The last time that Ash suddenly passed out and woke up in an unknown location, it had been at the very top of Yggdrasil. Perhaps it was the lingering trauma from that time, or the circumstances in which he ended up here, but the moment consciousness returned to the boy he immediately jolted upright, adrenaline and anxiety suddenly spiking through him as his breath quickened.

“For someone who was knocked out cold, you’re awfully energetic,” a familiar voice commented. Ash took a deep breath, taking in his surroundings. He was in a sterile white room, with the only hint of color being the tinge of orange from the afternoon sun filtering in through the windows and the golden blonde sitting idly next to him. Ash blinked and suddenly a group of holographic monitors flickered into existence, with what looked like a heart rate monitor beeping steadily by his side. He ran a quick glance over the other screens. Several big and small terms flew over the boy’s head, but he was at least learned enough to know when he was reading a doctor’s report. That could only mean that this was…

Ash blinked. “A hospital?”

“No, just the school clinic,” Magnolia corrected, much to Ash’s relief. Hospitals were never a good place to end up in, not if you didn’t want to be in debt for the rest of your life. “For the person at the very epicenter of the incident, you managed to come out of it with the least harm done to your body. I don’t know whether to be proud or disappointed.”

The Asgardian shook her head. “Either way, to think that you’d pull a stunt like this the moment I take my eyes off you. Didn't I tell you to be on your best behavior?”

“...Sorry about that-”

“No. Don’t apologize. The blame is all on me,” said the girl who wasn’t even there. “Besides, as I have been informed, this was a result of both malicious action against you as well as an accident that spiraled too far out of control. Tell me, is such a thing a common occurrence for you?”

“Unfortunately, yes.” He knew something would explode somehow. A combination of impulsiveness, a knack for breaking things that shouldn’t have, and really shitty luck perfectly described every plan Breaker made that somehow or another blew up in their face. This time however, well, there was a bit of a problem. “What even happened though? The last thing I remember is being in the… simulation.”

And wasn’t that an experience to think about. For some reason his memories of the event felt like they were fading away, as if the entire fight had been a dream and only the strongest of impressions lingered in his mind. He vaguely recalled Liesa saying something about measures in place to prevent lingering trauma. Was this perhaps what she meant?

“That in itself was the problem, it seems.” Magnolia scowled. “As it was explained to me, the ‘vetrblod’ in your veins reacts to mental stimulation. Because the simulator was near indistinguishable from reality, it was still active while you were in the virtual dream space, causing you to generate ice while acting within the simulation. This, combined with the sense of dysphoria from the system’s inaccuracies, ended up causing you to constantly keep generating ice until you were a danger to everyone in the vicinity. Normally, you wouldn’t have even been allowed to go near one of the hyper-real simulators for your own safety, but the method in which you managed to acquire ‘permission’ slipped past the radar.”

“Ah.” Was all Ash had to really say. That did not sound good. At all. Although there was something that caught his attention in that explanation. “ ‘Vetrblod’?”

“That’s the official name of what allows you Vintrkind to use your powers.” His handler shrugged. “This was all explained to me by the other Vintrkind on campus. Specifically, the staff member who dragged you out of the ice prison that you created for yourself.”

...Oh, yeah. He remembered now, that streak of white he saw as his consciousness faded. So that had been the hair of someone like him, huh? Silently, he stared down at his palms. Magnolia watched him for a moment before speaking up again. “Why are you the one who’s shocked? I, myself, wasn’t even aware that we had a Vintrkind amongst our staff. People like you are a rarity, after all, but surely you must have met another child of winter before.”

“...Maybe, but it was a long time ago,” Ash answered as he let the frozen memories lie dormant. “I haven’t seen one ever since I could remember living in Midgard.”

“Ah, I see.” The girl gave a quiet nod before turning her eyes towards the window. “I suppose that makes some degree of sense. Most of the Jotunheim survivors didn’t end up living in the realm of men. It was either Alfheim, Vanaheim, or in the rare case, Muspelheim that took them in. How you ended up on Midgard as an orphan is a mystery that I have no intention of pursuing.”

