening I need," the redhead jumped to fill the gap left by Dorian's brief respite. Using momentum, he gripped the sword with both hands and brought it down hard upon Loki. The Jotun-God managed to get his scepter up in time to stop it, though at the last possible moment, the effort needed to keep it from cleaving his head in two very great as sweat ran down his face.
"Another Galantine? How many is that your Church has made, three? Four?"
"Combined with my family's power, none can oppose it," he uttered as a new wave of the red and black energy poured from the confines of the weapon. He and Loki contested with one another vying for supremacy. "You always did underestimate father!"
No, that attack is not coming from the sword, it's coming from him! That's the power of destruction, so he's a Gremory just as Loki referred to him, or at least Bael. Sairaorg's brother perhaps, a cousin?
His features look familiar beyond Rias', don't you think?
Dorian didn't have time to process Despoina's cryptic insinuation, seeing an opening he could not afford to miss. Despite no longer being able to converse with him since entering the vortex, he was still able to draw energy of Midgardsormr to himself, using it as the base to build the rest of the power upon as he'd been practicing.
Don't use the Breakdown form, but perhaps I can tap into it just a little bit…
As he focused, Dorian's armor expanded, new protrusions and layers of the enchanted metal-bark burst forth making him look more imposing. Denoting the new echelon of power, a gold wave ran down his back creating a cloak of energy mimicking the one he wore in his Asgardian armor. The horned circlet about his head grew more menacing, replacing all facial features with the new meant to intimidate his foes.
Above, Loki finally pushed the redheaded warrior back at great expense, kneeing him in the gut and blasting him to the ground below. Le Fay barely had time to create a net of energy to cushion his fall. The distraction was just long enough for Dorian to get close once more, Loki bringing the staff to bear against him.
"I am stronger than the last time we fought," Dorian's voice boomed as his gauntleted hand enveloped the head of the staff. Maintaining his focus despite the energy that drove him to such madness in Kyoto, he muttered a simple spell empowered to a godly degree, roots encircling the scepter and forcing Loki to release it. Casting it aside, Dorian grabbed the god's face with his free hand, performing a power dive to drive him to the Earth with a shattering boom. "Iggy, he's all yours!"
"Of course!" The young spirit stood tall with an inhalation. For a moment, the silhouette of armor surrounded her but was gone in a moment.
Holding her hands aloft, she called upon the magic of Vanaheim in the air to summon the roots of her mother. Erupting from the ground, hundreds of tendrils assailed Loki who looked confused as to what was happening. Releasing a bubble of light, every branch that reached for him was instantly disintegrated only for more to fill the ranks. Normal roots he could have surely handled, however Iggy had grown closer to her venerable mother, having studied how to summon such extensions of her body to the real world wherever she may be straight from the Roads. He was not facing just Iggy or foliage of Jotunheim, but roots and phantoms of Yggdrasil itself. Once his initial spells failed, the roots seized him, binding the god utterly until he was encased within them unable to move all below the neck.
"You won't win no matter how many times you escape." Dorian approached with his sword drawn. "I should just…"
"Don't touch him!" A woman with silver hair tied into a long single braid floated down from above. She was a Valkyrie, clearly, yet the armor was a make Dorian didn't recognize, looking more dragon-like than anything else. "I will seal his movements again, thank you for restraining him so thoroughly."
"You can seal a god?" Dorian's question was immediately answered as magic circle's bearing Rossweisse's personal style surrounded the struggling Loki. One after another, they bound him restricting movement until the roots of Iggy could recede without granting freedom.
"Helmwige has the best seals around," the blonde woman from before approached next. She was scuffed and bruised but otherwise unharmed, a truly magnificent feat as the mechanical Fenrir lay in ruins behind her. The battle had clearly been hard-fought, the others assisting her looking equally winded.
