The prank had gone horribly wrong. Again. It was a combination of impulsiveness, a knack for breaking things that really shouldn’t have, and a bit of plain old bad luck. After years of doing this, one would think that they’d have learned their lesson by now, but no. It just kept happening, again and again, each creating a spectacle the equivalent of watching a trainwreck. This time though, there was no coming back from what they had done. 

The two teenagers dashed through the school hallway as the entire building was swept up in a storm of chaos. The Midgard police, as usual, were snapping at their feet. Dressed in full black leather armor, faces obscured by helmets as they wielded sparking batons. The average person would probably have been frozen in fear at the sight. 

For Vargr, the ice that shot through his veins only boosted him. Freezing his foot as he slammed open a door in a long forgotten corner of the school. The two of them threw themselves inside before slamming the door shut, letting only the light from the window illuminate the dusty old room. 

“That’ll buy us some time,” Vargr muttered to himself as he pressed the release button on his own helmet. Messy, ungroomed white hair fell out of it, the tips of blue obscuring his vision before the boy brushed it out of his face. “Breaker, the cameras-”

“On it, on it, jeez.” His partner in crime waved lacksidasily as she glanced around the room. The lack of electric lighting made it hard to make out everything, but the mechanical bits and pieces on the wall made Vargr assume that it was a storeroom of some kind. In fact, considering the way that Breaker was appraising them, they had to be weapons of some kind. And if they were, then that could only mean this place was- His thoughts were interrupted as the girl quickly made her way to one of the corners before snickering. “Pfft, the hell is this crap? I don’t even need to touch it, this shit is barely even functional.”

“But it is functional,” The white haired boy said, tone cool. 

“In the sense that no one would be able to tell that it was gone. Camera quality is pretty shit.” ‘Breaker’ whistled. “Didn’t expect a fancy rich person school to cut corners on the budget but I guess Midgard quality extends to here.”

“This isn’t Asgard.” Vargr muttered as he stared at the camera, unsure if it was even on. Without any hesitation, the boy burst into movement. A chill engulfed his limbs as he swung his arm at the machine. In an instant, the air in front of him froze into a spiked icicle, shooting through the air and crashing into the old machine. 

His partner fell on her ass with a yelp as the camera shattered into a mess of wires and broken parts. Instantly her hands went to her own helmet and threw it off, her long black hair flowing freely as she glared at Vargr with burning red eyes. “Warn a girl before you do something like that!”

“Didn’t you say that no one would be able to tell if it was gone?” 

“Yeah but that’s- agh!” She clamped down on her voice as the sound of footsteps slipped from the hallway outside. A tense silence hung through the air before Vargr nodded, causing Breaker to let out a sigh of relief. Her shoulders slumped down as the black haired girl took a seat on the floor. “Well this has gone all tits up hasn’t it?”

“I don’t think time in juvie will cover this,” The boy grumbled as he pressed his back against the door. Having grown bigger and more muscular than the average fifteen year old should have, he was confident that he had enough strength to resist if someone attempted to barge in. “They might just throw us straight into Helheim.”

“ ‘Where the sun doesn't shine’, eh?” She gave an all too cheery grin for what was a horribly grim prospect. After all, it didn’t matter if every living creature mourned for them, once you were in, there was no escaping Helheim. “Bah, it’s not like the sun shines here in Midgard anyways. It’s all artificial crap. Anyways check this out.”

Breaker reached into a bag on her sides before pulling out… Vargr raised an eyebrow. “You stole the school uniform?”

“Snagged it just in case things got crazy again.” And of course, they always did. “I didn’t expect to get this lucky though. Can’t you tell where we are?”

“...A Valkryie equipment storeroom?” Probably not one that had been used in ages. Breaker only replied with a cheeky grin as she moved over to a cabinet before flexing her fingers. Five seconds later the electronic lock was chirping daisies as she slammed open the glass door and pulled out two identical mechanical bracelets.

“Knew it! They’ve got Valkryie Gears stored here!” The black haired girl proclaimed triumphantly before slipping one of the bracelets on. It glowed for a bit before a locking sound could be heard, attaching itself onto her arm. “And they still work as well! Nice!”

