Usually, the school semester begins with the ringing of the bell, the first day of classes, etc. Certainly, Valhalla’s Valkyrie Education Academy (VEA) had all of that and more, but if anyone were to ask Ash where his school semester really began, he’d only have one response to that.

It began when someone pressed the barrel of a gun to his back.

“Don’t move,” the woman spoke in a quiet but steely voice as she pressed the hamdcanon deeper into Ash’s side. The Vintrkind slowly nodded, raising his hands up into the air as he glanced for an escape in the empty classroom. Of course, even if he did find one, he wouldn’t dare go for it. Not if he wanted to keep his inner organs intact at least. And besides, this threat on his physical well being crossed the line from dangerous to absurd the moment he remembered just who was ready to pull the trigger at any moment. Namely, a blue haired woman who was not at all deterred by the fact that Ash was near twice her size.

This didn’t at all compare to being chained at the top of Yggdrasil itself, but it still climbed the list of ‘Top 10 crazy things that have happened this month’. How’d he get here again? Oh right, the person he could always blame when things go crazy.

Breaker.

Ignoring how he could hear an imaginary version of the girl shouting ‘You’ve only got yourself to blame!’, the white haired boy took the second of eternity to reflect and try to connect how his first day of school had ended up at this point.

---

“How does this…” Ash muttered to himself as he fiddled with the piece of cloth in his hands. “Come on…”

“Kah! Stupid! Stupid!” A certain red raven laughed from where it was perched upon the bathroom stall. “If stupid Ash can’t even figure out a tie, he should just reject society and go in the nude! Return to monke, this Huginn says! Kah! Kah!”

The white haired boy let out a sigh before waving his hands. Instantly, the bird had to dodge the weak blast of ice that came flying its way. Which it did. With ease. Fucker. “Do you have to watch me while I change?”

“Odin says keep an eye on the Ash! Odin did not say where!”

And wasn’t that the bane of his current existence. Out of all the guardians he had to have been stuck with, it was the one who wouldn’t shut up that had been following him for the past week. The Vintrkind had to tap his cheek with a winter infused hand and let the shiver go through his body. “Can ‘when’ be included on that list as well? You woke me up at four in the morning.”

“Huginn was simply doing his duty to make sure you arrive on time!” The ruby-eyed raven puffed up it’s mechanical chest proudly. “And Huginn was bored!”

“I’m starting to suspect you’re always bored.”

“Gasp! The Ash is learning!”

Winter shot through his veins as Ash pressed down the urge to wring the Raven’s neck where it stood. “It’s not worth it, it’s not worth it…”

“Hurry up! Hurry up!” Huginn screamed as it tapped on the ground. “We’re almost here!”

“Got it.” The white haired boy sighed as he glanced in the mirror. They had designed a new, male version of Valhalla’s school uniform just for him but at this point, there was no way that he was going to make this thing look proper. Suddenly, an idea struck him. “The dress code says what to wear right?”

“That is this Huginn recalls.” The bird nodded. “Long legging! Boots! Vest and undershirt! Must be worn at all times with the Valhalla emblem facing outwards!”

“And it doesn’t happen to say just how it must be worn beyond that?”

For once, Huginn gave a puzzled response. “Mmh… Mmh? It is not written.”

“Works for me.” Ash grunted as he took the tie and began to wrap the cloth around his arm before popping up his collar. “You got my back if I get in trouble for this right?”

“The Huginn will speak if spoken to.”

“That’ll do.” The white haired boy sighed as he grabbed his bag and stepped out of the bathroom and back into his compartment, plopping himself back down onto his seat and glancing at the world outside. Buildings and scenery vanished in the blink of an eye, mostly to do with the sheer speed at which the Asgard Liner moved with. Public transportation had never really been Ash’s thing, but he was still amazed at how little he felt the world whirl by. And he had his own private compartment to sit back and enjoy the trip in.

Ash gave a glance at Huginn. “...As private as it can get anyways.”

Still, even with the constant threat to his patience, the trip was leagues better than having to sit cramped during Midgard’s rush hour. Back in the middle realms, this kind of service was something that would’ve been first class. In Asgard? It was as normal as putting butter on toast.

