Chapter 60: Remnants
The raven landed on his assigned perch, cawing at his brother before turning his small, intelligent eyes towards their Master. Said Master smiled at the newly arrived raven, pulling out a perfectly cut piece of meat, which said bird gobbled down ecstatically.
"Welcome back, Munnin." The All-father's voice rumbled in his chest as he spoke, "Thank you for your assistance."
Loki, his wayward son, was not nearly as clever as he thought he was. The Wyrdways were neutral. Just because you discovered one and could traverse did not mean that it suddenly became sacred knowledge, revealed only unto you. A Wyrdway that leads right into the heart of the Devil's homeland? Of course Odin would be aware of it.
Letting him go on this mad excursion was a risk, but a calculated one. Anything Odin said, any warnings he could bestow, would only inflame Loki's curiosity higher. Besides, with the various Soul Anchors he was sure that the foolish boy had created, there were better than even odds of him surviving the encounter and heeding the wisdom of Odin's warnings from then on.
However, when his old friend merely gave him a sad, mournful caw, he realised that the coin flip had not landed in his favour.
"I see." He sighed, feeling every bit his age, "Huginn, if you could show me?"
The All-father was capable of seeing through the eyes of his faithful friends, but in a slightly different way for each of them. Munnin could show him what he had seen, whereas Huginn could show the god what he was currently seeing. However, with the connection between the two, Huginn could look into Munnin's memory for him, adding an additional layer of separation between him and the observation of the bird.
This was not his first time dealing with such an overwhelming entity, when it came to things like the Dark Moon, every ounce of caution was fully warranted. He closed his eyes, his awareness splitting, his friend welcoming his presence gladly. Then, diving into the connection he shared with his brother, Huginn guided him to watch what had occurred with his wayward boy.
He watched, his thoughts drawn to the target Loki had picked, inwardly sighing at the decision. It's true, the little sister of the Sagan was the obvious weak link of the Peerage, but then again, that was exactly the problem. She was the obvious weak link. If the Sagan had at least the slightest bit of sense, he would expect that others would target her and take the appropriate preparations.
He was proven slightly mistaken when the girl broke out of Loki's illusions, obviously spotting a discrepancy that allowed her to do so. Perhaps she wasn't as weak as she appeared to be? The measure that the Sagan had prepared soon revealed itself, the protective light of Avalon perfectly recognisable to the Old God.
It did surprise Odin, however, making him think about how long ago Avalon had been stolen. Just how long ahead had the Sagan been preparing? He didn't know, and the question gnawed at him. Soon the Sagan himself appeared, striking at Loki and engaging him in combat. The Devil soon summoned a sword, or at least something that assumed the form of a blade.
What it actually was, Odin felt even from this memory, was a fragment of that Thing that had claimed the Sagan as her consort. He didn't know if it was his brief connection to the greater whole of the being that lurked at the fringes of their world that allowed him to realise just what the sword was, as his son seemed completely unaware of exactly what he was facing. Watching as the fight progressed, Odin was again impressed by the littlest Sagan as she shot those projectiles at Loki, her speed and accuracy something to note. The girl would grow into a terror if allowed.
As his son started to delve deep into his divinity, about to bring his full divine might to bear, forgoing all subtly and stealth, Odin felt himself despair. There was no way the Satans would miss that, there were certain things that rippled far beyond the area which they occurred. A God bringing their full might to bear was not something that was discrete.
The end was sudden, the blade shoved deeply into Loki's chest. Odin felt like sighing at the sight, watching as his adopted son was devoured by the ravenous goddess. He felt a shiver pass through his being, memories of what he glimpsed flowing through his head.
The all consuming white killing entire planets, leaving nothing with even a speck of intelligence behind. The shimmering, deadly aurora, traversing the stars, frantically searching for something, beneath it all a deep, terrible, all encompassing fury-
"Herald." The voice sent a jolt of horror through the King of Asgard, the last moments of memory being unnaturally prolonged as her voice oozed from the mist of the blade implanted in his kinsman's chest, "Thou hath failed most spectacularly in thy task. Mine expectations were low, I admit, but I believed that thou could live up to the smallest of them."
"Ranni." Odin breathed, suddenly inhabiting the memory, her power reaching him even from this far away.
"Tis I." The Death of Worlds confirmed, "Did thou think that mine sight could be avoided by using thy familiars in such a way? Where the moon is, mine presence follows. When I am mentioned, I am made present. I am Ranni of the Chill night, there is nowhere that is beyond mine reach."
He shivered, not able to dispute her claims, not with the blatant proof right in front of him.
"Loki would never listen to my warnings, the only thing they did was spur him on. I had hoped that upon meeting you, he would have been rebuffed and agreed to leave you be." He explained his reasoning, getting an agreeing hum from the mist.
