Incomprehensibility

"How do I know Silotona?" Guttorm repeated distantly, as if remembering a past memory.

"Yes, please tell us," I demanded eagerly.

"Pah! Why would I tell you!" Guttorm roared, standing up fully.

"Because..." my voice trailed off as I failed to come up with a good enough reason.

"Guttorm. Could you at least tell us why Silotona gave you Aslerta?" Asger butted in, in an attempt to extract some information.

"Silotona didn't give me Aslerta. He told me where his village was and to raid it. He didn't even say anything about Aslerta until you," he pointed a trembling finger, his face a mask of disgust, "appeared a few weeks later,"

"Did he tell you why he wanted you to have Aslerta?" Asger asked persuasively, which was even more persuasive considering Guttorm's trust in his second in command.

"Fine... I don't think that'd be going against our contract," Guttorm murmured. "All he said was I need to make an environment in which Aslerta was forced to grow," Guttorm answered, his face twitching when he said my name - I suppose we both shared a disgusting spot for each other (see what I did there, disgusting spot not sweet spot HAHAHAHAHA, hilarious). "Forced to grow..." I recited, thinking about it for a moment. "So, you killed my parents, you killed everyone I knew. And even took Irene from me... All to make me grow?" I could feel anger welling up inside me, but that was quickly drowned out as I forced myself to breathe deeply.

"Hey, I would've done all that anyway! That raid just had an extra plus side if I succeeded," Guttorm's eyes were all dreamy, his tongue flicking out and licking his lips.

Shuddering in mild disgust, I asked, "What plus side?"

Guttorm, torn from his revery, glared at me, clearly gauging whether or not he should tell me. "I've already said it," he replied, clearly deciding against telling me outright.

"What? That thing you said about how he promised you immortality?" I asked, receiving a scowl from Guttorm, he was very clearly regretting revealing all his secrets.

"So, now that we have that out of the way. Guttorm, could you tell us everything you know about Silotona?" Asger stepped into the conversation, his voice sharp and goal-oriented.

"I've pretty much told you everything already! The only other thing I know is that he gave me Eira for some reason!" he pointed a finger, bent in horrific ways, at Eira who was standing silent and listening. "She probably knows more about him than me. She actually got to meet him," Guttorm spat enviously.

"We know, we've already spoken to her," Asger responded.

"Oho, is that why you were so eager to ask me about Silotona?" Guttorm asked rhetorically.

"Guttorm, could you perhaps tell us more about this deal with Silotona?" Asger asked, his persuasiveness soaring.

"Hm? I told you; I have to let Aslerta grow and I get immortality," Guttorm answered.

"But, at what point - how strong does Aslerta have to be, do you know?" Asger asked again.

"No idea. I would've thought that last show of power Aslerta had when fighting me would be enough... But I suppose not," Guttorm shook his head in disappointment.

"Well, what if Aslerta needs to defeat you?" Asger questioned back.

"He can't beat me yet, now can he? And, I can't even fight!" Guttorm retorted, making clear his wounds; his broken fingers and hand, his crushed nose and his broken cheek bones.

"Don't worry Guttorm. Just give me a few months and I'll destroy you!" I declared confidently. "And then you'll get your immortality you so desire," I muttered a few moments later in a lower tone.

"Hah! Confident bastard. Well then, I'll be taking my leave now, I need to rest," Guttorm grabbed onto the sleeve of Eira's dress and pulled her along with him. Looking over his shoulder, he yelled, "We'll rematch at the end of winter, boy! You better be ready, Aslerta,"

"Heh, I can't wait," I gave Guttorm a glare as he walked away.

"Well then, who would've expected Guttorm was also involved with Silotona..." Asger's voice trailed off as he gazed after Guttorm as he disappeared into the mass of tents set up.

"Asger," I turned to face him, my blue eyes shining with great desire and determination, "train me,"

"That's what I'd planned on doing anyway," Asger chuckled, giving me a light pat on the back.

