Valkyrie and Family 2.152

In the afternoon, after his training with Rosewisse, Viggo met with Kain at his home, in the company of Xiao and Kiara. The four of them sitting under the apple tree in the courtyard, in front of the table full of delicacies.

-We must wait a while- said Kiara, dressed in the veil and wet robe, but with the long cut that showed her long and beautiful left leg.

Xiao sitting to Kiara's right, nodded. He wore a long black coat with brooches starting in the center of the neck and down the collarbone until they were lost on the right side. His gray hair with long entrances and the rest arranged in a raised bun on the upper back of the nape of the neck. He didn't say much, as he didn't get along with Kiara.

Kain sitting in front of Kiara dressed in the usual way. White shirt, fabric pants and knee-length boots. The first three buttons of the shirt unbuttoned, giving it a casual air. Above all things stood out his long white hair and pointed elf ears.

Finally, Viggo, sitting to Kiara's left and Kain's right, was bare-chested while wearing a robe that covered him from the waist to the knees. The belt with the lion's head in the center.

-Grandpa- said Viggo -I would like to ask you something-

-What is it about boy?- asked Xiao sitting in front.

-You see, yesterday I brought Rosewisse, a Valkyrie, from Vanaheim-

-Yes, I realized. It is not normal for creatures that can reach the spiritual world to be born on this earth-

-Well, the fact is that she is looking for her grandmother, a Valkyrie named Gondul-

-That's right... unexpectedly good- Xiao replied with a smile on his lips.

-Why good, Xiao?- asked Kiara in a bad mood when she noticed that the old man was getting happy.

-It's good, because it's part of the initial challenge that Viggo started a couple of years ago. Gondul is in Muspelheim, as the final challenge of the Sutr-

-That doesn't make sense- replied Viggo.

-Within the logic of the one who knows nothing What do you know about the Valkyrie Gondul? Do you know the last thing she did in Midgar and why it went to Muspelheim?-

-No, but you could tell me something-

-I won't tell you, you must find out on your own-

-Xiao- Kiara protest

-Shut up, old goat. You accuse me of cruelty to my protégés, but you give crazy goals to yours. Don't think I don't know what you told him to kill Odin-

-Shut up, that's something between me and Viggo- Kiara replied -besides, Viggo isn't so dumb as to just jump into a fight. He has been researching and looking for reasons to fight. It is an important process that every warrior must go through. Otherwise, in the future anyone will tell him to do something, and he will do it without thinking about the consequences-

Xiao frowned, but I don't reply, because within everything, it was true How many warriors who didn't think on their own had signed up for a seemingly honorable target and then ended up let down by the negative results? His excuse "nobody warned me." As if those things happened in life and everyone was warning you of the results of each of your actions. The most important thing was to think on your own. Xiao didn't have to teach Kain that, he had already experienced the results of making decisions without thinking about the consequences on his own.

Viggo coughed to get them out of their discussion and said -back to the topic, Gondul is at the top of the volcano where Sutr's challenge is-

-That's right- Xiao replied with a gentle smile -but to ask her about the things you need to know, you must free her from her corporeal form-

-Rosewisse told me that the Valkyries needed to return to their spiritual form once a year-

- Yes and no. The truth is, it's kind of like renewing your physical body. However, when you trap a Valkyrie in her physical body and make her sick with substances, her spirit and mind are affected-

-You tell me that someone spells her or something like that-

-You must find out that on your own-

-Ok, I'll talk to her. Tell me, Grandpa, when could you transport us to Muspelheim? It's something that matters to Rosewisse-

Xiao let out a sigh and said -it could be in a month, but that girl, Rosewisse wants to find the other Valkyries doesn't it?– Viggo nodded, and Xiao continued –in that case they will have to wait two years to be able to occupy the temple of Tyr, located at the bottom of the Lake of the Nine Realms-

-Why?- asked Viggo with a frown.

-Because it is the easiest way to travel between the Realms. In addition, neither of them is prepared to face a real Valkyrie in an optimal condition-

-Rosewisse is powerful, I would say like a level eight-

-Well, a Valkyrie like Gondul and the others are at level 9 of an adventurer-

-That's right- replied Viggo somewhat astonished.

Xiao gave a chuckle and said -they are only one step away from divinity, Viggo. They are not average warriors that you can find anywhere. If that Rosewisse girl is strong, imagine a Valkyrie who has been perfecting her fighting techniques for centuries-

-I understand- replied Viggo worried about his strength -something else called Mimir- he added.

-Yes, I know him. Someone too bright for his own good. He was someone who didn't wonder where his path took him and what he was saying until it was too late. Now he has a nice view, doesn't it?-

-Yes- Viggo replied with a smile, but he denied, it was not right to laugh at the misfortune of another -the fact is that I put some pressure on him and he told me that Ivaldi, in Niflheim, found something that terrified Odin and that is why he kill him-

Xiao let out a sigh, thought of telling Viggo what it meant to process Niflheim's frozen Eitr with Muspelheim's fire, but seeing Kiara giving him a warning look, he decided to keep those secrets to himself.

