by Garnet Hart
What the hell were all these people doing here? The last time he checked, this was the arrival area, not the departure. Vehicles were everywhere and he couldn’t distinguish a taxi from a private car.
It was only nine in the morning, yet the sun was already strong and hot. He was a Lycan, a creature who had the ability to shift into a werewolf form any time he wished. Unlike the Vampires, he could withstand scorching heat without it taking an ounce of his strength. He was no ordinary Lycan, too, but an Alpha, a rare breed created by the fusion of a Lycan with an ancient Vanir god.
He looked around him.
How the hell could he find someone within this chaos?
A black, heavily tinted sports car stopped in front of him. The window rolled down and he saw Lysander at the wheel. For some reason, the Vampire suddenly decided to come back here a few days ago. He could have known that something was happening in the realm of the gods and anything that would upset the balance of the worlds, Lysander was on it.
He got in the car and closed the door. This time, people’s eyes were not on him anymore but on this hot, expensive car ruling the busy road like a proud king on its throne. “Your car’s getting more eye-fucking than you are.”
Lysander grinned and drove away. “Because they don’t see what’s inside it.”
“Are you alright driving at day, under this heat?” he asked.
Lysander, the Grand Commander of the Ancient Forces, which he was a member, was an ancient Vampire called a Nosferatu. Like an Alpha, Lysander’s kind was also rare.
It had been a year since Lysander married Ceres, a human who was once the vessel of Freya. Ceres was a Filipina so Lysander divided his time between England and his wife’s country.
“Not a problem. The sunrays could not get through this heavy tint,” Lysander answered, referring to the dark windshield and windows. At night, it would be difficult to see the road, but Vampires could see clearer at night than at day. “So what do you wish to discuss with the High Priestess? You wouldn’t bother coming all the way here if it wasn’t important.”
“Nothing that interests you,” he simply said.
“Try me.”
From the smirk on Lysander’s face, Lior could tell that this Vampire knew something.
He would not be surprised. Lysander was not the Grand Commander of the Ancient Forces for nothing.
The Ancient Forces was a huge alliance of dark creatures in Midgar. It included Vampires, Demons, and Lycans. With Lysander’s network around the world, it would be impossible if he had not caught the information about the presence of an Elf in this country. That was probably the reason why he had suddenly decided to come here.
“It’s something that concerns me and Nadia,” he replied evasively.
“About what?”
“She’s a Priestess serving Asgard, and I am from Asgard. We certainly have something in common to talk about.”
Lysander chuckled. “Something tells me you’re walking on a very dangerous territory, my friend. You are a member of the Ancient Forces. Our goal is to protect the dark race and all inhabitants of Midgar from anything that might threaten our existence. I do hope you remember that.”
Lior sighed as he understood the warning in Lysander’s tone. “I’m no’ about to put anyone in danger, nor am I turning away from my oath.”
“I did not say that. I’m just reminding you.” Lysander looked at him and smiled. “Alright. We’ll be there in a few minutes. Should I wait for you? You’re welcome to stay in my home, or I could billet you in a hotel if you want some privacy.”
“A suite in a hotel would be nice. I’d hate to disrupt your domestic bliss.”
Lysander laughed, something Lior had rarely witnessed in his friend before. Anybody who had known this Vampire a long time would be astounded at the changes in him since he met that vessel. Lysander looked happy now.
Happiness. A state of being among humans. Something he was also a stranger to. Except for that time with the—
Fuck. Don’t go there.
“Lady Nadia seems excited to see you again. He’s asked me when you are coming here a dozen times the past days. A tigress and a wolf? Razul would not be pleased to learn of his new rival.”
Lior shot Lysander a sharp look. “With all due respect, my friend, your mother-in-law is one fine woman, but even if she’s a Priestess, she’s still a human.”
“And you’re a god?” Lysander laughed sardonically. “I was once a human and I married a human. This is the human world, and you’ve been here for a while now. I don’t think you’d stay here that long if you don’t like humans. So fuck off with your gods-and-humans-can- never-be-together bullshit, or you’ll end up falling in love with one.”
Lior sighed. Lysander was right. Even if he was a god, he never despised humans. He would protect these humans with his life, and unlike other gods, he had no desire of being praised by them. It was enough that he knew he possessed a power that no other humans could surpass. However, he believed that gods were the highest form of beings and humans were the lower ones. It would be an insult to his superiority to fall in love with a lower being. Humans were mere playthings to expend his lust with but anything more than that was disrespect to his kind.
“Impossible. I have no’ heard of a god marrying a human.”
Lysander smiled knowingly. “You could be the first.”
Lior scoffed. “That would spark the most gruesome scandal in Asgard. I’d be thrown out for eternity. If I lose my physical form here, Hel would be the only one willing to take me in.”
“I thought Lycans don’t have souls.”
“Alphas, like me, are exemptions. An ancient god is within us. It is our soul.”
“Interesting.”
Suddenly, the car stopped.
“Are we there?” Lior asked.
“Not yet. We have quite a heavy traffic around this area. What about dropping by our place for a cup of coffee? Ceres makes the best coffee.”