5 months later

29/2/976 AD 

"Let's fight, Asger," I looked him in the eye, absolutely confident of my victory.

"Got it," Asger nodded, throwing me my blade, before unsheathing his own sword.

We each stood, face to face on a flat grassy plain, our swords held out ready to strike. "Shall we begin?" Asger asked before bursting towards me. He swung his sword down at me. I quickly brought my sword up to meet his, our blades crashing with a resounding clang. Bashing his sword away, I leapt back a few steps, settling into a defensive pose. Asger continued to storm me, reaching me in less than a second. Noticing where his sword was aiming for, I formed a few more layers of skin along my side, hardening it. The terrible sound of steel snapping filled my ears as Asger's sword slammed into my side. "Haha! You aren't beating me this time around, Asger!" I bellowed, swinging my sword at him. Discarding his own blade, now snapped in half, he ducked beneath my swing. His fist shot out at my stomach, but I had already foreseen that and hardened my stomach. Asger's fist cracked and twisted as all the bones snapped in half. He yelped in pain, swiftly retreating from me, "You're strong, Aslerta,"

"Indeed I am," my face broke into a wicked smile, bursting into a sprint. He couldn't escape my speed. I caught up to him in moments, my hand shooting out and grabbing him by the collar of his shirt. "I would kill you right now, but I couldn't do that to my best friend, right?" I mocked him, holding the tip of my sword up against his back.

"Best friend?" Asger shook his head, chuckling lightly, his back squirming uncomfortably against my blade. "You shouldn't trust me so much, Aslerta," Asger finally said, a solemn expression on his face.

"Why not? You've trained me for nearly a year now, and I have always known you to be trustworthy, no?" I responded, dropping him to the floor as I sheathed my sword again. Asger landed skilfully on his feet, turning to look at me. "But, I've lived much longer than you and I've done many horrible things," he spoke again, really trying to make himself seem untrustworthy.

Shrugging my shoulders, I responded nonchalantly, "Well, so have I. So has any Viking. I don't see your point," 

I noticed Asger's eyes seem to zone out as though he were remembering some thing before, just as quickly, returning to focus on mine. His green eyes were looking at me with a slight pitying and sympathetic look. "What is it?" I asked.

"Nothing," he responded monotonously, the expression in his eyes adjusting into his usual neutrality. "Well, now. It's nearly the end of winter isn't it? The snow's begun to melt and the sun's begun shining more. I'd say the winter has ended," Asger spoke, changing subject.

"Indeed. That means I can finally end that disgusting Guttorm. I can finally avenge my parents and Irene!" I exclaimed, raising a clenched fist into the air. Asger shuddered slightly at my last words, but, that went unnoticed by me.

"This really isn't what I had in mind when you said you'd defeat Guttorm. A planned match like this. I had expected we'd need to plan a revolt of some sort," Asger shook his head, a small smile on his lips.

"It is a bit weird, that. How all this turned out," I spoke, my eyes set in determination, determination to punish Guttorm once and for all.

"I'm gonna need a new sword," Asger complained, crouching down over the split in half blade he had once wielded.

"Ah, sorry about that," I scratched the back of my head awkwardly.

"Don't worry about it, I can always get a new one," Asger shrugged as he stood up, walking over to me.

"Aslerta! Asger! Guttorm's ready!" Eira came running from the trees, her long black hair flowing beautifully in the wind, her golden eyes sparkling in the sunlight. Her cheeks glowed bright red, whether from the cold or something else. "Oh, Aslerta! Please win this!" she ran up to me, her small delicate arms wrapping around me, squeezing me tightly.