That was kind of the name of the game when it comes to the upper realms, Ash had learned over the course of the past week. Especially when it came to Asgard. The entire realm seemed to be trying to put the extra in extravagant. Most delicious food, most beautiful scenery, most whatever qualifier it could get. His stay here would’ve been a wonderful vacation, if Ash hadn’t been running around doing various odds and ends while Yggdrasil collectively blew up with his mere existence.

Proving that he could use the Valkyrie Gear again, having to donate his blood for science, running through the gauntlet of exams, etc etc. It was like the entire world had turned a hot, burning spotlight on him. Whenever the day came to an end, Ash would just slumped into his bed exhaustedly. Ironically, it was only when he was finally cleared to be shipped off towards Valhalla did he manage to get some rest. Speaking of…

“Look! Look!” Huginn cried as it flew over to the train window and began tapping the glass with its beak. “The Ash must gaze upon the Queen’s land!”

Odin herself might have probably protested at Valhalla being called her domain, but any citizen would’ve proclaimed all of Yggdrasil to be laid bare beneath her feet. Ash was no different, and while he wasn’t the type to worship the ground she walked on, the white haired boy still wanted to get his first glimpse of his new home. Pushing Huginn out of the way, he pressed his forehead against the glass.

The view from the train was picturesque (most likely designed that way considering he was in Asgard) and Ash could see almost the entirety of Valhalla as the land came into view. His eyes immediately latched on to VEA’s campus, impossible to ignore as it stood proud with digital holograms of previous Valkyries posing like statues. It didn’t help that VEA was so large that it made up half of Valhalla itself, with the rest of the buildings seeming to be auxiliary save for the command center that could faintly be seen in the distance. Not to say that they weren’t as high-budget as VEA though, shops and restaurants buzzing with activity making him feel the energy in the air even behind this glass window. He could even see buildings that attempted to rival VEA’s campus in their grand scale, though for what purpose he could scarcely imagine.

“There’s so much space…” Ash muttered to himself as the white haired boy leaned back. “Midgard can’t even compare.”

Well, that wasn’t really a fair comparison. Midgard was a mega-city, and while Valhalla wasn’t the rural fields he had seen in faint glimpses of Vanaheim, calling it ‘suburbia’ would be a stretch.

“You look? You look? Good.” His raven guide nodded proudly. “Now this Huginn must leave.”

“Wait what?” The Vintrkind said with a bit too much enthusiasm. “Why?”

“Odin says escort the Ash to Valhalla. Valhalla has come, so this Huginn’s duty is done.” With a flare, it opened it’s mechanical wings and flew to the door. “Even if the Ash is stupid, Huginn is not the one to blame! Kah! Kah!”

For a moment, Ash wrestled with the decision between trying to convince the bird to stay or letting it fly free. If, that is, the amount of time described as a ‘moment’ was calculated as zero divided by infinity. Winter cooled his heart as he promptly dash walked to the door and opened it for the bird, trying not to put too much energy into how he waved it goodbye. “Have a safe flight.”

“Kah! Keep that up and you may one day brush this Huginn’s feathers!” The mechanical raven preened before promptly flying down into the Asgard Liner’s corridors. “Meet again, we may!”

“Hopefully not,” Ash muttered under his breath as he slammed the door shut. “I could go my whole life without ever hearing that bird talk again.”

He still wasn’t sure what it actually was either. Some kind of advanced AI? Maybe he could sick Breaker on the thing, if he wasn’t fearful of the One Eyed Queen’s vengeance.

“Breaker…” The white haired boy sighed. “I wonder if she got in after all?”

Everyone had been tightlipped about what exactly happened after Ash had been knocked out, but he had no doubt that things probably had exploded even worse with his best friend still active. No matter who he asked though, which to be fair wasn’t many people, details on Breaker’s fate were rare and hard to come by. All he did get was from Odin of all people, who had just given him one of those all knowing smirks before telling him not to worry about it.

Considering she was the same woman who had chained him to the top of Yggdrasil for some reason, Ash couldn’t help but worry about it.