“...I’m not even sure if I’m from Jotunheim.” Ash admitted quietly. Everyone he had come across had assumed he was, and for a reason. From what little he had found out from his years on the street, becoming a Vintrkind was a rare phenomenon that only occurred in those who were exposed to Jotun Clouds. Since the fall of Jotunheim was the last time it occurred on a mass scale, basic logic concluded that his mysterious origins probably stemmed from there. But if he was going to be fully honest, it didn’t really matter to him. “It happened when I wasn’t even a year old. Even if I was born in that fallen realm, I can’t say I remember it being my home. In fact, it doesn’t really feel like it has anything to do with me.”

Magnolia’s gaze snapped around as she fixed her charge with an intense glare. So much so that Ash had to use the winter to keep himself cool as she spoke with a hard voice. “Don’t be ridiculous. Your past, your origin, it has everything to do with who you are. To deny such a thing would be the height of foolishness.”

The Asgardian clenched her fist to the point where her knuckles were white as ice. “Even if I personally wasn’t there, I can’t ever forget the tragedy of Jotunheim. Not even for a single moment. It is the duty of all those who dwell in Asgard. The scars that it left upon Yggdrasil are too deep to comprehend at a simple glance.”

...It seemed to Ash that Magnolia was a bit more personally invested in the subject matter than just it being her duty, but he wasn’t about to pry into her circumstances. They weren’t exactly close after all. Though speaking of his close friend, that was something to switch the subject to. “How is Breaker doing?”

“Breaker?” Magnolia raised an eyebrow before understanding blossomed on her face and she let out an annoyed sigh. “Oh. You mean that girl came with you from Midgard. Such unrefined names are… Ahem. She’s, well, see for yourself.”

The blonde stood up from her seat before walking over to a nearby curtain and pulling it open. On the bed next to him Kyouko slept, in the kind of peace that Ash rarely saw even in their most private moments. His fellow street kid almost looked like a princess, if it wasn’t for the various tubes and wires attached to her body. “As the person closest to you, she was the one who suffered the most damage when your ice went out of control. Of course in Valhalla, such injuries
are nothing more than scratches. She’ll be patched up and be in full health by this time tomorrow, although she’ll still have to spend the night in the recovery ward.”

Magnolia gave one last look at the black haired girl before shaking her head. “Frankly, I’m quite glad that she seems to be sleeping through the recovery. If she were awake, well, the behavior she has demonstrated is not that of someone who I would like to be seen associating with.”

“I trust her with my life.” Ash said, snuffing the emotion from his voice.

“Mmh,” his handler acknowledged. “So you do.”

“I trust her with my life and yet…” And yet he had ended up risking her life. Getting into danger was such a stupidly common occurrence to them that some part of him thought it had to be the result of some higher power. But, just because it happened often, didn’t mean that a tinge of guilt didn’t gnaw at the inside of his stomach no matter how much he tried to freeze the beast.

“That’s not something you need to worry about.” Ash whipped his head up to see the sliding doors to the clinic open automatically as Miss Rivers waltzed inside. The petite woman gave a tip of her cowboy hat to Magnolia before turning over to the Vintrkind. “Whitelund. Hale has told you about what happened?”

“Yeah.” Ash nodded before letting out a sigh, already expecting the worst. “How much trouble am I in?”

“You personally? None at all.” His teacher instantly denied. “Well, not the kind of trouble you're thinking of. After some brief review, it’s clear that the incident was an accident due to our own negligence. As such you won’t be punished for breaking precious equipment or injuring your fellow trainee. In fact…”

The blue haired woman took out her data pad before pressing a button. Suddenly there was a buzzing in Ash’s pocket and he quickly reached for his own datapad only to see an obscene (for him) number of points suddenly appear in his account. “While you did have more onboard supervision than the simulation provided as well as perishing in the course of engagement, you and your friend successfully lethally wounded the Jotun before the simulation was aborted due to mechanical malfunction. Since you overall changed the course of history, you ended up successfully completing the mission’s objectives… Although you also have an appointment with a counselor scheduled to discuss personal safety. Your stunts may have won you the day here but we don’t need that kind of recklessness in the real deal.”

