CHPT 184: You’re not ready.

Another embarrassing loss to add to Claude's collection, now affecting not just him, but his friends as well. Nothing serious when compared to what he deals with on the weekends— but something he'd remember. Something he took with him into the Astral Realm the following night. For more reasons than one.

If he was any bit in doubt of Chase's words that their gods were watching, it was immediately expelled after he closed his eyes for bed.

One moment, his tired muscles were sinking into the stiff mattress of his bed. And the next, cold spines of grass were tickling his skin while a number of wet noses kissed his face— only to be startled away by the enraged earthquake inducing cries of Fenrir from his mysteriously prison-like home in the mountains. The home Claude assumed he was dragged to by the Norse Gods Fenrir despises so much.

His night spent in the Astral Realm that followed, was hell. Fenrir unleashed his rage for hours— cursing Claude, Cernunnos and Chase with his snarling and inhuman voice.

Claude naturally left the area, attempting to ignore Fenrir's berating comments echoing across the nightly wildlands and run off some of his own anger with the Phantom Wolves. But, as morning approached in the real world— Fenrir approached in the Astral.

What followed was something Claude didn't expect. His first argument with a God.

Well as much of an argument as you could have with a God.

After running with the Wolves, hunting in an odd half transformed state— he was anything but relaxed. He was anything but relaxed in life in general. So, after the embarrassing loss and being in his head all day, he was beyond tired of it when Fenrir came to speak to him. God or not.

The two Wolves faced off. One tied increasingly more loosely to his humanity and transformed by vastly unknown Magic, and the other empowered by his hatred for the Gods and promise to change the world.

Fenrir snapped and snarled at Claude while he circled the small 15 year old like a wounded animal— only for Claude to snap back from his crouched and huddled position.

The action resulted in it looking like an extremely unbalanced dominance game Wolves usually take part in. Either way, Fenrir oddly enjoyed the interaction.

In between berating Claude and pointing out how they needed to show superiority over Cernunnos, he'd commend him for his attempt at showing tenacity and intensity in the face of a God.

The development of their relationship was weird like that. With Fenrir having ideals that aligned more with the outlawed Dark Gods, he went directly against what the Heroes worked for. So, he also went against what Claude was working for. But, the God of Wolves didn't care about good and evil. He cared about revenge, and strength. So in a way, they were almost similar.

They were able to get along. Even though Fenrir wanted to end the world, and Claude wanted to save it. The God of Wolves would continue to try and change Claude's mentality and share his power while also reminding him that Ragnarok was coming simply because he knew what he was going to do. If his pupil had a problem with it, then he wanted the boy to get strong enough to do something about it. Don't talk, do. Don't bark, bite.

All that matters. Revenge and strength.

A constant reminder to Claude every time he left the Astral Realm. Only this time, he left with another bit of information. Unfortunate information.

"YoU…aRRrre NoT!….ReaDY…FoR MY.grrr…fFFoRm..boyYyYyyy…"