"But I can't match your physical strength Airi," the two shared a playful expression despite the blonde one's injuries she seemed to ignore. It gave Dorian a vibe similar to Thrud, one who flourished in a strong melee contest.
"Helmwige?" Dorian looked her up and down, the young woman bearing the same name as Rossweisse's mother working meticulously. After several seconds it was clear the Norse God of Mischief could no longer move. "What family do you belong to?"
That question drew a glance of confusion and trepidation from the others surrounding Dorian whom had helped bring down Fenrir. Even Loki raised an eyebrow as if he'd just asked what color the sky was. Le Fay and Iggy finally caught up with them, the latter looking Dorian over for injuries as his Balance Breaker faded though he kept his Asgardian armor ready in case of emergency. They didn't know where Ratatoskr had gotten off to.
"How can you not know that after all our family has done, who are you?" Helmwige stormed up to him, pointing a finger into his chest. "Identify yourself, Einherjar!"
"Dorian Held of the Crossroads," it started to worry him more that neither his name or title seemed to mean a thing to her. "This IS Vanaheim, correct?"
"Of course," the redhaired man extended a hand. "I do not know you, but you helped bring down Loki. For that you have my thanks. I am Ex, Ex Gremory."
"Gremory?" Le Fay asked as Dorian shook his hand. "Are you a cousin of Rias'?" She knew her only brother was Sirzechs and only knew of Millicas as another relative of comparable age.
Dorian noticed that question made Ex, Airi and the other fighters around them tense up, once again seeming confused by the lack of knowledge on their part. The air between them was growing uncomfortable, not helping their situation which he could tell was spiraling. He'd gotten used to reading a room, a requirement during discussions. He wanted to alleviate their worry, but did not know where to begin with his lack of information.
"You truly do not know any of us?" She referred to the half dozen fighters around them who they only then noticed a slight resemblance between them all despite varying eye and hair colors. Blonde hair, brown, silver, black and red with as many different eye colors each hailing from different myths. "How is it you knew Loki?"
"I fought him, Iggy and I," he motioned to the girl beside him who waved awkwardly. "Rias' team was there along with Sona's. After he tried to use my friend Hecuba to kill Baldur."
"Baldur?" Ex looked to the others confused. "He has not been outside the Isolation Barrier in decades. Loki was bested by my father years ago and locked away, he only recently escaped thanks to outside help."
"And Baldur's invulnerability was painfully annoying," Loki groaned from his prison unable to move anything but his lips. "I could not have harmed him if I tried."
"You manipulated Hecuba into using the mistletoe dagger!" Dorian blurted out in frustration at the perceived misinformation, one more mark on the tally of things not adding up. "You used it with Samael's blood to bypass his powers."
Dorian, you may wish to stop talking. I don't like the sound of this.
Mistletoe? Loki mused. What could that possibly have to do with…ooooh is that the case? Is mistletoe the missing ingredient to breaking his invulnerability? These barriers are a hassle, but perhaps it is better to wait and hear this out for now.
"Did I now?" Loki raised an eyebrow, the machinations of his mind running amok. "How intriguing, tell me more of mmmpphhh!"
"Not another word," Helmwige glared at him, adding one minor seal to his lips and preventing him from speaking. "Where did you come from?"
"We were brought through a portal of some sort to this place from within Rossweisse's home. I mean, we were already in Vanaheim, but everything was…different."
"What he means is that we WERE in Rossweisse's home," Le Fay motioned to the manor. "We saved her from being pulled into this magical tear, but Dorian and I came through and now suddenly no one knows who we are! Where is Vali, and you mention things happening decades ago, what year is it?"
"You," a man with dirty blonde hair stepped forward, pointing towards her with an ornate staff denoting him as a mage. "You did not introduce yourself, who are you?"
"Le Fay Pendragon," she stood tall trying to hide how nervous she was. "I was given a pardon along with Vali and my team, or does that not ring a bell either?"
