Steve, still nursing his broken arm, wore a cast on his right arm. Hatta followed him from his dark room as they made their way to the common grounds. The morning light greeted them, and he decided to give Hatta a tour of the castle, despite not knowing every nook and cranny himself.
As they walked, Hatta attempted to console him out of his depressive state. "If it somehow works as consolation, we succeeded in saving my realm. It did not merge with this one," Hatta said, his voice filled with gratitude.
“How did we do that?” He was momentarily taken aback. He couldn't help but wonder how they had managed to do so.
Hatta explained, "When Alice summoned the room full of clocks to bring the big tree, she inadvertently closed the link connecting both worlds." Steve nodded, his mind racing with thoughts and questions.
“Won’t that mean you can’t go back?”
“It’s alright, it’s better than total annihilation.”
“I see,” He sighed.
After he finished showing Hatta the gardens, they found themselves in an art gallery adorned with dozens of portrait paintings of beautiful women. Hatta's curiosity got the best of him and asked about the identity of these women.
“Valkyries or so says Völundr.”
“Valkyries?” Hatta scratched his chin.
“Mythical virgin warrior shield maidens who would lead the way of the fallen warriors to Walhalla.”
Hatta's eyes widened as he read each Valkyrie's name on the small plaques next to the paintings.
“Commander Brynhildr, Eir, Geirahöth, Hilda, Sigrdrífa, Sigrún, Sváfa, Ölrún, Hlathguthr Svanhvít, Thrúthr, Hrist, Mist, Herja, Hlökk, Geiravör, Göll, Hjörthrimul, Gunnr… Is that right?”
Hatta attempted to pronounce them, but Steve couldn't help but notice that Hatta intentionally butchered the pronunciations, perhaps trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere. Steve's mind, however, was too occupied to find amusement in the moment.
“Herfjötur, Skuld, Geirönul, Skögul, Ráthgríthr, Göndul, Svipul, Geirskögul, Hildr, Skeggöld, Hrund, Geirdriful, Reginleif, Sveith, Thögn, Thrima, Ingrid, Skalmöld, Kára, Randgrid, Róta, Sanngrithr, Hervör Alvitr.”
Amongst the paintings, there was one that caught Hatta's attention. It was a portrait of a Valkyrie named Hervör Alvitr. Steve shared the tragic tale Völundr had told him - she had died pregnant at the young age of eleven, after single-handedly killing at least five thousand enemy soldiers on the battlefield.
Hatta, noting the young age, questioned Steve, "Isn't that too young? Didn't you say they were virgins?"
Steve shrugged, acknowledging the contradiction. "Well, it was the middle ages, I guess," he replied. "Strange times."
Hatta then made an unexpected connection. "She kinda looks like Alice," he remarked. "Alice is a very irreverent but funny girl. And smart as hell!" Steve couldn't help but feel a flicker of warmth amidst his troubled thoughts.
“A little too smart for her good,” He smirked.
“Yeah. She's pretty special.”
“She’s a bit of a handful, but I love her!” Steve's voice wavered with emotion as he closed his eyes, however, he held back his tears.
Hatta, sensing the intensity of the moment, couldn't help but grin. "Let's get out of here. We're getting too sentimental," Hatta suggested, trying to lighten the mood.
Seeking solace and distraction, he guided Hatta up to the rooftop of the magnificent castle. As they ascended the stairs, the distant sound of voices reached Steve's ears, piquing his curiosity.
Steve recognized the voice of Völundr, and his curiosity got the better of him. He gently pushed open the door leading to the rooftop, careful not to make a sound. Peering through the crack, he caught a glimpse of an unfamiliar figure—a man of stout build, even shorter than Hatta. The man's face was adorned with a thick brown beard that cascaded down to his feet, contrasting with his reddened tan skin. Clad in a worn leather coat and trousers, he exuded an air of mystery.
"Eikinskjaldi. What's the matter?" Völundr's voice carried a tone of concern as he addressed the stranger.
With a purposeful stride, the unknown man approached Völundr and handed him a folded piece of paper. "Before I go, I have a message for you from my half-sister," the stranger spoke, his voice tinged with a hint of urgency.
Völundr's eyes flickered with recognition as he unfolded the paper, his gaze scanning the words written upon it. A nod of understanding passed between the two men, their silent communication revealing a deeper connection.
Steve's curiosity burned within him, compelling him to learn more about the unfolding conversation. However, before he could make his presence known, the unknown man bid Völundr farewell. Pressing his lips to a ring adorning his right hand, he vanished into the shadows, leaving behind many questions clouding his mind.
Unable to contain his curiosity any longer, Steve broke the silence. "Who was that?" he asked, his voice filled with genuine interest and a touch of apprehension.
Völundr, his expression guarded, offered only a cryptic response. "An acquaintance," he replied, his tone laden with unspoken secrets. As Steve approached the edge of the rooftop, Völundr silently retreated into the castle, leaving Steve to ponder the enigmatic encounter.
There Steve remained looking at the sky as if trying to calm his thought. And after minutes just looking at the clouds he asked, “When we first met… how did you know my name?”
Hatta raised a brow and smiled, “Well, Alice told me.”
“How did you come to this world in the first place?”
“It’s a little hard to tell, I don’t remember much of what happened before I was dragged here. I heard a voice, I guess… Alice’s voice, she called my name, so I followed. Then I don’t know, I opened my eyes and Alice was looking down on me.”
“So, how do you know Alice in the first place?”
“It’s a long story,” he coughed. “My world is not like this one. From what I can tell, mine would still be somewhere between the late Middle Ages and the beginning of the Renaissance era of this world, at least technologically speaking. There was a prophecy that an Alice would come and save the world from tyranny.”
“An Alice?” Steve frowned.
“In the Old Legeips, a language spoken by an antique civilization, Alice can be translated to something like Priestess, Prophetess, or even Savior. The prophecy said that this Priestess would be born under the Northern Star, a star that can only be seen every two centuries. The White King was obsessed with power, so he invaded Alice's country and tried to capture or kill her, but she escaped. She would run for who knows how many days until she got to a post office on the road to the capital. I was one of the postmen there, and I was on my way to the capital, she just came along. On our way, we met many people, including Aria. Funny enough, I ended up never reaching the capital to deliver my cargo. Instead, we ended up killing the White King and Legeips’ god. And now, I’m here in another universe altogether. Me, a simple mailman.”
“So, all those creatures we fought in Paasilinna come from your world?”
“Yes, the Jeibaa, the Wocks, the Wockjeibaas, the Volucryses, the Amahraspand, the Chimeras, even the Arcis, you know… Joanne’s summoned armors. However, I wonder how she was able to summon them. By the way, Alice seemed to have been able to control them, I wonder how.”
“I’m afraid that many of those creatures would’ve flown away. We certainly didn’t kill all of them.”
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