"Don't worry, I'd planned on doing just that," I stroked her smooth, black hair absently as images of my past resurfaced. Pictures of my parents, lying dead on the floor of my house. Pictures of Irene being violated while I was held down, unable to do anything but watch. Pictures of all the death I'd inflicted as a Viking. "I'll make sure that man suffers." I spoke through gritted teeth, my eyebrows bending downwards, my eyes burning with an unquenchable rage. "Now, if you will, could you please guide us to him, Eira?" I asked in a polite voice, my rage calming down just as fast as it'd appeared - thus was the power of my deep breathing. Pulling her face from my chest, her golden eyes locked onto mine, her small lips moving as she spoke, "I'd be glad to!" Pulling away from me, her soft hand grabbed onto mine. Yanking my arm gently, she began leading us through the trees, away from all the houses, towards a more secluded area. It wasn't a long walk; only a couple of minutes. For most of the walk, we kept silent, admiring the nature as though it was our last chance. I watched as birds dug through the ground, picking up bugs and the like. I watched as the squirrels ran out of their dens and up trees, just enjoying their lives. I watched the rabbits as they leapt around in amongst the trees, scavenging for food. It was rather peaceful.

But that peace was snuffed out just as fast as it was lit. A small clearing in the trees came into focus, a man standing at the centre. Guttorm stood, muscular as ever, holding a massive battle axe in his one good hand. His eyes were already locked onto mine, the small black pupils glinting with anger. The same anger and rage that had been ignited in my eyes. "Hello, Guttorm," I greeted him from the edge of the forest as I took a step into the sunlight. My long wavy golden blonde hair seemed even more golden as the light bounced off of it. My blue eyes glinted with the golden reflection of the sun as I stood, staring across the field at Guttorm. "Greetings, fledgling god," Guttorm bowed with mock worship.

"Shall we fight?" I asked, my eyes gazing with unshakable confidence at the man before me.

"No. Not yet. First, a fight as monumental as this must have proper rules," Asger interrupted. "The first rule: Aslerta is restricted to using one life. If he dies even once, Guttorm wins and Aslerta is required to follow Guttorm obediently. Second rule: No interference from outside forces. And, well, that's it," Asger spoke loud and clear, his voice flowing coolly through the air.

"And, so, let the fight... Begin!" Asger's voice roared, signalling the beginning of the fight.

"You look very confident over there, Aslerta," Guttorm grinned manically, waving his massive battle axe about. With a humongous cloud of dirt, Guttorm burst into a sprint towards me. "You seem rather confident yourself," I responded, my eyes following him as he moved across the field. Then, he was before me. I dashed to the side, dodging a downwards swing of his axe. Then, he swung again. With a flip, I leapt over his axe. "Show me that power of yours!" Guttorm roared as I danced around, dodging each swing of Guttorm's axe.

"Are you really worthy of that?" I asked absently, calmly bouncing all around him.

"Yes, I am," Guttorm's handless arm shot out, hitting me clean in the stomach. I was sent toppling to the ground, landing with a thud on my back. Guttorm appeared again, swinging his axe down at me. I barely managed to roll over and dodge. I needed to get serious if I wanted to win this. I rolled further to the side, bouncing to my feet as I got far enough from Guttorm. His beady eyes locked onto me, as we stood face to face. Drawing my sword, I spoke the words, "Punishment time for you," Using my speed, I sprinted towards him. He swung his axe and I dodged, so fast that by the time he'd finished his swing, I was already carving a clean cut up his back. Guttorm howled in pain as blood burst from the gash along his back. "Aww man, this is easy! What happened to you being the strongest, Guttorm?" I mocked him, an excited grin playing along my lips.

