Departure

Agnes, in a fit of rage, swayed her pipe to the side, tearing a hole in space. She stared at this hole that lead to the other side, outside of Vrunemir Kingdom. Stepping forward, she clenched her fist, ready to leave on her own volition.

"I will not be shackled by my love for you anymore... someone like you who only uses me for your own benefits, doesn't deserve me." (Agnes)

Agnes stepped into the portal, transporting herself to the outskirts of Vrunemir's domain. She was far away, glancing behind her at the massive kingdom that stretched on for miles, with invisible darkness surrounding it, that she could only see. It looked gloomy to live in as if it was some nightmarish realm. But this was simply Dracula's doing. No mortal could dare see this darkness.

"...From the very beginning, you connected me to the Eldritch darkness to benefit only you. I would then teach Eldritch magic to my student, Grimhild, only to realize that she was the one you truly loved all this time. How foolish have I been? Blindly following you and your every word." (Agnes)

Agnes closed her eyes in pain, trembling in her body.

"You and your kingdom will suffer!" (Agnes)

She held up her hand, casting a magical circle in front of her.

"Be cursed forever! You and your people will suffer from incurable plagues, diseases, and mass evil across every corner of Vrunemir nation! You'll never get the chance to enact your plan!" (Agnes)

Agnes frowned, bestowing the entire country with a curse. All witches could do this, so she used it to her advantage before taking her leave. She didn't look back, Agnes merely walked forward, heartbroken and betrayed.

"He talked about Grimhild as if I wasn't even there. Well, no matter, love was a foolish choice that I was brainwashed to believe was good." (Agnes)

***

"I... have no clue where I am. This isn't the place I anticipated." (???)

"Daboo daboo!!!" (Goblin)

"Um... excuse me, do you all know where I can find a woman by the name of Grimhild Yorgana? It seems I got lost from reading this map." (???)

"Gaboo teki teki!" (Goblin)

"What do you mean I don't belong here? Do you know who I am, you insolent goblin?" (???)

"Temamoo?!" (Goblin)

"My name is Athena, and I am the goddess of battle strategy and wisdom! If it weren't for me, no mortal across the 9 realms would ever be able to prevail in battle with their wits. Must I say more?" (Athena)

"...Zaba Labooga?!" (Goblin)

"You have the nerve to call me insane?!" (Athena)

Athena balled her fists before sighing, now turning around.

"I ended up in a goblin village in the Outside lands, I must find a place with civilization. I must find Mesnil!" (Athena)

Athena walked away, holding the map up close to her face. She needed locations, quickly, otherwise her absence would hastily be noticed around Midgard, for she usually stays there and never leaves without reason.

"If I don't find her quickly, the others may come looking for me since it's not like me to just leave Asgard, so this task must be done as fast as possible... for you, Siegfried." (Athena)

She sighed to herself, closing her eyes in shame.

"When I was in Asgard, viewing Midgard was quite the easy task. I had full omniscience over the 9 realms, being able to see even the tiniest spec of dust, but now… I feel like a lost puppy." (Athena)

Athena folded the map in her hands and looked straight ahead, continuing her journey.

"Truth be told, I have no clue if Grimhild Yorgana possesses the power to bring Siegfried back, but I have seen her intelligence, and so has Lady Everland. Her wits transcend the boundaries of any man, god, or witch in Yggdrasil. She's an enigma, no doubt about it. She terrifies even Lady Everland, or at least that's what it seems." (Athena)

Athena crossed her arms, bowing her head in thought.

"Siegfried was sent into Valhalla, another World Seed. The reason Yggdrasil connects with another world is from the World Creator's doing. Using the Yggdrasil link, they connected with the Root World, and through that connection, they found their desires floating around inside the root world, thus, they brought it forth, creating another World Seed known as Valhalla." (Athena)

Athena looked behind her to see the goblins watching her walk away.

"The Root world is the beginning of all things. It contains all that exists or may exist, in imagination, mind, and spirit. The World Creators simply thought Valhalla into existence and went to fetch it into the root world, turning that abstract thought into a World Seed. It's simple really; In other words, they're just too powerful for our own good… yet… Grimhild may be a threat even to them." (Athena)

Athena stopped in her tracks, turning back around.

