LXV. The Prayer

He began to get up, still stunned.

He was in the same room.

Around him, the bodies of the undeads had disappeared: they had probably evaporated.

He looked at his hands, still bloodied. The powers of the magenta blood he had ingested were now gone.

The Sun shone high in the sky, its light entered the room, illuminating Magni's body, which was still there.

Claire looked at Dag who began staring at Magni.

"Who is he, Dag?" she said, approaching him.

Dag sighed.

After a few seconds of silence, he said: "he was my master"

"But... but what happened here?" she asked.

"It's a long story, when we get out of here I'll tell you. Rather, what happened to you? Why didn't you run away?" said Dag.

"As we fled into the sewer tunnels, a strange flying being began to follow us, and managed to kill two of us"

"Myr's elemental crow" Dag thought, as he listened to Claire's story.

"When that monster reached us, we thought we couldn't do it. But then, suddenly, after issuing a heartbreaking verse, he disappeared into thin air, disintegrating" Claire continued.

Dag nodded, relieved. He had managed to save most of the prisoners. Magni's sacrifice had not been futile. He had saved him and other innocent people.

Then he looked behind Claire. An adult woman and another younger one were with her.

"And who are they? What are you doing still here?" asked Dag.

"After telling everyone that it was you who sacrificed for us, they wanted to follow me, desperately trying to help you get out of here. We didn't know you were in this room alone, passed out on the floor. Where's the shaman? And King Hjalmar? We should hurry, they'll come after us!" replied Claire.

Dag smiled, melancholic. He put a hand on Claire's shoulder.

"They are no longer a problem. No one else in this castle can hurt you" he said, trying to reassure her and the other two women.

Claire looked at him in amazement.

Dag put his hand in his pocket.

The pendant was still there.

He walked toward Magni and lowered himself on him.

He was lying with his face on the ground.

He put a hand on his back and closed his eyes, trying to listen.

He hoped to perceive the heartbeat of his heart, the sound of blood flowing through his veins.

He didn't hear anything.

Magni was dead for real.

Dag's eyes kept tearing.

Despite trying to hold on, the pain was unbearable.

He grabbed his Master's hammer and pulled it out of his belt.

He clasped it tightly in his hands, rising to his feet.

The head of the hammer was bloodied.

There were two types of blood: magenta and Magni's.

Dag brought the hammer to his chest and closed his eyes.

In his mind, he tried to visualize the image of Thor.

Magni was totally devoted to the God Of Thunder, he had believed in him all his life.

Dag prayed to Thor, so that he would lead Magni's spirit to Valhalla, to a safe place. His master would continue to fight but greater and more important battles than the human ones.

He would fight alongside Thor and Tyr to capture the wolf Fenrir and kill Loki, the strategist.

Dag opened his eyes again when he heard hands touching him from behind his back.

Claire hugged him, resting her head on his shoulders as if she was sharing his pain.

"Even I know what it's like to lose someone dear to you. Since I came to this planet, my life has been very difficult. Everyone I cared about died trying to protect me" she said softly.

Dag turned to her face.

He could hear the heartbeat of her heart throbbing behind him.

Claire was very close. He could feel her breath.

In that moment of sadness, he wanted to kiss her, hug her, to find some comfort.

But in his mind appeared the image of Freydis and the last time they had met. And that they had made love.

He turned forward and Claire stepped back.

Dag continued to look at the hammer.

He knelt back to Magni.

"There were still many things I wanted to tell you, Master. I prayed to Thor, to take you to Valhalla with him. I'm going to stay here on Skjold. I feel like my time has not come yet" Dag said.

"I'll keep your hammer. I will protect it at the cost of my life. With it, I will exterminate all those who will stand between me and the Xis. I'm going to make them pay for it. I will avenge your death" he continued.

At these words, he approached Magni's face and closed his eyes with his fingers.

Despite his sudden death, his expression seemed serene, as if he had calmly accepted his death.

"Start walking out of the castle, wait for me near the entrance" Dag told Claire and the other two women, while he was still kneeling near Magni.

Claire, without saying anything, nodded to the women and all together they made their way to the castle's exit.

"You know, master... it was like you said. These dark powers that I have... they're not something to run away from. I just need to be able to control them. That strange black liquid can drain energy from the bodies it touches, and then transfer it into my body. You were the strongest warrior I had ever known, I can't let your strength die with you" Dag said.

"Your spirit is safe. Your body is still stuck here on Skjold. If I let the black fluid flow over you, I think it would be useless. Your energy would first enter into me, but then it would fade after a short time. I have to make sure it stays forever" he continued.

Dag looked down, trying to find a solution to his problem.

His gaze fell on the hammer.

Without saying anything else, Dag took the weapon with his right hand.