"You'll pay for that one!" his voice exploded. I could see the muscles in his legs bulging as he pivoted faster than should be possible for a man of his size. With a low rumbling sound, he burst towards me. His axe swung downwards and would've cut me had I not hardened my chest quick enough. There was a loud thud as his axe hit the toughened skin of my chest. Taking the time in between each swing, I dashed backwards, out of range. "I say its time I show you what I'm truly capable of," I shot Guttorm a grin of superiority. The grin slowly faded away as my face went still and neutral. I could feel my mind splitting, multiplying. It went from 1 mind to 2 minds. Then again, they duplicated, going from 2 to 4 minds. And, that's where they stopped. One mind focused on my movements and attacks, analysing Guttorm's movements. Another mind focused on skin hardening; another on healing. Then, the final mind focused on my breathing. The moment the last mind had appeared, I was before Guttorm. My sword swung upwards, digging a cut that stretched across his stomach and along his chest. His blood flowed down my blade steadily, dripping off the handle and onto the floor. Guttorm cried in agony, his axe clattering to the floor as he clutched at the wound. "You wanted this, didn't you?" I asked in a monotone voice, commanded by one of my four minds.

"Shut up!" he howled, his fist launching towards my face. With a flick of my wrist, my sword tore through his wrist, sending his hand flying into the air, turning his wrist into a bloody mess. "There goes your other hand," I observed in a completely flat voice.

"W-what is this? Where did this strength come from?!" Guttorm, confused, clutched his bleeding arm. "I-I can't fight like this!" he stuttered in fear, his body trembling as he struggled to step back.

"Would you like me to end this, perhaps?" I asked, waving my sword around in front of him. "Using this form really was a waste. You aren't worthy of this power," I shook my head, utterly disappointed in Guttorm's poor display of power.

"Are you calling me weak?!" he bellowed with anger, his left arm, which I'd stole a hand from last year, lashed out at me. The moment it even twitched, my blade had moved through his arm, cutting it in half at the elbow. There was a quiet thud as his forearm hit the ground. Yawning, I cut the rest of his arm off at the shoulder. "Shall we have some more fun?" I asked, not in a playful tone but in a completely neutral tone - which made it even worse.

"N-no! Please have mercy!" Guttorm cried in fear like a child would, tears flowing like a river from his eyes. "Silotona! Save me, please! You promised me immortality if Aslerta got strong enough!" Guttorm begged as he stumbled backwards.

"I hate to break it to you, but he was probably lying to you," I said, taking a few steps towards him, making him stumble even further back.

"Come on, just stand still and let me butcher you!" I roared, my anger somehow breaking through the focus of my deep breathing mind. But, nonetheless, my deep breathing mind persevered and returned my deep breath. "Ahem, that was, well, not a good thing to say. I'm sorry," I gave a mock apology, stunning Guttorm.

"W-what?" he asked, confused, his body thinning with each moment as more and more blood poured from his missing arm.

"I'd suggest you sit down, else you'll bleed to death," I pointed my sword warily at the red waterfall fountaining from his shoulder.

"No! Y-you'll just kill me! You psycho!" he roared, taking careful steps backwards as I slowly walked towards him.

"Hm? Who's the psycho? Me? I don't think so. I'd say you're a tad bit more psycho yourself," I spoke absently, swinging my sword around in my hand. Then, there was a small thud. I looked up and my face broke into a giant grin, "Can't walk back anymore, can you?" Guttorm had walked back into a tree. "Well, I'm not letting this chance escape," I declared, dashing towards him, my sword a blur as it slid easily through his legs. Blood and screams arose from Guttorm as his legs were sent toppling to the floor. "Argh! It hurts!" he screamed in agony, completely immobile now.

"Let me get rid of that last arm for ya," I gave him a comforting grin, placing the edge lightly on the part where his arm met his shoulder.

"No! Don't d-do it, p-please!" he cried, struggling to bite back cries of agony.

"I'm gonna do it!" I gave him a cheeky grin as I applied a little pressure to my sword. It sank slowly through his flesh, making it an even more agonising amputation. "Please stop! I-it h-hurts!" he screamed and screamed, the blood on his face mixing with tears.

"Do you know how many times I've died?! And you think that this much hurts?! What a pathetic being," I declared, letting my sword sit still, halfway through cutting his arm off.

"I'm not a d-demon l-like you!" he struggled to get the words out as his mind fought back his cries.

