《Fate's Crown》


 Chapter 1

    The sun was warm on the back of his cloak as Johan walked through the market. The sky was bright blue with no clouds in sight. At noon the crowd was bustling, laughter in the air as people chatted and children played. The marked booths were packed together in neat rows in front of the tall, red buildings on either side of the street.


    The smell of fish was strong as he made his way past the fishing booths by the docks, twirling the end of a red ribbon casually in the air while careful to dodge any of the diving seagulls looking for food lost on the ground. He duly noted that most of the booths to the right stood empty, a young woman had ducked behind one of them to escape the crowd and was comforting a screaming toddler in her arms.


    Though it was only noon and the atmosphere was bright and cheerful, Johan was ready to go to bed. He had been awake doing a job for the past thirty hours and he was looking forward to finishing up so he could finally find a room for the night and pass out.


    Yesterday was his first ever day in Solstad, a city famous for being built in the crook of a mountain, its golden palace built right up against it. He had crossed through the city gates, just a few steps in and taking in his first sight of the golden city when suddenly a giggling group of tiny fairies flew past holding a necklace between them, an old woman slowly chasing after them.


    With enough distance between them one of the fairies dropped the necklace to make a rude gesture back at the old lady before doing a loop in the air and flying off with it¡¯s friends. Johan snorted and had made no move to intercept them, instead he approached the old lady.


    Having seen the fairies fly off through the gate, the old lady had stopped chasing and was trying to catch her breath, looking dejected. Johan sized her up and quickly noticed the elegant pink flowers embroidered on her dark dress.


    He had sighed, a little regretful. He had hoped to get some sightseeing in before finding work.


    "Hey!" He yelled to get her attention. "An old lady like you shouldn''t be running around like that. What if you break something?"


    "Young man, I''m a lifetime older than you. Don''t you dare talk to this old lady like that." She stomped the ground and stared pointedly at him. In that moment she reminded him of a child throwing a tantrum, stomping on the ground and everything.


    "Ah, sorry." He laughed. "I just meant you should have someone else do your dirty-work for you. Adventurers can easily take care of some mischievous fairies and get your stuff back for you, there''s no need for chasing."


    At that she sized him up, pausing her response. Johan knew what he looked like with his backpack and brown cloak. The old lady didn''t seem convinced.


    "Hm. And I guess you''re one of them aren''t you?" She hmph''d. "Go get it then, my locket is very valuable to me. I''ll pay handsomely for it''s return. I sell svele in the market, find me there if you can get it" She dared him, sending him a condescending look before turning and walking away.


    And that''s how he ended up spending his first day in the city tracking down and playing the fairies¡¯ children''s games all night before finally winning back the locket.


    Despite common knowledge, fairies weren''t actually that hard to deal with. Being the souls of dead children, they really just wanted attention and someone to play games with until they reached the age of adulthood and their souls entered into the reincarnation wheel like everyone else.


    The only thing they really wanted was fun and attention. Playing a few games like hide and seek or ring around the rosie were simple, though time consuming, ways of dealing with them. They didn¡¯t need to sleep and didn¡¯t tire, so only one game was usually not enough.


    Which was exactly why Johan had been doing it for the past twelve hours.


    He looked down at the locket in his hand. A big tree was engraved into the metal, its branches spreading out around it, and runes were engraved around the edges of the oval cover. The metal seemed fairly high quality but the engraving was clearly done by someone without much experience. Despite the gold shine it was easy to see in the dark color of the engravings that it was only paint on the surface of the locket.


    Not worth much, then. He would get more money from the wealthy old lady for returning it than by pawning it.


    Humming silently under his breath he looked around aimlessly. The old lady said she sold svele so she was probably somewhere in the markeds. Maybe Johan would find something interesting on the way. The markeds in this city were famous for having everything you could ever want.


    He walked up the street, absentmindedly looking around. The city was newly built in the last decade, so everything looked bright, stunning and expensive. Far in the distance was the big, gold palace, stretching up against the mountain wall, and behind him was the docks, filled with both huge and small ships with a constant stream of people bringing in new wares as well as customers waiting around to get the first pick.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    He walked deep in thought when suddenly the shrill of a fele rang through the air. He looked ahead to see a large crowd surrounding what must be a street musician. The shrill quickly turned into the starting notes of a song, and Johan was about to go closer when suddenly he smelled it.


    Baked goods!


    He quickly walked past the crowd and almost immediately his eye caught her. A busy crowd surrounded the old lady''s booth. Apparently selling svele really did bring in a fortune.


    "Business is booming I see." Johan remarked as he made his way through the crowd, pushing people out of his way as he did. Some angry shouts followed him but he didn¡¯t spare a look back, instead he watched as the old lady¡¯s eyes widened in recognition.


    "Oh, It''s you! The adventurer! Do you have my locket?" She didn''t look convinced.


    Johan approached and looked over the booth. The old lady was surrounded by heated plates cooking fives sveles each. Two of them were on top of the booth with a big mixture of butter and sugar sitting next to them. A big bucket of batter stood in front of her and there were many more in the alley behind her, even a few empty ones as well.


    "Are you the same person that scolded me for being so rude yesterday? Who knows if I have your locket, maybe I just came over to buy a svele." As he spoke he casually swung the locket from his hand. The old lady''s eyes immediately latched onto it and she quickly tried to snatch it but Johan simply lifted it out of reach.


    "Nah-ah. You said you would pay handsomely for it''s return, didn''t you?" Johan asked innocently and the old lady smiled, a complete one-eighty from their earlier interaction.


    "Of course I will, this old lady never lies. My name is Erika, it''s very nice to meet you, young man. Now that I''ve seen your skill for myself you better introduce yourself, so I know who to go to if this should happen again. Those damned fairies keep causing trouble lately." She fished in her cash box, getting a small pouch from under the table and filling it.


    Johan counted quickly, surprised at the amount. Sentimental items were often paid very well for but that was even more than he usually got. Erika handed him the pouch and put her locket on, caressing it lovingly.


    "I¡¯m Johan, nice to meet you.¡± He said, pocketing the pouch. ¡°I''m just passing through the area and thought to come see the city. I just arrived yesterday. So far it''s really holding up to its reputation."


    "Yesterday?!¡± Erika gasped. ¡°No. Did you enter the city and turn right around just to help this old lady?"


    Johan just smiled as she sent him a disapproving look. "So, maybe the best baker in the city can tell me a little about this place?¡±


    She hmph¡¯ed. "Of course, young man. I know everything there is to know about this city. There are two places that any visitor must see. First, the lighthouse. Our docks see some of the most extraordinary items, from rare jewels to food, we sell it all here, and it all starts with the docks. The lighthouse guides all the ships which is a very important job, not only that but it''s made of white stone and lovely gold accents. It''s absolutely beautiful. A sight worth to see!" She pointed to where you could see a gold top in the distance over the buildings on the other side of the street.


    "And that over there" She pointed to a tower visible from the street they were standing in. In the opposite direction of the lighthouse. "Is one of the three towers connecting the Golden chateau. It''s in the shape of a triangle." She told, making a triangle with her hands.


    "Such fine buildings haven¡¯t existed here for very long, you know. It''s been here for just about a decade now, which is why it''s still so nice and gold in color. I have been here much longer! For decades I¡¯ve sold svele in these streets and it just recently became such a lucrative business, what with all the people moving here and all the tourists. Which is why I can pay a young man such as yourself to get me my locket back when such foul fairies steal it from me.¡° She opened her locket and leaned closer.


    ¡°It''s very sentimental for me, you see. Look, here''s a picture of me and my late husband on the inside. This is from back in the day of course, he looked nothing like this when he finally died. And thank the Jotuns that he did before this whole thing started, I cannot imagine what I would do if I had to deal with a rotting husband everyday." The old lady babbled on, enthusiastically showing him the picture.


    ''This whole thing'', huh, Johan thought with disdain. He bit his lip.


    "Oh yeah, it''s absolutely terrible." The old lady manning the neighbor booth added, apparently having listened to the whole conversation. "My husband, he''s a good few years older than me, as you can see I¡¯m still fairly young, and when all this started he was as good as dead. I bet he would only have lived another week. Maybe less! These days he never even leaves the house, his skin has started going a little bad and he feels self conscious about the smell but I say just spray a bit of perfume and nobody will notice. It''s not like people will blame him either, it''s the Jotuns¡¯ fault in the first place."


    Erika nodded, agreeing vehemently.


    Johan suddenly felt nauseous, the image of a big weeping tree flashing before his eyes. He swallowed it down and forced a smile on his face.


    "Thank you, ladies, I think I''ll start by seeing the lighthouse." He said, hopeful to end the conversation there, and was mindful to not show anything on his face.


    "Wait, young man! Here, take a couple svele on the house. For being considerate enough to help an old lady like me on your first day in the city.¡± Erika looked at him with a soft look. ¡°Even if you''re passing through, I assume you¡¯ll be here for the festival happening tomorrow. It''s a big celebration that only happens once a year. The parade people are already busy setting things up!"


    Johan frowned. A big celebration? It was the first he¡¯d heard about it, but if it was really that big of a deal he should probably leave soon.


    Erika laughed and pushed the bag into his hand. "Now move along, you have better things to do than chat with an old hag."

 Chapter 2

    His mind raced as he walked through the city.


    Should he leave? He had just gotten there, afterall. If nothing else, Johan really would like to sleep first but the thought of anyone recognizing him¡­it wasn¡¯t worth it.


    The old lady had said it was a big celebration. That meant lots of people, though who knew if anyone he knew would even be there. It had been four years, and Johan had changed a lot. Would they even recognize him now? Would Johan even recognize them?


    He groaned loudly. A big festival. Such bad timing! He really should leave before someone could recognize him, but then again¡­he really wanted to go sightseeing.


    He sighed. Sleep first.


    The market suddenly stopped, and he looked up to see the buzzing life of the docks. He cursed, looking back. He had forgotten to ask about where he could find an inn.


    He hadn¡¯t seen one on the way, though maybe he would have more luck in a different street. It seemed like those were just as busy, almost filled to the brim with people walking through, though it was worth a look. Deciding quickly, he went with the one to the left.


    He wasn¡¯t paying much attention as he made his way through, looking around for any sign of an inn. He was really starting to feel the lack of sleep now.


    He blinked as his dry eyes burned.


    He was eyeing a building that very potentially could be an inn when suddenly he slammed into something.


    He made a surprised noise, landing hard on his ass.


    Did he just walk into a wall?!


    ¡°Are you ok?!¡± Stunned, Johan looked up to see a man standing in front of him, looking down at him in startled surprise. A big, muscular man. Johan stared. The man towering over him. He had to be at least a head and a half taller than Johan, even at his own extremely average height.


    "Oh, sorry." Johan mumbled and got back on his feet, his face burning. He dusted himself off and cleared his throat as he looked around. The docks had disappeared behind him and the street was wide open, the marked booths gone, left far behind him. Instead there were now restaurants surrounding him, tables and chairs in clusters outside them, as well as an almost clear view of the Golden Chateau straight ahead. There were other buildings around as well, though.


    "What¡¯s that building?" Johan asked. Behind the gigantic man stood a huge, white hall covered in gold accents. Johan eyed the huge golden statue of a stag in front of the entrance.


    The giant gave a deep sigh and with muted resignation he threw a look over his shoulder at the building.


    "That''s Fortune Hall" He sighed. Johan paused. His eyes widening behind his hair, he could only stare as the man bellowed a laugh at him. "It''s not the real thing of course. Though they say it''s an exact replica of the one in Heaven."


    Looking at it with new eyes Johan finally saw the similarities. He frowned. It didn''t look like it at all. The only similar parts were the simple staircase and the thick golden doors. But then again, the last time he saw it, it was actively burning to the ground. Who knew, maybe they had rebuilt it since he left.


    Hiding behind indifference he answered. "Huh, well personally I imagined it to be cooler.¡± The giant looked baffled as Johan crossed his arms. ¡°Anyways, what''s going on? Why are you bleeding?" A thin line of blood ran the man¡¯s forehead down to his long, blonde beard.


    The surprise didn¡ät last much longer on the giant¡¯s face as resignation reappeared tenfold, quickly followed by steaming anger as he angrily wiped the blood off his cheek and gritted his teeth.


    "...Those-" The giant clenched his fists, glaring back at the fake Fortune Hall. He shut his eyes and sighed deeply before slowly unclenching his fists.


    Johan watched with mild interest. This city was really something. They had stealing fairies, rich old ladies selling food on the street, a random building they named after Heaven¡¯s old community hall and a bleeding, angry giant standing right in front of it. Maybe Johan should have come earlier, who knows what he had missed.


    The giant cleared his throat. "I¡¯m the chief of a fishing village on an island not far from here. A month ago, our neighboring village got caught in a massive landslide. I''ll spare the details, but all of them, hundreds of people, all died. The landslide brought them straight into our fishing waters. We''re a fishing village, it is our main source of income and with the resentful energy the dead turned into monsters. Hundreds of people turned into vengeful n?kks in our waters, drowning people and every living thing they can get their hands on." This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    He shook his head in misery. "One of ours has already died by their hands, and now the rest of us will starve. We can''t fish there anymore and our money is running out. Anyone who ventures out on the water gets pulled under and killed, becoming one of them." He shook his head again, clearing his throat as tears shone in his eyes.


    Johan nodded sympathetically.


    "He left his pregnant wife behind." The giant continued. "Our income is gone, our food source is gone. It''s already been a month, we won¡¯t last much longer. I''ve been visiting Fortune Hall daily, requesting their help but they refuse. We never joined under their protection so we don''t get to reap the benefits, they say." The giant hissed. "They won¡¯t even allow my people to move here, even when we are dying!"


    Huh, that sucked. Those working in the cheap, replica Fortune Hall were the same kind of asshole as the ones in the real one. Too bad they were right, obviously the cheap officials wouldn''t take the responsibility to deal with the n?kks, especially that many. Afterall, seeing as Death was gone the only way to get rid of them was to put them somewhere else.


    Johan mused thoughtfully, it was a little weird. A whole village¡¯s population shouldn¡¯t be turning into n?kks, even if they did all die. Maybe a dozen or so, but no more than that. He had never heard anything like it.


    Though the undead were walking with the living, maybe the souls just didn¡¯t have anywhere else to go yet they couldn¡¯t stay in their own bodies so they turned into monsters instead. That did make sense, considering the fairies he had met. The adults couldn¡¯t die and the children could.


    "Oof" Johan said emphatically, hand over his heart. "I¡¯m so sorry, that sounds absolutely terrible! I can''t believe they won''t help you. What monsters!¡± Reasonable monsters. ¡°Their job is to take care of the people, yet they reject you when you''re in need?! Just like that?!"  Johan shook his head in disdain. "I wish I could help you," No he didn''t.


    He gave the giant a sympathetic pat on the chest. "I hope it works out."


    He turned to leave but only got a step away before the giant grabbed his shoulder and stopped him. Johan reeled back around, peeved.


    "Wait, wait! Before you go.¡± The giant pleaded. ¡°You look like an adventurer. Even if you can''t do anything, maybe you know someone who can. Please spread it, we can''t offer money as compensation but there''s an abandoned house in the woods near our village. Anyone that helps us is free to take it."


    Johan nodded and smiled comfortingly. "I''ll see what I can do."


    The giant nodded, looking slightly more encouraged, then let him go. This time Johan left significantly faster than before.


    He huffed. What an interesting city, people just grab you on the street like nothing.


    He sighed. The sun was already on its way down, casting a dark shadow over the city as it started to disappear behind the towering mountain. Lights were turning on inside and outside of buildings and sark signs turned on to shine brightly through the street as Johan walked past.


    Then he saw it. An inn! The sign shines brightly from the other street, with marked booths on either side, and his mood lightened significantly as he hurried into the alley.


    Hm.


    He paused. Something felt weird.


    He looked around. Everything seemed fine.


    Then suddenly a sharp pain hit him, sending him crumbling to his knees and holding his head. He snarled and jerked around- then faltered. There was nobody there.


    What just happened? Who hit him?


    He stayed down on his knees, slowly lowering his hands.


    Then stars flashed before his eyes as the pain came back even worse. He folded over and clutched his head with a startled gasp. White light flashed, then he was somewhere else.


    In front of him was a tree. A huge weeping tree. He stood right in front of it, watching as time seemed to speed up. The leaves rapidly grew and pink flowers bloomed as the long branches lightly dusted the ground around it, the sun hight in the sky.


    Then suddenly it was dark as night. The earth beneath him started moving and roots shot up through the dirt, digging panicked at the ground.


    Then came silence. Ear-deafening silence. The roots hit the ground lifeless and for a second Johan stood there, completely still, heart hammering. Then the tree shook. The earth moved as if someone was hitting it from below.


    Johan stumbled as he lost his footing. Pink flower petals rained from the tree and the branches whipped through the air. Then a hand shot out of the ground-


    Johan opened his eyes with a gasp. His heart pounded in his ears.


    He was laying on the ground in the alley, the cold, damp ground completely still beneath him. For a long moment he stayed there, on his side, staring unfocused at the big dumpster beside him.


    ...What? What happened?


    Johan shook his head and the realization hit him. Slowly he propped himself up on his arms, feeling nauseous.


    "Now..?" He whispered, body shaking, and his eyebrows drew together. "No, no. I¡¯m not doing it."


    He sat up, using the dumpster for support and shook his head violently, almost ending up back on the ground as his balance failed him.


    He slowly slid down against the dumpster. Numbly he let go of it and let his head fall into his hands.


    He cursed softly. What was he supposed to do now?

 Chapter 3

    Johan opened his eyes to the sun blinding a hole in his vision. He threw an arm over his face with a groan and rolled over in the bed.


    Wait. In the bed?


    He sat up with a frown and looked around only to meet his own eyes in the very randomly placed mirror hanging on the wall by the door. For a long moment he groggily stared at himself.


    Oh, he looked so bad. Ugh.


    His light brown, curly hair was messed up from sleeping and stuck out everywhere leaving his red eyes unhidden to show off the huge dark circles under them.


    He licked his lips and tasted salt as he ran a hand down his disgustingly sweaty face and tried to wipe some sleep out of his eyes.


    The memories of last night came back to him as he sat there. He groaned and let his head fall into his hands. What a mess he had gotten himself into.


    For a long moment he just sat there. Then slowly he started to brush through his hair with his hands. He yawned and looked around to see the aftermath of last night.


    Luckily he didn¡¯t have that many things so it didn¡¯t look too bad. His cloak was laying in a heap by the bed and his backpack was on its front spilling all his stuff out across the floor. Yet his shoes were neatly put away by the door.


    Somehow he had managed to get to the inn, though he couldn¡¯t remember doing it. A flash of blooming flowers flashed across his mind, petals raining around him as the earth shook.


    ¡°The last day of winter.¡± His voice was raspy from sleep and he cleared his throat.


    The start of Spring. Tomorrow. Damn it. What was he going to do about that? How was he even going to get into Heaven? How was he going to get them out?


    For a second he entertained the idea of leaving them, letting himself stay in his safe little bubble where all he had to do was go on adventures and enjoy the world. But he quickly threw it away.


    He sighed deeply. The panic from yesterday had settled down somewhat overnight, however now it was coming back at full speed.


    He swallowed, a stray breath coming out as a wheeze. He looked at his reflection in the mirror.


    ¡°Ok.¡± He decided. ¡°First things first. Breakfast.¡±


    No good ideas were ever made on an empty stomach.


    It didn¡¯t take long to find the food stalls, nor did it take long for him to find something he wanted to eat. He had taken a moment to wash his face before leaving, but soon he was sitting on some stairs, eating as he watched the street ahead. Somehow it was even busier than yesterday, people in costume were hurrying around and children were running around with their faces painted.


    He took a bite of his sandwich.


    The first course of action would be to get into Heaven. But how was he supposed to do that?


    The entrances he knew about were guaranteed to have changed in four years. There was only one entrance that stayed permanently, and that one was heavily guarded, only deities and merchants with the right permit were allowed in. There was no way Johan would be able to get in without help, though he didn''t exactly have people breaking down his door to help him either, really the opposite was more true.


    Too bad he wouldn¡¯t find any merchant with permits here. He doubted any of the sellers in Solstad needed any extra change. He eyed the wealthy family passing by. There was no lack of those in the city.


    Wait. Wealthy?


    A thought struck him. Erika had been selling here for decades, but it only just became lucrative. Maybe she knew someone from the years before?


    He quickly left for her booth.


    Johan paused for a second when he saw her. He would have to be subtle about this. She was just finishing with a customer when he approached.


    ¡°Hey, Erika!¡± He called over the crowd, waving at her.


    ¡°Young man!¡± Erika smiled brightly when she saw him and leaned away from the big bowl she was stirring in. ¡°Already back for more?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡± He grinned and pulled out a couple coins from his pocket. ¡°Can I get two svele?¡±


    ¡°Coming right up!¡± She turned back to the bowl and Johan saw the thin, gold chain hanging around her neck and disappeared down the dress. Good idea, if the fairies couldn¡¯t see it they wouldn¡¯t be tempted to steal it.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been selling here for a long time right?¡± Johan started. ¡°How was it here before then?¡±


    ¡°Oh, the markets have always been here.¡± Erika said as she worked. ¡°The docks too, but less people. And I did make a profit, young man, otherwise I would have had to do something else. I did pretty well back then too! Still, some earned more than me of course.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really? Who was that?¡± Johan quickly asked.


    ¡°Well, some would travel. Bringing big carts of food and wares and anything that sold, far, far away. Those usually earned the most, but inside the city, those that sold fish were the wealthiest. Still are.¡±


    Far, far away, huh. It seemed like she knew something. She continued before he could ask anything else though.


    ¡°Are you thinking about giving up adventuring?¡± She asked with a raised eyebrow. ¡°I do know there are some booths available by the docks now, if you want to pick up a trade.¡±


    The cogs in his brain stopped turning for a second. ¡°...no. I¡¯m just curious.¡±


    Erika gave him a knowing smile.


    ¡°Just let me know.¡±


    Johan was not going to become a fisher. ¡°Who were the travelers, do they still sell there?¡±


    ¡°No, they were much older than me.¡± Erika laughed.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Johan faltered. Well, they were dead. Shit, what was he going to do then?


    ¡°Are you ready for the festival?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Johan broke out of his thoughts.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be starting soon.¡± Erika continued and flipped the last of the svele.


    ¡°Is it really such a big deal?¡± Johan asked as he saw the merchants around them starting to pack up.


    ¡°Of course! You never see this many people here outside of it! People from far and near come here to celebrate the end of winter and gain the favor of the Jotun!¡±


    ¡°It''s religious?¡± Johan asked curiously, he had never heard of it before. Erika leaned closer.


    ¡°It¡¯s more like an excuse.¡± She made a show of hiding her mouth behind her hand and winked at him as she drew back. ¡°Quite a few believe the Jotun of Life will bless their fields and harvests. Most religious people celebrate from their own villages however, so taking the trip here is all for the experience. And it¡¯s no secret that the Jotun are already gone and have been for years! Though most refuse to believe it. Some come to pray for their future children, no living children have been born for four years yet they still hope they will be the exception.¡± She handed him a package folded in brown paper, hot in his hand. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    ¡°A reasonable hope.¡± Johan says.


    ¡°A futile hope.¡± Erika shot back. ¡°No babies are born and no old people die. That won¡¯t be fixed overnight.¡±


    ¡°When you have nothing else to lose and all that.¡± Johan said, waving a hand dismissively and putting a piece of svele in his mouth.


    Erika snorted and continued working. ¡°They are stupid, I would think.¡±


    ¡°Could be.¡± Johan mused and looked around them. People dressed up in bright and formal clothing, their faces covered in face paint and masks, were starting to fill into the street. ¡°You don¡¯t seem concerned.¡±


    ¡°I am an old lady, I have seen a lot of this world. Nothing surprises me anymore. Now go, the festival will be starting soon.¡± Erika said and shooed him away.


    Already? Johan looked up into the sky. Well actually, the sun was starting to go down, maybe it wasn¡¯t that early.


    He opened his mouth but before he could say anything Erika slapped a lid on one of the buckets of batter and continued speaking. ¡°There will be large wagons and carts with performances and live music starting as soon as the sun goes down.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so that''s why there was someone playing fele in the street yesterday.¡± Johan said absentmindedly. He needed to find a different way to get into Heaven, he didn¡¯t have time to be at a stupid festival. Maybe he could sneak in past the¡­


    ¡°Yes, Frey always gathers a crowd when he plays.¡±


    Johan froze.


    ¡°Frey?!¡± Johan asks, his head snapped back to Erika, his eyes wide. It couldn¡¯t be that Frey, could it? Was he here? Did Erika know him? Was this a trick?!


    "Yes,¡± Erika looked at him in surprise from where she was packing up. ¡°Have you heard of him?¡±


    Johan frowned and looked away, trying to appear nonchalant as he felt himself tense up, eyes flickering over the crowd as if the blonde would suddenly appear from it. He stuffed his hands into his pockets, feeling the ribbons snake down his forearms. ¡°I¡¯ve heard the name before.¡±


    ¡°What a sweet boy.¡± Erika said. ¡°He''s always here for the festivals, you know. He really is an artist! He always comes a few days before any event, lighting up the market with beautiful music all the way until it starts. If there''s a party you can bet he''ll be there!"


    Erika laughed, a deep bellowing sound that at any other point would have made Johan join her, now though, he just felt sick.


    Seems Frey had made a reputation for himself amongst the mortals.


    "Oh.¡± Johan said bitterly. He hadn¡¯t found a merchant, but it seemed like he had stumbled upon someone even better. It seemed he had found his way into heaven.


    This could either go really bad or really well.


    ¡°I should get going,¡± Johan said, a fake smile plastered on his face. ¡°Get ready for tonight and all that.¡±


    ¡°Enjoy your night!¡± Erika yelled after him as he left through the crowd.


    He scanned the crowd as he walked, his eyes catching on every short blonde he passed. Frey was in the city, but where?


    He had walked halfway to the docks by the time he realized running through the city trying to find one specific person was stupid. His head snapped up in frustration. There was still some time left before the sun would go down, but the chance of finding Frey before that was small. Especially if he was inside any of the buildings and not in the streets.


    He stopped and listened, but couldn¡¯t hear the fele. Really, the only thing he could hear was the crowd. It was filled to the point where it became hard to even walk in a straight line.


    ¡°Where would Frey be?¡± He muttered to himself as he continued walking down the street. He hit his head lightly with one hand. ¡°Think, Johan!¡±


    Frey had always liked being the center of attention. Now, in a huge city like this, where would that be?


    Oh. Then realization hit him.


    Erika said there would be huge, rolling wagons and carriages through the city. That was it! Johan would bet anything on Frey being right on top of one.


    Johan looked around. That meant he wouldn¡¯t be able to find Frey before dark, but if Johan remembered him correctly, Frey would not be hard to spot once it all started. And if Johan could make Frey recognize him, it would be very easy to get him alone. Even if there was someone else with him, that idiot would be very easy to lead away.


    Well, all he could do now was to wait.


    Johan started his walk down the streets again, this time much more relaxed now that he had a plan.


    He didn¡¯t get to walk far though. Within a couple steps he caught his eye on something, and with a quick gasp, he leaped into the alley.


    Back flat against the wall, he snuck a look around the corner, ignoring the looks of people that walked by. On the other side of the street, right in front of a seemingly annoyed seller, stood the giant from yesterday. Johan really didn¡¯t want to get pulled into another aggressive request for help.


    For a second he was about to leave through the alley into the next street, but for some reason he stayed, watching the interaction. Johan saw the giant¡¯s tense back and the disheartened sigh as he turned around, taking a couple steps back as another customer came forth. He shook his head lightly, staring down at something. Johan stretched his neck and a gap in the crowd let him see the giant¡¯s hand, something gold glinting from it.


    A strange feeling grew in his chest as the giant slowly turned and walked away towards the docks, head hanging.


    Before he knew what he was doing, he was by the booth. Johan frowned as he saw what they sold. Flour.


    For a second Johan stood there, glaring down at the table. He shook his head with a deep sigh. The giant¡¯s village was none of his concern.


    That strange feeling grew larger though, spreading through his chest, and Johan clenched his hands. He remembered after he first left Heaven, no money and no experience working. He wandered and did odd jobs for months before he started adventuring. Food had been sparse at that time. He had even taken to eating bark to fill his stomach in the times where the money wasn¡¯t enough. And the thing about bark was that it was filling, but in the end it was about the same as drinking water.


    He closed his eyes and bit his lip in annoyance. Finally he gave a deep sight and glared at the seller.


    ¡°How much for everything?¡± Johan asked. The seller frowned at him for a long second, distracted from his other customer, and Johan cleared his throat in annoyance. ¡°I said. How much for everything?¡±


    ¡°I have about 50 kg left-¡± The seller started, confused.


    ¡°Money,¡± Johan said. ¡°How much money for it all?¡±


    When the seller scrambled for an answer Johan dug in his backpack until he found one of the money bags. He threw it on the table. ¡°I''ll take it all.¡±


    The seller stared in shock as the bag spilled out gold coins. Shaky hands grabbed the bag, clearly in shock, before a smile spread on his lips. ¡°Thank-¡±


    ¡°For the giant.¡± Johan interrupted and watched as the man faltered slightly, glancing in the direction of the docks. ¡°Yep, that giant. Go on after him. I¡¯ll know if you don¡¯t.¡±


    Johan flashed his eyes at the man.


    The merchant flinched back and quickly nodded. Hands still holding the bag of money, he turned and ran after the big man.


    Johan huffed.


    He knew nothing about how much flour cost, but money wasn¡¯t something he lacked. After nearly four years of working and earning from quests and hunts and only spending on necessities, he had more money in his backpack than he knew to use.


    Johan left in the other direction.


    The sun was quickly going down now but it was still setting when guards suddenly flooded into the street and started clearing people away from the middle.


    Johan startled when loud horns started blaring, quickly followed by cheering from everyone around him. In the distance he could see bright colors appearing as the sun disappeared over the mountain and the first wagon came in sight.


    His jaw dropped.


    It was beautiful. A big, gold throne stood on a raised platform in the middle, towering over the dancers moving around it. Flowers in all shades of purple covered the floor they stood on and the dancers threw out pedals as they danced, dressed in sheer, black fabrics that floated in the air with their movements.


    Johan raised his eyebrows at the sight. Then pinched his lips together and looked away as that bitter feeling came back.


    He didn¡¯t pay much attention to the other wagons as they passed by. They all played loud music, each more colorful and beautiful than the last, and each depicting a different deity, but Johan didn¡¯t care for any of them.


    Then, about halfway through the show, Johan saw him. Instead of mules, like the rest of the carts were pulled by, this wagon one was pulled by oxes, their horns threatening to stab whoever came too close as they stomped through the streets. Beautiful women in long dresses were dancing but Johan only had eyes on the fele player.


    Despite his disguise, Johan instantly knew it was him. His blonde hair was hidden under a black hood with long bunny ears hanging from it. A black mask depicting a large grin covered his lower face and it was all so, so familiar, but the most recognizable thing about him though, was his personality.


    Frey was playing with his whole body, jumping around on the platform and raising the mood with his everlasting energy. As the girls danced, he brought everyone¡¯s attention to himself. People cheered as he played each note perfectly, putting his all into his performance.


    And then it stopped.


    Red eyes met blue and Frey flinched back, his fele making a horrible screeching noise as he startled back, his voice cut off mid-cheer. For a long moment he stood frozen, wide eyes only focused on Johan.


    The blonde took a step forward- then seemed to realize where he was. Within a second the fele was back at his chin and he started playing again. But even as the parade moved down the street, Johan could feel the eyes on him, all the way until the wagon disappeared out of sight and the next tok its place.


    It didn¡¯t last long, but it was enough. Frey had seen him.


    Johan turned around and left. He wouldn¡¯t be alone for long.

 Chapter 4

    It took even less time than Johan expected.


    He had just entered an alley when suddenly he heard running footsteps. First it was just far away, a faint sound in the distance as hard soles hit pavement, then it got closer together with the loud breathing that accompanied it.


    There was a squeak of soles on the ground as the footsteps came to a stop behind him.


    A breath hitched.


    Johan turned around.


    Silence.


    ¡°Interesting outfit.¡± Johan said drily after a moment of silence. The long ears hanging off of Frey¡¯s hood swayed behind him as he panted for air, eyes never leaving Johan. He was still holding his fele and the bow in his hands, with its case on his back.


    ¡°Johan?¡± Frey asked breathlessly, staring at him in wide-eyed shock.


    ¡°Frey.¡± Johan shot back.


    ¡°Where have you been?! I¡¯ve been looking for you everywhere!¡± Frey pulled his mask off one ear and shouted.


    Johan¡¯s jaw almost dropped right there. Was Frey accusing him?!


    ¡°Oh, is that what we¡¯re calling it?¡± Johan said bitterly and felt anger prick the back of his mind, remembering that day and how terrible it had been. And Frey had been right in the middle of it! "Looking?! I seem to remember it much more like hunting."


    ¡°Hunting?!¡± Frey reeled back like he had been punched, then became smaller. He scratched his neck. ¡°I- oh I guess that¡¯s fair, actually.¡±


    Johan almost laughed at the absurdity. Yeah, it was fair.


    ¡°Not me though! I would never!¡± Frey yelled, meeting Johan¡¯s glare with defiance.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Johan wasn¡¯t interested in hearing excuses. ¡°That¡¯s not why I¡¯m here.¡±


    Frey fell silent. A deep frown grew on his face as he looked Johan up and down.


    ¡°Are you here alone?¡± Johan asked. If someone else rounded the corner now¡­


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°In the city?¡± Johan asked again. He had to make sure he wasn¡¯t being tricked.


    Frey looked exasperated.


    "I saw you." Frey started. "In the house, where you were hiding.¡±


    Johan froze. He what?


    ¡°I saw you and I didn¡¯t tell anyone.¡± Frey said, taking a step closer. ¡°So, just trust me already. Why do you think you didn¡¯t encounter anyone after that?"


    "...Why would you-" Johan¡¯s head spun. Everyone had been after him back then, why would Frey help him? It didn¡¯t make any sense.


    "Oh, fuck you!" Frey exploded, fencing the instrument through the air. "I don¡¯t like you but I don¡¯t want you dead! You were hiding in your own house! Who does that?! It¡¯s obviously the first place anyone would look! How do you think you got out of there?!"If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°I was fourteen!¡± Johan yelled.


    ¡°So was I!¡±


    Johan stood back, suddenly unsure.  Did Frey really help him?


    ¡°You weren''t the only one who lost someone, you know. We all did and then you just disappeared!¡± Frey continued.


    Johan didn¡¯t feel bad anymore.


    ¡°Disappeared?!¡± Johan yelled. ¡°I didn¡¯t leave because I wanted to! If I hadn¡¯t left I would be dead! Just like them! You took Note right in front of my eyes! You murdered him in front of everyone! And not just him! Signe too! Don¡¯t talk to me about loss when you helped murder them!¡±


    "What-" Frey''s expression rapidly changed from anger to shock. They didn¡¯t have time for this. Johan huffed, pushing down his own anger and resentful feelings, and forced a smile on his face instead.


    "Whatever, let''s leave the past in the past. Right?" Johan asked rhetorically. He clapped his hands in fake enthusiasm, and took a couple steps closer, grinning down at Frey.


    "Wait, Johan. Do you think we-?" Frey started asking, staring up at him perplexed.


    Johan let his smile dim and interrupted him. "Anyways, this isn¡¯t about that. This is about them."


    Johan studied Frey''s face. His expression changed from anger to a mix of confusion and suspicion, eyebrows drawing close. For a moment he stared at Johan, not getting it. Then the realization hit him, face paling quickly and he staggered back against the wall.


    "You had a vision?!" He shouted, his voice echoing in the alley and Johan''s hand shot up to cover his mouth. Frey froze beneath him and for a long second they both stayed quiet, listening intently for anyone that could have heard them.


    Not hearing anything other than the distant celebration, he let Frey go.


    "Are you stupid?!" He hissed as he backed off. Frey swallowed, looking around sheepishly before turning back to Johan.


    "...Come with me" Frey insisted, voice considerably lower than before, barely louder than a whisper.


    ¡°No.¡± Johan said, refusing to go with him. ¡°Here is fine.¡±


    Frey was about to say something but stopped himself and just looked around anxiously for a second.


    "Ok. What did you see?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s none of your business.¡± Johan said. ¡°All I need you to do is get me into Heaven.¡±


    ¡°Heaven?!¡± Frey asked, shocked. ¡°No! Tell me, then maybe I¡¯ll help you.¡±


    Johan sneered. He didn¡¯t want to. Nothing good could come from trusting Frey with this.


    Frey didn¡¯t let it go and jerked forward to grab Johan¡¯s arm, looked up at him with his big, blue eyes.


    ¡°Johan,¡± He hissed, then his eyes softened. ¡°They were my friends too.¡± He pleaded. ¡°I would never-¡± He cut himself off and bit his lip.


    Johan sighed, looking away. ¡°Fine.¡±


    He shook his arm free.


    He quickly summarized what he had seen. The big tree, the earth shaking and the hand coming up through the ground. Frey¡¯s expressions quickly shifted to shock and hope.


    Frey shifted where he stood, hands coming up to his mouth. ¡°This might fix everything.¡± He mumbled.


    Johan frowned. What did he mean by that?


    And as if a switch was hit, Frey looked up at him with a bright grin. ¡°Yeah, I can get you in there. No problem.¡±


    Relief flooded Johan, his eyes closing and he could feel the pressure lifting off his shoulders. He had had so many concerns and doubts about if Frey would agree or not, all pushed to the back of his mind.


    Usually Johan would never ask for help. He preferred to work alone. He would only ever take jobs he knew he could by himself. The fact that he found someone willing to help him now was a miracle.


    ¡°Tonight.¡± Johan added and watched Frey¡¯s head snap to him in shock.


    ¡°Tonight?!¡± Frey yelled. ¡°This will happen tonight?!¡±


    ¡°Early morning.¡± Johan said and watched as Frey gaped at him. ¡°We should go. Right now.¡±


    ¡°Dear Fate, be kind.¡± Frey muttered under his breath with closed eyes. Johan raised an eyebrow in surprise.


    ¡°Not you.¡± Frey snapped when he opened his eyes and saw Johan¡¯s expression.


    ¡°Is there another Fate I don¡¯t know about?¡± Johan teased but Frey just shot him a glare before looking back towards where everyone was still celebrating. Towards the distant sound of loud cheering, talking and singing, and even the sounds of a drunken fight. He sighed regretfully before turning back.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a saying! Come on, we need to get going. Now!¡± Frey decided and stalked out into the street. Johan quickly followed after him.

 Chapter 5

    The festival was still going strong as they left the city. People were stumbling around, clearly drunk. A giggling group of girls in extremely high heels walked past them. Well, stumbled. One of them even fell over, shrieking as she face-planted right into the ground and was immediately dragged back up by the others, seemingly completely fine. Johan snortet at the sight, it was good someone was having a good time.


    Johan and Frey walked in silence until they were out of the city. Frey was getting more and more twitchy as they walked, stopping and glancing at Johan every now and then. Johan could tell he wanted to say something, but he wasn¡¯t going to push it.


    They walked and walked. Johan wasn¡¯t sure where they were going but he trusted Frey. By now they had already gone down the dirt road outside the city and left it to instead follow a walked-down path into the woods, all uphill the entire way.


    They had just gotten to the bottom of a very tall mountain and Johan was eyeing the top when Frey finally broke the silence.


    "What¡­did the hand look like?" Frey asked. Johan looked at him curiously and Frey hesitated before adding. "Like, were there any rings or moles or anything?"


    Oh. He wanted to know who¡¯s hand it was.


    He looked at Johan expectantly, a painfully fake, aloof expression on his face but Johan could easily see right through it. Johan bit his lip thoughtfully. Before he died, Note had been Frey''s best friend. They had quickly grown close in the short year they knew each other.


    "I didn''t see anything." Johan answered softly. It was true, there was nothing interesting about that hand. He watched as Frey seemed to hold his breath while waiting for the answer. "But there¡¯s only two people under that tree and it was a male''s hand."


    Frey breathed out, turning his head away. ¡°Oh.¡±


    Johan let him have a moment, looking ahead of them instead. They had already walked for a long time, and looking at the path ahead, they clearly had a lot left to go.


    "You''ll need help up there." Frey declared after a long moment, as they started moving up the mountain path.


    Johan froze. His eyes narrowed. Slowly he turned to look at Frey.


    He was kidding right? There was no way Johan was bringing Frey with him around Heaven. That was just not happening.


    Frey met his eyes straight-on, completely serious. Johan felt his eye twitch as his face drew up, displeased. Frey¡¯s eyes scanned his face and he quickly continued speaking before Johan could even shake his head.


    ¡°You said there was an earthquake. The ground shook and you fell over, and then the hand came. You have to make sure the earthquake doesn¡¯t happen. If they find out you¡¯re in Heaven..¡± Frey sent him a wide eyed look and quickly shook his head.


    Ok, sure. That would be bad. Johan could see that. He still crossed his arms.


    ¡°That means you have to dig out Note before he wakes up." Frey continued, matter of fact, and waved a finger at him. "If anyone notices you, you¡¯re dead. Don¡¯t act stupid, you need help. You can¡¯t do it all alone and you know that." He swiped his thumb across his neck and mimicked dying.


    "What would that even help with?" Johan challenged. Remembering those two''s tempers it''s not like he could stop it. When it came to powers, Johan didn¡¯t exactly have the most useful ones for fighting. Though..? Which one of them could even create an earthquake? It wasn¡¯t something he thought either of them could do, but maybe Note. Afterall, flowers lived in the earth so it wasn¡¯t too far off.


    ¡°Under or over ground really doesn¡¯t seem like it matters when someone is coming back to life.¡± Johan continued. Then froze. A chill went down his spine as realization hit him. ¡°Back to life. Shit.¡±


    He stood still for a second. That wasn¡¯t possible. People didn¡¯t just come back to life!


    Then another thought hit him. If this went right, then they would be back. Both of them. As if nothing ever happened.


    Frey seemed to read his thoughts. "It''s never happened before. But maybe this is the way everything will fix itself. Life and Death coming back might make people start believing again.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°People are angry and their belief in us is disappearing. It seems like they stopped seeing the blessing in life the second they became prisoners in decomposing bodies.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not surprised.¡± Johan said drily. People didn¡¯t generally take kindly to their body dying with them still stuck inside it. It was nice to hear they were losing faith though. Maybe it would knock those deities down a peg.


    Frey let out a laugh, a stark difference to his earlier somber mood. ¡°I know right, can you imagine?¡±


    Johan laughed.


    ¡°Ok, fine. You can come.¡± He relented. If he was completely honest, it would be nice to have someone to help him. Who knew what he would encounter once he got into the city.


    ¡°Me?!¡± Frey leveled him with a confused look. ¡°No, I¡¯m not going.¡±


    ¡°...what?¡± Johan stared at him. If Frey didn¡¯t mean himself- Sirens went off in his head. ¡°Then who are you talking about?¡±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Frey looked around sheepishly. ¡°Uh.¡±


    ¡°Me.¡±


    Johan froze in his step.


    Oh, no. He grimaced.


    For a second he refused to turn around. Apparently dealing with Frey wasn¡¯t the worst thing he would have to do today. He eyed the ocean far beneath them. Maybe if he just jumped off of the cliff he wouldn¡¯t have to deal with this.


    He threw an accusatory glare at Frey then turned.


    The man was taller than both of them, even with his lazy slouch. He was slender for his height, wearing loose black pants and a too big, also black, sweatshirt. His light blue hair looked like he hadn¡¯t brushed it for years. That, together with the permanent apathetic facial expression he never broke, and the dark circles under his black eyes, made him look exactly the same as when Johan last saw him.


    It was Oskar. Also known more commonly as Sloth, the ruler of the oceans and a part of the seven sins, the protectors of Heaven.


    "Don¡¯t worry, I have a plan." Frey laughed and patted his back reassuringly before running off to where Sloth stood, leaning leisurely against a tree. "Hey Oskar!"


    ¡°Pride.¡± His deep voice acknowledged.


    Johan hesitated for a moment, but ended up following. Sloth looked him over with his half open, bloodshot eyes.


    "Fate." He nodded at him and Johan pushed down his uneasy feeling and instead plastered a smile on his face.


    "That''s my title." He cheerfully replied. Yup, the title that didn¡¯t actually mean anything.


    His smile must have been a bit too fake because Sloth did a double-take when he spoke. He quickly schooled it into a pleasant smile as Sloth stared at him.


    For a long moment Sloth leveled him with a bored expression, his eyes running over him before finally turning his attention back to Frey. Johan slowly let the smile go. He felt his hands shake ever so slightly in discomfort at being around Sloth.


    Frey was one thing, he was almost comfortable in his familiarity. Johan would know the second Frey thought to betray him, but Johan didn¡¯t know Sloth. He had never been able to tell what that guy was thinking and always felt tense before those pale eyes. The last time Johan had seen him was that day four years ago. Sloth had been in Johan¡äs house together with Frey. And later, helped drag Note onto the square.


    Under his sleeves Johan grasped his ribbons, just in case.


    Frey and Sloth seemed to have a silent conversation. Frey¡¯s expressions were changing a lot, but Johan couldn¡¯t see any difference in Sloth. It seemed Frey could though, because soon he huffed angrily and turned to glance at Johan.


    ¡°Did you get the shovel?¡± Frey asked Sloth. He nodded and gestured behind him to where a shovel was standing out of the ground. Finally Frey turned back to Johan. ¡°This is it.¡±


    He pointed and Johan followed to look back over his shoulder.


    His jaw dropped. The edge of the mountain fell down to water, and hanging on for dear life above it was a thin rope bridge stretching on as far as Johan could see, disappearing into white fog on the other side of the fjord.


    An entrance.


    Entrances were really just places where the realms forged together. There were many of them and they were usually in places where humans wouldn¡¯t easily stumble upon them. Deep cave systems and random spots in the forest, as well as some parts of the ocean were some of the known places entrances could appear. But it was completely random. Entrances disappeared and appeared all the time and there was only one that was permanent.


    ¡°Johan.¡± Frey started, and Johan turned back unhappily. ¡°You¡¯ll cross the bridge into Heaven and Oskar will help you get through the city and get Note and Signe back out.¡±


    Johan eyed the bridge. It swayed gently in the wind, almost to create a comforting picture. Johan didn¡¯t believe it.


    ¡°...Thanks.¡± Johan said hesitantly and pulled the shovel out of the ground. He glanced at Sloth but saw no sign of movement. He was about to go over to the bridge when Frey grabbed his arm. Johan let himself be pulled away from Sloth and the bridge, even as Frey slung an arm over his shoulder, pulling him down to whisper in his ear.


    ¡°I know you won¡¯t believe me, but Oskar is safe, ok?¡± Frey said silently, making sure Sloth wouldn¡¯t hear it. ¡°Just take his help and listen to him. When you get back here we¡¯ll figure the rest out.¡±


    Frey was right. Johan didn¡¯t believe him. It must have shown on his face because soon Frey gave him a look. ¡°Oskar would never hurt Signe.¡±


    Johan had thought the same once.


    He didn¡¯t voice his doubts.


    ¡°If I need help, why aren¡¯t you just coming?¡± Johan asked instead.


    ¡°Oh. Uhm.¡± Frey blushed and avoided his eyes. He cleared his throat. ¡°Well. I¡¯m kind of...in the same position as you.¡±


    Same position as him? Johan stared at him. ¡°Why?¡±


    Frey didn¡¯t answer him, instead he turned around and started pushing Johan back towards the bridge. ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this, ok? We¡¯ll talk when you get back!¡±


    Johan eyed him thoughtfully. Should he say that the second he got Note and Signe, he would split? Didn¡¯t Frey already get that? Maybe he was playing along for Sloth¡¯s sake.


    Well, whatever.


    Back at the bridge, Johan stretched his neck to look down. It was almost a straight drop, hundreds of meters down to where water was clashing in big waves against the rocks at the base of the mountain.


    Oh, he was not so sure about this.


    He fastened the shovel to his belt, and with a deep breath he carefully took his first step onto the bridge. He yelped as it lurched forward under his weight and Frey yelled behind him as Johan grabbed onto the rope rail for dear life and the bridge rocked beneath him.


    He cut off a gasp and managed to regain his balance. His ears got warm. For a second he let himself get familiar with how the bridge moved before clearing his throat.


    ¡°Come on.¡± He said to Sloth, trying to sound more confident than he felt. He turned back to the bridge and took a couple unsure steps forward before speeding up. It wasn¡¯t as scary as it looked.


    ¡°Be careful! Don¡¯t fall off!¡± Frey yelled after them. Johan ignored him and focused on watching where he was stepping. He could feel the bridge shake as Sloth stepped onto it.


    It felt like an eternity had passed by the time they got to the other end and Johan¡¯s legs were trembling when he finally stepped back onto solid ground.


    There had been multiple moments where he thought he would die. The wind would pick up and send the bridge flying to the side, and then it would swing back and forth for a long time before it stilled again, another time Johan got too comfortable and almost stepped into the space between two steps, almost falling to his death.


    ¡°Put on your hood here.¡± Sloth said, making Johan jump. He hadn¡¯t said anything as they crossed the bridge, there had been a comforting distance between them the entire way. ¡°It was stupid of you to come here.¡±


    Johan didn¡¯t bother to glare at him, just pulled his hood up. ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°If you get caught-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be killed.¡± Johan interrupted. ¡°I know.¡±

 Chapter 6

    He felt Sloth¡¯s eyes on his back as he turned to take in the sight before him. At the top of the mountain, Johan could see the whole city beneath them. A big street stretched long and wide, tall buildings on either side, and more streets and buildings stretching outwards until they stopped at the base of the mountains surrounding most of the city. Not far below them Johan could see the big bridge connecting the mortal realm to Heaven, and around the city he could see a vast, green meadow with woods and water stretching on as far as the eye could see.


    To the far left were woods and the ocean, to the right were tall pillary mountains, and right in the middle was the palace. Standing high above the city, the main street lead straight to it and created a breathtaking view.


    Or, well. It used to.


    The huge willow tree stood in front of it. Almost perfectly centered in what used to be the city square. It towered over the city and Johan could see roots stretching far along the ground, weaving in and out of it.


    Johan sucked in a breath.


    ¡°Come.¡± Sloth said, breaking Johan out of his thoughts.


    Johan reluctantly followed him, leaving the view behind as Sloth led the way down to the city.


    It felt weird to be back.


    Johan noticed with bitter fascination that nothing seemed to be the same. Despite the darkness of the night he could clearly see the difference. Restaurants were closed for good, stores stood vacant and the apartment buildings seemed ready to fall down.


    Colder than it used to be too. Like the life was gone from the city.


    It was stupid but somehow he had assumed everything would be the same, despite everything that happened. This was such a big change in only a few years.


    Johan¡¯s gaze lingered on what used to be a cafe and he felt his heart ache. He had used to go there with his dad. Now it stood empty, dust covering every surface inside.


    Something more had to have happened after Johan left.


    He shook his head. It wasn¡¯t important. He was there for one reason and one reason only. He had to remember that. Things weren¡¯t the same as they were four years ago, and it didn¡¯t matter. They made their choice. Johan wasn¡¯t welcome here, and that was that.


    He cleared his throat, suddenly feeling nervous. Few people were walking through the street, yet Johan pulled his hood further down over his face.


    It was quiet as they walked, until they reached a certain point and Johan started hearing muted music, soon followed by voices, yelling and laughing. There seemed to be more open places here. Maybe it was just the outer edge of the city that was closed down? It seemed like it.


    The music got louder as they walked and more people were starting to appear in the streets now. They were few and far between and none paid them any attention as they hurried off. Soon Johan noticed a bright pink light and followed it to see a familiar pink neon sign.


    He stopped. For a second he was somewhere else, watching through someone else¡¯s clouded eyes.


    That¡¯s where the music was coming from. Here it was loud enough that he could feel the bass through the ground. The bright pink sign lit up the area around it and a door swung open to show a crowd of people dancing.


    Bitterness and anger filled him as he looked inside. Of all the places to stay open¡­


    He gritted his teeth. Oh, what he would do to go inside and beat-


    "Don¡¯t even think about it." Sloth drawled. Johan snapped back to reality and sent him an ugly glare but Sloth just gave him an unimpressed look and continued to walk.


    Johan clenched his fists and followed.


    They resumed walking in silence, the music faded in the distance and fewer people were walking in the street.


    A laugh rang through the air.


    Johan froze mid-step.


    That voice. He recognized that voice. With shaky movements he looked to see a beautiful, tall woman in a deep blue, floor-length dress walking towards them. She was speaking to a man beside her and luckily didn¡¯t seem to have noticed them yet. Stolen novel; please report.


    Without a second thought he bolted.


    The feeling of a hand grabbing for his cloak only fueled his adrenaline and before he knew it he was deep in the darkness of an alley, crouching behind a dumpster.


    Sloth was staring after him in shock, a hand frozen where it reached out towards him. Johan violently shook his head.


    ¡°Oskar!¡± The voice called out and Sloth seemed to realize what was going on. His arm fell and he quickly turned away from Johan.


    Johan¡¯s heart hammered in his chest. What was she doing here?! This was it. All Sloth had to do was look at him and it would be over. No saving anyone. Envy was going to kill him.


    He pushed away the sharp pain in his chest.


    ¡°Out for a morning walk, I see. I did not expect to see you out so early. I hear you¡¯re usually still asleep at this time.¡± The click of her heels came to a stop.


    Early?! Johan glanced at the sky. It was still the middle of the night!


    ¡°I haven¡¯t slept.¡± Oskar corrected, glaring daggers at her.


    ¡°Oh.¡± She didn¡¯t sound very concerned about it. ¡°Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°Why? Am I not allowed to take a walk?¡±


    ¡°Of course you are.¡± She said, but even Johan crouched behind the dumpster could see the tightness in her smile. ¡°You are one of the elementals, you can do whatever you want.¡±


    Johan frowned. What did Sloth being an elemental have to do with him taking a walk at night?


    Sloth gave her a dark grin and leaned closer. ¡°Not so happy about that, Envy?¡±


    Johan was surprised. Weren¡¯t they somewhat friends? Why were they so hostile?


    For a long moment Envy didn¡¯t move. ¡°I have nothing against you, Oskar. You know that.¡±


    Sloth didn¡¯t answer, just straightened up. Well, as much as he normally was. ¡°Are you done?¡±


    ¡°Are you asking for my permission to leave?¡± Envy gave him a smile. ¡°You usually just walk away, did someone manage to teach you manners since the last time we met?¡± As she spoke, her voice got lower, but just barely. A more sinister tone came forth. Subtle, but Johan had heard it too many times to miss.


    She glanced over the alley and Johan froze. There was no way she could see him, it was way too dark. But for a second he could swear she met his eyes.


    ¡°Well, it is getting late. Goodbye, Oskar.¡± She disappeared down the street.


    Johan let out the breath he didn¡¯t know he was holding and carefully watched as Sloth followed her with his eyes, far outside of Johan¡¯s view before giving Johan a simple nod.


    Johan was buzzing under his skin when he got up, his feet were somewhat asleep, but that wasn¡¯t what he cared about.


    ¡°She looked at me.¡±


    Sloth shook his head and started walking. ¡°She didn¡¯t notice anything.¡±


    Johan frowned. It was true that she only glanced in his direction, but he was sure her dark blue eyes met his.


    Johan''s lips pinched unhappily. Whatever, he wasn¡¯t going to push it. Who knew what Sloth was thinking.


    They were starting to get into the older part of the city. It seemed like the closer they got to the tree, the more buildings were vacant. There were no glowing signs anymore, and here buildings had random plants climbing up them, covering most of the doors and windows, though other than that the area looked completely untouched, nothing was dirty or broken. Just¡­abandoned.


    Being alone Sloth seemed different now. There was no faint music in the distance, or any other sound for that matter. Only the sounds of their breathing and their footsteps.


    It was awkward. They had never actually talked much before. They used to be in somewhat the same social circles, however Johan had never thought about getting closer to him. Sloth was very apathetic and straight-up lazy. Usually following behind two energetic girls, and usually seeming either angry or bored.


    One time Johan joined in on an important meeting and Sloth was there as the very important ruler of the oceans¡­and was sleeping with his head on the table.


    Looking at the guy walking beside him, he didn¡¯t seem that lazy. It was Sloth that was walking quickly and setting their tempo. Though he did have longer legs than Johan so maybe it was just a normal speed for him.


    Johan looked around, he remembered what it used to look like. It used to be the market, booths lined the streets until midday, not unlike Solstad, and selected merchants from the mortal world would bring in different food and wares to sell.


    Most deities would stay in Heaven after they got powers and immortality, feeling too good to go back. But Johan saw how they flocked around the merchant to fight for who got to buy what. At least humans had the decency to wait in line.


    They passed into another street and here the buildings were completely covered in the plants, only being known as buildings from the unnatural square shapes of the walls and the empty holes where windows used to be.


    "The plants have been taking over little by little since then." Sloth told, unbothered as he stepped over the tall grass growing through gaps in the stonepath. "You might guess why."


    "Note."


    Sloth nodded. "That¡¯s right." He dragged out, kicking one especially long stem out of his way. "They even grow in the winter. Annoying." He made a dismissive sound.


    Johan felt his eyebrows draw close as he looked around again. Note did this. It was typical. Note had managed to unlock his powers only seconds before his death. At least they terrorized his killers for years after. A small consolation.


    They were getting close to the city square now. Johan felt his heart beat harder with anticipation. The big tree had long since disappeared behind the tall buildings around them, but soon he would see it. He felt for the handle of the shovel. The heavy work was remaining.


    They took the last steps around the last corner and entered the street.


    Johan lifted his head to the tree towering over them.

 Chapter 7

    The huge weeping tree stretched far into the sky, reaching even taller than the buildings around it. The trunk was as thick as a small house and the branches almost dusted the ground, light pink flowers floating in the air beneath them.


    Getting a sudden rush of energy, Johan rushed forward- only for Sloth to stop him.


    "What?" Johan asked, pushing the hand away.


    "Mementos." Sloth said coldly.


    Johan paused.


    He carefully looked around, and that¡¯s when he noticed them.


    Slight shimmers in the air.


    Mementos were vivid memories made from extreme emotion, creating a visual representation of a memory that affected the environment in the spot where they lived.


    Simply said. If you passed through the shimmering mist you would experience the memory as if it was your own.


    Even simpler said. It was a bad time.


    Johan scowled at the wall of mementos in front of them. They stretched all the way from left to right, creating an impassable barrier.


    It was where the crowd had gathered.


    Johan cursed, he really didn¡¯t feel like reliving that day.


    "Look for a path between them." Sloth said, suddenly serious. Johan looked around carelessly. With how big the crowd was, he didn¡¯t even need to look to know there was no way through. Even if they got through the first layer, there would just be more waiting. He had been there, he knew how packed it was.


    He sighed in frustration. They were so close! Now they had to go all the way around-


    Suddenly an idea hit him.


    He looked up, his eye catching on a pole sticking out from the roof of the building to the left. He raised an eyebrow.


    "Not necessary." He decided quickly and grinned at Sloth. Gleefully he let his red ribbon unwrap from one of his forearms and threw it into the air. It wrapped around the pole again and again, until Johan could pull it taut with his hands. With a last look at Sloth he launched himself into the air.


    Adrenaline rushed through his veins as he flew through the air, his hair whipped around as he flew up past the pole, then down, his feet hitting the roof tiles with practiced ease.


    He looked over the edge of the roof, feeling giddy. Sloth was staring up at him, usual lethargic expression changed into a deep frown. Giggling like a child, Johan grabs the pole in a tight grip.


    Sloth visibly recoiled as he saw the ribbon fly back towards him and Johan laughed as he pulled him into the air- and started running. The roof got slippery as his feet crushed the plant beneath them, and he watched as Sloth swam through the air, almost floating. Like a very tense bird. With a laugh Johan swung around in the air, and jumped off.


    He pulled the ribbon taut and sent Sloth straight over the mementos. The ribbon unwrapped from his other arm and he quickly caught himself from plummeting into the ground, instead landing softly on his feet just past the mementos.


    A thought crossed his mind and with a mischievous grin he let go of Sloth, ribbons coming to wrap back around his arms. Johan heard a gasp and he watched in amazement as Sloth used his powers.


    Sloth¡¯s eyes glowed blue and suddenly the air turned dry. A puddle of water gathered on the ground, just in time for Sloth to plummet into it, landing hard on one knee in the puddle which immediately disappeared.


    Sloth jerked his head up, still in a crouch, eyes wide and angry, the blue glow quickly fading away as his lips pulled into a sneer.


    "Ah, don¡¯t look so indignant.¡± Johan huffed. ¡°It worked didn¡¯t it? And we didn¡¯t even have to look for a path!"


    Laughing, he started walking to the tree.


    "You have changed." Johan froze, laughter catching in his throat. He felt an old bitterness crawl through him. He clenched his fists.


    Sloth knew nothing.


    He threw a look over his shoulder, smiling condescendingly. "We are not friends. Keep your opinions to yourself." Sloth¡¯s face twitched at that, looking taken aback, but Johan didn¡¯t care.


    Really, what did he expect? In the entire time they had known each other they¡¯d never talked more than twice. He didn¡¯t get to judge Johan.


    He started walking again and after a moment footsteps started following him. He untied the shovel from his belt.


    Johan paused, eyes catching on something.


    "A...spear?" Johan cocked his head to the side in confusion. There was a completely embedded spear stuck in the bark of the tree. The shaft broken in half and the spearhead so deep that Johan could barely even see it.


    Behind him he heard a sharp intake of air, quickly cut off and followed with a small cough. He glared back to see Sloth staring at the spear, obviously trying not to appear suspicious.


    He was about to ask about it when Sloth suddenly surged forward and ripped the shovel from Johan¡¯s hand, only to forcefully push it against his chest.


    "Get to work." Sloth snapped.


    Johan felt exasperated. It wasn¡¯t a surprise they were hiding things from him¡­but to be so open about it!


    "What¡¯s with the spear-"


    "Get to work." Sloth repeated, interrupted him. The taller man glared down at him, suddenly towering. Johan¡¯s eye twitched.


    "Of course." He grit out, smiling through his teeth. Yeah, of course he wasn¡¯t going to get an answer.


    The closer he got, the more suspicious he felt as both old and new wounds were visible in the tree. He looked over at Sloth, an uneasy feeling rising within him. Was he really helping, or was he plotting something else? Really Johan shouldn¡¯t be trusting any of the damn sins, but at this point it was too late to turn back.


    Sloth had walked up to the tree trunk and was examining the spear.


    Johan shook his head, there was no time to think like that. Getting Note and Signe out was the first priority. He took a good grip on the shovel and-


    CLACK- Johan staggered back, his body vibrating with the force the shovel had hit the rock-hard ground and sprang right back into him.


    For a second he didn¡¯t know what had happened. Then realization hit him.


    It was winter! He groaned.


    "Can you do something about this?" The sound of the shovel hitting the ground had caught Sloth''s attention who shot him a dry look and then kicked the ground as if to check if it really was that hard.


    "Guess so." He said flatly. He stretched his arms and yawned. Then he rubbed his bloodshot eyes before opening them wide, the glow reappearing and he reached out an arm.


    Suddenly the earth beneath them moved.


    Johan looked down in surprise.


    "Back off." Sloth ordered and Johan easily complied, not wanting to get pulled under.


    Sloth clenched his hand into a fist. The dirt moved all at once, like a flinch, and a deep creaking came from the tree. Sloth let his arm drop. Eyes fading back to black.


    "Your turn." The taller man sat down against the tree, knees drawn up. "Dig." He pointed unhelpfully at the ground.


    Johan stared. "That¡¯s it?" Sloth nodded, slouching further down the tree and effectively dirtying his clothes.


    Johan waited. A moment passed and Sloth didn¡¯t do anything.


    "...Right." Guess he was done for the day then. He idly wondered if Sloth would fall asleep now.


    He watched for another moment before stepping onto the newly ¡®shook¡¯ ground- And yelped as his foot immediately sank down to the ankle and he almost face planted forward into the dirt, just barely managing to catch himself on the shovel. Johan ignored Sloth¡¯s amused snort.


    "Ok, yeah. This works." He mumbled approvingly as he got up and waded through the dirt closer to where the hand had appeared in his vision.


    Digging when the dirt was so soft went quickly. He wasn¡¯t sure how far down the roots had pulled Note underground, so after a couple meters he crouched down and started scooping with his hands. He didn¡¯t want to accidentally maim the guy before he even got back to life. A new wound or even a missing limb on top of somehow reviving didn¡¯t seem like the best idea.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Not long after, he felt it. He snatched his hand back as if burnt.


    He froze.


    Through a small gap in the dirt he could see pale skin. For a moment all they could do was stare. Then he took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart, and slowly started wiping the dirt away.


    A pale face appeared in front of him. A single swipe was enough to clear his eyes. Closed, thank the Jotun.


    Suddenly he was pushing back tears, choking back a sob. Emotions surging forth without warning. What the hell? He leaned back where he knelt, assumingly straddling the corpse of his old friend through the dirt.


    He shook his right hand far away from himself, nauseous at what it touched, and brushed hair out of his eyes with his left.


    Sloth, who actually had dozed off against the tree when Johan started digging, suddenly appeared over the hole. Johan glanced at him but quickly looked back down, hiding his face beneath the shadow of his hair. He quickly gathered himself and started clearing away the rest of the dirt.


    It didn¡¯t take long before Note¡¯s chest and arms were uncovered.


    Without hesitating, Johan tok a hold of Note¡¯s arm with one hand and the back of his neck with the other and started pulling him free, using the shovel to hack apart the roots still holding him down. Luckily the roots didn¡¯t seem to mind that Johan was digging out their maker.


    Finally he managed to get the upper body leaning over his knee, and stopped to catch his breath. The body- Note, he corrected himself- had deep grooves in his skin from where the roots had pulled him down. Johan gently let his fingers run across one, luckily it hadn¡¯t broken the skin.


    He didn¡¯t care to look at the chest wound yet.


    "Help me lift him out." Johan said. Sloth nodded, not saying a word.


    "Yeah, okay." Johan mumbled to himself, then took a deep breath and heaved Note free the rest of the way. He groaned as he lifted the body up as high as he could. Johan wasn¡¯t weak, not by any means, however, lifting the dead-weight, hah, of a grown man straight out of the ground was not easy! Despite years of being dead and buried underground, Note didn¡¯t seem to have lost any weight!


    Sloth dropped to his knees, grabbing Note¡¯s arm and easing the weight on Johan. They worked together to push and pull him out of the hole.


    Johan threw the shovel over the edge and climbed out after them. Getting on his knee next to where Sloth laid Note down. He let out a relieved sigh when he couldn¡¯t find a pulse. They got him out in time.


    For a long moment he stared. Despite the violent death, Note''s face was calm.


    Note painted quite the picture, laying there in his ruined black robe barely hanging off of his shoulders, not covering any of his chest despite the light, black fabric still being tied tightly around his waist.


    A deep red slash-wound ran from his collarbone and almost all the way down to his hip, straight across his heart. Johan looked away. He pulled the ruined robe back in place over it. He didn¡¯t want to look at it.


    Johan swallowed and looked away. Sloth stood leaning against the tree, staring at him with an unreadable expression on his face.


    Well. One down, one to go.


    He got to his feet and looked over to the tree. This would be the hardest part. If he remembered correctly, which- at least for this particular memory- he one-hundred percent did. Signe should be pretty much directly beneath the trunk of the tree.


    It would probably be too hard to dig down right by the tree, so he trudged back to the hole he already dug and jumped back in. It wasn¡¯t too far away from the tree anyways, he would just dig towards it.


    After a while Johan was starting to hit the thickest roots and was more hacking than digging when Sloth suddenly appeared leaning over the hole again.


    "Get out, I¡¯ll do it." He ordered.


    Johan frowned and turned to give Sloth a disbelieving look. "Seriously? I just did everything." He waved a hand at the mess of roots he was just hacking into.


    Sloth just glared at him, "Just get out."


    Johan snorted and turned back to the roots. If Sloth wanted to help he could have done so earlier.


    A hand grabbed the collar of his cloak and pulled him harshly into the air. Johan yelped, barely managing to keep his balance on his tiptoes, one hand came up to hit at Sloth¡¯s. He was almost pulled out before Johan got a grip on a root and held tight. He whirled around, glaring-


    -and promptly froze. That look on Sloth''s face¡­


    What..? Johan followed his gaze.


    Oh. That¡¯s why.


    In between the dark wall of dirt and roots, a tiny bright spot had appeared. Pale, white skin. He sighed, couldn¡¯t Sloth just use his words for once?


    He rolled his eyes and slapped Sloth¡¯s hand.


    "Right. Let go of me and help me up properly." He let go of the root and looked up. Sloth met his eyes with a sharp glare but Johan just raised an eyebrow as Sloth¡¯s eyes thinned unhappily and looked away. The hand on his cloak let go, and the second his feet touched the ground again, Sloth grabbed his arm and helped him out of the hole, then immediately jumped in.


    Johan peered down at Sloth. The white spot turned out to be an elbow, and Johan winced at the tightly wound roots digging into the skin. That would not feel good later.


    Johan watched Sloth. His skin was even paler now as he carefully removed the last root holding onto the arm, letting it fall limply out in the open, a deep blue where the roots had held. Sloth shuddered and gently took a hold of the hand while seemingly mindful to keep his back to Johan as he moved to dig away more dirt.


    As much as he wanted to stay and watch, Johan sighed and went to lay down next to Note. Sloth could use some privacy to deal with his emotions.


    "Four years, huh? And that guy is still ridiculous." He mumbled to Note, propping himself up on his elbow and shaking his head at the unresponsive face. "If you could see him now¡­God, he¡¯s still following Signe around like a little puppy. A stupid, tall, annoying puppy."


    As far as Johan knew Signe was Sloth¡¯s first friend. But if he cared so much, why did he help kill her?


    Johan spent a few moments just taking in Note¡¯s face. With one hand he swept away some of the soft hair covering his eyes. Note had never liked having hair in his face. It was kept just barely long enough to keep in a tiny ponytail, though this wasn¡¯t the first time Johan had seen it down.


    With a sigh he flopped back down, arms folded under his head as he talked. "Well, you¡¯ll probably wake up soon so I guess you''ll see it then."


    The sky was still completely dark, no sun in sight yet, only stars. In the vision Note had dug himself out at dawn, so they should still have a while left. Enough time to get Signe and get out of Heaven. Johan listened to the sound of roots snapping and fabric rustling from where Sloth was working. The only other sound came from the wind rustling the branches around, sending flowers down around them and lulling Johan into a fake relaxation.


    He suddenly felt very tired, the last day¡¯s activities catching up with him now that he had some time to sit down. His limbs felt heavy as he laid there, sweaty from digging and legs burning from the hike with Frey.


    A sudden gust of wind sent pedals floating lightly down at them. Idly, Johan reached out and picked one out of the air before it could land on his face.


    He snorted softly and turned it over in his hand.


    He turned his head towards Note.


    Red eyes met purple.


    Johan froze. His eyes widened.


    For a moment nothing happened. They stared at each other with mirrored expressions of shock. Then the purple eyes started glowing, Note¡¯s eyes scrunched together in pain, and his mouth fell open in a soundless scream.


    Johan felt like his breath was punched out of him and within a second he was on his knees, leaning over Note''s convulsing form.


    "Sloth! Get her out, now! We have to go!" He yelled as the ground beneath them started shaking and roots shot up from the ground, whipping violently around.


    Shit, what was he going to do?! If he didn¡¯t do anything they¡¯d get discovered!