Lior looked through the window and was shocked. Unbelievable sight. They were stuck in the middle of a sea of vehicles honking from all directions. His highly evolved Alpha ears were irritated despite being inside Lysander’s new sports car. He wondered how many people this city contained. He hadn’t seen so many cars on the road, not even in London on a very busy day. “No. I need to see Nadia right away.”
“Alright. We’ll go straight to the temple, that is if we get past this traffic jam soon.”
Lior heaved a deep sigh. He was never as patient as Lysander. He could turn into a werewolf now and leap toward the temple in a flash, but it would be foolish to make a spectacle in a country where people were innocent of the fact that there were other beings, aside from them, who walked the earth. They weren’t even aware of the fact that the earth had nine worlds.
He slouched back in his seat as the traffic moved at a snail’s pace. This city was a bustling commercial region. Tall buildings were standing one after another in very close intervals and giant billboards hung everywhere. After they got past the traffic jam, they went over a stretch of skyway and he saw the contrast in the city landscape. Amid the tall buildings were shanties, blocks and blocks of them like wild weeds among flowering plants.
The sight disturbed him. “You have billions of dollars, and you’re traveling in one of the most expensive cars in the world, while the people here who are the rightful dwellers of Midgar live like rats in their own land,” he commented.
Lysander shrugged. “Isn’t it the same in Asgard?”
“In Asgard, we feed and shelter our servants and Einherjars.”
“Why don’t you ask your god Odin why these people are suffering like this? From what I heard, Odin annihilated the protectors of the humans thousands of years ago. They became vulnerable even from one another, and so they opted for gold and money to buy them power and protection. That’s how greed started in this world.”
Lior had heard of that as well, that Odin had stolen the dragon orb that belonged to the hu
mans. Dragons lived in a land called Muspell, and would come in response to whoever activated the orb.
He didn’t know if the tale was real. He was not born yet at that time, and there had been no trace of the dragon orb since he came to be, not even in Asgard.
“Who knew what had happened then,” Lior answered. “As far as I know, when I came to understanding things, the gods were already gods and the humans glorified gods.”
“What if it were the other way around before?”
Lior shook his head. “I would no’ know and I would no’ want it. I like being a god,” he said.
Lysander laughed.
They stayed on the road longer than he expected, but Lysander kept him entertained with stories. God, Vampires, Lycans, Demons, Elves.
Elves. His mind started to drift away to dangerous territories again but was interrupted by Lysander’s voice.
“We’re here.”
The car stopped.
Lior opened the door and stepped outside.
“Is this the Temple?” he asked as he gazed at a high concrete wall that declared nothing of what was behind it. It was simply a plain wall with no adornments whatsoever.
Lysander, who remained seated behind the wheel, nodded and smiled. “Yes, that’s it.”
“Where’s the entrance?”
“Over there, to the right. We’ll just wait here. I’ll call Nadia to send someone to get you.”
Lior waited as Lysander dialed a number on his cellphone. Taking a few steps away from the car, he looked around the temple’s vicinity.
After seeing the slums, he was now looking over big and beautiful houses as though all the rich people in this country had gathered together in this enclosed area to compete with one another.
A few minutes later, he heard some footsteps approaching. He turned around and saw the captain of the guards with two other men coming to their direction. He could tell a captain among these guards based on the color of their uniforms. Every god had a corresponding color preference. Here in the temple of Freya, the color was green. Ordinary guards had lighter colors than the captain.
“Greetings, Lord Rochford,” the captain said. “It’s been a while.”
Lysander stepped out of the car and shook the captain’s hand. “Great to see you again, Captain.”
Lior approached the two. It looked like they knew each other before.
“By the way,” Lysander gestured for Lior to come closer, which he did, “this man is Lady Nadia’s special guest. The High Priestess wishes to see him right away.”
“So, I was told,” the captain replied and shook Lior’s hand.
“I will come back later and bring you to the hotel,” Lysander told Lior. “Nadia doesn’t wish to see me. Only you. I’ll see you later.”
“Thanks.”
The Captain escorted Lior toward a plain black gate to the right. The massive panels slid open with ease and they walked inside the compound.
He was surprised. That plain wall concealed behind it a splendid temple. He paused to marvel at the structure that greeted him.
The beautiful houses around paled in comparison with the temple. Freya had certainly made sure that she had the most beautiful shrine among all most gods, but sad to say, even if her temple was designed by the best architects in this country, it was not enough to surpass the magnificence of Odin’s temple in England.
They passed by a giant crystal statue of Freya standing in the middle of a circular fountain and entered the main door of the temple. Inside, the hall was filled with more statues of the goddess and the entire floor was covered with carpets bearing Freya’s symbol.
Finally, they stopped before a door and the captain knocked.
“Come in,” a voice from the inside replied. It had been a year, but he had not forgotten the voice of that shrewd Priestess who once despised the likes of him. She had almost started a war against Lysander, but now she was Lysander’s mother-in-law.
The captain opened the door and motioned for him to enter. He found Nadia standing in the middle of a private parlor. Unlike when she was outside the temple, she had no veil to cover her lustrous, long hair and lovely face.
“It’s good to see you again, my lord,” she greeted and lowered her head.
