Chapter V - Gods and Valkyries

St. Albert, Canada

(flashback)

Eleven years ago

- Daddy I don't want to go. - A small child had started to cry - Let's go home.

In a car, a common model in the region, parked on the street in front of a school, there were four people, two adults and two children. One of the children was a small girl, with short brown hair, almost blond, and big light eyes, she seemed to be six years old, and the other child was a boy, a little bigger than the little girl, with the same color hair, but his eyes were dark. The two children were in the back seat of the car, consequently the adults were in the front, the man in the driver's seat and the woman in the passenger's seat, respectively the father and mother of both children.

The little girl was crying, the boy tries to calm her down, but in vain, then the man who was looking in the rearview mirror, redirects his attention to the little girl:

- Calm down princess, no need to cry the school is a nice place. - Says the child's father trying to reassure her.

- Daughter, we'll be here waiting for you, we're not leaving. - Soon after, the mother is the one who has the floor.

- Lily, you'll be able to make new friends there. - The boy next to the girl comforts her.

As the words of each one of them passed by, Lily, the little girl, began to stop crying, and soon dried her tears. A signal was emitted by the school, signifying the students' entrance time, when they heard the sound, the parents of the children in the car get out through their respective doors, move to the back, the father opens the right door, through which the two children go down, the mother bends down a little, and hugs her daughter:

- Everything will be fine, school is a very fun place - She said with a smile on her face.

Soon after, she hugged the boy as well:

- And you, Noah, take good care of your little sister, I'm counting on you, my little man. - With one of her fingers, she made a gesture of affection, touching her son's nose.

- You can leave it to me mommy! - With his hands he makes the bowing position of the soldiers.

Noah takes the hand of his little sister and begins to walk towards the school, the girl still with a trace of fear, looks back and sees her parents smiling and waving to her, soon loses the fear she felt.

A few days later...

- The school, it's really cool! - Lily said while biting into a bagel.

- See Lily, I told you it would be great fun. - Her brother answered her.

The family used to have breakfast together, Lily was on one side of the table, and Noah was opposite her, and her parents were on the other side. Everyone talked and played with each other, it was just an ordinary weekend. A few hours after finishing their meal, Lily's mother and father were talking to each other, alone:

- Please dear, I have to sort out some things from my work.

- But just today? We promised the children that we would take them to the amusement park.

- Lily: I know... But it's urgent, you'll have to take them alone.

- This is the third time, Margaret! - she complained with irritation.

- Thank you, dear!

With a quick kiss in the corner Margaret ends the conversation, she hurriedly leaves, with a suitcase in her hand. Just as she was about to leave, Lily and Noah appeared:

- Mom are we going to the park already? - Lily asked her.

- Then... - Margaret, who had her back to the children, because she was caught by surprise, turned to both of them. - Me, I won't be able to go with you... But Daddy will take you both.

- But we wanted you to come too. - Then Noah answered.

- I'm sorry, really, but I won't be able to go. But I promise you, next time I will come with you.

Margaret as a form of farewell, gives a tender kiss on the forehead of each of them, even seeing a sad look in the children, need to go.

Hours later...

"These meetings exhaust me completely, even more so when they last five hours."

That was what was going through Margaret's mind, as she walked towards her home. The weather at that time of year was cold, with low average temperatures, and to contribute it was already night, the sky was gloomy, and the streets completely empty. Only a woman with long blond hair, holding an espresso cup.

"I could have come with my car, but I left in such a hurry, now no taxi passes." - Frustrated, she thought as she walked.

Margaret was walking naturally, until a hooded man appeared, walking with his head down, who was in front of her, but walking in the opposite direction, both continued walking, consequently, they pass each other's side, already behind the blonde, the strange man pulls out a revolver and points it at her, but without saying a single word, the woman soon notices that she was being threatened:

- You don't want to do this, my dear boy.

Ignoring her speech, the man shoots at her, the bullet was fast, but before it could hit her, a circle appeared on her back, with a strange symbol in the middle, which glowed blue, and was surrounded by words from an unknown dialect. This circle stopped the bullet's trajectory, then disappeared, and the projectile fell to the ground:

- That symbol, so finally... finally I found you. - The man says while removing the hood that covered his face.

Upon hearing the man's voice, Margaret goes into a state of shock, her body completely paralyzes, she lets the coffee that was in her hand fall.

"It can't be, that voice... that tone..."

Margaret's thoughts were hindered by a light touch on her shoulder, the coldness in the touch, and a haunting, macabre energy, the blonde already knew who it was, and that was what scared her:

- Aren't you even going to say hello to me? - She brought her face closer to Margaret's ear - Did you think I was dead? Reginleif.

- Erebus? - she said, stammering a little.

- Are you a lord, or have you forgotten the good manners of the Order of the Valkyries? - He used a tone of debauchery.

With an elbow to the stomach, Margaret tries to get away from Erebus, but he defends her blow, holding her arm, and then his other arm, immobilizing her. The blonde was at a loss, then, from her back, wings appear, which materialize a real plumage, opening, this forces the god to retreat, moving away a few steps.

The Valkyrie, quickly, turns towards Erebus, her eyes immediately meet his face, which causes a feeling of fear, her legs start to wobble, those blood red eyes, it was like looking at a demon with a bestial desire, not for blood, but for chaos. The crazy god, sees Margaret's fear, and starts to laugh intensely:

- Why are you so afraid of me? I am one of the creators of the Order of the Valkyries, you should see me as your creator, as I really am.

- This Order was extinguished a long time ago, I'm no longer a Valkyrie, now I'm Margaret. - Without the slightest firmness in her voice, she answers him.

- But how do you explain these wings?

Margaret was breaking into a cold sweat, she thought of several alternatives on how to get out of there, but knew that running would not solve anything, Erebus was stronger than her:

- You see, some creatures and gods from my past, are still alive, I am wanting to eliminate them, I have a bigger plan, and they can't be alive.

The god takes from the pocket of his case, a piece of paper that was crumpled, opens it and tries to read what was written:

- Well do you know a guy named.... Arthur? - If she gets no answer from the Valkyrie, she crumples the paper in her hand. - Probably not, but you know what, it doesn't matter.

In the hand she had closed, a black energy appears, which burns the piece of paper, then she opens it, dropping only a black powder. For Margaret there were no more doubts, Erebus was there to eliminate her, and with no alternative she decides to fight, an almost identical circle appears in front of her, but this time the central symbol has changed, a sword begins to emerge from the circle, which the Valkyrie soon draws:

- Poor Reginleif, after millions of years of the tragic outcome of the Valkyries has gone mad.

- My name is Margaret.

A fire begins to cover the Valkyrie's body, a celestial flame of silver coloring, it is different from what humans understand by fire, the composition cannot be categorized in the table of chemical elements. Divine Typhoon, Margaret recites these words to as she, with one finger, ran it across the golden blade of the sword, energizing it with celestial fire, then she sticks it into the ground, which begins to glow. From where Erebus stepped, a whirlwind emerges towards the sky of silver flame, a tornado forms around him, creating an overwhelming internal force, along with the flame of the valkyries' punishment.