Miss Rivers stared Ash down with an appraising look. “Congrats Whitelund. You’re now well on your way to becoming a C-Rank Valkyrie. I’d say a few more missions like that and you’d reach it in no time, but also you’re banned from ever touching another VR simulator. Now, shall we discuss the other matter at hand?”

He raised an eyebrow. “The other matter?”

“The girls who, if inadvertently, caused you to go under intense stress that only worsened the damage caused.”

“Oh, them.” Ash remembered now, the blonde haired girl with way too much makeup and her gaggle of followers.

His teacher clicked her tongue in disgust. “Sad to say, the act of tricking new Valkyrie trainees into doing missions more intense then what they are ready for in the simulators is so common some even call it tradition. A fancy word for hazing if you ask me. We try to crack down on it when we can, but some of my colleagues let it pass, either because of their own experiences or because the ones involved are ‘outside their authority’.”

The cowgirl’s hand dropped to her waist before she took out one of her revolvers and spun it in her hand. “That kind of thinking however, is not one I particularly subscribe to. Don’t worry, the names of the culprits are obvious so I’ll be cracking down on it. I gave my word after all.”

Oh Ash remembered alright, particularly because he had already been on the receiving end of one of Miss Rivers’ revolvers. ‘To put down anyone who caused trouble herself, no matter who they are’ was how she put it. For once the thought was comforting instead of being objectively terrifying, but Ash’s eyes wandered over to his sleeping partner. Frost began to creep over the windows as the temperature in the room began to steadily drop. “Would it be possible for you to not do that?”

“Oh?” The teacher cocked an eyebrow at him. “While mercy is a nice trait to have, committing a crime is still cause for punishment. Even if you forgive them, that’s a fact that they can’t escape.”

“Then it’s a good thing that’s not the problem.” The Vintrkind’s eyes held a frigid gaze in them as he stared Miss Rivers down. “I want to settle the score myself.”

He wouldn’t be satisfied sitting on the sidelines waiting for someone else to handle it. Vargr would only be satisfied when he struck back at those who had wronged him with his own two hands.

“Vengeful brat, aren’t you?” She commented, to which Ash could only nod. It was the entire reason that he was in this school after all. “...That’s a tough ask, Whitelund. Staff members like me exist to regulate the school and prevent a fight between students from escalating. There’s a reason vigilante justice is frowned upon, after all.”

“Pardon me, madam.” Magnolia interrupted. “But is that really something the one titled ‘Outlaw Justice’ should be saying? If I recall correctly, that was a name you yourself earned by not leaving things up to the proper authorities and instead taking disputes between trainees into your own hands.”

Miss Rivers stared at the Asgardian for a moment before sighing. “Of course you would be aware of how I earned my title. For the record, I’m not nearly as reckless as I was during my youth. But with that being said…”

The petite woman gave Ash a hard stare. “Whitelund, if I’m going to allow you this, then I’m going to need you to swear that you will settle it once and for all. Completely and utterly. To the point where even if they have grudges against you, that they wouldn’t dare to ever act on it. Once things are over it’s over. Do you understand?”

“Perfectly.” He nodded.

“Good. Don’t go too extreme though, or I’ll come to put you down as well.” The blue haired woman tipped her hat before spinning on the balls of her feet and walking out of the clinic. “You have one week before I make my move. Use your time wisely.”

The sound of the sliding door shutting behind her sounded throughout the room, before Ash let go of the intense feeling in his chest and collapsed back down onto his pillow. Slowly he turned to give Magnolia a look. “...Thanks.”

“Don’t mistake me. I didn’t step in because I particularly cared about your affairs. Help me and I will help you, that was our deal.” Her golden hair fluttered as she quickly shook her head. “Besides, you’re my responsibility Ash. Anyone who dares to strike at you strikes at me as well. I can’t let someone who thinks they could get away with provoking a Hale wander around scott free.”

Magnolia held the stern look on her face for a moment before letting out another sigh. “But do you even realize what you’ve gotten yourself into? It would’ve been fine if you were content to merely hang around with that partner of yours and her handler, but now you’ve gotten yourself into the affairs of the Valkryie. For a buffoon like you, who is clearly incapable of navigating the complex web of social politics, without my help you’d quickly be eaten alive and stain my good name in the process.”