Not that there was any time to think about it. As much as he would like to enjoy his new found silence, every minute that passed drew the gates of Valhalla ever closer. Packing up the miniscule amount of items he called his ‘luggage’, Ash took a deep breath and watched as the train station arrived ever closer. Soon enough, the Asgard Liner came to a slow but steady stop. The train announcer spoke some words on the intercom but the white haired boy ignored it as he stepped outside his compartment-

“Oh!” A voice exclaimed as his body accidentally crashed into someone. Their bags fell to the floor but neither of the two paid any attention to it as their eyes met. Her eyes were a pure, crystal blue, perfectly complimenting the short golden blond hair that perfectly framed her face. Despite Ash’s massive body, the colliding force wasn’t enough to knock her off her feet, but she still took the time to look and give the Vintrkind a once over anyways. After a few seconds, she scoffed as her eyes narrowed into a look Ash was familiar with, scorn. “Watch where you’re going you buffoon.”

The insult froze over Ash as he simply nodded. “Sorry.”

“You’d best hope that none of my things are damaged.” She clicked her tongue in annoyance. In fairness though, the amount of bags and suitcases she was traveling with probably was a pain in the ass to deal with, so he couldn’t exactly fault her there. “Well? What are you waiting for? Get a move on already.”

“...Do you need any help with that?” The white haired boy asked, causing the blonde to instantly snap.

“As if I need a man to help me!” Her eyes steeled as she waved down the corridor. “Just leave! I can handle things fine here on my own!”

“If you say so.” Ash nodded before he began walking out of the corridor. Having his presence derided like that was annoying, but at the very least it was just sexisim and not his very humanity being brought into question. Still terrible, but at least he was human in her eyes. Baby steps.

The absolutely dreadful start to his life in Valhalla was soon forgotten about as Ash took his first few steps out of the Asgard liner. Artificial sunlight danced across his skin as the Midgard boy couldn’t help but pause and take in a breath of deep air. Fresh, cleary, and homely, a scent he had never smelled before.

“I can grow to like this,” The Vintrkind muttered to himself. Midgard, for all it’s anti-pollution campaigns over the years, couldn’t help but still stink of smoke and grime while in contrast, the rest of Asgard was so surreally perfect it felt like every breath he took was filled with luxuriousness. With a sigh, he took out a manilla folder out of his bag and began to flip through its contents. “Let’s see, the path to the VEA is… Understood.”

The train station was surprisingly devoid of people, the students just arriving few and far between. Ash expected it to have been more packed since the semester was about to begin, but he wasn’t going to complain right now. Security barely even took a few minutes, and the lack of people meant he had a quiet peaceful walk to his new academy. Of course, the key word there was ‘had’.

It was the moment that he stepped out of the train station and into Valhalla proper. A piercing shout broke through the morning calm, with way more heat and energy then he wanted to handle at the moment. However, it didn’t even take him a second to recognize where it was coming from.

“Vargr!” A familiar black blur cried as it crashed into the massive boy, wrapping its arms around his frame before promptly attempting to kick the Vintrkind in the shins. “So you did make it in you crazy bastard!”

“Breaker.” He groaned, attempting to shake his childhood friend off, only for her to hold on tighter. Ash took a deep, winter infused breath as he gave in and attempted to ignore the sensation of certain things pressing up against hit body. “I shouldn’t have been worried about you.”

“Rude. That’s supposed to be my line.” Breaker grinned as she pulled away from him. “Why didn’t you tell me that you could use a Valkyrie Gear? That utterly ruins the impact of our dramatic parting!”

“Not like I knew either,” The only male Valkryie grunted. There wasn’t exactly a chance to try using one before that day. “I should be the one asking you how you even knew I was coming today. The people I asked told me nothing about what happened to you.”

“I broke the mystery down to pieces and put together the fragments.” Her red eyes twinkled as she ran a hand through her hair. “It wasn’t exactly that hard to put together, since you’re basically all anyone can talk about the moment. Considering that I could barely hear shit while I was under arrest, that should be saying something!”

“How was jail by the way?”

“Eh, so-so. Wasn’t even in there long because my gamble paid off and I actually got accepted as a valkyrie.” Breaker shrugged. “Not entirely sure why but I’m not going to complain.”

