PASSAGE 54: HOPE'S DESPERATE GRASP

Moments ago. Alaric's mind raced like a trapped bird as his body remained frozen. Panic threatened to engulf him, but a flicker of the eye of chronos betrayed a glimmer of hope. In that desperate moment, he reached out telepathically, a silent plea echoing within him. "Lumina!"

The connection, faint at first, solidified. Lumina, ever attuned to his needs, responded instantly. Alaric, with a burst of mental clarity, posed a daring question: "Can I enter the Void Hold while petrified… and leave from the inside?"

Lumina's confirmation was a beacon of salvation in the suffocating darkness. A sly grin tugged at Alaric's lips, unseen beneath the paralysis. This colossal serpent, for all its power, hadn't anticipated the unconventional.

With a surge of will, Alaric focused, picturing the swirling portal of the Void Hold opening just beneath his feet. The air shimmered, and a tear in reality materialized right where he stood. With a silent breath of gratitude for Lumina's guidance, Alaric allowed himself to fall.

The moment his petrified form breached the portal's threshold, the petrification's hold shattered. He tumbled through the swirling vortex, a sense of weightlessness washing over him. Reacting on pure instinct, Alaric re-manifested the Void Hold from within, the portal snapping shut just as the last tendrils of Nidhogg's paralysis threatened to reach him.

He landed with a thud on the familiar, swirling ground of the Void Hold, gasping for breath. Outside, Nidhogg's enraged roar echoed through the dimensional barrier, a testament to the serpent's shocked disbelief. Alaric, however, couldn't help but let out a triumphant laugh. He had outsmarted the monstrous creature, using its own arrogance and his unique connection to the Void Hold to turn the tables in a spectacularly unorthodox way.

Emerging from the Void Hold a moment later, Alaric landed back on the snow-covered battlefield, a newfound determination burning in his eyes. Nidhogg might be a formidable foe, but Alaric was no ordinary warrior. The battle lines had been redrawn, and Alaric, the trickster warrior, was ready to play his hand.

Fury contorted Nidhogg's monstrous face. A mere mortal had outsmarted him! "Cheating cur!" it roared, the very air vibrating with its rage. Its colossal form thrashed, raining down a torrent of tail swipes and acidic venom.

"Run, Hrimr!" Alaric yelled, shoving the young man towards the safety of a snow-covered rock formation. Hrimr, fear etched on his face, obeyed without question.

Alaric, ever the agile warrior, became a whirlwind of black and gold energy. He danced through the onslaught, the Crescent Reaver deflecting blows with a metallic clang. A primal grin split Nidhogg's face as it unleashed a devastating whip attack with its tail. Alaric, propelled by the Eye of Chronos, launched himself upwards, aiming for the colossal serpent's very head.

But victory was snatched from his grasp in a flash. As Alaric soared through the air, a jolt of energy erupted from Nidhogg's eyes. Alaric froze mid-jump, petrified in a single instant. The serpent had anticipated his move!

However, Alaric wasn't finished yet. In that frozen moment, a mental command echoed within him. With a surge of will, the familiar portal of the Void Hold flickered open beneath his petrified form. He vanished, leaving behind only a faint shimmer as the portal snapped shut.

The roar of frustration that echoed from Nidhogg was music to Alaric's ears. He'd outsmarted the beast again! Reappearing from the Void Hold a moment later, he materialized right behind the colossal serpent's unsuspecting back. With a battle cry, he swung the Crescent Reaver with all his might, aiming for the serpent's vulnerable neck.

But to his utter disbelief, Nidhogg whipped around with inhuman agility, easily deflecting the blow. Alaric landed with a thud, the shock of Nidhogg's maneuver evident on his face. Before he could react, another wave of petrification energy washed over him.

Once again, Alaric found himself frozen in mid-air. But the instant the paralysis took hold, he plunged into the ever-reliable Void Hold. Emerging moments later from a different direction, he launched another surprise attack on Nidhogg's blind side.

And once again, the monstrous serpent defied logic. With an almost impossible fluidity, it sidestepped his attack. A bead of sweat trickled down Alaric's temple. This wasn't just a powerful monster; Nidhogg was adapting, anticipating his every move.

A cruel amusement flickered in Nidhogg's reptilian eyes. "Surprised, little warrior?" it boomed, its voice dripping with sadistic glee. "You dance a pretty light show with your fancy blade, but did you truly think you could outmaneuver a god?"

