And the Journey Begins

Ron was mainly troubled about all this. Maybe that's why he couldn't get any sleep. It was either that or the motel bed was just very uncomfortable. Eight days to go before the giants kill his mom. They haven't even stepped a foot out of Midgard. It was afternoon just outside Mayfield.

Ellen had suggested they move at night because her powers were more useful then than during the day. So they needed a place to rest and prepare. and she had suggested a motel.

He had thirty minutes of insomnia before he could finally get some sleep, and was suddenly pulled into the dream world.

"Wake up," Thera's female voice teased him from slumber. Ron jumped and quickly stood up. Before that, he was on the floor, which was strange he was pretty sure he was on a very cheap wooden bed in an ugly motel.

He looked around and they were in some sort of hall built with medieval architecture. He was stunned at the same time very worried that he may have time traveled.

"Hello Ron, we meet again.' Thera spoke

"Yeah, it seems you have a habit of snatching minds." he giggled forcefully,

"You didn't tell me you're a human who can't fight and a coward." she sounded pissed.

"Are all humans supposed to be fighters?"

"Your race has loved fighting for centuries. How can you not be able to fight?" Thera argued and sighed softly when she was done.

"I have summoned you here to train you how to use that sword," She pointed at the sword that had magically appeared in Ron's right hand

"Wait, when…did..."

"That sword belonged to the first king of the Vikings, King Althread. Due to his devotion to the gods, he was given one of the greatest honors, the Norse god of war Tyr gave him that sword and from that day Althread never lost again centuries later the sword chose you, That's why it's light when you are holding it,"

She was right, the sword was light in his hands. He could compare it to the weight of a pencil. He gave it a few swings and chuckled with amusement. "So what am I going to do first?" he smiled, "the old swing and stab?"

"Since you are a reincarnated god we going to start small and since we are in the dream world." she snapped her fingers and then a bright light grew from nowhere, out of the light a giant creature then jumped out.

Its body was very muscular, covered in brown hair and about five meters tall (if his maths was right), with a head of a bull along with a tail protruding from its behind. Steam was puffing out its nose and it looked pretty angry at Thera for bringing it here.

"You will fight a Minotaur," Thera stepped out of the way and appeared at the end of the hall and watched.

Ron clutched the sword's handle and the bull thing charged forward. Let's face it, he wanted to run, but where could he possibly run to.

The bull was able to slap him. Only that sent Ron flying and crashing into a wall (but not breaking through), which hurt in a dream by the way. Ron landed on his stomach with the sword still in his hand.

Thera appeared. 'Quick reminder, in this dream once you get hurt, like badly. You may experience the pain when you wake up. And I suggest you put that sword to good use."

You talk too much for an all-powerful guardian." Ron crocked,

"You should be thinking about how you can avoid dying in this place,"

The bull snarled and ran towards him. It carried him up and then slammed him to the floor. He could feel his bones crack and the result was pretty intensive, so intense that he couldn't describe it.

Ron whimpered.

"I don't want to fight this thing." he cried.

"You have to just let your mind go," Thera said.

Her words echoed through his mind and it was like she had awakened something in him that chose to take over. He pushed himself back onto his feet, then faced the creature with his sword in front of him.

"My turn." he ran forward, and so did the bull. Just when they were close enough the bull threw a punch, but Ron chose to dodge by sliding right between its legs using his clothes and the marble floor to his advantage then stabbed it in the back once he immediately got up. Though that wasn't enough, the sword had done nothing.

The bull turned and punched him with so much force, that he could think the bull was just going easy on him. The punch pushed him into the marble floor.

"This is criminal," he whined as he stood up once more. If he could only learn how to use his super-strength it would be much easier for him to kill this thing.

He dropped the sword and then ran forward while holding his fist in the air like an armature, he was just about to hit the creature~~ when there was a huge explosion of light that appeared in between both of them and held both their fists before they collided.

The light faded and it was Thera.

"Are you both planning to destroy the dream world," she pushed both away and they fell on both their buttocks.

Am sorry, ma'am…I didn't mean to take it too far…it's just because he stabbed me in the back and that hurt," the bull spoke. Its voice sounded like it had the flu.

Shut up, what if he died?

"Wait, this was all an act!" Ron yelled to gain both their attention. "How dare you..."---Thera snapped her fingers, and he was back in the motel bedroom.

The door opened. "Ellen said it's time, grab some snacks and freshen up cause we are about to go," Nathan said.

"Time? " He looked and saw the moonlight shine through his window, and he quickly knew what Nathan was talking about, "I will be there in five minutes," he said.

"Cool,"

He had a loud creak followed by a loud thud as the door closed. Ron remained facing the ceiling, he moved off his bed and the back pain knocked in. Meaning what he was dreaming just now was all real, but luckily for him, the pain wasn't as bad as he had imagined.

********

The two of them were now standing in the parking lot as they waited for Ellen. She was the one who told them that it was time, but surprisingly she was the one making them wait. The parking was very creepy and had no cars parked because the motel was in the middle of nowhere. How could someone like Ellen know about this? But it was better not to imagine that because that would just make her sound as she came out of a horror flick.

"Nathan,"

"Yes."

"What do you know about Nightrise." this felt like the perfect place to ask since they were all alone.

"Did I tell you my mom is a Valkyrie?"

"No, you did not."

"Well, I am half Valkyrie. And Valkyrie believes that Nightrise was started as a belief right immediately after the end of the era of gods. The people under this belief were desperate for miracles so they prayed to the already dead goods until they realized the gods can no longer help."

"Holy shit."

"Yep, and…"

Nathan was forced to stop when he saw Ellen come out of the motel entrance with a huge shopping bag in her right hand.

"How cute of you boys that you are here in the cold waiting for me." Ellen laughed.

"What's in the bag?" Ron asked,

"Just a few clothes for our journey. Niflheim is cold after all," she said.

And let's not forget that Nidhug is the only one we have to face if we are to get to Muspelheim." Nathan added on,

"Need-hug? Sounds nice…what is he or it?"Ron smiled,

"He's a dragon that protects the eldest spring Hvergelmir," Ellen said. " we just have to not wake him, or else we will die trying to fight him."

"Oh, so we might die on the way?" Ron's face was purple from fear. A dragon of all things had to be a dragon.

"Exactly, and you don't want to know how many are in Muspelheim; the land of fire. But we need to get to the world forge where we will grab a train."

A train to where, who wants to end up on an ice world, with a huge dragon." Ron argued.

Ellen grinned, "You'll see." she said.

Ellen then searched through her bag and pulled out a medium-sized orb that resembled the moon. She placed it on the tarmac-coated ground of the parking lot and they all stepped back as it started to glow even brighter, a white surrounded the three of them. Then sucked them in along with the orb itself.

They vanished instantly.