-I don't know, but you'd better prepare. If they are dwarf secrets, you can only discover them using blacksmithing and dwarf magic- Xiao said with a gentle smile -why you don't start learning from your father. That will open your mind to new ideas and when you face the manuscripts of the dwarves, you will be able to understand some concepts that only a good blacksmith would understand-

-That makes sense, I would like to make myself an armor. The last one was smashed in the chest-

-Mjolnir, didn't it?- asked Xiao, Viggo nodded with an uncomfortable smile, and Xiao nodded as if understanding where the problem was. It was one thing to become strong and quite another to find a weapon that would double your strength. It was crazy.

-It's about time- Kiara said, interrupting the conversation. Everyone stood up, but only Viggo did not know the reason why they summoned him just now. It was good that Rosewisse had wings and could fly back to the mansion. If it hadn't been a big deal for her to have come back on her own, maybe how many guys would she have burned with her magic?

Kain walked ahead, leading the way while Xiao, Kiara, and Viggo followed. Kain went to a long, dark hallway at the back of the house. In this sector there were only two rooms. The one on the right was a cellar, the one on the left was forbidden to open it or try to open it for all family members. Even for Kain's wives. It was a place of mystery for Viggo and his brothers who, during their childhood, imagined what their father could have hidden in that room.

Kain stopped in front of the door, made a sign with his right hand, and the door opened without even touching it. The room was dark, and the dim light in the hall didn't help. Viggo could smell the stagnant air, also scent of oil paint. This last smell he knew very well, since before going with his master, he spent full afternoons painting.

Kain pressed the switch on the right side of the door frame and turned on a large chandelier lamp on the ceiling. Then the interior was visible. According to the construction of the house, each room should be about two and a half meters high. Ceramic or carpet floor. Roof and white cornices. In this room the ceiling had been maintained, but the floor had been removed to seven meters deep. However, what surprised Viggo was not the depth of the room, but the huge picture that encompassed almost the entire room. It seemed that his top had been torn off. It possessed a golden frame and a huge canvas, but there were no people or beautiful landscapes drawn. Instead, there was an apocalyptic landscape, where there were only black clouds, scant light, and volcanoes spewing lava into the sky.

-Come on, Viggo- Kiara said, taking him by the arm and guiding him inside. However, she stopped at the lintel and added -be careful with the steps–

Viggo looked down and saw that there was a ladder to descend to the bottom of the room. He was careful with the steps, but the rest of the time he looked at the big painting. The apocalyptic world, having an impression of life and reality in that nightmarish landscape. Some spots were seen in the clouds, in the form of large-winged dragons. There were dozens, if not hundreds, could anyone survive such a place?

Viggo and the rest went down to the bottom of the floor, where the paint was supported. Viggo stretched out his hand wanting to touch the golden frame of the painting, but Kiara stopped him by taking it by the wrist. Viggo looked at her and she shook her head.

-We'll take you there, we want you to see something- Kiara said seriously.

Viggo smiled and said in disbelief -it's a painting. There is nothing-

-To be someone who has traveled to other lands, you have little imagination- Kain said with a smile on his lips.

Viggo looked at him full of disbelief. His father came over, stirred his hair, and kissed his forehead, just as he did when he was a child. Yes, Viggo felt the same as when he was a child and would look at this room on the outside, wondering what was inside.

-Let me guide you- Kiara said, holding his hand. She touched the dark surface of the painting and she and Viggo were surrounded by a bright energy that suddenly absorbed them and in the blink of an eye, left them on a huge mountain of black stone. The air was full of soot and was hundreds of times harder to breathe than in Muspelheim.

Viggo began coughing non-stop as his lungs were clogged by particles in the air. Then they gagged him, he felt like he was drowning, but Kiara next to him created a sphere of energy that purified the air and then put her hand on his back. Which relieved Viggo's discomfort in the blink of an eye.

Viggo stood up, looked at Kiara, relieved that she was with him, but then looked at the scenery behind her. His eyes widened, unable to believe what he was looking at. The apocalyptic world, with volcanoes ejecting lava and feeding gigantic rivers of lava in all directions, was real. The cloudy skies, the dark earth, the constant tremors and the dragons, big and powerful flying in a dark sky.

-This is the beginning of all things- said Kain, just two meters from Viggo. The latter looked at his father and realized that he was not within the energy sphere created by Kiara. He could be outside and not die suffocated by the terrible air. On the other hand, different from Viggo, Kain smiled watching the majestic dragons fly through the sky, free, owners of everything above and below the clouds. Like terrible and powerful lords.