Chapter - 15

The sky was grey. Ash and smoke were still ripe in the sky. I stood in the door frame of the chief's, Now burnt down, house. Magnus stood tall with his helmet still on his head. His right arm was bleeding and burnt. I could almost smell the burnt blood. In the corner of the room was a man. He had strange tattoos just like all the other men who laid dead in the village. I glanced over at the man and began charging. I was still rife with bloodlust and rage. I screamed as I started my charge towards him. I felt resistance in my path and tried to push through but couldn't. In my mind, those same words kept on playing like a broken record... "Kill...Die...I won't let you kill her....DIE!!" Magnus held his right arm out and turned towards me in my deranged state and stopped my charge with his massive body. "Enough Hunter!. That's Enough." Magnus said in a stern but surprisingly comforting tone. He put his left hand on my shoulder and shook me and kept on trying to calm me down as if I were some sort of pet that acted out of line. The words in my mind slowly started to disappear. My vision went blurry. I felt weightless. The last thing I saw before I felt the hardwood under my head was two eyes glowing in the same corner as the strange man. Red and green. Glowing bright.

All around me I saw faces. Men, women and children alike. They were all staring at me. All of their faces were emotionless and dead. Their bodies were ethereal and translucent, they were a ghostly white and blue color, I was standing alone in the center of these weird beings. I looked around me and saw hundreds or maybe thousands of these beings. I tried to speak out but no words left my mouth. I tried to scream but again...Nothing. I tried to run but my legs felt bound. I was paralyzed. I stared forwards to a large figure of sorts. It was about twelve feet tall. Its eyes were closed. And it was then that I had realized that all the figure's eyes were closed. I began to panic and my mind began to race. I felt like screaming. I was prepared to do anything to get away from these things. Their mere presence called a storm within me. I was uneasy. That feeling was not one I had ever felt before. I didn't understand it. I was afraid.

All of a sudden the large figure in front of me began to move. Its head arched down, its face was pointing directly at mine, even with its eyes closed I could tell it was looking straight at me. it slowly opened its eyes... I tried to turn away and close my own eyes but nothing allowed them to close. My eyes wouldn't shut, they betrayed me and forced me to watch this thing open its eyes. I was scared, hell that is an understatement. The eyes slowly opened... A glow. A glow of green and red. Its eyes were glowing. Its left eye was emerald green and its right eye was as red as fire. All around me, eyes began to glow. The same color as mine. My mind felt like it was collapsing. They all had Odin's Sight. I felt a weight fall on my whole body. It felt as if I was being pulled downwards. My body finally moved. I had no control. I fell to my knees and looked to the floor. I tried with all my strength to move but it was as if a mountain was placed on my back. My astoundment was gone. I was no longer stunned by seeing so many with Odin's sight. I was terrified. Once more I couldn't move. I did not even try to move now. I waited to see what horror was waiting for me. I was waiting for this creature to give its final judgment on me. My mind went numb. All around me I heard a singular voice. The voice sounded like a thousand bears roaring in tune. It sounded as if the mountains had grown legs and began to speak. It said "You, who is gifted. You must go. Prove yourself to me. Do not waste the gift you have received. honor it, child. You will need it." My mind went numb as it finished its sentence. Everything around me vanished as soon as it had finished speaking. In my mind was that sentence. Repeating endlessly. Everything was dark. Then I heard a voice... "Wake up you numb skull! I need you!" I recognized that voice. Asta.

I woke up and raced to my feet. My body was cold. I could still hear the voice of that creature in my mind. My eyes raced around the room as I searched for it. I was breathing heavily. I was frantic. Asta shot up and held my chest, "Hunter! Calm down it's me!" Asta said as her voice began to break. I tried to gather myself but it was hard. My head still shot around the room trying to find the mountainous voice but then I felt something on my chest. I felt water dripping onto my chest. I looked down at the source of this water and saw Asta. She was staring straight into my eyes, her eyes were filled with tears, "Asta?" I asked, still in a haze, "why are you crying?" My breathing began to calm now, but my heart began to hurt, "are you okay?" I asked "Don't you ever do that again! Do you understand me!" She shouted, her voice was trembling and filled with sobs. "What happened, Asta? Where are we?" I replied confused. "the invaders!" I shouted. "They are gone, Hunter. They are gone..." Asta replied pulling herself off my chest. "Hunter. Sit down, please. You're hurt." Asta said, still having tears in her eyes. As Asta had said that I looked down at my stomach and chest and saw it bandaged up. A sharp pain hit me all at once. I groaned in pain and fell back down onto the bed. Asta raced to my side and held me close. "If you ever come that close to dying again I will kill you, Hunter! I swear it to the gods!" she said as she dug her head into my neck and began crying. I raised my hand and began to stroke her red hair. "It's okay my love. I am here now" I said in my best reassuring tone. Asta looked up at me and smiled. I forced myself to smile through the pain I had. Asta put her hand behind my head and pulled me in and kissed me deeply. She pulled back and wiped her tears. I sat up now just staring into Asta's eyes. Even though I was in great pain her eyes gave me a sense of peace. I smiled at her.

There was a knock on the door. I looked over and only now realized that I was in my own bed. In my own room. I had gotten a bit embarrassed at the thought of having Asta there. But the feeling quickly faded. My father, Magnus, walked in with some water on a tray. As soon as he saw me sitting up he dropped the water and rushed over to me and hugged me close. "I knew you wouldn't give up that easy boy!" he said as he almost crushed my ribs. "I am glad to see you too father!" I managed to croak out. Magnus stood and his mood changed very quickly. He looked into my eyes and said "Boy. The invader we caught. He has Odin's sight." As he said that the image of the thousands of green and red lights flashed in my mind. And the voice of the creature rang inside my head again. My face lost all its color. "I need to see him, father." I demanded.