Chapter 211 Life Is Fragile

The giant wolf known as Fenrir had rejoined the war and was in a one on one confrontation with Heimdall. Neither was backing down and because of the surrounding allies from both sides, they dared not go all out. So in the end, they simply exchanged love-taps. Until Ragnar joined, that is. He arrived like a comet, fully ready to annihilate his enemies. Heimdall sighed, seeing the new arrival.

Ragnar had no weapon with him, but he still reeked of danger, he wore causal clothes, despite being on a battlefield. He wore a black coat, reaching his knees, it was open, revealing the empty darkness that was Ragnar's body. He usually only made his face look human nowadays; revealing the Nightwater his body was made out of.

Heimdall had no plans to be outnumbered and launched an all out strike at Fenrir, seeing the wolf as the easier target. His sword morphed slightly, increasing in size, as the silver blade seemed to absorb the darkness, of the night in the realm, all around them. Ragnar seeing this smiled, and reached into his chest, pulling out a black sword from within himself, made out of Nightwater.

Two swords met in the middle, a sphere forming from the collision, one made out of a beautiful neon light, the other of a black, slight purple substance. The two swords struggled, each wishing to fend of the other, but in the end it became a stalemate.

"Interesting swordsmanship. Despite how common it became in the lower dimensions, the seventh dimension doesn't use swords. Therefore, I didn't expect to see someone with acceptable swordsmanship this high up. I got to say, you don't disappoint, Heimdall!" Ragnar said. He was complementing Heimdall, but to the others it sounded like simple arrogance. Something that got on everyones nerves, including Heimdall.

"Don't act like you're better than us!" he exclaimed and jumped back; raising his sword again he cut through the air. A silver colored arc formed and approached Ragnar. But instead of taking it head on, Ragnar took a step to the left, avoiding the attack all together, and countering with his own.

Several visions of his sword stabbing forward was seen, as Heimdall masterfully evaded all but one. The black sword had avoided his senses all together and managed to scratch his shoulder, drawing blood. "Strong attacks, which lack speed are useless, focus on speed when the enemy is fast and when the enemy is slow. As long as you have enough strenght to penetrate their defense, what's the need for more power? To flex? To make them fear? No, it's simply useless energy spent!" Ragnar lectured, annoyed by the slash from earlier.

Heimdall infuriated by Ragnar's shamelessness launched several strikes, one went fro Ragnar's head, but was parried, the other went for his torso, but Ragnar side stepped, avoiding the blade, the next was a stab towards his stomach, but he met the sword and derailed it. What followed was a contest for control, as both pushed their swords against one another, changing their stances, how they aimed the sword, trying to gain an advantage and cut the other.

Ragnar was the one to end the confrontation, suddenly putting extra pressure into forcing Heimdall's blade to the side and stepping back. Heimdall's sword hit the ground and sadly killed trillions of his followers, caught in the outburst of energy, before he could contain it. This little change in number didn't do much for the battlefield, but it opened up a path for Ragthor and the rebels to push through and create an attack from two sides.

Heimdall frowned and launched two attacks at Ragnar from each side, while evading Ragnar's sword and piercing him with the silver blade, which started to eat away at his body. Next the clone sliced of his head. Yet, Heimdall didn't rest, he suddenly attack Fenrir, which had returned, but the second he turned his back, a sword pierced his heart, injuring his soul at the same time.

Left open from the shock, Heimdall became a chewing toy for Fenrir, who bit his shoulder and shock him back and forth, before spiting him out on the ground.

Ragnar reappeared without a single injury, his human face was gone though, replaced by a humanoid black, purple substance. "Did you really think you could actually take me down that easily?" Ragnar asked while shifting his sword back and forth in his hand.

"How is that possible, I clearly felt myself destroying your soul!" Heimdall yelled, unaware of the fact that Ragnar had no soul. No being who's been a seventh dimensional creature has a soul it's after all another domain.

"Soul, really Heimdall?" Ragnar asked. He was baffled by his enemy's foolishness. Then he started laughing and pointing at Heimdall, which fueled to anger the Norse Celestial even further. He recklessly slammed his sword into Ragnar and split him in two, only for the Nightwater to wrap around the sword, keeping it in place.

"I'd suggest abandoning your sword!" Ragnar said, just before he exploded, a tiny remains of his body managing to connect to Heimdall. The man ignored the warning and picked up the sword, something he came to regret instantly, as the small droplet of Nighhtwater on his body rushed towards the sword. Then a wave of Nightwater came from within the sword and swallowed Heimdall whole and sending him to Ragnar's realm.

A world, a reflecting world, showing you all you've done, everything you regret, the actions that made you who you are. Heimdall witnessed his childhood once more, how he was trained, how he was loved. His father, who raised him to be a king, before Thor was born. His nine mothers, each more loving, yet indifferent at the same time. The training he went through and how he lost his father's favor.