    "Note, hey Note. You need to calm down, if you do the whole earthquake thing we¡¯re going to get killed!" He gently patted Note¡¯s face, trying to smooth out the scrunched lines on his face. Note¡¯s back arched off of the ground and he let out a loud yell. Johan scrambled to cover his mouth.


    "Shit, this isn¡¯t working. Oh shit, oh shit-" He panicked.


    "Knock him out!" Sloth''s voice suddenly yelled from behind Johan, shuffling sounds intensifying as he sped up his work at getting Signe out.


    Knock him out, yeah that could work. Wait, how did you knock someone out? Wait, no! He wasn¡¯t going to knock his friend out right as he woke up from the dead! What if he went back to being dead?!


    Trying his best to hold Note down, Johan threw a glance over his shoulder. Sloth was making his way out of the hole now, a small woman held tightly in his arms. Johan stared, his grip on Note faltering for a second as he looked at her. Like Note, she looked exactly the same as the day they had died. The only difference was the colossal amount of blood painting almost the entire front of her white dress, red.


    Her long, green hair dragged on the ground for a second before Sloth finally got out and grabbed it, rolling it once around the arm supporting her neck to keep it out of the way.


    At least she was still dead! Johan focused his attention back on Note who had finally stopped screaming. But the ground was still shaking, getting worse and worse. Note¡¯s eyes were glowing and unseeing. Johan yelped as one of his hand holding Note was whipped by a root.


    "I told you to knock him out!" Sloth ran over.


    "I can¡¯t do that! He just woke up!" Johan yelled. The situation seemed bad, yes, but imagine the distress Note was going through already, it would only get worse if he got knocked out!


    "He''s going to attract attention!"


    Johan glared back. He knew that but-


    A root hit him and he was thrown.


    Johan landed so hard on the ground that he bounced, breath pushed out of him.


    He dry heaved into the ground as he clutched his stomach. ¡°Fuck-¡± He gasped out.


    Then he heard a loud thud.


    The ground stopped moving. Johan¡¯s attention snapped to Note. His heart fell.


    Sloth was standing over Note, a fist in his hair and the world stilled. Tension drained out of Note and he fell limp.


    Johan stared in horror. Did Sloth just kill Note?


    ¡°Are you ok?¡± Sloth asked, as if nothing happened. Note¡¯s chest rose.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Johan finally said, his side aching. He struggled to his feet and went to check on Note. Sloth made an irritated sound behind him. "He''s just sleeping."


    Johan turned to snap something back but Sloth just kneeled down next to him and moved Note¡¯s robe to the side.


    "Look." Johan followed his eyes.


    "It¡¯s healing itself." Johan breathed out and watched in amazement as the wound started knitting itself together from the inside. It was almost like one side was reaching out and pulling the other into place. That must have been why Note was reacting like that, it definitely looked like it would hurt.


    Johan looked over to Signe, still laying still in Sloth''s arms. A deep gash went across her throat but Johan couldn¡¯t see any of it from how Sloth had propped her head up on his arm.


    Johan stared in wonder. He had never seen anything like it. It should be impossible.


    For a long moment they just watched.


    ¡°We should leave.¡± Johan decided. They had been there for too long, it was getting more and more dangerous by the second and they still needed to go back through the city to get out.


    Sloth nodded and got to his feet, Signe held tightly in his arms. Johan crouched closer to Note and put an arm behind his neck. He was just about to move him when he heard it.


    A yell in the distance broke the silence and Johan''s head snapped in the direction it came from. A light came from around the corner and he could hear the thundering sound of dozens, if not hundreds, of feet hitting the pavement.


    For a second his heart stopped beating. Then it started pounding.

 Chapter 8

    Johan shared a quick glance with Sloth and without a word they acted. Johan quickly grabbed one of Note''s arms and used it to heavily sling him around and onto Johan¡¯s back. He quickly fell into a sprint, grabbing his backpack as he went.


    An army of people entered the street behind him, so he did the only thing he could do, and started scaling the steps up to the palace, taking the lead as Sloth used his powers to slow them down. Johan could see the bright blue glow in the corner of his eye and the sound of cracking pavement soon followed.


    Johan¡¯s thoughts raced. There were too many for them all to be deities. Those lazy idiots would never act like this! The ones coming for them had to be human soldiers!


    Damn it, he knew Envy had seen him!


    A quick glance over his shoulder confirmed Johan''s suspicion, in the middle of the crowd stood the woman. There had to be at least a hundred crowding into the street around her.  Luckily the mementos were slowing them down, but many soldiers had already taken to throwing themselves through them and were quickly approaching.


    Johan needed to get out now!


    Luckily Sloth acted quickly and as soon as the soldiers stepped on the ground they sank down to their ankles between cracked pavement and plants, effectively hindering the first wave. However, the second wasted no time jumping over the face-planting soldiers and started to wade through at a pace that was way too quick for Johan¡¯s comfort.


    Johan sprinted up the stairs two steps at a time and thankfully didn¡¯t trip on a single root on the way. Finally he reached the top and ran into the courtyard, trying his best to keep Note secured on his back. It was a big palace, multiple floors that stretched high into the air. But most importantly, it was familiar ground and Johan had confidence that once inside he could out-hide anyone.


    An arrow whizzed past his head and Johan let out a yelp and dove in through the doorway onto the white stone floor, ignoring the way the door was already torn off its hinges.


    He pushed himself back to his feet, and without a look back, he kept running and running. Up stairs and through hallway after hallway until finally he felt safe enough to stop. He panted for air and leaned heavily against a wall. With wide eyes he looked back, holding his breath for a moment to listen, but he had managed to get away.


    "Oh Jotun, that was terrible. Sloth, how-" He paused, looking around. Where was Sloth?


    Oh no. His heart pounded. Shit, how did they lose each other? Sloth had been right behind him in the door. Johan clearly saw him following, when did he disappear?! Sloth had Signe! The reason he went here in the first place was to get Note and her out! And he lost one of them! The one that was still dead! Johan had lost a corpse!


    To be fair...he hadn¡¯t exactly been paying attention to Sloth.


    He looked around, trying to calm himself. He was deep inside the palace, no wonder Sloth couldn¡¯t keep up, he had barely been in here before.


    Johan sighed and closed his eyes, trying his best to calm down.


    Ok, what''s the problem and how could he solve it?


    The problem: Sloth disappeared with Signe-


    Wait. Johan whipped around as realization hit him, Note¡¯s head jolting around on his shoulder. Sloth disappeared with Signe! There was no way that could be a coincidence!


    Johan cursed. He had trusted Frey! Why did he do that?! He was so stupid!


    He groaned loudly.


    Damn those sins!


    Ok, that was the problem. He was stupid! Now what was the solution? Not being so naive would be a good start. Finding Signe was the next step. Johan had planned on ditching Sloth ever since he saw him on the mountain but somehow it got turned around on him.


    Ok, simple. All he had to do was find Sloth, take Signe and run. Somehow. With two kind-of corpses- Ok nope, no time for realism. First thing first, find Sloth. The rest would have to wait.


    Sloth should still be in the palace. There was no way the sins would give up the opportunity to catch him and Note as well. He didn¡¯t know where Sloth would have gone, though, so to start he decided to go back to the entrance.


    Suddenly something wet ran down his neck. Startled, he turned to see Note. He had been shivering since Johan first grabbed him, but now he looked even worse. His normally tan face was pale, sweat running down his face in long lines.


    Johan frowned but kept walking. He had to be quick, who knew when Note would wake back up.


    Finally he got back. He peeked around the corner from the top of the stairs, but couldn¡¯t see anything. Slowly he crept closer.


    It was weird. Why was it so quiet? Where did the soldiers go? Didn¡¯t they follow them into the palace?


    Then he saw the entrance.


    He paused. The first thing he noticed was the color red. The floor was painted in it, a huge puddle forming right inside, spreading across the white tiles.


    The second thing he noticed was the doorway, now completely covered by huge roots and thorny vines. More blood dripped lazily from the thorns.


    What¡­what happened?


    For a second he just stared, but still nothing. Slowly, he snuck down the stairs and towards one of the windows. He peeked outside- and jolted back with a gasp, his eyes wide in horror. A chill went down his spine.


    Bodies laid strewn outside.


    What was going on?! Why were they dead?!


    He snuck another peek outside and for a second he just stared, horrified, then movement caught his eyes. Far down at the bottom of the stairs, soldiers were walking around restlessly, seemingly not willing to come closer.


    He didn¡¯t know how to feel about this. Nausea curled in his stomach.


    He looked back down at the floor, blood was seeping in from under the blockade. No, he didn¡¯t like this at all. Johan looked back at Note. He was still unconscious.


    What¡­?


    He shook his head. He needed to focus. He drew a slow breath. In, and out. He opened his eyes.


    Now where could Sloth have gone?


    He looked around with new eyes. Sloth had barely been in the palace before. Usually only going to the throne room when he did. But that was a big empty room, there was no point in going there...so where?


    His eyes caught on something. On the floor across the room was a mess of cut plants. Nothing else. It was in a weird spot, nothing leading up to or away from it. If Sloth went that way¡­If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    The library!


    Johan snuck back to the top of the stairs and into another hallway. He was right. It didn¡¯t take long before he heard the faint sound of voices.


    The entrance didn¡¯t have a door, none of the doorways going into the library did, except the main one. The library was easily the tallest room in the palace, reaching all the way from the ground floor and up to the roof where the only window was. It was big and round, and during the day it would let in natural light.


    Bookcases stretched across the walls with only ladders to go up or down, and landings went around the room at each floor.


    Johan crouched low, careful about Note on his back. Silently he crept out onto the landing. He could barely see anything in the dim lights coming from the ground floor, hiding Johan in the darkness.


    "Well, where is he now?" Envy''s powerful voice rang through the room.


    "How would I know? He ran the other way." Sloth¡¯s voice responded, dull and annoyed.


    They were talking about him.


    Johan carefully sat Note down by the wall and scooted over to the railing, slowly peeking through the gaps between the wood railing.


    "What do you think you are doing? Does Greed know you are working alone?" Envy demanded.


    "I¡¯m not working alone. Frey found him tonight." Sloth made his voice higher like Frey¡¯s. "¡¯Oskar, go fight Alexandra so Johan will trust you and then you can run away together.¡¯"


    ¡°So it really is Johan then?¡± She asked thoughtfully.


    Sloth gave a snort. ¡°He is very different.¡±


    Envy hmm¡¯d, quickly followed by an amused sound. "I see. So we are doing ''The Damsel in Distress'' then." She let out a short laugh. "I suppose that will work, what with Johan''s hero complex."


    Johan gaped.


    Hero complex?! He didn¡¯t have that! If Sloth started fighting Envy, Johan was leaving them both behind, he wouldn''t try to save Sloth! There was a reason The Seven Sins were called Heaven¡¯s protectors, he was not interfering in a fight between them!


    Johan appreciated his own powers but it wasn¡¯t like commanding a strip of red fabric was anything close to someone wielding water, or making copies of himself, or turning things to dust! He didn¡¯t have a death wish!


    Not to mention, he didn¡¯t like either of them so if they tok eachother out, that would be completely fine by him.


    But... if Sloth hadn¡¯t slipped up... wouldn¡¯t Johan have helped? Would their plan have worked? It¡¯s not like he had a lot of allies so if he thought he could trust someone he might have¡­


    He shook his head angrily and glared down at the two. An ugly feeling was starting to surface in him. They really weren¡¯t on his side, huh. Even Frey. Even his friend.


    It didn¡¯t make sense for them to gain his trust and then kill him like nothing. Johan sighed quietly. They probably wanted a public execution like with Note and Signe. Something to make a statement. Johan shuddered at the thought.


    "What about her?" Johan was ripped out of his thoughts and looked back through the railing to see Envy throw a pointed look past Sloth. Johan squinted in the dim lights for a long second before he realized what he was looking at.


    Signe! She was laying on a couch, a pillow holding her head up just right against her neck and. Johan almost shouted in victory. One step closer to getting out!


    "What about her?" Sloth echoed, suddenly on guard. Johan saw him move to cover her from Envy¡¯s sight.


    "If she heard this conversation she would need to be removed." Envy said and smirked appallingly at Sloth.


    ¡°Don¡¯t threaten her.¡± Sloth hissed, anger in every word.


    Envy grinned. "A seamless transition into our fight. Well dear friend, I will not hold back." She revealed her hands, multiple needles glinting from between her fingers, and without a single moment of hesitation she attacked with a flick of her wrist. The needles were easily blocked by a wall of water.


    Johan felt his heart drop as one of Envy''s needles was thrown directly at Signe and for a second he thought he had lost, that he would need to take Note and get out without her. But only millimeters away from her face, Sloth stopped it.


    Wait. Did she move?


    Johan squinted. Did she tense up? He watched for a second. No...must have been the light.


    He didn¡¯t wait to see more of the fight, instead he scooted back, thinking. He needed to act quickly.


    He should be able to get to the landing above Signe without too much trouble, the problem was how he would get her without the two sins noticing. They already knew he would be coming so they would be paying attention. But maybe he could cause a distraction?


    Suddenly something moved behind him.


    Johan jerked around, hand going for his ear cuff, but before he could do anything a hand shot out at his face.


    Another hand grabbed the back of his head just in time just before he would have hit the ground. The first hand slid down his face to cover his mouth and Johan opened his eyes to see a big shadow leaning over him.


    Did a soldier sneak up on him?! He struggled against the weight holding him down, his heart pounding and his mind screaming at him to get away- and then two orbs or purple glowed in the darkness.


    Johan stopped, eyes wide.


    ¡°Shh,¡± Note shushed and pointed down. Johan froze. For a long moment they listened but luckily it didn¡¯t seem like the sins had noticed them, the fight still going strong.


    Note slowly released him and sat back on his knees, frowning intently at Johan.


    "I know you have questions," Johan whispered hurriedly and got to his knees, careful not to startle Note. His heart was still pounding, he couldn¡¯t let Note give them away. "Shut up and stay quiet. I¡¯ll answer you later, but first we need to get Signe and get out of here. I don¡¯t know how long you''ve been awake-"


    "Only a few minutes. The first thing I heard was ''hero complex''." Note said lowly, not taking his eyes off him.


    "I don¡¯t have a hero complex." Johan hissed, forgetting the situation for a second. Note looked at him, unimpressed.


    "I don¡¯t." He felt the need to repeat. His head ached. "Do you trust me?¡±


    He watched as Note¡¯s eyes flickered around, a mirror of Johan¡¯s own unease, before finally landing on his eyes where they were hidden behind his bangs.


    ¡°¡­Of course.¡± Note whispered confidently, his eyes confused. Johan nodded tensely.


    ¡°Ok.¡± He breathed out. That was good. That made things easier. ¡°Listen to me. We¡¯ll talk after this, but for now just do as I say.¡±


    He waited for Note to nod before he continued.


    ¡°Since you¡¯re awake you can help me out. Create a distraction while I go and get Signe." Note made a face at that, and while Johan expected it, he still felt anger course through him and hissed. "Look, I know you don¡¯t like her but we are not leaving her for your murderers."


    "I wasn''t-"


    Johan cut him off. "I don¡¯t want to hear it. You can hate her all you want after we get out but right here, right now, is not the fucking time."


    Note looked at him with a conflicted expression. For a split second he thought he saw shame, but it was gone before he could tell for sure.


    Johan sighed, closing his eyes. If Note was going to act like a child...Johan would honestly rather he still be unconscious. He remembered how antagonizing Note used to be to Signe, but he had honestly thought that after the execution Note would have had a change of heart. Apparently not.


    He opened his eyes and moved back to the railing. The sins were still fighting downstairs, oblivious to being watched.


    Note cleared his throat and nodded his head slightly. "I''ll create a diversion, just¡­get her."


    Finally Johan looked at him. Really looked at him. It was easy to see he wasn¡¯t doing good. The wound had healed down to a small scar but he was still pale as a corpse, and when he moved around Johan could clearly see how unsteady he was.


    "Can you use your powers?" He asked doubtfully.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Johan didn¡¯t believe that for a second and threw him a challenging look.


    Note looked away and swallowed. "Enough." He continued. A determined expression settled on his face as he met Johan¡¯s eyes again.


    Johan nodded slowly. He didn¡¯t like it but it seemed to be their best option.


    "Ok. Their plan is to lure me here, so they¡¯ll be keeping an eye out. But they won¡¯t be expecting you to be awake. Grab them and hold them down, just until I get Signe and we get out of the palace."


    Note nodded. "I can do that." He assured.


    Johan looked at him for a second, looking for weakness, but Note seemed confident in his ability, so Johan started moving. Slowly he made his way along the wall to the other end of the library, careful not to be seen. His dark brown clothes easily blended into the shadows and soon he was directly above where Signe laid.


    The two sins were fighting louder and louder, becoming more aggressive and dangerous as they danced around each other, breaking everything in their way.


    Johan would need to act quickly before it went even any further. He met Note¡¯s eyes for a second, then turned his attention down, watched the fight for the perfect moment to act, and slowly let his ribbon unwind from one hand as he did.


    He held his breath as he watched unblinkingly.


    Then Envy ducked as Sloth sent a needle right back at her.


    Johan dropped down.

 Chapter 9

    He landed with a soft grunt.


    He slowly rose up on both feet, taking a deep breath as he squared his shoulders and never taking his eyes off of the sins. Sloth stood with his back towards Johan, but the other sin saw him right away.


    Envy¡¯s eyes widened and Sloth whipped around to face Johan.


    For a moment they stared at him.


    Then Sloth turned back to Envy, protectively getting in between them.


    ¡°Johan...¡± Envy muttered lowly. ¡°You are home!¡±


    She said it with a small smile and immediately Johan felt relief and happiness flood into his body. But it was all fake. Johan knew this would happen and ignored it when his heart skipped a beat.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind me.¡± Johan smiled. ¡°You seem to be having fun-¡±


    ¡°Johan!¡± Sloth interrupted. ¡°Don¡¯t trust her. Take Signe and get out, I¡¯ll be right behind you.¡±


    Envy laughed. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him, stay here with us. You just got here.¡±


    Wow. They must have taken acting lessons. Johan looked from one to the other. Neither broke character. Well, Johan could play that game too.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Johan said unbothered, using the happiness Envy gave him to boost his confidence. ¡°I¡¯ll be taking Signe.¡±


    Johan saw Sloth¡¯s back tense up, and he looked back suspiciously. Johan just smiled comfortingly, wanting to laugh.


    He raised his arm.


    Roots shot up through the floor with the loud, shattering sound of cracking tile. Sloth whipped around but he only had time to look at Johan in shock before roots grabbed him, one on each wrist and ankle, and he made a choked sound as he was pulled to his knees. Envy startled back as one grabbed her ankle.


    ¡°Johan! What are you doing?!¡± Envy yelled, immediately followed by a shriek as another root wrapped around her neck and pulled her down to the ground. Her head hit the tile with a loud thump, and for a second she laid still. Johan felt the happiness drain from him but now his smile was real. He watched with satisfaction as Envy tried to glare at him, almost choking herself in the process.


    He sighed and turned around, straightening up with the confidence that Note would keep him safe.


    He met Signe¡¯s wide open eyes. So she was awake then.


    ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Sloth yelled angrily as Johan simply walked the small distance to the couch and lifted Signe into his arms, careful to prop her head up against his arm like Sloth had earlier, her wound hadn¡¯t fully healed yet like Note¡¯s had. She didn¡¯t make a single sound.


    She was so limp...just dead weight in his arms. Johan gave her a concerned look but her eyes were looking at something else. Was this supposed to happen?


    He grabbed her closer, getting a good hold. First priority was getting out of the palace, then he could figure out what was wrong with her.


    "Sloth, I know you were never on my side." He said with a mockingly fake, happy voice as he turned back to the sins. Envy was still struggling against the roots, but Sloth was just looking at him, cautious yet with a calm demeanor as he watched Johan.


    For a second Johan thought he would say something but then he looked at Signe and immediately seemed to change his mind. He turned to look at Johan with a resolute expression.


    "Johan-!" Envy hissed.


    ¡°Shut up.¡± Johan told her, the bitter feeling was back. ¡°You¡¯re not my friend.¡±


    A wave of horror hit him and he sucked in a sharp breath as his body became petrified with fear. A chill going down his spine, legs weak.


    Johan clenched his jaw and swallowed, eyes on Envy. He had been expecting it but that didn¡¯t make it any easier. A sinister smile grew on her face as he took a small, unsteady step forward. Getting out of her range would be difficult like this. Drops of sweat ran down the side of his face and his heart pounded.


    ¡°Feeling afraid?¡± Envy asked with a sickly sweet voice. ¡°I can help with that.¡±


    He glanced around and saw something glint in the corner of his eye, an idea hitting him.


    Well. Fair was fair.


    Laying innocently on the floor in front of his feet was a needle. He eyed it, sweat dripping down his chin, and choked back a sobbing laugh. Would he be able to kick it? Envy would get a lot angrier if he did.


    He kicked it.


    Envy gasped. ¡°Johan!¡± She screamed, struggling harder, but it got her nowhere. The needle went into her arm.


    Johan didn¡¯t know the details about the needles, only that they were poisonous. Though as far as he knew, they weren¡¯t deadly, only enough to knock someone out. He wasn¡¯t sure though, but he¡¯d rather see her dead than let her catch them.


    Envy writhed on the floor and Johan felt his heart immediately calm down, the fear leaving him. Finally she fell quiet, unmoving except for her eyes that never left Johan.


    He turned to Sloth.


    With glaring eyes and thin-pinched lips, Sloth met his eyes. Johan walked over to Envy and ripped the needle from her arm. He couldn¡¯t let Sloth follow them either. He turned back to see the taller man watching him, eyeing the needle with a tense expression. His gaze flickered to Signe for a long moment before his head fell, long hair hiding his face.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have anything to say?¡± Johan asked, needle glinting between his fingers. Sloth stayed silent.


    Johan huffed.


    ¡°You can¡¯t even look her in the eye. Do you really think you¡¯re on the right side?¡± Johan asked, knowing he wasn¡¯t going to get an answer out of him. It didn¡¯t matter anyways. He bent down, ready to poke him-


    ¡°¡­Take care of her.¡± Sloth whispered. Johan stopped. He straightened. Suddenly he felt conflicted. He looked down at Signe. She was watching Sloth.


    Johan shook his head and sighed. ¡°Of course.¡± He poked Sloth with the needle, watching as he sank to the floor.


    Ok, now time to get out. He threw out his ribbon and launched them onto the second floor where Note was still waiting for them. He immediately fell into a sprint.


    ¡°You can let go of them now!¡± Johan yelled as Note fell in step beside him. They ran down the hallway.


    Suddenly he felt movement in his arms.


    Johan startled and turned to look at Signe. Sweat was dripping down her face, a panicked frown on her face. Suddenly she turned her eyes to Johan, wide and terrified.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Johan let out a startled sound as he ran. He was hit with the realization of what this must look like. ¡°Uhh. I know this seems bad, but everything is fine! Uh¡­Sloth deserved it!¡± Wait, no she wouldn¡¯t care about that. Quick! ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he won¡¯t die!¡±


    ¡°Shut up and run!¡± Note hissed.


    Johan ignored him and glanced down at Signe. He sighed in relief. She was calming down. She still looked unsure, but she wasn¡¯t panicking. The last thing they needed was another out of control deity. She opened her mouth but no sound came out. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°I¡¯ll explain everything later!¡± Johan promised as he rounded a corner. He didn¡¯t know how long Envy¡¯s poison would last but he was not taking any chances.


    Finally out of the library with both Note and Signe, Johan felt exhilarated. Adrenaline pumped through his veins and he felt the strange need to laugh as they ran for the backdoor.


    After a couple minutes of running and maneuvering through palace Johan finally saw the big backdoor-


    And stopped in his tracks. A heavy weight slammed into him but Johan was expecting it. His heels ground into the floor and kept them both up as Note almost ran him over. He quickly looked around and shoved him. Note stumbled as he fell in through a doorway, Johan following right behind him and put a finger to his lips.


    "Soldiers." He mouthed and pointed in the direction of the door. Note¡¯s face fell into a scowl.


    Johan sat Signe gently against the wall and peeked out into the hallway at the big wooden backdoors. They were beautifully carved and painted a bright white color, with big windows- and through them Johan could see two soldiers walking around, passing in and out of view.


    Johan bit his lip. How did they get so close to the palace? The roots had been keeping the soldiers far away at the bottom of the stairs. The palace was elevated, there was no way to the back without going up the stairs first, not in such a short amount of time. Did the roots stop attacking them? Oh, that would be so bad. What if the soldiers had gotten into the palace? It wouldn¡¯t be long before they found the sins and gave them the antidote!


    He went cold with fear.


    He looked at Note, the one that controlled the roots. It did it in defense, so it probably stopped when he woke up in the library.


    He eyed the deities. Note seemed a lot better, his skin was less pale and he wasn¡¯t sweating nearly as much as earlier. He had also just managed to run through the palace which meant his strength was coming back, but he was clearly not fine yet.


    Signe though¡­


    ¡°Signe, how are you doing?¡± Johan asked, not expecting much. Her head was hanging against her chest, still in the exact same spot Johan had put her in, completely limp against the wall.


    Johan didn¡¯t see as much a twitch from her, only a very angry glare from where her eyes were barely able to see him at the angle. Her mouth opened up but nothing came out and for a second she looked scared. Then she closed her eyes, anger seeping onto her face.


    Ok, not good then.


    Johan crouched beside her. ¡°I¡¯m just going to look at the...uh...¡±


    He waited a second but didn¡¯t get any response from her so he gently lifted her head up to see the wound. He held his breath. It was more shallow than before and it was still knitting itself together, but it was going slow.


    ¡°She can¡¯t move at all?¡± Note asked with badly hidden concern in his voice. Johan turned to see him staring at Signe.


    ¡°No. I think her wound needs to heal a little more first.¡± Johan said. He didn¡¯t have much medical knowledge but it was starting to look much better. ¡°Hopefully soon.¡±


    Note huffed out a short, disbelieving laugh. ¡°Unbelievable.¡±


    Appalled, Johan turned back, but Note was only watching Signe. His face twisted, the corner of his lips turning down.


    ¡°They slit her-¡± Note growled but then stopped himself. With an angry jerk of his head he turned to glare at the wall. Oh, Johan realized, he was angry.


    Johan ignored him. They needed to leave, they couldn¡¯t just sit there. He had only seen two soldiers outside but he wouldn¡¯t be surprised if there were more. That meant they needed a distraction. They couldn¡¯t just fight their way through, even if Johan didn¡¯t have to carry Signe-


    Suddenly she jerked. Johan lost his grip on her chin, startled, and quickly went to catch her head before it jolted the wound. But instead of falling down, it rose up. Suddenly Johan met shocked green eyes as Signe raised her head up.


    By herself.


    She opened her mouth, but still no sound came out. She closed her mouth with a click and shook her head, eyes not leaving Johan¡¯s as she pushed herself up on trembling legs and leaned heavily against the wall, one hand coming up to her neck. Johan surged forward to help her when she almost fell over, but the glare she gave him was enough to stop him.


    Johan backed off. Why did she look so upset? He shared a look with Note who had turned away from the wall to watch, arms still crossed, but only saw a mirror of his own confusion.


    Johan turned back to Signe. She was breathing heavily and was clearly struggling where she stood. With wide eyes and a deep crease between her eyebrows, she pointed violently in the direction they came from.


    Johan frowned. What?


    Signe pointed again. And again. More violently each time, but seemed to quickly realize that they didn¡¯t understand her. Johan watched as she raised an arm high above her head and gestured, flattening the palm down.


    Like a tall person? Oh.


    ¡°Sloth?¡± He tried. She nodded.


    ¡°He¡¯s fine.¡± Johan reassured. ¡°Once he gets the antidote it¡¯ll be like nothing happened.¡± He continued but Signe shook her head again, suddenly angry.


    Johan bit his lip. They didn¡¯t have time for this. They couldn¡¯t be arguing here of all places! ¡°Signe, I know this is a lot. But we can¡¯t stay here. They want us dead. Do you remember how you died?¡±


    Confusion filled her eyes, then suspicion, and in quick succession it switched back to confusion and then finally realization. She gaped, hand coming up to her face.


    ¡°I¡¯ll explain everything when we get to safety. But now we really need to go. Can you walk?¡±


    Hesitantly she moved her hand back up, signaling Sloth again, and gave Johan a cautious look. Before Johan had time to say anything though, Note stepped up.


    ¡°He is fine here. We are not.¡± Note said coldly, Signe¡¯s face fell into unease. Their eyes met. Johan held his breath. The walls were thick but if they got loud¡­


    For a long moment they watched each other, neither backing down. Then finally it ended. Johan let out a breath of relief as Signe visibly deflated. She took a couple unsure steps forward and this time she let Johan help her when she stumbled.


    Her balance was off but that was probably because she just got back control of her body. With some support she would probably be able to walk or even run.


    Johan nodded. They could do this. Just get out, get to safety. Everything would be fine.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    He led them into the hallway, Signe walking behind him, on her own, and Note close behind her again. Johan slowly went along the wall towards the big doors, keeping close to the dark shadows, then he crouched down by the door and turned to them. ¡°I¡¯m going to cause a distraction. Once you see an opening, run. I¡¯ll-¡±


    Johan paused. Did he hear something? Alarmed, he looked past the others towards the other end of the hallway.


    He frowned.


    Suddenly he heard the sound of thundering footsteps.


    The soldiers were here! Johan jumped to his feet. Dozens of footsteps echoed in the hallway as the first soldier to pass the corner stopped in his tracks at the sight of them. Then he yelled, sword pointing at them. More soldiers ran past him. ¡°Catch them!¡±


    ¡°Shit.¡± Johan breathed. They didn¡¯t have time to wait anymore!


    Johan burst out of the door. He let his ribbons go. The closest two soldiers didn¡¯t have time to react before they were down, but just as he had thought, there were more.


    Soldiers were scattered around the garden, and like summoned by the noise, they charged. Note came to Johan¡¯s side just in time for the first to attack, taking a sword from the downed soldiers and surging forward into the fight.


    Johan stayed still as he took in his surroundings. Four on the left, six on the right and more rounding the corner of the palace. He glanced back, at least a dozen coming through the hallway, and who knows how many just behind them.


    He took a deep breath and felt the tingling on his left ear, a bright gold light and his dagger materialized into his hand.


    ¡°Run!¡± He screamed and ran for the closest soldier, stabbing into him and sending him sprawling to the ground before sending out his ribbons and grabbing hold of two soldiers¡¯ ankles, and pulled. Bones broke and screams filled the air. Johan ran forward, intercepting Note¡¯s fight, quickly downing one of the three soldiers.


    Even more soldiers were filling in but it was too slow. This was their chance! Johan chuckled darkly, setting his eyes on the last soldier standing in his way. He almost felt bad for him. At a good head shorter than Johan and wearing ill-fitting gear, he would be no match.


    Johan kicked off the ground and in a second he crossed the distance, throwing the soldier to the ground. He raised his dagger high and-


    "Stop!" The high, raspy voice cracked as it yelled.


    Signe.


    Johan paused, looking at the soldier beneath him and for a second everything seemed fine. Then he saw it. Through the mask a pink glow appeared. He jumped back just in time for the soldier''s hand to miss him, instead only grazing the very edge of his ribbon.


    He landed hard on his back, sending a jolt up his spine. He hissed in pain and forced his eyes open to see the edge of his ribbon turning to dust. His breath hitched, terror filling his body.


    The helmet fell from the soldier as she sat up. Shoulder-length pink hair blew in the wind as matching eyes caught on him.


    Gluttony.


    With an iron grip on his ribbon, Johan urged his body to move but nothing happened.


    A hand grabbing him snapped him out of it. Note had reached him.


    He pulled Johan up from the ground and dragged him along. Johan threw a look over his shoulder, eyes fixating on the small sin still pushing herself up from the ground, then he saw Signe. She was running after them, but instead of running around Gluttony, Signe jumped, rage on her face, and stomped. Johan gaped as Gluttony folded up around her stomach, and with her long skirt held in one hand, Signe didn¡¯t even look back.


    Together they raced into the woods behind the palace, soldiers following close behind them! His heart beat like crazy. Four sins! In less than a day! Four! And an army!


    Johan panted, his legs were burning and his wrist aching in Note¡¯s grip. The woods turned into a mossy clearing and Signe ran past them.


    He glanced back-


    And saw his reflection in a soldier¡¯s helmet. With a gasp he yelled. The soldier lost his footing and fell. Johan overtok Note and tok a wheezy breath, trying not to focus on the sudden barrage of shouts behind them as his vision blurred.


    Just keep running!


    Note stumbled behind him, almost dragging them both down but Johan refused to let it happen, pulling him right back to his feet.


    Follow Signe! She would know where to go-


    The ground opened up beneath them.

 Chapter 10 - A new home

    Someone screamed and then everything Johan could hear was the ear deafening sound of air whistling in his ears. He clung to the nearest thing he could reach and threw out a ribbon, not catching anything-


    Then he hit the ground. He choked as all the air in his body was pushed out of him at the impact.


    He groaned. What just happened?


    He opened his eyes only to see purple ones looking back. For a second they just looked at each other. Then it hit him.


    Johan let go of his death grip on Note¡¯s arm like it burned him. He struggled to sit up, eyes flying to where bright moonlight shone in through a big hole in the roof, dust and debris raining down around them.


    Johan could still hear the distant shouts of soldiers, but just as quickly as the hole had opened up beneath them, it closed. Roots and plants braided together and suddenly they were left behind in complete darkness.


    ¡°I got it.¡± Note said and Johan felt him sit up beside him. ¡°Signe?¡±


    ¡°Yeah-¡± A whisper came from the darkness followed by an angry groan. ¡°Yes!¡± Signe repeated, much louder this time, her voice cracking halfway through the word.


    Johan''s heart was still pounding. They had gotten away, but for how long? Anyone could have seen them fall into this¡­whatever was this place. The air around him was cold and clammy, almost freezing, and every breath he took was filled with dust. Johan tried to calm down as he looked around, but he could see absolutely nothing in the darkness.


    He searched the ground for his backpack, then immediately started rummaging through it. He should have a torch somewhere¡­


    There!


    He quickly lit it and got to his feet as the flame flickered to life.


    ¡°A cave...¡± Johan muttered and Note came to stand next to him as he looked around. They were standing in a circular room with dark stone walls all around, the yellow light from the torch reflecting off the water that was running down the walls in random streams.


    ¡°We need to keep going.¡± He said, turning around. There wasn¡¯t any obvious way to go. One side of the room was completely shut off, so Johan followed the streams of water to the other, the sound of dripping getting louder as he did. Then he hit the edge.


    He stopped, looking down. The floor didn¡¯t continue any further. Instead it opened up into darkness. The water kept running right off the edge and Johan crouched down, trying to figure out how far the drop was, but even then the bottom was too far for the torch¡¯s light to reach.


    Johan eyed the edge suspiciously before looking around once more. It was the only way, but how would they get down? There was nothing around to tie his ribbons to.


    Note kicked a rock over the edge. Johan watched as it disappeared into the darkness.


    Plop


    "There''s a pool of water right below us?!" He burst out, jaw dropping in indignation. ¡°This has to be a joke.¡±


    How bad luck could he have? He looked at Note, but only got a gloomy expression back.


    He sighed and helplessly looked around the small room, but still didn¡¯t see anything that could help them. Who knew what would be in that water¡­


    What if it was just a pool with no way out of it?


    ¡°Well¡­gentlemen first.¡± Johan said and gestured for Note to go. It was only fair, Johan could get him back up if it was necessary.


    ¡°You¡¯re also a man.¡±


    Damn.


    ¡°Swordsmen first.¡± Johan shot back with a grin. Note glared at him.


    Suddenly a long groan came from behind and Johan turned to see Signe sitting up from the floor. She met Johan¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Oskar.¡± She said, voice loud and clear and very impatient.


    Johan hesitated, eyeing the ceiling. ¡°Let¡¯s get down first.¡±


    ¡°We can talk as we walk.¡± She said, pushing to her feet and striding past them to look over the edge. ¡°Me first.¡± Then she stepped off.


    Johan¡¯s jaw dropped.


    ¡°No!¡± Note jerked forward, trying to catch her but he was too late. They watched her disappear into the darkness.


    For a second it was quiet, then they heard the splash. There was the sound of


    ¡°It¡¯s fine! It¡¯s shallow, just jump!¡± Signe yelled up after a moment. Johan didn¡¯t even have time to let out his relieved breath before he heard the second splash and looked over to see that Note was gone.


    Johan tok a deep, anxious breath, then dropped off the edge.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that. Please! Don¡¯t do that!¡±


    Johan landed in the ankle-deep water just in time to watch as Note slammed into Signe, wrapping her into a tight hug. Shocked, Johan met Signe¡¯s wide eyes where they barely were visible over Note¡¯s hunched shoulders. She looked horrified. She raised an eyebrow at him, but Johan had no answer. He was just as confused.


    ¡°Uh...Note?¡± Signe asked, wide eyes turning to the hugger, her arms twitching by her side, clearly unsure about what to do.  Alarmed, Johan was about to go separate them when Note hissed.


    ¡°Never die again.¡± Note hissed.


    Wait what?! Were they having a bonding moment?!


    ¡°You¡¯re my sister- don¡¯t- don¡¯t ever do that again!¡±


    Johan¡¯s hands flew to his mouth. Signe met his eyes again and this time Johan could see her mind coming up blank. ¡°I...don¡¯t choose when to die...¡±


    ¡°You did once! Never again! Say it!¡± Note stopped hugging her in favor of holding her shoulders, staring intensely at her face. Signe grimaced.


    ¡°What universe did I wake up in?¡± She whispered to herself, side-eyeing Note.


    ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t shake me!¡± She yelled and pushed Note away, crossing her arms cautiously, her eyes scrutinizing. ¡°But no. I¡¯m not planning on dying again. Anytime soon. And you guys better not either!¡±


    A smile grew on Johan¡¯s face. Note looked reassured and nodded.


    ¡°Sounds good.¡± Johan said.


    Signe snorted, eyes flickering between the two of them. ¡°Well. What are we waiting for? Let¡¯s keep going.¡±


    So they started walking. Johan took the lead with Note coming up right beside him, trudging through the ankle-deep water that had already soaked through his shoes, leaving puddles behind when they finally got to dry ground.


    The cave turned out to be very long, changing from big and roomy to slim and narrow, and it soon turned from flat ground to slowly descending downwards as they walked. At one point all the water made it so they were mostly sliding instead of walking.


    The whole time they walked in silence.


    Johan had been expecting Signe to start asking questions the second they started moving, but surprisingly she stayed quiet for a long time, trailing behind them almost in a daze.


    It was Note who spoke first.


    ¡°Why did they do it?¡± Note asked, his voice echoing against the walls.


    Johan met his eyes for a second, then turned away. How was he going to answer that? He had spent countless sleepless nights wondering the same thing. Yet the only answer he could ever find was-


    ¡°They didn¡¯t want change.¡± Johan finally said, bitterness in his voice. Note stared at him, take aback.


    ¡°Neither of us wanted to be in Heaven in the first place!¡± Note hissed, then fell silent, turning to glare at the path ahead instead.


    Johan didn¡¯t have anything to say to that. Becoming a deity was not something someone chose to do. Most people didn''t even know it was a possibility until it happened to them. Usually it was seen as a blessing, sudden immortality was apparently something a lot of people wanted. ¡®Usually¡¯ being the key word. Johan had never seen anyone take it quite as badly as his current two travel companions.


    When Johan didn¡¯t reply, Note shifted.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t die.¡± It wasn¡¯t a question. ¡°You¡¯ve aged.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that is what happens when time passes.¡± Johan said drily.


    ¡°You got out then. Good.¡± Note nodded to himself.


    Johan bit his lip. ¡°Only because you noticed them when you did.¡±


    Johan met Note¡¯s eyes and for a long moment they just looked at each other. Note was exactly the same as that day. If it wasn¡¯t for the ruined clothes and all the dirt, it could have been like nothing had happened.


    Note¡¯s eyes grew sad and Johan ripped his gaze away to stare ahead. Note had no reason to be looking at Johan that way. He didn¡¯t need sympathy.


    ¡°We¡¯re back.¡± Note said softly.


    Johan didn¡¯t reply. They shouldn¡¯t have died in the first place.


    ¡°How long has it been?¡± Note asked after a second.


    ¡°Four years.¡±


    CRACK


    Johan¡¯s head snapped to Signe who was still behind them. A crack was forming on the ground beneath her right foot as she stared at him with wide, wild eyes. A mix of grief and horror on her face. ¡°It¡¯s been four years?¡±


    Johan watched, completely frozen as she eventually turned her head to look back in the direction they came from.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Note said quietly. ¡°That¡¯s a long time. Why did you come back?¡±


    ¡°I had a vision.¡± Johan said simply. Note¡¯s eyes widened in surprise.


    ¡°You got your powers?!¡± Note burst out, practically jumping in his spot, a big smile spreading on his face. Johan tok a step away in alarm, then felt the corner of his lips pull up.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say I had anything to do with it.¡± Johan said with a small laugh, suddenly face-to-face with a very excited Note. ¡°I saw you breaking out of the ground. So I came to get you.¡± Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Note¡¯s eyes grew soft. ¡°Thank you. I can¡¯t imagine what would be happening to us right now if Envy got us. I can¡¯t believe they turned on us like that.¡±


    ¡°Congratulations, Johan.¡± Signe said, smiling at him, though she still looked a bit off. A strange warmth bloomed in him at the words. Still, Johan glanced back at her, unsure of how she would react to Note¡¯s words.


    ¡°And you were right to get us.¡± She continued, a little tense. ¡°I don¡¯t believe Oskar would have done anything to me. But¡­I can¡¯t say the same about every other sin. You made the right choice, Johan. Thanks.¡±


    She gave him a sad smile and Johan ducked his head. This was harder than he thought it would be.


    Silence fell. The next thing he saw was the cave opening up into a larger room. Much bigger than the small tunnel they had been walking through, the roof was at least three times as high, and the walls much wider. The first thing he noticed was the big pool of water, completely black in the darkness.


    However, Johan faltered. It was a dead end.


    "We''re stuck." He said flatly, then sighed deeply. He bent over to rest his hands on his knees, disappointment flooding into his body.


    "What do you mean we''re stuck?" Note''s antagonizing voice came from behind him, his mood predictably soured. Johan felt too tired to let it get a rise out of him, instead he simply straightened up and gestured around him.


    "Just like I said. Stuck.¡± He dragged out, meeting Note¡¯s grumpy glare straight-on.


    Note and Signe both walked past him into the room and Johan tiredly let his arms drop to his sides, eyes wandering around. Then he noticed something.


    ¡°Wait.¡± Johan narrowed his eyes, was that an opening in the roof? ¡°Maybe there is a way out.¡±


    In the darkness it was hard to see even with the torch, but when he moved the light around he could see the glistening edges of something on the roof.


    ¡°Can you reach out?¡± Note asked, looking expectantly back at Johan.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± He said and let his ribbon unwind into one hand. With a good throw he might be able to catch it on something.  Before he could even start, Note interrupted.


    ¡°Signe?!¡± Note asked alarmed.


    Johan whirled around to see her standing in the water. His eyes widened. A tall, man-looking creature towered over her.


    Its skin was glossy like water, and completely black even in the dim light, its hair thick like seaweed. It had no features on its face except for big, circular, glowing blue orbs where its eyes would be.


    It reached out.


    Johan didn¡¯t even have time to process what was happening before it was gone. A bright white light lit up for only a second before the creature crumbled, disappearing into nothing but a small white pearl.


    Signe glanced back at them in shock.


    ¡°That was a n?kk.¡± She informed, eyes wide.


    Johan nodded, speechless. He watched as the pearl hovered in the air for a moment before it settled on her earlobe-


    And as if nothing happened, Signe went back to whatever she had been doing.


    A n?kk. Johan eyed the water for a long moment. Talk about picking the wrong fight. Well. He shook his head, turning back to the roof. He threw the end of his ribbon, but it only caught something for a short second before sliding off and falling right back down.


    ¡°Weird. There weren¡¯t any earlier.¡± Signe wondered aloud, splashing in the water.


    What was she even doing? He had no idea.


    Johan glanced at Note. Unsurprisingly he seemed unhappy, arms crossed and a moody expression on his face as he stared at the water suspiciously.


    Johan threw his ribbon once more. This time it got outside, the wind picking it up for a second, but there was nothing in reach and Johan wasn¡¯t able to catch it on something before it slid and fell right back down again.


    It took a couple more tries but eventually he managed to get it secured on something.


    ¡°Got it!¡± He pulled on it with a nod. It seemed safe enough.


    ¡°Wah!¡± Note¡¯s scream was quickly followed by a loud laugh from Signe and Johan turned to see him laying on the ground, another n?kk hovering over him. Note kicked it away. ¡°Why is it attacking me?!¡±


    Signe laughed, then abruptly stopped as another suddenly appeared beside her in the water. She reeled around. ¡°What the-!¡±


    Johan didn¡¯t wait, instead he quickly grabbed Note with one arm and launched them up and out of the cave before sending the other end of the ribbon down to pull Signe up with them.


    His feet hit the ground and he gently sat Note down as Signe flew past, landing with a yelp on the grass behind them. Johan knelt down to look back into the cave.


    He watched in horror as more and more n?kks appeared in the water, dozens of glowing eyes staring back at him.


    Signe had just been in there! It wasn¡¯t even that deep, where were they coming from?!


    ¡°You need to stop doing that.¡± Signe groaned from behind him. ¡°I just died, be a little kinder to this old lady, won¡¯t you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re nineteen¡± Johan snapped, but turned away from the cave.


    ¡°Technically I¡¯m twenty-three.¡± She shot back as she sat up.


    ¡°You were dead for four of those years. They don¡¯t count!¡±


    She made a face at him but Johan just made one back.


    He looked around. They were on a small flat area of grass near a forest, a tall mountain towering over them, and almost right beside them there was a steep drop many meters down into water.


    They seemed to be on an island, the ocean stretched out in all directions as far as the eye could see, and the only other land was far, far away in the distance.


    An island.


    He sighed.


    Well, hopefully it was inhabited.


    ¡°Dear lord.¡± Note yelled, horrified. Johan¡¯s eyes widened. N?kks had appeared in the ocean now. Hundreds of glowing eyes were watching them, and more were quickly emerging. ¡°It¡¯s a nest.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let them pull you under.¡± Johan said tensely and backed away from the edge, grabbing Note¡¯s arm and harshly pulling him along. Signe would be fine, but if Note went under it would be difficult to find him in the black water.


    Johan started walking.


    ¡°There¡¯s so many.¡± Signe breathed. Then she surged closer, falling into step with them. ¡°Something bad must have happened for there to be this many. This is not normal. They usually live in solitude, and never in oceans.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you should do something about it.¡± Johan suggested with a frown. Something was itching at the back of his mind. Did he forget something? Didn¡¯t he hear something about n?kks recently? Hmm¡­


    Well whatever, if it was important he would remember it.


    ¡°How bad are we talking?¡± Note¡¯s voice piped up, alarmed. Signe made a thoughtful noise.


    ¡°Ehh.¡± She hesitated. ¡°Pretty bad.¡±


    Johan passed the corner and froze.


    ¡°There¡¯s a village!¡± Signe said, surging past him for a better view.


    Straight ahead was a village. It was nestled between the thick forest and a long shore stretching along the island. It was low, at most only a couple meters above sealevel, in what must be the only flat area of the entire island, the mountain extending far in the distance behind it.


    A bell rang in his head. N?kks and a village on an island. This couldn¡¯t be the giant from Solstad¡¯s village, could it?


    Johan glanced between the village and the ocean.


    Two boats bobbed gently in the black water by the docks.


    Johan relented and turned to the others. ¡°I think I know this place.¡±


    Note shared a conflicted look with Signe, and Johan looked back over the village. The houses, the big hall, the firepit. All of it, and only one answer came to mind. This was the right place. ¡°I met the chief. It¡¯s safe¡­They have a house we can take.¡±


    His heart pounded. This would be the solution.


    Signe pursed her lips, calculating eyes running over the village. Finally she nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s get to work then.¡±


    They entered the village without seeing a single person. It was completely empty in the pitch black of the early morning.


    ¡°This is gonna be so cold.¡± Signe groaned and started jumping up and down, getting her blood moving. She took a deep breath.


    Then she stepped into the water. Johan watched as n?kks launched for her as she waded down the beach, but each and every one of them lit up in a flash and disappeared just like the one in the cave had.


    After a few flashes of light, Johan heard people starting to emerge from their houses, but he didn¡¯t look back. Gasps and shocked cries sounded around him. People yelled as another n?kk went for her, and then fell silent as it disappeared in another flash of light.


    The further out Signe swam, the more people came outside and a crowd quickly formed around them. Soon people started whispering. They seemed to have noticed Johan and Note by now, but nobody said anything to them, instead they kept their distance, murmuring lowly.


    A door slammed open and suddenly a loud voice boomed through the air. ¡°What is going on out here?!¡±


    A big man sped out of the closest house, a woman following close behind him. Johan looked back then.


    It was the giant!


    As he saw Johan his step faltered, shock appearing on his face. Johan smiled and waved.


    ¡°Chief! There¡¯s a girl in the water!¡± Someone yelled, and the giant seemed to break out of his shock. His face paled as wide eyes snapped to the water.


    Johan followed to see Signe floating still in the water, slowly turning around to look at them. She had reached her destination.


    ¡°Get a rope! Pull her in!¡± The giant ordered, pushing Johan away and storming closer to the water, but the n?kks stopped him from getting in. He flinched back, breathing heavily. ¡°Get a rope!¡±


    Johan watched as Signe was pulled under.


    His heart pounded and gasps went through the crowd. The water moved, big black shadows surging under the surface and creating heavy waves that crashed against the shore as all the n?kks went towards where Signe disappeared beneath the surface.


    Johan tok a slow breath. This was going to look so cool.


    ¡°She¡¯s dead!¡± A man yelled and the giant let out a choked breath.


    ¡°She¡¯s fine!¡± Johan yelled through the chaos, trying to calm them down. But all it did was draw attention to himself. The giant¡¯s eyes settled on him and Johan watched cautiously as his face twisted from horror to rage.


    ¡°You-¡± The giant stormed over and grabbed Johan''s cloak, both of his hands fisting into the fabric and jerking him into the air. He felt his face harden as he came face to face with the angry giant.


    ¡°Wait for it.¡± Johan whispered, giving the giant a smile before looking back to the water.


    It started.


    From deep in the murky, black water came a bright light. It started faint, just barely there, but it steadily grew stronger, shining brighter and brighter until it reached right beneath the surface.


    Then it exploded.


    White light lit up the world around them. The crowd yelled, cowering back as night turned to day. Johan¡¯s eyes burned and teared up, but he didn¡¯t look away.


    And then it was over.


    It only lasted for a moment before the light faded away, leaving everyone blind in the darkness.


    Johan¡¯s feet hit the ground with a jolt as the giant let go of him, and he quickly backed up as the man staggering.


    Signe broke the surface.


    Silence fell as she threw her head back, gasping in air and Johan let out a breath he didn¡¯t know he had been holding.


    That was so awesome! A big grin grew on his face as he shared a look with Note.


    Signe started swimming back.


    Slowly she walked up the shore, her long hair and white dress trailing behind her, held back by the water. Her eyes glowed bright green and hundreds of small, glinting pearls decorated her body, curling around her like jewelry.


    ¡°Jotun...¡± Someone whispered and Johan sucked in a breath, biting the inside of his cheek. He glanced at the giant, watching the shocked expression on his face, speechless as Signe stalked back to them.


    Her bare foot hit the dry sand and finally she took the last few steps back to them, using Note and Johan as a cover, and quickly wiped water from her face.


    The spell was broken. Johan shook his head with a snort at the smug look on her face even as Note coughed and elbowed him.


    Together they turned to face the villagers.


    For a long moment the silence dragged on. Then someone ran to the water.


    ¡°The- The n?kks are gone! The water is clean!¡± With that the rest broke out of their stupor. Murmurs and whispers started up again. The giant met Johan¡¯s eyes in shock, not looking away even when someone ran up and whispered into his ear. Johan watched as he glanced down at her, then quickly looked back at them.


    The giant raised his arm and the crowd fell silent.


    ¡°The n?kks are gone!¡±


    Suddenly the crowd surged into action. Horns blew, and roars and cheers quickly filled the air. Johan¡¯s breath left him as people surged forward, heavy hands clapping his back and shoulders, laughter filling his ears.


    He looked around to see Note and Signe experiencing the same and a laugh was forced out of him, his skin buzzing in exhilaration.


    It was the right choice.


    ¡°Silence!¡± The giant roared and the crowd drew back.


    The giant eyed Johan for a long second before he directed his attention to all three of them.


    ¡°You cleansed our water free from those monsters. You saved the village and I thank you for that.¡± He reached to his heart and gave a small bow before continuing. ¡°Whatever you wish for, we will do our best-¡±


    ¡°Just the house, thanks.¡± Johan cut in with a smile.


    ¡°Just¡­the old house?¡± The man asked, shocked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Johan nodded, smile staying in place. The giant shared a look with the woman beside him, presumably his wife. Johan glanced around him and quickly added. ¡°And some clothes.¡±


    The couple shared yet another look before booming laughter took its place.


    ¡°Of course! The house is yours! Clothes we have in excess!¡° He gestured for the closest crowd, a group of middle aged women. ¡°Please find some warm clothes for our heroes.¡±


    The whole crowd dispersed into action. Now that they weren¡¯t the center of attention anymore Johan quickly shrugged his cloak off and draped it around Signe, unsurprisingly she was shivering in the cold morning air. She gave him a small smile and wrapped it tighter around herself.


    ¡°Thank you very much for what you have done for us.¡± The giant spoke quietly now. ¡°My name is Odin, I am the chief of this village. I don¡¯t know who you are, adventurer from Solstad, but I hope I will. I will do my best to welcome you all into our village. We owe you our lives.¡±


    ¡°Leif!¡± The giant called out and a tall man around their age came jogging over. ¡°Can you bring our saviors to their new house?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± The man, Leif, smiled widely at them. ¡°I would be honored to.¡±


    Odin laughed and turned to the people. ¡°When our heroes have rested and the sun has set, we will celebrate! Now, get to work!¡± Odin yelled loud, fist up in the air and cheers erupted all around them.

 Chapter 11 - theyre having some tears

    ¡°I¡¯m Leif, it¡¯s nice to meet you all!¡± Leif said happily, giving them all a handshake before leading them away, Note falling into step beside him while Johan and Signe walked behind them.


    With Note taking care of the small talk, Johan stayed silent, appreciating the small break. His body ached and now that they finished the hard part, he could feel the exhaustion seep into his skin. He had been awake for a full day at this point, the sun rising on the horizon.


    He couldn¡¯t believe it, just around twelve hours ago he was with Frey, on his way to Heaven. And now, in only one night, he had encountered four of the seven sins, saved his dead friends and was now walking towards a new house for them to potentially live in.


    Johan shook his head in disbelief as he watched Signe wring her hair like a towel, and a smile grew on his face as she made an exaggerated grimace at him. He knew for a fact that if Leif wasn¡¯t with them, she would be complaining. He snorted as she skipped in her step, a tired smile on her face as she threw her hair back over her shoulder.


    Along the way Johan learned that Leif was a fisherman, one of many on the island, and that he was only a couple years older than them.


    They were really there.


    Johan thought back to when he first met Odin. When he said the house was in the woods he really wasn¡¯t kidding. It took them a good ten minutes of just walking down a small path through the thick woods to get there.


    The house wasn¡¯t actually that bad. Johan had been a little worried after Odin¡¯s hesitation, thinking maybe it didn¡¯t have a roof. But the only problem Johan could see was the thick layer of dust covering every surface. That was easily fixable. By far, this had to be the best place Johan had stayed in for the last few years.


    The entire house was made of dark wood, both inside and outside, and the heavy outer door opened right into the main room. It was big, stretching two floors into the air with a landing on the second floor following along the wall, not unlike the palace, Johan noted. On the first floor was a small bathroom and kitchen, and there were more doors up the stairs to the landing.


    There must have been a fairly big family living here before, Johan thought as he looked around. It didn¡¯t look very lived in though. There was furniture, but that was about it.


    ¡°The house has been abandoned for a couple decades, it¡¯s just far enough from the village that nobody wanted to move here.¡± Leif told them, leaning casually on the doorframe as he watched them look around. ¡°Jora, the old woman that lived here moved in with her granddaughter when she couldn¡¯t move around as easily. She died a couple years ago, luckily she died before all this started.¡±


    ¡°Luckily? What do you mean?¡± Note asked with a frown. Johan froze.


    Oh no.


    Johan yawned, bringing his hand up to cover as he over-acted the part.


    Leif looked at him curiously before answering Note. ¡°You know. The whole dead people not dying thing. You know when people die but their souls stay in their bodies? Don¡¯t you know this?¡±


    Johan surged past Note, trying not to glare at their tour guide.


    ¡°Ahh. I¡¯m just so tired, it¡¯s time to sleep now. Thanks for showing us the way, bye¡± And with that he pushed the man outside and shut the door, ignoring the man¡¯s protests.


    Shit, Johan sighed. He rested his head against the door, feeling a headache forming. It wasn¡¯t a lie that he was extremely tired.


    He took a deep breath, and turned around, ready to face this problem. Note¡¯s expression was unreadable.


    ¡°Note, I know what you-¡±


    ¡°People can¡¯t die?¡± Note interrupted. Johan felt a cold chill down his spine and lifted his arms in a placating manner, he could tell this wasn¡¯t going to be easy.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that they can¡¯t die-¡± Johan corrected as he watched Note turn around angrily before turning right back, ending up with a broken, rage induced pirouette.


    ¡°It¡¯s just that they can¡¯t leave. Is that it? Since Signe was dead they couldn¡¯t die. Does that mean they can¡¯t get born either then? Since I was also dead? Life just stopped? What if we didn¡¯t come back? Why-¡± Note choked off and he collapsed onto the dusty couch, head in hands.


    Johan stayed silent and eyed the door Signe had disappeared through earlier.


    Note lifted his head.


    ¡°Tell me everything.¡± Note demanded, eyes digging into Johan¡¯s own.


    Johan hesitated. Could he even explain it any better? Note was right, there were no deaths and no births, and it was because they were dead. But that would change now that they were back.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you everything I know, but let¡¯s wait for Signe. I don¡¯t want to go over it twice.¡± Johan sighed, intending to go sit down, but before he could Note stalked over. Johan tok a step back as Note invaded his personal space.


    Seriously? He knew that Note would be taking this badly, but to take it out on Johan was too far, it¡¯s not like he had any say in it.


    Annoyance filled him and Johan straightened up, pushing Note¡¯s chest to keep some space between them.


    Suddenly his wrist was grabbed and his back hit the door with a bang, Note following and getting uncomfortably close as he pinned Johan¡¯s hand up beside his head.


    For a second they stared at each other but Note didn¡¯t let up. Johan huffed angrily and tried ripping his hand free but Note held it tight.


    ¡°What¡¯s your problem?!¡± Johan exploded. Note was seriously acting like this, after Johan saved him?!


    Note face came closer, making Johan lean his own head back against the wall to keep the distance. He startled when his jaw was grabbed, his free hand coming up to grab Note¡¯s wrist.


    Johan stared angrily but Note didn¡¯t meet his gaze, instead his eyes shifted as he scrutinized Johan¡¯s face, forcefully turning it from side to side. Johan let it happen, eyes never leaving Note¡¯s face as he felt his patience quickly run out.


    When Note moved to push his hair away from his eyes, Johan finally had enough. Hand now free, he used his powers and within a second his ribbon unwrapped from his hand to go around Note¡¯s.


    Johan pulled the ribbon taut, stopping Note from getting any closer. The hand on his jaw tightened as they strained against each other.


    ¡°Why are you like this?¡± Note asked, and despite the anger in his eyes Johan could see the genuine curiosity and worry slowly taking over.


    Johan huffed and looked away.


    ¡°You¡¯re different.¡± Note continued. ¡°What changed?¡±


    Johan raised his eyebrows.


    ¡°What changed?¡± Johan scoffed. ¡°Use your brain a little, would you?¡±


    Note startled back as if punched and his grip on Johan loosening for a split second before immediately tightening again. Johan laughed, not amused.


    ¡°Let go.¡± He ordered, staring challenging. Uncertainty flashed across Note¡¯s face, his eyes flickering down and something unreadable tok over.


    Note¡¯s eyes met his once more.


    The door slammed open.


    ¡°I found blankets, guys!¡± Signe yelled and Johan froze.


    His head jerked up to see Signe on the landing, her arms full as she kicked the door closed behind her. She turned towards them with a big smile as she started descending the stairs-


    Johan watched cautiously as she stopped mid-step, her smile disappearing at the sight of them. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Oh.¡± She said curtly, then without looking away, she dropped the blankets. The pile separated as it rolled down, scattering blankets down the steps. Johan felt Note tense.


    As if nothing was wrong, she stalked down the stairs, taking a hold of one blanket and dragging it along behind her as she expertly avoided slipping. Her face was devoid of emotion as she crossed the room and plopped down on one of the couches, throwing the blanket over her legs.


    ¡°I¡¯m taking the couch, you can take the bed upstairs.¡±


    Johan glanced at Note, but he didn¡¯t react. Since Signe appeared he had been glaring at the wall beside Johan¡¯s head, lips pinched thin. Johan looked back at Signe but she just raised an eyebrow. Johan closed his mouth. Note met his eyes and slowly they released each other.


    Johan stepped away from him.


    ¡°There¡¯s enough space for all of us to sleep down here.¡± He started. He was not sharing a bed with Note. There was no way.


    ¡°Sure. You look ready to drop dead. I would know.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t joke about that.¡± Note hissed but they both easily ignored him.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Johan huffed out. He didn¡¯t doubt it. ¡°You¡¯re not mad?¡±


    ¡°Mad at what?¡±


    ¡°That we were fighting?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Signe shook her head. ¡°No, of course not. Get it out of your system!¡±


    Oh. Right.


    Johan had almost forgotten who he was talking to. Out of the three in this room, she was the one that used to fight the most. Note wasn¡¯t the only one that liked picking fights with her.


    ¡°Wait.¡± Note put in. He turned to Johan. ¡°You have some explaining to do.¡± He nodded at Signe, motioning for her to agree with him. ¡°About people not dying.¡±


    Johan closed his eyes, preparing to have to deal with having both their anger directed at him.


    ¡°What¡¯s there to explain?¡± Signe asked, and Johan startled. Instead of anger on Signe¡¯s face, there was confusion.


    ¡°I¡¯m the only one that can move souls. Obviously their souls can¡¯t go anywhere when I¡¯m dead. I¡¯m Death, I¡¯m in charge of that. I mean¡­¡± Signe faltered, cocking her head to the side. ¡°I don¡¯t know why another Death wasn¡¯t appointed when we were killed, but Johan wouldn¡¯t know anything about that, he¡¯s been gone from Heaven as long as we have.¡±


    Ah. Johan grimaced. Sloth was a gossip.


    ¡°Johan should know something.¡± Note insisted.


    At that Signe sat up straight, setting a deeply scrutinizing expression on Johan. After a second she turned to Note and snapped. ¡°Nobody knows anything about deities, why would he?!¡±


    ¡­Exactly!


    Johan bit back his agreement and instead watched for Note¡¯s reaction. His nostrils flared, cheeks twitching as his jaw clenched.


    ¡°Shut up and relax! We¡¯re safe! There¡¯s more than enough time to figure this out later.¡± Signe yelled, clearly on the defensive, one hand holding the back of the couch.


    ¡°Self-killer.¡± Note snarled.


    Oh no.


    ¡°Only child.¡± Signe snapped right back.


    Johan caught his breath, eyes widening and his palms itched. Should he break up the fight or let it happen?


    He looked back and forth between the two. Signe gave Note a challenging look, but Note just stood there, looking gutted. For a second Johan saw his bottom lip jut out, then it was gone and a hard glare settled on his face. His arm flexed, hand grabbing at his side for something that wasn¡¯t there.


    A thought hit Johan.


    The silence kept going, air tense.


    Then Note slumped. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±


    Johan startled, eyebrows raising. She was what?!


    Note looked at Johan with big eyes. ¡°Sorry. I¡­feel¡­ a lot right now. I shouldn¡¯t have picked a fight.¡±


    ¡°...it¡¯s fine.¡± Johan said, surprised at the change. He watched as the man sat down on the other couch, head in his hands.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to cleave your skull in two.¡± Signe muttered, plopping down on the couch and closing her eyes.


    Note clearly had to bite back anger at that, but yet again he faltered. ¡°...I deserve that.¡±


    Johan glanced back and forth between them. It was so weird. He had never seen them act like that. Note would apologize, sure, but to back down from a fight against Signe?


    Maybe he was more tired than Johan thought.


    Johan remembered something.


    He wasn¡¯t sure about giving it back to Note right after his and Signe¡¯s fight, not with how weird he was acting, but it felt wrong to keep it when its owner was right there, especially with what Signe had called him¡­even if it was justified.


    Johan felt eyes on him as he started digging into his backpack. His hand found what he was looking for.


    ¡°Note.¡± Johan caught his attention and handed over the item. Well, tried to. Note stared at him for a long moment before finally taking the hairpin, lip wobbling. Johan cleared his throat and went to sit on the chair next to the fireplace.


    He met Note¡¯s wet eyes.


    ¡°You kept it safe.¡±


    ¡°I did.¡± Johan said and broke the eye contact, feeling uncomfortable. Note wasn¡¯t the type of person that got sentimental often, so seeing him like this¡­Johan wasn¡¯t really sure how to react. ¡°I hope you¡¯re not out of practise now.¡± Johan joked.


    Note huffed. ¡°As if.¡±


    Johan closed his eyes, exhaustion seeping through him, and he leaned back in the chair.


    Then he opened his eyes again, dry and burning as they eyed the door upstairs. A bed sounded really nice right about now. He glanced at Note and Signe, would they still be here when he woke up?


    ¡°Go to sleep Johan, I¡¯ll keep watch.¡± Signe got up and dragged him out of the chair towards the couch, throwing a blanket on him the second he sat down.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you tired?¡± Johan asks.


    ¡°Not at all! I just woke up from the longest nap ever!¡± She laughed and settled in the chair.


    Johan snorted disbelievingly, a fond smile on his lips.


    ¡°You look ready to pass out.¡± She said and she was right, he definitely was.


    So he closed his eyes.


    After what felt like seconds he woke up. He shifted in his spot and almost drifted back to sleep when he heard it.


    "I¡¯m sorry."


    Johan''s mind blanked, suddenly awake. That was definitely Note''s voice but those words¡­


    "Back then...Our feud only started because I acted so childish."


    Oh. Johan realized with a suppressed jolt. Note was apologizing. Johan cursed silently. Why did he have to wake up now?


    "That day. I had just been killed, both me and my older sister. I lost the fight, and we both paid the price for it. Then I woke up again, somehow alive, in a completely different place with people I had never seen before. I was scared. At first I was happy to know I wasn¡¯t alone, that you were in the same situation. But then I learned you killed yourself."


    Oh no. What was he going to do? He couldn¡¯t let them know he was awake but he couldn¡¯t just fall back asleep either, not after hearing that!


    He couldn¡¯t ruin the moment. Who knew if Note would ever apologize again. Johan couldn¡¯t interrupt it. Better stay silent and not let them know he was awake.


    Also¡­this was a once in a lifetime moment.


    He cracked one eye open. The two had drawn away from Johan, sitting on the floor facing each other, a fire crackling in the fireplace. From where Johan was he could see Note¡¯s face, serious and open as he watched the flames. Signe sat further from Johan, leaning against the wall, both of them wearing new, clean clothes.


    "I was angry because all I wanted was to be alive. I felt resentful. You had all I wanted and you threw it away. At least that was what I thought. I still don¡¯t know how to feel about it, but¡­I¡¯m happy you¡¯re here."


    Johan remembered that whenever he saw Note and Signe together one of them was always throwing words at the other. He¡¯d always thought it was mutual but now that he really thought about it, Note was always the one starting it.


    Signe watched Note with a sad expression.


    ¡°And I¡¯m sorry.¡± Note turned to her before continuing. ¡°We went through it all together. I should have realized that you were struggling too. We should have been allies and I¡¯m sorry for making us enemies. I was too concerned with losing my sister to see that I gained another one.¡±


    Signe¡¯s mouth opened in shock and she quickly looked away, shutting it. A wave of emotions flickered across her face.


    For a long moment they sat in silence.


    ¡°:..Sister.¡± Signe said quietly. ¡°Did you really mean that?¡±


    ¡°I did.¡± Note said cautiously and finally met her eyes. Signe searched his face-


    -then turned away with a snort.


    Johan bit his tongue as Note¡¯s expression fell, his heart breaking.


    Signe let out a laugh, then fell silent. ¡°You¡¯re pretty similar to my oldest brother.¡±


    Johan frowned. What?


    ¡°Oh?¡± Note turned, confused.


    ¡°It¡¯s the first time I have seen it, but you¡¯re pretty sentimental aren¡¯t you?¡± She smiled at him. ¡°Well, brother. I heard what you did after my death. Oskar kept complaining about you all the way into the library.¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Note snapped.


    ¡°So thank you. For caring. I didn¡¯t even know you could grow trees.¡± Signe laughed, loud and happy, then a tear ran down her face. She slapped a hand over her mouth, her breath hitched and her eyes scrunching close, forcing more tears out.


    Note looked panicked for a second, his arms coming up to hover protectively in front of him.


    Then she threw herself at him.


    Johan couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. His heart almost stopped beating as he tok in the scene before him.


    Signe was hugging Note...


    She was hugging him!


    They were hugging!


    Johan was speechless.


    From the looks of it, Note was just as surprised as Johan. His eyes were the widest Johan had ever seen them and he sat completely still in Signe¡¯s embrace.


    It seemed like forever before anything happened, then finally Note settled. He shook out of his frozen state, arms coming up to hug Signe back as the corners of his mouth pulled down and his eyebrows knit together.


    A sob racked Note¡¯s body as his face disappeared into her shoulder, the hug turning into the tightest, most emotional embrace Johan had ever been witness to.


    That¡¯s enough. Let them have their moment.


    Johan closed his eyes.


    The muffled sound of sobs continued until Johan fell back asleep.

 Chapter 12 - A whole new world~

    Johan opened his eyes.


    He blinked groggily. Without moving, he looked around. The room was really bright now, the sun shining in through the windows and creating yellow reflections on the floor. Johan was still laying on the couch, and Note and Signe were sleeping on the floor in front of him, each in their own nest of blankets.


    Memories of last night hit him. They must have fallen asleep after their talk. Johan sat up.


    What woke him up?


    More knocking on the door answered him. Johan frowned and ran a hand through his hair.


    The knocking continued and Johan got to his feet, disoriented in his half-asleep state, and waddled over to the door, leaving the warm blanket behind. Behind him, he heard the others waking up.


    He opened the door slowly, peeking out through the gap.


    Outside stood the guy - Leif - that had led them there yesterday. Well, earlier today was probably more correct.


    ¡°Hello?¡± He croaked, quickly followed by clearing his throat.


    ¡°Good evening! Well, morning in your case. I hope I didn¡¯t wake you up!¡± The guy laughed. Johan didn¡¯t, he eyed the man for a second. Leif¡¯s laughter started faltering.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Johan laughed, not wanting the situation to get awkward. ¡°We should have woken up a long time ago.¡±


    ¡°Ahaha! I¡¯m here to invite you to dinner!¡± Leif laughed and spread his arms. Johan paused, food did sound good. ¡°We''re having a feast in your honor!¡±


    Oh. Right, Odin had said something about that. Johan had completely forgotten.