“If you’re planning on busting out of here with that, then I’m going to have to knock you out now.” The white haired boy said frostily as his friend began to grab some of the equipment off the walls and store it into the gear. “If you steal a Valkyrie Gear then forget Midgard, the entirety of Yggdrasil will be on our ass.”

“Nah, of course I’m not going to steal it. Turn around for a bit.” Vargr immediately obliged as the ruffling sound of cloth could be heard behind him. The boy swallowed a gulp and his heart rate began to spike as he realized just what, exactly, his friend was doing not ten feet away. Unbidden, his mind began to construct the scene behind him, wild speculation regarding the possibility of lacey bits running through his head before he banished it with a short, frosty breath. Cold flooded his core with each inhale, washing away the influence of teenage hormones that were not needed right now. Breathing deliberately, he was able to keep himself composed until Breaker sounded the all-clear for him to turn around.

She gave him a cocky smile, hands on her hips. “Fits on me pretty well right?”

Of course it did. Despite the objectively poor living conditions of both orphans, Breaker had still somehow come out of it with a nice, curvy figure that wouldn’t have been out of place even in Asgard. The uniform itself was somehow perfectly in her size, creating an illusion of a kind and cheery upper-middle class girl. Breaker quickly glanced over at the glass cabinet, using it as a mirror as she began to brush her hair back. 

Suddenly it struck Vargr what his best friend was planning. “Don’t tell me you’re-”

“Yeah, it’s Valkyrie Candidate Examination day isn’t it? That’s why we came here after all.” And hadn’t that prank gone particularly well. “I’ll sneak in and take the exam. Without an Einherjar, the Bifrost Link will only produce the standard full-cover armor. They won’t be able to find me among the crowd of students also taking the exam.”

“And afterwards?” The boy asked. “What then?”

“That’s where the plan kinda falls apart.” She shrugged. “I’m hoping that I do well enough on the exam that they kinda let the whole impersonation and uh, thing we did slide.”

“Risky.”

“I’d rather chance it with the Jotun then rot in Helheim,” Breaker declared. “The only problem is uh…”

Her eyes met with Vargrs’, before turning away. She didn’t need to say anything, they both knew the answer. Valkyries, the mechanical elite warriors that used the Bifrost Link to wield unfathomable powers to safeguard Yggdrasil, could only be women. This wasn’t a man’s world. 

Vargr would have to stay behind. 

“...Fine by me.” The white haired boy declared as he pressed his hand against the door. Frost welled within him as a thick blanket of ice began to cover it, sealing the room shut. “Go. Get out of here. I’ll keep them busy and buy enough time for you to sneak among the candidates.”

“You sure about this?” Red eyes peered into his back. “I wouldn’t blame you if you decided to curse me out right now.”

“You’re my friend. I’d rather burn myself trying to help then freeze in the dark doing nothing,” He grunted out, pulling at his collar to reveal the circular scar that covered his neck. “Consider it me repaying the favor.”

“Dumbass,” She scoffed, though there wasn’t a hint of derision in her voice as she tossed the second Valkyrie Gear his way. He caught it with a confused look and she gave him a grin. “Here, put it on. They’ll be less likely to take you out if you keep one of their gears hostage.”

The sound of angry voices could be heard behind the door as it began to shake. They had found them. Silently, Vargr nodded as he placed the machine on his wrist. Of course, it lay dead, but he didn’t even bother to give it a glance as he grabbed his helmet and placed it back on his head. “Best of luck to you.”

“Same as well. Later, Wolf.” Breaker waved as she quickly opened the hatch to the only window in the room. “If we meet again, hopefully it’s under the open sky rather than rotting beneath the earth.”

And with that, her black hair fluttered as she jumped out of the window, leaving Vargr behind. Perhaps he could follow and jump out the window but… No, considering the commotion that had caused, the entire perimeter was likely being searched. Besides being so close to Breaker would probably just harm her chances of going undetected in the long run. No, he’d chain himself here and distract the police until one of the Valkyries inevitably beat him down. Vargr had given his word after all. 