Everything Heimdall had come to regret, it was shown to him. Not just that, he saw something else. A young man, he had blue hair and a certain, I own the world look. Yet his eyes screamed of agony, every waking moment was a pain. He saw his blue eyes holding his tears. The journey he went on, abandoning everything. How he saved the love of his life, the way they talked, how she made him feel safe.

Then he saw it, the deal he was forced to partake. A trap set to force him to fight them. He was just like them, a pitiful being, used till the end. He returned home, meeting his friends and family. They grew stronger together again and he was supposed to be happy. Chaos had fully merged with him and the family he had lost returned. He had everything he had ever wanted, there was only one thing amiss, he couldn't be happy. He had become indifferent to everything, that was the price he had to pay. Saving his loved one, ascending to a sixth dimensional being, all of this had a price. He had become a servant of the all knowing and had lost his emotions due to unknown circumstances Heimdall couldn't see. Only know had occurred. He had lost as much as he gained, he was no longer whole, he was empty, an empty shell waiting for its end.

Over time Heimdall saw him act, play nice, make new bonds, expand his pantheon, make it more powerful. Not because he wanted to, but because he had to, the deal was to destroy norse mythology and he was to put his outmost effort into it. Millions of years passed, he made more friends, talked with Paarthadox, then, out of nowhere he disappeared.

Just like that another trial of his life began, as he was forced to learn a new power he never knew he had. He started mastering time, traveling the timelines, but when he returned, unbeknownst to him, everything had changed. His indifference and pain was slightly gone.

The women noticed this and quickly destroyed that happiness. She killed everyone with the help of a creature known as Trickster. When it first appeared, just through Alice body, Heimdall lost all will to fight, had Ragnar wanted to, he could have just killed Heimdall at that moment. The effect Trickster had on a being would strengthen the stronger a creature was. They would be able to understand what was behind that creature.

Heimdall breathed a sight of relief when he saw Mirella get killed by the being and it got punished for it. He was so thankful he wanted to bow to her and thank her for her sacrifice.

Ragnar was back to square one, and had to start over. Heimdall watched as he met up with this being known as Cronus, an entity which made him feel safe, unlike that Trickster thing. But just as the story was about to progress further, it cut of.

"Sorry about that, sometimes my powers like to torment me, showing me all my mistakes again. Every moment I could have done a difference to the end result. Each time something out of the ordinary happened that I ignored. Perhaps its because a part of me wants me to suffer. But in the end you saw something unsightly!" Ragnar said, approaching Heimdall.

Heimdall perspective on Ragnar had changed entirely from what he saw. He knew that Ragnar had no choice, he had been used as a tool to end a war between norse mythology and the all knowing. He was just like them a toy. Heimdall sighed and said. "No matter what I see, or what you show me, I won't stop fighting. They're my family, we have to defeat you to live, just like you have to defeat us to live!" Heimdall said and raised his silver sword once more. It was in a constant state of changing colors and the silver light only served to reflect the memories of time in the realm. He was slowly being killed without knowing it, the concept of time lullabying him to sleep. An eternal sleep he would never wake up from,

"Then we are enemies!" Ragnar said and moved closer. He was humanoid, but made no effort to have a human from, instead he was made out of thousands of different memories from time, also known as Nightwater.

"May the best win, Heimdall, Norse Mythology's best sword!" Ragnar said, as they once more clashed. Their swords exchanging blow after blow, dancing through the bittersweet realm. Sparks of light lit up the realm, reflecting against the mirror like blackness. Their steps creating shockwaves on the black solid liquid of Nightwater. Thousands of spectators just out of reach, watching their fight.

Their exchanges grew heavier and heavier, as they gained resolution to win. A fight to the death with ever growing intensity. Despite his efforts, Heimdall was losing. Ragnar's sword was faster, more tamed, more powerful. With each exchange of blows he lost more ground, slowly being pushed back. Death growing closer with every moment.

He felt himself growing weaker, his conviction to fight dwindling. Every mistake he's ever made appeared in his mind, every hateful word, or wrongful action he's made. The look of disappointment his mothers gave him. His will was slowly disappearing, as he accepted his downfall. He was to die, but who would care, would they even remember him? He was blamed for Loki's betrayal, he was replaced by Thor, he was cast aside by his father. Becoming a lowly watchman, far away from the walls of Asgard. Why was he fighting to begin with, did he think they'd forgive him, accept him for who he was? Odin only cared for Balder and Thor, one was gone, the other taking all the glory.

Heimdall fought valiant till the end. With his will alone he fought against the realm's call. With his power alone he stood against Ragnar, the original timeline and he died like he had lived, fearlessly. A brave man from birth till the end, surely he would be remembered.

With a sword in his heart, both arms gone, and a neatly cut head. Heimdall still stood. Even in death he refused to fall, hoping to support just a bit more of the tremendous weight that's befallen on his family.