    ¡°Food.¡± Note nodded as he came to a stop beside Johan. Before Johan could even say something Signe sprang past him in the doorway.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± She yelled and tok off, dragging Leif along.


    In contrast to Signe, who seemed to have an unlimited amount of energy, it was very clear by Note¡¯s squint that he had just woken up. Johan snorted.


    ¡°Come on!¡± Signe yelled back at them and they followed.


    It didn¡¯t take long before they got to the village. Johan found his eyes catching on everything, it looked so different in the daylight! All the colors were so bright!


    Big and small houses surrounded them as they walked down the road and in the distance was the water, the sun looming over it on its way down.


    But the biggest difference was the people.


    People were rushing all around them, rushing from place to place as they walked past. It was nice. Laughter was in the air, people talked to each other, smiles on their faces as they were getting everything ready for the feast.


    They were so¡­connected, like they knew how to move around each other, and everything just fit. It was weird to see with his own eyes. A community that was so tightly knit that they could work around each other effortlessly. He hadn¡¯t seen that in years.


    On the way there, Note had struck up a conversation with Leif. Apparently they had a lot in common. Something about swords. Johan had tried to keep up with the conversation for a good couple minutes before calling it quits and had taken to spectating the village. Signe had very honorably stayed interested for a whole ten seconds before falling off, instead occupying herself with yelling small talk at random people on their way.


    Despite that nobody really seemed to notice them, or at least nobody paid much attention to them. It felt nice.


    ¡°And here we are!¡± Leif spread his arms wide triumphantly.


    Johan looked up to see a huge longhouse towering before them. Big doors stood open, a constant stream of people going in and out of the big, warm room.


    ¡°Wow.¡± Johan breathed as Leif led them inside.


    ¡°It is impressive, right?¡± Leif asked with a grin as the three of them looked around in amazement.


    The room was huge! Burning torches hung against the wall, making everything red and in the middle of the room was a fire with a big pot on it, the smell of meat wafting through the air. Tables and benches in different lengths were spread throughout the room, all pointing in one direction, except one. On the very end of the room, on top of a heightened part of the floor, was a table sitting horizontally, and right in the middle sat Odin, happily speaking with his wife as everyone buzzed around them.


    ¡°This is so cool.¡± Signe said.


    Odin didn¡¯t notice them, but his wife did. She met Johan¡¯s eyes with a kind smile before giving her husband a small push. Immediately he turned around, eyes locking with Johan¡¯s, and stood up.


    ¡°Our heroes!¡± Odin¡¯s booming voice filled the room, his arms spread out as he greeted them and before Johan knew it, everyone turned and sound erupted around them.


    Johan stood there in shock as everyone cheered and clapped, someone even whistled.


    He looked back and met Note¡¯s glinting eyes. A smile grew on his face.


    Johan jumped as big hands landed on his shoulders and the hairy face of the chief filled his view. Signe laughed loudly as Johan was lifted into the air and spun around, his breath squeezed out of his body and his face shoved into the chief¡¯s bushy beard.


    And just as quickly as it started, it was over. Johan¡¯s feet hit the ground again and he stumbled back, head dizzy from the spins. Hands kept him from falling over and he looked up to see Note. Johan laughed at his stunned face.


    Note shook his head but Johan could still see the smile growing on his face.


    ¡°Quiet!¡± Johan¡¯s head snapped back to Odin as silence fell over the room. ¡°People of Molteholm. Gather up!¡±


    Everyone inside got up from their seats and gathered into a big crowd around them, even the people outside came in to join. Odin looked around before giving a nod.


    ¡°Today!¡± Odin shouted, stalking around the floor. ¡°Today, for the first time in months! We have fished! We have sailed our boats on the water! For this morning, the first morning of spring, our heroes came to us! They cleansed our waters of those terrible creatures and by doing so they have saved the livelihood of this village and so also us! Heroes, please introduce yourselves!¡±


    ¡°Uh..¡± Johan paused and shared a look with the others. ¡°I¡¯m Johan.¡±


    ¡°Note.¡±


    ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Signe!¡± Signe finished happily.


    ¡°Johan, Note and Signe. Our heroes! Tonight we will hold a feast in your honor, and welcome you into our village! And tomorrow, we will go to Solstad to sell!¡± At this the crowd went wild. Odin waited for them to calm down. ¡°Now let the feast begin!¡±


    The crowd quickly dispersed, taking their seats.


    The village sold fish in Solstad? That meant they were close to the city! Johan frowned. Would Frey...? No. Frey would never think to look so close to where they had met.


    ¡°Odin is so cool!¡± Signe said and broke him out of his thoughts, Johan laughed and turned back to them.


    ¡°He really is.¡± Leif quickly agreed. Even Note seemed impressed at the speech.


    ¡°He seems happy we¡¯re here.¡± Johan glanced around the room. People were stealing glances at them but quickly turned away when Johan saw them. ¡°I don¡¯t know about the rest of them though.¡±


    ¡°Of course he¡¯s happy you are here, we all are! You saved us!¡± Leif laughed loudly and gave Johan a friendly clap on the back. Then he faltered.


    ¡°Thank you, you don¡¯t understand how much I appreciate you three coming here.¡± Leif spoke softly, suddenly serious, and met Johan¡¯s eyes, then Note¡¯s, before they finally turned to Signe. ¡°Especially you, Signe. I don¡¯t know how you did it but you killed the n?kks. I fished today for the first time in months and tomorrow we¡¯re going to Solstad! It was the first normal day in a long time. Thank you, the village will survive because of you.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Signe looked stunned. Johan agreed, ¡®oh¡¯ was right. Leif had managed something incredible, Signe was at a loss of words. Johan met Note¡¯s eyes over her head and had to bite his lips to hold back laughter. Her mouth opened and closed a couple times, speechless. Then finally she found her words, her face grew sad and she gently grabbed his hands in hers. ¡°I¡¯m sorry it came to this.¡±


    At her words Leif looked away and Johan could see tears glinting in his eyes as he stared at their combined hands.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Leif quickly cleared his throat. ¡°Uh. I¡¯m going to go see if they need any help bringing the food in.¡±


    Johan watched as Leif hurried out. For a long moment none of them said anything. Johan scratched his nose awkwardly.


    Then Note broke the silence.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry it came to this.¡± He mocked. Johan burst out laughing.


    ¡°Ah.¡± Signe hissed, crossing her arms. ¡±What else was I supposed to say?¡±


    ¡°Something else?¡± Note laughed. Signe gave him a look and opened her mouth but before she could say something, someone else spoke.


    ¡°Heroes!¡±


    Johan turned to see the chief approaching them again.


    ¡°I hope you had a good rest today!¡± He started. ¡°We have prepared a lot of food! Eat as much as you want, there¡¯s more than enough food for everyone! Our last sheep put to good use! ¡±


    Johan raised his eyebrows in surprise. Their last sheep? They that close to starvation? Yikes, what would have happened if Signe didn¡¯t turn up?


    ¡°I saved places for you all at my table. You should sit with us.¡± Odin continued, gesturing at the big table he had been sitting at earlier where his wife and a man Johan hadn¡¯t met yet sat chatting.


    ¡°Sure!¡± Johan shrugged, feeling a little relieved. He didn¡¯t like the curious looks the villagers were giving them. They didn¡¯t seem to mean anything bad, but it still felt weird to be watched like that.


    Odin led them to the table and the woman quickly got to her feet when she saw them coming over.


    ¡°Hello! I¡¯m Hilda.¡± She introduced herself brightly and grabbed each of their hands in succession. She was a tall woman, only a little shorter than Johan, with long blonde hair braided away from her face. She had a gentle smile as she spoke, lines scrunched prettily on her face. ¡°Welcome to our village!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s my wife.¡± Odin grunted proudly. ¡°She teaches the kids in the village. And this is Trym, the best damn smith you will ever meet.¡± Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    ¡°Nice to meet you both.¡± Note said as they sat down.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you all.¡± Trym spoke with a deep voice. He had a long, dark brown beard, and short hair on his head.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the wife and kids?¡± Odin asked Trym, taking his place in the middle.


    ¡°Ulfhild, my wife,¡± Trym added helpfully and winked at Johan. ¡°She¡¯ll be late, and Astrid isn¡¯t coming, she¡¯s been too ill recently.¡± He made a sound and looked around. ¡±Emil should be around here somewhere, probably the kid too.¡±


    ¡°Trym is lucky, his are still young!¡± Odin said happily, eyes turning into thin crescents as he looked between the three of them. ¡°Hilda and I have two, but they are so old now. Both doing their own things, getting their education far away from home.¡±


    Johan just nodded, trying to keep up.


    ¡°Ah, here they are with the food and mead.¡± Hilda interrupted him and sent them an apologetic smile. Johan turned to see the food being brought in and placed on the table in the middle of the room. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Let¡¯s go? Johan watched as the villagers got to their feet, each one making their way to the food table. He met Note¡¯s eyes, was this normal? Note just shrugged, looking equally surprised. When Signe got up like the rest of them, Johan quickly followed.


    Everyone went and filled their plates before returning to their seats, and it didn¡¯t take long after finishing eating before Note and Signe disappeared, leaving Johan alone.


    Note had gone over to Leif and started a conversation with the fishing guys while Signe was somewhere out of sight, Johan could hear her laugh every now and then. Personally he didn¡¯t feel like mingling, instead he sat at the table, waiting for the questions that were sure to come.


    Trym¡¯s wife had come and whisked Hilda away a while ago and the men were speaking together not far away. Johan could tell they were talking about him. He had been sitting alone at the table for a while when the chief and Trym finally came back.


    ¡°Johan! Let¡¯s speak.¡± The chief sat down with a creak and Johan let out a breath he had been holding.


    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s speak.¡± He appreciated the straightforwardness. Odin nodded and rested his strong arms on the table.


    ¡°Well, Johan. It¡¯s our pleasure to have you here, that¡¯s for sure. How long are you staying?¡± Trym asked, almost casually.


    ¡°Probably for a while.¡± He said slowly, watching keenly for their reactions. The only thing they did though, was share a look. It didn¡¯t say anything about what they thought about it.


    Really, Johan didn¡¯t expect them to stay for very long, but having a place while they figured out the rest would be nice.


    ¡°Very good choice! We are always open for new people, especially someone who has been such a big help!¡± Odin said brightly. Then his face fell serious and he leaned over the table. Johan¡¯s palms itched. This was it. ¡°But I can¡¯t help but find it strange. There¡¯s not much to this village. Everyone knows everyone and everyone plays a part, as you know my wife is a teacher.¡±


    ¡°Mine¡¯s a healer.¡± Trym stated proudly, swinging a fist into his puffed chest. ¡°The most beautiful woman you¡¯ll ever lay eyes on. It was a good long fight to get to marry her.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind him, he¡¯s a sap for his wife.¡± The chief chuckled, a bit awkwardly.


    ¡°Of course I am! It took me five years to get her to marry me. Every day since our wedding has been the happiest of my life.¡± He insisted seriously.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure she is awesome.¡± Johan said pleasantly.


    ¡°She sure is!¡± Trym grinned and then he too fell serious. ¡°And that¡¯s why I can¡¯t let anything happen to her.¡±


    ¡°Young man.¡± Johan tensed and met the chief¡¯s stoic expression.


    ¡°Tell me,¡± He started seriously. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Johan didn¡¯t move.


    The question could be taken in different ways. His first instinct was to play it off, but he knew that wouldn¡¯t work. Should he tell them? If the three of them were to stay in the house, he would have to tell them. But how would they react? Would they even believe him?


    Johan eyed the two men. They were watching him like hawks, sleeves pulled up to their elbows and swords glinting at their belts.


    He had two choices. He could tell them, or he could lie. For some reason he didn¡¯t want to lie. They didn¡¯t seem like bad people¡­but then again, neigher did anyone in Heaven, at least not at first glance.


    Johan gritted his teeth. If he told them it could end badly. But they had already seen what Signe could do and probably already had an idea of who she was. Not to mention, if they told anyone about what happened to the n?kks¡­


    Johan wasn¡¯t a violent person. But he wouldn¡¯t take that lightly.


    ¡°I¡¯m Fate.¡± To prove it, Johan pushed his hair away, showing his eyes. He would rather they tried to kill him now, with only the village present, rather than later, with an entire army at their backs.


    He watched cautiously, feeling tense. But the attack didn¡¯t come, instead they seemed to freeze.


    The chief¡¯s expression twisted into a series of different emotions. Shock, amazement and terror all flickered across his face before it finally settled on resignation. Like he had been expecting it.


    ¡°The king?!¡± Trym burst out in shock, hands slamming down on the table. Johan flinched at the outburst.


    ¡°Well...¡± Johan started awkwardly. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t exactly say that...¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re not the king?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Johan struggled, heat rushing to his face. How was he supposed to say that he got kicked out of Heaven? ¡°Uh...I guess.¡±


    Trym slapped the table and turned to Odin. They shared a look.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to explain a little more?¡± The chief challenged, raising an eyebrow. Johan smiled, lifting an eyebrow back in mock curiosity. The chief huffed unamused and continued. ¡°Like why is the king of Heaven bothering himself with my small village? And why does the king want to stay in it?¡±


    Johan hummed thoughtfully.


    ¡°Can¡¯t the king do whatever he wants?¡± Johan joked.


    ¡°The king can do whatever he wants unless it is to harm my village.¡±


    Ah that¡¯s the mood, huh. Johan looked down at the table.


    ¡°This king isn¡¯t much of a king at the moment, so no worries there.¡± He spoke honestly, amusement fading to something darker as he took a sip of his mead.


    ¡°Why not?¡± The chief frowned. Johan shrugged.


    ¡°It¡¯s complicated.¡± He said simply.


    Odin didn¡¯t seem impressed, but he did accept the answer.


    ¡°Do you know something about why people aren¡¯t dying then?¡± Odin asked.


    Johan froze. Uhh¡­


    Before Johan could even think of an answer, Signe stumbled over.


    ¡°Those old men can really drink¡± Signe laughs as she almost falls down on the bench next to Johan.


    Relief filled him at the change in subject.


    ¡°Find someone that can win over you?¡± He asks idly, sipping his own drink as he carefully watched Odin and Trym. They seemed to have frozen again when Signe got there.


    Signe let out a loud laugh. ¡°Hah! Nobody can beat me! Those old men didn¡¯t stand a chance.¡±


    Suddenly she grabbed his face, staring at him drunkenly, eyes thin and face scrunched up like she was really studying him.


    ¡°Your hair is so fluffy.¡± Johan nodded in surprise. Ahh, such words of wisdom. Still, Johan felt strangely flattered at it. He smiled at her.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± He answered, and didn¡¯t try to stop her when she started petting his head very gently. Johan tok another sip of his mead. As long as she didn¡¯t move it away from his eyes it was fine.


    ¡°Hey, where did Note go?¡±


    Johan felt his eye twitch at the reminder, suddenly annoyed. He nodded over to where Note sat without taking his eyes away from the men across the table. Note had been sitting over there pretty much since the meal ended and for some reason it was making Johan really annoyed.


    ¡°Oh, he found himself a guy. Huh.¡± Signe wondered aloud, then downed the rest of her drink, arm still slung over Johan¡¯s shoulder.


    Johan nodded shortly, not wanting to think about it.


    He kept watching the men, they had started to glance at each other, then back to Signe, and repeat. It was getting weird.


    ¡°Can I braid your hair?¡± Signe asked.


    ¡°Later.¡± Johan promised. ¡°Are you having fun?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the people here are awesome.¡± Signe giggled.


    ¡°Excuse me, Signe.¡± Odin finally spoke, interrupting their conversation, his eyes glued to Signe. Johan leaned back on his arms.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± She smiled curiously at the chief.


    ¡°By any chance, is your father¡¯s name Ragnar?¡±


    Johan froze. What?


    His head snapped over to Signe. For a second she seemed just as surprised as he was. Then her expression fell. All gentleness disappeared, and Johan was hit by old memories as a cold, flat expression settled on her face. Her arm fell from Johan¡¯s shoulders as she sat up straight.


    She glanced uncomfortably at Johan before twisting her face into a smile that didn¡¯t quite reach her eyes. ¡°How did you know?¡±


    Trym slapped a hand over his mouth, turning to Odin with big eyes and the chief wasn¡¯t looking much better, his jaw dropped and his eyes hurriedly ran over Signe.


    The two men shared a look, and suddenly the shock was replaced by excitement, eyes somehow growing wider as grins broke out on their faces. Johan could almost see them shrieking in delight.


    ¡°I knew it! You look just like your mother.¡± Odin laughed.


    Signe stared without blinking. ¡°You know my parents?¡±


    Johan bit his lip. Her demeanor had changed completely. She sent Johan a worried look.


    ¡°Know? I grew up with them! I was the best man at their wedding! Even saw you and your brothers as babies.¡± Odin¡¯s laughter boomed.


    ¡°Really?¡± Signe asked, sounding desperate. Odin and Trym didn¡¯t seem to notice anything and kept laughing.


    ¡°Yeah! It¡¯s been a long time since I last saw him, must be around a decade now, give or take.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Signe cocked her head, a frown on her face. Finally she sighed, relieved. Her smile fell back in place.


    Johan didn¡¯t know anything about Signe¡¯s past, he realized, and right in front of him were two people that knew her as a baby. That was weird. That was very weird.


    ¡°Little brighteyes. Look at her!¡± The chief boomed and playfully hit Trym¡¯s back, forcing more delighted laughter out of him. ¡°She looks just like her mom! But her eyes are her dad¡¯s. I would recognize those soul gazing eyes anywhere¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s even a big drinker too.¡± The blacksmith hollered. ¡°Bet you can¡¯t beat my old man tho, the only thing he does from dawn to dusk is drink. Sigurd, did ya meet him? Big guy, well was big. He has a bit of a hunchback, graying hair and beard both down to his pits.¡±


    ¡°Sigurd?¡± She cocked her head to the side, then cackled, almost falling off her chair. ¡°Oh him. He¡¯s puking in the forest.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s-? Ah! For Jotun¡¯s sake, that old man! I¡¯ll catch up later!¡±


    Johan laughed in surprise as the last words were thrown back over the blacksmith¡¯s shoulder as he hurried out of the building, shouldering through people dancing.


    ¡°Woah!¡± He quickly grabbed Signe as she threw her head back in laughter, almost throwing herself off of the bench in the process.


    Odin wasn¡¯t doing much better, he was leaning heavily over the table and hitting his fist against it so hard that Johan could feel it from his seat.


    Johan smiled into his drink as he waited for them to finish.


    ¡°How are you here?¡± Odin suddenly asked, laughter still apparent in his voice. ¡°Last I heard you took over your mother¡¯s position when she died.¡±


    Johan turned to Signe, smile falling off of his face. Her mom died?


    She met Johan¡¯s eyes easily and gave him a small smile before turning back to Odin, a calculating expression on her face, her running a hand down Johan¡¯s arm soothingly.


    ¡°You don¡¯t keep in touch with my dad?¡± She asked casually but Johan could hear the underlying question in her words. He frowned.


    ¡°We did for a long time but it¡¯s been a while now. Sent my son out to yours a couple years ago to study and live some before taking over the duties as chief. Haven¡¯t heard much since then.¡±


    Johan watched as realization hit Odin. He froze, eyes narrowing. For a moment he stared at nothing, then slowly he turned to Signe. A deep frown settled on his face as he searched her.


    ¡°But you haven¡¯t met him, have you?¡± It wasn¡¯t a question. Johan bit his lip, so Odin knew Signe died then.


    Signe shook her head with a short giggle. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°What happened to you?¡± Odin asked seriously, worry on his face.


    She cleared her throat. ¡°I haven¡¯t been there for a long time.¡± She smiled with a glint in her eyes before continuing. ¡°You could say life took its turn.¡±


    Johan sighed, she was playing with him.


    ¡°Signe is the Jotun of Death now.¡± He threw in helpfully, watching for the chief¡¯s reaction. For a long moment, Odin didn¡¯t even blink, seemingly not having heard him. Then it seemed to register. He turned to Johan and his expression fell to shock, then horror, then something in between.


    Signe didn¡¯t even flinch when the big man turned to her, she burst out laughing. ¡°Don¡¯t look so worried.¡±


    ¡°How..?¡±


    Signe threw a look over her shoulder, Johan could hear Note laugh from wherever he was and she turned back. For the first time since the conversation started, she looked conflicted.


    She shrugged. ¡°Sometimes you make the right choice but the results are completely different from what you expected, yet exactly what you needed.¡±


    ¡°...I understand.¡± The chief cleared his throat, getting serious. ¡±Well. You saved my village and you are my old friend¡¯s child. You have a home here whenever you need it, all three of you. And I will not say a word to your family unless you want me to.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Signe said. She turned to Johan with a wide smile, then immediately frowned as her eyes caught on something over his shoulder. Johan turned to see a very happy and drunk Note sauntering up to them.


    Johan yelped as his shirt was grabbed, struggling to stay on the bench as he was hit with the deadweight of a muscle-heavy swordsman.


    He groaned, grip white around the table and barely keeping them both up as Note sunk against him. In an attempt to slam his hands on the table, Note had hit the bench and face planted right into Johan. Beside him Signe was laughing like crazy, even Odin joined in after a while.


    ¡°Guys. I¡¯m going fishing.¡± Note said happily, finally supporting himself.


    ¡°Now?!¡± Johan gaped up at him and finally noticed Leif standing at the edge of the table, just as happy as Note, and clearly just as eager for a late night, drunk fishing trip.


    ¡°No.¡± Signe spoke up from behind him, and for a second Johan thought she was going to say something reasonable. ¡°I have a better idea. We¡¯re going fishing!¡± Immediately Johan took it back. Of course she wouldn¡¯t.


    ¡°Fishing!¡± Note yelled.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Johan didn¡¯t even notice Signe stood up before the collar of his shirt was grabbed.


    He had just enough time to glance back at Odin, the big man¡¯s eyes¡¯ sparkling, before Signe lifted him out of his seat and started herding them away.

 Chapter 13 - Meeting the villagers (the new fam)

    Again, Johan woke up to knocking. He groaned, sending a scorching glare towards the door.


    After their late night fishing trip they had spread out all the blankets and fallen asleep on the floor. Signe had somehow managed to miss them completely, laying on the bare floor next to two perfectly good blankets and Note had at some point decided to use Johan as a teddy bear.


    Johan pushed Note away and sat up. The sun was shining in through the windows and right into his eyes. They really needed to get some curtains.


    The knocking kept going, getting louder and louder. Johan was steaming by the time he got off the floor. For Heaven¡¯s sake, who thought it was a good idea to be that annoying so early in the day?!


    ¡°Who is it?¡± He forced a big smile on his face as he ripped the door open. Anger or not, first impressions were important. His smile fell when he saw who was standing outside. Annoyance throbbed deep in his temples. Leif. Note¡¯s little boyfriend.


    ¡°Hey, is Note home?.¡± The tall man smiled through his light brown stubble. Pushing down the urge to slam the door shut, Johan forced the smile back on his face.


    Before he could say no, a voice spoke up behind him.


    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Wait, where are you going?¡± Johan asked.


    ¡°Fishing.¡± Again?! It couldn¡¯t be more than a couple hours since they got back!


    Note didn¡¯t meet his eyes as he ducked under Johan¡¯s arm and went out the door.


    Johan frowned after him. He didn¡¯t know why it bothered him so much. It wasn¡¯t like there was anything else to do on the island outside of hanging with the villagers, Note might as well go fishing.


    ¡°Your face is very emotive, Johan.¡± Leif laughed awkwardly before turning to Note who seemed eager to run off. ¡°Ah actually, the day shift already went out a couple hours ago. They wanted to be extra early today to get some more fish to sell tomorrow. But the sellers are going to Solstad to sell the fish from yesterday soon and we thought maybe you three wanted to come along. There¡¯s a ton of stuff to do in the city.¡±


    Johan paused, they did need stuff. However Solstad was where he met Frey the last time. It was probably not a good idea to go.


    ¡°We¡¯re going!¡± Another voice spoke up behind him, a small body ducking under his arm to stand in front of him in the doorway.


    Signe sent a bright smile to Leif. ¡°When are we going?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re loading the fish right now, so probably in an hour or so. People like to buy fish right around lunch time, so that¡¯s what we¡¯re aiming for.¡±


    ¡°We¡äll be there.¡± She nodded, then she slammed the door, spinning around to face Johan. ¡°I know you don¡¯t want to go with him because of-whatever the reason is, however I can¡¯t be seen like this. I need new clothes.¡±


    Johan wanted to refuse, but he couldn¡¯t. Really, he agreed. Both Signe and Note looked like completely different people. It was the first time he had ever seen them in colorful clothing and he felt weird about it.


    ¡°Fine.¡± He relented and shoved her out of the way, opening the door again. ¡°I¡¯m not buying you that really flashy stuff tho, we still need to lay low.¡±


    Signe¡¯s pleased smile changed into a grimace. ¡°But-¡±


    Johan ignored her and walked outside- and saw nobody.


    A little speechless he looked around. Note and Leif must have sprinted away as soon as the door closed.


    As he and Signe walked through the woods and into the village, Johan couldn¡¯t shake the feeling of safety. It was weird. They were probably safe in the village, sure, but there were just so many people that saw them, too many that could tattle on them or conspire against them. Johan shouldn¡¯t feel safe, he should be prepared to fight.


    In some way they were prepared to fight. Note had his sword now and Johan had his ribbons. That left Signe. She used to have an axe, big and heavy enough that she could sling herself around with it, but she didn¡¯t have it when Johan dug her out of the ground.


    Johan didn¡¯t doubt that she would be fine without a weapon, but still.


    ¡°Where is your axe?¡± Johan asked.


    ¡°Uhh-¡± Signe pursed her lips thoughtfully for a second. Then she seemed to remember. Suddenly rage tok over, her face twisting and Johan quickly put some distance between them as she stopped walking, her last steps stomping deep into the ground.


    ¡°Wrath has it?¡± Johan guessed. Well, that axe was gone for good then.


    Signe wasn¡¯t quick to get angry. Normally. Wrath was the exception. The two of them hated each other. That certain deity used to follow Signe around like an obsession, aggravating her on purpose and straight up asking for fights at every opportunity. The way Johan understood it, Signe was the first person in a very long time to fight against Wrath and win.


    If Wrath had the axe, Signe would never get it back, that Johan knew for sure.


    Instead of answering Signe just grunted and fell back in step with Johan.


    ¡°Maybe the blacksmith has one you can use.¡± Johan suggested.


    ¡°No.¡± Signe shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t want another one.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t just walk around without a weapon.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get it back.¡± Signe promised confidently.


    ¡°From Wrath?¡± Johan didn¡¯t believe that.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Signe nodded. ¡°The next time we meet I¡¯m taking it back.¡±


    Johan didn¡¯t say anything to that. Hopefully there wouldn¡¯t be a next time. Instead he focused on looking around the village. It was a bright and sunny spring day, just slightly windy. Some snow was left, laying on the grass in big chunks and lazily melting in the sunlight.


    Despite the early hour it seemed like everyone was awake, all working on something. And all stopping to stare when they saw Johan and Signe walk past.


    A group of laughing children ran past them, each swinging a wooden sword.


    It had been a long time since Johan had been in a small town. It was so different to the city, instead of working around each other, people were working together. There were still people everywhere, just less, and no tourists walking around.


    Suddenly he heard resonating clangs of metal hitting metal ringing through the air, quickly followed by someone yelling.


    ¡°Johan! Signe!¡±


    Johan turned to see a very happy Odin waving them over. He had clearly dropped whatever he was doing to call them over, Trym cursing after him as he and some other men lugged around a big wood thing.


    ¡°Hi, what are you doing?¡± Johan asked as they walked to meet him.


    ¡°Oh we are just fixing Trym¡¯s smith.¡± Odin laughed, throwing a look back over his shoulder. ¡±There was a problem.¡±


    Johan followed his gaze. The smith was similar to a shed. It had dark walls and a door shaped hole with a big double-edged axeblade hanging over it. The group of men dropped the wood on the ground and started working on it, a small kid running around them as they did. The woman from the celebration sat on a bench a little further away, watching them.


    ¡°I see you are looking around, what do you think?¡± The chief continued, a smug and prideful smile on his face.


    ¡°It¡¯s very small.¡± Signe replied. Johan grimaced and eyes the chief, but instead of getting offended, he threw his head back in booming laughter.


    ¡°Ahaha! Yes, it sure is! Much, much smaller than you two must be used to in Heaven.¡± Odin whispered the last word, winking at Johan. ¡°It must be a big change, going from such a big city to our small village.¡±


    Signe laughed. ¡°I like it.¡±


    ¡°Good!¡± Odin bellowed. ¡°You must be feeling at home here, it¡¯s very much like your own home village after all. Though a bit small in comparison, I will give you that. We only have around a hundred villagers living on the island, my children are studying on the mainland!You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    ¡°Blood relation or not, here everyone is family. We work together, eat together, celebrate together and we mourn together.¡± The chief exclaimed loudly, looking around proudly. ¡°The last few days have been busier than normal, everyone is very excited to get back to work fishing and selling after the last few months. What about you, do you have any plans for the day?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to Solstad to get some clothes for Note and Signe.¡± Johan said.


    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s why I saw the last one of you running around with Leif and his crew.¡± Johan nodded, so that¡¯s where Note had disappeared to. ¡°But, why don¡¯t you have any clothes?¡±


    Johan froze at the question. Right. Odin still didn¡¯t know why they were on the island, he didn¡¯t know there was no clothes to bring anymore.


    ¡°Uhh-¡± He looked at Signe for help, but she just smiled sweetly. He tried to think of something that made sense.


    Luckily, right then he was distracted by a tug on the bottom of his cloak. Johan looked down to see a small, freckled child with a dark blond bananasplit ponytail staring up at him with big, round eyes. The same child that had been running around Trym.


    ¡°Oh. Hello.¡± Johan said in surprise.


    The child mumbled something Johan couldn¡¯t hear. He bent down. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Do you¡­have a sword?¡± The small child asked timidly, looking up at him with hopeful eyes.


    ¡°Uhm..no.¡± Johan hesitated. Tears started welling up in the kid¡¯s eyes, his grip on Johan¡¯s cloak getting tighter. He looked for help in Signe but she just backed up, acting like she didn¡¯t see him.


    Johan panicked. ¡°I have a dagger, though!¡± Johan heard Odin laugh loudly, slapping his thigh. The kid stopped crying. Eyes widening in surprise.


    ¡°Einar!¡± Before Johan could get his knife out, the woman from the bench ran over. Trym¡¯s wife, Ulfhild. She had briefly introduced herself during the celebration before pulling Hilda with her. She was a middle aged woman with graying blonde hair and the same blue eyes as the kid, her deep blue dress almost so long it dragged on the ground behind her, the fur collar blowing in the wind.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother people you don¡¯t know.¡± She scolded gently when she got close enough. At the sight of her, the kid finally let go of Johan and ran over to grab her dress instead.


    She smiled apologetically at them. ¡°Sorry for the trouble. My son can be a bit of a handful.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Johan felt his eyes rise and he shared a look with Signe. ¡®Son?¡¯ she mouthed in surprise and inched closer.


    The woman must have noticed their shock because she started explaining herself.


    ¡°Oh I know. I must seem terribly old to be the mother of such a young and beautiful son. And you would be right. I am almost fifty years old so he was a very late pregnancy, he is almost five years old now! We were lucky with the timing, imagine if I had gotten pregnant just a few months later, then he wouldn¡¯t be here with us today!¡± She laughed as if that was funny.


    ¡°Oh, but where are my manners? Johan, I met you very briefly yesterday so you know my name, but hello, Signe! It¡¯s such a pleasure to meet you! It looked absolutely ethereal when you lit up the sky that night, and then you walked out of the water it was like a deity herself had come to save us!¡±


    Johan froze, his smile becoming strained. Did they all know? He quickly glanced at Signe who mirrored his expression before turning to the offender. Odin had clearly been finding the whole situation hilarious, but now he was quiet, meeting Johan¡¯s eyes easily and quickly shaking his head defensively.


    Ulfhild surged forward and happily grabbed Signe¡¯s hands. ¡°My name is Ulfhild, I am Trym¡¯s wife, and this little man¡¯s mother! I am the healer of the village, so if anything hurts or bleeds, just come straight to me!¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you, too!¡± Signe said when she finally could get a word in. She quickly stepped back when Ulfhild let go, the big smile still on her face. Ulfhild opened her mouth to speak again, but the kid tugged on the skirt of her dress before she could.


    ¡°What was that?¡± She leaned down to hear better and the kid quickly got on his toes to speak into her ear. ¡°Oh, a dagger? Well, ask him nicely and maybe he will show you.¡±


    The kid glanced timidly at Johan before turning back to his mom, clutching the skirt of her dress tightly.


    ¡°Please?¡± The kid spoke more to the ground than to Johan, only glancing at him before turning to look up at Ulfhild, getting an approving smile in return. He turned back to Johan with newfound confidence. ¡°Can I see the dagger?¡±


    How could he say no to that? Johan acted thoughtful, hand coming to his chin. ¡°Hmm. Well, since you asked so nicely.¡±


    Really it was more like a pocketknife than a dagger. His earring lit up in bright gold before it appeared in his hand.


    The kid oooh-ed in amazement, eyes sparkling.


    ¡°How many people have you killed with it?¡± The kid continued. Johan stared.


    Right. This was that kind of village, wasn¡¯t it.


    ¡°Uncountable.¡± Johan lied easily.


    The kid gasped in excitement. He tried reaching up to grab it but Johan lifted it out of reach, keeping a pleasant smile on his face the entire time as the kid started frowning.


    That¡¯s when it happened.


    Johan saw the rope slip out of Trym¡¯s hands and almost in slow motion the rope jerked up, whipping loudly against the wall as the big, wooden beam fell down. Trym¡¯s head snapped up and someone yelled-


    Johan moved.


    The beam stopped in the air.


    ¡°Trym!¡± Ulfhild cried out and ran to her husband, the kid screamed and almost went with her before Signe grabbed his arm and roughly pulled him closer. Trym seemed to be the only one not alarmed with the situation, staring straight up and making no move to get away from the huge piece of wood hovering just above his head.


    ¡°Get out of the way, you meathead!¡± Johan yelled, and groaned as the ribbon dug into his wrist. He was not made to deal with heavy stuff. Signe quickly realized as he started slipping.


    ¡°Hey, move!¡± She yelled, loud enough that Johan flinched away from it. But it worked. Trym finally seemed to see the severity of the situation and threw himself away.


    Johan let go and the beam slammed into the dirt path below.


    ¡°Oh, Heaven! Are you ok?!¡± Ulfhild fell to her knees by a wide-eyed Trym.


    ¡°I-¡± Trym glanced at her, then down at himself as if searching for a wound. ¡°I¡¯m fine?¡±


    Johan huffed and rewrapped the ribbon, feeling eyes set on him.


    ¡°That¡¯s amazing!¡± Odin boomed and bounced over. Johan let him touch the end of the ribbon. ¡°They are just normal ribbons?! That¡¯s an amazing skill!¡±


    Ulfhild helped a shaky Trym off the ground. Signe let go of the kid who immediately ran over to them.


    ¡°You good?¡± Signe asked quietly. Johan nodded, his wrist aching.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, babe.¡± Trym reassured and gently tok Ulfhild in his arms. ¡°It just slipped.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± She asked. Trym smiled and kissed her on the head. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t do that again. My heart can¡¯t take seeing you hurt.¡±


    ¡°Saps.¡± Odin commented, arms crossed and head shaking disapprovingly. Simultaneously the couple turned to glare at Odin who just laughed. Johan snorted.


    Ulfhild seemed to realize something. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s getting late. I have plans with Hilda soon. Come on, Einar. We are going to go find Astrid now.¡±


    ¡°But mom, she¡¯s so boring.¡± The kid, apparently called Einar, whined.


    ¡°Aw sweetie, I know I know. Would you rather join mommy and Hilda today?¡± The kid turned his nose up and Ulfhild smiled. ¡°If you go with Astrid you get to see your friends, isn¡¯t that much more fun?¡±


    The kid brightened up, nodding fiercely.


    ¡°It was nice to meet you, have a nice day!¡± Ulfhild left with the kid, sending a kiss over her shoulder to Trym who was ready and grabbed it out of the air.


    ¡°Bye, dear!¡± Trym called after her, a wide grin on his face. He watched her as she walked away-


    and the second she got out of view he turned to Johan.


    ¡°That,¡± Trym pointed at Johan¡¯s ear. ¡°Is that one of those weapons that transform?¡±


    Johan blinked, caught off guard.


    Odin broke down laughing. ¡°You were almost flattened because of a knife?¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡± Trym snapped but his eyes didn¡¯t leave Johan.


    ¡°Uh, yeah it is.¡± He pulled out the earring, showing it off in his palm before it transformed.


    The blade was gold, the handle black. It was one sided and the only detail was a thin line of metallic red that stretched from the very tip of the blade to where it wrapped around the handle like string.


    The blacksmith ooo-ed, very similarly to his son, and he gently took it from Johan¡¯s hand like he was holding the most precious thing he¡¯d ever seen. Honestly, that was probably accurate, considering who gave it to Johan.


    A very important person in Johan¡¯s life had given it to him. His dad¡¯s brother, Johan¡¯s uncle. He froze for a second, watching as Trym swung it through the air. Through the years the dagger had caused a lot of bitterness in him. A big part of him wanted to throw it away because of what it represented, but he could never do it. He still remembered what his life was like when he got it.


    He felt Signe¡¯s eyes burn into him.


    The blacksmith hmm-ed as he held it up to the light, then back down, moving it around to see it more clearly.


    ¡°This looks like gold, but it¡¯s not.¡± He commented, sending a curious look at Johan. ¡°It¡¯s stronger.¡±


    Uh oh.


    ¡°Ahh, I wouldn¡¯t know.¡± Johan waved his arm innocently. ¡°It was a gift.¡±


    The blacksmith made a low hmm, looking back at the blade suspiciously. He turned it around a few times.


    ¡°It must be a very precious gift. This material is only found in Heaven.¡±


    Huh. Johan cocked his head. How did Trym know that?


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that.¡± Trym huffed. ¡°I have seen more of the world than just this little island, you know. I have only seen a weapon like this once though, in passing. It was interesting, the kid that had it disappeared just as soon as the weapon appeared.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Johan asked. He hoped it wasn¡¯t someone he knew.


    ¡°Trym!¡± One of the men working on the smith interrupted them, gesturing vaguely at the smith. ¡°Some help here?¡±


    ¡°Duty calls.¡± Trym laughed, and returned the dagger.


    His gaze lingered on it but Odin just laughed and slung an arm around his shoulders. ¡°Have a good day in Solstad, heroes. Come on, Trym. Back to work we go.¡±


    Johan waved after them before turning to Signe. ¡°Let¡¯s go, I guess.¡±


    She nodded, and they walked through the village in silence, leaving the smith behind.


    ¡°Is that the dagger I think it is?¡± Signe finally asked, no emotion in her voice.


    ¡°It is.¡± Johan answered cautiously. He knew she was going to mention it. Afterall, she already knew who he got it from.


    ¡°Good.¡± Signe nodded seriously.


    ¡°You¡¯re not mad?¡± Johan asked in surprise, turning to face her.


    ¡°No.¡± She shook her head. ¡°He was a good person when he gave it to you. He¡¯s your uncle.¡±


    Johan nodded.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell Note.¡± He finally said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t.¡± Signe laughed, then smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s look around some more, there has to be something fun to do here before we need to leave for the city.¡±

 Chapter 14 - What s a pregnant woman doing in a monster filled forest?!

    Turns out, there wasn¡¯t anything fun to do. But it was interesting to watch the villagers and see what everyone was up to. It was all very¡­normal. The two of them had walked from one end of the village to the other, only stopping when they got to the woods on the other side.


    ¡°We should go back.¡± Signe suggested. ¡°The boat will probably leave soon.¡±


    A loud cry filled the air, coming from the woods.


    Johan had just enough time to meet Signe¡¯s eyes before they set off.


    They ran through the woods, dodging roots and soft moss as the tightly growing trees shut out the sunlight and the sky above them.


    Finally the woods opened up into a big open meadow. The first thing he saw was the monster. Then he saw what it was chasing. A screaming child ran straight towards them.


    ¡°What the hell is a grassman doing here?!¡± He startled, coming to a dead stop as he tok in the view. A grassman was a small creature. At least most of the time. They started out as the roots of plants and trees, which would then mutate into monsters when there was excess good energy in the air. They stayed still underground, laying in wait to use its thorny vines to grab onto unsuspecting humans and pull them under the dirt, suffocating them to then use as fertilizer for the monster to grow bigger.


    The kid launched forward and grabbed onto Johan¡¯s leg with an iron grip.


    ¡°You take the kid.¡± Signe said with a grin and crouched down into her axe stance before realizing her mistake and switching to combat. A vine snapped after the kid, but right before it could reach its target Signe jumped in front of them and grabbed it out of the air, expertly avoiding its thorns. With a grin thrown back over her shoulder, she let it pull her in.


    ¡°Why me!?¡± Johan tried to shake the kid off of his led to instead grab him, but it was refusing to let go, only crying louder in fear. Why his leg?! Signe was right there, why didn¡¯t it pick her?


    Wait a second, he knew that kid. ¡°Einar?!¡±


    Vines launched at them and Johan quickly pulled the kid into his arms, ignoring the cry of terror, then did the only thing he could do at that moment.


    He turned and ran.


    Behind him he heard the squishy sound of vines breaking and a shrill screech followed them as the monster was ripped apart by Signe.


    Vines shot past, digging up the earth around them and Johan summoned his dagger just in time to cut through one that shot up in front of them. To kill the monster he would need to get to the root, and with the kid with him, there was no way.


    As soon as he cut the vine, even more shot up from the ground. Johan could only run as they tried to grab him.


    Then another scream filled the air.


    A chill went down his spine. That wasn¡¯t the monster.


    He stomped his foot into the dirt, using his speed to whirl himself back around. Vines flew past him and he took off back into the meadow.


    His heart beat out of his chest, the kid screaming into his cloak, and Johan scanned the area without seeing anyone. There was someone else there somewhere!


    Then finally he saw it. A movement in the corner of his eye. There she was! A woman was laying on the ground, trying to get away as the vines gained in on her.


    Johan cursed as he changed his course.


    The vines reached her ankle and the woman let out a sobbing scream as it continued to wrap up her leg.


    Johan gritted his teeth and threw the kid under one arm, raising his dagger in the other.


    The vines dropped to the ground and the woman gasped.


    Johan came to a stop, hovering over the cut vines, his chest heaved for air as gunk lazily dripped from the blade. Anger raced through him.


    Slowly he looked to the woman, teeth clenched, interested in seeing who was stupid enough to bring a child into such a situation.


    The woman¡¯s leg was bleeding from where the thorns had pierced the skin-


    Then he froze, his eyes catching something.


    Her stomach¡­


    ¡°What is a pregnant woman doing in the middle of a monster infested field?!¡± He snapped and grabbed her hand, harshly pulled her to her feet and ignored her small yelp. If she could play with monsters she could deal with some manhandling.


    ¡°Huldra!¡± The woman screamed and Johan quickly followed her eyes to see¡­ Signe. He took a deep breath, mentally counting to ten.


    The woman let out another panicked sob and she tried to curl in on herself but Johan wasn¡¯t having any of it. He pushed the kid into her arms.


    With what Signe was doing, they would be safe there for a while.


    ¡°Stay here.¡± He ordered, leaving no room for objections as he ran off towards the fight. They needed to speed things up before the boat left. They had plans!


    Without her axe Signe was fighting slower than normal, only using her hands to rip apart the vines, but despite that she was doing fine. Dozens of torn vines littered the ground around her together with shallow stomped holes. Johan quickly caught on to her plan. She was luring the root out!


    But he wasn¡¯t the only one that realized. As Signe narrowed in on the root¡¯s location, it got defensive. A dozen vines looked like nothing compared to what was happening now. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    There were no more vines charging for Johan, nor anywhere else in the meadow, instead all of them swarmed together to protect the root. They whipped around each other, digging into the earth and snapping against everything around it.


    And Signe was right in the middle of it. Johan watched as it closed in around her, trying to trap her.


    Johan knew what he had to do.


    ¡°Signe!¡± He saw her look back, and he threw the knife, watching as it flew through the last little gap, and closed.


    Johan quickly jumped back as the ball grew, the sound deafening as the vines whipped at everything in reach.


    For a long moment all he could do was wait.


    Then his hands slapped over his ears as a hair-raising screech filled the air.


    It stopped moving, the vines fell apart and landed heavily on the ground and out came Signe, carefully stepping through the mess and avoiding the worst of it.


    ¡°This is disgusting.¡± She commented with a grimace and Johan agreed. He watched as she tried to untangle dismembered vines from her hair and clothes, wiping away plant gunk as she went. Johan sighed, now she really needed new clothes.


    Behind her he saw the root. It was pulled halfway out of the dirt and sliced into multiple pieces. Signe offered the dagger back. ¡°Thanks for the loan.¡±


    He took the dagger back and looked over all the mess. ¡°Come on, we have a boat to catch. Let¡¯s get those two to the chief¡¯s house. He can deal with them.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± The woman ran over, dragging Einar with her. ¡°I can¡¯t go there like this.¡±


    Johan blinked, confused.


    ¡°Why not?¡± Signe asked, squinting at her.


    ¡°I..¡± She hesitated, one hand pulling on a leaf stuck in her hair. ¡°I just¡­¡± She faltered off, eyes trailing on the ground.


    A thought hit him. A pregnant woman didn¡¯t just drag a child into the woods for no reason.


    Johan shared a look with Signe. She seemed to have realized the same thing.


    Johan closed his eyes. This was going to ruin their shopping trip. A small comfort was that Signe looked even more mad at that than him.


    ¡°Fine. We¡¯ll go to our place.¡± Johan decided, who knew what stupid stuff that woman would do if they left her alone.


    The woman just nodded, head hanging.


    Johan turned with a huff, ready to go home and finish dealing with this.


    -and immediately stopped.


    What way was the house?!


    He frowned. He knew where the house was. He could easily find back to it¡­ if they walked through the village. But that woman didn¡¯t want to do that, she didn¡¯t want to be seen.


    Johan stared at the trees for a second before turning back.


    ¡°Do you know the way?¡± He asked Signe.


    ¡°Uhh...¡± She looked around. ¡°Not from here.¡±


    For a long moment they looked at each other. How were they supposed to get her to the house then?


    Johan stopped himself from looking at the woman. Maybe they should just take the kid and leave her. Really, Johan was more worried about what she would drag the kid into than what she did by herself.


    The woman sniffled and broke the silence. ¡°You guys just moved into the abandoned house, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Signe said and within a second she wore a bright smile. ¡°You don¡¯t happen to know the way do you?¡±


    ¡°I can- I mean.¡± The woman hesitated. ¡°I mean, yes, I do. I can lead the way if you want me to.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, that would be great.¡± Signe continued.


    The woman sent her a cautious look and took a few steps past them, her red and puffy eyes never leaving them. ¡°It¡¯s this way.¡±


    For a long time they walked in silence. It hadn¡¯t taken long before Einar got tired of walking, so he was now sitting in Johan¡¯s arms. His small face hidden against Johan¡¯s shoulder, and so limp that if it wasn¡¯t for the iron grip on his cloak, Johan would have thought he had fallen asleep.


    ¡°So why were you in the woods anyways?¡± Signe wondered, breaking the silence now.


    Johan could see the woman hesitate, the way her shoulders drew up and her fists clenched in clear view from where she walked ahead of them.


    ¡°Did you know there were monsters out here?¡± Signe followed up, now alarmed.


    ¡°What- no!¡± The woman jerked around to face them. ¡°I¡­¡± She faltered off, her voice cracking and she sighed angrily and wiped her face as her lip wobbled dangerously.


    ¡°I was going to pick molte.¡± She finally said and let out a sob, trying to keep back more. ¡°We need jam for evening food tonight, but we don¡¯t have any left. So I thought I should go get some berries to make more. It would have been easy! But I was watching Einar so I had to take him with me but he wanted to pick flowers in the meadow and ran off.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t someone else pick the berries?¡± Johan protested, trying to wrap his mind around the situation.


    He flinched back as she burst into another round of sobs.


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand!¡± She cried and Johan agreed, he really didn¡¯t. ¡°Molte jam is my mother in law¡¯s favorite!¡±


    Oh. Realization hit him.


    ¡°Lady-¡±


    ¡°Astrid.¡± She interrupted with a hiccup. ¡°My name is Astrid.¡±


    ¡°Astrid.¡± He quickly corrected, and continued gently. ¡°If your mother in law doesn¡¯t like you there¡¯s nothing you can do about it.¡±


    ¡°Your husband should be standing up for you.¡± Signe added, crossing her arms.


    ¡°My husband is dead.¡± Astrid said shortly, sounding tired.


    Johan froze.


    Signe¡¯s mouth closed with a click, eyes wide.


    ¡°I moved here for my husband after we married.¡± Astrid explained. ¡°We met when studying and quickly fell in love. We got married and I even got pregnant. Life was like a fairy tale¡­so bright and amazing. My mother in law never liked me but me and my husband...we were so happy. We were building our family and his love was all I needed.¡±


    Her smile didn¡¯t reach her eyes. ¡°But then the reality set in. My baby will be dead from the moment he is born.¡±


    Johan sucked in a breath.


    ¡°Before that I hadn¡¯t really cared, you know.¡± Astrid quickly continued, meeting their eyes as she spoke. ¡°Babies aren¡¯t being born, so what, right? Nobody I knew was pregnant so it didn¡¯t seem like a problem. Not one I would have to deal with, anyways. So when I found out I was pregnant I was so ecstatic, I rushed to tell my husband right away. But my mother in law was there too, and reminded us that it-it doesn¡¯t...¡± She faltered.


    She wiped away a tear before continuing.


    ¡°Anyways. Time passed quickly after that. I had an appointment for an abortion in Solstad, but then the landslide happened, turning the water into a horrible nightmare. Everything turned into a nightmare. The next day my husband was killed while fishing. But of course, people don¡¯t die now either! He became one of those monsters!¡±


    Astrid set her swollen, teary eyes on Signe. ¡°And finally you killed him.¡±


    Johan froze.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t-¡± Signe quickly tried to defend herself but Astrid stopped her with two more words.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Astrid said. ¡°He deserves peace.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Signe fell silent and sent a wide eyed look at Johan.


    Johan stopped a sigh of relief as the following silence. He really wouldn¡¯t have known what to do if the pregnant woman attacked Signe.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for calling you a huldra.¡± Astrid suddenly said and sniffled loudly, more tears running down her face.


    ¡°You did what?!¡± Signe asked in shock.


    The forest opened up ahead of them before either of them could continue.


    Johan could finally see the house! He was about to let out a celebratory yell when he saw who stood in front of it.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t turn up at the boat, where were you?¡±

 Chapter 15 - A painter??

    Uh oh. Note looked pissed.


    Johan smiled sheepishly as his eyes met Note¡¯s. His arms were crossed, fists white and jaw clenched.


    Right, maybe they should have told him the shopping trip had to wait.


    Johan was about to start explaining when Note seemed to notice the kid in his arms. An alarmed expression quickly replaced the angry one.


    ¡°What the hell happened to you?!¡± Note yelled, stepping towards them.


    ¡°Uh¡­We got a bit sidetracked.¡± Johan said, realizing how bad this looked. Johan got away pretty much unscathed but all of them had some variation of bloody scratches from the thorns, and in addition to that Signe was covered in plant gunk.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine-¡± Signe started.


    ¡°Why do you have a kid?¡± Note continued, ignoring both of them. ¡°And who is-¡±


    Note stopped in his tracks, his face falling. Johan quickly followed his eyes to see Astrid. And her belly.


    His heart skipped a beat. Oh no.


    ¡°Wait-¡± Johan started, but by the time he turned back, Note was already walking away, fists clenched white at his side. ¡°Damn it. Signe, take the kid.¡±


    Johan quickly handed over Einar and went after Note.


    Behind him he could hear Astrid asking something, but he didn¡¯t stop to listen, leaving Signe to deal with it as he hurried after Note.


    Note had disappeared straight into the woods behind the house but luckily it wasn¡¯t too hard to catch up.


    ¡°Where are you going?!¡± Johan yelled when he finally saw Note amongst the trees.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to do something good since apparently I¡¯m the reason nobody is being born!¡± Note yelled without looking back. ¡°People can¡¯t die because of Signe, but at least they get to live! Babies are dying because of me!¡±


    ¡°Note-¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Note yelled, his footsteps going faster.


    ¡°I was there!¡± Johan burst out, feeling the anger and frustration flowing through him.


    And finally. Finally! Note stopped walking.


    ¡°Hey.¡± Johan hissed, walking around him only to find Note staring at the ground. ¡°Look at me. I was there.¡± He repeated, and Note finally looked up to meet his eyes, his face cold and dark. ¡°I watched you get taken, I watched you get killed.¡±


    The deep despair from years ago bubbled up inside him. If anyone was to blame it was Johan!


    ¡°None of this is your fault! I was there for the entire thing. I saw everything! And I didn¡¯t do anything! None of it is your fault. You had to protect me. That¡¯s why you died. So don¡¯t blame yourself. Blame me.¡±


    Note glared at him. Johan tensed but didn¡¯t look away. Rough hands grabbed his collar and he was pulled closer. Their noses were close enough to touch, but still Johan refused to show any weakness.


    ¡°I did protect you.¡± Note snarled. ¡°And I would do it again.¡±


    Then he was gone. Disappearing past him before Johan even had the time to process what he had just said.


    He would do it again?


    Johan tok a deep breath, taking a second to calm his anger.


    It didn¡¯t work.


    ¡°What the fuck?!¡± Johan yelled and spun around. ¡°Note!¡±


    He quickly followed where Note had once again disappeared between the trees.


    They had been going uphill and by the time Johan stumbled out of the woods, they had made it close to a top. Instead of more woods or a meadow, the mountain opened up into a big, open field. Further up ahead was the last peak of the mountain, but before that the ground flattened out, both the sky and the ocean in clear view over the forest as the mountain stretched on, covered in green grass and random patches of pure white snow.


    The ground crunched under his feet and Johan¡¯s eyes snapped down to see dry, brown stilks of something packed against the ground.


    He frowned in confusion, then suddenly realized what it was. Wheat. It was a dead wheat field. And right in the middle of it stood Note, his back to Johan.


    Johan quickly glanced around as he approached Note. What a weird place to plant wheat, it was so far from the village.


    ¡°Note.¡± Johan started. ¡°I understand that you¡¯re upset. But no matter what, you can¡¯t change the past.¡±


    Note didn¡¯t say anything but Johan could see his muscles tensing.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Then Note turned around. Johan startled when he saw his eyes glowing a deep purple.


    ¡°I know, but at least I can do this.¡± Note said ominously.


    Johan narrowed his eyes. Where was he going with this?


    Suddenly black smoke appeared around the field, slowly creeping in from the edges until it covered the whole thing, floating around them almost like fog. Johan could feel the coldness on his legs as it got close.


    And as quickly as it came, it disappeared. The smoke dissipated in the air and when Johan took a step forward he met resistance in the form of waist-high, bright yellow strands of wheat.


    The field was turned back to life.


    Johan¡¯s eyes never left Note¡¯s. They stood at a standstill. It was impressive, sure. But what was the point of it?


    ¡°Wow¡­!¡±


    A chill went down his spine and Johan jerked around just in time to see something duck down in the wheat.


    ¡°What are you?¡± Johan yelled in surprise. Was there someone there?!


    ¡°A painter!¡± It quickly yelled back and Johan tok a step back as hands shot out over the wheat, held up like in surrender.


    Johan twitched, his heart pounding in his chest. A...a painter?


    When there was no more movement from the¡­painter, Johan quickly glanced back at Note, who looked just as shocked. Their eyes met for a second before Johan quickly looked back to the hands.


    Then suddenly the painter shot to his feet. Johan froze as the very tall painter closed in at a shocking speed and he stumbled back as the guy came to a dead stop right in front of him, barely a foot of space between them and suddenly there was an arm around him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t fall!¡± The painter yelled and bent down way too close to Johan¡¯s face.


    Johan leaned back. What¡­


    ¡°A.. painter...¡± Johan mumbled unintelligibly, skin crawling.


    ¡°A painter!¡± The guy repeated, and let go of Johan in favor of straightening his back, chin to the sky and hand to his heart.


    Johan tok a big step back. Then another one.


    ¡°A painter.¡± Johan repeated again, feeling more stupid than Note. The painter faltered, eyes coming back from looking at the horizon to look down at Johan in confusion.


    ¡°Yes. I am a painter.¡±


    ¡°Ok. You are a painter.¡± Johan couldn¡¯t remember the last time he felt this lost.


    ¡°Yes I am.¡± The guy answered, sounding pleased.


    Johan stared, trying to wrap his head around the situation. Looking at him Johan would expect some kind of weirdo but wasn¡¯t this a bit much? From his very normal clothes hung dead wheat, dirt covering his front as well as his face, like he had face-planted right into the ground more than once. And beneath all the dirt on his face Johan could just barely make out smudged, white war paint.


    ¡°What is wrong with your face?¡± Note piped up, stepping past Johan as he tried to gather himself.


    ¡°Oh this? Ah...¡± The painter faltered and awkwardly scratched his chin, then continued at a volume that was much easier on the ears. ¡°I thought your friend would appreciate it but it seems she isn¡¯t here. She seemed to like white so...¡±


    That was the stupidest thing Johan had ever heard- And the worst thing was that the painter was absolutely right, Signe would appreciate it.


    Johan eyed the guy closely. He didn¡¯t seem dangerous. He knew the artistic type of people were stupid beyond fault, often mistaken as bravery by their fans. Like Frey, who had hunted down a dangerous and reclusive fossegrim just to learn how to play his fele better. Sure it worked, but in Johan¡¯s opinion a month of camping at a waterfall just to play a slightly better rendition of the party version of the ¡®March of Fate¡¯ was a huge waste of time.


    Anyway.


    ¡°Why were you spying on us?¡± Johan asked coldly and crossed his arms.


    The guy faltered further. ¡°I wasn¡¯t spying¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah? What do you call it then, research?¡± Johan knew this dance after growing up with Frey.


    ¡°Uhh¡­n-no..¡± He watched as the guy froze, stuttering as he tried to deny it.


    ¡°Well, what you saw was very, very¡­¡± Johan stepped closer, eyes narrowing as he stared unwaveringly at the guy, watching him shrink in on himself with each of Johan¡¯s steps.


    ¡°-Personal.¡± He finished firmly, coming to a stop. ¡°So what are we going to do about that?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a question. People watching Signe kill the n?kks was one thing. Someone seeing Note revive a field of dead wheat, however, could cause problems very quickly.


    ¡°Johan, it¡¯s going to be more suspicious if we kill him.¡± Note said darkly, quickly catching on and coming up to join him. ¡°But he could ¡®run away¡¯.


    ¡°That does seem to be the best choice.¡± Johan agreed. ¡°If he tells anyone it would have to be the whole village, not just him.¡±


    Note gave him a curt nod and together they turned their eyes to the painter.


    The taller man was frozen in fear, big doe eyes open as he looked panicked back and forth between them, his face looking pale through all the dirt and paint.


    Johan cocked his head and without a word Note stepped back, his hand drawing the hairpin from its place and letting his hair fall down to his shoulders as the hairpin tok on a bright gold glow.


    ¡°Wait! Wait!¡± The painter cried out and he fell back as the glow faded away to show the pitch black blade in Note¡¯s hands. ¡°I didn¡¯t see anything I swear!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie.¡± Note tok a step forward.


    ¡°Ah! Fine! I did see it but I promise won¡¯t tell anyone! I don¡¯t want to die!¡±


    Johan looked away for a second to control his face, the corners of his mouth threatening to pull up in a smile.


    ¡°Do you swear?¡± Johan asked emotionlessly.


    ¡°I swear!¡±


    And with that Johan finally let out a snort, quickly followed by actual laughter as Note couldn¡¯t hold it back anymore, his eyes disappearing at the force of his smile and he stepped out of the attack stance, putting the hairpin back in his hair.


    Meanwhile the painter stared at them in confusion, the terrified expression still on his face as they laughed.


    ¡°Fine, fine, as long as you swear.¡± Johan forced out through the laughter. ¡°You wanted to meet Signe right? Come on.¡±


    Johan started walking, trying to calm himself. Note patted the painter¡¯s shoulder as they passed.


    They walked alone for a long moment before the painter spoke again.


    ¡°W-wh...Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Johan replied, amused, and paused to see if the guy was going to follow them. Two big eyes settled on him and for a second the painter just sat there.


    And then he cheered.


    Johan flinched back. Oof, he touched his ear gingerly. Hadn¡¯t the guy learnt what an inside voice was?


    The painter jumped to his feet and quickly ran over to fall in step slightly behind them.


    ¡°So you¡¯re not going to kill me...right?¡± He asked cautiously, looking genuinely worried.


    ¡°Not as long as you don¡¯t tattle.¡± Johan assured.


    ¡°You won¡¯t kill me and I get to meet her. Ahh, life is great.¡± He sighed and clutched his cheeks, fawning at the sky.

 cHAPTER 16 - the reveal

    Signe almost ran them down when Johan opened the door to the house. She pushed close against him and over her head Johan could see Astrid watching them from where she sat on the floor playing with Einar, both cleaned up from the fight.


    ¡°Johan! You can¡¯t ever leave me with children again.¡± She hissed with a stressed look on her face.


    Note gently got between them and grabbed her shoulders.


    ¡°That counts for you too.¡± She whispered loudly, pointing her finger over her shoulder at Note before letting him lead her outside.


    ¡°Hey, painter!¡± Note called as he pushed her down the stairs. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    The painter stood on the ground outside, seemingly frozen in excitement¡­or anxiety. Johan couldn¡¯t tell the difference.


    Johan crossed his arms and leaned against the doorway, watching as the painter¡¯s eyes widened comically at the sight of Signe. Note guided her right to the guy. She stared curiously up at the guy before she smiled.


    ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Signe- oh?¡±


    Her head snapped down, following the descent of the painter as he got down on one knee.


    Oh no. He was not going to propose! Johan tok tok a step forward in alarm.


    Thankfully the painter only bent his head down against his chest, one fist snapping up to rest over his heart.


    ¡°Emil Trymson at your service, lady Signe!¡± All three of their jaws dropped simultaneously in shock. Johan¡¯s hand came up to cover his mouth.


    ¡°Oh, ok.¡± Signe muttered in confusion, staring dazed down at him.


    The painter- Emil, apparently he did have a name, got back on his feet, taking the response as encouragement and closely scrutinizing her face. She leaned back, her head hitting Note¡¯s chest but still she made no move to get away, not uncomfortable but very confused.


    ¡°Yeah, no. That¡¯s enough.¡± Note said and twirled Signe behind him, leaving Emil face-to-face with Note¡¯s chest instead.


    ¡°Emil?¡± Johan turned around to see Astrid quickly approaching, Einar on her hip. She came to a stop beside Johan and glared at the painter. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    Emil straightened up, sneering.


    Johan bit his lip. Wasn¡¯t there a limit to how much drama someone had to deal with in a single day?


    ¡°I should be asking you that.¡± Emil started and crossed his arms. ¡°I was invited here.¡±


    Johan frowned, he wouldn¡¯t really say that.


    ¡°You know each other?¡± Signe asked, trying unsuccessfully to look over Note¡¯s shoulder at Emil.


    ¡°No.¡± The two visitors both answered, throwing their heads to the side in huffs.


    Yeah. They definitely knew each other.


    Johan wanted to die.


    ¡°No fighting at our house.¡± He said drily, hoping the visitors would leave. Unfortunately it only seemed to calm them down. They immediately fell silent, settling on sending each other vile looks instead.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with your face?¡± Signe asked Emil.


    Emil¡¯s eyes snapped away from Astrid, his face paint still very much present on his face, in a split second his face changed.


    ¡°Warrior face paint!¡± He proclaimed proudly with a stupid smile on his face.


    ¡°Warrior face paint?¡± Astrid asked incredulously and snorted dismissively. Johan could tell she was about to say more and leveled a challenging glare at her. He wasn¡¯t going to tolerate any more drama. Not at their house.


    In contrast to earlier, Emil didn¡¯t seem to care much about what Astrid said, instead watching Signe eagerly as she burst out laughing.


    ¡°Ahaha, that¡¯s awesome!¡±


    Yep, Johan knew she would like it.


    ¡°I really like the color.¡± She laughed, seeming genuinely pleased.


    ¡°It¡¯s white!¡± Emil yelled, laughing happily along with her. From Astrid¡¯s arms, Einar also joined in on the celebration, laughing and happily yelling.


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Signe grinned back. ¡°It¡¯s my favorite color! Not enough people use it for face paint! It¡¯s so much better than black or red. It might not start out as intimidating but then BAM.¡± Her fist hit her palm and her smile turned dark. ¡°It¡¯s the scariest of them all.¡±


    The painter nodded along enthusiastically. Johan didn¡¯t get it.


    Signe fell quiet. She glanced at Note. Then Johan. And back to Emil.


    ¡°So, what are you doing here?¡± She asked Emil seriously, smile disappearing from her face.


    Emil visibly steeled himself.


    ¡°I wanted to meet you because I painted you.¡± He said seriously. ¡°And I want to paint your brother.¡±


    Wait, brother? Johan followed his gaze over to see Note. They¡­they didn¡¯t even look alike...why would he assume? He was right, of course, but how did he know that? Johan eyed Emil, was he supposed to be relieved or offended that he was the only one being excluded?


    ¡°You want to paint Note?¡± Johan asked and leaned heavily over the railing and burst out laughing at Note¡¯s horrified grimace.


    ¡°Really?¡± Signe asked. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Uh- Well. I don¡¯t know what your question refers to, so I will answer both.¡± Emil hesitated for a second, mouth opening and closing as he searched for the right words. ¡°I painted you because the scene of you walking out of the water was¡­out of this world! Like a Jotun in real life! A flash of daylight in the middle of the darkness of the night! It was beautiful! I had to immortalize it, it would be a sin to keep such a moment to myself! And that is also why I want to paint your brother! It would be a sin to keep it for myself!¡±


    Johan¡¯s amusement faded and his eyes sharpened.


    But Emil didn¡¯t stop there. ¡°In the middle of the black smoke-¡±


    Johan¡¯s head snapped to Emil, eyes cold. That secret didn¡¯t last very long.


    Emil slapped a hand over his mouth, face paling. He glanced at Johan and Note and clearly started to panic as Johan pushed away from the railing.


    ¡°I-I mean.¡± Emil stuttered, quickly trying to cover it up. His eyes looked back and forth between them, hands coming up defensively as he rambled. ¡°That was a private moment I should not have been present for, of course I will not paint it! I would never! I barely even saw anything, really that must have been when I fell into the dirt and had to clean my eyes, I didn¡¯t see anything!¡±


    Johan shared a look with Note, who crossed his arms with a frown.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Johan said, descending the stairs to stand by the others. Signe¡¯s eyes glinted mischievously as he met them. He let Emil steep for a moment before changing his tone. ¡°But you should do it anyway.¡±


    It would be so funny.


    Johan¡¯s smile only widened when Note¡¯s head whipped around to glare at him. Note deserved it. Maybe he would stop being so overdramatic if he could see what he looked like.


    Signe violently nodded her head, a big smile back on her face.


    ¡°Oh, it will be wonderful, Emil.¡± She grabbed his hands enthusiastically, using her graceful voice to appear innocently ignorant.


    ¡°...are you sure?¡± Emil asked cautiously, eyes on Johan.


    ¡°Absolutely, you have my permission.¡± Johan grinned, forcing down a laugh as he gave Emil a friendly pat on the back.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Emil blinked and a smile grew across his face as he turned down to Signe.  ¡°Well, of course it would be wonderful! I am pretty good at painting!¡±


    ¡°Can you show me the painting of me?¡± Signe asked.


    ¡°Of course!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s getting late, we¡¯ll walk you home.¡± Johan quickly cut in, seeing the opportunity of getting rid of their visitors. ¡°You never know what¡¯s lurking in the dark.¡±


    Signe and Emil didn¡¯t need any more encouragement and immediately turned and left for the path leading back to the village.


    Johan looked back to see two unhappy people watching him. Johan smiled at Astrid where she still stood on the steps with a tired look on her face and a very happy child on her hip, before turning to follow Signe and the painter, making sure to give Note a pat on the back as he walked past him and ignoring the look that was shot back.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    It wasn¡¯t long before he could hear their footsteps following.


    Einar yelled happily from his spot in Astrid¡¯s arms and Johan heard Note make a defeated sigh before offering to carry the kid.


    And that was how they ended up walking back to the village. Johan at the back with Note beside him, a drowsing child in his arms, Astrid slightly ahead of them, and Signe and Emil so far ahead that they were almost out of view.


    ¡°Why did you choose the field?¡± Johan broke the long silence. He had been wondering about it. With a handful of seeds, Note could just as easily have done the same thing somewhere else.


    ¡°It was the field next to where the landslide happened.¡± Note said silently. ¡°Nature can be horrible. I wanted to see it.¡±


    ¡°Why do you care?¡± Johan asked. It was months old at that point. Next to a stranded and starving village anything interesting would be long gone.


    ¡°I always care.¡± Note said shortly.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Johan muttered, a pang of guilt in his chest.


    ¡°Leif told me the village still has trouble with food.¡± Note explained, one hand absentmindedly petting the kid¡¯s back, now fast asleep against Note¡¯s shoulder. ¡°They are selling fish again now, but the money is still tight. They didn¡¯t want my help fishing but I still wanted to do something. It made sense to use what was already there. The field wasn¡¯t harvested, only pushed down by the snow. It¡¯s easier.¡±


    Johan nodded silently.


    -then jumped as Astrid suddenly broke in. He watched in surprise as she turned, he had been so sure she was too far away to hear them.


    ¡°We will be fine.¡± She said gently. ¡°You are new here, don¡¯t worry too much about us. You have already helped us so much. We will live now, there¡¯s no need to try gathering months old wheat.¡±


    Johan eyes her curiously. Did she think Note was digging through the snow to find dead wheat?


    Note kept silent, eyes darkening.


    ¡°But thank you.¡± Astrid gave a small smile over her shoulder before turning back to the path ahead. They were reaching the village now, lights and colorful houses appearing in sight between the trees.


    The path became smoother, more walked-down than the one in the forest and while only a couple people were walking on the road, Johan could hear muffled speaking from inside the houses as they passed by them.


    Johan snorted as he caught sight of Signe. She was skipping effortlessly next to a speedwalking Emil, and he could see the huge smile on her face every time she turned to speak to the painter. Maybe Emil wasn¡¯t so bad afterall, Signe did seem very excited about the painting.


    Then suddenly Emil started running, his arm shooting up towards the sky.


    ¡°Mom!¡± He yelled.


    Johan¡¯s eyes followed the wave to see Odin and Hilda on the porch of a blue house, seemingly on their way out, happily chatting with Ulfhild and Trym who were stood in the doorway.


    At Emil¡¯s yell Ulfhild¡¯s eyes snapped towards them. ¡°Emil! You are late for dinner, we have already eaten!¡±


    Despite the light scolding, her face lit up at the sight of him, a gentle smile growing on her face. Though it quickly changed to surprise when she saw who he came with.


    ¡°Hi!¡± Signe greeted happily, coming to a stop beside the painter.


    ¡°Hello, Signe! What a lovely surprise, I didn¡¯t realize you two had met!¡± Ulfhild startled when she noticed the rest of them. ¡°Oh and hello to all of you! Astrid.¡±


    Ulfhild¡¯s smile got tighter when she saw her daughter in law and Johan noticed how Astrid quickly faltered under the attention, her arms crossing weakly.