At those words, Odin’s face appeared inside Ash’s mind but he kept silent about it. No need to bring up theories that might not be true.

“Well I’m not free per say but it’s a hell of a lot better than the treatment I was expecting!” The girl continued, but before Ash could ask about what she meant, they were interrupted by the sound of someone collapsing at their feet.

“Your… Cardiac Capabilities… Are truly stupendous… Miss Kyouko…” The newcomer breathed out as her chest heaved. “I stand in awe as I contemplate my intellectual specialization.”

The girl was a student, the same as Breaker and Ash, and she didn’t appear to be much older than them at that. Her dark black hair was highlighted by bright green,, and she quickly brushed aside two braided locks that had been displaced. Her similarly colored emerald eyes were framed behind a circular pair of glasses, and she gave the two an inquisitive glance as she continued to try and get a hold of herself.

Ash was the first to speak up as he gave a quick side glance to Breaker. “You let her…?”

“Ugh.” His childhood friend groaned. “Birth records linked to my DNA, couldn’t exactly stop them from figuring out who I was. I told her to call me Breaker but she insists on using my real name anyways.”

“Because it’s a beautiful name!” The bespectacled student declared hotly. “Yggdrasil’s nomenclature has been drifting towards hegemony for centuries! The preference towards old war latin rooted naming structure has meant that the cultural heritage of east asia has been heading for extinction! It would be irresponsible of me to lay dormant while such travesty is occurring every day that passes!”

The two Midgard merely stared at her in confusion, and it only partially had to do with the fact that neither of the two knew what ‘Europe’ or ‘Asia’ was. With a cough, the girl continued, albeit much quieter. “And I think that Kyouko Hagemu is a beautiful, fluorescent name filled with deep meaning and affection.”

Ash turned to glance towards Breaker- No, Kyouko. “You never did tell me what your name means.”

“Don’t ask,” she growled, pulling the Kamikaze maneuver of elbowing him in the stomach. Judging by her flinch, that hurt her more than it did him.

“Ah yes! I completely forgot about introductions! How foolish of me, to let such important courtises slip from my mind!” The green haired girl smiled. “I am one of the bastions of science, Leissa Stark and I currently serve as miss Kyouko’s-”

“Parole officer, warden, etc etc.” His childhood friend wallged her hand. “It was one of the conditions I had to accept before they let me in. And of course, she’s an Alfheim girl as well.”

Lessia let out a sigh. “I would prefer to be referred to as your ‘partner’.”

“No need to try and sugarcoat it.” Kyouko instantly denied. “You know what we did.”

“Ah yes.” The scientist(?) nodded. “It was quite fascinating, if also horrifying. I had never truly contemplated what would happen if you-”

“We don’t speak of it.” The two Midgard kids spoke in unison.

“Right, right. Moving along! You’re the famous male Valkyrie, Ash Whitelund correct?” Leissa didn’t even wait for a response as she suddenly pushed herself closer to the boy before adjusting her glasses and examining him from every angle. “I see! So this is the unique uniform they designed for Vintrkind! Truly a remarkable cloth weaved from the spool of science! Easy to move and breath while still retaining thermal heating! I had seen the papers for it but seeing the real deal up close is quite fascinating!”

Ash himself was clueless as to what the girl was talking about and could only just fidget in response as he tried to find something to say. “You… really are from Alfheim huh?”

“Correct!” Leissa cried. “While such generalizations are characteristics of bias and stereotypes, I will not deny my heritage from the realm of progress!”

“Speaking of progress, I’d rather not tank my already low rep with the staff by being late on the very first day.” Kyouko waved as she began to move. “Come on! Don’t tell me becoming a valkyrie made you lose your legs Vargr!”

“I’m still faster than you, Breaker.” Ash smiled as he caught up with his childhood friend. “But lead the way.”

With that, the two began to walk into Valhalla. A feat that neither thought the two would ever accomplish, but they were more glad to be walking side by side with each other once more than anything else.

“Ah! Wait up!” Lessia cried. “Don’t leave me behind! Why are you two so fast!?”