Alaric's brow furrowed. Nidhogg's effortless evasion of his attacks gnawed at him. "Someone's telling you where I'm coming from," he muttered, the horrifying implication dawning on him. He darted his eye towards the grotesque form pulsating on Nidhogg's forehead – Njord.

"Bingo!" Nidhogg chuckled, a sound that sent shivers down Alaric's spine. "This pathetic human puppet isn't just here to manipulate the boy. He serves as my anchor in this world, and more importantly, my extra set of eyes. You might be swift, but Njord can perceive your every movement, his senses feeding directly into mine."

The revelation slammed into Alaric like a collapsing glacier. Njord, the very being he'd hoped to save, was the reason his attacks landed hollow. Every surprise maneuver, every daring escape through the Void Hold, was laid bare by Njord's unwilling perception. This wasn't just a battle against a colossal serpent; it was a fight against a two-headed monstrosity fueled by Hrimr's captured father.

A cold fury burned through Alaric. Njord had to be neutralized, but the mere thought of delivering the final blow sent a pang of guilt through him. Hrimr, fueled by a sliver of hope, still yearned for his father's return. Alaric stole a glance towards the snow-covered rock formation, hoping Hrimr remained hidden. Unfortunately, the subtle movement didn't escape Nidhogg's reptilian gaze.

"Playing peek-a-boo, little warrior?" the serpent boomed, its voice dripping with malicious amusement. Before Alaric could react, a colossal tail lashed out with the force of a hurricane. The blow connected with a sickening thud, sending Alaric flying through the air like a ragdoll. He tumbled through the crisp winter air, a trail of red blossoms trailing behind him, before crashing through the wall of a nearby rock formation.

Silence descended for a beat, broken only by Alaric's ragged gasps. Blood trickled down his chin, staining the pristine snow crimson. His vision swam, the world blurring at the edges.

Alaric's vision blurred crimson as he plummeted towards the snow-dusted landscape. The impact was a brutal symphony of pain, his breath escaping him in a ragged gasp. Broken ribs scraped against his lungs, making every inhale an agonizing fight.

"Is this it?" he rasped, the question echoing within the hollowness of his skull. "Is this all I can manage?" He thought of his parents, the promise he'd made on that fateful day. A promise that felt increasingly distant with each shallow breath.

Despair threatened to engulf him, a suffocating shroud blanketing his will. His eyelids fluttered, the weight of defeat a leaden anchor dragging him towards oblivion.

"Alaric!" A voice, faint at first, pierced through the fog clouding his mind. It was a voice laced with urgency, a lifeline thrown across the abyss of despair. "Alaric, wake up!"

The voice intensified, jolting him back from the precipice. Recognition flickered within his fading consciousness – Lumina.

"Lumina?" he croaked telepathically, his voice hoarse and weak.

"Yes, it's me!" she replied, her voice a beacon of hope in the darkness. "Don't you dare give up now! Hrimr, he needs you!"

The mention of Hrimr sparked a flicker of defiance within Alaric. He lifted his head, a groan escaping his lips as he attempted to move. Panic clawed at him as he looked towards the snow-covered rock formation where Hrimr had been hiding. But the space was empty.

Alaric's vision snapped back into focus. The world tilted precariously, a nauseating aftereffect of his brutal descent. Ignoring the searing pain in his ribs, he forced his gaze towards the colossal serpent. His breath hitched.

Across the battlefield, Nidhogg's monstrous form coiled around Hrimr, the young man trapped in the serpent's vice-like grip. A guttural cry ripped from Alaric's throat. "Hrimr!"

He lunged forward, a desperate surge of adrenaline overriding the agony in his chest. But his legs refused to cooperate, buckling beneath the weight of his injuries. He crumpled to the snow, frustration, a bitter tang on his tongue.

He had to get up. Hrimr was in danger. This wasn't the time for his body to betray him. Gritting his teeth, Alaric clawed at the snow, using it to anchor himself as he tried to push himself upright. Each movement was an excruciating ordeal, but the image of Hrimr's terrified face fueled his determination.

With a final, agonizing heave, Alaric managed to stumble to his feet. His vision swam, the world threatening to dissolve into a dizzying kaleidoscope of colors. But he wouldn't let himself falter. Hrimr's life hung in the balance, and Alaric, battered and broken as he was, wouldn't let the serpent win.