    ¡°Heroes!¡± Odin welcomed happily, quickly descending the steps to approach them as they gathered. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Just bringing these three home.¡± Johan nodded towards Einar who was still fast asleep in Note¡¯s arms.


    ¡°And to see the painting.¡± Signe added with a grin.


    Beside them Trym spoke up. ¡°Why are you late?¡± He asked. Johan turned to see him watching the painter with a hard expression on his face and his arms crossed.


    ¡°I was just introducing myself to the new villagers.¡± Emil quickly excused.


    Ulfhild seemingly missed the interaction in favor of turning to Astrid. ¡°Where is my other son, you were supposed to bring him home hours ago.¡±


    ¡°Oh dear,¡± Hilda chuckled as she came to stand beside Odin. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Ulfhild, it seems like the little man just fell asleep. He is right there.¡±


    Ulfhild turned towards them in surprise, her eyes quickly running over them until she found Note. Her hands flew to her mouth. ¡°Oh dear! How adorable!¡±


    Johan had to agree. The kid had cuddled close to Note, his little head now curled up under Note¡¯s jaw, and small hands were gripping his coat tightly. The best thing was that Note looked completely unfazed by it, his face stoic even as the kid slept in his arms. A natural babysitter.


    ¡°You are good with children.¡± Odin commented with an approving nod.


    ¡°I love children.¡± Note said stone faced, but despite his words he easily gave up the child when Astrid reached for him.


    Johan huffed. He already knew that. Despite Note¡¯s¡­intimidating face, he had the softest heart of anyone he had met. It didn¡¯t just stop at children, Note cared about everyone.


    ¡°Well, you better get inside Astrid.¡± Ulfhild said. ¡°You have an eventful day ahead of you tomorrow. Now that we can leave the island again, we finally got you another appointment at the doctors office.¡±


    Johan froze.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Astrid¡¯s eyes widened and for a second she seemed to be at a loss for words. ¡°That¡¯s great..¡±


    ¡°It must be so painful to you to have to carry despite everything.¡± Odin apologized deeply. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I wish you could have your child.¡±


    Johan paused. Didn¡¯t Odin know that Note..?


    ¡°It¡¯s about time.¡± Ulfhild agreed strongly, nodding her head.


    ¡°To get an abortion?¡± Note asked sharply.


    Johan¡¯s eyes snapped to him, the feeling of unease growing quickly.


    Astrid turned to them with a small smile and a nod. ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I ruined your trip to Solstad today but I¡¯m going tomorrow so you get a ride if you want to.¡±


    A cold chill went through Johan. Why was this happening now? She had been pregnant for months, why was it happening now? Ah, Johan shook his head. Really, who cared.


    Johan glared at the ground, the corners of his lips pulling down. He cared. Damn it, couldn¡¯t he have met her later? He had to tell her, but¡­no. They couldn¡¯t risk it. Even if they told just her¡­ it wouldn¡¯t work. Johan glanced around. It wasn¡¯t just Ulfhild¡¯s and Odin¡¯s families present, people were everywhere around them too.


    But before he could decide what to do, Note decided for him.


    ¡°Why?¡± Note challenged.


    The following silence was deafening. Everyone¡¯s shocked eyes turned to them and Johan watched as Note¡¯s lips thinned.


    ¡°What?¡± Astrid asked, her smile faltering.


    Johan eyed Note cautiously.


    ¡°Do you want an abortion?¡± Note elaborated, face darkening. ¡°Or are you getting it because the baby would be dead.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean-¡±


    ¡°If it was alive would you keep it?¡± Note snapped, taking a step forward.


    Astrid stared at him, eyes hardening defensively. ¡°Why are you asking-¡±


    Johan bit his lip hard enough to draw blood. He met Signe¡¯s eyes. She also seemed to realize what was going on, and just like Johan she made no move to stop him, instead she tensed up and slowly came closer to them.


    Of course Note didn¡¯t stop there. Johan could tell he was getting angry now.


    ¡°Are you getting an abortion to get rid of an unwanted fetus or to rid yourself of a dead one?!¡±


    The image of his backpack, innocently sitting against the couch back at the house, flashed through his mind.


    ¡°He¡¯s not unwanted!¡± Astrid yelled back, now angry.


    Maybe he would have time to go get his backpack?


    Beside him Note was steaming with anger and Johan grimaced, drawing in a tense breath-


    ¡°I am the deity- Jotun of life! The baby will live!¡±


    There it was.


    People gasped.


    Johan squeezed his eyes shut for just a second- and opened them to see a pale Odin staring down at Note with wide eyes.


    Ulhild¡¯s hands covered her mouth, still standing on the doorsteps. Behind her Trym watched with an open mouth, both still on the porch, and right below them stood Emil, stiff with shock.


    Signe froze and grimaced, barely a few steps away from them.


    ¡°-unless of course you just don¡¯t want it. Then you should get the abortion.¡± Note finished, anger faltering and arms crossing over his chest at the realization of what he just admitted to.


    Astrid stood there in stunned silence. All of them did.


    Johan felt his heart hammering in his chest, shoulders tense, and after finishing the reveal, Note quickly glanced at him before turning to glare at the ground.


    Slowly Johan heard whispering start up. It seemed the yelling had drawn a crowd. He sighed.


    Ok yeah, he was not leaving his backpack behind, he should go get-


    ¡°You-¡± Astrid¡¯s hands flew to her lips, bright blue eyes tearing up. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Really.¡± Note confirmed coldly, looking slightly uncomfortable. ¡°Emil. He saw it earlier, just ask him.¡±


    ¡°Is that how you did it?!¡± Emil burst out.


    Odin¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°You know?!¡±


    Emil cowered away even as Odin whipped around. Johan avoided his eyes. Well, they had a good few days at the house.


    Ulfhild gasped dramatically. ¡°Never in my wildest dreams¡­I knew there was something going on with you three but a Jotun!¡±


    ¡°Jotuns.¡± Johan corrected, meeting Odin¡¯s eyes for a split second as his word made silence fall yet again. It was too late to keep it secret anyways. ¡°Plural.¡±


    He turned to Astrid. ¡°Get the abortion if you want it, but yeah, have all the facts first. If you want the baby, it will live.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not lying to me?¡± Astrid demanded, one hand on her stomach.


    ¡°Astrid, don¡¯t be rude.¡± Ulfhild snapped but nobody paid her any attention.


    ¡°Not lying.¡± Note forced out through gritted teeth.


    Johan turned to Odin. What would happen now depended on him.


    Their eyes met and an unspoken conversation followed. For a long moment they just watched each other.


    Then finally Odin seemed to decide. He gave Johan a curt nod and looked away, turning to the people around them.


    ¡°I can vouch for them.¡± His powerful voice spoke, and immediately Johan breathed out, stumbling as the relief washed over him.


    They could stay.


    Johan met Note¡¯s concerned eyes with a smile.


    Astrid looked searchingly at Signe. She was probably remembering the night they first arrived at the island. A flash of light and all the n?kks were gone.


    ¡°I¡¯m Death.¡± Signe added helpfully, a smile on her face that didn¡¯t reach her stressed eyes.


    It seemed Astrid found what she was looking for, because soon her head cocked to the side and her bottom lip started wobbling, a sob breaking free from her lips.


    ¡°Trygve¡¯s child will live. Our child!¡± She cried.


    Ulfhild choked. ¡°A grandchild! Trym, did you hear that?! A living grandchild!¡± Tears ran down her face as she surged down the steps. ¡°Astrid, my daughter!¡±


    Suddenly a big hand landed on Johan¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry kid, I will take care of this.¡± Odin spoke gently, giving a reassuring smile before straightening and turning to the villagers around them.


    ¡°People! Everyone here, let it spread to everyone absent. I have kept something from you all. Our heroes are not like us, they are part of the very Jotun that protects us.¡±


    His voice carried on with practiced ease, and while he was speaking Signe finally managed to get over to them.


    ¡°Well, that secret didn¡¯t last long.¡± She muttered when she finally stopped beside them, more to herself than anyone else but when Johan heard it, it settled the last bit of worry he had. A surprised laugh forced its way out of him.


    ¡°That could have gone so bad.¡± Johan said, only loud enough for the three of them to hear.


    Note¡¯s neck blushed and he tried to turn away but Johan quickly threw an arm over his shoulders and pulled him back in before throwing his other arm around Signe. She laughed loudly in relief. ¡°For a moment there I was so scared.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, me too.¡± Johan admitted, eyes on Odin and a strange, warm feeling growing in his chest.


    This could be a good thing. A really good thing.

 Chapter 17 - A scheme is has started

    Life was easy after the village found out about them, and everything quickly fell into place. They were accepted much easier than Johan could have ever imagined. At first the villagers had been excited, then as the novelty wore off they were accepted into the family. Slowly their house became clean and lived in and during that time Astrid steadily grew bigger and bigger. The village became their village too. Their home.


    And just like that, half a year passed at the blink of an eye.


    Everyday was peaceful, and selling fish in Solstad a couple days a week became the new normal. It turned out that between the three of them, Johan did the best job of selling. And Signe was quickly deemed useless with the customers, she didn¡¯t have the patience and was instead much happier moving big boxes of fish from the boats to the booths, and while Note¡¯s handsome yet intimidating face deterred people from buying directly from him, it did draw a lot of business even when he just stood in the back and prepared the fish.


    It was easy, fun and familiar. There were no worries, no need to hunt for the next job, no need to keep moving from place to place or to sleep on the cold ground outside. It was amazing.


    But just like everything that was good, it reached an end. They couldn¡¯t run from their problems forever.


    It was the end of the day and sellers were packing up as the customers started dwindling. Erika had been talking about some new antique seller and as Johan had finished earlier than normal, he went to take a look while the others finished up.


    And that¡¯s exactly how he ended up there.


    He swallowed, hands clenched into clammy fists.


    It couldn¡¯t be-


    But it was.


    He took a deep breath and his hands mechanically reached for the ripped papers on the stand. With shaky hands he held them up in front of him. The paper at the top of the pile had a drawing on it. A throne room, two people laying on the floor and seven people standing spread around them.


    To anyone else it would have just seemed like any old drawing. But Johan had seen that scene before.


    He quickly flipped to the next paper. Writing. Beautiful, inked letters in old cursive. What stood out to him though, was the handwriting. Old Fate¡¯s handwriting.


    They were ripped pages from his father¡¯s journal.


    Johan sucked in a breath.


    It wasn¡¯t possible. It couldn¡¯t be. His things were all lost, weren¡¯t they? Greed wouldn¡¯t have let anyone take them, but then how could they be right here in his hands?


    He took a deep breath.


    He had to stay calm.


    He forced his hands to relax, straining against the urge to scrunch up the papers even as he shivered.


    Instead his eyes zeroed in on the seller.


    ¡°Where did you get these?¡± He asked, schooling his expression into a smile and shaking the papers lightly. ¡°You know stealing isn¡¯t a good career choice.¡±


    The seller paused his sale with a customer, both of them turning to Johan. The seller''s jaw dropped and for a long moment he gawked stupidly at the papers before finally an affronted expression settled on his face, but it was too little, too late. The would-be-customer quickly walked off as the seller started stuttering.


    ¡°I have no idea what you are talking about! I have never stolen anything in my life, how dare you accuse me of such things?!¡± The seller yelled, trying to defend himself in panic but the customers around Johan just kept leaving.


    When it was just the two of them left Johan let his smile fall as the angry seller once again turned to him. ¡°I have lived too long for young rascals to accuse me of thievery! You just cost me a lot of customers, how are you going to make up for it?!¡±


    Johan rolled up one sleeve and the ribbon fell.


    He wasn¡¯t playing the game. Not this time.


    Just before the ribbon hit the ground Johan tok control. He threw it out.


    The seller cowered back as it passed by his head, but it wasn¡¯t done yet. It went around a pipe in the alley behind the booth before coming right back at the seller. Within a second Johan had it wrapped around the man¡¯s neck and just as his eyes widened, Johan pulled. The seller flew backwards into the alley, hanging.


    Johan followed, jumping over the booth in a fluid motion.


    ¡°Are you ready to tell the truth now?¡± Johan asked, a real smile finding its way onto his face as he approached the struggling man. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    He would get his answers one way or another.


    But the man continued struggling, giving no reaction to Johan. He released the ribbon, letting him fall to the ground in a lump, coughing and gasping for air.


    Pathetic.


    The seller tried to get away, but a light kick was enough to push the man right back down as Johan knelt down next to him.


    ¡°Where did you get them?¡± Johan waved the pages gently, reminding the seller.


    ¡°D-don¡¯t hurt me-¡± The seller started, big eyes filling with tears.


    ¡°Where.¡± Johan repeated and the seller jerked back at the interruption.


    ¡°I-I just- someone-¡± Johan raised his eyebrows at the words. ¡°I got them- someone gave them- sold them to me.¡±


    ¡°So someone sold them to you?¡± He asked and the seller quickly nodded in relief. Johan lifted his hand and a light flashed in the air, a familiar weight settling in his hand. The seller squealed at the sight of the dagger. ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound very likely.¡±


    ¡°No-no, you¡¯re right,¡± The man stammered, before realizing what he said. ¡°No, I mean- I¡¯m-I¡¯m right- someone gave them to me.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡± Johan sat back on his toes, giving the man some breathing room.


    ¡°They told me to sell them here- in Solstad.¡± The seller quickly continued. ¡°That they¡¯re worth a lot to someone and he paid me a lot to- and I-¡±


    ¡°He?¡± Johan interrupted. ¡°Who is he?¡±


    ¡°A tall, dark skinned man with a lot of gold-¡± That was familiar.


    ¡°Was he beautiful?¡± Johan cut in. The man stared at him for a second, his stuttering paused.


    ¡°Uhm, yes...he was very...beautiful.¡± Johan inhaled sharply and stood up. Fists white, muscles tensed and eyes wide with anger.


    Lust. That piece of-


    Johan was going to kill him. He was going to kill them all. All the sins. They wanted him back in Heaven, why else would Lust give his dad¡¯s journal pages to some random seller? Not only that, he even paid the seller to take them. How dare they use his dad¡¯s memory just to lure Johan to Heaven.


    Well. It was working. If they wanted him there, fine, he would go to Heaven.


    He left without another word.


    -


    Thoughts raced through his mind as he ran through the forest. The rope bridge must still be there, he just had to get to it!


    His dad had written down everything in the journal. Every vision, every mission or journey. Everything from important- to everyday events. Everything in that book was important, especially to Johan.


    He had to get that journal. Who knows what else was in it? He had to get it back!


    No, that wasn¡¯t right. He didn¡¯t need the journal, Greed would have already seen everything in it. He wanted it back!


    He couldn¡¯t remember the exact path Frey had shown him, but it should be around somewhere, he just had to look harder!


    Suddenly a brute force hit him, and he jerked forward, only to come to a stop as something wrapped around his waist, pulling him back.


    His breath was pushed out of him and for a second the world spun, the blue sky and the green grass merged as he doubled over. Then something wrapped around his chest too, pulling him straight and everything went silent as Johan breathed heavily, quickly realizing what was going on.


    He gritted his teeth and thrashed around.


    ¡°Let me go, Note!¡± He hissed. Damn it, if he was here then Signe would be too. Goddamn it. They would ruin his plans. There was no way they would come with him to Heaven. They hadn¡¯t even met Johan¡¯s dad, they wouldn¡¯t go back to the place they died just for him!


    ¡°Stop moving!¡± Note¡¯s tired voice hissed next to his ear but Johan only increased his struggle.


    ¡°Leave me alone!¡± The arms around him faltered for a second and Johan almost managed to get out before Note realized and tightened his hold, pulling him right back.


    Johan wheezed at the force. Barely able to breathe in the tight hold, but still he didn¡¯t stop moving. He couldn¡¯t do much with his hands, but his legs were free. He stomped them into the ground, trying to throw Note back.


    ¡°Never!¡± Note hissed. ¡°What is going on?! You can¡¯t just leave like that!¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t stop me.¡± Johan panted through gritted teeth. ¡°I¡¯m getting my dad¡¯s journal! I don¡¯t care what I have to do!¡±


    ¡°Johan, shut up.¡± Signe suddenly stood in front of him. ¡°We¡¯re going but you need to calm down first!¡±


    Johan stopped, heart beating like a hammer in his chest.


    ¡°We?¡± He breathed.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Signe huffed and crossed her arms. ¡°We are family.¡±


    ¡°I need to go to Heaven.¡± Johan tried.


    ¡°And we are coming with you.¡± Note said sternly, slowly letting go of him not that he stopped fighting.


    ¡°Heaven, huh? We need a plan, we can¡¯t storm in there or...¡± Signe gestured then shrugged. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll die again.¡±


    Johan swallowed, mind racing.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Note asked gently.


    Johan just nodded jerkily and tried unsuccessfully to calm himself down.


    ¡°Really?¡± He asked weakly.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Note said gently.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Johan asked, turning to see Note¡¯s face.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Note smiled.


    ¡°But-¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re ours.¡± Signe interrupted with a soft smile. Johan breathes shakily as she reached up and ruffled his hair. She laughed. ¡°We¡¯re not leaving you alone. We can handle Heaven, and the deities can¡¯t do anything to us anyways! We¡¯ll just come right back!¡±


    Her hand lingered on his cheek for a second and somehow from her short height she managed to smile down at him. Despite the ominous words, for some reason they were comforting.


    They were coming with him.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t know him though.¡± Johan said, feeling faint. To them it would just be any old journal.


    ¡°Your family is our family. It doesn¡¯t matter that we didn¡¯t get to meet him.¡± Note added. ¡°Family is family. Yours or mine, it carries over.¡±


    ¡°Family.¡± Johan breathed. They were family.


    ¡°So, a plan?¡± Signe asked, raising an eyebrow in question.


    Johan thought for a second.


    ¡°I have a lead.¡± Johan said and laughed. Bright and freely, the burden that had rested on his shoulders for the past four and a half years was finally removed.


    Ahh. Frey was actually going to kill him.

 Chapter 18 - Bullying Frey

    The plan was simple.


    Johan had heard from Erika, the old lady selling svele, that a certain someone was back in Solstad. At first he had been concerned about it, but it didn¡¯t take long to realize that the ¡®when¡¯ and ¡®where¡¯ between them in the city didn¡¯t have any overlap. Afterall, Solstad was a big city and the market was only a small part of it.


    The chance of being found at the fishing booths, all the way by the pier, was tiny, not to mention nobody would think to look for them there. In the end Johan had ignored the possible danger¡­but now the situation had changed.


    ¡°There he is.¡± Johan grinned, eyes finally finding the blond in the crowd.


    ¡°Who?¡± Note asked with a frown.


    ¡°That¡¯s him.¡± Johan informed with a small laugh. True enough, he had changed quite a bit since Note last saw him.


    ¡°That¡¯s him?!¡± Note burst out in shock as his head snapped to follow the head bobbing through the crowd.


    Again, the plan was simple.


    Signe had burst out laughing when he had explained it. Johan had honestly been expecting Note to argue, seeing as the two of them used to be very close, but the only reaction Johan had gotten was a raised eyebrow. Their bond must have really taken a hit when Note was killed.


    ¡°Yep, that¡¯s him.¡± Johan confirmed happily.


    ¡°Wow, he actually looks cool now.¡± Signe commented in surprise before a sinister grin spread across her face. ¡°Hah, that¡¯s a surprise.¡±


    ¡°He changed so much¡­¡± Note wondered aloud, staring at Frey from their spot on the stairs of the fake Fortune Hall. Johan nodded, he really did. Four years was a long time.


    ¡°Note, he¡¯s your friend. You get the honor.¡± Johan said. This was going to be so fun.


    Note shook his head, looking constipated.


    Huh, was he finally drawing the line? Fine, Signe could do it. Johan knew she had been itching to do something like this.


    She met his eyes gleefully, and the second he gave the nod, she was off. A manic smile on her face as she set her eyes on the target.


    ¡°Hm.¡± Johan watched her as she stalked through the crowd, then he skipped down the steps after her, only throwing a smile back at Note where he sat frowning. ¡°Come on.¡±


    They quickly got to the alley behind fake Fortune Hall and Johan settled his eyes on the entrance, ready for the show.


    He didn¡¯t have to wait long.


    ¡°Heyheyhey, I didn¡¯t do it!¡± Frey came into view screeching, Signe following right behind him with an iron grip on his hoodie. She slung him into the alley and right up against the wall. A strong hand fell on the wall beside his head, cracking the brick beneath.


    ¡°I¡¯m not the one you¡¯re looking for!¡± Frey cowered, the black hood hiding his face and hair as he ducked down.


    ¡°Oh yeah?¡± Signe purred, leaning closer. ¡°I think you are exactly who I¡¯m looking for, Pride.¡±


    Frey physically startled at the title and his eyes widening as he slowly turned to look down at Signe. His face paled in recognition.


    ¡°Death¡­¡± Frey sucked in a breath and swallowed. Then he frowned, his eyebrows drawing closer as his head snapped up.


    Wild eyes met Johan¡¯s, but only for a second before they moved on to who he was really looking for. The blue eyes settled on something right over Johan¡¯s shoulder, exactly where Note would be standing.


    ¡°Note!¡± Frey burst out, eyes wide. His lips quivered as he stared, eyes shining bright. Then he seemed to realize the situation, eyes quickly flickering between the three of them and Signe¡¯s hand on his chest. A pearl of sweat ran down from his temple.


    ¡°Hello.¡± Johan waved, very pleased when he saw Frey visibly restraining himself from moving.


    Signe snorted and backed off and without a moment to spare, Frey threw himself at Note. Johan had seen it coming and quickly stepped out of the way as the shorter man came barreling past. On the way his hoodie fell down, his messy blond hair appearing as he dug his face deep into Note¡¯s chest and wrapped his arms tightly around him.


    Johan watched as Note stumbled back in shock, eyes wide. Surprisingly though, he didn¡¯t hug back right away. First he looked at both Johan and Signe, searching for something. Whatever it was though, he didn¡¯t find it and finally his face fell and he hugged Frey back.


    Johan eyed the scene with a sigh.


    Well, at least it wasn¡¯t Wrath. Out of all the sins Pride was the one that annoyed Johan the most. He was extremely annoying, afterall. But he did get plus points for not actively trying to kill them, which was a nice change from the rest. He also really cared for Note, so Johan couldn¡¯t completely hate him.


    Back in the day, Note and Frey had been inseparable. They, together with the sin Wrath, had formed a trio that Johan would rarely see split up.


    Johan remembered one time the two of them had followed while Wrath was antagonizing Signe. The only time it had happened, as they had quickly jumped into the fight the second Sloth and Gluttony appeared by Signe¡¯s side, trying to stop her before she could get her axe.


    ¡°Ok, this is lovely and all.¡± Johan said after a good few minutes had passed and the two still hadn¡¯t let go of each other. ¡°But I do want to get this done today.¡± The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    The words seemed to work because they quickly jumped apart. Note cleared his throat awkwardly as Frey turned to Johan.


    ¡°You,¡± Johan pointed at Frey. ¡°Are going to get us into heaven.¡±


    Frey¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°Are you- what¡­again?!¡±


    Johan stared impassively, then gave a short nod.


    Frey looked around for support, however he must have forgotten the only other people in the alley were Note and Singe, and neither of them were the most self-preservative of people. Note could potentially pick his side, but he didn¡¯t.


    Frey huffed, hands moving to his hips in frustration. ¡°Last time you ditched me! I was waiting for you, you know! I don¡¯t even know how you got out. What makes you think I¡¯ll help you again?¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on. We both knew I wouldn¡¯t come back to you.¡± Johan grinned easily.


    Frey spluttered. ¡°I didn¡¯t-¡±


    ¡°You deserved it anyway for sending Sloth with me. Him and Envy.¡± Johan stepped closer, grin falling and his voice lowering. ¡°They almost got us. This time that won¡¯t happen, because we¡¯ll get rid of you as soon as you¡¯ve done your job.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a copy?¡± Signe asked, suddenly interested.


    ¡°Yeah, you can see the mark on his arm.¡± Johan nodded at where Frey¡¯s hoodie had slid up his arm during his hug with Note. The blond hurriedly pulled it back down when Signe turned her eyes on him, but it was too late, they had already seen the two black lines running from the inside of his elbow all the way down to his wrist.


    All Frey¡¯s copies had that on both arms, the only difference was the number of lines.


    ¡°Oh, hey...¡± Signe grinned, stepping closer.


    ¡°Stop messing with him, it¡¯s still Frey.¡± Note said sternly, glaring at them. ¡°He hasn¡¯t done anything.¡±


    ¡°Outside of killing you and Signe and almost doing it again by selling us out to the other sins?¡± Johan asked with a smile. ¡°Sure, he hasn¡¯t done anything other than that.¡±


    Note¡¯s fists clenched by his side.


    Frey looked confused, eyes watching the two as they argued. ¡°I didn¡¯t-¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡± Note and Johan snapped simultaneously. Frey shrunk down under their glares.


    ¡°Nothing to say, Note?¡± Johan stepped closer and ran a hand over his chest, keeping his smile as Note fumed, unable to deny it. He patted Note¡¯s chest, right where the scar would be, once, twice- but just as he started to withdraw his hand Note grabbed it.


    Johan felt his smile twitch, eyes darkening. Johan tried to pull his hand free but Note only held tighter, refusing to let him step away.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what he did. He¡¯s my friend, and I¡¯m alive now. ¡± Note insisted gently, moving Johan¡¯s hand to his heart. ¡°Feel. My heart beats. I¡¯m alive. I¡¯m right here. The past will stay in the past. Mistakes happen.¡±


    Johan ripped his hand free.


    ¡°Mistakes don¡¯t take lives.¡± Johan snapped. ¡°He knew something was going to happen. It doesn¡¯t matter that he didn¡¯t cut you down, or that he tried to help me. He was still an accomplice.¡±


    ¡°Johan!¡± Note hissed, breathing angrily. Johan rolled his eyes.


    ¡°Fine! One against one! Signe.¡± They both turned to her. She looked back in surprise, both her hands holding onto one of Frey¡¯s in what would be a friendly image in different circumstances.


    She raised an eyebrow at the sudden attention. In front of her Frey looked sick, standing as far away as he could with his hands in her grip.


    Johan knew she would side with him. She didn¡¯t even like Frey in the first place, even if she thought he looked cool now that wouldn¡¯t change anything when he used to help Wrath annoy her.


    ¡°I vote not kill.¡± Signe said, raising one hand from Frey¡¯s in a pledge.


    Right, just like he expected- Wait.


    ¡°What?!¡± Johan stared.


    Note gave him a triumphant look.


    ¡°He¡¯s useful. And he¡¯s going to remember either way.¡± She explained. ¡°He has seen us, might as well delay how quickly the original gets to know.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Johan said stupidly. That was right, there were only two ways the original got his copies¡¯ memories; if they died, or if they made it back to him.


    ¡°Unless he gets in the way, then we kill him.¡± She continued. Frey made a startled sound.


    ¡°Uhm. I hate, and I mean really, really, I hate to say this.¡± Frey started silently, face pale and sweat pearling at his temples, wide eyes avoiding them. He slowly pulled up the sleeve of his hoodie.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a copy.¡± Frey finished weakly.


    Johan froze. The black tattoo stood in contrast to his pale skin, but instead of two lines¡­there was only one.


    Yikes.


    He had been so sure there were two lines. Frey watched them with wide, scared eyes. Johan almost wanted to laugh.


    ¡°We¡¯re not killing you, don¡¯t worry.¡± Note said, staring at Johan.


    He huffed. No, he supposed not. Johan didn¡¯t like Frey. But killing the original¡­was too far. Or...was it? He did kill Note and Signe. Well, not personally, but he still was a part of it. But...Johan did grow up with him? Though they didn¡¯t like each other even back then. Hmm.


    ¡°Well, what are we going to do with him then?¡± Johan asked, feeling tired. Why did it suddenly have to get so complicated?


    Note hummed, a finger on his chin as he thought.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to do anything with me, you can trust me!¡± Frey insisted. ¡°Or¡­ you could bring me with you?¡±


    ¡°Not happening.¡± Johan muttered.


    Frey did get kicked out of Heaven, maybe it didn¡¯t matter what he knew?


    Johan looked at Frey. Really looked. He didn¡¯t look very good. Even if they hadn¡¯t just been talking about killing him, Frey looked sick. Why was he even out today? In a mask and hoodie, his fele on his back. Frey was the kind of person that always wanted to be in the spotlight, and if he didn¡¯t then he would disappear until he felt better. Since he became part of the sins, Johan could count on one hand how many times he had seen Frey low on energy.


    Though maybe it was just the sins? Frey hadn¡¯t always been like this. Johan remembered before he became Pride, he would always stay in the shadow, never wanting attention. Maybe now that he wasn¡¯t with them anymore, he went back to who he was before?


    Johan doubted it.


    ¡°What are you doing out today?¡± Johan asked.


    ¡°What? Oh.. oh I was just partying.¡± Frey grinned, scratching the back of his neck in an attempt, yes attempt, of seeming casual. Johan could see straight through him.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Came drily from Signe. She must have noticed something too. She waved something in the air. ¡°Do you always go partying armed?¡±


    Johan watched with wide eyes as blood ran down the blade of the dagger, then dripped to the ground.


    That was¡­disturbing. The blade wasn¡¯t even transformed back to the ring it normally was. What was Frey really doing in the city?


    ¡°I do. But that¡¯s not why I¡¯m here today. You¡¯re right.¡± Frey started, gaining confidence as he spoke. He raised his head, looking straight into Johan¡¯s eyes as he continued. ¡°But I can''t say. Not yet.¡±


    Not yet?


    ¡°So we will know?¡± Johan asked after a moment. It was a test. To see if Frey would tell the truth or lie.


    Frey hesitated for a second.


    ¡°It won¡¯t affect you but¡­¡±  Frey answered, struggling to find the right words. Johan raised his eyebrows. Was he actually telling the truth? ¡°It won¡¯t be.. You won¡¯t.¡± He cocked his head and sighed. ¡°It¡¯s complicated. It shouldn¡¯t affect you, and you won¡¯t know.¡±


    Huh. Johan tok a breath, releasing it slowly.


    ¡°Fine.¡± Whatever. As long as it didn¡¯t affect them.

 Chapter 19 - Becoming prostitutes

    ¡°So what are you doing in Heaven again?¡± Frey asked. ¡°You¡¯re going there a lot for someone who, you know, could be killed.¡±


    Johan kicked a root out of the way, looking at Frey from the corner of his eye. For some reason he had stepped away from Note after only an hour of hiking through the woods, to instead walk beside Johan.


    Unsurprisingly, convincing Frey to help them had been very easy. The problem was that he asked a lot of questions.


    ¡°There¡¯s something I need.¡± Johan answered shortly as they trudged through the forest.


    Apparently the rope bridge they had used the last time was gone now, so instead Frey was leading them to another entrance. The main entrance.


    ¡°Ah.¡± Frey nodded. ¡°Something. Right.¡±


    Johan glared at him.


    ¡°How do you manage to glare at people without letting them see your eyes?¡± Johan ignored him. ¡°No really. It must be your face. It¡¯s very expressive for someone so dead to emotion.¡±


    Johan tok a deep breath. Was it too late to get someone else?


    ¡°See?! I can totally tell you¡¯re tired of me, and you¡¯re not even looking at me!¡±


    As far as Johan knew there was at least one more sin outside of Heaven. He could have picked that one instead. At this point being murdered sounded like a better time.


    Frey fell silent.


    ¡°Where in Heaven?¡±


    ¡°Lust¡¯s club.¡± Johan answered truthfully, finding no reason to lie. Frey gaped at him.


    ¡°I wanna come.¡± Frey got closer, eyes brimming with excitement.


    ¡°No.¡± Johan pushed him away.


    ¡°You never invite me to anything fun!¡± Frey whined.


    Johan ignored him. If he wanted to go there so bad he could do it once they were out.


    ¡°Ok, so.¡± Frey got serious. ¡°You can¡¯t go in looking like that. You¡¯ll be shot down before you even enter. Oh, but don¡¯t worry. I have the perfect solution!¡±


    Oh no. Johan rubbed his eyes.


    ¡°Disguises!¡±


    Johan sighed and for a second he wanted to refuse. But really..


    ¡°Disguises?¡± Signe¡¯s voice asked and Johan looked back to see her skipping closer. She was in her normal white dress, her green hair falling to her waist and was partly braided back around her face.


    She looked exactly the same as she did four years ago. Not to mention Note, who refused to part with his almost transparent coat. Frey did have a point. They would be recognized in an instant.


    ¡°He thinks we¡¯re too recognizable.¡± Johan said dully. ¡°He has a point.¡±


    ¡°And he¡¯s going to pick them?¡± Signe frowned. Johan watched in amusement as Frey paused in indignation.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have you know-¡±


    ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡± Signe nodded, seemingly pleased with her decision. Frey stopped mid sentence, finger still in the air. For a second he seemed lost, then he caught up.


    Frey¡¯s face broke out in a huge, shocked smile.


    How bad could it really go?


    -


    Turns out it could go very bad.


    The official gate to Heaven was surrounded by a small city. It had been built by faithful humans hundreds of years ago and was now the home to a bunch of flattering creeps. The only important thing though was that they also had a big population of sellers, because of the small possibility of getting to sell wares in Heaven.


    Frey had gone into this small city alone to get them some new clothes, they had decided it would be a bad idea to tempt fate by entering in daylight when anyone could see them.


    Which was how they had ended up here.


    It was just before nightfall and Johan stared as Note appeared from behind a tree.


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t he wearing a shirt?¡± Johan asked, unable to look away. Note was wearing what Johan could only describe as a black shirt...without the shirt part.


    ¡°He is wearing a shirt.¡± Frey insisted, sauntering forward to pointedly pull on the edge of the fabric right where it rested on Note¡¯s chest. Johan pinched his lips together, heat rising to his cheeks.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice.¡± Note commented lightly, touching the black fabric where it hugged his shoulders and neck. His hand fell to his bare stomach before he continued. ¡°But not very warm.¡±


    Johan¡¯s eyebrows drew together. Yes. It sure looked very cold.


    It could have been a regular thin turtleneck, but it wasn¡¯t. For some reason the entire part below his armpits had been left bare and only his arms and shoulders were covered.


    ¡°It¡¯s to pull the eyes away from his face.¡± Frey explained with a grin. ¡°Look, it¡¯s already working, you haven¡¯t looked at his face at all since he changed!¡±


    Johan finally managed to rip his eyes away from Note. With a burning face, he sent his deadliest glare at Frey. The blond¡¯s smile faltered a little, but without hesitation he scooped up the last bag left on the ground and shoved it into Johan¡¯s arms. ¡°Your turn now.¡±


    A wave of anger passed through him and he saw red.


    ¡°I am not wearing that shit-¡± Johan hissed, bending over to get closer to Frey¡¯s face but the shorter man just leaned back.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Johan.¡± Frey interrupted and patted his arm placatingly. ¡°Luckily you¡¯re already almost completely unrecognizable from back then. And since I know you¡¯ve gotten anger issues, I got you the safe option.¡±


    Johan paused and leaned back. He didn¡¯t have anger issues. Frey was just aggravating. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    He huffed, looking down at the bundle in his arms. It was more black fabric, but definitely more of it than what Note was wearing.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Signe?¡± He asked instead, choosing to delay the inevitable. On que Frey pointed, and Johan turned to see her step into view.


    Almost immediately he turned back.


    He closed his eyes, sighing deeply.


    ¡°Seriously?¡±


    ¡°Shh, let me have my fun. This is the only time I can do this.¡± Frey gave his arm a last pat and sped past him.


    Johan had to agree, there was absolutely no part of him that could ever imagine Signe letting Frey dress her up again.


    He almost didn¡¯t recognize her as she came out, her face was caked in makeup and her hair was up in a high ponytail that Frey was now fuzzing over.


    She was wearing one of the tightest dresses Johan had ever seen. It only had one sleeve, leaving one shoulder bare and the skirt only reached her mid-thigh on one side, a slit up to her hip on the other. And of course it was black, that seemed to be the theme for the night.


    As someone that only ever wore white, it was weird to see her in black.


    Signe tok a couple trying steps forward in the new shoes, the heels couldn¡¯t be wider than Johan¡¯s pinky, and a gold accessory around her ankle jingled with the movement.


    ¡°I got one with a slit so you can still use your axe if necessary.¡± Frey grinned. ¡°Though I haven¡¯t seen it, did you lose it?¡±


    ¡°Wrath.¡± Johan answered quickly.


    ¡°Ah.¡± Frey¡¯s smile turned fearful as Signe closed her eyes. ¡°I regret asking.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± She sneered. ¡°I¡¯m getting it back.¡±


    ¡°You look stunning.¡± Note commented.


    For a second Signe looked at him, then- ¡°You look cold.¡±


    ¡°I am cold.¡± Note acknowledged miserly. Johan raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Shut up, you baby.¡± Frey huffed. ¡°It¡¯s warmer in Heaven. Johan go change already, it¡¯s almost time to go.¡±


    Before he could say anything, Frey shoved him behind the big tree Note had changed behind.


    Johan sighed. There was no way out of this, was there?


    Begrudgingly he changed. Luckily it seemed like Frey really did choose the safe option. Instead of anything revealing like Note and Signe, Johan got a black hoodie and some black pants with a lot of pockets. The shoes were pretty much the same as his normal ones, thick and heavy, the biggest change was the color.


    Overall Johan had to admit Frey had done a good job. It was simple, yet he didn¡¯t look like himself at all. Though he didn¡¯t tell him that.


    ¡°See, what did I tell you?¡± Frey asked smugly once Johan made his way back.


    ¡°Are you happy now?¡± Johan asked back instead of answering.


    ¡°Yes I am.¡± Frey nodded, a pleased smile on his face.


    ¡°You look good.¡± Note commented approvingly as he checked out the outfit.


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Oh, here she is!¡± Frey suddenly yelled. ¡°Runa!¡±


    Johan turned to see a small woman making her way towards them.


    ¡°Frey!¡± She squealed and started running. Johan could only watch in silence as the two of them met in a big, enthusiastic hug.


    So the person they were waiting for was finally here. Johan crossed his arms, watching the cowtail swaying happily behind her. Frey had said he knew someone to help them in, but he hadn¡¯t said it was a huldra.


    His head snapped to Frey, a sneer making its way to his face. He wanted them to bring a monster into Heaven? Not even that- he wanted a monster to bring them into Heaven?


    Johan stormed forward.


    ¡°This is your plan?¡± Johan hissed, roughly pulling Frey by his hoodie, ignoring his yelp. ¡°A monster? In heaven? Are you stupid?¡±


    Frey¡¯s face morphed from confusion to realization.


    ¡°Oh! Don¡¯t worry, huldras are allowed.¡± Frey explained patiently. Johan furrowed his brows. Yeah, right.


    ¡°Since when?¡± Johan said deadpanned. Did Frey hit his head when he got kicked out of Heaven? ¡°Every type of monster was banned in Heaven.¡±


    ¡°Not anymore.¡±


    Johan stopped. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way those idiots changed that much in just a few years.¡± He tried to reason.


    ¡°Oh, they still don¡¯t allow other monsters. Only huldras.¡± Frey explained. Johan cocked his head. They made an exception?


    ¡°We can go in if we want as long as we stick to the club.¡± The huldra, Runa, broke in. She smiled kindly up at him as she explained. ¡°They want us there because we¡¯re attractive.¡±


    Johan¡¯s brain went full stop.


    For a second everything was silent.


    They were allowed in Heaven? Because they were attractive?


    For a long moment he stared at her, eyes wide. Then the realization hit him like a falling tree and he jerked back, letting go of Frey like he was burned.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Johan grimaced, looking back at the huldra, but as he did something else fell into place.


    Wait a second.


    Long hair, slutty dress- That makeup! A huldra!


    ¡°You dressed my sister up like a hooker?!¡± Note raged. He had apparently realized it at the same time. Within a second he had thrown his discarded robe at Signe, ignoring her indignant yelp and effectively hiding her from sight as he turned burning eyes at Frey, leaving Signe to fight the fabric on her own.


    Note stomped past Johan and snatched Frey up by the collar of his hoodie. The sin quickly raised his arms in front of him, toes barely touching the ground.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Signe yelled as her head reappeared from beneath the robe.


    ¡°Keep that on!¡± Note snapped back at her.


    ¡°Your sister?¡± Frey squeaked, going pale in the hold.


    Oh right. Frey hadn¡¯t been there for that ordeal.


    ¡°You don¡¯t think I look good?¡± Signe frowned, holding the robe away from her body to check out the dress herself. ¡°I look great, though?¡±


    ¡°You look beautiful!¡± Note snapped back at her. ¡°But you look like her!¡±


    Johan followed Note¡¯s accusatory look right to where the huldra was standing looking completely unfazed as her friend was being threatened by a big, looming guy- Actually it was Frey, she probably saw that a lot.


    ¡°That¡¯s your plan? To make it look like we¡¯re accompanying two huldra?¡± Johan asked disbelievingly.


    Frey tok the opportunity to escape.


    ¡°Well, yes- But!¡± He quickly backed up as Note tok a threatening step to follow him. ¡°The guards see people crossing the bridge with huldra all the time!¡±


    Johan crossed his arms. Unsurprisingly Note did not think that was a good reason but before he managed to grab Frey again, the huldra stepped in, making the perfect shield from the scary man¡¯s wrath.


    ¡°I am not a prostitute.¡± Runa interrupted, eyebrows high. She gestured over her shoulder to where Frey was cowering against her back. ¡°-Is what I think he¡¯s trying to say. And I¡¯m not- if that wasn¡¯t clear.¡±


    Note paused.


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Frey said. ¡°I just dressed her like someone going clubbing. It¡¯s not anything bad! Someone with Signe¡¯s face would be recognized instantly. This is like camouflage in Lust¡¯s club, the same as Note¡¯s shirt, it pulls attention away from the face. Slutty is the way to go!¡±


    Slutty is the way to go? Johan mouthed the sentence incredulously. Did he hear that right?


    Runa whooped, one hand in the air. The two of them laughed and Johan shook his head in amusement.


    Really, it was a good idea.


    ¡°I don¡¯t agree. Slutty is not the way to go.¡± Note said irritatedly. ¡°Keep that on!¡±


    ¡°Who cares?¡± Signe groaned, stomping over and pushing the robe back into Note¡¯s arms.  ¡°I look great, and time is passing so can you please stop fighting about it?¡±


    Note gave her a silent look and within a second she added. ¡°Shut up, Note, you look more like a prostitute than I do.¡±


    Johan snorted. She was right, and it seemed like Note also realized that and grabbed the robe with a silent glare.


    ¡°It could work.¡± Johan acknowledged, Notes head snapped to him.


    Johan met his eyes and shrugged. Note¡¯s glare might work on other people but Johan had seen him play with the fish when he thought nobody was looking. They stared at each other for a long moment.


    ¡°Fine.¡± Note sighed and backed off. He crossed his arms and Johan could almost see a little pout on his lips.


    Frey watched their exchange cautiously and his eyes widened when Johan turned to him with a smile.


    ¡°Ok?¡± He asked, trying to confirm, hands still defensively held up and his eyes flickered back and forth between the three of them. Johan nodded. ¡°Ok.¡±


    ¡°Well.¡± Frey let out a relieved laugh and elbowed Runa with a pleased shrug. ¡°It¡¯s getting late, so we should get going. There are crowds of people entering Heaven every night so you should blend right in with them. Runa will lead you there.¡±

 Chapter 20 - Breaking and entering, the jotuns realm

    The main entrance to Heaven was a big stone bridge above a small, clear lake. During the day that was how merchants entered with their wares, Heaven had a blooming market afterall. But that wasn¡¯t important.


    Johan eyed the big watchtowers on the other end of the bridge. The bridge was deceptively open, appearing as if anyone could cross it at any time, when in reality everyone was watched. Only deities and special cases were allowed inside. Johan supposed they were the latter, now. At least in the eyes of the guards littering the stone road ahead.


    From where he stood, only a few steps away from the start of the bridge, he couldn¡¯t see Heaven. Appearing on the other side was a big open field. It stood in stark contrast to the busy street he stood on, but a single step onto the bridge would change that.


    He watched as random, smiling and laughing groups of people passed over, only some were stopped for short moments by the helmet wearing guards.


    Johan felt his face twitch down into a grimace. Going clubbing. That¡¯s what those people went to Heaven for. That wasn¡¯t how things were when his dad was the ruler.


    Not that any other deity than Old Fate deserved to be in Heaven. They were all terrible people.


    Johan tok the last steps onto the bridge, and the world changed around him.


    Instead of an empty field, Heaven flickered into place. The dark sky lit up with stars in every color, vibrant even with the light of the city that now laid ahead.


    They stood between the two realms, both cities in view on either end of the bridge.


    ¡°So you¡¯re coming back this time right? Since I know too much and you can¡¯t let me go and all that. Right?¡± Frey yelled after them from where he stood in the safety of the small city. He had decided to go with them all the way to the bridge. To wish them luck he had said.


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Johan yelled back over his shoulder. Lies. They weren¡¯t going back. Frey was useless, it didn¡¯t matter what he knew. They were also ditching the huldra as soon as they got to the club.


    He met Note¡¯s eyes and shook his head, snorting softly.


    Then his eyes set on the guards. All of them were wearing the same black gear with helmets, their faces hidden beneath reflective visors. Just like Envy¡¯s army had been.


    Four of the guards spaced out across the wide bridge, forming a straight line with enough distance that groups of people could easily pass between them.


    Weirdly enough none of them were all standing in the same place, not moving much, and as far as Johan could see, they were just staring straight ahead. Nobody passing through was stopped or even spoken to.


    Johan eyed the closest two, the ones they would have to pass between.


    The guard¡¯s helmet turned to him.


    Johan sucked in a breath and suddenly his arm was grabbed. His head jerked to the side only to see big, innocent eyes blink back at him. Runa suddenly walked next to him, both her hands wrapped around his arm and tightly hugging it against her chest.


    ¡°Baby, don¡¯t be such a killjoy! I know we fought earlier, but you can¡¯t be mad at me forever!¡± She pouted, snapping Johan out of his thoughts.


    Oh, right. Act naturally. Behind him he could hear Signe laugh loudly at something Note said to her.


    Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the helmet slowly turn away.


    -and they passed.


    He swallowed, shoulders tense. Did they really almost get noticed because he was too quiet?


    ¡°That went well.¡± Signe commented cheerfully as they stepped off the bridge. The small city behind them faded into nothing but water. They passed the gate, and Heaven opened up ahead of them.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t that bad.¡± Runa agreed, releasing Johan¡¯s arm. He hummed. It could have gone badly, luckily it didn¡¯t. That one guard¡­He glanced back, unable to shake the feeling of being watched. Behind him, Note had an arm slung over Signe¡¯s shoulders, her arms wrapped around his waist in a hug.


    ¡°You could use some acting classes though.¡± Runa added.


    What?! Johan¡¯s head snapped around. ¡°I can act.¡±


    Runa just raised an eyebrow, not looking convinced.


    Ok, sure. He didn¡¯t do well on the bridge. But that had nothing to do with his acting ability. He had a lot on his mind.


    Last time he was there, it had been to get Note and Signe. And now he was returning with them. Johan still remembered how it felt to walk through Heaven back then, and it felt no different this time. Except this time he wasn¡¯t alone.


    Unsurprisingly things were the same as the last time. Yet somehow they looked more familiar. The same buildings, the same streets, different people, different times.


    Nostalgic.


    He could almost see himself wandering the market like he had used to as a child. When his dad had brought him to buy candy after his lessons, when he and Frey fought in the alley and ended up all bloody and he even remembered getting scolded for it when he got back home after, and even moments from after his dad¡¯s death, when Note and Signe also were there with him.


    He felt a light pressure on his hand and closed his eyes, a soft smile on his lips. Fond memories flowing back.


    But when he opened his eyes again all he saw was the darkness of the night. Strangers surrounded them on the street, the crowd thin enough now that Johan could see them easier. Yet he didn¡¯t recognize anyone, and if there were any deities amongst them, he didn¡¯t know them.


    His smile fell. The bitter feeling clawed its way back to his chest.


    He pulled his hand back.


    Well, he tried to. Instead he looked up in surprise when Note only squeezed tighter, ignoring him and staring ahead with a tiny smile on his lips.


    Johan frowned but right before he could ask Note about it, Runa interrupted.


    ¡°Guys,¡± Runa said, stopping the group. ¡°This is where I leave you.¡±


    Johan lifted an eyebrow in surprise.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going with us?¡± Signe asked.


    ¡°Nah, I have work.¡± Runa winked at him with a sly grin, her cow tail swinging cheerfully behind her. ¡°I believe you know the way to the club?¡±


    ¡°Uh, yeah.¡± Johan confirmed. He had thought she was going with them, but apparently not.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you around!¡± She called over her shoulder as she stalked across the street and disappeared in the crowd.


    Work. Right¡­


    Well, as long as she enjoyed it. Knowing Frey, there was no way his friends would do anything they didn¡¯t want to.


    But the fact that whatever it was she did, it was in demand in Heaven¡­ that made his stomach churn. His eye twitched.


    ¡°This place¡­¡± Johan struggled to find the words. Note just nodded tightly. It really had gone downhill.


    Signe huffed and stalked forward. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I don¡¯t want to be here anymore than I have to.¡±


    They walked in silence after that. The only sounds came from the crowd around them, all on the way to the same place as them. Soon enough the colorful lights of the club painted the street and the muted sound of music reached his ears.


    They had reached their destination.


    A line stood outside the club within a rope barrier and there were guards at the big double-doors slowly letting people inside.


    Johan sucked in a breath. They were so close. Lust couldn¡¯t be far away, now.


    ¡°I guess we''ll wait.¡± Signe said as they reached the back of the line. ¡°Uhh¡­this is going to take a while isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Johan eyed the people ahead of them. ¡°Seems like it, yeah.¡± It was a long line, and even more people had stopped behind them in the short time they stood there.


    Signe¡¯s lips thinned unhappily. Then she seemed to notice something, and lit up. With a twirl on her heel she turned to a small group of men hanging out on the sidewalk outside of the line.


    ¡°Excuse me, is that mead you have there?¡± She leaned on the pole holding the rope to get to poke the closest guy. He turned around with a surprised look on his face, turning into a smile when he saw her.


    ¡°Yeah, you want some?¡± He offered her the bottle with a smile.


    ¡°Yeah! Thank you!¡± She took the bottle with a giggle and drank.


    Johan shook his head with a snort. Even here she was quick to make friends.


    She wiped her mouth with a sigh and the guy watched her curiously.


    ¡°What are you doing in line?¡± He asked when she gave the bottle back. ¡°Is it your first time?¡±


    ¡°It is, yeah. I¡¯m just waiting with my friends to get in.¡± She gestured back to them. Johan crossed his arms but the guy¡¯s eyes only flickered to them briefly.


    ¡°You know huldra get to pass the line right?¡± He continued. ¡°You can just go right in.¡±


    Johan¡¯s eyebrows shot up. They did what, now?


    ¡°Oh?¡± Signe cocked her head in surprise.


    ¡°Yeah! Boss¡¯ orders!¡± The guy grinned with a laugh, turning to wave at the front of the line and loudly called out. ¡°Oi, Timmy!¡±


    One of the big bouncers turned to them and the guy quickly pointed down at Signe who straightened to see who he was talking to. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you let her in yet, man? Come on!¡±


    The bouncer made a face and waved them over.


    The guy started laughing and lifted the rope fence. ¡°Come on, he will let you and your friends in at the front.¡±


    Signe ducked under without any hesitation.


    ¡°Wow! Come on guys, let¡¯s go!¡± She grinned back at them.


    ¡°Yeah, the friends too! Come on, the night is still young, enjoy it!¡± The guy added, eyes setting on them and waving them through.


    Johan eyed the rope for only a second before he quickly followed Signe, Note at his back.


    ¡°Have fun!¡± The guy called after them as he hurried them off.


    ¡°We will, thank you!¡± Signe twirled around to yell back at him, a big smile on her face.


    ¡°In with you. You two with her as well, in with you all.¡± The bouncer rushed them inside with barely a look.


    Well, that went easier than he thought it would.


    They walked through the doorway, going down stairs and the club opened up in front of them.


    The music increased tenfold now that they were inside, it was so loud Johan could feel his body vibrate with the bass with each step he took. Bright neon lights flickered throughout the club, lighting it up in all colors and matching with the music.


    At one side there was a long bar stretching along a whole wall, only stopping at a big, closed door next to it. To their left was a big seating area with multiple levels they passed as they descended the stairs, and straight ahead there was a big stage with a few people dancing on it, a guy playing with a table on top of it, dancing along to the music.


    Johan looked cautiously around. There had to be a hundred people there. They were everywhere; dancing on the floor, drinking by the bar, seated at the tables. Yet even here there wasn¡¯t a single person Johan recognized.


    Not even the person he was expecting to see there.


    ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡± Signe asked as they came to a stop, halfway down the long stairs.


    Johan tok a deep breath. He needed to get the journal. There had to be a backroom or office somewhere.


    His eyes snapped up when he noticed a weird light appear. Against the roof in the left corner of the room there was a faded yellow light, then after a few seconds it disappeared, like a door sliding shut.


    For a second he thought he had imagined it, the corner staying pitch black. Then one of the neon lights flashed past it, lighting up a person descending a spiral staircase almost completely hidden in the dark corner of the stage. Johan could only see the edges of the man for a split second before the light went back down, sending everything in the corner back into darkness.


    ¡°There¡¯s someone up there!¡± Johan breathed.


    ¡°That must be the office.¡± Note commented. Johan nodded thoughtfully. If he could just get up there¡­


    ¡°Let¡¯s split up.¡± He said, meeting the other two¡¯s eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll go up there, you guys watch my back from somewhere safe. And if I don¡¯t come down in ten minutes, come after me.¡±


    Signe glanced over the room before looking back with a nod. Note had a steeled expression on his face, eyebrows drawn.


    Johan eyed the staircase. Where could it lead? No matter what, it had to have something to do with Lust. It was the first lead to finding the journal.


    Johan was good at being sneaky, if Note and Signe had his back it should work.


    With a last nod, they split up. Johan made his way towards the stage. There was no time to lose.


    He ducked out of the way as a particularly flailing couple danced past, then he came to an abrupt stop as a girl suddenly crossed in front of him, before setting out again, this time faster, people surrounded him from left to right, filling up the space he left behind him, not even an arms width of space between them as he forced his way through the crowd.


    He was jolted back and forth with the wave of the stuffed crowd, but it soon became more open as he reached closer to the wall, aiming for the corner of the stage. It would be best to hide in the darkness.


    He just got a clear view of the stairs leading up to the stage when he saw it.


    A familiar flash of transparent, yellow cloth flashed in the corner of his eyes, someone stalking across the stage towards the same stairs.


    Lust.


    Johan felt the air in his lungs evaporate, leaving him sucking in a deep breath as he did a complete one-eighty in one fluid motion. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    ¡°Hey.¡± He smiled, approaching a girl dancing wildly, the only person with any space around them. He needed a cover, quick.


    ¡°Hi!¡± The girl responded with a big smile and calmed her dancing, letting Johan get in conversation distance. Which, on that floor, wasn¡¯t very far from her.


    ¡°I¡¯m Ingeborg!¡± The girl introduced herself, her long earrings swinging along with her shoulder length hair as she turned more towards him, still swaying with the music. ¡°What¡¯s your name, cutie?¡±


    Fuck, he needed a name- ¡°I¡¯m Poe.¡±


    Instantly he felt like grimacing but Johan quickly forced a smile to cover it. Damn it, why was that the first name he thought of?


    ¡°Poe, huh?¡± The girl came closer, so close Johan had to bend his head down to look at her. She grabbed his hoodie at the waist. ¡°Well, Poe. What are you doing here?¡±


    Johan eyed her, a smile on his lips.


    Flirty? Oh, he could do that.


    He ran his eyes over her. Her face was caked in makeup and she was wearing a small top, but the most interesting part was the floor-length skirt, and the light swing of something beneath it.


    A hundra.


    There really were a lot of them around.


    ¡°I¡¯m searching for something.¡± Johan answered easily, leaning closer to her. She gave him a sharp smile back, her painted fingernails dragging down the front of his hoodie.


    Without making it too obvious he threw a look over his shoulder, trying to see what was happening on the stage.


    ¡°Oh, I can see that.¡± Ingeborg pulled him down by his collar and whispered in his ear. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s a something and not a someone?¡±


    And right then, with Johan¡¯s face hidden towards her shoulder, he felt a soft presence passing behind him.


    He froze as cold, light fabric ran over the back of his legs. Lust. A bone deep chill went down his spine and with wide eyes he turned his head just in time to see the man¡¯s back as he stalked past.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look.¡± The hold on his collar tightened, and he was pulled closer to the girl, a hand on his cheek forcing his face forward.


    ¡°He¡¯s in a bad mood today, don¡¯t let him see your face.¡± She explained softly, running her hand up from his cheek to twirl a piece of his hair.


    Johan stilled.


    ¡°Do you know me?¡± He breathed.


    Her eyes followed something over his shoulder, and she didn¡¯t answer, instead she continued about Lust.


    ¡°Dennis must have done something, Lust seems more pissed than usual. And when he is pissed he¡¯ll take it out on anyone.¡± She said seriously. Then, as if something came over her, she fawned, eyes looking back over his shoulder. ¡°Ahh¡­he is so hot and powerful.¡±


    Johan followed her gaze. Lust had gotten over to one of the tables in the seating area and was talking to a guy in a black suit. He was leaning over the table, gesturing violently while the other man only sat there with a smirk, a drink in his hand.


    Johan had never seen Lust so angry before. It was weird. Johan knew him to be gentle and confident. Yet there he was.


    He watched in shock as Lust swiped the drink from the other man¡¯s hand and slammed it onto the table, glass-shards flying around.


    ¡°Who is that?¡± Johan asked, wanting to know who the man in the suit was. Ingeborg had said a name earlier. ¡°Dennis?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s Dennis. He¡¯s the co-owner of the club.¡±


    Johan startled and turned back to her. ¡°Co-owner?¡±


    ¡°You must not come here very often.¡± Ingeborg giggled. ¡°That''s why he¡¯s so angry all the time. He and Dennis fight a lot. Apparently Lust would have done a lot of things differently if he was allowed to own the club alone. Honestly, I find it pretty nice already. I wonder what he would change.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not allowed to own it alone?¡± Johan asked.


    ¡°Nah, he was a part of the sins. He¡¯s dangerous or whatever. Dennis is basically a glorified babysitter, really.¡±


    Johan didn¡¯t know what to think about that. It was nice, he guessed? That Lust didn¡¯t just get everything handed to him after betraying Johan.


    Actually. Yes. It was nice. It was very nice. Lust was a terrible friend, co-owning a club was way less than what he deserved, but Johan could still feel glee in his misfortune.


    He let out a laugh, not even trying to hide his amusement. It made sense why Lust was so angry then, he was used to always getting his way.


    The girl looked at him questioningly, but Johan ignored her and turned away.


    It was time to get things going. If Lust was distracted then that gave Johan the perfect opportunity to look for the office.


    He walked to the stairs, leaving the girl standing alone. Soon he was on stage and huffed in amusement when he noticed something. Somehow Signe had gotten up on the stage and was currently dancing with some shirtless men. He shook his head fondly and looked back.


    He found Note sitting by the bar, eyes carefully following Johan, a slight grimace on his face. Probably because of Signe, Johan snorted.


    He got to the spiral staircase. The darkness was blinding in the corner, he could only reach out to feel for the railing, unable to see a thing even as his foot hit the first step. But before he went up he paused, glancing back. Lust didn¡¯t seem like he was planning on going anywhere anytime soon, if the gestures were anything to go by.


    Good.


    With the help of touch he quickly made it up the stairs until he finally came to a stop at the top, with nowhere left to go. He felt around at the wall until he found the doorhandle. With a last cautious glance back at Lust he slowly opened the door just barely enough to slip through and found himself in what turned out to be a dimly lit hallway.


    He made sure the door was tightly shut behind him before exploring. Red walls and black floor stretching thin and far ahead, ending at a big, red door at the other end.


    That had to be the office.


    With quick steps he closed the last distance and put an ear against the door, listening carefully. There didn¡¯t seem to be anyone inside through, so he carefully opened the door and peeked inside.


    The room was big and bright, and luckily there was nobody inside. Johan quietly slid inside and closed the door behind him. It didn¡¯t have a lock so closed was the best he could do.


    The room was clearly an office. To one side were a few couches and chairs, and on the other side was a desk, a large window behind it and big bookcases stretching across the walls to either side, each filled to the brim with books and random stuff.


    Johan stalked over.


    Then paused halfway. Catching a glimpse of¡­ something in the corner of his eye. With a frown he turned only to see a bed.


    There was an adjacent room.


    Johan approached it cautiously.


    Wow. Lust really just had a random bed in his office.


    With a huff Johan continued to the desk and with no hesitation he opened the first drawer and started searching. The journal should be there somewhere. Lust had always been the type of person to keep all his important stuff together in the same place, like an idiot.


    It should have been easy, but it wasn¡¯t.


    The further he searched, the harder his heart beat and it became clear that the journal was not in the desk.


    He glanced up at the door. How long could Lust really argue with that guy? Johan needed to hurry. Despite his earlier confidence though, he couldn¡¯t find the journal.


    He swallowed. Damn it! Where else could Lust have hidden it?!


    He threw his head up and looked around. It could be in the bookshelves then, but who knew how much time he¡¯d have before someone came, he didn¡¯t have time to look through everything alone.


    A chilling thought hit him. What if Lust didn¡¯t have it? What if Lust was just the middleman? It was entirely possible that Greed had just given him parts of it.


    He gritted his teeth, his heart skipping a beat.


    That was as far the thought went before the door opened.


    Johan quickly ducked down beside the desk. He cursed himself, he hadn¡¯t heard anyone in the hallway over the muted music coming from downstairs.


    He held his breath and listened intently as he heard someone step inside and shut the door. Shuffled sounds followed and he pressed closer against the desk. The person was moving through the room.


    ¡°Johan?¡±


    Relief hit him like a rock.


    Oh thank the Jotun. It was just Note.


    He let out a deep breath.


    ¡°I¡¯m here!¡± He whispered back and got to his feet. ¡°It¡¯s not in the desk.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll search over here.¡± Without a second of hesitation Note turned to one bookcase and started rummaging.


    Some of the weight on his shoulders eased, and with a nod he continued to the other shelves on the wall. It had to be there somewhere. He skipped through the documents and books, but it was only a moment before Note said something.


    ¡°Johan,¡± He turned around to see Note standing in the adjacent room and holding something in his hands. His heart skipped a beat.


    ¡°Did you find it?¡± Johan sped over and grabbed Note¡¯s arm to see what he was holding. He frowned. It wasn¡¯t the journal.


    Then realization hit him and he dropped Note¡¯s arm like it burnt him.


    ¡°What¡­¡± In a second Johan was overcome with anger. Arms shaking as he once again reached for the object. Note gave it to him without a fight, eyes watching him closely.


    His hands shook as he held the picture. It was a picture of them. Him, Envy and Lust. All three of them were smiling happily. Memories from the day it was taken flashed through his mind. It was just after training with everyone else, they were tired and sitting down while laughing about each other¡¯s mistakes while sparring.


    With a long exhale Johan threw it away. It smashed against the wall, shards scattering across the floor.


    After everything Lust did to him, he was looking back on the memories fondly?


    Johan could just imagine how Lust and Envy would get together and reminisce about the old time, laughing at what they did to Note and Signe and making fun of Johan for running from away.


    ¡°Let¡¯s continue.¡± He said lowly, eyes glaring at the wall. They didn¡¯t have time for this. Johan could have his meltdown later. Finding the journal was first priority.


    He could feel Note¡¯s worried eyes burning into his back as he went back to the shelves. It took a few seconds before he heard the rustling of Note starting again.


    Johan gritted his teeth. He was fine. Note shouldn¡¯t worry about him. And even if he wasn¡¯t, he would be once they got the journal and got out of this horrible city.


    In silence they continued searching, finding nothing. It was all just trash, random records and documents about the club.


    ¡°Found it!¡± Note¡¯s voice broke him out of his thoughts.


    ¡°The journal?!¡± Johan turned around to see a triumphant Note with a big grin and lifting a brown book into the air. He sucked in a breath and felt the corners of his mouth curl up.


    Finally.


    He almost ran over to Note right then, but then froze, midstep.


    He tensed up. They both looked at the door.


    Oh no.


    Johan¡¯s thoughts raced as he heard a voice from the hallway. He quickly glanced at Note. He wouldn¡¯t leave without the journal, but there was no way he was leaving without Note or Signe either.


    ¡°Hide, I¡¯ll distract him.¡± Johan whispered harshly, quickly deciding, and watched as Note turned to stare at him with wide eyes, both his hands clutching the journal. It seemed like an eternity passed, waiting even as the voices got closer, but finally Note nodded in confirmation.


    Johan gave a short nod back and watched for another second to make sure Note disappeared back into the adjacent room. Good. Good.


    His heart hammered in his chest when he turned to the door, hands tense in fists. There was no time to get out now. Any second the door would swing open. Johan just had to play his part and figure something out so Note could get away.


    He swallowed, eyes running around the room, only stopping at the desk. And when the doorhandle rattled, he quickly made a decision.


    He sat on the desk just in time for the door to swing open.


    ¡°I will do what I want! Go back to your tyrant of a boss!¡± Lust¡¯s back was turned to Johan as he yelled at the man in the suit. Johan met the man¡¯s eyes with a grin, heart pounding in his chest, and watched as his expression turned to shock.


    Silence fell.


    Johan noted the way Lust¡¯s back and shoulders tensed up.


    Slowly Lust turned around. Johan smiled at him and dangled his legs with a tight breath, putting everything into controlling his face. He gave a short wave, leaning relaxed back on his other arm. For a long second Lust stared at him, mouth slightly ajar in bewilderment.


    Johan was hit by how unreal this situation was. There Lust was. Right there, staring at Johan with no recognition on his face.


    ¡°Hello,¡± Johan greeted, looking as inconspicuous as he could and finally they reacted.


    ¡°Intruder-!¡± The man in the suit started but was quickly silenced by Lust slamming a hand against his chest.


    ¡°This is my club, I will deal with it. Fuck off.¡± Lust snapped, pushing at the man.


    ¡°Lust-¡± The man¡¯s objection was cut off when Lust ordered. ¡°Leave us.¡±


    Johan felt a drop of sweat run down his neck at the dark tone. The two of them glared at each other, neither moving, nor backing down.


    Bang!


    Johan jumped at the loud noise coming from downstairs, eyes snapping to the hallway.


    Did something explode?!


    The bang was immediately followed by screaming which¡­weirdly enough turned into cheering and yelling.


    Johan froze when the two deities turned to stare at him.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything!¡± Johan defended himself, hands raised in the air. Outside of sneaking into the office and breaking a picture frame, he had done nothing wrong! Though¡­he had an idea about who it was. He smiled innocently as green hair flashed across his mind.


    The deities stared, unconvinced.


    ¡°You deal with him, I¡¯ll deal with the downstairs.¡± The man in the suit finally decided and left without another word. Lust¡¯s jaw dropped and Johan watched as he followed the man with rage filled eyes.


    A door slammed shut and right then Johan realized he was left alone with the angry sin. Lust was right there, completely within reach.


    A sudden calm came over him and he glanced at the pieces of glass on the floor, hands slowly lowering, his palms itching for his ribbons.


    Maybe he should-?


    ¡°...He dare order me around-¡± Lust sneered and before Johan could finish the thought, Lust turned to him. ¡°You! Come with me.¡±


    That was all the warning Johan got before a hand grabbed his wrist and pulled him to his feet. They were down the hallway before Johan could blink, Lust¡¯s nails digging into his skin as he was dragged along and the office door slammed shut behind them, Note shut inside.


    As they rounded stepped onto the stairs, the sounds suddenly made sense. Johan raised his eyebrows. Lust stopped a couple steps down and Johan almost walked right into him, just barely catching himself.


    They watched the commotion in mute shock. A group of what was seemingly all the big guys in the entire club were fighting each other right in the middle of the dancefloor, even some bouncers were in there, throwing punches. Johan watched in amazement as a big guy jumped onto the stage, going right for a group of dancers huddled together, who all ran off in all directions with loud yells as the guy ripped a pole straight out of the floor, throwing it with a roar and almost impaling a guy in the crowd.


    Johan let out a disbelieving laugh, eyes roaming for the culprit. He found her easily by the bar, the only person looking away from the fight, sitting innocently on a stool and sipping a drink. Johan could only imagine what she did to instigate all that.


    Lust made an angry sound, a mix between a groan and a hiss, and then he was back to dragging Johan along. Instead of doing something about the fight though, Lust pulled him right past them all, right for the big door by the bar.


    Lust stopped at the door and Johan had just enough time to meet Signe¡¯s widening eyes before he was roughly pushed outside.


    He yelped and stumbled into the fresh air, his hand suddenly free and for a second he thought that was it, Lust was happy with just kicking him out.


    Then he turned back and an arm slammed into his chest, pushing the thought right out of him right along with all the air in his lungs.


    ¡°Ah!¡± His head bounced painfully off the wall and his hand flew up to cover it. However, his wrist was pinned before he could reach and he took a deep breath through gritted teeth, his eyes clenched tightly as the world spun around him.


    ¡°What were you doing in my office?¡± Lust hissed lowly, close enough that Johan felt his breath tickle his face. ¡°Why did you break my picture?!¡±


    With a deep breath he opened his eyes.


    This would be the perfect time to kill him. The ribbons would catch him off guard, it would be so easy to just-


    Stop that. Johan swallowed tightly, pushing the temptation far away. Even the thought of killing Lust made him feel sick.


    Instead Johan smiled. A laugh falling out of his mouth.


    ¡°What? You didn¡¯t think I would actually come?¡± Lust had ripped out the pages of his dad¡¯s journal and given them away. The whole plan was to have Johan end up in Heaven, it wasn¡¯t that hard to realize who had broken in, was it? It was Lust¡¯s own plan afterall.


    ¡°Innocence isn¡¯t a good look on you.¡± Johan continued mockingly. ¡°Annoying, isn¡¯t it? Having people mess with what¡¯s yours.¡±


    Lust frowned, eyebrows drawing together. Then an uncontrollable rage overtok. The hand pushing Johan against the wall closed on his jaw and wrenched it up.


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to play with me.¡± Lust hissed, their noses almost touching. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Johan grinned. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you know that?¡±


    Lust clenched his jaw, his teeth grinding together as he breathed out, and the hand holding Johan¡¯s jaw let go and in the same motion he swept Johan¡¯s hair up.


    Johan watched in deep satisfaction as Lust¡¯s eyes widened, his face falling into shock.


    Johan could see his own red eyes reflecting in Lust¡¯s black ones. The hands holding him fell weak, barely holding on anymore.


    ¡°Johan?¡± It was more like a breath than a question.


    Johan¡¯s grin only grew wider. He opened his mouth-


    ¡°Johan!¡± His head snapped to see Signe panting at the opening of the alleyway, Note skidding into view behind her. Yells surged from the street and she threw a panicked glance around. ¡°We need to go! Now!¡±


    Johan sprung to action, he threw his ribbon out around the closest anchor point, the doorhandle, and back at Lust, sending him flying back against the opposite wall. By the time he looked back, Note and Signe were gone and Johan didn¡¯t waste a second before setting off after them.


    ¡°The journal?!¡± He yelled as he caught up. People were everywhere around them, flooding out of the club and into the street, and they ran as quickly as they could past them.