"Thy words ring truly. Unfortunately for thou, thy subject met mine consort in battle. There was but one outcome once that had occurred. Thou saw that, didst thou not?" Her voice was cold, "Now it is time to keep thy word. I heard you, Odin of Asgard, proclaim to thou people what the price would be for disturbing our bliss. I hope that I do not need to explain what has to happen next?"
The All-father didn't need to be told, the threat apparent from her words, "It will cause a conflict to break out, whose fires might spark others. If Loki truly is disavowed and struck from the Edda… It will not be a simple affair. Your consort may be involved."
"Should Damocles decide to intervene, I shall have no objections." Was the simple response, something that relieved Odin.
The Abrahamic faction would be drawn into Ragnarök, one way or the other. With his position, the Sagan would be heavily involved in any response from the Devils. However, as much as it pained the Old God to admit it even to himself, with Loki's death and the sundering of Fate that Ranni had caused, Ragnarök might actually be winnable for the Asgardians, the brightest the prospect had seemed in millennia.
The memory did not release him however, the Dark Moon having more to say, "Thou art labouring under a most egregious delusion, Odin of Asgard. I do not wish to consume this world, merely to be left alone."
Odin clenched his fists, his responsibility of King ensuring that he did not blindly accept this creature's word, "How can I trust that? You must know the danger you pose, the potential threat. Especially after what I have just seen you do to my son."
The rage and vitriol simmering behind his careful facade was not as hidden as it could have been, but the reply came regardless, "Because it is better than the alternative. Trust in the wisdom of this statement, for it was won with much pain and blood: Do not make enemies that thou do not have to. Leaving the stone unturned can sometimes be better than releasing what is under it into the world."
With that, Odin blinked, once more on his throne, with many more worries than he had before his friends had shared this news with him.
"Are you okay?" I asked the pouting girl who was on my lap, greedily bathing in my head pats and a mountain of snacks.
The sight was doing a great deal for my mental state, but the bubbling mountain of rage inside me was only slightly soothed. I was devoting the majority of my attention towards the small girl to keep myself from doing something I would regret. Something involving multiple layers of ice and a huge tree.
"Yes." Came the monosyllabic reply, causing me to raise my eyebrow at her, leaning over her shoulder to ensure she could see my scepticism and provoking a more in-depth reply, "It's… I don't like being seen as weak."
"Oh?" CC raised an eyebrow from where she was inspecting the corpse in the corner of the room, "You never cared about your reputation before. Does it bother you to be seen as the one that you Big Brother has to always protect?"
"I don't care what they think about me." Shiro snapped back, "But I was chosen by Damocles-nii. All these people thinking I'm an easy target are disrespecting his judgement. It makes me mad."
"Spoken like a true Princess of Caria." Ranni replied, having not left my side since the incident, "Disrespect must be stamped out before it can grow into sedition."
"Do you want to do the Rating Game Plan then, Shiro?" I questioned the girl, who stilled in response.
"Can we? Won't it mess anything up?" She asked.
"No. It's actually rather good timing if we do it soon." I responded, stroking her head, to which she leaned back happily, snuggling into my chest, "Considering what happened with that Paimon idiot."
"Hmm. If you're okay with it, Damocles-nii." She spoke, closing her eyes and basking in the closeness.
I hummed, pampering the girl while inwardly thinking deeply about her. Shiro was amazing, of course, easily worming her way into all our hearts, but she was also conniving. I believe that she was intentionally suppressing her physical growth. Devils could make themselves look however they wanted over time, so the fact that she had barely grown at all ever since I stamped her was rather telling. It was something I would have to address soon.
It worked well to distract me from my seething inner thoughts.
"I'm glad you've figured all that out." Came the annoyed voice of my Queen, "but what are we going to do about this?"
She poked the foot of the corpse with her own for emphasis.
"Nothing." I replied, taking some pleasure in her briefly widened eyes.
"Nothing?" She asked, rallying quickly, "We've been attacked so near to our own home and you are merely going to let it go? That doesn't sound like you."
"Indeed, it does not." Kasane spoke, arms crossed near the door.
"Who should I target if I wanted to retaliate?" I questioned, Shiro's silky hair flowing between my fingers as I spoke, "Loki was a loose cannon. Any actions he performed cannot be attributed to the realm of Asgard as a whole. Simply going to war with them will be a gross over-reaction, not to mention dangerous to us personally."
"But?" CC arched an eyebrow, knowing that there was more.
"Loki was the leader of his own faction, those that wanted Ragnarök to reignite for centuries. As weird as this sounds, he was the only one stopping them from acting. He was smart enough to not engage in a war and divide the Nine realms when there were enemies surrounding them. With him gone, those he led will be out for blood." I explained.