Dorian stepped between them as the man raised his staff, drawing a familiar sword from the sheath at his side in a threatening gesture towards her. The others, Ex included, followed suit readying for battle around them. Iggy generated brambles as a defensive measure around them, but they were completely surrounded.
"What are you doing with Caliburn!?" Le Fay furrowed her brow seeing his chosen weapon. What did you do to my brother!?"
"He gave it to me when I came of age and earned it in battle. My name is Mordred Pendragon-Hyoudou and you are NOT my mother!"
"Mother? Hyoudou!?" Le Fay's face turned bright red as she gripped her staff tighter almost trying to comfort herself. "B-but I haven't even…"
"The invaders often employed cloning to utilize our powers against us before," Mordred accused while shouting to the others around him. "But they are always imperfect, that would explain her age and appearance. What other explanation could there be?"
Dorian, stop ignoring me! WE ARE IN THE...
"We're from the past!" Dorian blurted out just as Despoina screamed the same thing to him once more, aggravated at being ignored due to the situation around them. "That portal must have brought us to the future! THAT is your other explanation!"
"If that were true," Mordred growled, clearly letting his emotions run wild at the perceived copy of his mother. "Then why don't we know any of you? Wouldn't you have been in our past?"
"We should! I…I don't know," Dorian didn't know what to say. Even if his name had been removed from history, surely the Crossroads would have persisted. He didn't know what to think.
"Time travel has never been successful before," Helmwige stepped forward, clearly the most knowledgeable of those gathered. "Even Mr. Gasper can only peer through time. I must ask you to hand over your weapons while we sort this out and come with us."
"I'd rather not," Dorian gripped his sword of light tighter, Iggy and Le Fay clearly sharing the sentiment. For all they knew this was another trick and the moment their weapons were down they would be killed. "We need to find a woman named Kassaegtha, she's was the one who did something and is a…"
There was no time to think, respond or work on a counter charm before the world came up rushing to meet Dorian's face. In the blink of an eye, the gravity beneath their feet exploded to monumental proportions slamming the trio into it. Le Fay and Iggy were rendered unconscious instantly, Dorian barely stopping his fall by extending his hands despite the immense pain running through his limbs. A magic circle had been etched beneath them without being noticed, the style familiar once again.
"We had this under control mother, you did not need to come too."
"Of course, I had to Helmwige," a gentle voice that could never be forgotten by Dorian rose above though he could not turn his head up to look. "My daughter in danger and the family shrine broken into? Your father will understand my delay meeting with him. Are these the ones?"
"R-rose…?" Dorian asked as the form of Rossweisse walked into the field of vision he could make out.
Despite clearly being her, the differences solidified their realization they must be in the future. Her features were sterner, years clearly weighing on her face despite age being minimized due to her Valkyrie physiology. Her armor was much the same but grander reminding him almost of a silver-white variation of Freyja's complete with a raven cloak of many-colored feathers. The most unsettling aspect of the change, however, was the absolutely cold expression that she looked upon him with. There was no love, no caring, not even a hint of recognition as she gazed into his eyes. It was as if she'd never seen him before, and that thought hit Dorian harder than any of Loki's attacks.
"Only two people in my life call me that," her tone was equally as stern and cold as her gaze. "And you are neither of them. You may be mistaking me for another. My name is Rossweisse, Rossweisse Hyoudou."
"Rossweisse Hyou…?" The sheer implications were too much for Dorian still fighting with the gravity seal hundreds of times stronger than she'd been capable of in their time. With nothing left to use, Dorian's arms gave out, causing him to slump forward along with his companions blacking out before even seeing the ground beneath him.
Dorian, Le Fay, Iggy and Ratatoskr find themselves trapped within a future that does welcome them. Faced with details that do not add up, they start down the path tied to where their own story began. A bit of a shorter chapter uploaded on my birthday, but I felt it was a good point before continuing. Until next time, I hope everyone stays safe, Reads and Reviews...but most of all Enjoys!