    ¡°Got it!¡± Note fanned something in the air. Behind them an explosion sounded.


    ¡°What did you do?¡± Johan almost squealed, hands jerking to his ears as people screamed behind them. They weren¡¯t there to kill people!


    ¡°Carlotta was there!¡± Signe yelled back. ¡°I didn¡¯t need to do anything!¡±


    Johan¡¯s mind halted, the world slowed.


    The Lady of Fire was there?


    Oh, that was bad. That was very, very bad.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think she recognized me, but she definitely knows I started the fight!¡± Signe yelled, snapping him out of his thoughts.


    ¡°Why did you start the fight!?¡± Note demanded.


    ¡°I had to make a distraction before you guys were killed!¡±


    ¡°Johan was caught anyway!¡± Note snapped back.


    ¡°Well-!¡±


    Johan interrupted her before they could start fighting properly. ¡°Where is she?!¡±


    ¡°She was right behind us!¡± Signe yelled back.


    Johan threw a look back over his shoulder but he couldn¡¯t see the familiar red anywhere. The street was full of people both running and cowering, but there were no warriors or guards. Not even a single sin was after them and definitely not the Lady of Fire.


    But if she really was there then Johan didn¡¯t believe for a second she would give up the chase.


    He shuddered at the thought and looked back, still seeing nobody following them. They were almost back to the bridge by now. He turned back-


    Oh.


    He froze, heart skipping a beat, and came to a dead stop just past Note and Signe.


    Oh this was bad. He clenched his teeth. This was bad. So, so very bad.


    His heart skipped a beat. In the corner of his eye the familiar light of a summoned sword flashed.


    He clenched his eyes shut for a second. They were not ready for this¡­it would have to work out. He let out a tight breath and opened his eyes.


    He closed his hand around the heavy weight of his dagger.


    They really should have gotten Signe that new axe.


    Carlotta was on the bridge.

 The Lady of Fire

    She walked towards them slowly, her long, black dress red where it dragged on the ground, the skirt and her thick braid both floating behind her as if they were underwater, and a single red streak at the front of her hairline glowed against the darkness of the starry sky.


    She was the first real-looking deity Johan had seen in years. The level of intimidation she cast by just standing there felt terrible in his skin.


    Johan sucked in a breath. How did she get past them?!


    ¡°You!¡± Carlotta¡¯s clear voice made silence fall, her eyes glowing like fire as they settled on their target.


    Suddenly fire lit up and like a flash of lightning it traveled across the ground, straight at them. Johan felt an arm pulling him away just in time, and when he opened his eyes Signe stood alone in a circle of fire, her hands in tense fists at her side.


    ¡°Shit.¡± Signe muttered. ¡°She¡¯s after me.¡±


    Yeah, Johan could have guessed that. He felt the heat of the flames even where he stood, well out of reach. He clenched his jaw and glanced around. They needed to do something quickly!


    ¡°Where do you think you are going, girl?¡± Carlotta took slow steps forward, one heeled shoe clicking against the ground at a time, the dress¡¯ thigh-high slit showing off a pale leg at every other step, her eyes never leaving Signe.


    Signe laughed. ¡°Girl? I am not a child.¡±


    ¡°You instigate a fight and leave before you get involved yourself. Only a child runs from the consequences of her actions.¡±


    As Carlotta spoke, Signe turned to meet Johan¡¯s eyes, worried despite the earlier laugh. She looked past him for a second, at Note.


    ¡°Come with me before you do something you regret.¡± Carlotta said. ¡°You made no lasting damage, the consequences will be light, but there will still be consequences. Drunken stupor is unfortunately very common at that place.¡±


    Signe sneered, turning back to the lady of fire and falling into a fighting stance, worry completely gone from her face.


    Oh no.


    She whirled around and jumped over the flames without a single care for how they licked at her legs. ¡°Give me that!¡± Johan watched in trepidation as she ripped the axe from a random man¡¯s back, forcing him to the ground with a kick to the back of his knee when he tried protesting.


    Soon she was back in the circle, the fire burning even brighter than before, flames flickering into taller walls, and she scraped the axe blade hard down against the front edge.


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me like that!¡± She yelled, axe heavy in her hands. ¡°Back off before I make you regret it!¡±


    Oh no.


    ¡°Why does she have to be so brash?!¡± Johan hissed, sharing a look with Note. He looked around aimlessly, but the answer was clear. The only thing they could do to get out now was to fight.


    Well, Johan was prepared for that. He eyed the people around them. Surprisingly there were no guards in sight, and while most of the crowd probably had hidden weapons, none of them seemed like they were going to join the fight.


    The dagger was heavy in his hand. Carlotta might be strong, but she would be no issue against all three of them. The issue would be reinforcements, either Lust and the other sins, or guards.


    They would need to be quick.


    Carlotta laughed. ¡°Come on, I don¡¯t have all day. Why don¡¯t we do this the easy way.¡±


    Signe attacked.


    In a split second she was on the bridge, high in the air and axe even higher above her head, both hands wrapped tightly around the shaft, and with her whole body- she brought it down!


    Carlotta barely managed to jump back, the axe hitting the ground in sparks right where she was standing.


    ¡°Impressive.¡± Carlotta hissed, cracks reaching her feet, and she lashed out. Signe had just managed to land when it hit her.


    Johan jerked forward, mouth dropping open in a soundless shout as Signe disappeared in the fire. People screamed around them, blinding heat carrying all the way through the street.


    But as the fire and smoke died down, Signe was there, crouched behind the big axe blade shielding her from the attack.


    Johan let out a relieved breath, she was fine! But she might not be if they didn¡¯t act soon.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°We have to fight.¡± Note said. Johan nodded and cursed.


    ¡°Is that all you got?¡± Signe taunted as she got up, her hair falling down from the ponytail in waves down her back, her wide eyes brighter than they had been in years. A huge smile of pure excitement spread across her face as she watched her opponent.


    ¡°The sins can be here any second!¡± Johan yelled to Note. Lust had hit the wall hard, but it wouldn¡¯t take him long to get back up. They needed to hurry before he gathered the rest of them!


    ¡°Wait, she looks really familiar. She looks like Death!¡±


    Johan froze, mouth shutting with a click.


    What?


    Suddenly he was extremely aware of just how many people were around them, the crowd had gotten bigger and bigger during the fight. They had an audience now, people pushing in to see it from up close. But nobody was close to them, Johan and Note had their very own bubble, and people were watching them too.


    And worse. They seemed to be realizing who they were.


    ¡°Oh wow, she does look like Death!¡±


    ¡°Wait- the people with her! That guy looks a lot like Life!¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t they supposed to be dead?!¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s with them? Is that Fate?!¡±


    Johan could feel his heart hammering in his chest, he turned but no matter where he looked people turned into blurs, mixing together before his eyes. He gripped the hilt of the dagger tighter. This wasn¡¯t supposed to happen.


    ¡°He¡¯s hiding his eyes, it has to be him!¡±


    Then a hand landed on his shoulder, turning him around. ¡°Snap out of it.¡± Note ordered.


    Johan sucked in air through gritted teeth, trying to control himself. Distantly he noticed a slight tremble under his feet. He watched as Note¡¯s face became sharper, the beating in his chest slowly slowing down.


    ¡°Are you ok?¡± Note asked quietly, eyes stuck on something over Johan¡¯s shoulder. He licked his lips, nodded and turned.


    ¡°Death?¡± Carlotta wondered aloud, eyes scanning the crowd for just a moment before settling back on Signe. ¡°Oh¡­it is.¡± She held her chin, a worried and calculating look on her face. ¡°Oh dear, you¡¯re not supposed to be alive. You are beneath that tree.¡±


    Johan faltered. Didn¡¯t they know he had gotten Signe and Note out a long time ago?


    ¡°Witch, I¡¯m standing right here in front of you, where do you think I am?!¡± Signe yelled back at her.


    ¡°Get ready.¡± Johan told Note and fell into a crouch, getting ready for the inevitable. ¡°Whatever happens, get yourself and Signe out.¡±


    ¡°Well, we have to fix that then. You have no place in this world.¡± Carlotta said and with no warning- she pinched her fingers together.


    ¡°Go!¡± Johan jumped away just in time to get away from the huge column of fire burning the street. It seemed like Carlotta was done playing. The crowd screamed and finally people started leaving, running and screaming as their clothes burned and the air became difficult to breathe.


    But that wasn¡¯t all. In the middle of the chaos Johan heard it.


    ¡°They¡¯re right there!¡±


    He threw a look over his shoulder, then realized with a heavy heart who had yelled. Envy¡¯s army was there!


    Time to act.


    His dagger was ready in one hand and ribbon in the other. The second the fire died down, he charged forward, past Signe who was still recovering from the fire and smoke, panting heavily behind the axeblade and about to get back up when she saw him.


    He launched at Carlotta, swiping the dagger through the air but only catching air as she jumped back. She was quick, but then Note was there too. Johan landed on one knee and felt his hair blow as Note passed over him, sword in hand.


    They met with a loud CLANG-


    Just before Note managed to land a hit, Carlotta summoned her sword and they clashed. Johan sent out a ribbon to wrap around her ankle, but yelped as it burned. He quickly snatched it back, the edge black.


    Johan got his feet under him and fell into step with Note. They attacked together. Note with his sword, Johan with his dagger.


    Carlotta paused in realization, eyes quickly glancing between them, then she showed her teeth and she threw out a hand. Fire once again lit up.


    But it wasn¡¯t directed at them. Johan sucked in a breath as he threw a look back over his shoulder, hearing Signe yell loud insults before suddenly cutting off, the fire surrounding her once again.


    She hadn¡¯t even caught her breath from the last time! Carlotta was trying to suffocate her!


    Johan cursed and quickly met Note¡¯s eyes. With a curt nod Note fell back and Johan breathed in the smoke-filled air. Now alone with the monster.


    Carlotta¡¯s eyes glinted as she watched Johan. ¡°Little Fate, hmm. So this is where you went, King.¡±


    Johan gritted his teeth, trying to find an opening, but every slash was deflected.


    ¡°It must be nostalgic to visit your childhood home, unfortunately I can¡¯t let you leave.¡± She continued, almost managing to sound apologetic. Almost. Her voice lowered. ¡°You are too important. Come with me and I will save you some pain.¡±


    ¡°I would rather die here than let you kill me!¡±


    Carlotta sneered, their weapons clashed and the vibrations ran up Johan¡¯s arms.


    ¡°Stop! Burning! Me!¡± A big rock came flying out of nowhere, and finally something hit Carlotta! ¡°It¡¯s not fair!¡±


    She jerked back, hand flying up and before Johan could blink, Signe passed him, fist winding up- the axe gone - and punched.


    Carlotta went down hard and suddenly a hand grabbed Johan¡¯s, pulling him into a run.


    ¡°We¡¯re leaving!¡± Note yelled, grip clenching around Johan¡¯s wrist.


    Before long they were halfway across the bridge and Signe fell into step with them. ¡°That felt so good!¡± She laughed.


    Johan threw a look back over his shoulder only to one of the soldiers skidding in front of Carlotta, arms stretched out wide and stopping her from following them.


    What-?


    He turned back and their feet pounded against the bridge as they ran, leaving the yells and shouts far behind them.

 The Second Vision

    They didn¡¯t stop until they were far into the woods, far away from Heaven and the city outside. They didn¡¯t meet anyone as they ran, but even when they stopped, deciding they were far enough away and started making camp for the night, Johan still found himself anxiously listening for anything that didn¡¯t belong.


    Thankfully he had gotten his backpack back with all their clothes, or it would have been a cold night for them, only warmed by the fire Johan had made earlier.


    By the time they were finally settled down, it had been hours since they left Heaven, exhausted but too jittery to use what was left of the night to sleep.


    ¡°What happened to the axe you stole?¡± Note asked as Signe appeared from the trees, white dress back on and the black a bundle in her arms.


    ¡°The shaft burnt.¡± She said flatly, gesturing to something by the fire before unceremoniously letting go of the clothes and dropping down next to them. ¡°Only the blade is left.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not surprised.¡± Johan muttered, Carlotta wasn¡¯t going easy on her.


    Note laughed from his seat beside him.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting The Lady of Fire~¡± Signe drew out the title mockingly. ¡°To be in a nightclub.¡±


    ¡°Would you have changed anything if you did?¡± Johan challenged with a grin, remembering the excited look in her eyes. ¡°You seemed to enjoy it.¡±


    ¡°It was a good fight.¡± Signe shrugged with a laugh. Then a thought seemed to hit her and she fell silent. ¡°Did you see the soldier from Envy¡¯s army?¡±


    Note nodded. ¡°The one that stopped her from following.¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t they all from Envy¡¯s army?¡± Johan asked. They were talking about the same horde of enemies, right?


    ¡°No, only that one, the rest weren¡¯t wearing helmets.¡±


    Johan sat up higher at the words. ¡°...He went between us and Carlotta¡­¡±


    Somber silence fell. The only sound was the crackling from the fire as they exchanged serious looks. Johan¡¯s eyes trailed to the dark woods around them.


    ¡°..That''s weird.¡± Note said, breaking the silence.


    ¡°It is.¡± Johan agreed somberly. There had to be more to it if only one of Envy¡¯s soldiers were there. That wasn¡¯t a coincidence. And the fact that he helped them get away? It didn¡¯t make sense. Envy wouldn¡¯t want to help them.


    ¡°Maybe the soldier just¡­mistook us for someone else?¡± Note said thoughtfully. ¡°But¡­There was something else that seemed weird.¡±


    Johan raised an eyebrow, turning to look at Note.


    ¡°In Lust¡¯s office,¡± Note hesitated, then met Johan¡¯s eyes. ¡°Did you see the bedroom?¡±


    Johan nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°I found the journal in the bedside table.¡± Note nodded at the journal in Johan¡¯s hands.


    Johan frowned. ¡°What about it?¡±


    Note hesitated again, staring into the fire with a deep frown.


    ¡°I think he was living there.¡± He finally said.


    Johan froze. From across the fire Signe straightened up.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Johan asked tensely. He didn¡¯t like where this was going.


    ¡°I think he was living in his office.¡± Note said seriously, meeting Johan¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°He¡¯s not that much of a workaholic,¡± Johan snorted. Of course Lust wouldn¡¯t live in the night club, that was ridiculous. ¡°The bed is probably for other reasons.¡±


    ¡°No. There were all these things, sentimental items, clothes, books.¡± Note continued. ¡°The picture.¡±


    That didn¡¯t make sense. The Lust Johan knew hated working, why would he choose to live in his work office? He wouldn¡¯t.


    ¡°Something¡¯s not right here.¡± Signe voiced Johan¡¯s rising doubts. ¡°He has a co-owner he hates and he lives in his office? That doesn¡¯t sound like him at all.¡±


    Johan chewed on the inside of his cheek, trying to push down his rising feelings of unease. ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s nothing. With his powers he can look like anyone he wants. He would have no problem getting away if something was wrong.¡±


    Even to him the argument sounded weak. When he thought back on it, it had been weird that Lust was so angry. Lust rarely got angry, he was too confident to let anyone get under his skin like that.


    The fact that he also volunteered to do the dirty work and deal with Johan while he still thought he was just an intruder was weird too.


    No. Johan shook his head. Never mind that.


    If there was anything bad going on then Johan didn¡¯t want to know. He might have been Lust¡¯s friend before, but that changed when he helped kill Note and Signe. Whatever was going on, Lust deserved it.


    ¡°If anything is going on then it¡¯s his own fault.¡± Johan said stubbornly. ¡°...Unfortunately.¡±


    In comparison to the others, Johan was much younger than them when everything happened. Only Frey and Gluttony were his age, and so when Greed had parted them all into groups of three, Note and Signe¡¯s groups got closer much quicker than Johan¡¯s group.


    Eventually though, he grew closer to both Lust and Envy. He got used to them and after time, they became like his family. They helped when he was grieving his dad, while Note and Signe were dealing with their own stuff, having just become deities, and his actual family was off doing his own thing.


    He had thought they would be friends forever¡­but it turned out very little in Johan¡¯s life lasted.


    Well¡­Outside of this.


    Johan looked at Note and Signe, both with him, resting around the fire. They even came with him to Heaven, the place where they were killed. They found him when he tried to go alone. They were his family.


    And they got what they went for.


    Johan looked down at the journal in his hands. The cover was brown from old age and constant use, with a complex symbol of some rectangle sewn on the front in red string.


    It almost seemed too small for all the trouble they went through to get it. But at the same time he felt such relief at having it in his own hands, and not the enemy¡¯s.


    Johan flipped through it. On every page were new adventures his dad had lived, and visions he had seen.


    The very first pages of the book was from when his dad had been found by the Fate before him, a very, very long time ago. He wrote about first entering Heaven and meeting the new Life/Death, who was his age, but most of all he wrote about leaving his brother.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Johan¡¯s eyes were drawn to the sketch, halfway hidden by the words. A young teen with ruffled black hair, glaring angrily despite the tears that were clearly running down his cheeks. ¡°-he told me Poe could not not come with us, but that he will make sure he is ok. I will probably never see him again. Deities and humans do not mix well, I am told.¡±


    Johan frowned and continued flipping though the journal until another page caught his eyes and he paused, his mood quickly souring.


    The sketch depicted a young man with wild black hair at Heaven¡¯s gates. The new deity of Wealth being met with high praises and bootlicking, with a pleased smirk on his face. His tissue-like, white button shirt and black pants painted a picture of deep contrast as the crowd practically bowed down in front of him.


    Greed.


    Johan felt his lips pull down. It was different from seeing the sketch of him as a teen. This man was the one Johan knew. Even in this old sketch he looked exactly the same as the last time Johan saw him.


    Johan glanced down at the text beneath it.


    ¡°Today my brother entered Heaven as a deity! It has been a decade since I had to leave him and by now he has become an established person, I am so proud of him!¡±


    With a huff, Johan quickly flipped to a different page, accidentally going near the end of the journal- and immediately froze.


    This time it was the entry of a vision. A sketch of a young child in rugged clothes was sketched on the page, curled into a ball against a dirty brick wall. It was a simple sketch, but Johan recognized it right away.


    ¡°Today I saw a vision of a child. Not unusual in itself, but this one is special. He raised his head and met my eyes like he knew I was there. I am sure this is my successor, my son. I will find him, yet it saddens me to see he is still so very young, he will not know a life outside Heaven.¡±


    It was the first time his dad had seen him, Johan realized. He looked back at the sketch. What would life have been like if his dad hadn¡¯t found him? Probably not a very long one. He couldn¡¯t remember anything from that time, he only knew what he had been told, which wasn¡¯t a lot, but it was enough to know he wasn¡¯t missing anything. The sketch only confirmed that.


    Unlike most other deities whose powers transferred to a random fitting person once the previous owner died, Fate was unique in that the previous owner would see their successor in a vision and find them, bring them back to Heaven with the opportunity to teach them, and in Johan¡¯s case, even raise them.


    His dad had been found in his late teens and didn¡¯t take over the powers until he was in his forties, which was normal for Fates. Some even took the powers even later. So far, Johan was the youngest one.


    He flipped through the rest of the journal, there wasn¡¯t much left after that. Many pages were ripped out near the end. Some were put back randomly but most were just gone, some of which were the pages Johan had gotten from the merchant only a day ago.


    He gently put them back into their right place.


    ¡°What¡¯s in it?¡± Note asked curiously, having watched Johan read for a while.


    ¡°My dad would always write down his visions and stuff.¡± Johan told him. ¡°I don¡¯t know why anyone would want it, really. Everything has already happened, it¡¯s basically just a normal journal at this point.¡±


    Note hummed and shuffled closer, leaning his elbows on the log behind them to peer onto the open page depicting another one of his dad¡¯s visions.


    ¡°...It¡¯s weird, isn¡¯t it.¡± Johan started, eyes strained on the journal. ¡°I¡¯ve had these powers for years, but I¡¯ve only had one single vision. My dad used to have them daily.¡±


    He fell quiet for a second, closing the journal and running a hand down the cover. He wasn¡¯t surprised to see both Signe and Note watching him when he looked up.


    ¡°Before you guys came back,¡± Johan continued, smiling without amusement. ¡°I was an adventurer, right? I would go and do whatever I wanted, wherever I wanted. And for all those four years I didn¡¯t have a single vision. At some point I thought the powers might have passed on to someone else.¡±


    ¡°Can that happen?¡± Signe asked, her tone serious.


    Johan shook his head. ¡°I would know if there was a new Fate. I would see it, like every other Fate. And I could still control my ribbons so¡­It was more of a feeling, I guess. For all those years before you guys came back, I didn¡¯t do anything¡­and everything was fine!¡± His mouth clicked shut, eyebrows drawing together. He stared at the fire as he continued. ¡°There wasn¡¯t a big change like with you two, where people stopped dying and everything. Maybe Fate just isn¡¯t necessary.¡±


    Both Note and Signe were watching him silently with concerned faces. They glanced at each other and for a second Johan thought that would be the end of the conversation.


    ¡°Fate might not be necessary, but you are, Johan.¡± Note said gently.


    Well. He didn¡¯t know about that.


    ¡°Maybe no deity is necessary.¡± Signe thought aloud.


    Johan¡¯s eyes snapped to her in shock. ¡°What?¡±


    But Signe just shrugged, as if she didn¡¯t just say that. ¡°There has to have been a time where humans lived without the deities. It¡¯s not like any of us created the world. We are not more important than any human.¡±


    ¡°I guess¡­¡± Johan hesitated. She was right, of course. As far as anyone knew deities didn¡¯t make the world, so yeah, humans must have been there first. Really, deities didn¡¯t¡­do anything.


    Signe watched him with intense eyes. ¡°Do you think Odin is unimportant?¡±


    ¡°What- No!¡± Johan protested.


    ¡°How about Leif?¡± She challenged, leaning forward. ¡°He¡¯s just a fisher, who really needs him? Anyone could take his place.¡±


    Beside him, Note flinched. ¡°Hey-¡±


    ¡°Of course he is important!¡± Johan snapped, then realized what she was doing and faltered, eyes closing.


    A faint smile passed Signe¡¯s lips, eyes turning gentle. ¡°Everyone is important to someone. They might not need you in Heaven, but we need you here. And even if we didn¡¯t, we still want you here. So don¡¯t think too much about it, ok? Life doesn¡¯t need to have a big purpose to it, you can just enjoy the time you have.¡±


    Johan bit his lip.


    ¡°Signe is right.¡± Note said seriously. ¡°Your place is right here with us. And no matter what you choose to do, I¡¯m coming with you. I think I talk for Signe too, when I say this.¡±


    Johan raised an eyebrow and huffed out a laugh. ¡°Even if I want to sell fish for the rest of my life?¡±


    Note nodded without any hesitation. ¡°Yes, even selling fish.¡±


    A small laugh bubbled up in Johan, the sound filling the quiet, chilled air around the fire. Note hated selling fish, yet he would do it for Johan? A small smile pulled on his lips. A heavy arm slung over his shoulder, the weight comforting.


    Signe huffed. ¡°I am not leaving, that¡¯s for sure. I love this life, living in the village, selling fish with you guys¡­ sparring¡­¡±


    ¡°You sure about that?¡± Johan laughed, he knew she loved living on the island, but he could tell all she said wasn¡¯t all completely true.


    ¡°Ok,¡± She quickly relented. ¡°There¡¯s been a lack of sparring recently, but I¡¯ll figure that out eventually.¡±


    Johan laughed and even Note let out a snort.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I really can¡¯t keep up.¡± He said, but Signe just shook her head with a smile.


    The conversation ended there.


    The fire grew weaker and weaker as time passed. Signe ended up falling asleep, curled up next to it while Note was slowly but surely leaning more and more of his weight on Johan as he started to doze off.


    Johan was the only one still awake. He couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that someone might come after them. Absent-mindedly he flipped through the journal while keeping an eye on the dark forest around them and feeding the fire every now and then.


    Then something landed on his shoulder and Johan looked down to see Note¡¯s sleeping face, a small crease formed in the space between his eyes.


    He felt the vibration before he heard the soft snoring and had to force back a laugh. He turned back to the journal, feeling Note¡¯s long hair tickle his neck.


    Then suddenly a sharp pain hit him. He gasped as a jolt went through his head, his vision blurring and his body tensing up as he almost fell forward.


    But just as quickly as it came, it disappeared.


    What happened?


    Johan sucked in a deep breath, suddenly on high alert. He scanned the forest. Was there someone there? Did someone attack him?


    But just as his vision started to clear up, it hit him again. The journal fell from his hands, and the air was pushed from his lungs. His vision went black.


    The first thing he noticed was the air. The smell of smoke and the slight chill in the air were both gone. Then the sounds came. Screams of terror and cries of war came from all around him and he opened his eyes to see red.


    His heart hammered in his chest. What-?!


    Then suddenly the back of the person in front of him changed. Warm blood splattered across his face and her jerked back, falling to one knee with his arms coming up to shield his head. The ground shook in heavy thumps.


    With shaky hands he quickly dragged his sleeve over his face and looked up. He was in the middle of a huge cave, the roof opening up to bright green and purple flowing across the night sky.


    People were running around him, and for a moment he thought he was going to get trampled as hordes of people passed, swords held high in the air.


    That wasn¡¯t the most shocking thing, however. He could only stare as a big group of ugly giants charged at the humans, Slinging big tree trunks around, sending people flying through the air, and throwing heavy boulders. Corpses littered the blood soaked ground.


    Cries of rage and pain filled the air along with loud, angry roars as they clashed. And Johan was right in the middle of it all.


    He ducked as they swung at him from both sides, his hands instinctively going up to cover his head.

 An Old Adventure

    He hit the wet ground hard and for a long moment he just laid there, waiting for the blow, breaths coming out in short pants and heart beating like it was trying to escape from his chest.


    But nothing happened.


    Carefully he opened his eyes but instead of a dark battlefield, all he saw was a flickering red light. For a second he didn¡¯t recognize it, the weird shape curling and spluttering in front of him.


    ¡°Johan!¡±


    Oh, it was their campfire.


    Johan swallowed, still shaking, and looked around. He was lying on his side, facing the fire. Wide, green eyes stared at him from behind the flames.


    Carefully he started to push himself up and someone grabbed around him, pulling him into a seated position.


    ¡°Johan?¡± A worried voice asked and Johan looked up to see Note crouched beside him with strands of grass in his hair.


    Oh right, Note had been leaning on him, he must have fallen when Johan did.


    Finally the adrenalin was starting to wear off and his heart calmed down from the loud thumping in his ears. He dragged in a deep breath and patted the hand on his shoulder comfortingly, then looked past the fire to see Signe watching them cautiously, hand on the stolen axe-blade and looking ready to fight at any second.


    They must have thought he was attacked.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Johan quickly said. ¡°Just a vision.¡±


    Because it was another vision. He hadn¡¯t gotten any in the first four years of having his powers and suddenly he had two in less than a year. What was up with that?


    ¡°Are- really?¡± Note asked. A warm feeling filled Johan at his concern, and he quickly reassured him with a nod. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°A vision?¡± Signe asked tensely. ¡°That happens when you have a vision?¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah. I think. It¡¯s only the second time I¡¯ve had one.¡± Johan groaned, head coming down to rest in his hands. ¡°Ah, we were just about to go back home today.¡±


    He hadn¡¯t planned on getting a vision when he left for Heaven. Well, not that he had thought much at all before leaving for Heaven.


    Maybe if he just ignored the vision-


    No. He didn¡¯t know what would happen if he did, but it was nothing good. Never ignore a vision. That was one of the most important lessons his dad had taught him. You never knew what the results would be, but whatever it was, it was usually not worth it.


    He sighed. The villagers would get worried if they just disappeared.


    ¡°Are you ready for another adventure?¡± Johan asked, trying and failing to sound cheerful.


    Signe raised her eyebrows, then with a last look around, she let herself plop back down on the ground. Note slowly sat down next to Johan, arm still on his shoulder.


    ¡°Tell us everything.¡±


    And Johan did. He told them everything that happened in the vision, being careful to keep the details accurate.


    He ended with a sigh. He didn¡¯t know why a bunch of humans were picking fights with a horde of giants, but was it too much to ask that people have the common sense to not do that? Giants were powerful monsters afterall.


    ¡°A big, open cave?¡± Signe asked, her eyebrows creasing.


    ¡°Yeah, do you know anything?¡± Johan asked hopefully, he had absolutely no ideas.


    She crossed her arms thoughtfully, staring into the fire.


    Johan shared a cautious look with Note cautiously as her expression went from scrunched up to completely unreadable in the blink of an eye. The corners of her lips turned down and for a moment Johan thought she wouldn¡¯t say anything, but then she looked back up, a crazed look in her eyes as she glared into the fire. She hissed quietly for a second before gathering herself, letting out a slow exhale.


    ¡°The day we died I had just come back from a mission, right?¡± She started, looking up at them. Johan nodded, it was the first time he had seen her in days.


    ¡°Me and Wrath,¡±


    Oh. Johan grimaced.


    Her face twisted at the name, but she quickly continued before she could get angry.


    ¡°We went to check out a burial mound for a vengeful draug that went around killing its old relatives. He had been buried in a huge cave, far away from civilization¡­ It sounds like it could be the same cave, at least from the way you described it. It''s far-fetched, but it¡¯s what I immediately thought of. It could be worth checking out.¡±


    Johan nodded. ¡°Where is it?¡±

 A Whole New World

    ¡°Is this really it?¡± Note asked dubiously.


    From outside it just seemed like just a big mountain. It was very anticlimactic. Johan had expected something¡­more impressive. Like a huge entrance, something giants could easily get inside of, or some kind of decoration seeing as Signe said the family of some dead guy had spent a lot of money burying him there. But no.


    The opening Signe was leading them to was extremely normal, just a curved archway that was barely taller than Johan.


    ¡°It used to be prettier,¡± Signe noted and walked in. ¡°We broke a lot of stuff to get rid of the draug. You can still faintly see some inscriptions around the entrance here though.¡±


    Johan stopped for a second, looking up. A bunch of runes and symbols curving around the archway. They seemed to describe some fierce battle, but he couldn¡¯t make out much, they were mostly buffed down and some even had lines drawn through them, making it illegible.


    He eyed the missing chunks. That would also be the work of Signe and Wrath, he guessed. Since they had been there breaking things together, there was probably a lot more damage than there needed to be.


    He followed Signe into the darkness, Note right behind him. It didn¡¯t take long until they reached the other end.


    ¡°Here we go.¡± Signe said and stepped out into the bright cave.


    ¡°Woah..¡± Johan muttered in shock, eyes wide as he looked around, taking it all in. It was beautiful, like right out of a novel. The huge cave was formed almost like a circle, stretching hundreds of meters wide, and the roof reached almost as high, all the way up to where it opened to the bright sky above, letting the sun light up the entire cave.


    ¡°Well?¡± Note asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s the right cave.¡± Johan confirmed. It was definitely the same from the vision. But there was something weird about it. Instead of the battlefield he had seen, or even a burial mound that Signe talked about, there was something else entirely.


    ¡°Wait, what?!¡± Signe surged ahead. ¡°This wasn¡¯t here last time! It¡¯s like some kind of playground. But it¡¯s huge!¡±


    In the middle of the room were huge rocks in strangely familiar shapes, resembling swings and a slide, and even a seesaw, only that they were much bigger than any Johan had ever seen before.


    ¡°And overgrown.¡± Signe added, kicking some moss off of the ground. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like anyone has been here recently.¡±


    ¡°Recently? More like in years. This place looks completely abandoned.¡± Note said, and he was right, everything was completely covered in moss and tall grass. It didn¡¯t seem like anyone had been here for years¡­except for one thing. The playsets were spotless. Everything was overgrown, until you got close to them, then even the ground was clear.


    ¡°Who would need a playground this big?¡± Note wondered loudly.


    Johan paused, getting a bad feeling. The pieces were slowly falling into place. This wasn¡¯t what he saw in his vision. He had seen the bare stone ground, not overgrown like it was now.


    ¡°And why would they just leave it? Nothing is broken, it¡¯s pretty well maintained.¡± Note continued. Johan looked over to see him wading through some tall grass around a big rock.


    ¡°This can¡¯t be good.¡± Johan sighed. He went over to the swing, barely able to reach the seat with his hand, and pushed it. It swayed gently, too heavy to swing just from a light push.


    It seemed sturdy enough, the seat was hanging from a very very thick rope, thicker than Johan¡¯s thigh and seemingly braided out of many smaller ropes into just one.


    He looked around. Nothing seemed too out of place, all things considering. Nothing that wouldn¡¯t be found in a normal-sized playground.


    Then a light caught his eye. He looked over to see a piece of metal reflecting the sunlight. What was metal doing in a playground?


    He wandered closer to get a better look. The bad feeling only getting stronger.


    The metal was covered in overgrowth, making it impossible to see what it was. He cautiously kicked some of it away.


    He jolted back with a yell.


    For a second he couldn¡¯t believe his eyes.


    The metal turned out to be a sword. It was laying on its side, hidden in the dirt and plants, with only the middle part uncovered. But the disturbing part was the knuckles still holding onto the handle, connected to bones leading into the tall grass.


    Oh lord. He stared at it for a moment, unsure about what to do. He closed his mouth with a click and slowly inched forward to carefully part the grass.


    Nothing of the body was left, but the skeleton laid there, still inside its chestplate. Well, parts of it, anyways. Big cracks ran through the metal and big chunks were missing. Pieces of fabric hung off the bones in places and grass and flowers stuck up from between the ribcage. Most of the lower body was hidden beneath the dirt.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Note asked, having turned at his yell.


    ¡°Well...¡± Johan started uneasily, realization dawning. ¡°Whatever I saw in the vision, it has already happened.¡±


    Note quickly came to stand beside him, sucking in a sharp breath when he saw the remains.


    Johan let Note take his place by the skeleton and instead stepped back to look around with a new eye. Now that he knew what to look for it wasn¡¯t hard to spot more. Remains were spread out everywhere. They had been hidden earlier, but he saw them now. He followed one with his eyes, seeing the boulder sitting on half of it. He hadn¡¯t noticed earlier, but there were a lot of boulders.


    ¡°This is what you saw?¡± Signe asked sharply. ¡°That can¡¯t be right, you had the vision last night, this must have been here for years.¡±


    She was right. Johan bit his lip, thinking hard. Was it even possible to have a vision of the past? He had never heard of it, but unless someone came to clear the area, nothing like what he saw could possibly happen here.


    ¡°How could they kill so many people?¡± Note asked, crouching down and inspecting the sword.


    ¡°The question isn¡¯t how, it¡¯s why.¡± Signe voiced up.


    Note¡¯s head shot up, glaring at her.


    ¡°What?¡± She asked. ¡°Why do you think there¡¯s so many people here? They didn¡¯t come unprepared, look at all the armor and weapons. They obviously came here to fight.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Johan said, ignoring the indignant look Note sent his way and grabbed the dull sword from the ground, ignoring the knuckles hanging from it as he showed off the jewel-encrusted handle. ¡°Nobody walks around in their nicest armor. This was planned.¡±


    Note got up and snatched the sword out of Johan¡¯s hands and without a word he walked towards the other end of the cave where a tunnel opened into the mountain.


    If he believed them, he was clearly unhappy about it.


    Johan sighed and followed.


    He didn¡¯t follow for long.


    Suddenly he slowed down, his stroll becoming a trudge. Every step became heavier and the air got thicker around him. His vision turned black.


    He was on a battlefield, people¡¯s screams and cries surrounding him. The sounds of clashing metal, hard stomps, loud bangs and wet dripping came from all around. He glanced back, heart pumping in fear, and saw rows of warriors. Tens if not hundreds of people fought around him, equipped to the nines in their finest chestplates, brandishing their most valuable weapons as they stormed towards-


    The giants?!


    He clenched his fists around his spear, palms sweaty and armor heavy on his shoulders.


    Straight ahead of them was a wall of giants. The first row was already engaging them. They were taller than any living thing Johan had ever seen, towering over the battlefield, even the smallest was multiple meters tall and they tok hit after hit without even breaking their formation. Using both hands and feet to fight, they threw nearby warriors and stomped down the even closer ones.


    His body moved closer to the giants, his spear held tight and close to his body as his row of warriors engaged. He ran with all his might towards them. A roar came from above, a giant brought his hand back before throwing forward. The last thing he saw was something flying towards him-


    Snap-


    He glanced down, suddenly back to the empty cave, a bone crushed beneath his foot. He panted, his heart racing as he tried gathering himself, staring at the boulder just ahead.


    ¡°A memento?¡± Signe asked from where she stood between him and the entrance, looking back at him with a curious expression.


    Johan nodded and swallowed. ¡°Some soldier from my vision. The giants...¡±


    ¡°What about them?¡±


    Johan frowned. ¡°The humans came to kill them. I think.. I think the giants were acting in self-defense.¡±


    ¡°Self-defense?!¡± She almost yelled, her expression going from curiosity to shock. ¡°Are you sure? I mean, they must have done something to bring this many people here?¡±


    It was a rhetorical question, more like she was voicing her shock.


    Johan felt the same. He was supposed to save these people, wasn¡¯t he? He looked around once more and swallowed. The bad feeling was festering. He must have read the vision wrong somewhere. But if it really was in the past-


    He shook his head. If he read it wrong then he had to figure out the real meaning. There was no point in dwelling on it.


    He quickly followed after Note, Signe falling in step beside him. Now that they got closer, he could see how big the entrance really was. It was nothing like the small tunnel they had entered through, this was more like what he had expected, big enough that even the tallest giants only had to duck down a little to get through.


    It didn¡¯t take long to catch up with Note who had stopped near the entrance and was glaring at something on the ground.


    ¡°But¡­they don¡¯t have children?¡± Signe startled, then glanced at him. ¡°Do they?¡±


    Johan stopped by Note and followed his eyes to see the remains of what seemed like two giants in the corner. One considerably smaller than the other and wrapped in the bigger bones.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Johan said faintly. He had never seen a giant before.


    ¡°Someone just murdered them all.¡± Signe said loudly, looking around almost in awe. ¡°I have never heard of giants having children.¡± Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    ¡°It¡¯s not considered murder if it¡¯s not a human.¡± Note informed with a tight voice, and wasn¡¯t that the craziest thing Johan had ever heard? Yet it was true.


    ¡°Shit...¡± Johan breathed and with that he ventured into the next cave, seeing all the remains of carnage. His head hurt as he tried to wrap his mind around everything. He had never seen anything like this before.


    ¡°But who made the playground?¡± Note asked behind him, footsteps starting to follow him. Johan glanced back but Note quickly looked away as their eyes met, hands gesturing weakly back at the playground. Johan sighed, Note still didn¡¯t believe them.


    ¡°They must have done it for their children.¡± Johan said simply.


    ¡°But giants don¡¯t have intelligence, they are the same as animals¡­¡± Note tried but soon fell silent.


    Johan had thought so too before today. But who else could it be?


    He came to a stop, falling silent as he tok in the scene ahead. A big flat stone stood raised on its side, creating something like a wall and shielding two huge skeletons behind it.


    ¡°That stone is from the draug¡¯s burial.¡± Signe pointed out, pausing beside him.


    ¡°An animal wouldn¡¯t do that.¡± Johan said weakly, slowly realizing what he was looking at. He swallowed and looked away. The realization was damning. ¡°They have intelligence.¡±


    ¡°..That¡¯s...That¡¯s impossible. What about everything we have learnt??¡± Note burst out.


    ¡°Maybe they didn¡¯t know?¡± Signe shrugged helplessly.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t believe everything you have heard in Heaven.¡± Johan said grimly. ¡°There¡¯s no information missing there. They intentionally taught us the wrong thing.¡±


    ¡°..When I grew up they-the giants I mean, were used to scare children.¡± Signe said lowly. ¡°They said that if you don¡¯t finish your chores, a giant will wander out of the forest and take you.¡±


    Note didn¡¯t say anything, just stared horrified at Signe. ¡°There¡¯s always some kind of truth in rumors.¡± He argued.


    ¡°If only one did it, that would be enough for a rumor.¡± Johan interrupted. He had learnt his lesson with the huldra. ¡°The giants keep away from humans so we wouldn¡¯t have any to compare it to anyways.¡±


    ¡°If it was only one, do you really think someone would murder them all?¡± Note asked angrily. Johan just watched him. Note saw the best in everyone, no wonder he didn¡¯t want to believe them. He still had that childish belief in humanity.


    ¡°People are afraid of what they don¡¯t know. If only one giant tok a child the parents could have called the entire village to kill the others in revenge.¡± Johan said. He had seen similar things before. One good public speaker was all it took to convince people to do terrible things.


    ¡°This is just speculation! Nobody would do this to innocent creatures.¡± Note snapped, getting louder. But Johan could easily hear the underlying fear. Note wouldn¡¯t be convincing anyone if he couldn¡¯t even convince himself. He might not have seen the terrible things people did, but he had lived through it while Johan had watched.


    ¡°People do stupid things out of fear.¡± Signe interrupted. ¡°Let¡¯s move on.¡±


    The tunnel seemed normal enough, from what little of it that he could see into the darkness. But so did the other cave when they entered it.


    ¡°Let¡¯s explore.¡± Maybe they would find some answers in there. He dug out a torch from his backpack and lit it up. It brightened their path and he stepped around Signe to lead them.


    They walked further and further into the tunnel, traveling down into the mountain to the point where no sunlight reached inside anymore. The darkness made every sound much louder, their footsteps echoing around them. Here there wasn¡¯t even the sound of dripping water like there had been in the cave near the village.


    Johan stopped when eventually the wall he had been following turned to left and the floor flattened once again, the cave ahead was completely black and the only way forward was to walk into the pitch black dark with no way to tell where they were going or how to get back. He almost wished there was a n?kk around so Signe could light up the place for a second, just so they could see their surroundings.


    He stopped when a small light shone back at him, brass metal suddenly in front of him.


    Then the light turned on.


    He shielded his eyes with a hiss and grabbed his ribbons as the darkness disappeared into blinding light.


    ¡°Ooooooh!¡± Signe¡¯s mesmerized voice filled the air. Johan forced one eye open, trying to get used to the sudden light. ¡°I found a light switch!¡±


    ¡°You found what?!¡± Johan rubbed his eyes. He saw Signe crouching down by the wall behind him and rising triumphantly to her feet as the whole cave lit up, big lights on the wall slowly lighting up one after the other, each making a loud clanging noise as they turned on.


    ¡°A cauldron.¡± Note said, suddenly appearing next to him.


    ¡°What?¡± Johan turned around, and there it was. The metal thing in front of him was huge, bronze and taller than both Johan and Note together. ¡°Wow¡­This is awesome.¡±


    It was primitive, sure, but if it really was a stupid and violent giant that had made it¡­To think they could make something so human!


    The room was bare apart from the cauldron, only big treestumps were placed around, probably meant to be seats. Actually, it was surprisingly similar to the firepit back in the village, just much larger and not nearly as cozy.


    He was lost in thought when suddenly a shiver went down his spine, throwing him back to reality just in time for him to turn and see a huge shadow appear from the darkness of the tunnel they just came from.


    At first only the feet stood in the light, huge bare feet, each toe bigger than Johan¡¯s head, then it took a step forward and the rest of the body followed.


    Clenched fists and thick forearms appeared first, covered in ratty, patched clothing, then came the long beard, and finally the ugliest face Johan had ever seen.


    It stopped there, barely inside the cave and blocking the only way out.


    It was the first time he had seen a real giant before, Johan thought absentmindedly as he let his ribbons fall into his palms, quickly getting into a steadier position.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Note¡¯s hand on his shoulder stopped him from attacking. ¡°Maybe he¡¯s friendly?¡±


    Immediately, as if hearing the words, the giant raised a club from its back and took a big step into the room, the ground shaking at its stomps.


    Johan sucked in a breath and stood there in anticipation as it stared down at them, eyes dark. If it moved that club even a little, Johan would take it down, no questions asked. But for now..


    Johan clenched his jaw. If he had faced a giant at any other time he would have already killed it. But now all he could see was the surprisingly human eyes, not a shred of stupidity or anything animalistic in them.


    Why was it just standing there? Something felt off. He moved his attention, getting a better overview. The ground felt heavy against his feet, his balance steady and body loose.


    Then he noticed it.


    Fuck, they were smart!


    Johan sent his ribbons up around the cauldron¡¯s handle before grabbing the closest person to him and slinging them into the air-


    just in time for the big thing to get punted through the cave.


    Johan¡¯s eyes widened at the sight of another giant behind it. It was shorter than the first one, but also much wider. Johan gritted his teeth, if they had moved any slower, that thing would have killed them.


    It raised a huge axe into the air behind it and stomped its stubby legs into the ground.


    They were still falling when the giant swung and all Johan could do was send out his ribbon in a panicked hope that it would catch on something before the sharp edge of the blade cut through them.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to die!¡± Note yelled and clutched onto him tighter. Johan gasped as his ribbon failed to find anything. And suddenly the blade was upon them.


    It felt like time slowed down, yet he could only watch as the axe closed in.


    He was going to be cut in half.


    Then something shot past him, just barely not touching his head.


    His hair whipped against his face as the thing slammed into the axeblade with enough force to send both it and the giant stumbling back with a loud roar. And at the same time, his ribbon finally caught on something!


    Johan let out a sound of triumph as he pulled himself and Note away from the quickly recovering giant.


    ¡°Intelligence or not, let¡¯s kill them!¡± Signe yelled from the ground, air coming out in pants, eyes wide with anger. Johan watched as the thing she had thrown clattered to the ground. It was the axeblade she had stolen in Heaven!


    Somehow she must have managed to hurl it hard enough that it stopped the giant¡¯s axe in its path and gave them the time to get away.


    That was too close! It would have been so embarrassing to be cut in half by an axe-wielding giant! Johan tok a split second to celebrate their survival as they got away.


    But he didn¡¯t celebrate for long when he noticed what his ribbon was attached to.


    The other giant.


    He swore as they hurled through the air. Luckily it seemed even more shocked than them, only staring stupidly as they barreled towards it.


    Using the shock to his advantage, Johan decided quickly. Immediately he pushed Note away from him, sending him tumbling down towards the ground while Johan sped up towards the giant. In the corner of his eye he saw the familiar flash of light as a weapon was summoned.


    He sent the ribbon around the giant¡¯s legs and he threw himself around in the air. His feet hit the giant¡¯s chest and he kicked. The giant stumbled back and the ribbon pulled taut. With a roar it lost its balance and fell, the club swinging too close for comfort.


    The ground approached quickly and Johan grabbed onto its ratted clothes with everything he had, heart hammering in his chest and praying he wouldn¡¯t end up under the monster.


    They hit the ground hard but at least Johan had something soft to land on, bouncing back as the giant¡¯s head banged against the ground.


    Johan quickly gathered himself and looked back to see Note running towards him, Signe fighting the other giant.


    Johan winced as the smell hit him, and slapped a hand over his nose. Intelligent like humans, sure, but they definitely didn¡¯t share the same opinion on hygiene.


    ¡°This reeks.¡± He complained as he struggled to get down to the ground with Note¡¯s help. The giant was immobile beneath him and if it wasn¡¯t for the heavy breathing, Johan would have thought the job was already done.


    Though, he knew this was only the beginning.


    ¡°You,¡± He started, addressing the giant. ¡°Where¡¯s the rest of you?¡±


    Two of them had already come out, there had to be more nearby. He grimaced. He didn¡¯t even know what he wanted to do with them anymore, the vision didn¡¯t leave any clues about what Johan was supposed to do.


    Slowly it¡¯s head turned to glare at Johan, but it didn¡¯t say anything.


    A horrifying thought hit him. Could giants even speak?


    ¡°Oh, come on. I want to go home.¡± Johan whined and kicked the giant weakly. He sighed, hand on his face. It didn¡¯t seem like they were going anywhere anytime soon. Was it too much to ask for a vision that was easy to understand?


    ¡°Home?¡± A low voice rasped out.


    Huh? Johan turned back around and found the giant¡¯s eyes watching him. For a long moment they stared at each other, each in similar states of shock.


    ¡°You understand me?¡± Johan asked helplessly. The giant nodded slowly, its long beard dragging against the ground as it did.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Johan looked to Note for help. He didn¡¯t think he would get this far. Their eyes met and for a moment they just watched each other, then Note turned to the giant.


    ¡°Take us to your leader.¡± Note said simply, brandishing his sword towards the closest part of the giant. Its beard.


    Johan stared at him. What was he talking about, leader?! Did giants have leaders?


    But the giant shook its head violently at the words, almost like in a panic, and pushed up on its elbows. For a second Johan thought it would attack again, but then it froze, eyes widening in horror.


    Johan followed its gaze to where the other giant was still fighting, slowly getting beaten down by Signe.


    ¡°Do not, Viddi!!¡± A voice rumbled through the room quickly followed by a groan and a loud, angry roar.


    Oh? Johan looked back to the giant in front of him.


    ¡°Viddi?¡± The giant¡¯s head snapped back to him. ¡°That¡¯s your name?¡±


    It¡¯s expression was enough of an answer. Well then, apparently giants had names.


    ¡°So, Viddi.¡± Johan smiled. He would have knelt down if he was talking to a human but instead he stretched himself even a little taller, pushing himself to reach into the giant¡¯s line of sight. He nodded towards Note without looking away. ¡°You heard him, take us to your leader.¡±


    Whatever leader a group of giants could have... It was better if he played along so Note didn¡¯t seem stupid. It would be bad if they lost their upper hand already.


    ¡°Or else.¡± He added for good measures. The giant looked at him with wide eyes, seeming conflicted as it glanced between them, then to Note¡¯s sword.


    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± The other giant hollered from the other side of the room, a crash following immediately.


    ¡°But-!¡± The first giant, Viddi, yelled before stopping, seemingly changing his mind and switching his focus back to them. ¡°I will take you to our leader. But you have to promise not to hurt anyone.¡±


    Wait, Johan faltered. That actually worked? He glanced at Note only to meet his eyes. He blinked.


    Oh well, whatever. As long as it worked Johan wouldn¡¯t complain.


    ¡°Not hurt anyone?¡± Johan repeated thoughtfully. It seemed like a decent deal, they would get more information if the giants didn¡¯t think they were in danger.


    Either way, Johan wouldn¡¯t keep his promise if a fight broke out. All things considered, the giants didn¡¯t seem like the biggest threats. It wasn¡¯t everyday strange humans broke into your home, so Johan could see why they would attack them. ¡°Sure, I agree to those terms.¡±


    With a nod he withdrew his ribbons from the giant, and wow- Johan watched as the giant rose to its full height in front of them, easily reaching halfway up to the roof. Behind them the other giant roared angrily.


    ¡°Signe?¡± Note yelled, checking in on her.


    Johan turned-


    And paused. The giant was on the ground now, sitting and breathing harshly, which was pretty much what Johan had been expecting. Signe however was standing on its chest, in his thick beard, axeblade in one hand as she seemingly searched for something.


    ¡°Signe! What are you doing?!¡± Note yelled angrily.


    She turned around and yelled back. ¡°What?!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re leaving,¡± Johan simply called out and with a final look at the giant, Signe jumped down and set off towards them. Johan turned back to Viddi. ¡°Lead the way.¡±


    The giant looked hesitantly between them and the other giant and Johan tok the opportunity to look back at the shorter giant. It was still sitting in the same spot, slowly sinking lower, the fight seeping out of him now that Signe had left.


    Finally Viddi nodded, a steeled expression fitting on his face as he turned, and the three of them followed after.

 You Live and Learn

    Johan had no idea what to expect as they were led back up towards the playground. When they were up there it had seemed like the tunnel leading to the dining area had been the only way, but the two giants must have come out from somewhere too, they couldn¡¯t have just appeared out of thin air.


    ¡°Here we go.¡± Viddi stopped. Johan squinted, they were only halfway back the playground, still in the dark tunnel.


    Johan watched as the giant crouched down and reached to the bottom of the wall, laying his big hand flat over it.


    Nothing happened for a long moment and as they stood there, the other giant caught up, coming to a stop just behind them. Johan tensed, keeping an eye on both of them.


    ¡°This is it..?¡± He glanced at Note when nothing happened. They wouldn¡¯t be leading them into a trap, right?


    Whoa-!


    His head snapped back when he saw the light. The wall was glowing under Viddi¡¯s hand!


    Johan¡¯s jaw dropped and he quickly stepped back as metal whirred and a huge chunk of the wall just disappeared up into the roof.


    Without hesitating the first giant, Viddi, got up and walked through. Johan stared. How-


    That was incredible! He had never seen anything like it in his whole life! And by the looks of it, neither had Note and Signe. He shared a speechless look with them.


    The second giant huffed and stepped past them. ¡°Coming?¡±


    They shared another look before finally following the giants through the open wall. Johan looked back to where Viddi had put his hand and saw a small symbol of a horned hat barely visible in the uneven rock of the cave wall. If he hadn¡¯t known something was there he wouldn¡¯t have been able to see it.


    He pushed down the urge to try putting his own hand over it, and quickly went through as the wall started sliding down, shutting behind him.


    What he saw on the other side though¡­ For a second he forgot to breathe, his steps faltering.


    They had ended up on a platform of sorts, and while they stood on it, it started descending downwards. But that wasn¡¯t the craziest part. Ahead was another huge caveroom, dozens of meters above the ground, and sound filled his ears, so many voices that Johan couldn¡¯t tell them apart.


    Beneath them were giants! Tens if not a hundred of them, just there! They were walking, chatting, some were carrying stuff around and one was even chopping vegetables! And in between their feet, a group of tiny giants ran through the room.


    Johan could only watch in wonder.


    ¡°What is this place?¡± There was no way a primitive type of monster like giants could build something like this, even with everything he had already learned today. There was no way huge creatures like them had the dexterity for this.


    After a moment Viddi spoke up. ¡°Our leader will tell you.¡±


    Johan looked up in surprise. He wasn¡¯t expecting to get the whole story. Earlier he wouldn¡¯t even want it, but now? Suddenly his interest was piqued.


    Johan tok a deep breath and moved closer to the edge. It felt like they were descending quickly, but the ground beneath was nearing slowly. He eyed the platform. What was this thing and what was it doing in a cave of all places? Not even Heaven had anything like this!


    That¡¯s when one of the small giants noticed them, and the peacefulness immediately disappeared as she screamed.


    For a second the giants seemed confused, then one after another they looked up. Johan tok a step back, hands itching to grab onto his ribbons as the giants started yelling.


    By the time they reached the ground, a hundred pairs of eyes were on them, and none of them happy.


    ¡°Viddi, Dornir, you better have a good explanation for this!¡± One of the bigger giants roared.


    ¡°Please! They won¡¯t hurt us, they¡¯re here to see Hymir!¡± Viddi pleaded, but Johan didn¡¯t pay attention to that. He saw the way the children were herded away from them.


    Johan tensed up again. He made sure to keep Note and Signe in sight. He was not going to be intimidated by monsters, but who knew what they would do if they thought they were in danger.


    He stood tall as they followed Viddi, the giants unhappily letting them pass, straight into another big room.


    ¡°Hymir, I have-!¡± That was all Viddi managed to make out before he was interrupted.


    ¡°What is the meaning of this?!¡±


    The words echoed through the cave and Johan¡¯s head snapped up to see him. The oldest giant ever! How did something get that old?!


    It was weird, in theory Johan knew that giants could get to hundreds of years of age, but he never expected to see one that looked so old! The giant was hunched over, and even while sitting he was leaning heavily on a curved cane held tightly in his hands. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    That must be the leader, Johan mused. The old giant sat on a huge stone chair that was carved right into the wall with much less detail and craftsmanship than the rest of the cave. It was decorated with grays and browns, long branches of a willow tree hanging elegantly around it.


    ¡°You have brought humans into our home!¡± The old man raged and Viddi flinched back, bringing his hands up defensively.


    ¡°Wait, Hymir!¡± He pleaded. ¡°They promised not to hurt us if I brought them to you!¡±


    ¡°And how do you imagine they would get inside to hurt anyone if you didn''t lead them in? Humans cannot activate the doors! They would be stuck outside and we would hold out, like we always do!¡±


    Humans can¡¯t activate the door? Huh, so there really was something going on with that. Did that mean they couldn¡¯t leave either?


    ¡°Now where is your brother?!¡± The old giant continued.


    ¡°Here¡­¡±  The second giant mumbled, dragging his feet behind them and not meeting the elder¡¯s eyes. Viddi twiddled his thumbs.


    At the sight of the other giant, the old one changed his tone completely. His anger turned to silence. His back straightened ever so slightly as he turned to the three of them. Johan met his eyes challengingly. Beside him he noticed Note trying his best at a comforting smile, while Signe simply watched.


    ¡°Viddi.¡± The old giant started, speaking softly but not looking away from Johan. ¡°You and your brother, go outside.¡±


    ¡°But-¡±


    ¡°Go!¡± The old giant raised his voice, cane slamming into the ground. Dornir left without a word but Viddi stayed, sucking in a deep breath and for a second he stood still but then he too left, only glancing back anxiously before disappearing after his brother.


    The old giant watched them until they were completely outside. Then he set heavy eyes on Johan.


    Johan didn¡¯t flinch back, he met the eyes with the confidence that if a fight were to break out, at this point the giants would hurt more than they would.


    ¡°You three.¡± His eyes passed over all of them. ¡°You are not human.¡±


    Johan startled, eyes widening in surprise. How did he know that?


    The giant huffed. ¡°Don¡¯t look so surprised, child. Now, what are you here for? Deities are not welcome in our home.¡±


    Johan broke eye contact for the first time. What was he going to say? He didn¡¯t even know why. He clenched his jaw and kept silent, nothing springing to mind. To either side of him, Note and Signe also stayed silent, barely a twitch in their movements.


    Johan really didn¡¯t think he would get this far without even a clue about what the vision meant.


    The giant frowned at their silence. ¡°Long has it been since the day a deity set foot in a giant¡¯s home without the intent of murder. Monsters you call us. For eternity we have dealt with your antagonization, your ill intent and your trials of eradication. We will not stand down and let you kill our people.


    ¡°Peace might have been an option, the day that foolish deity of Fate came to us many summers ago, proclaiming a home for all monsters in Heaven. But instead you turned humans against us, driving us away from our home and now that we have settled once more, you return again. Now, I will ask again. What did you come here for?¡±


    Johan startled. The deity of Fate? Many summers ago...His dad? ¡°You met my dad?¡±


    Beside him, Note twitched. ¡°Maybe that¡¯s why we¡¯re here?¡± He asked Johan silently, interest clear in his eyes.


    Johan shook his head, glancing quickly at him. ¡°Maybe..¡±


    He still didn¡¯t know why they were there, but peace? That was impossible. How was he going to make peace happen when he himself was hunted down by other deities?


    ¡°Your father?¡± The giant grumbled thoughtfully, still watching them cautiously but the anger had disappeared. ¡°I believe we are not on the same page-¡±


    ¡°Hymir!¡± A giant ran in, just barely shorter than Johan and at least twice as wide, her hair pulled into tiny pigtails at the top of her head. It was one of the children! The girl noticed them and seemed to shrink, her eyes rounding into big doe eyes as she fell silent, eyes glancing between them and the old giant.


    ¡°Yes, dear, What is it?¡± The old giant asked gently and the girl snapped right out of her silence.


    ¡°Humans are bothering big brothers Viddi and Dornir out in the dining hall!¡± And without missing a beat, the child turned and ran out.


    Wait, what? Alarm bells rang in Johan¡¯s head. Someone else was there? Could it have something to do with the vision?


    But before he had the time to think about it, giants in the other room started yelling and suddenly dozens emerged through the doorway.


    The giants swarmed into the room yelling, and suddenly Johan found himself to be the point of everyone''s attention.


    ¡°There¡¯s more humans outside!¡± A giant pushed to the front of the group. Glaring eyes stared at Johan and the giant tok threatening steps forward.


    Well, that talk was over. Johan let the ribbons fall into his palms-


    BANG


    Johan froze. Everyone fell silent.


    ¡°Act civilized!¡± The old giant roared behind him, cane clenched tight in white hands. ¡°Viddi and Dornir are in trouble. For now these children are our guests and are not an immediate threat.¡±


    Johan eyed the antagonizing giant but he was glaring at the wall now, looking unhappy.


    ¡°Now go protect our own!¡± The old giant ordered. That turned things around. The giants had been angry when they entered, but those words were enough for the tide to turn. Roars of war vibrated the floor and even dust fell from the roof as they stomped.


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    Eyes turned back to him, this time in confusion, but Johan had an idea.


    He smiled confidently. ¡°We¡¯ll deal with the humans.¡±


    At his words murmurs broke out in the crowd, but he stood strong. He didn¡¯t know why there were suddenly more people outside, but if he could use them to gain the giant¡¯s trust, then he would do so.


    He raised his hand and they fell silent. Beside him Note and Signe stepped up, weapons raised.


    He took a breath.


    ¡°You can¡¯t leave Viddi-¡± and whatever the other one was called. ¡°-to the humans. But if you attack, they¡¯ll only come back with more people. You could kill them.¡± Johan added, watching the giants as they shuffled at the word. ¡°But their families would take revenge. Isn¡¯t it much easier to let us deal with them?¡±


    Johan finished and for a moment nobody spoke. Then the chatter started back up, this time angrier.


    Well, that didn¡¯t work. He shrugged, meeting Note and Signe¡¯s eyes as they lowered their weapons. ¡°I tried.¡±


    ¡°Silence!¡± The old giant yelled, slamming his cane into the ground and immediately silence fell. Johan turned around to meet his eyes, but instead of trying to stare him down, the giant seemed thoughtful.


    A long moment passed. Then he settled back in his throne, sighing deeply. He looked even older now, one hand coming up to rub his eyes.


    ¡°You know the way.¡±

 Picking sides

    ¡°Well, well, well. What do we have here?¡± Signe sang, stalking forward with her axeblade gleaming menacingly in the light from the torches. The humans whipped around at the noise.


    Johan eyed them. The two men seemed to be around their age, in their late teens or early twenties, both armed with swords but not a single piece of armor. Either they came unprepared, or they stumbled upon the giants.


    ¡°Someone is trying to take our prey.¡± Note said, his voice monotone, and followed after Signe, drawing his sword on the way.


    Johan glanced beyond the humans to where the giants had ended up. Dornir was back on the ground, this time kneeling, panting harshly with Viddi standing protectively in front of him.


    The humans didn¡¯t seem to know how to get closer to them with Viddi wielding his club.


    Dornir glared when he noticed them approaching, but when Viddi saw them, he seemed relieved, glancing between the two groups, something Dornir didn¡¯t take very well.


    ¡°You called for backup?! Don¡¯t think this will make things easier for you-!¡± Dornir struggled to get up but Viddi quickly pushed him down again without even looking back, making him shut up and glare outraged up at his brother.


    ¡°We were here first!¡± One of the humans yelled at Note, pointing his sword towards him without even a slight tremble.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear the giant?¡± Johan drawled. ¡°We were here first.¡±


    At his words, the two guys faltered, glancing at each other uneasily.


    ¡°Finders keepers, right?¡± Johan added with a smile. It was an unspoken rule for adventurers. Not officially, of course, but it was seen as incredibly rude to steal someone else¡¯s quest. For honor and all that.


    That got the first guy angry, he whipped around and pointed his sword at Johan. ¡°That does not count if you leave them!¡± He yelled.


    Johan eyed them closely. They didn¡¯t seem like adventurers, but maybe they were just new.


    ¡°Yes it does.¡± Johan argued, crossing his arms and pushing down a smile.


    ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°Yes, it does.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± The guy childishly stomped his foot on the ground before taking off running. Johan only had the time to see the sword pointing at him-


    A flash of black hair and a clash of metal, and they guy was thrown back. Johan hadn¡¯t even moved a muscle, instead Note stood between them.


    ¡°Drop it.¡± Note snapped. The guy sucked in a breath through gritted teeth, but the sword at his throat gave him no option and the weapon dropped to the ground with a clang. ¡°Leave.¡±


    Despite actually being the least intimidating person ever when you knew him, Note was very good at appearing scary. One look was enough to corner the humans. Instead of attacking, the guy¡¯s lips quivered.


    The other one, the one not held at swordpoint, yelled. ¡°This is our quest!¡± He cowered, using both hands to hold his sword in front of him.


    Johan wasn¡¯t exactly worried. He shared a look with Signe, who had gotten behind the guy.


    ¡°What are you kids even doing here?¡± Johan asked curiously. Did someone send them there to die?


    The humans only glared at him.


    ¡°Hey!¡± The human yelled at Note, slowly inching away from the tip of the sword, voice shaking with anger and embarrassment. ¡°You-you...beautiful- I mean- ugly-!¡±


    Note twitched.


    Ugly?! Johan¡¯s jaw dropped. In what way was Note ugly?! He stepped forward. ¡°Hey!¡±


    ¡°Ugly?!¡± Signe yelled, suddenly furious.


    Johan¡¯s ribbons fell into his hands. The humans should die- Wait no. Johan clenched his fists. The whole point was that they didn¡¯t die. He shook his head. They were supposed to run them off, not kill them-


    Then, before he could convince himself, Signe was there.


    Johan watched as the human fell to the ground, limp.


    Oh no. A bad feeling creeping up his chest. Maybe they should disregard the whole vision and just go home. There was no way the giants would trust them after this-


    Johan¡¯s thoughts paused as the guy groaned. Slowly he set his eyes on the awake human.


    ¡°You have something to say, too?¡± Johan asked lowly, but the other human quickly shook his head, backing up.


    ¡°Good. Take him and leave.¡±


    The human didn¡¯t waste any time and quickly grabbed his friend, hoisting his arm onto his back and taking off out of the cave, stumbling from the weight every now and then.


    ¡°We will be back!¡± The guy yelled.


    Johan watched with a deep feeling of petty amusement as the head of the unconscious guy bounced off the wall, the second guy not even noticing in his hurry to get away. He followed them with his eyes until they had disappeared completely into the darkness of the tunnel, then he turned to Note.


    ¡°You ok?¡± He asked Note, and glanced over to where Signe was still fuming, but Note didn¡¯t answer, just watched him in mute shock, like he couldn¡¯t believe that just happened.


    ¡°What are you still doing here?!¡± Dornir suddenly yelled, reminding him that the giants were still there.


    ¡°Saving you, what does it look like?¡± Signe threw back mockingly and Dornir turned his glare back on her, stumbling to his feet now that Viddi stepped away from him.


    ¡°They will just come back with more now.¡± Viddi said silently, looking at them with big watery doe eyes.


    Ah¡­His heart. Johan bit his lip. Yeah, he glanced back to where the humans had disappeared, it hadn¡¯t gone completely after the plan.


    ¡°Viddi,¡± He started gently. ¡°Even if they come back, we will just send them right back home.¡±


    Viddi seemed conflicted. ¡°But...¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡± Johan said simply.


    They walked back in silence, soon taking the ride down on the platform. Even the giants were quietly watching them, not saying anything. They almost seemed angry, but not quite, like they were cautious.


    ¡°This is awkward.¡± Signe whispered.


    Johan shrugged, he didn¡¯t mind either way. The giants probably didn¡¯t know what to expect from them.


    ¡°We¡¯re back.¡± Johan called out, following the brothers into the makeshift throneroom. When the old giant saw them, he hummed thoughtfully, looking pleased.


    ¡°Boys.¡± Hymir acknowledged, looking over the two brothers. Then the old giant took a deep breath, turning his eyes on Johan. ¡°Once again I will ask. What is your purpose here?¡±


    Johan huffed. As if ten minutes was going to change his answer.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± He finally admitted. What was the giant going to do? Kill them? Kick them out? They could try. The best thing the giant could do was to give them a reason to do something. Despite all the time in the cave already, they weren¡¯t anywhere near knowing what the vision meant yet.


    The old giant watched him searchingly and Johan waited in suspense. If anything would happen, it would happen now and whatever it was, he was ready for it.


    So he waited.


    Then-!


    They weren¡¯t attacked.


    Johan frowned as booming laughter filled the room. He glanced bewildered at Note and Signe but they looked as dumbfounded as him.


    If it was their plan to catch them off guard it was really working. But that didn¡¯t seem to be it.


    The old giant slammed his cane against the ground and suddenly giants surged inside, like they had been waiting for just that moment. They came in loudly, but this time they weren¡¯t talking to eachother, instead all their attention was on the three of them in the middle of the room.


    Johan shuffled unsurely, fists tight around his ribbons. What was going on?


    ¡°Children!¡± The old giant started, staring straight at Johan with a big smile. ¡°You have proven yourself, I can see kindness in your heart.¡±


    Kindness?! Johan glanced at Note, had he done something while Johan wasn¡¯t looking? He was the only one out of the three of them that could even be considered kind.


    ¡°I invite you to a feast! Let us all celebrate our new friends!¡± The old giant hit his cane on the ground twice and the room erupted in cheers, the whole horde of giants suddenly running around, spreading across the room and some disappearing almost as soon as they had arrived. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Johan¡¯s jaw dropped. Friends?! He mouthed the word in shock. Signe¡¯s eyebrows almost touched her hairline when he turned to her, and Note looked completely speechless.


    Viddi dropped to his knees in front of them with a bang, and suddenly Johan found himself in the air, engulfed in coarse hands. The air in his lungs was squished out as he was crushed against the hard chest.


    ¡°Friends!¡± Viddi yelled and hugged him close. Johan hit him weakly.


    ¡°Viddi!¡± Johan coughed, and the giant laughed but put him down. He stumbled and Note quickly grabbed him as he tried to regain his balance. The giant laughed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, friend! Humans are so small and fragile!¡± Viddi apologized, his kneeling form leaning even further down, his face almost to the ground as he tried to get a good look at Johan.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Johan waved off the apology, he just got a little overexcited, nothing to apologize for. Johan patted Note¡¯s arm comfortingly.


    ¡°Children!¡± The old giant boomed over all the noise. He patted the raised ground beside him. ¡°Sit with me.¡±


    While Johan was gathering himself, Dornir had at some point also come over and had started arguing with Singe about who saved who back in the dining area, though not in a heated way, weirdly enough they both seemed to be enjoying it.


    ¡°I believe we have much to talk about,¡± Hymir continued and Johan yelped as Viddi very kindly, and not frightening at all, nope, grabbed him and lifted him up onto the seat next to the old giant.


    He looked over the edge. What was only up to the giant¡¯s thigh was more than high enough for a human to fall and break something, about the height of a small house.


    Soon Note was deposited next to him and Viddi sat down next to them again, Dornir and Signe quickly following. Johan stared as Dornir lifted her up gently, all while they glared at each other.


    ¡°We have a lot to speak about, children.¡± The old giant started, and while he was staring intently at all of them, Johan noticed the eyes lingered more often on him.


    They had stuff to speak about?


    ¡°We do.¡± Johan agreed without elaborating, no idea what he meant.


    Note¡¯s arm snaked around him, pulling him closer. It was obvious that he wanted to change seats, putting himself between Johan and the old giant, yet somehow he managed to pull it off so it didn¡¯t look like it.


    Turns out the giants didn¡¯t have any small bowls so Johan, Note and Signe all had to share one, while everyone else got one each, which was fair enough, Johan didn¡¯t think they would be able to finish the big bowl at all.


    ¡°Mmm, they made it especially delicious today.¡± The old giant chuckled, patting his belly. Johan frowned down at the porridge. It was very watery, more water than anything, really. Was that what they lived off of?


    ¡°Do you eat this everyday?¡± Note asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Hymir grinned down at him.


    Johan eyed it suspiciously. It seemed fine, so he took a bite. It wasn¡¯t bad, but it didn¡¯t really taste much of anything.


    ¡°That man that came here years ago,¡± Hymir simply said. ¡°You are his son.¡±


    Johan choked, looking up with wide eyes. How did he know?!