"A demon, you say? Well, that's not very nice," I shook my head like a mother would shake her head when her son did something wrong. With that, my sword slid through the remainder of his arm, letting it fall with a thud to the ground.

"Well, that's all your limbs gone. I doubt you'll be living for much longer," I whispered into Guttorm's ear before standing up. I could hear the quiet sounds of Guttorm muttering something. As I listened closer, I smiled when I heard what he was saying, "Save me Silotona,". He was saying that over and over. "Silotona's never saving you," I prodded the pathetic man before me with the tip of my blade. Even when I prodded him, he made no reaction and continued his little prayers. "Are you perhaps ignoring me?" I asked, pressing the tip of my sword against his heart with light enough pressure that only a trickle of blood spilt from the wound. And, again, no reaction. He continued to pray with his eyes closed. Then, I pressed down even harder on my sword, letting it sink closer and closer to his heart. Again, nothing. I was getting slightly frustrated by this point. "Fine then, goodbye Guttorm. For the many lives you've stolen, I hereby sentence you to death!" I declared, plunging my sword, deep into his chest, straight through his heart. A flood of blood exploded from his wound, trickling along my sword before dripping to the floor with a disgusting plop. "Heh, wrong move boy," Guttorm muttered in between bloody coughs as his consciousness slowly sank away. I watched him for about half a minute - watched as his eyelids fluttered shut, as his chest stopped rising and falling. I watched until he'd truly died. Quickly, before my four minds that were still active could eat up all my sanity, I turned them off one by one, until there was only one remaining - my main brain. "I-I did it! I- We're free!" I exclaimed, falling to my knees in exhaustion. Eira and Asger both ran over to comfort me - to enjoy this glory with me. But, unfortunately, that glory would soon be replaced with something else, something more... Sinister.

As if on cue, the moment Eira placed her small hand on my back, the sky went pitch black. "What's that?!" my eyes had caught sight of a small glowing black orb flying into the unnaturally black sky. As it moved, the air around it crackled painfully. Once it'd risen high enough, the orb froze, stuck in place, high up in the sky. "W-what is t-that?" Eira hugged my arm nervously, tears starting to trickle from her eyes. Asger on the other hand, stared up at it with curiosity; no fear at all. "I-I'm not sure Eira," I wrapped my other arm around her, pulling her close. Then, there was a boom. A powerful wave of wind exploded from the orb, making the trees bend in its path, raising massive storms of dust and rubble. My hair blew back, flying in the air behind me as the shockwaves of wind pulsed from the orb systematically for a few seconds. Then, just as fast as the wind had appeared, they ceased, leaving the world completely still for a moment. Until a figure appeared in the sky. The figure of a man; a tall man with long waving hair flying about his head. As though it were water, the man sank through the air. His feet touched the ground, lowering his body into a standing position with trained elegance. "Hello," his calm, sweet sounding voice sounded from behind me. I turned around and there he was, in all his glory. He stood, towering far above me, his beautiful blonde hair framing his delicate face. Two pitch black eyes were looking at me from in amongst his golden hair. I squeezed Eira closer to me, not willing to let anyone else die. "I see Eira here has done her job," the man nodded with approval, his scary black eyes looking at the small, quivering figure in my arms. "D-do you know this man, Eira?" I whispered, with a sneaking suspicion that this man before me was Silotona.

My suspicions were correct as Eira spoke the following words, in between cries, "I-it's him! It's Silotona,"

"That's right. It is me," the man's calm voice filled the air around us.

"Why are you here?" Asger asked from beside me, his eyes locked firmly on Silotona's.

"Well, isn't that obvious? For Aslerta here," Silotona answered, pointing a finger at me.

"Why do you want me?" I asked, staring up at the man with eyes that were a mix of curiosity and fear.

"To help me," he answered, giving little information.

"Help with what?" I questioned back.

