Chapter 13
MASK OF CREATION: PART A
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Ratatoskr ran through the Realms and reached Asgard. But something was odd… Strange smell in the air, and dark clouds were surrounding in circle movements above the great halls of Valhalla.
Ratatoskr worried and immediately climbed the enormously huge walls that protected the Aesir gods.
He was worried, maybe Jormungandr was right… Maybe Odin is indeed the one scheming. But that would be the worst possible scenario. Odin is the King of the Aesir gods, and one very powerful. Despite the skills Ratatoskr possesses, he is no match to rival Odin’s strength!
He reached the top of the Asgards walls. There the most expected Aesir god awaited him… Heimdall!
“Ratatoskr, Task the Traveler or the Climber Task… What is the purpose of your visit to Asgard!” Heimdal’s deep echoed voice was heard strongly in Ratatoskr’s ears, as he turned his attention to him.
“None of your bloody business” his bitter personality popped, “I am no mere creature you puny god! I am beyond all of you small Aesir!”
Heimdall pulls out his big heavy sword. The small impact that deadly weapon made on the ground was enough to shatter the rocks that touched!
“Careful now… You are about to enter Asgard. This is not your domain!”
“All Yggdrasil is my domain you wise freak!”
“I am afraid I cannot let you pass… I see beyond your thoughts. Your presence here is not lucrative for the All-Father”
“Sit down child before you hurt yourself!” With that Ratatoskr pulled out his claws and wounded Heimdall’s hand before he was about to raise his sword! He then jumped in front of Heimdall’s face directly looking at his eyes.
“I am in no mood for your Aesir ‘all mighty and shit’ games ok? My Tree is in pain and I have to figure out why and who is responsible! Do you happen to know who it is that I am looking for?! Speak before you will be known as ‘Heimdall the blind’!”
“I do not understand what you are talking about…”
“What do you mean you don’t?!! You are supposed to be the all seeing god… Haven’t you noticed the scars that appear in the reality of space???”
“Wait… Do you mean those black holes that look like someone cut them through?”
“Yes you bigot!”
“That has to be Garm! The Hound of Hel. It is loose and we try to catch it! Thor is at the moment being on the chase with him!”
“Garm? Hel’s Hound? True he has the ability to tear rifts between realms… But this wouldn’t mean he is the cause of Yggdrasil’s loss of balance, would it?...” Ratatoskr scratched his lower jaw as he was thinking out loud…
“What is going on Ratatoskr?” Heimdall asked
“None of your damn business!”
He then raised his head and looked over the Halls of Valhalla, the dark ominous clouds above. Something was happening there. He jumped and ignored Heimdall; he was headed for Odin’s Hall!
*
Ratatoskr sneaked into Valhalla, without anyone noticing his appearance. His magical abilities allowed him to do so. He smelled the air… dark magic! He follows the trail of smell and reaches a door. It was Odin’s chamber. Entering would be unwise. But Ratatoskr was determined and smart. He entered a spectral form allowing him to enter inside the door without opening it.
He had to be careful nonetheless though! Odin’s eye does have the ability to see everything!
But as Ratatoskr notices, Odin is not in the room! Curious he searched the room and the treasure chests Odin kept in his room with unique items he collected throughout his journeys and conquests.
Ratatoskr followed his nose and tried to discover a clue that would prove id Odin is responsible for the disturbance in the stability of the timeline! He was searching and searching but nothing was found. He got furious and rage overcame him!
“Ahhhh… focus Ratatoskr! Focus!” he told himself, as he was breathing in and out, trying to relax and find his inner peace.
Suddenly, he heard footsteps! They were approaching more and more towards the room. Ratatoskr gave one last good look into the room, maybe he missed a spot or anything else. As he was sure he did not he put a spell on him making him invisible and jumped under the bed as the chamber door opened!
Odin was the one entering it with someone behind him. Ratatoskr decided to stay and hear their conversation.
“I told you, Balder, the clouds are nothing to worry about!”
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“But Father! They do not appear normal! Not to mention that the rest of them are starting to ask questions…”
“Do you think I care about their opinion?”
“No, father…”
“Good! Now stop whining and come with me, I have a task for you!”
Odin whispered something in the old tongue and opened a secret door from the wall behind his office desk!
Ratatoskr witnessed that. His eyes widened and decided to follow them!
The secret door opened a path of a dark cave. It looked like it was some kind of a dungeon or a very dangerous place. Odin was doing his dark magic there! That was certain.
As Ratatoskr was carefully following them, he found himself to keep track of what Odin and Balder were talking about along the way. But what he saw when they reached their destination, shocked him!
Loki was chained down to rock with both his hands and feet cuffed, not allowing him to move at all!