As the door began to crack under the repeated assault of the Midgard police, the white haired boy quickly glanced at the wall before taking a piece of equipment off of the shelf, what looked to be a metal shield. Without the Valkyrie Gear to power it, it was just a hunk of junk, but it was still a hunk of junk he could strap to his arm and use as a shield. With that done, he quietly moved towards the corner of the room and crouched down. Vargr’s body shivered as he summoned as much wintry force as he could into his veins, but his eyes never wavered for the door. He lied in wait, ready to pounce at any moment. 

The door flew through the room, crashing onto the floor with a loud slam. The helmeted enforcers flooded inside as their batons sparked. The moment they saw him, they shouted in unison. “Freeze!”

“You first,” He whispered before thrusting his hands forward. A white blizzard suddenly engulfed the room in front of him and before the police could even blink, everything from their torso down had been frozen solid in ice. Vargr didn’t hesitate as he burst through the crowd, jumping out of the store room and into the hallway. Cries and shouts filled the air, but he ignored them. By this point, he had already begun to ramp up. 

Vargr’s breath appeared in front of him in a misty vapor. It didn’t take long for the enforcers to track him down again, chasing him through the school’s hallways. His entire body was shivering in the cold as he pressed his hand against the ground, causing a thin sheet of ice to spread like an infection. Faced with the sudden change in environment, the Midgard police all crashed onto the ground, tumbling into a pile.

One of them pressed the side of their helmet and as he turned the corner, he heard them shout. “They’re a Vitnrkind!”

Vintrkind, a child of winter. 

He couldn’t deny the name fit, as the raging blizzard inside him began to pick up. The world in front of him filled with white and frost as he charged through the school at full speed. He probably should’ve been looking for a more obscure exit, but at this point Vargr’s goal wasn’t to escape, it was to cause as much commotion as possible. By the time he made it to the official entrance of the school, the Midgard police were hot on heels. 

His eyes quickly examined the area. It was typical of a fancy place, less of an entrance and more of a lounge area with a glass ceiling to let the light of Midgard shine through. The good news was, there was only one person guarding the entrance.

The bad news was they only needed one person guarding the entrance.

She stood there with a bored look on her face, floating in the air while wearing a skintight suit, various mechanical bits and bobs floating around her. Idly, she twirled her twin gold and silver battle axes in her hands as her gaze settled onto him. It was Vargr’s first time coming face to face with one of her kind. The one-woman army that held the strength of humanity’s greatest heroes. In front of him, without a doubt, stood a Valkyrie.

“Just surrender already,” She sighed, chewing on something in her mouth. “Having to run the examinations for those brats is already a pain as is. I don’t need any dipshits fucking around at the same time.”

Vargr’s feet paused. He glanced behind him, the enforcers had stopped their chase and had begun blocking out his paths to escape. That was fine. Silently, he turned back towards the Valkyrie and considered his next words. “...It was supposed to be funny?”

She lifted an eyebrow. “You call that funny?”

“Fair point.” He admitted as he got ready to pounce, ice forming at his feet. “Things didn’t really go to plan.”

“Yeah? Well, tough shit.” The gold battle axe crackled with electricity as she gazed at him scornfully before glancing at his arms and letting out a laugh. “Is that Valkyrie equipment? The hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Insurance,” he spoke curtly. “For protection. Don’t get too rough with me or you’ll break it.”

“Dumbass! You just raised your status into ‘someone trying to steal valuable equipment’!” The valkyrie cackled as she lunged straight towards him. “Which means I get to go all out!”

She was fast, almost too fast for him. If he hadn’t been ramping up, Vargr wouldn’t have been able to dodge the sudden arc of lightning that sparked towards him. Struggling to keep his balance, the young boy quickly summoned a legion of icicles and launched them forward. The woman didn’t even blink, her silver axe chopping through the storm at rapid speeds. Even the ones that did hit her only shattered as they smashed right into a ripple in the air, revealing an invisible energy field.