"I see." CC responded, frowning,
"Mine Consort speaks true." Ranni interjected, "The one before you was devious indeed. He had split off parts of himself before coming here, each able to allow him to escape and re-emerge from them within a short time. Should I not have consumed him with mine sword, he would have escaped from this encounter completely unscathed."
"I can believe the God of Trickery was intelligent." CC rolled her eyes, amber irises focusing back on me, "What I cannot believe is you allowing such an insult to go unaddressed."
"It will be addressed, just not by me." I responded, "Ragnarök has already begun. The Norse will die and I will not lift a single finger to help them. They will tear themselves in two and wolves from all over the world will come to feast over the scraps they leave behind. The Nine Realms are full of the dead already, they just don't realize it."
"I understand." Kasane nodded, "It doesn't matter where the punishment comes from, so long as it arrives?"
"No." I growled, tensing, only relaxing as Shiro turned around and hugged me, "I am trying very hard to restrain myself right now. Odin can distance himself from Loki's actions all he wants, it's his lackadaisical attitude and refusal to deal with the problem that has been brewing in front of him that caused this. Trust me, if Shiro or Naomi had been physically harmed by him, we would already be drawing up plans to reduce Asgard to rubble."
"The bigger picture precludes acting merely to satisfy temporary emotions, Knight of mine Consort." Ranni spoke, her own hands gripping my upper shoulder reassuringly. "Thy sister has suffered from this debacle, even if not physically, I understand. But I implore thee, think about who truly deserves your ire. Is the perpetrator not already dealt with?"
She indicated the dead corpse of the god, causing Kasane to release a sigh, "Very well."
"Go to Naomi, Kasane." I spoke, causing visible conflict to play across her face, "I understand why you want to be here, but she needs someone right now."
She decided what to do in a couple of heartbeats, opening the door and leaving, only pausing to look back and give me a small, thin smile, "Thank you."
The door clicked shut, leaving the room in silence. CC huffed, abandoning her inspection of the dead God and moving to the sofa, taking my unoccupied side. Without speaking, she turned her back towards me and leaned her weight into my side. I smiled at the non-verbal display of support, still gently patting the head of my adopted sister, the soft scraping sound of my hand moving through her hair the only sound in the room.
Despite the cadaver, a comfortable silence filled the space, each of us taking solace in the other's presence in our own ways. The moment felt peaceful despite the violent reason for it occurring. No one felt the need to disrupt the strange calm that had descended, content to let it linger.
For the first time since the fight, I felt my Rage slightly subside.
Unfortunately, nothing could last forever, as the low voice of the Goddess broke the serenity, "Consort, Falbium has arrived."
"Thank you Ranni." Despite the news, I didn't move, the relaxed atmosphere quickly returning as we awaited our guest's arrival.
We were not waiting long, the door opening to admit a surly Melina and an impassive Selene. Following them was Lord Asmodues himself, who paused at the threshold, eyes locking in on the body slumped against the wall.
"So it's true." He said, shoulders drooping, "I was slightly hoping that you were mistaken."
"Very much not so, I'm afraid." I replied, hiding my amusement, "I would stand to greet you, but I fear for my safety if I were to do so."
CC had smoothly slid herself to the opposite end of the couch at his entrance, leaving Selene to freely occupy the vacated space, wrapping her arms around my own and looking back at the Satan with her impassive red eyes.
He allowed himself a tense smile at that, "It's good you can make jokes. I was worried I would find you preparing to wage a full war on Asgard for this."
"Oh, don't mistake me, Falbium. I am absolutely furious." My calm voice ran counter to my words, but he apparently sensed the truth in my gaze, "But I am trying very hard to think clearly about what just happened. This is a diplomatic incident, after all."
"Right." He nodded, turning towards the body, walking over to it, idly noting how it merely had the armour still on it, no weapons in sight, "I will get this to Serafall and let you know what the decision is regarding this incident."
And like that, the Rage came back. Clamping down on it, refocusing on the safe girl in my lap, I kept my face impassive.
"I won't hold my breath." I responded, inwardly thankful that he hadn't commented on my claiming of the spoils of war.
"Despite your… tensions with her, she will not let this go easily." Falbium spoke, a hint of anger appearing in his voice, "After all, this may have been an attack on you, but he violated our borders to do so. Neither Serafall nor Sirzechs will let that just slide."
"I will take your word for it." I answered noncommittally, "But I doubt that getting anything from the Norse soon will be easy."
Falbium showed no signs of confusion, obviously knowing what I was alluding to.
Looking at the desiccated corpse of the one prophesied to begin Ragnarök, he sighed out, "I have a sinking feeling you will be proven right."