Unfazed, Silotona's sweet voice flowed into my ear, containing an answer, "To rule the world,"

"To rule the world?" I echoed, my mind flooding with thoughts.

"How?" Asger questioned, receiving a glare from Silotona.

"Could you shut up? I'm not talking to you," he spat, calming himself instantly as his gaze returned to me.

"No, I'd like to hear more about this 'ruling the world' thing," Asger spoke stubbornly. Without warning, Silotona appeared behind Asger, knocking him out with a single whack to the head. "Before we speak, is Eira there going to be a distraction," Silotona reappeared before me, pointing a finger at the girl in my arms, Eira.

"I p-promise I w-won't distract you two," she murmured nervously.

"Why'd you do that to Asger?" I asked, my eyes staring fiercely into Silotona's.

"He was a distraction," he responded, his black eyes narrowing. "Now, let's get back on track. So, Aslerta, do you want the power to save... Anyone?" Silotona asked. My eyes widened as the words left his mouth, the offer appealing directly to my deepest desire. "I-I do," I responded.

"Then, simply, join me," he spoke, persuasively, getting straight to the point.

"But why do I have to join you to attain power?" I asked.

"Because, I know a god," Silotona responded, his eyes staring into the depths of my soul, picking apart my desires.

"A god?" I repeated. "Gods exist? Like Odin?"

"No, not Odin. All those gods you've heard about from these puny mortals are all nought but figments of their imagination. They are not real," Silotona responded as though that were the obvious answer. "Now, what is your answer? Will you take my offer or not?"

"Why would I? I can get power by myself! I don't need you!" I retorted stubbornly.

Silotona's eyes twitched, "I know where Irene is. I could always..."

"No! Not Irene! Please, I don't want her suffering because of me anymore!" I exclaimed, desperately.

"Ah, it seems you're still holding onto the emotions of these pathetic mortal lifeforms," Silotona shook his head disappointed but I could tell he was pleased with the reaction.

"Well then, what do you say now?" Silotona's lips were twitching as he anticipated my response.

"I-I..." my voice was cut off by Eira's.

"Don't accept it Aslerta! He's going to turn you into a devil if you accept! D-don't do it!" she demanded, looking into my eyes with great determination and love.

"B-but Irene. She-she'll die..." I trailed off, fear for Irene welling up.

"Silence, girl!" Silotona ordered, a string of skin shooting from the tip of his finger, aimed at Eira. I thrusted my arm out to block it, but it just burrowed through my arm, bursting from the other side amidst a storm of blood. A mere moment later, it had wrapped around her waist and began tugging on her. I held her back with all my strength but, it wasn't enough. With another tug, the skin rope pulled her from my arms and into Silotona's. Placing a hand over her mouth, he spoke again, "Don't worry I won't kill her. I do, however, have another offer for you. Do you wish to reach those orbs you see all the time in death?"

"W-what?!" I stuttered, my focus torn from Eira.

"Well, do you?" Silotona smiled smugly, his eyes locked onto mine.

"Well, I do..." my voice trailed off as I thought about everything this man was saying.

"Join me then," he stuck out the hand that wasn't holding Eira, his face bearing an expression of accomplishment. Looking at his hand, I spoke my thoughts aloud, "I'm not sure. I barely even know anything about you, so why would I ever join you?"

"Don't you want your friends to stay alive? Eira, Asger and Irene? Do you want them all to die?" Silotona asked, his frustration evident by his twitching eyebrows.

"They're not immortal though. They're bound to die anyway. What's the point..." tears welled up in my eyes, my mind playing an infinite loop of my parent's bodies, lying dead and mutilated in my arms. "I see. Well, if that's your decision, as your father, I shall respect it," he grinned wickedly, pressing the side of his hand to Eira's throat. A trickle of blood flowed from underneath his hand. "Did you just say f-father?" I asked, my mind going wild with curiosity, fear and regret.