    The old giant¡¯s crescent eyes glinted in amusement. He smiled. ¡°So I was right. You are the new Fate.¡±


    Johan stared. Around him, Note and Signe paused in their conversations, glancing at him warily, and even Viddi and Dornir went quiet in the loud room.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, child. Even we have heard of Heaven¡¯s commotion. You are safe here.¡± Hymir said gently. ¡°My condolences for your father. He was a good man.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Johan said shortly, eyeing the food. What was he supposed to say to that? Earlier the giant had called his dad a fool. The journal felt heavy in his pocket.


    ¡°So that is why you are here?¡± The old giant continued. ¡°Because of his wants?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Johan said curtly. ¡°I didn¡¯t even know.¡±


    ¡°Then?¡±


    ¡°I had a vision.¡± He sighed. It seemed like the giant knew more than he let on.


    ¡°Ah.¡± The giant fell silent. Hopefully he wouldn¡¯t ask what the vision was about. He had a feeling the giant wouldn¡¯t take it very well to know giants were murdered there, even if it was in the past¡­and there were skeletons still outside.


    Hymir¡¯s next word surprised him. ¡°Good.¡±


    Good?


    ¡°There weren¡¯t any clues.¡± Johan started. ¡°That¡¯s why I don¡¯t know why we¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± The old giant made a thoughtful noise. ¡°Maybe I will tell you a bit about us and our story, then. It might give you some insight.¡±


    ¡°Will you?¡± Johan looked up.


    ¡°I am Hymir. The oldest of us. Not too old, though, heh.¡± The old giant started. ¡°Our leader, as you would call it.¡± He winked at Note, a rumbling laugh in his chest. ¡°Years ago we were chased away from our home by vengeful humans. Deities had murdered someone and put the blame on us to force the humans¡¯ wrath on us.¡±


    Johan looked down. Of course it was something like that.


    ¡°But we got away. And we came here. Dwarves resided here before us,¡± Johan¡¯s eyebrows rose. Dwarves?! He looked around. Well, that explained the technology they had here. ¡°They had made this as their home and workshop but abandoned it long before we came. Giants and dwarves share the same magic, so we were lucky to be able to take use of the technology they left behind. We settled down here, but it is not the ideal place for us. It¡¯s too deep underground and it¡¯s too far from the forest. Despite it being right outside, the small tunnels make it hard to exit and enter.¡±


    Hymir took a deep breath, voice lowering. ¡°When we came here, we were met by the sight of the genocide of another horde. They were killed by humans, and I assume they met the same fate we would have met if we had stayed behind in our home. You might have seen some of it back in the playground.¡±


    Right¡­Johan shared long looks with Note and Signe. That confirmed it. The vision he had seen was from the past.


    Hymir hesitated before continuing. ¡°Recently humans have found out that we are here. It has been harder to go out to gather food. We have tried to stay low, but even without a reason, humans will still come here eventually. Humans are afraid of what they don¡¯t know. We are expecting an attack any day now. I assume that is what you saw in your vision.¡±


    Johan didn¡¯t answer for a second. That was not what he saw, but he didn¡¯t say that. ¡°How did you know that?¡± He instead asked.


    ¡°It is clear, you have felt bad for us since the humans arrived.¡± The old giant fell quiet for a second before continuing. ¡°We will not survive another attack, we are prepared for this to be the end.¡±


    ¡­What?


    ¡°That¡¯s horrible!¡± Johan jerked back in shock. ¡°You can¡¯t just lay down and die!¡±


    He jerked up to his feet, barely getting any closer to the giant¡¯s face but it was enough. He glanced around the room, watching the giants eat happily, chatting and laughing with each other. They seemed so full of life! Johan turned back to Hymir. ¡°You can¡¯t just do nothing! Life is always worth the attempt to live!¡±


    ¡°Child, it is not your job to protect us.¡± He tried gently but Johan wasn¡¯t having any of it.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know that!¡± His thoughts raced, then he crossed his arms, getting an idea. ¡°You are taking the other giants and moving to the mountains at Molteholm. You are not dying as long as I have a say in it.¡±


    ¡°Wait, Johan.¡± Note stood up. ¡°Is that mountain even fit for giants?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± Johan argued back. ¡°We¡¯ll figure it out. There¡¯s many places on that mountain where they could live, don¡¯t you think? Maybe the n?kk¡¯s place-¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not nearly big enough.¡± Signe interrupted, but Johan refused to falter, he turned to glare at her but found her grinning. ¡°But I heard the dead village killed all the giants on the island, so there should be caves up there somewhere.¡±


    Johan sucked in an excited breath. Things were working out, he bit down a grin.


    ¡°So?¡± He turned to the old giant challengingly.


    ¡°We can¡¯t-¡±


    Johan interrupted him. ¡°Who says you can¡¯t? I say you can, so you can.¡±


    The old giant looked shocked at being interrupted.


    ¡°Are you just going to stay here and let your people die?¡± Signe challenged from her spot, still sitting comfortably on the ground. ¡°A leader needs to know when to let his pride go.¡±


    ¡°It is not my pride that is holding me back.¡± Hymir snarled, finally having enough. He looked down on them and Johan frowned unhappily, meeting his angry eyes. ¡°I have been a leader for years, ever since my brother died in the last attack roused by deities. I do not trust deities nor your human village to not bring us more pain.¡±


    Johan glared and opened his mouth to argue but before he could, Viddi was there.


    ¡°Uncle!¡± Viddi started, standing up. ¡°They have proven themselves!¡±


    ¡°Hush! You three are welcome here, but we are not taking your help. And that is final.¡±


    ¡°So what? You¡¯re just going to die?¡± Johan challenged.


    ¡°We will not be taking your help.¡± Hymir said, refusing to answer the question and settling a seething glare on Johan.


    Not out of pride, he said. Yeah right, Johan thought bitterly.


    ¡°But uncle!¡± Viddi and Dornir both yelled. They started arguing, the old giant staying silent for most of it. Johan didn¡¯t hear any of it though, instead he turned to Note and Signe. He had made a decision. The giants would be coming with them. Johan was not going to let them die, no matter how hard they wanted to do so.


    Note and Signe nodded seriously, having reached the same decision.


    Good. Johan glanced at the brothers. It didn¡¯t seem like they would go down without a fight. So five they were! Johan refused to let the giants die, the Hymir would just have to deal with it.


    Now what could they do to trick Hymir into taking their help? It wouldn¡¯t be easy to trick someone that old, even if they were as dumb as Hymir. He probably thought he had all the intelligence in the world, yet he stubbornly sat on his throne waiting for death to get them?


    Johan thought hard. What if they-


    Suddenly the little girl ran through the doorway, halting all conversation in the room and bringing everyone¡¯s eyes to her. Breathing harshly as she stopped in front of the old giant.


    ¡°Grampy, grampy!¡± She yelled, breathless. ¡°Daddy is-¡±


    BOOM!


    Her words turned into a scream as the walls shook. Johan¡¯s head jerked up and debris rained down around them.


    ¡°They are already here.¡± The old giant¡¯s damning words carried loudly through the quiet room. ¡°Dornir, Viddi. Bring out guests outside and lock the doors.¡±


    The two brothers had stopped their arguing when the explosion went off and at the order they shared a silent look, yet after a moment''s hesitation, they did as they were told.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Johan yelled, dodging Viddi¡¯s grasping hand. ¡°This is ridiculous!¡±


    ¡°Child, how do you plan to get us out without engaging in this fight?¡± Hymir asked sternly and Johan faltered. He didn¡¯t have an answer to that. He didn¡¯t think things would happen so soon. ¡°Leave now, before you get involved.¡±


    Johan eyed him, jaw clenched.


    Around them things were moving quickly, giants were running around gathering things while yelling, a dark ambiance taking over as warriors gathered near the platform, but instead of leaving the cave like Johan thought they would, they sat down.


    They were going to wait until they were forced to engage, Johan realized.


    He looked around in a panic, unsure what to do, then he met Note¡¯s eyes. Johan watched as he moved one arm to his sword, a questioning look in his eyes.


    Oh.


    They would have to fight.


    Johan nodded quickly. Yes. They would solve this for the giants.


    He turned to Signe but she had already caught on, grabbing her new axeblade from where it sat on the ground next to her.


    ¡°Come on, you can¡¯t stay in here.¡± Viddi pleaded as they evaded his hands, tears beginning to gather in his eyes. ¡°At least you guys have to live.¡±


    Behind Viddi, Dornir had already given up the fight and was waiting near the platform with the other warriors, hand on the lever and ready to open the door for Viddi to get the three of them outside.


    Perfect.


    ¡°Fine.¡± Johan sighed unhappily, then crossed his arms over his chest as he was grabbed, hiding the way his ribbons fell into place in his palms. Signe held her new axeblade closely and Note seemed almost bored as they were brought to the platform.


    ¡°Thank you for coming.¡± Viddi sniffled above them, setting them down gently, and the platform started moving. He smiled wetly at them. ¡°It was nice to meet you.¡±


    Oh, his heart.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Johan said gently. ¡°You¡¯ll be just fine.¡±


    Then he made the mistake of looking back. He met the old giant¡¯s eyes and watched as they widened with the realization of what the three of them were about to do.


    ¡°Wait!¡± The old giant yelled after them, standing up in alarm. ¡°Close the door! Don¡¯t let them out!¡±


    But he was too late. Dornir went for the lever to stop the platform but Johan just grinned as he grabbed Note and Signe, ribbons ready for this situation, and he launched them outside. In the air, he gave Hymir a small wave, watching his enraged face for the whole second before the door slid shut between them.


    ¡°Ready?¡± He asked. He turned towards the playground.


    Time to deal with some humans.

 The Humans VS Giants conflict

    They ran up through the tunnel, ignoring the loud roars coming from behind as the giants started following after them. Faintly he could hear Viddi yelling their names, but they were too far ahead to be stopped now.


    The first thing Johan saw was the giant, one singular giant in the whole playground, shielding the entrance to the tunnel with his whole body.


    The next thing he saw was the humans.


    Johan sucked in a breath as he saw them. They had brought a whole army! At least a hundred soldiers filled the playground and more were still moving in. All armed to the teeth in metalgear and weapons.


    Johan skidded between a giant¡¯s legs, Note and Signe flanking him. The giant yelled after them but Johan only stopped when they were right in between the giant and the humans, standing at a safe distance from both.


    Johan tok a second to glance back at the giants following them. Dozens of them were coming out of the tunnel but at the sight of the human army they all came to a stop by the first giant, wielding their clubs and axes uneasily as they spread to create something like a front line to cover the entrance.


    Viddi pushed through to the front, eyes wide and mouth open in a yell that immediately fell silent at the sight of the humans. The front line pulled him back behind them.


    The human army was still marching into its formation, but the very front had taken their places, standing ready at the front. One of them was yelling orders behind him and he turned towards them with wide eyes.


    ¡°Hey!¡± The man yelled, standing taller in panic, his wide eyes flickered between the three of them. ¡°What the hell are you doing, get out of here!¡±


    ¡°Actually, you¡¯re the ones that should leave!¡± Johan yelled back with a smile. The man¡¯s eyebrows pulled together in confusion and Johan followed his eyes to a buff man next to him.


    Johan paused, eyes catching on the regal uniform he wore. The man spluttered, face turning as red as his cloak. ¡°And what do we have here?! Humans protecting monsters?! You have no honor!¡±


    ¡°Dad!¡± Someone pushed through the crowd. ¡°Those are the people that were mean to us earlier!¡±


    Oh! That was the guy Signe knocked out!


    So that was why the humans came to attack then. The guy was part of some rich family, clearly, considering he was bringing a whole army. Oh, how didn¡¯t Johan see it earlier? It was so obvious! No normal human was that annoying.


    ¡°Aw, did the brat come back for revenge?¡± Johan mocked, taking deep pleasure in watching the pale face turn bright red just like his apparent father, both his mouth and eyes opening wide in pure outrage.


    ¡°B-b-brat?!¡± The guy spluttered, clearly not used to being talked down to.


    Johan turned to the man leading the army. He seemed reasonable enough, seeing as his first reaction to the three of them was to get them out of the battlefield. Too bad the other two were there as well. Johan had a feeling they weren¡¯t quite as rational.


    ¡°Don¡¯t speak to the prince of the Northern Kingdom like that!¡° The leader burst out, face furiously red.


    Right. Ok, Johan was wrong, he was not reasonable. He turned a curious eye to the guy. A prince, huh?


    ¡°Prince?¡± Signe laughed. ¡°He won¡¯t even follow basic adventurer courtesy, and he is supposed to rule a kingdom? Maybe another knock on the head will fix him.¡± She taunted, fist hitting her palm loudly.


    ¡°You were knocked out by a girl?!¡± Johan raised his eyebrows as the king turned to his son. ¡°Is that why you were carried home by Edvin?!¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t!¡± The guy argued quickly, looking around him. ¡°I...I was knocked out by him!¡±


    Johan followed his finger all the way to his left, right at where Note stood. At the sudden attention he crossed his arms, glowering at the guy who quickly let down his hand and looked away.


    Johan lifted an eyebrow. Even if it wasn¡¯t a clear lie, Note wouldn¡¯t hurt a fly, he was the gentlest person Johan knew.


    ¡°Yeah, ok.¡± Johan drew out and the guy glared at him.


    ¡°Do not call my son a liar!¡± The king yelled, taking a threatening step forward.


    ¡°If you say so.¡± Johan said, raising his hands defensively with a smile, very aware of the uneasy giants behind him and the impatient shuffling of the army ahead.


    The king gritted his teeth, breathing angrily out his nose but he said nothing, instead he turned to the army. ¡°Those three have picked their side.¡±


    Oh uh. Johan clenched his fists as the king raised his voice and pulled free his sword.


    ¡°Attack and do not leave any alive!¡±


    The army cheered and loud clangs filled the air as they raised their weapons. Then Johan¡¯s view was blocked. Within the second, the giants had gotten between them and the army.


    He could hear the army coming closer and could barely see their jogging turn to running as they clashed with the giants. Loud roars and yells filled the air and even more giants came out from the tunnel behind.


    He felt the adrenaline course through him and he watched in morbid fascination as one giant easily tok out five men with just a swing of his club.


    Oh, this was going to be fun.


    With a gleeful grin he released his ribbons, the amazing feeling of silk running down his arms and into his palms as he tok in the scene before him, trying to decide where to start.


    With a quick whip of the ribbon he flung it out to wrap around a boulder, and pulled. He laughed as a wave of humans fell over, their feet pulled right out from under them, and over the fallen humans, Signe engaged, rushing in with the axeblade in her hands and readying a strike.


    Note passed close to his back and Johan felt the brief touch of a hand on his shoulder before he saw him, sword appearing in a flash of light and his dark hair falling down around his jaw as he shot off towards the fight.


    Wow. Johan watched as they worked their way through the enemy. It was amazing. This was the first time they had all fought together, he realized with a jolt. Before they had only sparred or trained, but now, for the first time, all three of them were in a real fight.


    Note and Signe had both been trained in fighting since they were children, and it showed. Signe, with her long hair and dress, somehow fit perfectly in amongst all the soldiers with only the axeblade in her hands.Stolen novel; please report.


    And then there was Note.


    The sight was stunning, his black hair hung freely, hairpin gone in favor of his sword. His thin eyes showed deep concentration as he swung his sword with practiced ease, gracefully cutting down enemies left and right.


    Johan felt so much at that moment. His heart hammered in his chest and adrenaline pumped through his veins as he pulled back the ribbon and raised his arm. He was just about to repeat the attack when the crowd separated, the pathetic prince barely visible through the fighting.


    Target acquired. Johan grinned. The guy stood there and was throwing out commands to unbothered, fighting soldiers as they went past.


    ¡°Hey, crown prince!¡± Johan yelled with a plastered smile as he fought through the crowd. He grinned as the guy froze, then turned very slowly to set his eyes on him. Johan summoned his dagger to get through faster.


    ¡°Fight me?¡± He yelled, the words carrying over all the noise.


    The guy didn¡¯t move and for a second Johan didn¡¯t think the guy heard him, but then he paled so quickly Johan was worried he would simply die from fear.


    For some reason the guy hadn¡¯t been left with any protection, despite having been titled as a prince, and neither the king nor the general were anywhere in sight.


    It was no wonder who would win this fight and the guy seemed to realize it too, because after a wild look around him, he turned and ran. Johan felt his eye twitch. That guy had started this whole thing, yet he ran the second he faced danger, not caring of the soldiers dying around him or the giants he sent them to kill.


    Johan threw his ribbon, catching the guy¡¯s ankle and sending him face first to the ground.


    He walked leisurely towards the guy, watching in deep satisfaction as he struggled to get free, throwing fearful glances back at Johan as he got closer and closer all while Johan kept the ribbon taut. The fear on the guy¡¯s face was stark as he flipped over to his back, eyes wide as he crawled back in panic, giving up on freeing his leg.


    ¡°Having fun?¡± Johan asked mockingly and gave the ribbon a sharp jerk. The guy yelped as he landed on his back again.


    Johan better give the guy a proper lesson if his parents weren''t going to. He released the ribbon and pushed up his sleeves, feeling it tighten familiarly back around his forearms. ¡°Was it worth stirring up trouble and coming back here?¡±


    The guy, now free, scrambled to his feet, still backing away. Johan kept his pace, the fighting around him not bothering him at all. The guy was glancing around desperately now, but nobody came to help. Then his eyes caught on something. Johan watched coldly as the guy ripped a sword out of a dying soldier¡¯s chest, and pointed it at him with two shaking hands.


    ¡°Don¡¯t come any closer, my father will-!¡± The guy threatened but Johan had heard enough. He launched at the guy and slashed his dagger-


    ¡°Not bad.¡± Johan acknowledged, pleased.


    The guy had managed to jump back just in time, his hand quivering as he covered a small cut on his cheek.


    Johan eyed him. The panic wasn¡¯t doing the prince any favors in this fight. From the way he held himself, he clearly had decent training. He didn¡¯t know how to use that training against Johan, though. It was a shame that his personality was so bad.


    Now, time to make him run off so Johan never had to see his idiotic face again.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a sword,¡± He started. ¡°So you¡¯ll have to excuse me for using my dagger instead.¡±


    With that he lunged forward, dagger clashing loudly against a hastily risen sword. The guy stared at him with big eyes-


    Then they glanced at something over Johan¡¯s shoulder.


    The next second was a blur of red fabric.


    The soldier fell to the ground with a thud, knocked unconscious in his attempt to sneak up on Johan, his sword clattering uselessly against the ground.


    Hah! As if that would work on him!


    He looked back at the crown prince triumphantly-


    His heart fell.


    Everything went quiet as he stared at the scene in front of him. He followed the ribbon with his eyes. Back to his own hand.


    Dread welled over him. He looked back at the guy, his white face a stark contrast to the red of the ribbon around his throat.


    Johan yerked back, letting go like the ribbon burnt him.


    The stiff body hit the ground with a terrible thud and suddenly the world started moving again. He was in the middle of the playground, soldiers and giants fighting all around him. Just a second ago he had barely been able to hear the fighting but now the noises were deafening.


    He only wanted to scare the guy.


    ¡°Johan!¡± He turned around with jagged movements and froze. Why was the old giant on the playground? He stared at Johan with a terrified look on his face but only a mirror of what Johan must look like. ¡°Get back inside, now!¡±


    Johan looked back to the body numbly. The eyes were still wide with terror. He tried to gather his ribbon back but couldn¡¯t find the power, instead he grabbed at it with shaky hands, tangling them up around his forearms.


    ¡°You!¡± Suddenly the king screamed and Johan turned around slowly. ¡°You killed my son! Soldiers, kill him!¡±


    Johan could only stare at the king. He didn¡¯t seem sad at all. You were supposed to be sad when your family died.


    ¡°Uncle!¡±


    Johan jerked back to reality with a gasp. He turned towards the sound just in time to see the old giant fall. The ground shook as he landed heavily on his back, showing off the spear deeply embedded in his chest, and from the other side of the cave, Viddi screamed, trampling through the army of soldiers trying to separate them.


    Johan ran for the old giant. What was he doing in the playground?! He skidded to a halt in front of him and carefully stepped in the pool of blood forming around him. It was the only way closer. He looked angrily around for who could have done it but every soldier in close proximity was either already dead or quickly backing away.


    The battlefield became quiet as everyone seemed to realize something big had happened.


    ¡°You-!¡± Johan didn¡¯t have the words. How could someone be that stupid?! He could barely walk, what was he doing going right into a battlefield?! Johan tok a deep breath, watching the giant with wide eyes and his heart twisted painfully. ¡°Why did you come outside?!¡±


    ¡°Child, this is not your fight.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still on that?!¡± He yelled angrily, trying to find a way to help but he couldn¡¯t even get close to the spear. The giant¡¯s chest heaved higher than he could reach and the fresh blood was making everything too slippery to climb.


    ¡°Your father wanted a better world for you. An easier life than the one you were destined for.¡± The old giant - No, Hymir - started, completely ignoring his words. ¡°At the time I thought it was a ridiculous wish, but now that I have had the pleasure of meeting you, I see.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t about me.¡± Johan argued through gritted teeth and the giant huffed out a laugh.


    ¡°Ah, but it is. You are more important than you think.¡± Hymir said and coughed. ¡°It was stupid of me to think I could bring you three back inside by myself, but don¡¯t lose any sleep for me, my time was already near. Yet in my dying moments, it comforts me knowing Fate is here. Everything happened as it was meant to, and so it will continue to do.¡±


    Johan closed his mouth with a click, a lump forming in his throat.


    Important. No. No¡­


    Then Viddi and Dornir fell to their knees next to them and Johan had to look away.


    ¡°Uncle, what-?¡± Dornir was quickly interrupted.


    ¡°My nephews, it is good to see you, even like this. I¡¯m afraid we will need a new leader soon.¡± Hymir said deeply, ignoring their protests. ¡°Someone who can lead our horde to live in peace and prosperity. Not to mention, safety. Someone who has not given up on life. Someone that does not need to be scolded by a child.¡±


    Johan could feel his eyes on him but he didn¡¯t look back. He bit his lip, his head feeling heavier and heavier.


    ¡°Viddi, you should have had my position from long ago. I believe you will do great. ¡± And with that Hymir closed his eyes.


    ¡°Uncle!¡± Viddi screamed and threw himself on the old giant.


    Johan squeezed his eyes shut and jerked around, hands coming up to his head, he tok stumbling steps away. Back. Away from the awful scene.


    Where was Note and Signe? Why did they even come here? To help the humans eradicate the giants? To kill the crown prince? Why?! What good thing had happened while they were there? What point was there?! They could have been at home selling fish, doing errands- doing anything! But instead they were here? Blood on their hands and they didn¡¯t even know why!


    Johan felt a sharp pressure in his head and suddenly breathing got much harder and he had to fight to keep himself still.


    ¡°Fate?¡±


    Johan heard a whisper. His head jerked up and the only thing he felt was rage as his eyes snapped open and he set his eyes on the king, looking small amongst his soldiers.


    Something snapped.


    Everything went black.

 Old Enemy - New Problems

    After introducing the giants to the island, it tok surprisingly little time before they were all back to the usual, daily routine. The giants mostly kept to themselves, busy with making their new cave into a home, and were rarely seen in the village, unless they were invited for a feast or some other reason. Really, with everything, Johan felt like he had barely seen them at all.


    So there they were, another beautiful day in Solstad, selling fish. The usual routine. At least they finished early this time, letting Johan wander through the city with Note while Signe had stayed behind to help move the crates back to the boats.


    Johan looked around mindlessly. Honestly, the markets weren¡¯t that diverse when he was there almost every day. The same charms, same clothes and same food. It got boring quickly and today Erika didn¡¯t even have any chores to ask him to do.


    Even the weather was boring. The same bright, blue sky as always. At least Molteholm had some variation, even though it was mostly gray clouds and rain.


    ¡°Is there anything you want to do?¡± Johan asked as they wandered down the street, people milling about the stands around them. Note just shook his head without a word.


    Johan used to hate having freetime, back when he was alone. He was always looking for the next quest or job, earning money along the way. Now though, he just hated waiting. Things had changed and now he was a family kind-of-guy and couldn¡¯t just uproot himself and go on adventures whenever he wanted to.


    That was one of the few downsides to settling down. Yet he would choose this any day, it was all worth it to have people that cared about him.


    He sighed. There really was nothing interesting in the city today. There wasn¡¯t even a street performer in sight.


    He was stuck on that thought, that he was just so bored.


    And that¡¯s when he saw it. The brightest orange he had ever seen, right in the very corner of his eye, it flashed by. His head whipped around to look but by then it was already gone.


    A chill went down his spine.


    He sucked in a breath, and took off running, ignoring Note¡¯s alarmed yell after him. He got to the closest set of stairs, a short one leading into an apartment building, and searched the crowd for that familiar orange hair, praying it wasn¡¯t who he thought it was.


    Then his eyes found it again.


    Oh jotun. They should have stayed home today.


    What was a sin doing walking through the busy streets of Solstad?!


    Johan cursed. Of all the sins they could run into, why did it have to be the most violent one?


    Johan followed the orange hair with his eyes. She stood there by a booth, innocently browsing through different candy. In the hot sun she was wearing a brown leather cloak and tight black pants. Soon she turned around and, with her muscled arm, popped a lollipop into her mouth, a silver ring on her finger.


    For a long moment all Johan could do was watch her, his limbs frozen as his thoughts raced and he tried to figure out what to do.


    Signe, his mind finally supplied. He had to find Signe right away! Get both her and Note out of the city immediately without being seen, or it would get really bad. He scanned the docks with his eyes while cautiously keeping an eye on the orange hair slowly approaching the docks.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    The crowd cleared and finally he saw her. The small, green head appearing where she crouching down by the empty fish crates.


    Then she turned her head. Johan froze when he saw her jaw drop and her eyes widen.


    Still in the middle of the crowd, Wrath had stopped, her face paling quickly. She stared at Signe, hand frozen on the lollipop stick. Then she dropped it. Suddenly they both acted. Signe stood up in alarm as Wrath started moving towards her.


    Shit.


    Without a moment to spare Johan threw himself over the railing, landing softly on his feet and taking off towards the docks. He lost sight of both of them as soon as he entered the crowd and ran as fast as he could, pushing people left and right without a care of the angry voices yelling after him.


    Finally he pushed past the last few people and the street opened up to the docks.


    They weren¡¯t there.


    His heart dropped. Signe wasn¡¯t there. She. Wasn¡¯t. There.


    Fuck. Where did they go?!


    He looked around wildly, scanning the crowds for anything green or orange, anything that could be Signe, or even Wrath, but he got nothing.


    ¡°Johan!¡± Note yelled through loud pants and came to a stop beside him. Leaning heavily on his knees as he tried to regain his breath. ¡°Where are you going?!


    ¡°Wrath is here.¡± Johan breathed and watched as Note¡¯s face changed. He straightened up, chest still heaving from his run, and watched Johan for a long second in pure shock. Then he looked around, something like hope flickered in his eyes.


    ¡°She and Signe saw each other!¡± Johan added hurriedly and that got the expected reaction out of Note, his head reeling back at Johan, face clouded in horror.


    ¡°They what?!¡± Note hissed. ¡°We have to stop them! Where did they go?!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I lost them.¡±


    Note spun around, stretching himself as high as he could until finally-


    ¡°There. Come on!¡± Note started running and Johan quickly followed, ducking into the spaces he left behind in the crowd.


    ¡°You saw them?¡± Johan yelled, passing from the markeds and into a less busy area, now running side by side.


    ¡°Signe was just here.¡± Note stopped for a moment and looked around, then quickly set off again. Johan ran after him and followed his eyes out of the city gates just in time to see the flicker of green hair disappear into the forest. ¡°Come on!¡±


    How far were they going?! Weren¡¯t they just going to fight?! Did it really matter where they tried to kill each other?! They definitely hadn¡¯t cared about that before!


    Johan and Note ran all the way through the forest without another sight of Signe, and when they came upon a path near the base of the mountain, leading up, they decided to follow it.


    Johan cursed. Why was Signe like this?! Johan should have known something like this would happen! When she had said no to a new axe, he should have insisted. Even a dagger would be better than nothing. Now she was going unarmed into a fight with Wrath!


    Johan tok a deep breath and tried to calm himself as they ran. Signe would be fine. She would be fine! Even against Wrath, and even without a weapon!


    Then suddenly Johan¡¯s eye caught on something and he faltered, then stopped. To the left of the path stood a single blue flower amongst the trees and bushes. The sheer vibrancy of it was enough to make him stop. He looked around but the only other thing he could see was the steep decline down the mountain on the other edge of the path, the view down to the city covered by trees.


    He turned back to the flower.


    ¡°That looks¡­out of place.¡± Johan had never seen that type of flower before.


    A little further ahead, Note had also stopped, realizing that Johan wasn¡¯t following anymore. Both of them watched the flower. It swayed innocently in the wind.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look natural.¡± Note slowly agreed. Johan looked up, but he could see nothing past the trees and bushes and- wait. ¡°You don¡¯t think..?¡±


    Note¡¯s voice followed him as he took a step forward, past the flower, then another, pushing a branch out of the way. His eyes widened.


    ¡°There¡¯s a cave here!¡± Johan yelled back and hurried inside.


    The cave opened up into a big room. The ground was completely covered in the same blue flowers, seemingly growing right out of the rock and unlike the one outside, these ones were glowing, the blue light lighting up the room as far as the field of flowers stretched on.


    Johan looked up and the realization of where he was hit him like a ton of bricks. From the tall ceiling thousands if not tens of thousands of pearls hung, connected in links both long and short, and lighting up the cave along with the flowers.


    ¡°Those are..¡± Note trailed off, speechless as he looked around.


    ¡°Souls.¡± Johan finished for him. This was very bad. ¡°This is Signe¡¯s cave. The Cave of Resets.¡±

 Obsession or... something else?

    The Cave of Resets. Or at least that¡¯s what they used to call it. The official name was something long like The Cave of the Dead... Johan couldn¡¯t quite remember it. After someone died their souls would be gathered by Death and then sent along until they came here, where the memories of their previous life were erased and they waited to be reborn.


    The inside of those pearls was probably the closest you could get to an actual afterlife. Or at least that¡¯s what Johan imagined. As a deity he would never see the inside of one even if he died.


    But¡­this cave was in Heaven, how did Johan and Note stumble upon it in the mountain next to Solstad?!


    ¡°These flowers weren¡¯t here before¡± Note noted, taking a few careful steps inside. Johan nodded. Someone must have put them there.


    ¡°There must be a connection between the worlds.¡± Johan said. Why hadn¡¯t they known that before? It would have been useful information back when they actually lived in Heaven.


    ¡°We would have known.¡± Note reassured seriously. ¡°It must have appeared afterwards.¡±


    Johan shot Note a look, he clearly didn¡¯t remember how little Signe used to like him. Johan could still clearly remember the ugly, distrustful looks she used to give everyone the first few weeks of being a deity, still walking around in the dirty, brown pants and cloak she had died in. To be fair though, at that point Note had been dealing with things in very similar ways so he probably didn¡¯t notice.


    As Johan¡¯s eyes passed over the cave, he noticed a flash of light coming from the tunnel ahead. Signe must be there!


    He had just set off when a hand on his chest stopped him.


    ¡°Wait.¡± Note gave him a concerned look. ¡°There are mementos.¡±


    Johan paused, his eyebrows raising. He looked around carefully, almost not noticing them even after Note pointed them out. The faint shimmer of the edges were almost completely hidden in the glow of the flowers.


    Oh. Johan startled. There were a lot of them! They were all across the cave, and littered the entire area ahead!


    ¡°Who would leave mementos in here?¡± Johan wondered aloud, not just a little concerned. ¡°There wasn''t any last time we were here, right?¡±


    Note shook his head. ¡°No sign of fighting either. Someone must have been really upset in here.¡±


    Johan ventured forward carefully but got stuck pretty quickly, a wall of mementos making it impossible to get past.


    ¡°There¡¯s too many. We have to go through some of them.¡± Johan wasn¡¯t looking forward to it, but they had to find Signe as soon as possible. Looking for a path between the mementos would be like going through a maze, and there was no guarantee they wouldn¡¯t accidentally get sucked into some of them. It would just take too much time!


    And maybe they would give some clues as to what was going on.


    Johan tok a deep breath, preparing himself for the worst, and stepped in.


    The memory tok over immediately. His own sight fading away as a scene formed around him. He was outside, on the training ground behind the palace, a gasp escaping him as he landed heavily on his ass. He pushed his way up on his elbows, heart beating like crazy and a deep sneer on his face. His eyes glared at the warrior standing in front of him. A wild grin on her face and a big axe in her hands as her light green hair and white dress danced elegantly in the wind around her.


    It was Signe.


    Then suddenly he was back in the cave.


    What the¡­


    He shook his head, disoriented. That was Signe, there was no doubt. But why would anyone have a memento of her, especially in this cave? Mementos were made of extreme emotion. Being beaten in a fight? That didn¡¯t seem like enough.


    He paused, thinking.


    ¡°That day on the training field.¡± Note said, having followed him through the same memento.


    That¡¯s when it clicked.


    The sins- well, Greed really-, had gathered Note and Signe, as well as Johan, on the training ground to check their capabilities. It was only a week or so after Johan¡¯s dad had died and Note and Signe became deities, and it was the first time they had gathered on the training field. Johan remembered Greed being so angry that day, fed up with Note and Signe¡¯s behaviors. Both of them had been acting out in aggression at their new situations. Not to mention their strong dislike for each other, which definitely made things harder. That day had been the first time they ever acted on the same side against a common enemy - the sins.


    Arrogance was overflowing from both sides. Johan remembered standing to the side, right beside Greed, split between being terrified and amazed as he watched it all unfold.


    Greed had issued a challenge and after many refusals from Note and Signe to show their ability to fight, Wrath had stepped in, taunting Signe for her clothes, her long hair, her shoes- until Signe finally had enough. That was the first time the two of them ever fought, the first of many. The deity of Death against the deity of War, the strongest warrior in Heaven. If Wrath won then Signe and Note would start training with the sins, if Signe won they wouldn¡¯t. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Nobody had expected the result. For the first time ever Wrath had been beaten in a fight. The sins had been quiet for a long time after that, only snapping out of their shock when Note started laughing, saying that they must really be bad if their strongest could be beaten by someone like Signe.


    ¡°Why is this memory here?¡± Johan wondered, a bad feeling in his stomach. ¡°Why would Wrath relive it here¡­?¡±


    She couldn¡¯t still be angry that Signe beat her?


    Note met his eyes but didn¡¯t answer, he bit his lip with a worried look on his face. He must have thought the same.


    They ventured on through the room, avoiding as many mementos as possible. While it would technically be faster to go straight through, reliving memories like that took a lot of energy and they both needed it for the following fight.


    After a dozen meters they hit another dead end and this time Note entered first. Johan watched him freeze in place before he followed.


    He was in the markets in Heaven, arms crossed and body leaning against the stone rail separating the stone path from the green grass behind him. It was a beautiful day, the sky bright blue and not a cloud in sight. A wind gust blew bright orange hair across his face and he casually blew it away, eyes staying on the group across the street.


    Gluttony, Sloth and Signe. They were just passing by but he could clearly see the happy energy they were exhibiting. Even Sloth, who was seemingly just switching between being pulled along or slowly following them, was in a much better mood than normal, a small smile resting on his face as he added to the conversation. A loud conversation.


    Well, loud wasn¡¯t the right word, Johan couldn¡¯t hear what they were talking about, however he could see Signe turning her head back at Sloth¡¯s words, could hear their laughter at what he said, and he could see Sloth¡¯s quiet huffs and snorts.


    Johan stared at Signe. Unsurprisingly, she was wearing another white dress again, this time with a tight and detailed chestpiece going all the way up her shoulders to wrap around her neck, an elegant, long skirt flowing lightly behind her. Her hair was down, with only the front pieces braided back, the rest cascading in waves down her back. As she turned around, once again laughing at something Sloth said, his eyes caught on the silver ear cuff, the large axe her small frame was somehow able to wield, and the link of white souls dangling from her earlobe.


    Beautiful, he couldn¡¯t help but think, then quickly clenched his jaw shut. She was not beautiful. He glared after her. Then a different voice called out. ¡°Vero!¡± And he turned around.


    Then he was back in the cave again.


    He frowned.


    ¡°You saw the same thing right?¡± He turned and asked Note, not managing to hold his curiosity.


    ¡°Yeah..?¡± Note frowned back, looking equally perplexed. Johan paused, realizing the voice in the vision was Note¡¯s. He must have been there too, probably together with Frey if Signe¡¯s group was anything to go by.


    ¡°She was just staring at Signe the entire time. Again.¡± Johan said, thinking out loud in hopes that Note could give him any insight. ¡°I just- it doesn¡¯t seem like this should be enough to make a memento?¡±


    ¡°She must have relived it after our deaths.¡± Note said and Johan cocked his head, thinking. That did make sense, though it was still weird, Wrath always seemed so aggressive from his own point of view, but seeing it from hers...he really couldn¡¯t tell what it was.


    They were almost past the mementos now, one more would be enough to get across to the other side of the room. He took a deep breath and eyed the wall in front of him.


    He walked into it.


    He sat in a dark cave in front of a fire, the only light coming from the flickering flames. He was shivering, savoring the warmth from the fire when suddenly something warm and soft fell over his head, obstructing his view.


    He ripped it off with a small snarl but froze when he realized what it was, the brown leather warm and soft in his freezing hands. His eyes lingering on it as confusion settled in and he looked up, eyes following short legs as they moved around him, and watched as Signe sat down next to him with a thud, her eyes closed. She didn¡¯t acknowledge the gesture, instead she only leaned back on her elbows and inched her bare feet closer to the warm fire.


    ¡°You¡­¡± He hesitated, eyes flickering from the cloak and to her. ¡°Why..?¡± He asked tentatively and Signe turned to her side and smiled softly at him. His heart skipped a beat and he sucked in a sharp breath, hands subconsciously clutching the cloak.


    ¡°Keep it for me?¡± Signe didn¡¯t wait for a response, not that Johan had one. Without another word she flopped down on her back and closed her eyes, and suddenly he was left with her cloak in his hands, silence settling over them. He felt warm, a flush coming to his face and he was suddenly glad that Signe wasn¡¯t watching him. He quickly pulled the cloak around himself and didn¡¯t even care that he caught his long hair in it. He closed his eyes and hid his red face in the cloak, just breathing. It smelled like her.


    Then he was back in the cave. His face paled rapidly.


    Oh.


    Oh.


    That was not hate.


    That was the complete opposite of hate! Johan had never felt something that strongly before, it felt like his heart was melting. He grabbed his head in despair, crouching down.


    ¡°What the fuck.¡± Note breathed. Johan couldn¡¯t agree more. He looked up at Note, hands still clutching his head.


    ¡°She¡¯s in love with Signe.¡± Johan voiced his newfound horror. ¡°She¡¯s in love with Signe! How didn¡¯t we realize that!¡± He burst out before stopping himself. ¡°No. No, we obviously wouldn¡¯t know. Who would see that as love?! She was literally following her around asking to fight every single day! How is that- Does Signe know? No, there is no way.¡±


    Johan broke off, groaning. How could he have read the situation so wrong? And what exactly was going on inside Wrath¡¯s head that she would act like that to the person she was in love with?! Joahn didn¡¯t know Wrath very well but still, he knew Signe didn¡¯t see it romantically at all!


    ¡°How did I not¡­¡± Note despaired. ¡°She¡¯s my close friend¡­¡±


    Johan ignored him, though he felt a little better knowing that Note, who used to be close to Wrath, didn¡¯t realize it either.


    Johan tok a deep breath, they were finally past the mementos.


    He froze.


    He could hear yelling. It was faint, but it was definitely Signe. Johan saw Note twitch at the profanities clearly aimed at Wrath. He turned to the dark tunnel leading to the adjacent room.


    Love or not, Johan didn¡¯t trust Wrath around Signe for a second.

 A Shocking Match

    Johan tok off through the cave, leaving the rest of the mementos and whatever memories they contained, far behind. A stuttering Note followed him a second later.


    He ran through the cave, trampling blue flowers beneath his feet. The entrance got closer and closer as he ran, and through it another field of blue flowers came into view.


    There she was- Bang!


    He slammed into something, then for a long second he was weightless. His back hit the soft flowers on the ground- hard. He groaned, vision spinning uselessly as he tried to figure out what hit him.


    ¡°Be careful, she put up a shield.¡± Note¡¯s extremely unhelpful voice spoke from above, three copies of him entering Johan¡¯s field of view. At least he managed to look slightly concerned while Johan gathered himself, offering a hand when Johan started pushing himself back up.


    Back on his feet, Johan reached forward only to feel an invisible wall keeping them out. Angrily, he hit his fist against it just once. ¡°Damn Wrath¡¯s powers, why would someone so violent get a shield anyways?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± Note suddenly whispered, a mixture of shock and trepidation on his face. ¡°This isn¡¯t like her at all.¡±


    Johan followed his eyes.


    He had to take a step closer to Note, but then he saw her. Signe was right there! Kneeling on the ground¡­


    Johan paused, eyed widening. He couldn¡¯t be seeing right. Signe was kneeling on the ground, right in the middle of the blue flowers, blindfolded and with her hands tied behind her back. She was fighting against it, her teeth showing like a wild animal.


    Maybe they would have to break through the mountain wall.


    Now that they were closer, Johan could hear the yelling so loudly even his ears hurt.


    Then he noticed Wrath. She stood far away from Signe, still as a statue, and was watching Signe with an unreadable expression on her face, her arms crossed over her chest. Johan hit the shield but she didn¡¯t even glance their way.


    Johan gritted his teeth in frustration, but there was a small consolation. From where he stood, Johan had a good view of Wrath. He could see how battered she was. Signe had at least put up a good fight.


    Suddenly Wrath¡¯s face twisted.


    Johan froze as Wrath started walking. Slowly, making no sound. Like an animal with their eye on their prey.


    ¡°She wouldn¡¯t do anything.¡± Note muttered. He sounded like he was trying to convince himself.


    They watched in suspense as Wrath went closer, coming to a stop right in front of Signe, and kneeled down. Signe didn¡¯t seem to have realized Wrath had moved at all, continuing to yell. Then suddenly Wrath raised her hands, gently grabbing the sides of Signe¡¯s face.


    Signe fell silent.


    The seconds ticked by but Wrath did nothing. After a few moments Signe started pulling away but Wrath held her firmly in place. Signe let out a shaky breath, gritting her teeth.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Wrath¡¯s question came out more like a demand.


    That clearly wasn¡¯t what Signe was expecting, her face shocked and affronted.


    ¡°Who am I?! Are you stupid!? Let me go and I¡¯ll show you exactly who I am! Let¡¯s see if a four year advantage is enough for you!¡± Signe yelled, starting to struggle again, then threw her head forward, catching Wrath off guard and sending her head swinging back, eyes widening at the roof.


    However she didn¡¯t seem affected by the whiplash at all.


    Within a second she was back up, grabbing for Signe¡¯s face again. Then she was kissing her.


    Johan jaw dropped, eyes widening as he stared. Beside him, Note made a sound, something Johan could only describe as being conflicted, to be happy for his friend or outraged for his sister. Johan had no such conflicts.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    The kiss ended and Signe only sat there as Wrath embraced her.


    ¡°Signe..¡± She murmured into Signe¡¯s shoulder, clutching her with all her strength. Signe breathed heavily as she sat there in disbelief.


    Then Wrath finally backed off, pulling the blindfold off at the same time. Signe didn¡¯t say a word as their eyes met, her face carefully blank. Wrath cleared her throat, glancing at her throat for a second before looking back.


    ¡°Signe¡­¡± Wrath touched her face again, a thumb running carefully over her cheek. ¡°You¡¯re here. Alive.¡± She spoke in disbelief, sounding like she couldn¡¯t believe it. Signe didn¡¯t nod, didn¡¯t acknowledge it at all, just stared right back at her with a slight frown.


    Wrath pulled off her cloak, unbothered by the lack of response, and threw it around Signe¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°Do not leave me again.¡± She ordered, staring intently at Signe who still seemed to be catching up to the situation.


    ¡°You..¡±


    ¡°I love you.¡± Wrath continued. ¡°Marry me.¡±


    Just when Johan thought it couldn¡¯t get worse.


    ¡°You hate me.¡± Signe immediately insisted, eyebrows going up to her hairline and she reeled back, the words finally snapping her out of her shock.


    ¡°I have never hated you.¡± Wrath grumbled back.


    ¡°Yes, you do!¡± Signe burst out. ¡°All you used to do was follow me around, glaring at me all the time, getting me angry on purpose- all so I would fight you! You did it every single day!¡±


    ¡°I was¡­curious about you.¡± Wrath started hesitantly. ¡°You were the first person that ever beat me. You are my equal, you are mine. My...¡± She faltered off, seemingly not finding the right word. ¡°I love you.¡±


    ¡°Let me go.¡± Signe said quietly, her words holding no emotion. Wrath clenched her fists but made no move.


    ¡°Let me go.¡± Signe repeated insistently. Wrath slowly shrunk back, lips pinched in disappointment, before leaning in and untying Signe¡¯s hands behind her back.


    Signe watched as Wrath stumbled back to her feet and with newly-freed hands Signe let the cloak fall to the ground. Wrath clenched her jaw, looking away at the clear rejection. Johan almost felt bad for her.


    But then Signe lunged for her and Johan¡¯s jaw dropped in horror.


    Arms wrapped around Wrath¡¯s neck, and Signe held herself off the ground, her feet bending up at the knee behind her. Their lips met.


    Wrath staggered back in shock, but after a moment she melted into the kiss, her hands coming up to clutch around Signe¡¯s waist.


    Johan¡¯s forehead hit the shield, eyes clenching shut. His head hurt.


    Then the shield disappeared and Johan almost fell forward. Luckily Note¡¯s big arms caught him.


    They shared a long look. A silent conversation where they agreed about how weird this all was. Looking back at the couple, Johan saw that Signe was finally back on her feet, her hands wrapped around Wrath¡¯s waist and grinning up at her as Wrath was occupied with placing an ear cuff perfectly around Signe¡¯s cartilage, a small but bright smile on her face.


    Johan approached cautiously, Note right ahead of him.


    ¡°Vero!¡± Note yelled, getting both their attention. He stormed down the small hill, ignoring Signe¡¯s happy cry for both him and Johan, and abruptly came to a stop in front of them. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me?! I thought you hated her!¡±


    Wrath just shrugged at him, throwing her arms around Signe as she finished with the earcuff


    Over Note¡¯s outbreak, Signe turned to Johan, yelling over Note with a happy grin. ¡°I¡¯m getting married!¡± She jumped happily on her feet, her eyes disappearing into crescents. ¡°Can you believe it? Vero doesn¡¯t hate me.¡±


    She seemed pleasantly surprised and Johan could only shake his head fondly, unable to keep from smiling along at her contagious cheerfulness. Even if the situation was questionable.


    ¡°She better not.¡± Note huffed, suddenly switching to protective brother mode.


    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± Wrath said seriously.


    ¡°Good.¡± Note snapped, then a smile broke out on his face and he closed the distance to softly punch her arm. He started tearing up, hand slapping over his mouth. ¡°You¡¯re getting married!¡±


    Johan wasn¡¯t sure what to feel. Signe only found out a minute ago that Wrath even liked her and now they were already engaged?


    ¡°I hate to ruin the mood but isn¡¯t this moving too fast?¡± Johan started and all three of them turned to him. He kept his eyes on Signe. ¡°I thought you hated her? Any time Wrath is mentioned around you, you get angry. Is this really what you want?¡±


    Signe didn¡¯t say anything, only frowned thoughtfully.


    ¡°I have loved her for half a decade, it isn¡¯t moving too fast.¡± Wrath answered Johan first, tightened her arms around Signe who only laughed at the possessiveness. Then Wrath faltered, just a little, and she turned her attention to Signe. ¡°But I will wait, if that¡¯s what you need.¡±


    They smiled softly to each other.


    Johan hated to admit it, but he could believe it. After going through all the mementos and the feelings attached to them.


    He sighed and Signe turned to him with a smile, biting her lip.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you.¡± Johan huffed. Then softened. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯ll be the first of us to get married.¡±


    Signe broke out in laughter and turned in Wrath¡¯s arms to hug her back.


    Good. Johan nodded tensely. She should be happy. As long as she was happy it would all be okay.


    Johan shared a long look with Note. They needed to talk.

 Anxiety must be dealt with

    Johan sat on a fallen tree in the woods, feet dangling in the air. He was looking off into the darkness of the trees in the vague direction of their house, where Wrath now was.


    He sighed and leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, and picked at his ribbon mindlessly.


    Leif and the other villagers were surprised when they had arrived back at the docks with another person, but they had easily accepted her when they saw how familiar Note and Signe were acting with her.


    It was good. The villagers were welcoming. Surprised, but welcoming. To Wrath.


    Johan tok a deep breath, dragging his hands over his face. What was he supposed to do? A sin was sitting in his house. Not even just that, but Note and Signe had no problems with it. And Signe even agreed to marry her?! Was Johan supposed to support that?! Of course he would! It was Signe¡¯s decision! But Wrath?! How bad taste could-


    Footsteps approached and Johan tiredly looked up to see Note emerge. He was tense but visibly eased at the sight of Johan.


    Johan looked away first, after only a short moment. He knew why Note had seeked him out and he didn¡¯t like it.


    ¡°Funny to meet you here.¡± Johan said drily, leaning back on his hands and swinging his feet to make a point of seeming relaxed in the dim remains of sunlight.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you like Vero?¡± Note asked, stopping right in front of him and looking up with a hard expression.


    Johan frowned unhappily and gave Note a long look. He really wasn¡¯t going to like this conversation. Note¡¯s hair was down, hanging straight to his shoulders. He must be anxious. Johan¡¯s eyes caught on the hairpin, Note¡¯s fist clenched so tight around it that the tendons were visible.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Johan asked coyly.


    Note worked his jaw, clearly not happy, and Johan closed his eyes. They were getting straight to the point then. Maybe that would be easier.


    He looked away, the sky was much more inviting to look at than Note¡¯s angry face.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t like her.¡± Johan started, glancing at Note as he did, saw his eyebrows draw together at the words. ¡°You know what happened.¡±


    ¡°I remember things differently from you.¡± Note grunted.


    Johan hesitated. This could easily become a fight if he didn¡¯t word it right.


    ¡°That day.¡± He finally pushed out and Note¡¯s face changed in an instant, anger becoming tension. He didn¡¯t need to elaborate for Note to know what day he was talking about.


    ¡°The sins- maybe not all of them, not Frey at least¡­ but most of them had a hand in you dying.¡± Johan struggled to find the words. ¡°But Wrath. She was with Signe, they had just come back from a mission, and she still just watched. Watched as the two of you were dragged up there, wearing Signe¡¯s cloak on her shoulder.¡± Johan tok a deep breath and rubbed his forehead, eyes already burning.


    ¡°She didn¡¯t have anything to do with it.¡± Note said silently and took a step closer. Johan pulled his leg up on the tree trunk, away from his hand. If it was supposed to be comforting then Johan had news to him. It wasn¡¯t.


    Slowly, Note drew his hand back. ¡°Come home, we¡¯ll talk there.¡±


    Johan snorted. The whole reason he went out into the woods was so he didn¡¯t have to talk. He didn¡¯t want this conversation. He didn¡¯t want to see Wrath in their house. Really, he didn¡¯t want to see her at all.


    ¡°If she didn¡¯t have anything to do with it, why did I see her in the crowd?¡± Johan snapped.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Note said silently, and finally Johan saw something he could relate to. Note was afraid too.


    ¡°Look Note.¡± Johan sighed. ¡°I know she was your friend. I know you want to believe her and that she didn¡¯t have anything to do with it. But what if she did?¡±


    ¡°Well, what if she didn¡¯t?!¡± Note yelled. ¡°Frey and Sloth were both there when I was taken away, yet you still trust them?¡±


    Johan stared for a second, it was a long time since he had seen Note like that. His eyes blazing, an almost desperate expression on his face as he turned to anger.


    ¡°I trust Frey.¡± Johan said shortly, softly. While ¡®trust¡¯ was going a bit far, Johan had still sought his help. Multiple times. He didn¡¯t know what part Frey had in it all, but he had saved Johan, that at least meant something.


    Note looked down, his fist clenching around the hairpin with so much strength Johan was surprised it hadn¡¯t snapped. After a second he let out a long exhale, and seemed so calm down, his grip relaxing and his thumb running over the pin.


    ¡°She must have regretted it after.¡± Johan said, his chest hurt at seeing Note like that.


    Note¡¯s head snapped up to look at him.


    ¡°Well,¡± Johan quickly added, a shiver of disgust going down his spine at the memory. ¡°The feeling in the mementos were real.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Note muttered. ¡°Vero is real with Signe.¡±


    Johan looked away, watching the sun start to disappear. It was real. Signe would leave. She and Wrath would get married. They would want their own house. They would leave. Johan couldn¡¯t hold in his tired laugh, head hanging.


    ¡°It¡¯s amazing she¡¯s been with us this long.¡± He muttered. ¡°Back in the day she never stayed for longer than a few days. Always off doing quests.¡±


    It really was amazing that Signe had settled down so easily. She had always been restless, going on quests and missions the second Greed allowed her to. And even when she was in Heaven she would be doing something with Sloth and Gluttony. Johan could count on two hands the amount of times he had seen her outside of scheduled training. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Note asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you see it? Signe is going to leave.¡±


    ¡°Signe won¡¯t leave.¡± Note huffed out, like the idea was ridiculous.


    ¡°No?¡± Johan snapped and they both fell silent as the reality settled in.


    ¡°She might leave.¡± Note finally acknowledged, Johan looked at him triumphantly. ¡°But she will always come back.¡±


    Johan closed his eyes.


    He jumped as the tree suddenly moved, sinking down as Note hopped up to sit beside him. For a long moment they stayed quiet and Johan watched the sun disappear completely behind the water¡¯s edge.


    It was one of those days, he noticed numbly, the bright blue and green lights dancing across the sky. To think that such a day had such beautiful colors.


    ¡°We¡¯re family.¡± Note said quietly. ¡°Even if we don¡¯t always see each other, we¡¯re still family and we¡¯ll always be back together.¡±


    Hah, Johan thought drily. Not always.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, okay, Note?¡± Johan burst out. ¡°Just be happy!¡±


    Whatever they he and Signe ended up doing and wherever that would be, Johan would deal with it as long as they were happy.


    ¡°I am happy.¡± Note snapped and suddenly Johan¡¯s arm was grabbed, roughly turning him around.


    Johan stared wide eyed at Note. Why was Note looking at him like that? Like he was worried?


    They stared at eachother for a long moment before Johan swallowed and looked away again.


    ¡°Well I¡¯d hope so.¡± Johan huffed. ¡°You have been here for almost a year, if you didn¡¯t like it-¡±


    ¡°I am happy with you.¡± Note repeated insistently, then sighed, closing his eyes and turning away, letting go of Johan¡¯s arm as he did.


    Johan watched when, after a moment, Note turned back to him, a determined look in his eyes. He turned his body towards Johan, pulling one leg up on the tree next to him to do so. With a slow but purposeful movement he reached for Johan again.


    Johan only watched cautiously. What had happened to angry Note? The energy had changed in an instant.


    He felt Note¡¯s hand wrap around his own, this time holding his hand and not his wrist.


    ¡°With you.¡± Note stated and Johan frowned. Note sighed again. ¡°This village isn¡¯t my home.¡±


    Johan gaped. What was he even talking about? They had lived there for almost a year, they had grown close to everyone on the island, they had experienced so much there, how could he say it wasn¡¯t his home?


    ¡°You are my home.¡±


    Johan froze.


    ¡°Note..¡± Johan started but stopped, not quite sure where to go from there.


    ¡°At first I thought I didn¡¯t like how much you had changed from before I died.¡± Note started, looking down at their hands. ¡°You are so, so different. You¡¯re selfish and stubborn-¡±


    Johan blinked.


    ¡°-and confident, and this village has changed you even more. For the first time ever, I¡¯ve seen you actually happy. And as time passed I realized I couldn¡¯t bear the thought of leaving you.¡±


    ¡­Selfish and stubborn? That¡¯s how Note saw him?


    ¡°I...I¡¯ve always been like this.¡± Johan said, unsure if he was supposed to be offended, but clenched Note¡¯s hands back anyways.


    Note shook his head. ¡°You were dealing with the loss of your father back then. And right now¡­¡± He hesitated.  ¡°All I want is for you to be happy too.¡±


    Johan stayed quiet.


    ¡°I wish this could last forever.¡± Note said silently. ¡°Living in the village with you guys.¡±


    Johan tensed. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°You know what I mean.¡± Note set purple eyes on him. ¡°It¡¯s getting dangerous.¡±


    Johan pinched his lips. He knew what Note was getting at but why was he talking about it now?


    ¡°You know what¡¯s coming.¡± Note said, eyes staring into his. ¡°Signe and I came back to life and Heaven knows that. It¡¯s only a matter of time before they find us.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know when that will happen, it could be years. It could be never. It doesn¡¯t have to happen.¡± Johan argued. As long as they stayed away from the sins it would be easy, barely any deities went outside of Heaven, so unless they were found, they were safe on the island.


    Note looked conflicted, looking down at their intertwined hands and tightening his hold.


    Then suddenly he let go and Johan was pulled forward, big arms wrapping tightly around him. For a moment he stayed completely still, watching the dark forest over Note¡¯s shoulder in surprise, before he finally hugged back.


    He felt Note shake against him, just barely, and dug his face further into the crook of Johan¡¯s neck, a strong hand at the back of it. He was so close that Johan could feel his breath against his skin, raising goosebumps. Johan swallowed and ran a hand over Note¡¯s back comfortingly, a cold feeling in his chest.


    He hadn¡¯t realized Note was taking it so hard. But of course he would. This must all be much harder on him than Johan could even imagine. Over the course of two years, Note had been killed twice, the first time he had immediately become a deity, and the other time had stayed dead only to wake up four years in the future.


    Johan felt a lump in his throat and hugged tighter.


    Note had seemed fine ever since they got to the village. He had settled down so easily. But now everything was becoming very real. They were being hunted again and Note was afraid to die yet another time. Who knew if he would wake up again if he did.


    Johan would make sure that would never happen.


    He stayed silent, letting Note decide when to end the hug. For a long time they sat in silence.


    Then Note took a shuddering breath. ¡°Whatever happens, you will be fine. You and Signe both, ok?¡± He muttered silently, words even more muffled against Johan¡¯s skin.


    Finally they pulled apart. Johan straightened up and looked at Note¡¯s face, his eyes were shining but there were no tears in sight. He somehow felt worse about that.


    Note gave himself a short nod, not meeting Johan¡¯s eyes, and jumped off the treetrunk. Johan watched him take a few steps away, then turn towards him.


    Note cleared his throat then looked up, right at him. Johan almost jerked back all the emotion in them.


    ¡°I want to give you something.¡± Note said. Then suddenly a dark shadow fell over them, Note¡¯s eyes glowed purple and Johan froze, breaking eye contact to watch Note¡¯s hands raise up to his chest, forming a ball.


    Johan straightened, more than a little alarmed. Still, he was just as mesmerized as he always was when Note used his powers. It felt like an eternity since the last time he saw Note use his powers, all the way back to when they first got to the village, back when Note revived that wheat field.


    Shadows came from Note¡¯s hands, flowing from his hands like fog to collect on the ground around him.


    His hands moved.


    Johan jumped as a head suddenly popped up from the darkness between Note¡¯s fingers.


    Johan stared, jaw dropping open as a long, black beak clacked happily, a whole bird appearing from in between Note¡¯s hands.


    ¡°For you.¡± Note said, smiling as he watched Johan¡¯s reaction. The bird jumped around on top of Note¡¯s palms.


    ¡°...A bird?¡± Johan asked, amazed. Note nodded, and with a flap of its wings, the bird flew, landing on top of Johan¡¯s head.


    ¡°A raven.¡± Note answered with a huff of a laugh. The happiness was contagious. Johan tried to look up at the raven but only ended up tipping his head back. He reached up, feeling the tiny feet on his scalp, and then it¡¯s head appeared in sight, head leaning down to look at Johan.


    Johan gently petted it and it leaned into his hand.


    ¡°He¡¯s yours.¡± Note explained with a quiet laugh and Johan¡¯s eyes snapped back to him. Note¡¯s eyes glinting with something other than sadness now. ¡°With him you¡¯ll never be alone.¡±


    Johan swallowed. ¡°I¡¯m already not alone. But thank you. I didn¡¯t know you could do that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty new for me too.¡± Note huffed. A small smile on his lips. He sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s coming, but when it does, we will get through it and stay together.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Johan asked with a smile, the bird chirping happily above him.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Note answered, grinning.

 Lies and Realizations

    It was pitch black outside by the time they got back to the house. Surprisingly enough, talking had actually made Johan feel a lot better. And the bird was just amazing. It flew in circles high above them as they walked back.


    The good mood lasted for the whole trip back. Then he entered the house.


    Signe and Wrath were sitting on the couch. Cuddling.


    Johan didn¡¯t know what to do with himself, so instead he looked back to where Note was entering right behind him, his eyebrows raising at the sight.


    Johan closed his eyes for a second. A mantra of ¡®as long as she¡¯s happy¡¯ filling his head. Finally he said, ¡°We need to talk.¡±


    Signe immediately got a look of understanding on her face and quickly sat up on the couch, away from Wrath¡¯s lap and nodded seriously, holding one of Wrath¡¯s hands in her own. ¡°Yes, we do.¡±


    Johan pinched his lips as Wrath threw her other arm possessively over Signe¡¯s shoulders, but he looked away as Signe threw Wrath a small, comforting smile back.


    Everyone was silent as Johan sat down on the other couch, opposite them, and carefully kept an eye on the situation. He could still not fully comprehend the fact that Signe and Wrath were so close to each other and there wasn¡¯t any bloodshed happening.


    ¡°Right, uhh..¡± Note started, sitting down next to Johan and gesturing for him to continue.


    Well, better get right to it then, get this over with. He took a deep breath. Johan set his eyes on Wrath and saw her back straightening. She met his eyes with something like apprehension.


    ¡°I don¡¯t trust you.¡± Johan said frankly and she flinched but didn¡¯t look away.


    ¡°...I understand.¡± She said.


    Johan watched as Signe squeezed her hand and they shared a loving look. This was so awkward. Johan grimaced and glanced at Note.


    ¡°I want to know what your part in it was.¡± Johan continued. One wrong answer and she would be dead. Johan would make sure of it. Any answer that even hinted at Signe or any of them being in danger and that would be it.


    ¡°I did not play a part.¡± Wrath hissed, leaned forward threateningly before visibly controlling herself, sitting back again. She shook her head seriously, eyes on Johan. ¡°I would never do anything to hurt Signe.¡±


    ¡°Maybe not today,¡± Johan threw back. ¡°But you used to pick a lot of fights with her. I was there, we all were.¡±


    To her advantage she did look embarrassed at that, but that didn¡¯t change the fact that it happened.


    ¡°I realize I was wrong. I...¡± She hesitated. ¡°The fight we had one the day we met- she threw me to the ground like it was nothing. Nobody had done that before. I read my feelings wrong and there is no excuse for it.¡±


    Damn it. She sounded truthful. Johan deliberately didn¡¯t acknowledge the victorious expression Note sent his way.


    ¡°And that day?¡± Johan pressed.


    Wrath frowned at the table. Her hands clenched into fists.


    ¡°Betrayal of the worst kind.¡± She growled. ¡°Signe and I had been outside of Heaven for a week and upon our return we were met with a gang of deities invading the Cave of The Dead. I didn¡¯t know what was going on so I let them take her with them while I went to contact Greed and the other sins but I couldn¡¯t find any of them.¡± She turned to Signe, the rest of her words were snarled. ¡°Suddenly people were rushing to the palace so I followed. I got there just in time to see them cut Signe¡¯s throat.¡±


    Johan watched cautiously as Signe ran a self-conscious finger over her neck, a weak smile on her face and not meeting any of their eyes.


    ¡°I left after Note fell.¡± Wrath continued, looking away from Signe with a small, confused frown. ¡°My mind in a haze, I entered the cave again and found a way into the mortal world from there.¡± She continued. ¡°I did not look for you, Johan.¡±


    Johan nodded, he knew that already.


    ¡°For the last four years I have been looking for you.¡± Wrath turned to Signe, eyes glued to her face. ¡°Everywhere. In every city, in every forest, among every monster and creature imaginable. I never believed you were dead, and I was right. Because here you are.¡±


    Wait. If she had only seen that much then-


    ¡°How did you survive?¡± She asked in wonder, eyes lingering on Signe¡¯s neck.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± Signe answered gently, turning her body fully towards Wrath and taking her hands.


    ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± Wrath insisted. Signe shook her head with a small smile.


    ¡°Yes, I am. I died and then came back, four years later.¡± Signe said gently and Wrath¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Me and Note both came back to life and Johan got us out of Heaven. We¡¯ve been here since.¡±


    Johan recoiled when Wrath¡¯s eyes turned to him. A new, bright light in them. As if she was looking at a miracle.


    ¡°You saved them. My fianc¨¦e and my best friend.¡± Johan watched in horror as she rose to her feet. A flash of light appeared from her blue jeweled ring and a second later a spear was held tightly in her hand. Johan only had a second to wonder why it was different than the one she used to have, before she banged it against the ground, a resonating crack following from the floor.


    ¡°The floor-!¡± Johan exclaimed, then quickly froze when Wrath dropped to one knee in front of him.


    ¡°Vero-¡± Note started forward, alarmed at the sight.


    ¡°Shut up.¡± Wrath interrupted, laying the spear on the ground beside her. She met Johan¡¯s eyes for a second before lowering her head. ¡°You did what I couldn¡¯t. I thank you for that.¡±


    Johan stared at her. What could he even say to that?


    BANG


    Johan whipped around as the door slammed open against the wall.


    ¡°Johan!¡± A loud, offended voice yelled from the doorway and Johan¡¯s jaw dropped as he saw the small, blond figure. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°How did you find us?!¡± Johan asked, horrified, quickly getting to his feet.


    ¡°Erika told me.¡± Frey made an ugly grimace and stuck his tongue out. Johan pinched his lips closed. Damn it, why did that old lady have to gossip so much?


    That¡¯s when Frey seemed to realize the situation. He looked back and forth from Johan, standing, to Wrath, knelt on the floor.


    Johan opened his mouth to explain but then Frey gasped, face turning into the most overdramatic insulted look he could manage, and Johan shut his mouth. He sighed, he couldn''t stop Frey anyways.


    ¡°You invited her, but not me?!¡± Frey cried out, pointing an accusatory finger at Wrath, then stuck his hands on his hips, huffing in disbelief. ¡°I can¡¯t believe this. After everything I have done for you! I thought we were friends!¡±


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Johan complained, silently thanking Erika for getting Frey there right in time to save him from the uncomfortable situation with Wrath. ¡°One sin is enough.¡±


    ¡°If one is enough then send her away,¡± Frey waved him off. ¡°I have something important to tell you.¡±


    ¡°I would if I could.¡± Johan muttered at the same time as Wrath yelled triumphantly at Frey. ¡°Hah, as if! I''m getting married to Signe!¡±


    Frey stopped completely, face going blank.


    ¡°You.¡± He pointed a finger at her, then at Signe. ¡°And her?¡±


    He sounded like he had heard something truly shocking. Johan nodded miserably, completely in agreement with his reaction.


    ¡°No wait,¡± Frey argued. He turned to Signe. ¡°You want her?!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean, huh?!¡± Wrath thundered while Signe burst out laughing.


    Johan sat down tiredly beside Note, who in turn patted him comfortingly on the back, despite looking all too pleased at the commotion. The traitor. Johan knew it was his friends but Jotun-


    ¡°Well, she hated you!¡± Frey laughed, stepping lightly out of the way as Wrath charged at him.


    ¡°Stop!¡± Johan yelled, getting to his feet again in anger. They couldn¡¯t just start breaking the house! One hole in the floor was enough! ¡°If this livingroom gets as much as a single scratch you will both be arguing at the bottom of the ocean!¡±


    Honestly, why did so much have to happen in one single day?! First Wrath just had to kidnap Signe, then proposed to her! Then Note insisted on the whole emotional shit in the woods, and now Frey started breaking their house!


    He must have muttered it out loud because the next thing he knew Frey was snickering behind his hand. ¡°Wait, Vero, you kidnapped Signe and then proposed to her? How romantic.¡±


    ¡°Frey, shut up.¡± Note came up beside Johan. ¡°You had something important to say, what is it?¡±


    ¡°Oh, right!¡± Frey yelled. He turned serious, looking right at Johan. ¡°Heaven knows you¡¯re alive, and they¡¯re coming for you.¡±


    The world stilled. Stunned silence fell over them.


    ¡°What?¡± Johan asked faintly. The room spun around him. ¡°Already?¡±


    Johan glanced at Note. His lips were pinched in a thin line, his eyes on the floor as his fists formed tightly at his side.


    Johan clenched his jaw. Note had been right back in the woods. It was getting dangerous.


    Johan had made it dangerous. He had known it was a bad idea to go to Heaven, but he did anyway, and he dragged Note and Signe with him.


    Frey frowned at Johan. ¡°You broke into Heaven and picked a fight with Carlotta. I was almost caught while waiting for you to get back! I¡¯m surprised they didn¡¯t go after you then, but instead of taking that blessing and laying low, you kill the king and crown prince of the Northern Kingdom!¡±


    The crown prince? Why did that sound so familiar-


    Wait. Killed?!


    Johan paled.


    He had only meant to scare him.


    No. How did he forget that?! Johan sucked in a deep breath, Frey¡¯s scolding fading to the background as memories flooded back. The pale face. The thud as he hit the ground. Johan stared at the ribbons in his hands. The red color suddenly reminding him of blood.


    That was right. Johan had killed someone. He had killed that prince. A person. A living person was now dead because of him. Johan had killed someone.


    His hands shook.


    ¡°-That¡¯s where Heaven gets most of their human soldiers! Now Heaven thinks you¡¯re planning to take the city! It¡¯s a miracle they¡¯re not here already! You unleashed all your powers against them, killed the king and then left witnesses to tell the tale! All while you¡¯re supposed to be laying low! What were you thinking?! Turning day to night and leveling the earth they stood on? Did you not think that was going to give you away? As if there¡¯s anyone except Fate himself that can do that? You should at least have killed all the witnesses!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Johan asked. He latched on to the first distracting thought and looked up from his shaking hands to stare at Frey. Turning day to night? Leveling the earth? ¡°I can¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t remember?¡± Signe suddenly asked, eyes wide where she stood by the couch.


    Remember?! He never did it!


    Johan shook his head hurriedly and turned to Note for backup, but paused when Note avoided his eyes.


    ¡°You told me I passed out.¡± Johan said in confusion. When he had woken up on the way back to the island¡­A bad feeling settled in his stomach.


    Note didn¡¯t meet his eyes, instead he glared at Frey. And suddenly the pieces snapped together so violently that Johan flinched.


    Note lied to him. Note had told him the fight ended soon after Johan passed out. Was that true? What else had happened?


    Johan had never felt so angry before.


    He stalked forward and grabbed Note¡¯s jaw, forcing his head around to look at him.


    When their eyes met Johan desperately searched for anything, anything that told him he was mistaken, that Note didn¡¯t lie. But all that met him was pained silence.


    Johan let go like he was burned. He turned away with a sharp intake of air.


    It was true.


    He felt sick.