“Loki! My sworn-brother! How are you feeling?”
“...”
“Still he refuses to talk, Father?” Balder makes his comment
“Yes, my child. He is too stubborn. I respect his determination though. But, I ran out of patience, “ He turned his gaze to Loki who was imprisoned, “I need you to do something for me… Refuse me and I will kill your children!”
Loki spat at Odin! “There is nothing you can do to my children Odin! You know they are strong and they will bring Ragnarok to you!”
“Oh, I am not talking about them… I am talking about your children with Sigyn. Both Narfi and Vali!”
“How dare you!”
“Do not worry my sworn-brother… I need something very simple from you!”
“...”
“Do you happen to understand this speech?”
Odin pulled from his coat something like an artifact. A mask, with weird symbols on top of it. Ratatoskr wanted to get closer to see more clearly what it was. But he couldn’t, knowing Odin might see him!
“What is this?”
“That is what I am trying to find out, my sworn-brother… Help me uncover the truth, the meaning of this and I will grant you your freedom!”
“I do not trust you Odin!”
“Fine then, I will just have you rot here! We already know the future from Mimir Loki! I have already found a way to prevent it from happening! Aesir’s reign will be forever!”
Odin and Balder turned their backs on Loki and made their way back to Odin’s chamber. Ratatoskr was curiously following them and overhearing their talk.
“Why did you bring me here father?”
“It’s all part of my plan… I have a mission for you. You will return here but alone! Try to earn Loki’s trust, say that you plan to overthrow me or better that you got tired of me!”
“What are you saying?”
“Loki thinks that because of the future we heard from Mimir, the one that you were supposed to die before the Ragnarok, I disallowed you to leave Asgard. Make him think that you got tired of it and you want your freedom… He will try to manipulate you, so you could free him, I know him too well! Which you will, but only after you get from him information about this mask!”
“Are we sure that only Loki knows what those symbols mean?”
“No, I guess some Jotunn could recognize it as well… But Loki is the one I hold hostage and have an advantage over him, by threatening him with his family… Trying to search for a Jotunn that could possibly know the meaning of those symbols could take valuable time!”
“Why is this mask so important?”
“Because, I know it holds the secret of the reign of Yggdrasil!”
“What??!!”
“It was previously owned by the first ever creatures to rule. It is said that Surtr found it in the earliest of days of the world’s birth. No One knows where it came from, my guess is from the Ginnungagap! He threw it out of Muspelheim and it fell on the hands of the first Giant, Ymir! Ymir did not find any use of it and gave it to Buri! The ancestor of all the gods! He used it somehow, but no records were kept of how and why! Then it passed to the possession of Bestla… My mother! It was so long I do not even remember her face… But I remember the day I and my brothers Vili and Ve conspired to kill Ymir! We had to! In order to create something! From Ymir we created Midgard and from there all the other Realms took form! But, as this was happening Ve and Vili were holding this mask… they said to me that ‘This was the way THEY wanted’. I did not understand them at that time…
As we created the first humans, forming them out of logs. Ve whispered something into my ear… ‘They watch over us, we have to escape their dominion! This mask is the tool to do so!’
I turned my look at him without understanding what his words meant, but as I looked at him he was pale and on the ground! I and Vili rushed to his side! But it was too late… He fell lifeless to the ground and I still do not know how or why!
Vili then sighed and he said to me ‘Odin, you have to acquire all the knowledge of the world! You have to find out what that is!’
Why me? We can do it together!’ I said, but Vili showed that he was as well wounded from our battle from Ymir! He fell on his knees as he grabbed me and said ‘This mask told us to start this war with the Giants. Ymir’s descendants will hate our generation for it, forever! Find out what it is! End the war!’
What war I was shouting as my second brother died in my hands…”
Odin finished his tale as Balder looked at him wondering.
“Father, why are you telling me this tale?”
“It is not just a tale, Balder! It is history! The reason I am fighting all my life!”
“All this in order to find out what this mask is?”
“No Balder, I have already discovered what this mask is! What I am trying to find out is how to use it!”
“Use it? What is it?”
“It is an artifact from another world! It has a will on its own. If you wear it, it will urge you to do what it wants! But it holds immense power! Power to alter time and creation! I can rewrite history with it!”
Ratatoskr was shocked as he was secretly hearing Odin’s speech. He wasn’t sure if Odin was right on what he was saying since he as well had no knowledge of this mask’s existence. But one thing was certain. Odin was the one behind the unstable condition of Yggdrasil! Jormungandr was correct in suspecting him!
There was nothing Ratatoskr could do at the moment except do the research himself about the accuracy of Odin’s words. He exited Asgard’s realm and entered Yggdrasil’s branches.