"But Siegfried's soul is in another world altogether… is bringing him back even possible? Maybe I'm putting too much of my faith in the hands of someone I do not even know. Perhaps my love is what's blinding me in a delusion, believing I can save him." (Athena)

Athena clenched her fist for a moment, gaining a purplish aura around her body

"…But at the end of the day, their traitorous actions still remain! They manipulated Siegfried into believing that he would save humanity if he killed Jörmungandr, but in the end, it was only to awaken Jörmungandr from her slumber! Why?! Why kill off such a good man? He was powerful, he was strong… kind… and understanding! The world doesn't get that many heroes nowadays, so why kill him off for good? To simply awaken some sleeping giant?!?" (Athena)

Athena, in a fit of rage, lifted her arm into the air and slammed her fist into the ground with brute strength.

The terrain around her crumbled, trees started to uproot from the ground, and the goblins scattered as some ran away in terror. Animals even fled the scene, leaving her in the middle of the destruction.

She didn't realize that her rage blinded her.

Athena gritted her teeth together, standing back up straight.

"My own people… are traitors. You all must've had a good reason for awakening Jörmungandr from her slumber, sisters of fate." (Athena)

Athena carried forward, leaving the chaos behind her.

***

BOOOOM!!!

The sound of thunder echoed across the sky, as rain poured from above, spilling onto the ground. Walking through this rain was a woman, covering her face from the downpour. She had trouble walking through the open fields by herself, so she eventually fell to her hands and knees, tilting her head.

"…So… I am truly all alone…" (Agnes)

It was Agnes, heartbroken, alone… isolated.

"I have no one left… I… have… nothing…" (Agnes)

Agnes was shivering as she started to cry, even though it was silent.

"I threw away everything for him. I disobeyed lady Maleficent, killed my own figuration… and… even lost my student, Grimhild." (Agnes)

She sniffled, falling onto her stomach, and looking ahead of her.

"I'm nothing. I have no purpose to life… everything was given to me, and I threw it away. I was even given the title as the Witch of Eldritch… and it's not even who I truly am." (Agnes)

Agnes could only cry in the mud and soil.

Her wailing couldn't be heard from the downpour of rain… and nobody came to her aid… she simply laid down, hopeless.

Hours passed, and the rain eventually stopped.

She was still laying in the mud, surrounded by puddles. Her clothing was wet and dirty, as was her face.

Above her, the light would shine onto the vast fields. There was no sun in this world since their light came from Asgard.

Agnes was asleep, but the bright light eventually woke her up. She slowly opened her eyes, blinking a few times, and wiping the dirt from her eyelids.

"…Excuse me mam… excuse me!" (???)

["A voice… it sounds like… a little girl? Who could this be?"]

Agnes slowly looked up, squinting her eyes to focus on the figure in front of her.

["Wait… it does look like a little girl, what is she doing all the way out here?"]

"Are you okay Ms? You look really sad and hungry, do you need help?" (???)

"I'm… fine…" (Agnes)

Agnes slowly lifted herself off the ground… but fell back into her face.

"…What's happened to me? Has my depression taken a toll on my body this badly?" (Agnes)

"Depression? What's wrong?" (???)

"I'm a witch, you naive child, begone before I curse you!" (Agnes)

"A witch? Really? I've never seen a witch before, what's your name?" (???)

"Are you dense? Must I explain to you how cruel witches can be?!" (Agnes)

"Even if you're cruel, ms, it's not like me to just leave you here to die." (???)

"Hahaha, die? Such a thing will never happen to me." (Agnes)

"Really? Witches can't die?" (???)

"No, they cannot." (Agnes)

Agnes realized that her emotions took a toll on her body, making her physically weak. She could barely even stand, as if her muscles were turned into wet noodles.

"My name is Freya by the way! Nice to meet you. Me and the people from my village are traveling to Vrunemir Kingdom to meet Siegfried and give him our gratitude with gifts! He saved our village from a dragon, both him and Galahallt!" (Freya)

"…Vrunemir…Kingdom? But wait-!" (Agnes)