He was surprised. This Priestess used to loathe him, but now she was bowing before him. It only meant one thing. She already knew he was a god of Asgard.
“You dunna have to treat me any differently,” he said.
“At least allow me to apologize for being so impolite in your presence. Had I known, I would have acted differently.”
“I dunna mind. You’re forgiven.”
“To make up for my sins, my lord, allow me to build a temple in your honor.”
He shook his head and sat on the couch. “I am half Aesir and half Vanir. If you are to build me a temple, the other gods would come down themselves to destroy it… and destroy you, as well.”
Nadia paled. “Oh,” she uttered as she probably realized that he was right. “I understand.”
“I’m an outcast of Asgard now. I’ve done something unforgivable against lord Odin. I’ve lost whatever bit of godliness I have in me. So, if you dunna mind, just consider me like a mortal, or a Lycan, like you’ve never known who I am, or who I was.”
Nadia nodded and sat on the adjacent couch. “As you wish. Can I offer you anything to drink?”
“No. I’ve come to see the Elf.”
“She is down the basement. Do you wish to see her now?”
“Yes, if you dunna mind.”
Nadia rose and led him out of the parlor, then down a stairway leading to the basement.
“I heard you were supposed to kill the woman two centuries ago,” Nadia said casually as they descended deeper into the ground. The area was partly illuminated by low-watt lights, but it was enough for Nadia to see her way. She didn’t bother with him as she probably knew that he could see even in total darkness. “But you kept her instead.”
He sighed. Surely, the information had come from Freya. Gods or humans, women were born to spread gossip. “I did. I wonder how they found her.”
“The seers of Asgard had seen no change in Odin’s fate, and so they suspected that the Elf still lived, so the gods ordered a thorough search around Midgar. Odin kept their plans from you because he had suspected something from you for refusing to accept the promotion and your continued stay in Midgar. The lord is a wise god. He knew you are trying to atone for something you have done against him.”
Indeed, Odin was wise. That was the reason why he stayed in Midgar, to atone for his sins, for disobeying the order of his lord.
When Freya called him about the Elf, he thought she was delivering him Odin’s wrath. He was expecting to be summoned to Asgard to receive his punishment. But it was not the case.
“I thought that her death was unnecessary, and that if I kept the Elf locked, the prediction will change.”
Nadia turned to see him and smiled meaningfully. “What is it that stopped you? Was it mercy? Or… was it love?”
Like a young boy who just crossed his teenage years, he felt heat creeping up his face. Lysander had been teasing him of that just a few minutes ago, but it did not affect him in such a way as Nadia’s words did.
“Love is impossible between a god and a human,” was his simple response.
“Pardon my words. I’m just puzzled why a favorite warrior of Odin would turn his back from his promised promotion and possibility of a line to the throne just to save the life of a human.”
“Beats me, too.”
Nadia smiled and continued downwards. “You’re a man of few words, aren’t you? I hope you don’t mind my big mouth.”
“No’ a problem. But I have one question and I wonder if Freya has told you about it.”
“Go ahead.”
“Have they found out how the Elf could possibly aid the Demons in defeating Asgard?”
“Yes, the goddess has told me that the Elf is destined to be a songs
tress when the time comes.”
“Songstress?”He was surprised. “I thought the gods had extracted that ability of the Elves.”
“They did, but it came out again as a result of a fruit between a human and an Elf. Because of that, the queen of Alfheim prohibits all Elves from wandering out of Alfheim.”
Lior understood why the queen would order such a thing to her subjects. A songstress could bring too much chaos to the nine worlds. Every creature would want her, to strengthen their army with her songs as they battled with their enemies. “Then why hasn’t Odin ordered Roar to kill her instead? Why bring her to Alfheim?”
“Odin needs her in his battle against Surt. Surt’s army is growing in number and he’d been guarding the gates of Muspell as if he’s hiding some sorts of alliance in there.”
“I thought the dragons are extinct.”
“I thought so, too. But lord Odin apparently knows what Surt is up to.”
“Have you told Lysander about this?”
Nadia shook her head. “Not a word. I don’t think he’d understand if I told him, but I think he suspects something. The presence of the Demons guarding the Elven portals in Palawan could have alerted him and prompted him to come here. He does not trust lord Odin. If he learned we are about to deliver a weapon to Asgard that could strengthen lord Odin’s army, he might kill the Elf.”
“Trust me, he will,” he replied, knowing full well how Lysander hated the gods. The Grand Commander still believed Odin was planning to annihilate the Vampires as well, just as he had vanquished the ancient gods of Vanar.
“But you could use his help. You cannot succeed on this mission alone.”
That was true. The Demons were not his only enemies here. They had a strong alliance with the Dwarves, and there was a swarm of them in Nidavellir. “It might be difficult to convince him, but I’ll try.”
He followed her to a locked door. She pulled out a key from her pocket.
Lior’s heartbeat suddenly raced, which had him gritting his teeth. Two days ago, when Nadia called to tell him that the Elf had been found, he was not prepared for whatever feelings he might still harbor for her. His world turned black. His hand nearly broke the cellphone as he gripped it too hard.