"Yes, yes I did," he gave a smug grin as his hand continued to slowly cut through Eira's throat as though it were a sword. Time was running out for her. I could see in her eyes that were staring at me that she was ready to die for me. But I wasn't ready for her to die for me, "Don't kill her you demon!" I dashed at him, my fist rocketing out ahead of me. Before it could land, Silotona disappeared, then reappeared behind me. "Too slow. You're quite weak, especially for a son of mine," he shook his head in disappointment.

"I am no son of yours!" I howled, spinning around. He was gone again.

"You are a son of mine. How else do you think you're immortal?" Silotona's elegant voice drifted through the air, into my ears, coming from every direction.

"W-where are you?!" I exclaimed, my eyes darting everywhere; he was nowhere.

"I'm here," his voice sounded from my right side momentarily before I felt a fist impact my right arm, sending me rocketing through the forest. Trees split in half as my body crashed through tree after tree. I flew for a few more seconds, leaving a long trail of fallen trees. My body was covered in splinters, sunk deep into my skin. Blood spilt from all over my body, creating an ocean of red around me. "I barely even punched you. Why'd you go so far?" Silotona asked with mock confusion, appearing in front of me again.

"Come on boy. Don't you want the power to do that and more?" Silotona asked, his hand still slowly cutting through Eira's throat. I could see her small hands clawing desperately at Silotona's arms, her face going paler with each second. Tears flowed down from her golden eyes as she gasped for air. Lying in a heap of splintered wood and blood, I coughed up more and more of the red liquid. Struggling to speak, I stuttered, "W-why c-can't I-I j-just be left alone. F-first Guttorm, n-now you!"

"You don't have time to complain. Just look at this girl - I don't think she'll last much longer," he nodded at the Eira in his arms. She'd gone completely still, her hope gone. Her blood coated Silotona's hand in a bright red as the side of his hand continued sawing into her throat. "No!" my voice rasped as I forced myself to stand, my whole body shaking.

"Give me an answer! Yes, and she lives. No, and she dies," SIlotona explained, his eyes locked onto mine, shining with victory.

My lips trembled as I formed the answer in my mind. "F-fine. I-I'll help you..." I answered, my eyes gazing down at the floor with despair.

"Good," Silotona drawled, his lips twisting and stretching across his handsome face to form a wicked grin. With little care he chucked Eira onto the floor before me. Dropping to my knees, I picked Eira up into my arms. Her eyes were closed and her small hand, covered in a red liquid, clutched at her throat. "Eira, are you okay?" I whispered, a slow stream of tears running down my cheeks.

"I-I'm fine," Eira's small voice choked, her hands moving to hold mine, revealing a deep gash along her neck. Had I answered any later, I doubt she would've survived. My hands gripped hers comfortingly, my gaze travelling to Silotona. "You... Bring Irene here," I glared at the man before me with great disgust.

"When did I say I'd do that? I just said I'd let your friends live," he grinned at me, his face bright with accomplishment. "If you want to see her again, then find her yourself,"

Struggling to hold my anger back, my hands squeezed Eira's powerfully, making her wince in pain. "Well now. You wait here, boy. I've got to deal with your little Viking buddies," Silotona spoke before disappearing into the darkness.

"I'm trapped again... Will I ever be allowed to live peacefully again?" I asked no one in particular, my voice wavering as tears began to surge from my eyes like a flood. I bent my head down, my eyes meeting Eira's as I wept. Then, I felt two cold hands grip my head and pull me down. "It's okay, Aslerta. You've got me and Asger, I'm sure we can figure this out," Eira's quiet voice whispered. My arms moved and wrapped around her small body, pulling her close to me. I could feel her chest rising and falling against mine as I hugged her. "I sure hope so," I whispered, burrowing my face into her neck for comfort. With a small whimper, Eira placed a hand on the back of my head. "Does your neck still hurt?" I murmured.

"No, it's fine," she returned quietly, her hand gently moving through my hair.