    ¡°Johan-¡±


    ¡°I killed all those people?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t need to know.¡± Note said harshly. Johan laughed darkly.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t need to know that I killed hundreds of people with some powers I didn¡¯t even know I had, and also somehow managed to piss off the very people that want us dead?!¡± Johan¡¯s voice shook. ¡°Tell me the truth. What. Happened?¡±


    Note was quiet for a long moment. Signe, Vero and Frey were all watching them in shock but Johan couldn¡¯t find it in himself to calm down.


    Finally Note gave in. ¡°You snapped when Hymir died. The sky turned pitch black, bright stars exploded and the earth shook beneath us. It was too dark to see exactly what happened. It was over quickly. The the sun came back, and you were in the same spot, bleeding from your eyes and¡­¡± Note made a frustrated sound. ¡°Then you fell. The army was already dead around us, the king too. The last few ran off while we were taking everything in.¡±


    So Johan had killed them all. He sucked in a deep breath, a deep chill spreading in his body.


    ¡°Johan-¡± Note started but Johan didn¡¯t want to hear it, instead he turned to someone else.


    ¡°Tell me everything you know.¡± Johan demanded Frey. He felt himself start to space out but pushed against it, he couldn¡¯t afford to miss anything Frey said.


    It was in times like this that Johan really appreciated Frey. The only redeeming quality he had was that he was serious when necessary. At Johan¡¯s words, he shook out of his shock.


    ¡°Rumors are going around in Heaven. They say you¡¯ll come and take back the city. First you turn up alive, inside Heaven, then you kill their biggest supplier of soldiers and even take his heir down with him. People are starting to believe it. They want you dead before you become a real threat.¡± Frey explained.


    ¡°Do they know where we are?¡± Johan asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Frey answered seriously. ¡°And we¡¯re keeping it that way.¡±


    Johan let out a shaky breath, relieved.


    ¡°Good.¡± He said simply. That meant they still had time. He would need to let Odin in on everything but other than that it seemed they didn¡¯t need to enter the fight just yet. They just had to stay under the radar.


    Johan turned to Note, who¡¯s eyes were already on him, watching him intensely. ¡°We need to tell Odin what¡¯s going on.¡± He hated to say it but- ¡°We might need to leave the island.¡±


    Note pinched his lips and left through the door without a word.

 Friend group A meets friend group B

    Johan let out a breath of relief as Note disappeared out the door and immediately sunk down on the couch. Frey slowly sat down next to him, staying quiet for a long moment. Then he asked. ¡°Do you always fight like that?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Johan sighed, resting his head in his hands. ¡°We never fight like that.¡±


    He still couldn¡¯t believe it. He had killed so many people, and Note had tried to hide it from him.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Signe said silently but Johan just waved her off and leaned back against the couch, staring up at the roof.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t know what he told me.¡±


    They sat in silence for a few minutes until eventually Frey got sick of it and brought out his fele, mindlessly strumming the strings.


    He didn¡¯t actually play a song, but the sound was nice while Johan thought. He glanced around. Their house was so cozy now, a stark difference to when they first moved in. Now it looked like a home. From the dresser stuffed so full of clothes that closing the drawers was a daily struggle, to the random items they had gathered through their time there.


    If they left, it would all have to be left behind.


    Though, that was a small price to pay for the safety of the village.


    ¡°Wait.¡± Frey suddenly said, sitting up and spreading his arms. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to ask me how I got my information? How do you know I¡¯m not with the enemy? Maybe I¡¯m a spy, relaying everything back to Heaven? ¡±


    ¡°You just called them your enemy.¡± Johan pointed out drily.


    ¡°You sent Runa to help us get in.¡± Signe said with a small laugh. ¡°Obviously she and the other huldra are your informants.¡±


    Johan pointed to her with a nod and Frey gasped, looking completely shocked that they had pieced it together.


    ¡°No, you didn¡¯t know that.¡± Frey refused. ¡°Did she tell you?¡±


    Johan huffed out a small laugh but shook his head.


    Suddenly the door flew open and slammed against the wall. Johan almost jumped out of his seat.


    ¡°You will not be going anywhere!¡± Odin thundered and Johan sunk deeper into the couch as the bigger man stormed across the room, Trym following closely behind him. Johan grimaced as Odin came to a stop in front of him, arms on his hips and breathing heavily. He must have ran all the way there. ¡°Note told me what¡¯s going on.¡±


    Note closed the door silently behind him.


    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous-¡± Johan started but was quickly interrupted.


    ¡°Johan.¡± Trym said bluntly and Johan looked up in surprise. ¡°You saved us from starvation when no one else would. It is time for us to save you too.¡± Trym crossed his thick arms, voice hardening. ¡°You are staying right here.¡±


    Johan looked back and forth between the two big men. He got to his feet. ¡°Chief, there¡¯s no need.¡± Johan said comfortingly to Odin, trying to calm down at least one of the angry men. ¡°We will be fine.¡±


    ¡°Child.¡± A heavy hand landed on Johan¡¯s shoulder and suddenly he was back on the couch. He blinked in surprise. ¡°You are staying right here, in the safety of our village. Do not forget, we are not just fishers. First and foremost we are fighters! You need to stay hidden. This is where you will do that, and if they find you. We will fight.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right, Johan.¡± Note said from the entrance. ¡°We need to lay low. If we go somewhere else we can¡¯t do that.¡±


    Johan swallowed. If they were found it would bring trouble upon the whole island.


    ¡°If we don¡¯t do anything else then Greed doesn¡¯t have any reason to kill us.¡± Note added.


    ¡°Wait-?¡± Frey made a confused sound next to him but nobody listened.


    Note continued. ¡°He already has Heaven. As long as we don¡¯t do anything, we and the village should be safe. The village is already in danger from us living here for so long, if we leave that won¡¯t change.¡± The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°He¡¯s right.¡± Signe piped up. ¡°If we stay then we can protect each other. Unless¡­¡± She gave him a look. ¡°You actually want to take back the city.¡±


    Johan shook his head violently. How was that even an option?!


    ¡°Then we¡¯re staying.¡± Signe concluded.


    ¡°It¡¯s decided.¡± Odin said finally, nodding strongly in her support. ¡°You will stay right here. You will not be leaving this island until it is safe for you out there. I will speak to the villagers, and I will have a chat with Erika.¡± Odin¡¯s eyes lingered on Frey for a second before turning back to Johan. ¡°Nobody will find you here, and if anyone in Solstad asks, they have never seen you.¡±


    Johan looked around but found no support. They were all watching him for an answer, but it wasn¡¯t just his decision.


    Note and Signe both wanted to stay.


    He sighed. ¡°I guess..¡±


    He closed his eyes as Signe and Frey cheered. Frey didn¡¯t even live there, honestly¡­


    Well, it wasn¡¯t like Johan wanted to leave either.


    ¡°Now. Since I¡¯m already here.¡± Odin started, voice low and Johan opened his eyes to see the chief watching Wrath where she was still sitting on the couch, in the same spot Signe had left her in. ¡°I heard something I did not like and I thought I should do something about it.¡± His arm muscles grew. ¡°I heard Signe was kidnapped. By a woman with bright orange hair. I suspect that¡¯s you, stranger.¡±


    Oh.


    Johan paused. Should he intervene? Though¡­he wouldn¡¯t mind seeing Odin yell at her a bit. Then again, if he made her angry-


    ¡°How did you know that?¡± Johan asked, deciding to deter the attention away.


    ¡°Emil told me.¡± Odin said, not taking his eyes off of Wrath for even a second.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Johan couldn¡¯t hold in his surprise. Of all the people, how would Emil know? He didn¡¯t even leave his house, how would he know what happened all the way in Solstad?


    ¡°I did not get kidnapped. Also, how does he know that?¡± Signe frowned, voicing Johan¡¯s question before he could.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± He agreed brainlessly, nodding along.


    Trym let out a deep soulless sigh. ¡°My son has been following you around to get inspiration for his ¡®craft¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Hold on, what?!¡± Note yelled, protective gears suddenly kicking in. Johan could only sit there. Today was a lot to process. ¡°Where did he follow us?!¡±


    ¡°Not anything too dangerous, thank the Jotun.¡± Odin replied instead. Trym looking about as given up as a parent could, where he stood, his head hanging. ¡°He got back home the day before you came with all the giants.¡±


    Johan froze, jaw dropping.


    ¡°He followed us to Heaven¡­¡± Johan muttered. How did Emil survive that? Did that guy have no common sense?! Did that mean he saw them in the club outfits? Oh please, no.


    ¡°He followed us to Heaven?!¡± Note yelled at the same time.


    ¡°Heaven?! He followed you to Heaven?!¡± Trym suddenly bellowed out. He turned on his heel, storming right out the door. ¡°Excuse me, I need to go teach my son some common sense.¡±


    Odin nodded seriously. ¡°It sounds like he needs it. Don¡¯t worry, I will take care of this.¡±


    The chief whipped around, his beard swinging in the wind as he pointed an accusatory finger straight at Wrath. She eyed it tensely.


    ¡°You hurt my niece.¡± He said with a dangerously low voice. He ripped his axe off of his back with a big, practiced movement. ¡°Die!¡±


    Johan jumped to his feet. Since when was Signe his niece anyways?!


    ¡°Wait!¡± Signe ran between the two before Johan could but the axe kept swinging down. A light flashed and Johan¡¯s eyes widened as a very familiar axe clashed against Odin¡¯s.


    That was her old axe! When did she get that back?!


    Wrath on her part hadn¡¯t moved at all the entire commotion, probably having already activated the shield around herself when Odin first laid his eyes on her. Now though, with Signe between them, she jumped to her feet, her spear appearing in a flash.


    ¡°Don¡¯t hurt my fiance¨¦ or I¡¯ll kill you.¡± She snarled, blue eyes wild with rage, like a predator. Odin flinched back at the words. The two stared at each other over Signe¡¯s head.


    ¡°This is so fun.¡± Frey laughed with wonder, still sitting relaxed on the couch.


    ¡°Shut up.¡± Johan hissed back.


    ¡°Fiance¨¦?¡± Odin whispered, eyes wide. He looked down at Signe. ¡°You¡¯re getting married?¡±


    Signe nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Johan didn¡¯t know what reaction he was expecting, but it definitely wasn¡¯t this.


    The chief¡¯s head fell forward, hiding his face in the shadows of his hair. Then suddenly he threw it back, facing the roof and a full on sob filled the air. His axe fell to the ground, imbedding in the wood and Johan grimaced at the damage but didn¡¯t say anything, he only watched in shock as Odin¡¯s eyes welled up with tears.


    Suddenly he threw himself around Signe, picking her right off the ground and spinning her around. ¡°We¡¯re going to make you the best wedding!¡±


    Tears ran down his face when he turned to Wrath next, she took an alarmed step back at the attention. ¡°You, young lady. Do you have family?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± She said strongly, if not a little hesitantly. ¡±But they won¡¯t be able to make it.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We will make the best wedding for you two. We will all become your family!¡± And with that, Odin practically skipped to the door. Like a small child picking flowers. ¡°I¡¯m leaving, I need to tell Hilda right away!¡±


    Signe was beaming, her happiness glowing.


    Frey laughed from his seat. ¡°He¡¯s fun!¡±

 Finding a sheep! Theres a Wedding to Prepare For!

    One good thing about being stuck on the island for the foreseeable future was the people. However, Johan was quickly learning that while he liked them all a lot, he really didn¡¯t want yet another person to ask about his fight with Note, or about Wrath and the wedding, or about who Frey was.


    It was getting a lot.


    After they heard about the proposal, the upcoming wedding was all everyone could talk about. Not surprising, considering big events were rare on the small island. Every adult in the village was helping with it, with Odin and Hilda at the very front, and even the giants had been pulled into it.


    So with everything going on, Johan decided to take up the old trade of, you guessed it, chores.


    While Johan wasn¡¯t as¡­enthusiastic about the wedding as everyone else. One great thing about it was that there was more than enough stuff to do, and combined with the giants accepting all help when it came to their cave, Johan had no problem finding things to spend his time on.


    This worked great as Johan had a lot to pick from when it came to reasons for avoiding people. Especially Note.


    Johan had been angry when he found out about the lie, sure, but that was nothing compared to how he felt now. The more he had thought about it, the worse it became. It felt like betrayal.


    It didn¡¯t help that Note really, really wanted to talk to him. At first he had left Johan alone, but he must have grown tired of waiting because suddenly, after only a few days, he started showing up everywhere, trying to corner him.


    It was in times like these that Johan missed adventuring. Going off alone, not knowing anyone, being anonymous. It was easier than having everyone ask how he was doing all the time.


    So there he was, hiking up the mountain to do yet another chore for the wedding. The peace and quiet of nature all around him.


    It was almost perfect.


    Now if he could just get rid of Frey.


    ¡°You should just forgive him already, he meant well.¡± Frey said, his tiring voice was like another headache to Johan.


    ¡°Please leave me alone.¡± Johan asked drily for the hundredth time that day, hoping that this time the answer would be different.


    ¡°I mean,¡± Frey continued to speak as if he hadn¡¯t heard anything. ¡°In what world would he, sweet, little Note, ever do anything to hurt anyone? He was just trying to protect you.¡±


    Johan stabbed the shepherd staff into the ground in annoyance and stopped.


    ¡°From myself?¡± He grit out, eyes scouring the area. Where were the sheep? The faster he found them the faster he could get back to the village and get rid of Frey, who had latched onto him the second he found out that Johan was going out of the village alone.


    ¡°You blame yourself.¡± Frey said simply, coming closer with a smile.


    Johan huffed.


    ¡°I killed a lot of people, Frey, and I didn¡¯t even know! It¡¯s not like I¡¯m blaming myself for no reason, Signe got back to the village with a whole new necklace!¡± Johan yelled, finally reaching his limit.


    ¡°Wooo!¡± Frey cheered and Johan stopped in his tracks, head snapping around to see Frey clapping and nodding. He gritted his teeth in an attempt to ground himself, anger clouding his vision but Frey just kept going. ¡°There we go! That¡¯s good, Johan. Let it all out, then-¡±


    Johan swung the staff at him, vision red with anger.


    -but instead of hitting Frey, it passed right through him. Johan stood there, frozen in the last movement of the hit, as the Frey in front of him disappeared like mist.


    He closed his eyes and took a deep, calming breath, trying to control his anger before he did something he would regret.


    ¡°I knew you were going to do that.¡± Frey said smugly from behind him as Johan straightened up. ¡°It helped you be less angry, right?¡±


    ¡°Actually hitting something would help me more.¡± Johan answered with a pleasant smile, turning calmly to look at him.


    Frey changed the subject. ¡°Why are we on this mountain anyways?¡±


    So that was the end of the whole ¡®Forgive Note¡¯ conversation then. At least for now, there was no doubt in Johan¡¯s mind that Frey would bring it up again.


    ¡°Hilda wants a sheep for the wedding, so I¡¯m here to get one from the herd.¡± Johan started walking again again. ¡°Apparently it¡¯s for some tradition.¡±


    ¡°There are sheep just walking around freely on the mountains?¡± Frey asked incredulously.


    ¡°Of course, why wouldn¡¯t they be?¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t they run away?¡±


    ¡°To where?¡± Johan asked rhetorically. ¡°We¡¯re on a mountain on an island.¡±


    Frey stared at him for a moment and crossed his arms. ¡°...Don¡¯t act as if you knew that before you moved here.¡±


    ¡°Of course I did.¡± Johan found out while he was adventuring.


    ¡°Hey isn¡¯t this wool?¡± Johan turned to see Frey crouched by a bush. ¡°That means they¡¯re close right?¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily.¡±


    Frey groaned. ¡°How long are we going to do this?¡±


    ¡°Just leave already.¡± Johan snapped. He had taken the chore to get away from people, not so he could get to hear Frey complain in yet another new and exciting area!


    Suddenly a pained bleat cried through the air.


    A sheep!


    Without a second thought Johan ran after it. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Hey! Wait for me!¡± Frey cried out from behind.


    Johan ignored him and followed the bleat. He ran up the hill, finding a meadow at the top-


    He stopped in his tracks. The green grass was covered in red. The liquid dripped lazily from the colorful flowers.


    Oh, something bad had happened here.


    There was enough blood for a whole herd of sheep, yet there wasn¡¯t a single one, dead or alive, in sight.


    Then another bleat filled the air, weaker this time.


    That¡¯s when he saw it.


    He sucked in a breath. Frey ran up beside him only to jerk back at the sight, gasping loudly.


    ¡°What is that?!¡± Frey hissed, grabbing Johan¡¯s arm tightly.


    All over at the very edge of the meadow, by the treeline, was a very familiar creature. A huge, creamy-yellow and almost skin-like creature, and right there, halfway inside it¡¯s stomach was the point of their quest, a sheep bleating for its life.


    ¡°Grassman.¡± Johan replied, careful to keep his voice low. It didn¡¯t have ears so it couldn¡¯t hear them but it was an incredibly sensitive creature, if they spoke too loudly it would feel the vibrations through the air or the ground and attack them. ¡°It¡¯s grown too big, it¡¯s not rooted to the ground anymore.¡±


    ¡°That can happen?!¡± Frey whispered loudly, staring wide-eyed at Johan.


    ¡°Over enough time and with enough food, yeah.¡± He let out something between a groan and a sigh. ¡°This isn¡¯t good, we need that sheep.¡±


    Looking at all the blood covering the meadow, that sheep could very well be the last of the herd.


    They couldn¡¯t just ignore the grassman either, in case it went to the village. An unrooted grassman could be devastating.


    He looked at Frey, still cowering behind him, clutching Johan¡¯s arm against his chest like a shield.


    ¡°We haven¡¯t actually fought together before, have we?¡± Johan asked with a grin. He had seen Frey in action, even fought against him when they were younger, but they had never fought side by side before. With his daggers, Frey was a close-range fighter, perfect to have him get close and hack the sheep out of the grassman. ¡°You take the monster, I¡¯ll grab the sheep.¡±


    At his words, Frey stopped cowering, eyes widening. Then a similar grin found its way to his face, a dangerous glint in his eyes. ¡°Well¡­ There¡¯s a first time for everything. Let¡¯s make it the last one too.¡±


    Johan nodded. ¡°Never again.¡±


    With that they set off, Frey jumping into the fight like nothing Johan had ever seen before.


    He used his ability to copy himself to bring himself closer to the monster at an incredible speed, a new copy appearing every few meters and immediately disappearing as the next one appeared ahead.


    Johan snorted. Better get the distraction in place before Frey got himself killed. With a flick of his wrists his ribbons flew past Frey and grabbed onto the trees behind the monster.


    And then he was in the air.


    The grassman made an earth-shaking roar and Johan felt a deep rush went through him. A wide grin spread across his face and then he was there.


    He stomped the monster right in the head, throwing the creature off balance just in time for Frey to jump in, his dagger stabbing right into the large stomach. The monster¡¯s roar and the sheep¡¯s panicked bleat mixing throughout the meadow.


    With a pull of his ribbons and a push of his feet the grassman toppled, Frey following with his dagger still deep into inside it, digging through the root to free the sheep.


    Johan jumped back and summoned his own dagger before landing heavily on his feet in front of Frey, stumbling only a little as his feet hit the hard root exterior of the monster. He quickly dropped to one knee and stabbed the dagger in beside Frey¡¯s. The sheep rapidly hit its small front legs against the monster, like it was trying to run away.


    Johan dragged the dagger back with all his strength and made barely any progress as Frey sawed his way through.


    Then the monster started fighting back.


    ¡°Hold it down!¡± Frey yelled as they rocked.


    ¡°Shhh, it¡¯s ok. We¡¯re gonna get you out.¡± Johan comforted the small sheep with a pet on the head before sending out the ribbon around the nearest trees to pin down the monster properly.


    He groaned as the monster fought, pulling hard against the ribbons and where it wrapped around his arm.


    It roared and for a long second all they could was hold onto the hilts of their daggers, still deep in the skin, as it resisted, until finally it stilled.


    Johan threw Frey a grin.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Frey yelled at him. Johan let out a breathless laugh as he repeatedly stabbed into the monster. They were making progress, making sure the sheep didn¡¯t get pulled in while they worked.


    But they had forgotten something.


    ¡°Oofh-¡± Something slammed into him from the side and suddenly he was weightless, his grip on the knife was gone along with the ground beneath him. Then he slammed against something.


    He yelled as his head bounced off it and somehow the next time his body hit the ground it hurt even more.


    ¡°Johan!¡±


    Johan struggled to suck in air as he came to a stop, the world spinning as he pushed up on all four.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± He coughed out weakly, too quiet for Frey to hear across the field but it didn¡¯t matter. He flinched as burning, hot hands grabbed his head and shoulder, pushing him up on his knees. Johan forced his eyes open to see Frey crouched in front of him.


    ¡°Shit.¡± Frey muttered, feeling the back of Johan¡¯s head. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you got this hurt by a grassman.¡±


    Johan¡¯s eyes cleared up just in time to see something coming right at them.


    ¡°Watch out!¡± But it was too late. Right in front of his eyes, the vine came right through Frey and Johan¡¯s heart stopped. Blood spewed out Frey¡¯s mouth, warm drops hitting Johan¡¯s face and he almost fell as the hand pushing at his shoulder dropped. He jerked forward to grab the falling man, but all he caught was dust. Like sand it fell through his fingers before getting caught in the wind and blowing away.


    Oh...thank Jotun. Johan breathed out, eyes still wide open. Frey didn¡¯t die, it was just a copy. He closed his eyes and swallowed. Frey wasn¡¯t dead.


    He opened his eyes, the monster was still struggling on the ground, vines flying through the air at light speed around it. That must have been what threw Johan off, a lucky hit. Frey was hacking at them left and right. The sheep was almost free but was forgotten in the fray.


    That thing. Johan steamed. It almost killed Frey. If that was the original he would be dead now. Johan felt anger flow through him. That thing needed to die. Now.


    An unfamiliar feeling flowed through him. Warm and comforting.


    He pushed himself back to his feet with only a small struggle. A feeling of being elevated taking over.


    A small window of opportunity appeared and Frey freed the sheep before the vines started up again.


    The sheep fell to the ground, legs running wildly in the air.


    Johan slowly drew back his ribbon and watched as the monster raised back up. His eyes unfocused, it was like he was watching everything from somewhere else.


    Yet he had never felt more in control.


    Johan punched the ground, watching it ripple like water, growing bigger and stronger as it closed in on the monster.


    He got to his feet, never letting his eyes off of the creature. A bright light filled the left part of his vision and a familiar weight settled in his hand. He waved his hand, somehow knowing exactly what to do. A sharp rock of the mountain broke free from the dirt and grass.


    The grassman thrived in dirt. Take that away and it was cornered.


    Vines shot at Johan from all sides but he easily cut them down.


    ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Frey yelled at him over all the noise.


    ¡°Get ready!¡± Johan yelled back. ¡°Cut it when it¡¯s in the air!¡±


    ¡°In the air- Oh my god!¡±


    Johan didn¡¯t pause. With a pull he was back in the air. His ribbons wrapped around the monster, and with a hard pull of his hand the rock stabbed into it. Right then Johan pulled with all his might, twisting in the air, and with both the forces together, the big monster lost contact with the dirt.


    ¡°Now!¡± Johan yelled as he barreled down towards the ground. He reached his hands to break his fall, but instead the ground came faster. His powers connected the second skin touched rock.


    In the split second between touch and landing, Johan saw Frey run at the monster.


    Then everything went black.

 A Visit to the Healer

    ¡°Johan!¡±


    He woke up slowly- A muffled voice yelling at him- then all at once.


    His eyes snapped open with a gasp that immediately turned into a coughing fit and he struggled over on his side to let it out.


    ¡°Oh, thank the Jotun¡­¡± A relieved voice breathed out, and a touch Johan hadn¡¯t noticed, fell from him.


    Johan hacked out the last cough, getting some air back into his lungs, before looking up to see Frey kneeling beside him.


    ¡°Why-¡± Johan was interrupted by another coughing fit.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Frey sat up higher on his knees, hands hovering in worry. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Why-¡± Johan rasped out then swallowed. ¡°Are you sitting there when we have stuff to do? Where¡¯s the sheep?¡±


    Frey gave a long, annoyed groan, worry immediately gone. ¡°Go back to being unconscious, will you.¡±


    Johan looked around. He was on rock ground in the middle of the meadow. So not only did he manage to knock himself out, he did it on the only part of the meadow that wasn¡¯t soft grass.


    He took a deep breath, feeling for injuries.


    ¡°I already checked.¡± Frey said. ¡°Nothing''s broken but you¡¯re bleeding from your head, front and back of it. Impressive.¡±


    He didn''t sound impressed.


    ¡°I got the sheep.¡± Frey said. ¡°Let''s get you to a healer.¡±


    Johan wanted to argue that he didn''t need one but at the same time¡­


    Johan spat out blood and Frey made an alarmed noise. Johan groaned and pushed himself up but only got to his elbows before a wave of dizziness came over him.


    Ok, yeah. Going to see Ulfhild wasn¡¯t the worst idea Frey had ever had.


    He watched as Frey hovered next to him.


    ¡°Are you worried about me?¡± Johan huffed out a laugh and Frey gaped at him, then turned away with a huff.


    ¡°As if.¡± He snapped, crossing his arms.


    Johan snorted and reached out a hand. ¡°Help me up?¡±


    Frey did turn back at that but the worry was right back on his face.


    ¡°You ok?¡± He asked as he helped Johan to his feet.


    ¡°Yeah, just nauseous.¡± Johan muttered, needing to close his eyes for a second. He took a deep breath, one hand on his knee, the other still held tightly in Frey¡¯s grasp. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    He slowly pulled free and took a careful step forward. Then another. All his attention went to staying upright.


    ¡°Can you walk?¡± Frey asked, even more worried.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Johan breathed, and immediately sank to his knees, the dizziness and nausea teaming up on him.


    ¡°...Yeah?¡± Frey raised an eyebrow and Johan glared at him.


    ¡°This is ridiculous.¡± He muttered, taking Frey¡¯s outstretched hand and let himself be pulled up. He didn¡¯t even feel that bad! Ok, no. That was a lie. But he should still be able to walk perfectly fine!


    The sheep bleated happily from somewhere as they started walking, Johan¡¯s arm around Frey¡¯s shoulders and Frey¡¯s arm around him, holding him steady.


    Johan looked back to see the sheep following from a rope Frey held. He squinted at the gunk and blood covering the back half of it. It had been halfway inside that thing, yet luckily it didn¡¯t seem hurt at all. Further back, the grassman laid still in the air, a sharp rock stabbing through it and holding it up. Johan turned back, not willing to think about the consequences of that.


    He glanced at Frey who was staring straight ahead, a conflicted look on his face.


    ¡°I thought you died there.¡± Frey admitted quietly. ¡°When you hit the ground. All I could hear was a crack while I was busy killing the grassmann. I couldn¡¯t even look to see if you were ok. The next thing I know you¡¯re limp on the ground and I¡¯m kneeling beside you checking your pulse. Don¡¯t do that again.¡±


    Johan grimaced. He appreciated the sentiment¡­he supposed.


    ¡°I''ll try.¡± Johan said shortly.


    They walked in silence. The sheep bleating every now and then in discontent as Frey pulled on the rope and waved the shepherd¡¯s staff at it. Frey didn¡¯t seem to know how to use the staff, which was funny. Not that Johan knew either, though. Hilda had just given it to him.


    They got all the way back to the woods in silence.


    ¡°So..¡± Frey started after a long pause, throwing glances at Johan. ¡°What happened up there? Those were your powers¡­ right?¡±


    ¡°I guess so.¡± Johan said simply, pushing down his own conflicting feelings.


    ¡°So¡­leveling the earth...huh?¡± Frey pushed.


    ¡°I guess so.¡± Johan repeated.


    ¡°...And the lightning too?¡±


    Lighting?!


    ¡°...I guess so-¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know any other words?!¡± Frey yelled, finally breaking.


    ¡°What am I supposed to say? I don¡¯t know anything more than you!¡± Johan yelled back.


    ¡°Well, maybe what happened?! You looked crazy up there! One second you were getting beat up and the next you¡¯re walking around all- all mighty like Greed!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t compare me to him!¡± Johan snapped. ¡°I didn¡¯t want you to die that¡¯s what happened-¡± The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    Johan stopped. Damn it! Frey wasn¡¯t supposed to know that.


    ¡°Me?! Dying to a grassmann?!¡± Johan sighed in relief. Thank the Jotun, Frey was stupid. Imagine his ego if he knew Johan cared about him.


    ¡°Wait a second.¡± Frey paused, cogs turning. ¡°My copy died, didn¡¯t it?¡± He asked, then fell silent again. It lasted for a long moment before he turned his head away. ¡°Heh.¡±


    ¡°Shut up! I watched you die and you became dust in my hands!¡± Johan yelled, pushing at him hard and they both almost went down.


    ¡°Hey! Well, I heard your head crack open! It was the most terrible sound I have heard in my life! Like an egg but instead of an egg it was a rock!¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense! And you died in front of me! That¡¯s so much worse!¡±


    Johan was just about to add more when someone gasped.


    He frowned, Frey mirroring his expression.


    They turned to see Hilda staring at them in horror.


    Oh. He didn¡¯t notice they had reached the village.


    He looked down at himself.


    ¡°I know this looks bad, but-¡± He started, watching as kind, lovely Hilda turned stone-cold in fury. ¡°I have the sheep.¡±


    ¡°Healer. Now!¡± She screamed at him. Johan cowered under the sound.


    ¡°I was just taking him there.¡± Frey smiled at her and handed off the rope, sheep and the staff. ¡°You should probably wash it before you eat it.¡±


    What a suck-up, Johan grumbled.


    They didn¡¯t linger to see Hilda¡¯s reaction to the gore-covered sheep.


    Johan grabbed the hand around his waist and took a couple trying steps on his own.


    ¡°Let go. I¡¯m fine now.¡± He said, moving his arm from Frey¡¯s shoulders, halting their pace ever so slightly. Frey grabbed his upper arm and opened his mouth to complain-


    ¡°Johan!¡± A voice called after him. It wasn¡¯t Frey.


    Johan¡¯s mood plummeted.


    He walked faster. If he could get to the healer¡¯s before Note could catch up, he could lock him outside.


    However, it seemed the world was against him. After only a few steps of his brisk pace, he stumbled.


    ¡°Easy now, don¡¯t pass out again.¡± Frey said and grabbed him again. Johan gritted his teeth. He could hear the footsteps getting closer even as he saw Ulfhild¡¯s small building come into view. They were so close!


    ¡°Shut up and get me inside before Note catches up.¡± Johan hissed, keeping his voice down so Note wouldn¡¯t hear. Frey gave him a disapproving look.


    ¡°What happened?!¡±


    Too late. Johan grimaced.


    He glared at Frey, if he didn¡¯t help him right this instance, Johan was going to stand right there until he bled dry. That would show him.


    Then suddenly Note¡¯s hands were on him. Johan pulled away, hissing. ¡°Go away!¡±


    Note stared at him. An unreadable expression on his face but at least he didn¡¯t try to grab for him again.


    ¡°Oh, you know,¡± Frey started, still supporting Johan. ¡°Little Fate here got whacked to the ground, pretty hard too, he probably got a nice concussion from his head slamming against it.¡± Johan glared into the air as Frey kept going. ¡°That on his chest isn¡¯t his blood, its my copy¡¯s so you don¡¯t have to worry about that, though all the other blood is his, and you should probably, definitely, worry about the crack he got in his skull from going head first into-¡±


    ¡°Hands first.¡± Johan mumbled the correction, watching a group of villagers watch him worriedly. Head first sounded stupid.


    ¡°Sorry, hands first then head following, right into the rock of the mountain that he somehow controlled with his powers to throw an overgrown vegetable into the air like it was a feather.¡±


    ¡°You got your powers?!¡± Note sprang in front of them, blocking the way. Johan simply turned away from him, arms crossing.


    ¡°Hey, priorities!¡± Frey scolded. ¡°Stitched first, powers later.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Note mumbled as Frey pushed them past him, going the short distance to the healer¡¯s house.


    It was a small, plain house, and thought it wasn¡¯t where Ulfhild lived, it was where you were most likely to find her during the day.


    She only paused for a split second when she saw them come through the door.


    ¡°Get on the table.¡± She said calmly, face anything but, and disappeared into the adjourning room.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the sheep?¡± Johan turned to Frey as he settled on the table. He didn¡¯t bother getting comfortable, it was a table after all.


    ¡°Hilda tok it.¡± Frey answered. Johan nodded. Good. Mission accomplished. He relaxed for one whole second, then tensed right back up again as Note stalked in through the open door.


    He hadn¡¯t locked it.


    Johan looked to Frey for help but he just met his eyes emotionlessly and leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms.


    ¡°You weren¡¯t even gone for an hour and you come back with a cracked head?!¡± Note yelled, getting closer. ¡°Let me see!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right.¡± Frey only shrugged as Johan threw him the deepest, most vile glare he could muster, which, considering the situation, was probably the most impressive one he¡¯d ever worn.


    Johan broke, slapping Note¡¯s reaching hands away. ¡°Shut up, Frey! Note, get the fuck out!¡±


    He jumped off the table. Or tried to, anyways. Ulfhild picked that time to reappear, and before he could move anywhere, she grabbed his head with both hands. He yelped at the sparks of pain it sent through him.


    ¡°Sit down!¡± Ulfhild yelled at him then turned her attention to the other two. ¡°You! Stay quiet or leave, both of you!¡±


    Frey just stared blankly at him but Note looked like it was he that needed stitches. Johan felt a bittersweet feeling at seeing him stare so sadly at the ground.


    Ulfhild took one look at his head and tsk¡¯ed. She left to the other room again and quickly came back with a small tray containing some thread and a needle. It was quickly and silently done, all while Johan glared at Frey but only got that same blank look in return, only this time with an amused, raised eyebrow.


    In the end he needed stitches in two places. His temple and at the back of his head. Ulfhild wrapped a white bandage around his head a few times to finish it off.


    ¡°You¡¯ve ruined my dress now. Get cleaned up and go rest.¡± Ulfhild sneered as she finished and Johan jerked as she gave his stitches a hard pat. She turned to Note and Frey. ¡°You boys, don¡¯t bother him until tomorrow, now help him get home.¡±


    In that exact moment Johan knew two things for sure.


    One; He would be ambushed the second he went through the door to their house. Note had that glint in his eyes, the stupid, determined one. And two; There was no way in Heaven- that Johan was going home just to get forced into a conversation he didn¡¯t want to have.


    Johan gritted his teeth, not moving as he met Note¡¯s silent glare with his own.


    Honestly. Getting a sheep was supposed to be easy! Now he could barely walk and Note got a chance to corner him!


    Johan was the first to look away. He sighed, deep and involuntary. He wasn¡¯t getting out of this one.


    He got off the table carefully, still dizzy.


    ¡°Note,¡± Ulfhild suddenly said, stopping Note right as Johan lost his balance and staggered back against the edge of the table, and Note unnecessarily surged forward to try and catch him. ¡°I have something to speak to you about, please stay here for a short moment.¡±


    Johan lit up. Opportunity!


    There was nowhere to hide in the village but if he got to the forest he could probably hide out until he felt well enough to take on some more chores.


    ¡°Frey, please bring Johan back home.¡± Ulfhild continued with a knowing look. Johan froze. He turned to glare at Frey. He wasn¡¯t really going to listen to her, was he? ¡°And don¡¯t let him out of sight until tomorrow morning.¡±


    Frey nodded seriously and Johan¡¯s jaw dropped. No. He was actually listening to her?!


    While Johan was cursing Frey out in his head, Frey went over and grabbed his arm, slinging it over his shoulder and quickly started dragging him out of the house, expertly evading Note where he stood between Johan and the door.


    ¡°You piece of-¡± Johan started the second they got outside.


    ¡°Calm down, I¡¯m not taking you home.¡± Frey said, sounding exasperated.


    ¡°Why?¡± Johan was immediately suspicious.


    ¡°Stop that,¡± Frey snapped, then sighed when Johan raised an eyebrow. ¡°I know Note can get too much sometimes. He has good intentions but he can¡¯t force your forgiveness.¡±


    That was surprising to hear, coming from Frey.


    ¡°So where are we going?¡± Johan asked, still suspicious.


    Frey grinned. ¡°I want to meet this Emil guy.¡±

 To Avoid a Conversation - only to gret dragged into another

    Johan woke up to Frey¡¯s disappointed voice. ¡°He¡¯s not home.¡±


    He looked around with sleepy eyes. He must have blacked out at some point because now he was pretty much just hanging off of Frey¡¯s shoulders right outside the blacksmith¡¯s house. The only thing that was holding him up was Frey¡¯s iron grip around his waist and his wrist. Johan¡¯s shoulder cried out in pain as he moved to get his feet back under himself.


    ¡°Did you drag me all the way here?¡± Johan asked, his voice dull with sleep but Frey didn¡¯t even look at him.


    ¡°Oh, good. You¡¯re awake, I was starting to think I should take you back to the healer.¡± Frey then sighed disappointedly. ¡°Emil¡¯s not here anyways.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s probably in the basement.¡± Johan said drily. He knew Emil well enough to know that he wasn¡¯t exactly an outdoors-y person.


    Johan reached out and opened the door, gesturing for them to go in and Frey shot him a curious look. ¡°Really? Ok. Sure, let¡¯s just walk into this house we don¡¯t live in.¡±


    Despite the comment, Frey walked right in.


    It was a cozy house with a lot of dark blues for the interior and furniture, Ulfhild¡¯s favorite color. Johan had been there quite a few times, like for dinners and other random occasions, like dragging Emil outside every now and then.


    Johan pointed them right to the long, narrow staircase going down to the basement and did the bare minimum of holding onto the railing as Frey started moving them down.


    Just as Johan had said, Emil was in the basement.


    They saw him before he saw them. He was standing with his back to them, painting on some large piece of paper on a wooden stand. Johan looked around. He had actually only been in the basement twice, and both times he had been there to drag Emil outside, so he hadn¡¯t actually looked around much. The couch was still in the same place against the left wall and the room was littered in paint cans and old works shoved haphazardly to the side.


    Easily said, it was a big mess.


    Johan eyed the old works. There were a lot of Note and Singe, and even Johan here and there. Emil had taken to using them for inspiration, just like Trym said. Well, at least Johan thought it had been inspirational until he found out Emil had actually been following them around.


    Now that he was looking, though, he realized just how many paintings there were. Through the paintings, Emil had immortalized their time on the island. From the beginning where Signe cleared out the n?kks from the water, all the way to the more current event of them swimming to the island with the giants.


    Frey had stopped them in the middle of the room, eyes flicking quietly from one painting to the next. Johan watched as his eyebrows raised in surprise and interest, before turning back to Emil, who still hadn¡¯t noticed them.


    Frey silently brought them right up behind Emil, stretching his neck to see over his shoulder.


    ¡°What the fuck.¡± Johan slurred. The painting Emil was working on. It was him. And Note. And Signe. In. The. Club. Outfits. For a wonderful second, he had forgotten that Emil followed them all the way to Heaven.


    ¡°Johan!¡± Emil whirled around, and wide, fearful eyes opened even further as he saw Johan¡¯s state and Frey grinning up at him.


    ¡°You¡¯re hurt!¡± Emil yelled, painting forgotten.


    No shit.


    Then he turned to Frey.


    ¡°You.¡± Emil stormed. ¡°How dare you hurt my friend!?¡± Emil screamed out an attempt at a war cry and jumped forward, arm winding back the paintbrush. Johan frowned as Frey easily backed them away. Was that really all Emil could do? He grew up in a village full of fighters. What if Frey was an enemy, was Emil just going to die?


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything!¡± Frey yelled back and jumped out of reach as Emil lunged forward, paintbrush swinging through the air.


    ¡°Why else would he be covered in blood?!¡±


    ¡°Emil!¡± Johan tried to stop him, but he just kept going. With another war cry, he threw himself at them! Before he could tackle them both to the ground though, Frey released his hold on Johan and shoved him at the couch.


    The back of his head hit the cushions and his hands flew up, the pain debilitating.


    Stars clouded his vision. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Emil and Frey¡¯s fight turned blurry.


    This time he happily welcomed the darkness.


    -


    The next time Johan woke up it was still to the sound of arguing.


    But it was different now.


    ¡°Johan!¡± Something slapped his face. He blinked drowsily, his vision blurry. A white and green blob moved in front of him.


    ¡°Signe?¡± He asked. When did she get there? And Vero as well, he noticed as his vision cleared, standing in between Frey and Emil. Vaguely he noticed Signe was speaking to him.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Johan croaked but Signe¡¯s expression made it clear that he had guessed the question wrong.


    ¡°I have it under control.¡± Frey complained, quickly followed by a yelp. Johan cleared his throat, maybe he should say something to defend him.


    ¡°How did you know where I was?¡± He asked instead.


    Signe eyed him for a second, then grabbed his arms and started helping him to his feet.


    And as she pulled him to his feet, Johan realized one thing very quickly. He was not ready to stand on his own yet. Luckily Signe had quick reflexes and not even a second later she held him safely up, his arm around her shoulder and both of hers around his waist.


    She scoffed. ¡°Fine, was it?¡± She mocked as she started dragging him outside. ¡°Your raven is outside.¡±


    Johan¡¯s brain stopped for a second. Well, that explained how they found him. ¡°Oh.¡± He muttered unintelligently. He swallowed. He hadn¡¯t seen the raven since the day Note gave it to him, only heard it screech or chirp in the distance as if it was hiding. Maybe it was.


    When they got up the stairs, Vero quickly moved to open the door for them- And yep, There it was, that beautiful raven Note gave him, sitting happily on the railing right outside. How Note hadn¡¯t found Johan first, he didn¡¯t know.


    When it saw Johan, the raven made a loud screech and flew out of sight.


    ¡°So it was hiding.¡± Johan muttered, for some reason it made him feel worse. He turned to Signe. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go home.¡±


    Johan said it silently, knowing full well that if Signe wanted him home then he would be home. It wasn¡¯t like he had many options now that Frey was detained.


    ¡°You mean you don¡¯t want to speak to Note.¡± She retorted matter-of-factly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I sent him out to fish with Leif and the guys after he came to me and said Frey kidnapped you. Cornering you while you¡¯re barely conscious is a dirt move anyways.¡±


    Johan sighed in relief. Signe and Note had hated each other after all. If anyone would let Johan off the hook with him, it would be her.


    ¡°Hah, as if you wouldn¡¯t use it.¡± Johan laughed silently. Signe grinned but didn¡¯t say anything.


    Soon they arrived at the house. Vero was quietly trailing after them the whole way. If it wasn¡¯t for her footsteps, Johan wouldn¡¯t have known she was there. It put him on edge and as they walked up to the door, Vero appeared once again just to hold the door open for them.


    Signe dragged Johan in through the doorway and dumped him unceremoniously on the couch.


    ¡°Two out of ten, worse treatment than Frey.¡± Johan complained loudly after her as she left up the stairs.


    ¡°You¡¯re covered in so much blood you¡¯re lucky I didn¡¯t dump you outside!¡± Came from the bedroom. Johan huffed, eyeing Vero suspiciously where she moved through the room.


    Then Signe came back with a large blanket.


    Johan raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°You are going to rest. Don¡¯t worry, Note won¡¯t be back until tomorrow.¡± Signe said as she threw a blanket over him and tucked him in. Then she fell silent.


    Johan didn¡¯t miss the glances she threw behind him. To Vero.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Johan asked, eyes narrowing. He didn¡¯t like this side of her. It was too quiet. Too similar to when she first got to Heaven.


    Quietly, Signe tok a seat on the other couch. ¡°Everything is fine!¡± She smiled tensely and Johan paused, a bad feeling washing over him. He pushed himself up the best he could.


    ¡°What is going on?¡± A knife could cut the tension in the room as Vero sat down beside Signe. Johan glanced between them. Did Vero do something?


    Signe shifted her feet anxiously. ¡°You¡¯re coming to the wedding, right?¡±


    Johan stared. What kind of question was that?


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Johan asked cautiously. Signe didn¡¯t reply, she just watched Johan. He looked between her and Wrath and his heart fell. ¡°Do you not want me to?¡±


    ¡°What? No, of course I do!¡± Signe vehemently denied.


    Then Vero suddenly spoke. ¡°You don¡¯t like me.¡±


    Johan blinked, leaning back a little. Of course he didn¡¯t like her. He hadn¡¯t exactly been trying to hide it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± He agreed.


    ¡°But you like me!¡± Signe argued loudly, slamming her hands on the table between them. ¡°So you should come to the wedding anyway!¡±


    Johan gaped. ¡°When did I say I wouldn¡¯t come?! Of course I will!¡±


    Signe frowned. ¡°You are?¡±


    ¡°Of course! Why wouldn¡¯t I?!¡± Johan asked. What kind of question was that?! His dislike for Wrath couldn¡¯t keep him away from Signe¡¯s wedding, hell, even if the other bride was Greed himself it wouldn¡¯t keep him away! ¡°We¡¯re family, of course I¡¯ll be there!¡±


    ¡°Good!¡± Signe yelled and a bright smile appeared on her lips. ¡°Even Odin¡¯s kids are traveling for hours to come to the wedding. You better be there.¡±


    ¡°I just said I would, didn¡¯t I?¡± Johan threw back. With all the chores he had been doing the last few days, he pretty much the one making the wedding happen at all! Especially after all he went through to get that sheep!


    ¡°Good.¡± She smiled and stood up. ¡°I love you. I¡¯ll let you rest now.¡±


    And with that she grabbed Vero¡¯s hand and left.


    And Johan was alone.


    His head hurt.


    What just happened? Honestly, the whole day was a blur at that point. How could Signe think he wouldn¡¯t come to her wedding?!


    Slowly, he laid back down on the couch, careful of his head.


    Johan couldn¡¯t believe it. Just one more day. Tomorrow Signe and Vero would be married. He closed his eyes with a sigh.

 A much needed talk

    The door slammed in his face.


    He had been sleeping peacefully until just about an half an hour ago when Ulfhild and Hilda barged in and immediately sent him off to have a bath. Now he was clean of all the blood and dirt from yesterday and as well as donned in his normal brown cloak. Apparently it was ¡®just perfect¡¯ for the wedding. Ulfhild had then checked his head and removed the bandage, and then he had been promptly kicked out of the house.


    His own house. Kicked out of it.


    Signe and Hilda were the only ones left in the house now as Ulfhild carted Vero off towards the village.


    He should be peeved about it. He would be, honestly, if it wasn¡¯t for the anxious feeling running through him.


    Signe was getting married today.


    Johan sucked in a breath and turned around. There must be something he could do to distract himself, maybe even something to help with the wedding.


    He started walking towards the village but only got a few steps before he stopped, eyes caught on something in the trees.


    What was that? Red string?


    Johan cocked his head in confusion and walked closer. A red string was tied around one tree and stretched off into the darkness of the forest. He pulled on the taunt string and watched as it bounced back into place, and the forest lit up around him.


    ¡°Woah..¡± His eyes widened. The sun had risen just high enough to peek into the forest, lighting up everything. Vibrant red flowers were all around him. They covered the ground, following where the string disappeared, and some were even growing on the trees, covering the intertwining branches above in red.


    It was not like that yesterday.


    Johan glanced to the path leading to the village, then back to the string.


    Well¡­he did want something to distract himself.


    He followed the string. From the first tree it stretched on to a second, then a third, and even further. The red flowers followed it the whole way, deeper and deeper into the forest.


    Before he knew it he reached water. The ocean stretched on as the string continued along the treeline to the right. Johan knew where he was now. The string had taken him in a long detour around the village, now somewhere to his left.


    There was still more string, but instead of being tied to trees, the string was now just on the ground, carefully laying on top of the flowers. For a second he thought about turning back and just going to the village. In the end though, curiosity got the best of him and he grabbed the string, letting it run over his palm as it led him even further.


    It didn¡¯t take long from then before he reached the string¡¯s end at the opening to a cave.


    ¡­The same cave they had used to leave Heaven all that time ago. Johan frowned, dropping the string like it burnt him. He glanced into the cave.


    And reeled back, cursing to himself.


    ¡°Johan!¡±  Note yelled after him but Johan turned on his heel, ignoring the footsteps following behind him.


    Nope, today was a day for Signe, Johan was not dealing with Note today.


    Unfortunately, that¡¯s when the consequences of yesterday¡¯s event started resurfacing. His head had been fine while he was walking, the small ache being easy to ignore. Running, however, was apparently still off the table.


    Johan stumbled and Note quickly caught up, grabbing his arm and spinning them both around so he stood in front of Johan, blocking the way back.


    ¡°Really?¡± Johan ripped his arm free and took a step back.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Wait! Can we just- talk it out?¡± Note asked, hurriedly as Johan got his ribbon, about to throw it up to one of the trees on the ledge above. ¡°Please?¡±


    That made Johan stop. The misery was clear in his voice.


    He closed his eyes for a long moment. Then he turned to Note, impatiently gesturing for him to go on. Note didn¡¯t hesitate at the chance.


    ¡°Today is a day for celebration!¡± He started loudly. ¡°Signe is getting married! I wanted to wait before speaking to you¡­ but I don¡¯t want us to avoid each other. Not today. I didn¡¯t do the best job of leaving you alone but-¡± Note tok a deep breath before hurrying on to his next words. ¡±When you came down from the mountain yesterday, drenched in blood and needing stitches- I just¡­I just want to talk this out and get past this but you¡¯re so stubborn and even with a fractured skull you would rather go off with Frey and pass out somewhere than go home and talk to me-!¡±


    ¡°Is this whole conversation about bashing me?¡± Johan asked flatly and Note glared at him.


    ¡°Let me finish. Please.¡±


    Johan huffed and crossed his arms but stayed silent.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to look back at this wedding and think of how much I wanted to just speak with you the entire time. We¡¯re family. We should have fun at her wedding, not avoid each other. I¡¯m sorry that I lied-¡±


    He raised a good point. Johan hated to say it but-


    ¡±I agree.¡± He bit out, interrupting Note in the middle of the apology.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want you to-¡± Note froze, eyes widening as the words replayed in his head. He turned to Johan. ¡°Wait. What?¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡± Johan said plainly, so very, incredibly unhappy with the whole situation and with himself for actually agreeing, but this was Signe¡¯s day.


    Note¡¯s jaw dropped, clearly shocked at the turn of events. Then his eyes turned suspicious. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t be fighting at her wedding. I agree.¡± Johan huffed angrily and gestured around them. ¡°But is this really how you wanted to do it? Leading me to the middle of nowhere and blocking my way back?¡±


    Note was silent for a moment, looking away. ¡°No. But would you have listened if I didn¡¯t?¡±


    Fair enough. Johan absolutely would not still be there, no.


    He closed his eyes and rubbed a hand over his face. It was Signe¡¯s wedding day. Her happiness on her big day trumped this whole mess.


    He waved his arms in defeat. ¡°Sure. Let¡¯s put this past us. I forgive you for lying.¡±


    Note clenched his jaw. ¡°I wish that was true.¡±


    Johan stared at him. ¡°I forgive you.¡± He said slowly. ¡°That¡¯s what you want to hear! So stop-!¡± Johan shook his head, not finishing the sentence. Fine. Whatever. He let out a heavy breath. Note would do whatever he wanted anyways.


    ¡°You don¡¯t even regret it.¡± Johan said bitterly and pushed past him.


    ¡°I do.¡± Note said quietly, and Johan paused. He looked back. Note wasn¡¯t trying to follow him now, his fists clenched by his side as he spoke, voice quiet. ¡°I am sorry. I do regret it. In the moment I didn¡¯t - I didn¡¯t understand what happened - and I still don¡¯t really know. But after yesterday¡­ I guess we both know now that there¡¯s something more to you and your powers.¡±


    With a shaky breath, Note turned. Their eyes met. ¡°I need you to know this; I never, never, meant to betray your trust, and I never meant to keep it from you. Not forever. The lie¡­it just slid out. I didn¡¯t know what to tell you so I just¡­ and then Frey got here and it was too late. I had waited too long and broke your trust and I wasn¡¯t there for you and I¡¯m so sorry. I should have told you when you woke up. You should have heard it from me.¡±


    Johan couldn¡¯t find any hint of dishonesty in Note, only wide eyed sincerity. It seemed he had been more affected by this than Johan thought.


    ¡°I guess we¡¯re both idiots.¡± Johan sighed. He had been too focused on feeling betrayed to even think about Note¡¯s side of it. ¡°I should have talked to you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t blame you.¡± Note said. ¡°It would all have been avoided if I just told you the truth. I would have avoided me too.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Well, I wouldn¡¯t have done it exactly the same. I don¡¯t think I would bring Frey to search for a sheep on a mountain and come back drenched in blood with a cracked skull and then pass out on Emil¡¯s couch as they brawled.¡± Note sent him a sly look.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to let that go are you.¡± Johan grumbled and started walking back to the village. It wasn¡¯t his best moment. ¡°It wasn¡¯t my fault, there was an overgrown grassmann on the mountain, and a stalker in the village.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Note sounded surprised, disregarding the stalker comment and quickly following after him. He made a thoughtful noise. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen one before, do you think it¡¯s still there?¡±


    ¡°Probably. We left it skewered on a rock so...¡± Johan waved his hands. ¡°I guess I used my powers- I don¡¯t really know.¡±


    ¡°That lightning yesterday was you?¡± Note asked in shock.


    Johan grimaced. He still didn¡¯t remember any lightning but considering the context¡­ ¡°I guess.¡±


    Note stared at him for a long moment then finally he let out a soft laugh, shaking his head in disbelief. ¡°I can¡¯t believe the mess you get yourself into. You¡¯re unbelievable.¡±


    Johan grinned but refrained from saying ¡äI know right¡ä.


    ¡°That was a compliment.¡± Note said after a moment of silence.


    Johan laughed.

 Meeting the family

    They entered the village from the beachside. The two of them talked the entire way back, updating each other on the last week they hadn¡¯t spoken to each other. Johan joked about the string and the flowers and Note had immediately gone bright red, telling him that it had been Leif¡¯s idea first. Apparently he and the other fishers were tired of Note¡¯s sulking, which was hilarious to hear, so they had gone all the way to Solstad just to buy the string.


    Coincidentally, Leif and the fishers were the first people Johan saw when they got back. They were all talking by the docks, all dressed in nice outfits, ready for the wedding, when Johan and Note came from the woods. Leif caught sight of them first and suddenly all of them turned in unison to watch them with big googly eyes.


    ¡°Sorry about them.¡± Note scratched the back of his neck with an awkward laugh and they cheered him on, some even giving thumbs up.


    ¡°How much did you complain?¡± Johan laughed, shaking his head, but he soon caught sight of something. There was a new boat he hadn¡¯t seen before by the docks.


    ¡°Johan, Note! Come meet my children!¡± Odin was behind the fishers, further up the docks, and was practically jumping in excitement as he called them over with a waving hand, his smile so wide that his eyes disappeared into crescents. He must have noticed them because of the commotion, Johan thought in amusement.


    They had to walk past the fishers to get to the chief and Note got multiple high fives, Johan even thought he could even hear one of them silently telling him ¡®good job¡¯.


    Odin¡¯s excitement only seemed to grow as they approached. ¡°You two are talking again? That¡¯s great, Signe will be so happy!¡± Then he proudly waved a hand at the two newcomers beside him. ¡°This is my daughter Helga and my son Harald, they finally arrived!¡±


    Right, Johan remembered someone saying Odin¡¯s kids would be coming to the wedding. They were the only villagers that didn¡¯t currently live on the island, and so also the only ones Johan hadn¡¯t met before.


    Odin turned to his kids. ¡°Helga, Harald, these are the family of the bride-¡±


    ¡°Johan and Note,¡± Harald interrupted with a pleasant laugh. ¡°We have heard so much about you both, and Signe of course.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± Johan greeted. He shook the son¡¯s outreached hand with a smile. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    Blond hair hung to Harald¡¯s jaw and he had a thick beard. He was taller than Johan by almost a head, similarly to Odin himself, and wide too. He clearly trained a lot and Johan could see that just from his build, though the open vest showing off most of his chest made it even more obvious.


    Helga was shorter than Harald but she was still just taller than Johan. In comparison to Harald she looked more refined and clean, her hair cleanly cut at her shoulders, and she was wearing a nice, bright red dress.


    Both of them tok after their Odin, sharing most of his facial features, though Johan could see Hilda in them too.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you too!¡± Harald replied enthusiastically. He nodded over to the group of fishers still chatting and laughing. ¡°I see you fit in nicely with the crowd, haha. It¡¯s great to have you here! I was so worried when I got my dad¡¯s letter about the n?kks. Unfortunately I was out on the water and I didn¡¯t get it right away, by the time I got back there was another letter there talking about how three heroes came and saved the village.¡±


    ¡°I was surprised to hear anyone moved here.¡± Helga added with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s such a small village and so far away from the mainland, more people move away than settle down here.¡±


    ¡°Like you?¡± Harald laughed, pushing her shoulder playfully.


    ¡°Unlike you.¡± She grinned before turning back to Johan. ¡°I¡¯m currently studying to be a teacher in the Northern Kingdom, with my husband and daughter. Though I guess my plans for moving back are somewhat ruined by me having a child. How do you find everything here?¡±


    The Northern Kingdom¡­?


    ¡°Oh, we love it here.¡± Johan answered with a tense laugh and Note nodded seriously in agreement. ¡°The Northern Kingdom¡­that¡¯s - how is it over there?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you must have heard of what happened.¡± Helga waved a hand. ¡°It¡¯s a shame, the city faced a big loss at the king and his son. The last few weeks have been a bit rough for everyone, but things are turning around quickly! I heard the royal family will turn into a matriarchy now!¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡± Johan nodded. She didn¡¯t seem too upset.


    ¡°My condolences.¡± Note said and Helga laughed.


    Suddenly a loud ¡°Children!¡± was shrieked from behind and Johan looked to see Hilda running towards them as fast as she could, skirt held up in her hand.


    ¡°Mom!¡± Harald howled and took off.


    ¡°He was always a mama''s boy.¡± Odin chuckled as Harald met his mom, pulling her into a big hug, her happy laughter filling the air as he hid his head in her shoulder. Johan smiled at the sight.


    Wait a second. Wasn¡¯t she helping Signe-


    Hilda yelled again, this time to them. ¡°Johan, Note! The wedding is starting! Come on, Odin we have to go! Leif, all of you, come on!¡±


    Already?! Johan¡¯s heart jumped in his chest.


    ¡°Now?!¡± Note paled and one heartbeat later they were on their way.


    There was no way Johan was missing even a second!

 Wedding

    They got there in only a few minutes, doubled over and panting for air, but they weren¡¯t late, which was the important thing. Only half the villagers were seated yet, and everyone turned to watch as their group ran in. Frey snickered at them from where he stood next to Wrath at the altar, fele in hand.


    Vero. She was wearing a black, lace suit with a long cape hanging from one shoulder. Her hair was tightly braided at the top of her head and all the way down her back, black marks were painted on her neck and face.


    ¡°Everyone, we will be starting soon!¡± Odin stepped forward, only slightly winded from the run.


    Johan tok a deep breath and straightened up. His and Note¡¯s saved seats were in the very front row.


    He looked around. Their work had really paid off, the venue was perfect. Exactly what Signe deserved. It was outside, and exactly like she asked for. It was simple and elegant. Right at the edge of the island with the woods surrounding them on one side and the ocean stretching out on the other. They had cleared the ground just for this, built a whole new arch and hand-picked flowers from the Death cave to decorate with.


    Everyone was wearing their best outfits, many also armed with impressive weapons, and everyone seemed really happy and excited, chatting away as the rest of them came to take their seats. Even though none of them knew Vero very well, all of them loved Signe.


    Johan had barely sat down when Hilda appeared in front of him.


    ¡°Johan,¡± Hilda hissed a whisper. ¡°What are you doing, you need to go to Signe now!¡±


    ¡°Huh-?¡±


    She grabbed his arm and pulled him with her, giving no explanation. She dragged him off into the woods, barely slowing down when he stumbled and his hand flew to his head.


    Go to Signe for what?!


    ¡°You can¡¯t walk her down the aisle from your seat.¡± She scolded. Johan¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°...What?!¡± Johan didn¡¯t know that! He wasn¡¯t prepared! ¡°She should have told me that-¡±


    Johan faltered.


    He sucked in a sharp breath as Hilda let go of him and rushed over to the bride.


    Her long hair was loose down her back, the side pieces braided back and a few loose strands left around her face. A link of souls dangled from her ear below the silver ear cuff and on top of her head was a gold crown with deep green jewels hanging from the spikes.


    Like always she was wearing a white dress. She always preferred gentle dresses with tight tops and lots of detail. This one was no different. The bottom of the skirt was heavily embroidered in gold thread, the light fabric flowing gently with the wind.


    What really stood out though, was her smile. It was small but somehow packed with so much happiness that he was blown away. Johan swallowed. How could he ever have doubted this marriage?


    ¡°Hi.¡± She smiled gently.


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    She sucked in a breath through her nose. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Signe¡­ I don¡¯t even know what to say.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to say anything. I know.¡± She raised the bouquet of blue flowers. From behind her Hilda gestured for them to come, then both her and Ulfhild gave a small smile as they went back to the venue.


    ¡°Are you ready for this?¡± Johan asked, offering his arm. Signe grabbed it with a deep breath.


    ¡°This, I am ready for.¡± She nodded tensely but confidently.


    ¡°Nervous?¡± Johan teased with a quiet laugh. She was so still and quiet, so different from how she normally acted.


    ¡°A little,¡± She let out a breathy laugh, eyes twinkling up at him in amusement. ¡°But it¡¯s the exciting type.¡±


    Frey started playing a slow song just before they arrived. Johan could hear the shuffling and the chairs scraping against the ground as everyone stood up. The guests gasped as they came into view, even a choked sob from one of the old men Signe drank with.


    Signe¡¯s smile was blinding and her eyes didn¡¯t leave Vero from the second she saw her. Unsurprisingly, Vero was not smiling, but what came as a shock to Johan were the tears. She had a hard expression on her face, the corners of her mouth tensely drawn down and while none of the tears shed, the shine they gave off was easy to see even from across the venue.


    Soon they got to the altar. Signe looked down to get up the step and as she did, Johan met Vero¡¯s eyes.


    Then just as quickly they both looked back to Signe. Johan helped her keep her balance and the music faded to a stop as he gave her away. He gave Signe a short nod before stepping back to take his place by his seat next to Note. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Frey came sauntering over to his seat right next to them at the very edge of the row.


    ¡°Good job.¡± Johan muttered. The music was good. Frey beamed at him.


    Odin held up a hand and everyone fell silent.


    ¡°Welcome everyone, please sit!¡± Odin started and quickly wiped a tear as everyone sat. ¡°We are all here on this beautiful day to bind two people in the eyes of the Jotun. Our very own Signe and her chosen other, Vero. I remember it like yesterday. The first time Signe brought her home. As do most of you.¡± Laughter filled the air and Johan let out a snort. He doubted anyone would be forgetting that day any time soon.


    Odin continued. ¡°Since that day I have had the absolute pleasure of getting to know her and have with my own eyes seen the wonderful relationship the two share. I¡¯m honored to be here today to share this moment with them and you all.


    ¡°First we will hear words from the brides. Signe, if you would.¡± Signe smiled gently down at her and Vero¡¯s hands before meeting Vero¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Vero, when I first met you-¡± Johan¡¯s face dropped at her words. Oh no. ¡°You stood there menacingly, covered in blood and looking like you were going to kill me, spear in your hand and your face shocked, but you helped me to my feet and despite my head whirring with emotions, I still remember thinking about how beautiful you were.¡±


    Ok. That was not as bad as Johan expected it to be.


    ¡°Through hard times you were always there, pissing me off.¡± Oh there it was. Johan silenced a sigh and shared a quick look with Note. Frey didn¡¯t quite manage to hide his surprised laugh. ¡°At times I thought I hated you, and I did. I really did. I hated seeing you and I especially hated when you opened your mouth, demanding a fight. But, those fights, as much as I hated them at the time, helped me so much. I was not in a good place and getting to release my anger with you was a blessing. In our marriage I hope there are many fights to come, and though I¡¯m in a much better place now, I won¡¯t go easy on you.¡±


    Ah. Johan blinked quickly, tears filling in his eyes. Beside him Note shook with silent sobs, one hand over his mouth and the other squeezing Johan¡¯s.


    Odin¡¯s deep voice trembled just barely as he spoke. ¡°Vero, if you would.¡±


    Vero tok a small step forward, closing some of the distance between the two, her eyes never straying from Signe¡¯s.


    ¡°Signe. I love you. From childhood I¡¯ve seen fighting done in various ways. To this day I have never seen anyone more graceful. That day I challenged a weak girl, and I found a warrior. You used my own weapon against me and showed me something I could never even dream of. I knew that day that I could never let you go. I never stopped searching for you. In our marriage we are equal and I can¡¯t wait for our life together.¡±


    Signe looked so happy.


    Johan sighed as Odin started speaking again. Signe deserved this. She deserved happiness. If Vero was the one then fine. Johan would deal with it.


    ¡°Do you, Signe, take this woman to be your wife?¡± Odin asked. ¡°Will you love her, care for her, protect her, both in sickness and in health for the rest of your life?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Signe sparkled in happiness.


    Odin turned to Vero. ¡°Do you, Vero, take this woman to be your wife? Will you love her, care for her, protect her, both in sickness and in health for the rest of your life?¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± Vero promised seriously.


    ¡°And now,¡± Odin started, grabbing a thin, red rope that hung from his belt. ¡°I tie their fates together.¡±


    Johan watched as Odin draped the rope lightly around Signe and Vero¡¯s intertwined hands. He¡¯d never actually been to a wedding before so it was interesting to see how they did it.


    Odin straightened back up and opened his mouth to continue. Then paused.


    Johan froze as Odin glanced at him, then hesitated for a second before speaking.


    ¡°I ask the¡­Jotun Fate to bless this couple,¡± Oh¡­ Johan¡¯s eyes widened and Signe quickly glanced back at him in surprise. ¡°May they never stray from each other, may they always find happiness in each other and may they live to see a big family together.¡±


    As he spoke, murmuring started up around them. Johan squinted at Odin, then at Vero and Signe, then their hands. Asking for his blessing? When he was sitting right there?


    Odin cleared his throat, glaring everyone back to being silent. ¡°We offer this sheep for the couple¡¯s future.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?!¡± Johan couldn¡¯t keep it in anymore when the sheep, that apparently was going to be sacrificed for him - what the fuck, was led down the isle by Einar.


    Beside him Frey suddenly started wheezing with laughter, Johan turned to see him barely staying on the chair.


    ¡°We are sacrificing for Fate when he¡¯s sitting right here.¡± Frey managed to calm down enough to say, only to start laughing even harder. ¡°And he clearly has no idea why!¡±


    Johan stood up. ¡°Signe, I appreciate the gesture but you don¡¯t have to kill a sheep for me to accept Vero, I already do!¡±


    Signe looked just as confused as he felt. She opened and closed her mouth multiple times, before finally saying faintly. ¡°We¡¯re not going to kill it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s tradition.¡± Note said from his seat, and tok Johan¡¯s hand. He slowly sat back down, very confused.


    ¡°As Note said,¡± Odin started, clearly also feeling the confusion. ¡°It is tradition to ask Fate for a blessing, as well as giving an offering for it. It¡¯s not a blood sacrifice though, it just makes the sheep sacred as Fate¡¯s property.¡±


    ¡°If I had known I would have gotten a million sheep.¡± Vero added seriously, much to Signe¡¯s obvious happiness. Johan ignored them. This was done at every wedding?! But Johan had never blessed anyone! He didn¡¯t even know if he could do that! How many sheep did he own?!


    Odin scratched his chin, eyeing Johan thoughtfully. ¡°Though I have never done this with Fate as a guest before, we will still follow tradition! Though it would be rude to talk about someone and not speak to them directly.¡±


    Johan could only watch as he bent down to take the sheep¡¯s lead from Einar who happily bounced back to his parents.


    ¡°To Fate we offer this sheep, it will live in peace on this island, to be protected from any danger and to live a happy and comfortable life for the rest of its years as a symbol of forever for the couple, Signe and Vero.¡±


    Through it all Odin kept his eyes on Johan. ¡°And so we ask you, Fate, will you bless this couple?¡±


    Uhhhhh. Johan stared. He didn¡¯t think he had to powers to bless anyone, his dad never mentioned it- ¡°Y-yeah¡­?¡±


    Everyone cheered and Johan jerked forward as a laughing old man clapped his shoulder with surprising strength. Johan looked to Note for help but he had also joined the rest in celebration.


    ¡°Silence!¡± Odin bellowed. ¡°I hereby declare Signe and Vero married! You may kiss the bride!¡±


    The cheering started up again, louder this time. Johan quickly stood up with everyone as Vero pulled a laughing Signe in for a deep kiss.


    ¡°Party time!¡± Frey shouted, playing a song.

 Not Wrath. Vero

    The reception started immediately in the great hall, the meat and mead prepped ahead of time and served right as they got there. Which was good, because Signe and Vero barely got any time to eat before they were herded off, passed back and forth by everyone who wanted to give their congratulations. Right now they were sitting at a table with the old men. Or well, Signe was sitting there, Vero was standing behind her, seeming completely happy with not joining her own celebration.


    Johan¡¯s head ached under the bandage as the celebration continued yet he kept raising his cup with everyone else at the right times, drinking more and more until he felt the nice warmth of it in his body. Turns out Frey wasn¡¯t the only one that could play an instrument so the music kept going the entire time even as Emil strolled in and the two of them started to argue.


    One interesting thing was that Johan had a sheep now. It was a good sheep, and actually pretty cool. Really soft too. Johan was happy he had saved it from the grassmann. He named it Lambert and promptly left it outside to wander the village. At first he had been scared about the responsibility of having a pet but then Odin had assured him that Lambert would be fine walking around on his own.


    Johan grinned, busy minding his own business with a cup of mead in front of him as he and Note held a staring contest. First to blink had to drink the alcohol Signe¡¯s old friends had brought.


    ¡°Hey, congratulations.¡± Johan¡¯s head snapped around to see Leif. ¡°The wedding was awesome! And it¡¯s really great to see you guys together again¡±


    He leaned closer to Johan, hand shielding his mouth from Note as he spoke. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t believe how mopy he got when you-¡±


    ¡°Leif!¡± Note¡¯s face was going red and Johan laughed, then he realized with a gasp, hands flying to his head.


    ¡°Ah, I lost!¡± He looked over to the table with the old men and grimaced. He had caught a whiff of the alcohol earlier when he greeted them.


    ¡°It¡¯s a great day!¡± Note exclaimed and jumped to his feet. ¡°Are you having fun?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Leif grinned widely. ¡°It¡¯s been years since I last spoke to Harald so we¡¯re catching up! We were really close growing up.¡±


    As if on cue, Harald came over, Astrid heavy on his arm. She was almost at her due date now and was so huge she needed help when walking, usually it was Emil, and even then it was more of a waddle. Johan had never seen a heavily pregnant woman covered in war paint before that but it was nice to see her and Emil finally getting along. ¡°Hi guys, it¡¯s such a beautiful wedding! Congratulations!¡±


    ¡°Congratulations.¡± Harald echoed, supporting Astrid with a bright smile.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Johan smiled and started getting up. ¡°Here, sit down.¡±


    Astrid laughed and waved her hand. ¡°Oh that¡¯s fine, I just wanted to come get Leif. I¡¯m sure you two have better things to do than entertaining that idiot. It¡¯s great to see you talking again!¡±


    Better things to do? Johan froze when she winked at him.


