Chapter 35:

〰 Hrudra 〰

"M-Master Hrudra...?" The timid girl, Cali, calls out to me making me snap back to what we were doing. I smiled apologetically and gave her the water bottle in my hands.

"Don't worry, child. I am alright." I lie easily and sipped on some of the water. The dress I was wearing feeling incredibly stuffy and strange on me for some odd reason but I ignored it and glanced over at the equipment. "Do-"

"M-Mast Hrudra. My power is that I can see off emotions-s. Your emotion is a steel blue..." Cali mumbles under her breath, surprising me that she called me out as I sighed and set the water bottle down on the ground.

"I'm sorry, dear. One of the Valkyries I saved betrayed me so I am feeling very unsettled. I didn't have many friends here, to begin with, so it's difficult to know what it is that my friend has done." I admit to the young girl with a gentle smile before Cali smiles sadly.

Her short black hair curled everyone causing her calm purple eyes to reflect off her attitude, I've never seen her eyes the fierce silver as most Valkyries have. Though I assume this is because she is innocent unlike many of the people here.

I love having her as my student and wished that she spoke against me more than she agrees blindly. She's just a tad bit oblivious.

"I-I'm sorry to pry." She mutters to me making me chuckle and pat her shoulder in a comforting way.

"Don't be. You didn't cause this did you?" I ask her making her look away from my direct stare.

"N-No." She stutters.

"Then there's no need to be sorry. Okay?" I tilted my head catching her eyes and forcing her to look at me.

"Okay." She nodded before I pulled away and grabbed my water bottle from the ground.

"I am sorry to ask this of you. But I believe I need the rest of the afternoon to myself, Cali. Could we continue another day?" I question as she nodded eagerly and smiled at me with her small dimples that brightened my mood up a bit.

"Of course, Master Hrudra. I'll come back when you have free time over the week. Thank you for today!" Cali perks up causing me to laugh and pat her head.

"You know I'm always going to be here for you all. You are all like my children that I can never have." I said, walking her to the gates of my home as she walked easily beside me. Her small stature making large steps over the tall grass that surrounded my home.

"You never know! Y-You could find your mate!" Her words hurt my heart for some odd reason making me chuckle and shake my head.

"I do not think I have one. But that's okay. You girls are all I need." I assured her seeing her grin happily at me.

"Thank you, M-"

"LET ME FUCKING GO! YOU GOD FORESAKEN VALKYRIES!"

〰 Khole 〰

"Stop struggling!" A woman yells, holding me down as I peered around and saw the golden city around us. My eyes widened with shock at the sight of hundreds of Valkyries staring at me with several emotions.

I didn't think that these damn Valkyries would be so rough with me. Our secret plan was to allow me to get captured since I was a new Valkyrie and I would be able to find Hrudra's soul. But at the looks of this place, it was going to be near impos-

"Let her go! Now!" I heard her voice thunder, lightning flashing across the sky when everyone looked to the left. My eyes followed them despite being pushed down onto the ground.

She stood there, her copper hair shorter than before with a white dress covering her muscles. Her strong silver eyes told me that this was the Valkyrie who saved me countless times and will always be like a mother to me.

Though something felt unnatural...

"We were ordered by Freya and Odin to-"

"Do I look like I care Jankie? Let her go now." Hrudra snarled darkly before the women holding me down lifted off me slowly. "Holding a Valkyrie against her will? That is not what I taught any of you! Do I need to place you back into my classes?!" She yelled at the Valkyries around causing them to start muttering out apologies and excuses.

"Hrudra..." I mumble in shock at the sight of her before she peered down at me and smiled calmly.

"I apologize, child. Valkyries aren't supposed to act like animals." She growls at the girls around before walking over to me and holding her hand down to me. "Come. I will tell you what you've become. Not all of us are crazed beasts." Hrudra assures me making me grab her hand and let her pull me up.

"Master Hrudra..." The woman who was holding me against my will called her out causing her to turn and stare at the woman. I expected the woman to come at me again with the look in her eyes but she merely sighed and placed her fist over her heart. "I apologize for acting in such a way. I will gladly come to classes again if it is what you wish." My jaw dropped in shock making Hrudra chuckle and go over to the girl.