“That’s probably true.” Ash reluctantly admitted. The young boy was more used to dealing with the streets of Midgard, and even then he left Kyouko to do most of the talking while he used his frame to look tall and intimidating. Aside from that there were, uh, certain stories that he used to entertain himself, but he doubted the girls he were dealing with were the type to just go ‘ohohoho’ in their bullying. Actually now that he thought about it, he could see that kind of laughter coming from Magnolia… He quickly shook that thought out of his head before giving his answer. “But there are some things that you have to do if you want to live as a person. Standing up for yourself is one of them.”

“‘To live as a person’ hm?” Magnolia hummed to herself. “Though I have to wonder if that conviction is born of confidence or ignorance. Tell me, you do know who it was that wronged you right?”

“Not much.” The young boy wracked his brain, trying to remember every detail of their short encounter. “But I believe her name was… Anemone?”

The Asgardian let out a curse under her breath. “Of course it was her.”

“You know her?”

“Yggdrasil would be a far better place if I didn’t.” Her face twisted up into a mixture of anger and disgust. “Anemone Montague and her ilk are part of the rot that has so infested my home realm of Asgard. In particular, that detestable girl is also somehow a fellow candidate to become the Wing of my home realm. If I had a say, Anemone wouldn’t have even been allowed to become a Valkyrie, let alone become the A-Rank that she is.”

Magnolia let out a rather undignified snort. ”You’re in luck, Ash. If you’re going to be facing her, of all people, then our interests are more aligned than I thought.”

“I don’t particularly feel lucky,” Ash grumbled.

“Then at least continue to feel thankful. After all, I am the one who knows what spots that woman frequents.” His handler turned to look at him, staring him up and down in a way that made the young boy feel quite uncomfortable before muttering to herself. “No… You wouldn’t now would you?”

“Wouldn’t what?” Ash asked, only to promptly be ignored as Magnolia stood up from her seat and began to walk out of the clinic.

“Pardon me for a moment, there is something that I need to request before we are to continue.” She waved. “Wait here for me. I promise that I’ll be back shortly.”

And like that she was gone, leaving Ash alone in the room blinking at the doorway. “Okay?”

A sigh left his body as he turned to face Kyouko, who continued to sleep peacefully, unaware of what was going on in the waking world. A blessing in disguise perhaps. Because if she was… “You’d probably be pissed at me huh?”

No, it was more likely that she would have been pissed for him. They were both spiteful towards those who wronged them, you didn’t last long in the backlots if you weren’t, but Kyouko would’ve taken full charge. Deciding just how they’d get back at someone with Ash following her directions. Which would end with her raising hell and suddenly things would escalate as everything would blow up and- Perhaps it was for the best that Ash handle things for now. He’d deal with her when the girl woke up.

Suddenly there was a shuffling at the door. For a second the vintrkind thought that Magnolia had decided to come back, only for the person on the other end to clearly be hesitating with whether or not to enter. Unfortunately for her, since the clinic door was automatic, the moment they sensed her motions the doors slid open, leaving her with a shocked stiff expression on her face. Ash blinked. “Liesa?”

“Ah, good afternoon to you Mister Ash.” Unlike the two bulldozers before her, Liesa entered quite sheepishly. Her head hung low, unable to look Ash in the eyes as she skittishly walked forward. “I see you are, um, physically well.”

Her braided green hair shook as she dejectedly glanced in her charge’s direction. “Is Miss Kyouko…?”

“They said she should be fine by tomorrow,” Ash replied. “Breaker just needs to stay the night.”

Liesa let out a relieved sigh as she clutched her chest. “I see. That’s a relief. Yes, with Asgard’s technology the wounds she sustained would be trivial…”

The two fell into a rather awkward silence, both fidgeting nervously before Ash spoke up. “Did you come here for something?”

“Oh!” The bespectacled girl jumped up startled before fidgeting with her glasses, the machine’s display turning on and off before ultimately completely powering down as she bowed her head. “I-I just came here to say… I’m sorry!”

