Chapter 9:- The Complete Package

"Though i am grateful for the information you have given me, i still have many unanswered questions, like what is your relationship with my mother, if you even had any. But if you really do know her, do you know anything about her current condition. What about my father, do you know anything about him?, in the first place why are you even...?" Looking at Ajax asking questions without pause, Freya interrupting him "wait, let me answer first".

"Your mother, she was one of my attending Valkyrie, i have known Dahlia since she was but a child. She was as stern as they came, loyal to a point, though she had a kind heart. Everyone thought she would be the last one to leave me and get married. Imagine my surprise, when she came to me one day, informing me about her married status, everyone was curious as to who had managed sneak his way into her bed.", said Freya with a fond smile on her face.

"is she..? Said Ajax, the rest of the question left unsaid, too anxious to know his mother's condition.

 "Oh she is not dead" Answered Freya, Ajax had just taken a sigh of relief, "But she might as well be dead, it would spare her from all the pain she would have to go through if she keeps on living in her current condition" Freya continued with a grim expression.

"what do you mean?, what happened to her?" Ajax asked alarmed, "well you know what, i might as well show you", Freya having said that, snapped her fingers.

Mc's Pov:-

As soon as she snapped her fingers, the surrounding changed from the cooking counter to a hall, though i know i am technically still inside my restaurant, as activating my sharingan, i could see everything around me is made up of magic. Talking about the hall, Imagine a dimly lit chamber adorned with woven tapestries depicting past battles, their threads telling tales of valor and sacrifice. The air carries the scent of herbs and healing salves, and the flickering light from oil lamps dances across the stone walls, feathered cloaks hang from hooks. Beds of rough-hewn wood line the room, each one supporting a wounded Valkyrie, though seeing so many of them was odd considering the current peaceful state of all the supernatural factions, and had i been here on a different time, i would have surely pondered upon it in a greater detail. The Valkyries who were healing them were whispering some kind of incantations, invoking healing magic. Outside, ravens perch on the window sills, though it remains uncertain if they are odin's.

Just when i was wondering where my mother was, i felt a gentle tugging sensation, as if urging me to follow it.. Not seeing any other way, i started walking in the direction the sensation was urging me towards, and their i saw her at the far corner of the hall, the bed upon which she was lying upon, was kept separately from other beds, and their was no one present currently around it. Seeing the gentle rising and lowering of her body, i would have been relieved if not seeing her current condition.

There she lay sprawled on the sterile bed, her body a grotesque tableau of suffering. Her once ethereal wings, now mangled and missing half their feathers, clung to her back like tattered remnants of hope. The acrid scent of burnt flesh hung heavy in the air, a cruel reminder of the searing pain she endured. Her nerves, exposed and raw, snaked across her torso, pulsating with each agonizing heartbeat. The space surrounding her seemed to hold its breath, as if even the walls recoiled from the gruesome sight. 

The flickering light from oil lamps above cast eerie shadows, emphasizing the stark contrast between her pallid skin and the crimson trails of blood that traced her veins. A lone moth fluttered near the window, drawn inexplicably to the suffering, its delicate wings a cruel mockery of my mother's own shattered ones.

Seeing her eyes closed was the only positive thing in this whole situation, as i couldn't imagine the pain she would have to endure if she was conscious. Bringing my hand to her forehead, i tried to touch her, but my hand went right through her, once again reminding me, that this is just a illusion.

Seeing my mother like this, past memories began to shuffle at the forefront of my mind.

|Flashback|

Third person prospective:-

A child of five-six years was seen sitting cross legged with a young woman, her silver hair cascaded like a waterfall as she flipped through an ancient grimoire. The pages crackled with magic, and the room seemed to hum with secrets.

"Magic," the Ajax whispered, his voice barely audible. "Why do we need it? Can't we just live without it?, and if it is really important, than why do i need to learn?, you are clearly well versed in it? you are plenty strong already."

His mother's eyes softened, and she set the book aside. "My dear," she said, her voice a gentle melody, "magic is both a gift and a burden. It courses through our veins, connects us to the very fabric of existence. But it demands sacrifice."

Ajax frowned, his small brow furrowing. "What kind of sacrifice?"

Her gaze lingered on the window, raindrops tracing intricate patterns. "Power," she replied, "is a double-edged sword. Your father—the monkey you call 'Father', till this day i suspect that he used some questionable means to seduce me,—he wields magic too, but he lacks vision. He looks down on it, too much dependent on his body and sword."

"But you," she continued, her eyes locking onto the MC's, "you are destined for more. Your birth have been prophesied, my child—a whisper in the ancient winds, though not like a proper prophesy. It speaks of a change in era, a protector. Someone who will rise when darkness threatens our world."

Ajax's heart raced. "Me? But I'm just a child."

"You're more than that," the mother insisted. "When the time comes, I have hope that you will protect me. Not because I am weak, but because you carry a legacy—the blood of gods and the strongest humans. You'll wield magic not for vanity or for the lure of grandeur, but for survival." she said ruffling little Ajax's hair.

Outside, thunder rumbled, shaking the windowpane. Ajax's gaze shifted to the rain-soaked garden, where roses bloomed despite the storm. "What if I fail?, what if i am not up to your expectations?"

Her fingers brushed his cheek. "Failure is part of growth. Even stars stumble in the vastness of the cosmos. But remember this: You are destined for something beyond our grasp. A purpose that others can only look at longingly but cannot achieve."

The room blurred—the present merging with the past. Ajax clenched his fists, feeling the weight of expectation settle upon his shoulders. 

Seeing his mother's devastated figure, Ajax vowed to heal her—to never let something like this happen again, to become the guardian she believed him to be. Magic would no longer be just a thing of wonder for him, it would be his necessity, his legacy.

As the surrounding shift again, Ajax finds himself again in front of Freya, inside his restaurant, who was looking at him seriously.

"Your eyes, they've changed..." Freya started saying, "Later, right now i have a couple of question i would like to get answers of, my Lady" Ajax said, interrupting her.

Freya looked searchingly in his eyes for moment, "Ask away", "How can i heal her, i don't think Phenex tears alone would cut it, and what happened to the Devil she took with herself", asked Ajax, in a dead serious tone.

"The devil is dead ofcourse, even though your mother wasn't top of the world powerful, don't underestimate her that much. all Valkyries are trained to fight world ending beings, they can atleast kill a little devil, in a suicidal attack at that. As for the matter of healing her, yes the phenex tears would heal your mother's physical injuries, but it wouldn't be enough" freya answered, getting up from her seat.

"Wait, what else is needed, you haven't told me everything" Ajax said, a litle angryand largely confused.

"No more answers for today, you need time to digest all that i've revealed, and i am tired talking. Infact you should be happy that you got to know so much, before today, you didn't even knew this much, Heimdall!" Freya answered, with her back facing him, calling out loud.

As soon as she said that, a kaleidoscopic beam of light came from the sky and hit her, and as the light vanished, so did she.

Sighing, in the now empty restaurant, Ajax snorted, 'it seems i did got a complete isekai package, all with a system, novice gift pack 'skills', and a fcking cheat bloodline.' 

Picking up a knife and seeing his own reflection on it, Ajax 'I swear, i will turn the world upside down if i have to, but i will heal you, that's my promise, mother'.

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A/N:- Though technically, i release 3 chapters a week, i know i am late, as i was dealing with some family problems, and i just couldn't get any words to write.

Anyway, a little more things cleared in this one, suggest me if you want to see the training arc in detail, or you want me to randomly plug those moments in between story, when i find the right timings.

As always drop me stones, lets take the book higher please.

Signing off, enjoy:)