"Do not fret, child. You can come and visist any time you wish, but you all need to remember we are a family. And family does not watch another struggle. Remember your learnings. I will be back. See you all later." Hrudra nodded to the woman before turning to me and walking ahead of me.

I followed behind quickly, hoping that she was bringing me somewhere quiet that we could discuss what happened but she only followed the path below us.

"What is your name, child?" She asks, looking over at me with her gentle silver eyes.

"I'm Khole," I mumble.

"Lovely to meet you Khole. Do you know what a Valkyrie is?" She asks me acting like she didn't know me.

"Um. I was raised to become a Valkyrie." I nod as she clapped and turned to me with a large smile.

"That's wonderful! We're a dying race so it is lovely to see more people coming in. I should introduce myself. My name is Hrudra the cold beast and I am the teacher for all the new recruits here in Folkvanger. Everyone calls me Master Hrudra because I am one of the oldest here and because I am one of the leaders here in Folkvanger." She introduces as I stared at her with a bewildered expression.

"Then you know Freya and Odin..." I question, narrowing my eyes at her.

"Of course. They are the rulers here and I merely work underneath them! Freya is a lovely goddess and Odin is the fierce warrior. A lovely pair of people if I should say." She chuckles when I shook my head in shock.

"Y-Yes. Of course. You're the teacher, right? Could we start classes right now?" I ask, grasping her hands with a large, fake smile. "I just heard so many fantastic stories about you! I love the one with Proximo the best!" I laugh, hoping she would catch my words making her look up at the sky.

"I do not know who this Proximo is. But I always love to work with new Valkyries. Come with me and I'll harness your powers." She chuckles, turning and leaving me in the dust.

Freya and Odin... Made her forget everything and everyone...

Holy shit.

〰 Hrudra 〰

"Wow. You are very good. Your parents raised you well." I comment, watching her do some fighting techniques when she huffed out of breath and sipped on the water I offered to her.

"Yeah. My mother was the best teacher." She nods, her blonde hair sticking on her face before she stared at me with another long look. "You never told me about the story with you and Proximo. Could you tell me, pretty please?" Her silver eyes stared me down as I shook my head and looked away.

Why is that name sound so familiar...?

"Sorry. Being so old has made me forget some memories." I smiled embarrassedly when feeling another presence. I turned and noticed a few Valkyries coming towards Khole and I. "Please excuse me for a moment." I nod and walked over to the girl coming over to me in an excited manner.

"Master Hrudra!" Edya yelled, running over to me as sparks of lightning spewed from her palms. I chuckled, pointing at her hands causing her to blush in an embarrassing way.

"What are you all doing here?" I ask calmly seeing other girls that I taught and have taught in the past. They were all holding bags and boxes full of things causing my curiosity to spark up.

"Cali told us about what happened with your friend so we decided to cheer you up!" The hyper Valkyrie, Vena, chirps before they all started showing me food and drinks that they all brought making me laugh out loud.

"Thank you all. Come. I'll cook something for you all." I wave on as the horde of Valkyries followed me to my small home. "Come, Khole. I'll introduce you to my students." Khole merely nodded, shocked at the sight but following behind us all.

The girls scattered around my home, staring at trinkets and things that I've collected over the years I was on the Earth. Khole merely followed me, looking unsure about everything here as Cali walked up to her.

I smiled, happy that they were getting along with Khole. Even though she knew about Valkyries and what not. I could sense her distress and I was more than glad to bring all the girls together.

Like I told Cali. They were like my children that I could never have.

I walked into the kitchen, noticing something on the counter before I walked over to it. It looked like a vial of what seemed like poison.

As I stared at it, I noticed a shadow cross behind me causing me to jump and hit my back against the counter. My heart thundered within my chest as I looked around frantically for what I saw but couldn't find anything unusual, even the vial was gone all of a sudden.

I rubbed my eyes frantically, trying to calm myself down as I laughed out loud and smiled ironically down at the ground.

"I'm going crazy again," I mutter, hurrying over to the cabinet and grabbing the medicine that Freya got for me. "This will make me feel better." I said, smiling at the purple substance.