Chapter 5

"You did well boy." The mysterious voice said.

"Who are you?" Sven replied

"I am you. No, I was you. We don't have the luxury of discussing this today. If I were you I would learn to avoid attachments. The road your on will be one of nothing but hardships. Be wary of humans, and gods. They can never be trusted. One day you will know why. For now, you still have much to learn. The connection is fading. One day when you have become stronger we will speak again."

Sven wakes up in an unknown place. He seems to be alone, but there is fresh food on the table. He is cautious of it for a minute. The last thing he remembers was being ready to fight off the enemy. Yet here he is in a nice place alone. No noise can be heard outside, but the sounds of nature. Was it all a dream? It can't be his clothes are damaged still. Over on the wall, there is armor and a sword. Not knowing if he could be in danger he immediately checks it out and to his surprise, it's the proper size. What was the armor made of he wondered? It seems to be made of metal, but its way to light. He quickly put it on, and after some thought, he decided he needed the food. That it was worth the risk of eating.

As he was leaving he noticed the shore wasn't too far from his location. However, his surroundings are unknown. It was much colder here so clearly he's been moved. The only question is to where. There was snow everywhere. A thick forest behind the hut. He could see tall mountains covered with snow. Suddenly a familiar voice called out.

"It's about time you woke up. We need to talk, but are you ready to listen? I'm not one of the people who attacked your village. We need to discuss the funeral arrangements of your loved ones." She said

It was the women from before. She doesn't seem to be hostile for if she wanted to kill him she already had the perfect chance. He was concerned about what happened to the bodies so he decided to talk.

"First tell me who you are," Sven demanded.

"My name is Lilith. I've already wrapped your father's body up. Your woman is still waiting though. I was able to restore her head but was unable for your father. Now follow me." Lilith said as she walked towards the forest.

Sven followed her patiently down a trail. Lilith didn't say anything as they walked. Sven continued to look around curious about his surrounding. They soon approached a small set of houses and a few pens for livestock. He could see two graves prepared, and a small chest near the holes. There was a stone slab by the graves with both bodies on it. There was an old couple tending to the animals. A young woman walked out of the house, she had long blonde hair, blue eyes and was dressed like a Dane. The woman began walking his way.

"I must talk with Helga. Go say your goodbyes. Be sure to let me know when you're ready to bury them, and we will help you." Lilith said as she walked towards Helga

Sven quickly went to the bodies. Just like Lilith said Bethany's head was connected as if it never happened. He trailed his hands down her cheek as he teared up. He spent some time with the bodies and contemplated his life from before.

"So that's the guy you want me to train? He doesn't seem like much to me, but I owe you. So why me?" Helga asked.

"It's because he posses a lot of power, and your abilities match well for training him. Plus you're both Tera so you might have a better chance of reaching him than me. Be sure to teach him about our world. I will be leaving after the burial. Things are sure to be hectic in the underworld right now. So I have to hurry back. " Lilith replied.

Now that things have calmed down he had so many questions. What is he? Why did those people attack him, and who sent them? After the bodies are put to rest he will find the answers. Sven walked back towards Lilith.

"I'm ready to start," Sven said.

They lowered the bodies into the ground. Lilith went into the chest nearby and handed Sven an amulet with strange runes on it.

"You must always wear this. At least until your training with Helga is finished. I know you must have a lot of questions, but I must go. Helga will fill you in when I leave. We will meet again." Lilith said.

"Thank you for your help," Sven said with sincerity.

"Come with me we can talk inside," Helga said in a stern tone.

As they walked for the door. Lilith opened another portal like the one they came through before and left. She was interested in what Sven was but had much to do.

Sven learned that in the world there are Tera and Gods. That they were humans who when hitting puberty went through what most call an awakening. What happens is special abilities start to manifest depending on their heritage. It's common when this happens that people tend to get hurt, and this is especially true for tera awakenings. Since some of them would have appetites awoken for blood and flesh. These desires can be sated with live flesh from animals, but some feed on humans. What tended to happen is most would try to ignore these urges, and in doing so become so hungry they lose themselves. The killing, and sometimes eating of loved ones would occur. This tends to be an accident but even so, they get the taste of human flesh. Some are able to resist the urge, but others enjoy it. Now for gods, there are two kinds of awakening. Some inherit powers from their ancestors and then are those who simply have a stronger physique. The lifespan of a god is about three times that of humans.

There are many factions of humans that know about the existence of tera, and gods. One is a hunting guild stationed throughout the world that tracks down the tera who kill humans and put them down. The other is an organization we don't know much about besides the fact they wish to kill all tera. They are known for using seers to try and find them before awakening. Wiping out entire bloodlines of tera is their main focus.

Magic is something all over the world and has been adapted to so many forms its hard to catalog. They use to practice in the open, but with the rise of Christianity, they avoid so. Not out of fear of prosecution, but wishing to avoid bloodshed. Most mages in the world tend to be hunters, but some learn the art to help other humans. Lately, there's even been a rise in mercenary groups forming full of mages. Even tera and gods can learn magic. However, most gods see it as a tool for the weak.