A/N Song for this chapter: Silent Hill 2 Magdalene (Extended)

Chapter 13:

Hero Historia

Brünhilde felt the eyes pierce her back without even looking. "Not now." Her voice was cold as ice and hiding her fuming rage behind a thin veil of control.

She kept her gaze pointed forward and strode in the same direction, almost mechanically managing the muscles of her face to wear the mask of calmth.

Hepheastus nodded, trying to look as confident and calm as the Valkyrie, but failing utterly.

"My condolences," the smith said. "I admit that for a brief second, Mr Stark humbled even me with his cannon. He was a worthy opponent."

"He was a selfish arrogant prick," Brünhilde snorted, hiding the deep seated feeling of grief behind a jest. She let out a chuckle. "I was stupid to think he could take it, I should have picked literally anyone else."

"You're wrong, he was a real hero," Hepheastus retorted. "Without him, I would never have been able-"

Two words left her lips. "Shut up."

Without wasting more words on it she left the hallway and entered her private room.

Suddenly it was completely quiet. It was as if a beast lurked within the darkened room and ate all the sound created by life.

The air was still and oppressive, discouraging every living thing from breaking its atmosphere.

Now in complete silence, Brunhilde's dress rustled with every movement she made. Her dark hair flowed over the ground while she knelt down.

A small candle was lit. It was barely enough to light up the room, it barely lit up anything besides the ghastly expression on Brunhilde's face.

"I'm terribly sorry." She placed down the candle. "But I can not quit now."

The old man shuffled down the path at a slow pace, his deep sunken eyes seem hollowed yet filled with gleeful malice at the same time.

The surrounding woodlands were still like a painting. Gorgeous and lustful but completely silent. There were no birds, animals and even the clouds above seemed to pass by at a slower rate.

The weather was perpetual…not quite it. Even for the ruler of the skies it was hard to get a grasp of the strange aura that surrounded this place.

Eventually the woodlands and the underbush made way for a large clearing and the forest revealed its heart.

The lake seemed to stretch out into the horizon, the silver shimmering of water dissipated into the similar coloured sky where it blazed a thousand tiny stars back into the water's mirror like surface.

"It's your turn to fight." Zeus coughed, politely.

The water's surface remained a flat mirror, impenetrable to the eye. The lake could have been either miles deep or incredibly shallow, it was impossible to tell without descending into its mystique waters.

"The Hero chosen by the ancient gods is dead, the Fallen Angel got to him, but I think you might be interested in this one as well."

Zeus whispered the name, humanity's next champion. The sound was practically inaudible but some names have power. The soundwaves spread across the water's surface and started to ripple outward, first the disturbance was light like a feather, but then the ripples grew into a constant of waves that flowed like a heartbeat.

A hand came out of the lake. Between the pale fingers it clutched a weapon.

The steel hadn't seen the light of day for over a millenia and instead rested within the lake's water. Even Zeus had never seen the legendary weapon with his own eyes, but when the sword was pointed into the sky, the blade cut through both the air and the sunlight, it's edge still as razorsharp as the day it was put into that stone.

"Then let us see what passes for a hero these days."

Brunhilde looked at humanity's next fighter.

If he was nervous in the slightest, he didn't show it anyway. In fact, it was almost unnerving how relaxed he was.

As the Valkyrie got closer she couldn't help but notice the salty sea air that haunted this fighter. She sniffed and focused herself.

"I have bad news and good news." Brunhilde stated matter-of-factly. "Your opponent. agreed with your terms for the arena."

"Well, what's the bad news?"

Brunhilde twirled with her hair. "That was the bad news. " A devious smile split her mouth into a shark-like grin. "Here comes the good news…my dear hero"