Liesa gave Ash a deep bow, her upper body completely parallel to the floor as the recipient looked on in bewilderment. “I have fallen short in my personal duties not only as Miss Kyouko’s handler but also as a candidate to become Alfheim wing! For that, I can only apologise to express my deepest regrets!”

“Ah, I see.” The boy let out, at a loss for what to say as Liesa’s energy suddenly skyrocketed. “It’s fine-”

“No it is not!” The green haired girl exclaimed, clenching her fist. “Both of you advised me to be cautious, but because of my personal biases I ignored your words of advice and let those with nefarious intent take advantage of me! As a result, someone under my watch ended up getting injured!”

...Well, that was true. But on the other hand, “We were the ones who decided to push through with the Giant mission after you warned us not to, though.”

“And that’s just the thing!” Liesa continued. “Not only did I allow my personal biases to blind me, I failed in my due diligence! I blindly trusted in what I perceived to be fact, not even bothering to research the culture of Valhalla or worse, the proper safety precautions in place for Vintrkind in regards to simulator use! Such a blunder would not only get me expelled from any institution in Alfheim, but goes against the very principles of science itself! It is a disgrace to call myself a Wing Candidate after today!”

Ash stared at the girl, words refusing to come out of his mouth as she continued to face the ground as if waiting for him to inflict some divine punishment. His tongue rolled in his mouth as he tried to think of something to say. “At least you learned your lesson?”

“Yes! Yes!” The alfheim girl suddenly jumped up, startling the young boy as Liesa suddenly grabbed onto his hands before pressing herself way way too close for him to be comfortable. Instantly the temperature around them began to drop as he used the winter to cool his racing heart, but if she noticed then Liesa didn’t care as she pushed herself forward. “I, Liesa Stark, vow to never make the same mistake again!”

“Uh, Liesa-”

Her green eyes grew closer as she ignored Ash’s weak protests. “From now on, you can leave everything to me! From dietary planning to the most rigorous of education! I will do the best I can to meet any and all need you have! No! I will go beyond that! Entrust your body into my care!”

Uh, what?! Ash tried to scoot back, only for the green haired girl to push his back against the bedroom wall as she was so close he could feel the heat of her breath against his cheeks. “My everything and anything is at your service! No matter what it is, I will provide it for you! Never shall I leave your side as we-”

“Ahem.” Liesa’s tirade was suddenly cut off by a single cough from Magnolia, standing in the doorway of the clinic with a bag in her hand and a dead look on her face. “I appreciate your enthusiasm towards your duties Stark, but perhaps it would be better if you were to direct that towards your own charge. Not to mention monitoring your behavior as well.”

“Monitor my behavior?” She blinked behind her glasses before it suddenly dawned on her what position she was in. The girl suddenly scrambled backwards, her cheeks flaring up into a red so burningly bright that Ash could’ve sworn steam was flying out of Liesa’s ears. She coughed awkwardly, no longer able to meet the large boy’s eyes as she shyly attempted to hide her face. “Ah. M-My apologies. I let my passionate enthusiasm unconsciously dictate my body's actions.”

Ash wanted to question whether it was ‘just’ her body, but also let out a relieved sigh that Magnolia had rescued him from that conversation. His head stiffly turned towards the girl in question before eying the bag in her hands. “So, what did you get?”

“Here. Take it.” The blonde Asgardian simply said as she placed the bag on her bed side. “You’ll be needing these.”

The young boy cautiously grabbed the bag and opened it only to find… “A suit?”

“Obviously getting one delivered to me on short notice was a hassle.” Short notice was exaggerating it. It hadn't even been twenty minutes. “Not to mention the fact that we will most likely have to visit a tailor in order to get it properly adjusted to your size.”

“Okay but why do I need dress clothes?” Ash asked, unsure of how to feel at the expensive material beneath his finger tips.

“Isn’t it obvious that formal wear is a must? After all,” Magnolia brushed her hair back with one hand while placing another hand on her hip. “You’re my date for tonight.”

Even the glacial cold that ran through his body wasn’t enough to stop Ash’s jaw from slacking in shock. It did however, sharpen his senses enough to notice the minute signs of Magnolia struggling to keep her usual stern composure and not laugh her ass off at his face.

Internally he groaned.

Vengeance really did come in turns.