Despite himself, Vargr couldn’t help but gulp. This? This was bad. He knew that he’d get his shit kicked in if he tried to fight a Valkyrie, but he didn’t expect her to no-sell everything he had in his arsenal. At this rate he was going to lose instantly. He needed to keep fighting, to keep buying more time. And the only way he could do that was…

“I’ve never ramped up this much before,” The child of winter muttered to himself as he began to push the rampaging blizzard inside of him beyond what he had ever done before. The room began to noticeably drop in temperature and the Valkyrie clicked her tongue before rocketing towards him. It took all that Vargr had to quickly summon a wave of ice in front of her before dodging. His body's temperature began to drop to dangerous levels, and ice beyond his control began to encroach upon the building. Suddenly a shot of pain burst through his arms as he summoned a block of ice beneath him and pushed himself into the air. The valkyrie only had enough time to glance up before he descended upon her, his hands turning into giant claws of ice. With all his might he swung them downward, the frenzy of winter in his veins-

“-Is that all?” The valkyrie asked flatly as her axes blurred. The chunks that made up his ice claws shattering before she spun and kicked his body from the air. Vargr soared through the room, crashing into the wall before slumping over. With a bitter sigh, the woman casually landed on the ground before walking over. “I had heard that you Vintrkind had a bunch of strange powers, but it seems you still can’t even touch a Valkryie. Try again next time kid, if you don’t get sent to Helheim, that is.”

“Ugh…” the boy groaned, as he clutched at his arm. Inwardly, the blizzard still raged, numbing the pain. Not that it gave him any strength at all. Vargr’s body was trapped in a wintry chill, and it only kept growing colder as he forced himself back on to his feet. It felt like he was going to die of hyperthermia before his injuries, but it was strangely comforting in it’s own way. At this point he was pretty much fucked dead or alive, so he might as well go all out. If he could just push himself a little more..

There was a click and all sets of eyes froze as the impossible happened. As the winter began to claim his body, the Valkryie Gear began to glow.

“What the hell?” Vargr let out before his head was suddenly assaulted with a throbbing pain. The Valkyrie quickly broke out of her stupor and lunged at him. In a dazed panic, the white haired boy quickly raised the arm with the shield only to be mystified as it suddenly deployed itself, whirling to life before summoning an energy field to block the valkyrie. There wasn’t any time to be amazed at the turn of events though, as the headache suddenly spiked in intensity. “Agh… Gah!”

“Bifrost link initialized.” He heard a mechanical voice announce. “Connecting to Einherjar. Einherjar not found. Deploying Phase Zero Armor. ERROR! ERROR! NOT A NUMBER! ERROR! ERROR! CANNOT CONNECT!”

Every molecule in Vargr’s body felt like it was being torn apart. The space in front of him began to distort as his stomach began to do a series of loopty loops. Not even the winter he had lived with for as long as he could remember could hold him together as the gear on his hands started to burn, scalding his skin. 

However, before anyone could do anything else, the glass ceiling above was broken. A mechanical bird flew in, causing the valkyrie to freeze as it flew around Vargr. It swooped in, reaching for his arm before opening a compartment in it’s chest and dropping a card onto the Valkyrie Gear. 

“...Einherjar found. Compatibility 88.65%. Deploying Phase One Armor ****...” The end of the sentence a blur as Vargr was suddenly swept up into a storm of energy. Slowly, his body began to heal and mend, strength returning to his limbs as a spectral power engulfed him. When the torment that had been engulfing him finally stopped, the young boy slowly opened his eyes.

Or rather her eyes.

“Uh…” Vargr’s now long white hair dangled behind him as he glanced around the shocked room, before he felt a sudden cold breeze. With disbelieving eyes, he turned down to glance at himself only to find something that shouldn’t have been there. No, that couldn’t have been there. Obviously he was just hallucinating from all the pain he had just endured. Surely if he touched it the thing would disappear-

Squish. 

He felt it. The feeling of breasts. Without even a trace of a doubt, the young man had become a young woman, dressed in the skimpy jumpsuit of the Valkyrie. For once, his wintry persona broke as he, now she, shouted her feelings to the world. “What in the actual fuck-!!!”

That was about as far as he got before the mechanical bird rammed itself straight into his skull, knocking the new Valkyrie out instantly.