    ¡°Oh and Johan, you should be careful about how much you drink in front of Ulfhild today. My dear mother-in-law was not very happy with you when she came home yesterday.¡± Astrid added and Johan glanced nervously in her direction, remembering the hands squeezing his head. ¡°Come on, Leif. Let¡¯s catch up with Harald.¡± Astrid beckoned him over.


    Leif looked back and forth between them, then threw one last glance at Note, eyes widening as if he was hit by a realization.¡°Oh yeah! Sorry guys, gotta go!¡± He practically jumped across the table to grab Astrid¡¯s other arm.


    ¡°Wait! Hey, Leif, wait up!¡± Note yelled, neck turning a deep crimson and he almost turned the table over as he hurried after them.


    ¡°Hey, can I ask something?¡± Johan turned to see Harald still standing next to him.


    ¡°Ask something?¡± That was suspicious. Johan shrugged and downed his drink. ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°Where is Signe from?¡± Harald asked.


    Johan paused. His eyes narrowed where he was looking into his empty cup. He slowly raised his eyes and watched as Harald sat down next to him.


    ¡°Not here. Why?¡± Johan answered shortly, leaning back. Harald made a thinking face and Johan saw him glance over at Signe.


    ¡°She looks really familiar. I feel like I have seen her somewhere before.¡± Harald admitted and that¡¯s when Johan remembered.


    Harald was living in Signe¡¯s hometown.


    Johan froze. Right. Odin mentioned that once.


    Shit.


    Slowly he turned back to the table, eyeing Note¡¯s abandoned cup for only a split second before pulling it over to himself, avoiding Harald¡¯s concerned gaze.


    Harald started talking again when he didn¡¯t get a response. ¡°I mean. The one she reminds me of is dead and dead people don¡¯t just come back to life. But then my dad caught me up on you guys.¡± Johan felt the corners of his lips involuntarily pull down. This wasn¡¯t a fun conversation. Harald stuttered. ¡°You¡¯re Fate - like the Jotun, Fate. Which is¡­uh, cool. Anyways, the idea didn¡¯t seem so stupid anymore.¡±


    Johan sipped Note¡¯s drink silently, watching Harald out of the corner of his eye. He didn¡¯t seem to have bad intentions, which was good. But then again, curiosity killed the cat. There was also something else in his eyes, something Johan couldn¡¯t quite read.


    ¡°What idea?¡± Johan prompted.


    ¡°Well,¡± Harald cleared his throat and glanced at Signe again. ¡°When I was young my dad would bring the family to visit my Uncle Ragnar and his family during the summer. He¡¯s the chief of another village, the one I live in now, and it was always a big deal to go there. The visits stopped when Aunt Sigrid died though and their whole family became more shut in. A few years later we got news that the daughter died as well. She¡¯s been dead for so long now that when my dad sent me letters mentioning a Signe it didn¡¯t even register in my mind¡­¡± Harald turned to him. ¡°-but that¡¯s her, isn¡¯t it?¡± Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    Johan sipped his drink again, pulse raising quickly. People weren¡¯t supposed to know you could just become a deity. Not to mention how deities were not supposed to be with their blood family after getting to Heaven. Especially now, what if Greed found her family?!


    He was saved from answering.


    ¡°She¡¯s my sister.¡±


    Johan looked up to see Note glaring down at Harald.


    He grimaced into the cup. It was true enough that Note and Signe were siblings, in a sense at least. But it was so incredibly obvious that it wasn¡¯t a blood relation-


    Johan sighed, suddenly feeling sober. How could the mood suddenly get so tense?


    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s that Signe.¡± Johan said lowly. He turned more towards Harald but the man didn¡¯t even look surprised. ¡°But nobody can know that. She¡¯s the deity- Jotun of Death, and she¡¯s wanted dead. If anyone finds out she has living family-¡±


    ¡°I would never do that.¡± Harald interrupted, eyes wide. ¡°I know, and I would never put them - or her - in danger! I just wanted to know for sure. They still miss her-¡±


    Johan¡¯s jaw dropped in outrage, the guy couldn¡¯t be thinking about telling her family?! Before Johan could say anything though, Harald saw his look and quickly excused himself, leaving Johan and Note alone.


    ¡°They should be sad after what they did.¡± Note growled and sat down. Johan stared after Harald.


    ¡°It¡¯s done already.¡± Johan said simply, deciding not to push the issue now while they were at Signe¡¯s wedding celebration, and sighed as he saw Frey approach them. ¡°Finished with Emil?¡±


    Honestly it was a miracle that they got through the ceremony without a screaming match considering how much the two of them had been arguing lately about absolutely everything. It was always about such stupid stuff too. Earlier Frey had run off after Emil and started screaming about the color yellow.


    The last Johan had heard, Frey had come wearing a suit under his normal bunny-eared jacket and somehow that led to a disagreement about clothes and whatever else.


    ¡°Who won?¡± Johan asked drily. Everything he knew about these fights were involuntary.


    ¡°I did, of course. Yellow is the best color, Emil can go jump in the ocean and see if he likes blue anymore when he drowns in it.¡± Frey snarked. Johan sipped his drink with a nod. It was good Frey had found someone to occupy his time with. ¡°That kid he¡¯s dragging around is smarter than him-¡±


    ¡°Signe! Congratulations! The first of us to get married!¡± Johan yelled, jumping to his feet and raising his glass in a cheer before chugging it down. The crowd yelled and immediately joined in, happy for another reason to drink.


    Johan sat his glass down and ignored Note¡¯s look as he left to get more alcohol. There were buckets and barrels and whatever else yet he didn¡¯t have to look to know it was all mead, the only alcohol they made on the island. Well, except the old men. Johan wasn¡¯t entirely sure where they got it from and it would not surprise him if it was homemade.


    Happily holding a refilled cup Johan went over to the newlyweds. ¡°Congratulations.¡± He repeated, more softly at Signe. She raised her glass with a grin.


    ¡°Thank you. Did you enjoy it? You better! I spent the entire morning being dolled up.¡± She laughed.


    ¡°It was amazing.¡± Johan bragged. ¡°The best thing I¡¯ve seen in my entire life.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Signe laughed and the metal of her crown clinked together with the movement.


    ¡°Where did you get that?¡± Johan asked curiously. He had never seen anything like it.


    ¡°The crown?¡± Signe asked. Johan looked down to see her smiling softly. She touched the crown gently, feeling it slightly. ¡°It belongs to the village.¡±


    Johan paused. ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Signe grinned again. ¡°It¡¯s tradition. My family has a similar one. Hilda spent two hours this morning stitching it to my hair.¡± Signe said and made a horrified expression at him. ¡°It¡¯s not going anywhere, that¡¯s for sure.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that uncomfortable?¡± Johan asked, alarmed as Signe shook her head without the crown moving as much as a millimeter from her scalp.


    She shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s worth it.¡±


    Johan watched in amazement as she patted it gently before leaning back to smile at Vero who leaned down to give her a small kiss. Johan frowned, it was Wrath, it shouldn¡¯t be cute. He should be mad that Wrath was just kissing Signe out of nowhere¡­then again they were married¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s damn pretty too, it is.¡± One of the old men commented. The other two voiced their agreements seriously, both deep in their cups. ¡°Every village woman wears that on their wedding day!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll drink to that!¡± Another old man Johan recognized as Odin¡¯s dad answered.


    ¡°You¡¯d drink to anything.¡± The last of the men said followed by a round rough laughter from them all, Signe included.


    ¡°Hey, can I speak with you?¡± Vero asked. Johan raised an eyebrow. That was ominous. He looked around but nobody had noticed anything. Signe and the old men were preoccupied with their cups and everyone else in the room were too far away to have heard anything.


    ¡°...Yeah?¡± Johan answered hesitantly. She was Signe¡¯s wife now, it was only a matter of time before they had to talk together. It was a little weird that she initiated it though¡­As long as they were amongst other people-


    ¡°Alone.¡± She stated, glaring down at him and Johan froze for a second, his eyes scanning for an excuse but even Note was busy talking with Frey.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Johan finally said and slowly stood up. She led him outside, and he sent one longing look back through the open doors before they rounded the corner of the great hall to get away from everyone hanging out outside.


    Finally Wrath stopped and turned to stare at Johan.


    ¡°You still don¡¯t like me.¡± Jumping straight to the point. Ok then. Johan thought for a second. If she already knew then there was no point in trying to hide it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± Johan agreed and crossed his arms, meeting her eyes dead on. Wrath looked down at him, a couple centimeters taller.


    ¡°Have I not proven myself?¡± Wrath asked with an intense stare and Johan paused, narrowing his eyes at her. Was she joking-? ¡°You have not given me any trials, no objectives, nothing to make you change your mind about me.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Johan asked, trying to wrap his mind around what she just said. Trials? ¡°What are you talking about? I¡¯m not going to give you trials, Wrath-¡±


    ¡°Call me Vero.¡± She interrupted and eyes full of fierce determination. ¡°We are family now. Even if you don¡¯t like me, call me by my name.¡±


    Family. That sounded off. She was right of course. She had just married Signe.


    Johan sighed and Vero took it as a sign to keep going. ¡°I am sorry for what happened back then. If I could change it, I would, but I did not play any part in it, and I can¡¯t change the past. So let me prove myself to be worthy of Signe.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to prove anything.¡± He glared at her, spelling out the words to make her understand. ¡°Signe wants you, that¡¯s all I care about. Whether you ¡®played a part¡¯ or not doesn¡¯t matter right now. I just don¡¯t like you and you won¡¯t change my mind.¡±


    ¡°Then give me a trial.¡± Wrath pleaded and Johan groaned. She would never be worthy of Signe. She followed Signe around, antagonized her and hurt her- and then now she was suddenly in love and everything was supposed to be forgiven? Johan was never going to forgive her for that.


    Signe might have mentioned it fondly in her vows but Johan remembered it very differently. If Wrath could make Signe happy now then that was fine. However, it did not change the past.


    Johan had never seen Wrath in a good light. He had seen her powerful and he had seen her mean. That was it. Until he saw something else he would not change his mind.


    ¡°If you think winning a trial is going to change my mind about you, you are wrong.¡± Johan hissed and Wrath clenched her jaw, clearly unhappy, but she didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Be good to her, make her happy. Prove to her that you are worth her. Then my mind will change, Vero.¡±


    He watched as her jaw dropped and her eyes widened. Well, as much as someone so expressionless could.


    He walked away.

 Wedding gifts from the neighbors

    Note met him in the doorway, loudly yelling his name in worry. ¡°Johan!¡± and closely looking him over.


    ¡°Did she hurt you?¡± He asked, then immediately changed his tone when he saw Johan was fine. ¡°Did you hurt her?¡±


    Johan scoffed. ¡°I can have a conversation where nobody gets hurt.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on.¡± Frey pouted, having followed after Note. He was looking genuinely disappointed that he wasn¡¯t hearing a tale about an epic fight of bloodshed and horror. ¡°You disappeared with Vero, something happened.¡±


    Then his mouth shut with a click as his eyes caught on something. Johan looked back to see Vero walking in, looking more pleased than Johan had ever seen her.


    He scowled. It looked like she had won a fight. She met Johan¡¯s eyes and to his shock she gave him a small, almost unnoticeable bow.


    Johan followed her with wide eyes as she walked back to Signe, and this time instead of standing awkwardly behind her, she actually sat down next on the couch. Signe sent him a small knowing smile and mouthed a ¡äthank you¡ä before looking away with a soft smile when Vero took her hand.


    A loud racket made Johan turn his head back to see Frey stumbling over nothing, barely hanging onto Note who just stood there like a shocked boulder. Johan grimaced when he saw Frey¡¯s slowly changing expression. He left them standing there, ignoring the way Frey¡¯s head snapped to look after him, now with shock and astonishment.


    He had barely got a couple steps before Frey threw himself in front of him, hands clutching the collar of his cloak. Johan huffed and turned his head away, trying to ignore the way Frey¡¯s face was getting closer and closer, surprisingly still silent.


    Then Note tok a step towards them-


    ¡°Nothing happened.¡± Johan snapped at Frey. There was no way Johan was telling him the sappy stuff he told Vero.


    ¡°Something happened.¡± Frey demanded, shaking him.


    ¡°Nothing happened.¡± Johan insisted and leaned back as Frey got even closer.


    ¡°Since when does she respect you?¡± Frey sneered into his face.


    ¡°Nothing happened!¡± He snapped back, shoving Frey off of him with a glare. ¡°We just talked!¡±


    Frey mouthed something Johan would not repeat.


    Then he saw something in the corner of his eye moving towards them with great speed.


    ¡°Oh, look who is coming.¡± Johan said innocently. Frey twirled around and Johan grinned at the sight of Emil storming over, one hand tightly holding onto Einar who was happily being dragged along behind him.


    ¡°Well, well, well. Coming back for more?¡± Frey asked and crossed his arms. Emil looked down at him for a long second, a good head taller, before pointedly ignoring him.


    ¡°Johan, Note. I came to tell you that your friend is a lunatic.¡± Johan raised his eyebrows in surprise. Well, he wasn¡¯t arguing with that. ¡°Oh and also there are two giants outside wanting to speak to you. Unfortunately I don¡¯t remember their names-¡±


    At that Signe jumped up, having somehow heard them from her seat. ¡°It must be Viddi and Dornir!¡±


    ¡°Hmm yes, that¡¯s probably their names-¡± Emil didn¡¯t get further before Signe flashed by them like lightning, leaving a wide eyed Vero staring after her, suddenly alone on the couch with the grandpas.


    Johan almost fell over laughing-


    Wait, where was Note going?


    He stared as Note went over to the old men and grabbed a bottle. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Johan gave Frey a shove for good luck, sending him sprawling to the floor, before quickly leaving after Signe, Vero and Note hot on his tail.


    He didn¡¯t have to go far to find her. She was there, right outside the building, by the edge of the forest, Viddi holding her in a bone-crushing hug.


    ¡°Congratulations on your wedding, little lady!¡± Viddi declared loudly before noticing Vero turning the corner behind Johan. ¡°And other little lady!¡±


    ¡°The giants want to congratulate you on your wedding. Except me, I don¡¯t care that you got married.¡± Durnir huffed at Signe, crossing his arms. ¡°And I don¡¯t care that you look beautiful, because you don¡¯t. Especially not your hair.¡±


    Johan laughed. Those two were really something. Vero stood behind Signe, looking increasingly angry. Hopefully she wouldn¡¯t try to attack Dornir.


    But Signe only laughed and touched her hair. ¡°Thank you.¡± She said softly and Dornir nodded drily and turned to snootily look off into the distance.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you busy with rebuilding?¡± Note asked the giants.


    ¡°We would never be too busy for our saviors!¡± Viddi smiled down at them.


    ¡°Oh, come on,¡± Johan added. ¡°We¡¯re friends.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we are!¡± Viddi nodded, agreeing vehemently. ¡°But our gratitude stays strong, our small saviors. There is a lot left to do but the caves are coming along great! They are larger than what we are used to and even now we are still exploring and finding new sections!¡± Then Viddi faltered a little and scratched his neck and grimaced through his smile. ¡°There is also some...cleaning...needed. It seems that the previous giants...uhh.. left a mess.¡±


    Johan grimaced. Yeah, he had seen that. The horde that lived there before had been massacred after all. And they had not gone down without a fight.


    ¡°That¡¯s not good!¡± Note exclaimed loudly. ¡°Do you need any help?¡±


    Viddi laughed and gave him a soft pat on the back. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s old, and nothing we haven¡¯t seen before. You have all helped enough already! Since we got here, Johan must have spent more time in the caves with us than in his home!¡±


    It was true. Johan had done a lot of different stuff while avoiding Note, helping the giants was just an added bonus.


    Johan could feel Note¡¯s eyes drill into his back. ¡°That¡¯s where you were?¡±


    Heh, he knew Note would never find him there. Johan ignored him and smiled at Viddi. ¡°It was nothing.¡±


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Viddi said sternly. ¡±We appreciate it regardless.¡±


    ¡°We have a gift for you.¡± Dornir interrupted and Signe perked up.


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Viddi seemed to sparkle in excitement as Dornir raised his arm and grabbed something from his back.


    Johan''s eyes widened as a big - very, very big - club came into view.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Johan jerked back a step as Dornir let it go and it shook the ground beneath them, sinking far enough down to stay standing.


    Signe slapped a hand over her mouth.


    ¡°Oh.¡± She muttered, dumbfounded. Then her eyes filled with tears and she looked up at Dornir. She ran up his knelt form and hugged him, well as much as she could, her face pushed into his beard. Johan smiled as Dornir visibly softened, his hand coming to hold her too. Then Signe opened her mouth again. ¡°You give good gifts for being such a big, dumb-¡±


    Dornir roared and got to his feet, Signe screaming with laughter as she was thrown and snatched out of the air by an angry Dornir. Johan quickly stopped Vero as a light flashed and her spear appeared in her hand. He grinned at her. ¡°Just wait.¡±


    Dornir brought her closer to his face, about to roar again when-


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Signe said softly. ¡°I love it.¡±


    Dornir¡¯s mouth snapped shut and he breathed angrily, staring at her. After a moment he brought her away from his face and cleared his throat awkwardly, setting her back down on the ground. ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡±


    Johan had to give it to them. A club was a great gift to Signe. However, uhh... Signe was pretty strong, no doubt, but Johan didn¡¯t think she would ever be able to carry that thing. The width of it at the widest was bigger than Johan was tall, not to mention the length which was much closer to Dornir¡¯s own height.


    ¡°Well, we have to get going.¡± Viddi said and Dornir sent a final huff towards Signe before leaving into the forest while Viddi was still speaking. ¡°But I wish you a good rest of your night, all of you! Bye.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for coming!¡± Signe yelled after them. She turned to the club, eyes sparkling. ¡°Look how cool it is! Oh wow! I think this would look good... exactly where it is. There''s no way I¡¯m lifting that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a great gift. They really thought about it.¡± Johan added and laughed as Signe sent him a pleased grin. Her happiness was contagious.


    He liked it. It was good.


    ¡°Children!¡± Johan turned to see Hilda coming around the corner and came to an abrupt stop, a look of amazement on her face, she reached for her chest as she stared at the huge club. ¡°Oh dear¡­¡± She mumbled lowly. ¡°What a magnificent gift!¡±


    Johan snorted, it sure was. Then Hilda turned to them, waving her hands to signal for Signe and Vero to follow her. ¡°Come on you two, there¡¯s still so many people who want to speak with you!¡±


    Johan watched as they left, an amused smile on his face.


    ¡°It¡¯s time.¡± Note said and Johan frowned before realization dawned.


    ¡°Oh no.¡±


    ¡°Hah, yes!¡± Note laughed and shoved the bottle into his hands. ¡°Drink up!¡±

 Fun at the Wedding

    ¡°You¡¯re not coming out of this alive!¡±


    Johan grinned up at Note. His sword gleamed in the sunlight, his thin coat dancing in the wind as he stared back at Johan, eyes hard and unblinking.


    The ribbon was light in Johan¡¯s hands as they circled each other, looking for openings. Note hadn¡¯t been giving him any the entire fight - until he did.


    Note got distracted by the crowd. It was only for a split second but it was enough. With a flick of his wrist Johan attacked, his ribbon going straight for Note¡¯s neck. The ribbon was snatched out of the air and the crowd roared.


    Johan only paused for a second to see Note¡¯s way too eager, smug expression, before he launched. Combining Note¡¯s strong hold on the ribbon together with a strong shove off of the ground, it was only a split second before he was in front of Note.


    He would have thrown Note off balance, but he had predicted it. The ribbon was pulled taut and Johan only had the time to blink before he was yanked through the air and suddenly he was held chest to chest against Note, one hand twisted behind his back as the sharp blade touched his throat.


    ¡°Giving in?¡± Note taunted with a smug grin.


    It seemed like defeat. But if there was one thing Johan knew how to do, it was survive.


    Johan couldn¡¯t help but smile. Note didn¡¯t even know he had already lost. Johan¡¯s ribbon tied around his ankle.


    At Johan¡¯s smile, Note narrowed his eyes, but it was too late. Note yelped as he was thrown to the ground, Johan¡¯s dagger against his neck.


    ¡°Giving in?¡± Johan taunted back. Note stared up at him in surprise, his back against the ground.


    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The world spun and the next thing he knew, he was the one pinned to the ground, right arm held over his head and his dagger thrown away, the slack he had left in the ribbon was gone and instead wrapped around Note¡¯s hand.


    Note grinned down at him and the blade was back against his neck.


    ¡°...I give in.¡±


    The crowd roared and Odin¡¯s booming voice declared the winner. Note staggered up to his feet with a triumphant smile before reaching a hand out to Johan.


    Johan gave a breathless laugh, and tok the hand.


    ¡°Well done.¡± Note grinned and pulled Johan to his feet.


    ¡°Likewise.¡± Johan huffed. His mind spun with the old men¡¯s alcohol. ¡°I¡¯ll get you next time.¡±


    All he got back was a loud laugh. ¡±I¡¯ll get us more to drink.¡±


    As Note left, Johan turned to see Signe and Vero watching him from one of the fur covered seats. He gave a mock bow and got a giggle in return. The party had moved outside to the firepit by now and the sun was just starting to go down around them.


    ¡°Congratulations!¡± Johan jumped as Trym suddenly yelled beside him. For someone his size he was surprisingly good at sneaking up on people. He, like everyone else, was decked out in his finest clothes. Brown leather pants and a dusty blue tunic lined with fur. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t win.¡± Johan informed him with a laugh, moving to one of the closer seats as Leif and one of the other fishers went to take the sparring ground.


    ¡°No, but it was a great fight!¡± Trym exclaimed, radiating excitement. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anyone use rope before!¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not rope, it¡¯s ribbons.¡± Johan corrected him.


    Trym¡¯s eyes sparkled when Johan gave him the edge of the ribbon to look at. ¡°A ribbon, huh? Do you have it all the time?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! It wraps around my forearms.¡± Johan started pulling up the sleeves of his cloak.


    ¡°There¡¯s two of them?¡± Trym asks, looking curiously to Johan¡¯s other arm. Johan laughed. ¡°Oh, I see! It connects over your back! How does it work?¡±


    ¡°I can control the red threads so I can throw them and stuff.¡±


    ¡°That is so cool!¡± Trym gushed.


    ¡°Trym!¡± Then suddenly Odin was there, throwing a big arm around his shoulders. ¡°Let¡¯s let Johan go back to Note, huh?¡±


    Johan frowned and turned back to look at where Note went off to. He was still standing by the table containing all the alcohol, watching Johan with an unhappy look on his face. When he noticed that he had been seen though, he quickly acted like nothing.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind him-¡± Johan started but by the time he turned back Odin had already lugged Trym halfway to their seats.


    ¡°You know you¡¯re really annoying sometimes right?¡± Johan commented as Note sat down next to him, two full mugs in his hands. Note put on an innocent expression. ¡°Don¡¯t even try.¡±


    Note¡¯s looked a little guilty at that. Johan couldn¡¯t describe how unimpressed he was by it.


    ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be having fun with me tonight.¡± Note pouted. Hmm. Weird. Johan frowned and looked closer. Alongside the pout was a deep flush covering his face and neck.


    ¡°You¡¯re drunk?!¡± Johan accused. ¡°When did you have time for that? You were only gone for a couple minutes.¡±


    Instead of answering, Note grabbed his mug and took a sip as if Johan hadn¡¯t said anything.


    From what Johan had witnessed years ago, Note could drink quite a bit. The fact that he somehow managed to get drunk without Johan noticing was honestly impressive. He eyes the now empty bottle Note had left on the table. That wouldn¡¯t be the old men¡¯s one, would it? It was half-full when they got it and Johan had barely had time to get a couple sips.


    ¡°Whatever.¡± Johan shrugged and chugged his own drink.


    Eyes were watching him and Johan calmly set the cup down on the ground next to them.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Johan asked and Note¡¯s head snapped away from him. He waited for a second but didn¡¯t get an answer. Johan furrowed his brows as he saw Note clench his jaw. After a few seconds Note mumbled something under his breath but Johan could only make out ¡°only tonight¡±.


    ¡°Only tonight?¡± He asked and Note¡¯s head snapped to him in surprise.


    Note opened his mouth when suddenly a screeching note from a fele sounded through the air. Johan looked to see Frey had started up again. He stood beside the fire, a wide grin on his face as he played, the red light lighting up the edges of his blonde hair from behind.


    That song was familiar. Johan paused, trying to remember. Around them people started to dance but Frey was watching him with a mischievous grin.


    Johan¡¯s face dropped in realization.


    Suddenly Note started laughing.


    ¡°It¡¯s Fate¡¯s-¡±


    Johan got to his feet, seeing red, but Note simply pulled him back down.


    ¡°It¡¯s a good remix.¡± Note said amused.


    ¡°It¡¯s not meant for partying!¡±


    Note just laughed and pushed his still almost full mug towards Johan. ¡°Calm down. Here, have some more mead to ease up.¡±


    ¡°The song isn¡¯t meant for partying.¡± Johan insisted but Note just laughed and grabbed his hand, placing the mug in it.


    Johan looked unhappily towards Frey. Admittedly it was a good remix, but it was meant for serious occasions! Not for...a wedding.


    ¡°Whatever.¡± Johan sulked into the drink. ¡°It¡¯s Signe¡äs wedding.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit.¡± Note snorted.


    Still.


    One of the drunk old men stumbled past, one of those bottles in hand. Johan snatched it. ¡°You don¡¯t need this anymore.¡±


    The old guy just mumbled and kept going, Johan wasn¡¯t sure he even noticed the bottle was gone.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go somewhere.¡± Johan grinned to Note, raising his brows in challenge. Note frowned towards him, clearly caught off guard.


    ¡°Where?¡± Note asked cautiously but Johan just grabbed his hand and pulled him up to his feet.


    Nobody noticed when they left.

 A good opportunity or a death sentence?

    Knock Knock! Knock Knock! KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK-


    Johan groaned as the loud knocking woke him up. He raised his face from the pillows and slowly pushed up to his elbows as he sluggishly looked to the door where the knocking kept on.


    The sun was shining in through the windows and he was sleeping on top of a lot of blankets spread out on the floor between the couches.


    Where was the table?


    His head hurt. How did he get back home?


    ¡°Who is it?¡± A voice croaked from beside him and Johan looked down to see Note on the single bare spot on the floor, still pretty much asleep.


    Knock Knock-


    ¡°Oh, come on.¡± Johan groaned and flopped back down, hiding his face in his arms. It was way too early for this.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get it.¡± Note said and got up. Johan watched as Note waddled unbalanced towards the door, hand on his head.


    Knock Knock Knock Knock Knock


    It seemed like the knocking only got louder and more erratic as Note moved towards the door.


    A groan came from the couch, then a croaked ¡°Who is it?¡±.


    Johan hadn¡¯t noticed them at first but both Signe and Vero were sleeping on one of the couches while the other one was empty, only missing a cushion. Signe was  completely hidden beneath Vero who was laying on top of her, one blanket covering both of them. Johan only knew she was there because of the green hair and the white skirt hanging off of the edge of the couch and pooling on the ground.


    ¡°Can you breathe like that?¡± Johan asked. There was movement and a low hiss from Vero, then Signe¡¯s pale face appeared, deep circles and black makeup smudged around her eyes as she squinted at the door.


    Knock Knock Knock Knock- Creak


    More sunlight entered the room as the door opened.


    Their guest stomped inside, straight past Note and Johan pushed himself up again.


    ¡°Where is that damn bastard?!¡± Uflhild screamed, storming through the room, dragging the blanket off Signe and Vero then throwing it back on before stomping into the kitchen and then the bathroom in quick succession.


    ¡°Which one?¡± Johan asked drily, eyeing Note by the door.


    ¡°Frey!¡± Oh. That bastard.


    ¡°Uhh.¡± Johan looked around. Well, he didn¡¯t know where that bastard was. It didn¡¯t seem like he was in their house.


    Without waiting for an answer Ulfhild took off up the stairs and into the bedroom.


    ¡°Ouch!¡±


    Oh so he was in their house. Johan turned to watch as Ulfhild appeared in the bedroom doorway, dragging Frey out and down the stairs by the ear. Johan jumped as she threw him down next to him.


    ¡°Where is my son?!¡± She screamed at him.


    ¡°I dropped Einar off last night, what are you talking about you crazy hag?!¡± Frey jumped over the couch to hide.


    ¡°My other son!¡± Ulfhild screamed. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Emil is missing?¡± Johan asked, mildly concerned.


    ¡°He!¡± Ulfhild pointed her finger at Frey, eyes so wide Johan could see the whites above her iris. ¡°Kidnapped him!¡±


    Johan¡¯s jaw dropped. He glanced over his shoulder and Frey met his eyes, shaking his head vehemently. Johan sat up.


    ¡°Uhh, I don¡¯t think he would do that.¡± Where would he even bring him? Frey didn¡¯t have a house.


    ¡°I would never!¡± Frey yelled.


    ¡°Then where is he!¡±


    ¡°In the Ethereal City!¡± A loud slap followed and a muffled- ¡°Shit.¡±


    Johan¡¯s jaw dropped again. Frey had a hand over his mouth, a guilty expression on his face. Johan looked to Note, who was standing frozen by the door with eyes wide.


    ¡°In the Ethereal City?!¡± Ulfhild screeched.


    Johan felt his eye twitch when Frey didn¡¯t answer. He turned and snapped. ¡°Why?!¡±


    ¡°He got invited to a gallery!¡± The sin finally answered. Ulfhild gasped deeply.


    ¡°That damn astounding boy.¡± Ulfhild whispered. ¡°He left the island at a time like this?! To show off those paintings?!¡±


    Paintings? What paintings-


    Johan¡¯s breath caught in his throat. ¡°No¡­¡±


    The guilty look Frey threw him confirmed it.


    ¡°We¡¯re so dead.¡± Johan muttered, head in his hands. To be indirectly killed by a painter of all people. He stared at the floor, panic rushing through him, his head pounding. What were they going to do?!


    ¡°What have you done?!¡± Vero demanded Frey, throwing off the blanket and stomping over to grab him by the shoulders.


    ¡°I..¡± Frey looked around for help, ¡°It¡¯s a good opportunity for him!¡±


    Johan let his arms fall, his body was ice cold, his hands shaking. This was all just a dream right? It wasn¡¯t actually happening, right?


    ¡°You want Greed to know where we are?¡± Signe snapped at him.


    Frey made a sound and Vero slapped him. ¡°Are you crazy, they will find us! How could you let him go?!¡± Vero yelled and shoved him hard. Frey¡¯s breath hitched at her words and he went pale, stumbling over his feet.


    The room went silent. Then finally Ulfhild spoke up.


    ¡°Johan.¡± She started quietly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I hate to ask you this at this time, but Trym broke his leg last night and I can¡¯t leave him and Einar alone. Odin and Hilda went to Solstad with their kids and the rest are out fishing. I¡¯m the only healer on this island and Astrid is ready to go at any moment¡­¡±


    She didn¡¯t finish but Johan knew what she was asking. She wanted them to go there and bring Emil back home.


    They were supposed to be laying low.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know the way there.¡± Johan whispered. ¡°I have no idea what direction he could have taken or where we could catch up to him.¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± Frey piped up. ¡°I didn¡¯t think so- Shit, I¡¯m sorry. I know the way, I¡¯ll take us there.¡±


    -


    And so it was confirmed. The five of them would go to hopefully intercept Emil before he could get to the gallery. Unfortunately The Ethereal City was a whole day away on boat and Emil had a huge head start. They had only been woken up by Ulfhild at midday and Emil had left as soon as the party ended the night before.


    Within an hour they had changed into proper non-party clothing and gathered what they needed for the trip, some food and their weapons. Emil had taken Ulfhild¡¯s map and they had to dig through Odin¡¯s house to get another one for Frey to use. Finally after almost two hours, they were all on the boat and on their way to a city Johan had never been in before.


    And it was hell. Johan laid pitifully on the wood floor and groaned with the boat¡¯s every movement. He should not have drunk so much at the party-


    He groaned in unison with both Note and Signe as they went over a particularly evil wave. Unfortunately he was hungover but luckily he could share the misery. He had thrown up over the side of the boat just a few minutes ago, and a couple minutes before that and-


    Point was. It was hell. Not only that, but it was way too bright for him to try and sleep.


    ¡°Sit up, Johan. It¡¯ll help.¡± Note said from where he was sitting curled up at the back of the boat.


    Johan glared up at Frey where he was rowing with Vero. ¡°You better be rowing quickly.¡±


    In Frey¡¯s defense he didn¡¯t even snap back, instead he looked more guilty.


    Johan sighed, glancing at Signe beside him where she laid face down on the floor, hair spread out around her. The newlywed¡¯s first outing¡­


    ¡°Here.¡± Johan looked up through bleary eyes at Note who was holding something dark out to him. ¡°It¡¯s my jacket.¡±


    Oh. Johan reached up but instead of giving it to him, Note sat down next to him. Johan closed his eyes again and let his arm fall back over them, trying to cover as much of the sunlight as possible. A second later his upper arms were grabbed and he was gently pulled up and his head laid down on something slightly softer than the wood.


    ¡°Stop it.¡± Johan groaned as Note pulled his arm away, but the sun only blinded him for a moment before Note put his folded jacket over his eyes.


    ¡°Oh, thanks.¡± Johan mumbled and after an hour of torment he finally fell asleep.

 A friend?.. Are you sure about that? :D

    Red fire flickered in his eyes. A crow screeched and the village burned against the dark backdrop of night.


    ¡°Land o''hoi!¡±


    Johan gasped, tearing the cloth from his eyes - only to cover them with his forearm as the sun burned down at him.


    ¡°You ok?¡± Note asked and Johan squinted up at him.


    Johan cleared his throat, sitting up. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    He looked around, hands quivering. They were still on the boat, the ocean stretching on as far as the eye could see. A dream. It was a dream. They had just left the village, everything was fine. He took a shuddering breath and avoided Note¡¯s concerned eyes.


    ¡°We¡¯re here!¡± Frey yelled and only then did Johan notice nobody was rowing.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Johan turned around to see a large forest towered behind him. Wow, they must have moved quickly, he felt like he had barely slept.


    Frey cheered and jumped over the side of the boat, landing in knee deep water, wading the rest of the way with a rope in his hand.


    ¡°Wait.¡± Note said slowly as they got up.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Johan asked.


    ¡°This is the wrong place.¡± Note said lowly, meeting Johan¡¯s eyes with a frown. ¡°This isn¡¯t where you enter the kingdom.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s weird.¡± Signe commented.


    ¡°You¡¯re right!¡± Frey interrupted, finishing tying the rope around a nearby tree and spread his arms to them proudly. ¡°This is a more secretive and hidden route! We can¡¯t be seen entering the normal way, of course.¡±


    The boat swayed in the water and Johan eyed the forest. They were right at the edge, on a small area similar to a beach leading straight to a steep uphill.


    Johan grimaced. They were going hiking weren¡¯t they. Signe seemed to have realized the same thing and started balling up the skirt of her dress up in one hand.


    ¡°Come on!¡± Frey yelled and pulled the boat closer to land.


    ¡°Here.¡± Vero jumped off the boat into the water and grabbed Signe, carrying her over to dry land. Johan grimaced as they kissed but jumped down next to them anyways. He glanced up at the hill. Not even a footpath.


    ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I go to the city all the time and I always go this way!¡± Frey reassured them as they walked.


    Fair enough.


    -


    After an hour Johan was regretting believing Frey at all.


    Johan had been right, he breathed hard. It was hiking!


    It turned out the little top he had seen earlier was only the first of many. So, so many. Everytime they passed one top, another came into view! How long did Frey expect them to walk?!


    The blonde man was now leading them around a top, hundreds of meters over the water, but at least they didn¡¯t have to walk over this top. It was a small blessing. Maybe they would reach the city soon.


    They were walking in silence, except for harsh breathing coming from everyone. Somehow Frey still managed to look chipper and excited, even as he panted for air. It was weird, he would usually be the one to complain the most, even if this was his choice. He was probably still feeling bad from letting Emil go to the gallery in the first place.


    Suddenly Frey turned to them, walking backwards.


    ¡°A little music on the way?¡± Frey grinned and reached for his fele. Johan felt his eye twitch as a very familiar chord was played. Frey quickly seemed to realize his mistake and let out a nervous laugh before starting a different song.


    ¡°How much longer?¡± Note asked.


    ¡°Oh, not too long.¡± Frey said along to his music. ¡°It¡¯s right up this hill.¡±


    ¡°The city is right up this hill?¡± Note asked incredulously. Johan watched the exchange curiously and raised an eyebrow, sharing a look with Signe.


    ¡°No, the cave is.¡± Frey said and for a second the music paused, hands frozen in the middle of playing.


    ¡°And the cave leads to the city?¡± Note asked.


    ¡°Exactly!¡± Frey exclaimed and the music resumed. Note glanced back at Johan and Signe with furrowed brows. ¡°You got it!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re here!¡± Frey yelled suddenly and started shoving aside bushes, a cave appearing behind it. Johan blinked into the darkness. It seemed to go directly into the mountain. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Frey said and started herding them inside from the back. Was he done leading them now?


    Johan tok the first steps. The cave was chilly but not humid like the ones on the island. It was weird not hearing the sound of dripping water. Instead the only sound was their echoing footsteps. The light was disappearing quickly as they continued inside. Johan turned back. ¡°We don¡¯t have a torch, can¡¯t we just walk outside?¡±


    ¡°No, no it¡¯s fine.¡± Frey said from somewhere and suddenly the cave lit up. Johan jumped as torches on the wall suddenly started burning one by one. He turned in surprise.


    ¡°Dwarf technology...¡± Johan muttered under his breath and Frey turned to him with wide eyes.


    ¡°Woah.¡± Vero wondered.


    ¡°How did you know that?¡± Frey asked, a funny smile on his face and Johan opened his mouth to answer when suddenly the floor moved.


    Signe let out a startled yelp in as they started descending downwards. A platform, just like the one in Viddi¡¯s old cave. Johan looked around in alarm as they sank further down and the place they were just standing covered itself with a new floor, trapping them on the slowly moving platform.


    His hair stood on end.


    Johan shared a look with Note. Nothing about this seemed right.


    ¡°What is going on?¡± Signe asked lowly, body tense and eyes narrow. Nobody answered.


    Frey stayed silent, staring in the air with no emotion on his face. Johan turned, putting the wall directly behind him. ¡°Frey-¡± Johan started.


    ¡°Johan.¡± Frey interrupted lowly, voice chilling. ¡°Before we arrive I have to tell you something.¡±


    His heart skipped and subconsciously he took a step back, feeling for his ribbons. A bad feeling was growing in his stomach. A very bad feeling. He felt cornered.


    Frey turned to him, face stone cold. ¡°I need you to listen to what I have to say. Pay attention and don¡¯t interrupt me. Don¡¯t do anything rash.¡± Frey paused for a second. ¡°That goes for all of you.¡±


    ¡°What is that supposed to mean?!¡± Note raged, taking a threatening step forward.


    ¡°I wish there was a better way to do this,¡± Frey muttered, more to himself than to them. He shook his head. Eyes passing Note and setting directly on him. Johan swallowed. ¡°Down there are the rest of the sins, as well as about half the population of Heaven.¡±


    ¡­what?


    ¡°You-!¡± Signe screamed, a light flashed and she charged, axe lifting behind her, only an arm length away.


    But she didn¡¯t hit him. Instead the axe hit something else, something hard, and the axe bounced off it. She felt around in front of her. ¡°What-¡± Her breath hitched.


    Johan could only watch as she slowly turned to Vero with eyes wide in horror. Her voice was cold when she spoke up again. ¡°A shield.¡±


    Vero flinched.


    A shield, Johan repeated to himself.


    They had been caught.


    ¡°You can¡¯t kill Frey.¡± Vero told her. ¡°I¡¯m not going to let anything happen to you. Not any of you. Nothing will change.¡±


    ¡°Oh, something will.¡± Signe sneered, axe back in her hands.


    The walls opened up around them and a huge room revealed itself below, the platform slowly descending into it. Johan clenched his clammy fists, trying to control his breathing. Straight ahead of them, on a terrace of some sort, were dozens - if not more - dwarfs.


    Like in a fog Johan barely noticed the cheering. Loud and excited. Their names and titles screamed over and over.


    He swallowed and looked down.


    It was exactly like Frey had said.


    There they were. More deities than Johan could even count, all gathered up in a huge crowd, stuffed even in this huge room. To his horror he recognized a lot of them.


    They reached the floor. The platform came to a creaking stop. Johan¡¯s hands shook, wide eyes on the floor. Footsteps surrounded them.


    Johan tok a shuddering breath. And looked up.


    They had been betrayed.


    Surrounding them were the sins. All of them except one. He forced his clenched fists open just enough to grab his ribbons.


    ¡°Welcome.¡± A familiar voice spoke. Envy. Note shifted to cover Johan, his back tense.


    Johan glared at the woman and straightened up. Silence fell over the room as he looked around. ¡°And Greed? He didn¡¯t want to watch the show?¡±


    Deities shifted in the crowd, glancing at each other.


    ¡°Johan.¡± Frey started with a gentle voice.


    ¡°Shut up.¡± Johan said, voice stronger than he felt. The ground felt heavy under his feet. ¡°If you think this is all it takes, you¡¯re wrong.¡±


    ¡°Listen to me!¡± Frey yelled, acting all offended. Johan cocked his head at him. ¡°Everything is fine, just don¡¯t jump to conclusions!¡±


    Johan didn¡¯t say anything. He glanced at Signe where she stood, still by Vero. She shook her head just barely. Ok, so the shield was still up. As much as he wanted to attack right then, they couldn¡¯t. Johan eyed Frey.


    Gluttony wringed her hands from the other side of Johan and he watched her out of the corner of his eye.


    ¡°We heard you got married.¡± She told Signe silently, a hesitant smile on her lips. She glanced uncertainly at Vero and then at Sloth beside her. ¡°To¡­Vero.¡±


    ¡°For now.¡± Signe spoke loud and clear, and Vero flinched, her eyes widening in shock. Johan laughed darkly. A day long marriage. Johan should have killed her when he had the chance.


    ¡°Damn you guys.¡± Note hissed, hands clenching and unclenching. He couldn¡¯t summon his sword yet, not even for his own comfort. He knew just as well as Johan that fighting was off the table.


    Johan still stared at Frey and gritted his teeth. The guy seemed nervous, eyes shifting between the sins. As if it was really him that was cornered and not them.


    Finally Frey met his eyes. Johan raised an eyebrow to signal he was listening.


    ¡°Greed isn¡¯t the one that killed Note and Signe.¡±


    Johan closed his eyes with a sigh. Did he really think Frey would speak truthfully?


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you.¡± Johan said.


    ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± Johan turned his head just enough to see Lust speaking from behind them. Johan waited for a moment but nobody offered an explanation.


    ¡°Yeah, ok. And I¡¯m just supposed to believe you?¡± Johan asked incredulously. Did they think he was an idiot? Frey opened his mouth but before he could say anything, something flickered across his face and he stayed silent.


    ¡°Of course not.¡±


    Johan froze, a deep chill going down his spine.


    He hadn¡¯t heard that voice in years.


    He slowly turned around to see the crowd splitting. A black-haired man walking towards them. Red eyes met sharp brown.


    The man came to a stop just outside the ring of sins.


    ¡°I will explain everything.¡± Greed smiled softly. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you, nephew.¡±

 The consqeuences of their actions

    For a second Johan stood there, heart racing.


    ¡°Uncle.¡± He said.


    Around him the sins fell to one knee, head bowed in respect, and even the other deities followed. Interestingly Wrath stayed standing.


    ¡°Look at you.¡± Greed smiled warmly, eyeing Johan. ¡°Last time I saw you, you were just an innocent boy with freshly red eyes. I see you''re hiding them, now.¡±


    Well. This was ridiculous. Signe glanced at him and that was enough to know.


    In a flash of light, Johan grabbed his dagger and threw it. Deities gasped and Frey yelled loudly.


    And as expected Greed didn¡¯t move. The dagger sailed right through him.


    ¡°You kept the dagger I see.¡± Greed spoke, clearly amused.


    ¡°An illusion? Too afraid to meet me face to face, huh?¡± Johan snarled, bringing a smile on his face to mimic Greed¡¯s. The dagger flashed back to an earring.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid this is the best I can do at this moment.¡± Greed grimaced. Johan eyed him, he looked fine. Ruffled hair. Clean clothes, simple slacks and one of those shirts with the ruffles. He looked normal.


    Johan didn¡¯t bother to acknowledge him with a response, instead he straightened up and settled to wait.


    ¡°For the past almost five years I have been in the captivity of my old partner in crime-¡±


    ¡°Captivity?¡± Johan interrupted in shock. He shared a look with Note. Why would they use an excuse like that? Did they have anything to gain from making Greed seem innocent? He was the one that started all this.


    ¡°I understand what this looks like.¡± Greed continued and Johan glanced around uncertainty.


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t. What do you want?¡± He asked coldly.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t tell you because you would have tried to save him and gotten yourself killed.¡± Frey said.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have.¡± Johan snapped. Of course he wouldn¡¯t.


    ¡°Maybe not. Not while you think he¡¯s the enemy. But if you knew he was innocent from the start? There is that hero complex of yours, afterall.¡± Envy said. ¡°Of course you would have gone to save him, you had nobody else.¡±


    Johan clenched his jaw. They spoke as if they knew him. A pawn in Greed¡¯s game, someone useless they had to wait to use. A small fish they threw back into the ocean so he would grow big enough to eat.


    ¡°Then if you¡¯re not going to kill us, what do you want?¡± Johan asked tiredly. Greed stared at him with calculating eyes.


    ¡°Your help.¡± He answered simply.


    Johan stared at him for a second.


    ¡°My help.¡± Johan repeated bitterly. He should have expected this. ¡°And what exactly do you need my help for?¡±


    ¡°To take back Heaven.¡± Greed answered.


    Johan felt his mask break at that. He took a deep breath and stared at Greed. Then around him. The sins were still watching him cautiously. All these deities around them. Deities he recognized. That he grew up with. That ran him out of Heaven. That killed his friends?! They wanted his help?!


    Johan threw his head back and laughed.


    The sins shifted cautiously. Deities muttered in the crowd.


    Was he going crazy? What even was this all for?! ¡°Now? You want to use me now?!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not using you-¡± Frey tried to interrupt but Johan could barely hear him.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Greed sighed. ¡°Thomas has been-¡±


    Thomas?


    ¡°Who even is that?!¡± Johan asked.


    ¡°He used to be Old Life/Death¡¯s servant.¡± Frey informed.


    ¡°Yes. That dirty deity of deceit-¡± Greed snarled but stopped himself midway through the sentence. He cleared his throat and corrected his shirt collar in an attempt to regain his composure. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for the perfect time and it¡¯s now. You have discovered your powers and he knows you''re alive. It¡¯s all starting.¡±


    Greed turned to Lust. ¡°If you would.¡±


    Lust nodded and reached behind him, grabbing a small stack of papers and holding them out. Johan eyed them for a second before he snatched them, glancing at the paper.


    Oh-Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Involuntarily he took a step back, sending an alarmed look back at Note and Signe who stepped closer to see.


    It was of his first vision, a sketch of it, but somehow more detailed. It showed Johan, standing before the weeping tree, and Note¡¯s arm breaking through the ground in front of him. He flipped to the next page only to see the three of them in the village. Quickly he flicked through the rest of the pages. Everything was on there.


    ¡°Parts of Old Fate¡¯s journal.¡± Greed gave a tense smile. ¡°My brother left behind a very, very telling vision. He saw Life and Death coming back before they were even deities. At first I didn¡¯t know what to think. When I first saw the journal I didn¡¯t know what to think. I had just seen these two deities come to life and there it was, a whole different tale of the same story. But I soon understood.¡±


    ¡°You knew they were going to die and you didn¡¯t do anything.¡± Johan accused.


    ¡°I knew they were coming back. That was all I knew.¡± Greed corrected. ¡°I didn¡¯t know how or when they would die, only that it would happen. And you know, Johan, what happens if you try to change the future.¡±


    Johan looked away.


    ¡°Let me start from the very beginning.¡± Greed started. ¡°As you know, between me and my older brother, your father, I became a deity first but he was the first to go to Heaven. He was picked by Fate just like you were and went to learn. Though he was fairly old at that point, already in his twenties while usually new Fates are found in their childhoods. I was a young teenager when he was chosen and he was my only guardian. When you become a deity you have to leave your human life behind so I was left alone. Not by his choice of course.


    ¡°Without him I struggled for a long time until I realized. You can gain anything just by knowing what to say and when to say it. And I used that to my own advantage. This was when I met Thomas. We were partners in crime. He was a tool, a good tool, but still only a tool. And that was all he was to me.¡± Greed paused, tilting his head slightly. ¡°Something went askew and I¡¯m afraid he has carried a grudge against me for leaving him to deal with the fallout.¡±


    Johan wasn¡¯t even surprised. Greed had always been a bad person.


    ¡°Shortly after he was imprisoned I became the deity of Wealth. A couple years later the trials were over and he was sentenced for execution. But right before, he ascended. When he came to Heaven, he schemed. He made a different version of himself. Stupid but kind. And most of all, forgettable. You could imagine him hurting a fly, but you wouldn¡¯t. You wouldn¡¯t think of him at all. And that¡¯s how he did it. He was just the kind of person Old Life/Death would hire to be his attendant. Afterall, that¡¯s exactly the kind of person he wanted working for him. Out of sight, out of mind. And Thomas was exactly that.¡±


    Greed laughed darkly. ¡°He hid from me. Otherwise I would have caught him before he could do anything. His powers attack the mind and after years Old Life/Death was too far gone. In a fit of madness he had to be put down.


    ¡°Your dad saw this in a vision and went to stop him. But you can¡¯t change fate. And all he did was set the stone rolling.¡± Greed looked behind Johan. ¡°And that¡¯s how you two came to be deities.¡±


    So that¡¯s what happened... Johan shook his head.


    ¡°Nothing happened for a year. Everything was fine.¡± He argued.


    ¡°It was.¡± Greed admitted. ¡°But Heaven was in a state of uncertainty. Three new leaders at once. And children at that. For the first time the deity of Life and Death had been separated into two people instead of one. People weren¡¯t happy with the situation and Thomas used this unease to gain supporters and managed to call a revolution.¡±


    Beside him, Note made a sound and any sympathy he might have felt for Greed disappeared.


    ¡°A revolution?!¡± Johan snarled. His face hardened and he looked around. These deities murdered Note and Signe for this Thomas guy to become their new ruler. ¡°It sounds like you got what you wished for.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s not anymore!¡± Someone from the crowd yelled and many shouted in agreement. Johan almost laughed.


    ¡°We need you to take your rightful place.¡± Greed insisted softly, like he was scolding a child. ¡°On his way to power, Thomas deceived many.¡± Greed tried to justify. ¡°He manipulated and he tricked. But it was all wrong. We need to take Heaven back from him before he ruins it. Don¡¯t blame anyone, Thomas is devious and it¡¯s not their fault for getting tricked.¡±


    The crowd once again loudly agreed.


    ¡°Seriously? Murdering Note and Singe was a ¡®mistake¡¯?!¡± Johan asked and as if on cue, Greed¡¯s illusion started flickering, for a split second he looked pale and rugged, his clothes dirty and messy and he seemed to be looking straight through Johan with a surprised expression on his face.


    ¡°He wasn¡¯t supposed to be back yet.¡± Greed muttered to himself. Johan watched irritatedly as the illusion continued to flicker.


    Greed quickly looked back at Johan. ¡°I need to go. Johan, I believe you¡¯ll do what¡¯s right.¡±


    The illusion disappeared.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t their fault for being tricked.¡± Johan repeated to himself. ¡°Seriously?¡±


    He looked around the room, at every deity in there. So many of them he knew. The deity of agriculture, the deity of protection, the deity of love, the deity of innocence, and so, so many more.


    He looked at all of them, and saw what they really were. Trash.


    ¡°It¡¯s not their fault.¡± Johan quoted, mocking Greed¡¯s words. ¡°It¡¯s not their fault they decided murder was an option.¡±


    People flinched as he spoke. Many looked away. But Johan didn¡¯t relent. Nobody was saying anything and if it was for any other reason, Johan would be happy to see the pained and guilty expressions on their faces. But not now. Not when he knew the only reason they changed their minds was because they wanted something. Guilt didn¡¯t change the past. They hadn¡¯t even apologized, yet they had the audacity to say it was all a mistake.


    ¡°You decided to trust some random guy and now that you know that he sucks, you want me to ''step up to my rightful place¡¯ and get rid of him?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that-!¡± Deities in the crowd yelled. ¡°Wait, that¡¯s not-¡± Even the sins tried to interrupt but Johan just spoke louder.


    ¡°You killed my friends and you tried to kill me too. I don¡¯t care that your comfortable little bubble burst. That the second you entered Heaven you decided that you could do nothing wrong anymore so why not do whatever you want no matter how terrible it is!¡°


    He took a couple deep breaths, trying to control his anger.


    ¡°I won¡¯t help you. And when you are all dead, I will feel peace.¡± Johan made it very clear it was the truth. The only people he cared for in this whole room were there involuntarily. ¡°You made your choice. Now live with it.¡±


    You could hear a pin drop with how silent it was.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the exit?¡± He asked Frey directly.


    Frey watched him with a defeated look. After a moment he looked away and pointed behind Johan.


    Johan glared at Wrath where she stood amongst the sins, right where she belonged, daring her to try and make them stay. And then he turned around. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    They only got a few steps away before Frey yelled after them. ¡°Johan, it¡¯s not just for us! Aren¡¯t you tired of all this? Of hiding? You can¡¯t even cut your hair in fear of anyone seeing your eyes! You have the power to stop this so please!¡±


    ¡°Just shut up, Frey.¡± Note called back and put a hand on Johan¡¯s back.


    They kept walking.

 Aftermaths of Betrayal

    Johan didn¡¯t let down his guard the entire way out. He was unable to shake the feeling that they would get attacked and made sure that Signe and Note were walking slightly ahead of him.


    In the end they didn¡¯t get attacked. The deities actually let them go.


    The exit turned out to be a long tunnel going through the mountain, long enough that even though they walked straight ahead, the huge room with deities completely disappeared into darkness behind them.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it.¡± Johan muttered angrily and kicked a stone as hard as he could at the wall.


    Note huffed beside him. ¡°They are horrible.¡±


    They were all angry, but none more than Signe. Johan eyed her where she stomped, leaving small cracks in the ground at each step.


    He pinched his lips. Wrath did that.


    ¡°Vero¡­¡± Johan turned to see Signe stopped. Her face shadowed and her fists clenched white.


    She let out a huffed laugh, fists releasing and all tension leaving her body-


    And screamed.


    Johan¡¯s hands flew to his ears and he shared an alarmed look with Note as she curled inward, screaming at the top of her lungs before lunging at the wall, fist punching right into the rock.


    ¡°I was married for one whole day!¡± She screamed, trying to tug her arm free from where her forearm had disappeared into it. Her lips wobbled for a split second before anger clouded her again, stones falling as she freed her arm and stomped on past them.


    Johan gritted his teeth as he and Note followed after her.


    ¡°Those damn sins.¡± He hissed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t blame her.¡± Signe said. ¡°That¡¯s my job.¡±


    ¡°It can be both our jobs.¡± Johan grumbled.


    ¡°It will be all our jobs.¡± Note corrected. ¡°I can¡¯t believe she would do this. Or Frey.¡±


    Johan felt the corners of his lips pull down at the mention of him.


    -


    It didn¡¯t take too long to reach where the tunnel ended and the only thing ahead was a red door. A small red door. Perfectly dwarf-sized but to Johan it only reached his hips. He frowned at it for a long moment before glancing hesitantly back through the tunnel. There was still nobody behind them.


    ¡°Can we just open it?¡± Note asked, crouching down to look closer at it. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Johan has been expecting some kind of open cave exit, like the one they entered though, not a suspiciously simple door at an otherwise complete dead-end.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not going back.¡± Johan huffed but it was Signe that opened it.


    She pushed the door open and without any hesitation she stomped though, only having to bend down a little bit. Johan shared a look with Note before giving a small shrug and gesturing for him to follow after her.


    Note went out with a lot more caution than she had. He looked through and made a surprised noise before crawling out and Johan took an extra moment to look back before following.


    The light hit him first. Bright enough that he had to shield his eyes and let them get used to it. He got up on his feet and shoved the door shut only to see it seamlessly blend into the sterile, glossy white wall.


    Surprised, he looked around the room. Because shockingly enough that¡¯s where they had ended up. In a room. The roof was exactly the same as the walls, glossy and completely white, with stained gray wood floors and a similar wooden staircase to the left.


    Johan looked around in wonder. Was this a part of the dwarfs¡¯ workshop? He had never seen anything like it. There were no windows or lights that he could see, yet the entire room was almost blindingly bright.


    ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± Note said in surprise.


    ¡°What do you mean, we¡¯re here? Where¡¯s here?¡± Johan asked, still looking around. His eyes widened. Paintings in intricate frames covered the walls and even more were stacked behind the staircase.


    ¡°Is this the gallery?!¡± Signe exclaimed.


    ¡°What the..?¡± Johan breathed.


    ¡°It¡­¡± Signe hesitated and turned to Note. ¡°This isn¡¯t even close to where we left the boat, is it?¡±


    Note confirmed it with a small nod. Johan paused. How could they have gotten here if the mountain was so far away-


    Johan saw red.


    ¡°Frey brought us to Heaven?¡± Johan¡¯s eyes twitched. Oh, if he ever saw that guy again he would -


    Note threw an arm over his shoulder and started leading the way towards the staircase. ¡°Let¡¯s not get angry right now. We still have to find Emil.¡±


    Note was right of course so Johan tried to calm down. A thought crossed his mind. Did that mean the dwarfs¡¯ workshop was in Heaven? That...surprisingly made sense. No wonder nobody ever saw them. Except, the cave that Viddi and the other giants lived in definitely wasn¡¯t there, at least as far as Johan knew. He glanced back at where the door disappeared. Maybe it was only this workshop?


    ¡°Come on.¡± Note called back to Signe.


    SLAM


    Johan jerked around to see the door flung open and vivid orange hair coming through.


    ¡°Signe!¡± Wrath called out, breathing heavily. ¡°It¡¯s not what it looks like!¡±


    Signe worked her jaw angrily and snarled. ¡°Go away.¡±


    ¡°Please, Signe. I didn¡¯t know any of this-¡± Wrath pleaded, getting back on her feet with the door wide open behind her. She tried getting closer but Signe immediately summoned her axe.


    ¡°Yeah, right!¡± Signe yelled and Johan and Note quickly took a step back as she readied her weapon.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t let you kill Frey.¡± Wrath yelled but she didn¡¯t summon her spear. ¡°That¡¯s the only reason I put up the shield! I had no idea what he was planning!¡±


    ¡°Those people killed us and you helped him bring us right to them!¡±


    Johan watched them tensely but Wrath didn¡¯t move to attack. Not even when Signe started forward, instead she raised her arms in surrender.


    Besides a quick glance over at them, the only person Wrath paid any attention to was Signe. Could she really not have known?


    Johan looked at Note, who was buzzing to go help but clearly had no idea how to, his eyes flickering back and forth between the two.


    ¡°Let¡¯s leave them alone.¡± Johan decided and guided them back towards the stairs. ¡°This is their fight.¡±


    ¡°It will get violent.¡± Note muttered unhappily but didn¡¯t disagree. Signe and Wrath kept yelling behind them. Johan grimaced.


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s not be here for that.¡±

 A Good Opportunity!

    Johan tok a deep breath as they ventured up the stairs. First he had to focus on the task at hand; Find Emil and get him back home. Despite their¡­detour, they had arrived at the gallery only one person down.


    Or, well. Johan squinted, hearing the fighting behind them. Possibly two people down.


    Johan followed Note.


    The first thing he noticed was the noise. There were people talking upstairs. And not a few people either. A lot of people. It was confirmed when he got high enough to see over the top of the stairs.


    The place was fully packed!


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Johan looked around worriedly. The room was the same as downstairs except much bigger. Every wall had multiple paintings hanging from it and around each and every one of them, crowds of people were looking at and discussing them. Luckily, at least from the first glance, Johan couldn¡¯t see any of Emil¡¯s paintings.


    ¡°There he is!¡± Note said, grabbing Johan¡¯s arm and pulling him along through the crowd.


    They passed a corner and all hope left him.


    Oh no. Oh no no no. Johan felt his jaw drop as he finally saw the paintings. There were so many of them! A lot of them Johan recognized, like the one where Note revived the wheat field and the one of Signe killing the n?kks. But more than a few of them Johan had never seen before, paintings of stuff Emil definitely shouldn¡¯t know anything about!


    Note kept pushing them through and Johan ducked his head to hide as people turned to glare after them.


    Finally they broke free of the crowd and that¡¯s when Johan saw him.


    Emil was standing there all peacefully, talking to some guys in black suits.


    At the sight of them Emil¡¯s eyes almost popped out. He gaped at them like a fish and for a second it looked like he was going to run away. Before he could though, Johan stormed past the men in suits and grabbed him by his collar.


    ¡°Emil.¡± Johan hissed at him, pulling him in face to face. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡±


    ¡°Ahaha..¡± Emil laughed nervously, his hands coming up in a placating manner. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    Emil swallowed audibly and glanced between Johan and the men he was talking to. ¡°Ehm, gentlemen, I¡¯m sorry but we¡¯ll have to, uh, finish this talk later.¡±


    Johan gritted his teeth and dragged him away. Later? That was not happening, they were leaving right now. Behind him the men spoke. ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t that the guy from the painting?¡±


    ¡°Where are you taking me?¡± Emil tried.


    ¡°We¡¯re leaving, right now!¡± Johan dragged him towards the door. ¡°Note, can you go grab Signe-¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Emil pulled free from his grip and backed into the corner of the room. ¡°No! I have the right to be here!¡±


    ¡°Yeah? Is that why you left in the middle of the night without telling anyone?¡± Johan challenged.


    ¡°Why would you put everyone in danger like this?¡± Note scolded. ¡°It¡¯s not just us, if anyone finds out where we are, the entire village will get hurt.¡±


    Emil stopped at that, he bit his lips sheepishly and didn¡¯t meet their eyes. Johan sighed and crossed his arms. Luckily they got far enough away from everyone so they weren¡¯t being watched.


    ¡°I just..¡± Emil hesitated, frowning. ¡°I - This is a once in a lifetime event. It¡¯s one of the most famous galleries in the world and I was invited. I couldn¡¯t just say no.¡±


    ¡°This morning your mom almost broke down our door in worry, wanting to know where you were.¡± Note said gently. ¡°You should have told her where you were going.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t have. She supports me but she wouldn¡¯t have let me go.¡± Emil said with a low voice. ¡°My whole life I¡¯ve worked for this. I need results.¡±


    Emil begged with wide, desperate eyes. ¡°Please. It¡¯s just today. I promise nobody will see these paintings after today.¡±


    Johan looked to Note for help. Their eyes met and Johan could see the sympathy in his eyes. Exactly what Johan didn¡¯t want to see. Damn it.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe this.¡± Johan sighed, rubbing his face. Emil stared at him with his big doe eyes. ¡°Fine!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Emil cheered.


    ¡°But the second it closes for the day we are going home.¡± Johan stated.


    Emil punched the air in celebration. ¡°Thank you, thank you! You won¡¯t regret it. I¡¯ll make you guys the most famous people in this city!¡±


    Johan just stared at him. That was the complete opposite of what he wanted. Emil didn¡¯t seem to get it though. ¡°Come! I¡¯ll show you my masterpiece!¡±


    And now it was Johan¡¯s turn to get dragged around. Emil grabbed his wrist and started pulling him back the same way they came from, information falling out of his mouth. He pointed at all of his paintings as they passed them.


    ¡°There¡¯s the painting of Signe and Vero¡¯s engagement! The time Signe saved the village. Note in the wheatfield-¡±


    He kept talking until finally he stopped them, back in the place where the suited men were still standing. ¡°And here is my masterpiece.¡±


    Johan stopped at the sight.


    It was a painting...of him?!


    Slowly he let his breath out. A chill creeping down his spine.


    The paintings showed him sitting on a throne. On his head was a golden crown.


    This couldn¡¯t be real. Of course it wasn¡¯t, nothing like this would ever happen. Johan wasn¡¯t going to take over Heaven.


    The scariest part however was his eyes. His hair in the painting had been braided back, one on each side of his head. But as far as Johan knew, Emil had never seen his eyes. He was always careful to keep them covered in public, even when just in the village.


    So how did he paint them exactly right?


    He stared into his own eyes like it was a mirror and raised his hand to feel his neck, where the painting depicted a scar Johan definitely didn¡¯t have.


    Emil¡¯s words broke him out of his mind. ¡°In difference to my other paintings where I have just taken artistic liberties on real events, this one is entirely out of my own imagination.¡±


    Johan let out a breath. His own imagination. Right, of course. It couldn¡¯t be anything else afterall.


    He turned around, his heart recovering slowly from the sudden pounding. He saw Note standing there, staring in shock at the painting.


    ¡°It¡¯s magnificent!¡± One of the men in suits stated loudly.


    ¡°That¡¯s...¡± Note muttered when Johan got close enough.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take a walk.¡± Johan said. He felt the eyes of the men in suits on his back. It was suffocating.


    He needed fresh air.


    Finally outside he took a deep breath in. His legs felt shaky.


    ¡°Are you ok?¡± Note voice came from behind him. Johan nodded. Giving himself a moment longer before he got back up. Note looked at him worriedly, hand reached out but not touching.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Just¡­¡± Johan glanced back into the gallery, but couldn¡¯t see anything past the crowd. ¡°Surprised.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Note agreed, his eyebrows still drawn together but his hands had relaxed by his sides.


    ¡°That¡¯s not real.¡± Johan muttered. It was so weird. It couldn¡¯t be real. But the feeling he had...it was like he had just seen a vision. But somehow it was in real life.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a painting.¡± Note agreed. ¡°It doesn¡¯t mean anything.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± He breathed weakly. He didn¡¯t have to do anything he didn¡¯t want to.


    They stood in silence for a while and Johan tok the time to look around. The gallery was near the docks, and huge ships were loading off boxes and boxes of stuff. Unlike Solstad though, Johan couldn¡¯t see any street marked nearby.


    The Ethereal city was much bigger than any Johan had been in before. He watched as horses pulled a carriage past them on the wide cobblestone road. Even Solstad only had a few roads though the city, but here they seemed to be everywhere.


    Somehow all the buildings seemed new and colorful, all painted in different vibrant colors, yet every roof was black. Lines with decoration were hanging between the buildings and above the streets. It was really cool.


    ¡°You know,¡± Note started, watching Johan with a small smile. ¡°I used to live here.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Johan looked at him in surprise. He did technically know that but it was the first time Note had told him directly. Note nodded and looked around them proudly.


    ¡°We have time. If you want I can show you around.¡± Note glanced at him smugly.


    ¡°Sure¡± Johan agreed easily.


    ¡°Well, first things first.¡± Note started, gesturing. ¡°This big red tower is a watchtower. It¡¯s one of the first buildings ever built in the city and was used in the big war, a thousand years ago. The royal family moved out here with their highest ranked soldiers after an attack at their old palace and over time as the war was won, more people moved here. It¡¯s all very protected. You can¡¯t see it from here, but tall walls surround the whole inner city and the watchtower is still used to keep track of who enters.¡±


    That was really interesting, Johan thought, easily grabbing at the distraction. Looking closely he could see a man standing under the roof at the top of the tower.


    Note started walking as he continued. ¡°The first people to settle down after the war were mostly the survivors from the other cities and now pretty much everyone that lives here descends from them.¡± Note looked around with nostalgic eyes. ¡°It¡¯s been four years- no, more than that, five or six, since I was last here. I wonder what has changed.¡±


    They walked onto a big, white-stone path that was clearly meant for walking.


    ¡°That¡¯s the royal palace.¡± Note pointed and far ahead Johan saw it. Standing taller than the rest of the city, a bright red building with the same black tile roof as everywhere else. From where they stood Johan could barely make out the gold details of beautiful drawings and markings covering the sides of the palace.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice.¡± Johan voiced his amazement and Note turned to him with a big smile.


    ¡°Note?¡± A shocked voice filled the air and they both turned in surprise.


    A tall man in a sharp black suit stood there, a familiar coat on top, looking like he just saw a ghost. Johan glanced at Note to see him staring back with the same shock.


    ¡°Note.¡± The man breathed.

 A Family Splits Apart

    Johan looked back and forth between the two.


    ¡°Tao.¡± Note said breathlessly.


    The man stepped forward. ¡°It¡¯s you.¡±


    ¡°Who is that?¡± Johan quietly asked Note.


    Note met his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s my¡­my brother in law.¡±


    What? Johan¡¯s head snapped towards the man. What was this? Family reunion day? First Johan¡¯s uncle, now Note¡¯s brother in law?


    ¡°Note¡­You...You¡¯re here!¡± The man¡¯s eyes shone with tears. Johan eyed him. He was young, probably in his early thirties.


    The man shortened the distance and pulled Note into a big hug. ¡°How? How are you here? When Liya was killed you just disappeared. We were so sure you died. What happened to you?¡±


    ¡°I..¡± Note hesitated and looked at Johan before glancing around them. ¡°Not here.¡±


    The man followed Note¡¯s gaze to Johan and his face hardened. ¡°I see. Come with me then.¡±


    Weirdly enough the man started leading them up the same white-stone path they were just standing on, but the only place on this street was¡­ Johan looked cautiously at Note.


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Johan asked quietly so the man wouldn¡¯t hear him.


    ¡°The palace.¡±


    The palace?! Johan stopped in his tracks. For a long second he stared shocked after Note. Really?! He quickly caught up and Note answered before Johan could even open his mouth to ask.


    ¡°Tao is the crown prince.¡± He looked amused as Johan¡¯s jaw dropped. He slapped a hand over his mouth before Tao could see it.


    ¡°The crown prince?! To the kingdom?!¡± He hissed, making sure to stay quiet. The look Note sent him told him he was unsuccessful.


    Wait. Last time Johan met royalty¡­ Oh no. He panicked. This couldn¡¯t be good. Last time he met royalty ended pretty badly¡­


    Guilt flowed through him but he quickly shook his head. This was not the time for that. Nervously he patted his clothes and just followed along. This was Note¡¯s family afterall. He couldn¡¯t be making a bad first impression.


    Soon they reached the steps leading up to the palace. About halfway up there was a gate with guards on either side, both fully dressed in plate armor and were intimidatingly holding long spears. They were standing completely still as they approached, all until Tao walked past and they bowed. And then to make matters worse, they even bowed to Note and to Johan.


    Johan gave them an awkward nod back with his face hidden in his collar as inconspicuous as possible. Note made an amused noise beside him.


    A big garden opened up past the gate, covered by the short wall surrounding the outskirts of the palace. As far as Johan could see, it stretched the whole way around it.


    He looked around in wonder. It was really pretty. Tall and colorful trees, beautiful flowers, and bushes trimmed into various shapes of animals, and right in the middle was a simple stone path sticking out from the bright green grass leading straight to the palace doors.


    ¡°My sister used to love it here. In the gardens.¡± Note told him with a sad smile. ¡°There are stairs around the back that leads down to a river. I can¡¯t even count all the times we would just spend all day down there.¡±


    ¡°She loved the water.¡± Tao added fondly, a similarly sad smile on his face as he watched them from the entrance. Johan hadn¡¯t even noticed they had stopped. Tao opened the doors and they followed him inside.


    ¡°She always hated that she couldn¡¯t go back to visit your town after we got married.¡± Tao reminisced as they walked. ¡°Though she never said it out loud.¡±


    ¡°She loved you too much.¡± Note said suddenly. ¡°That place was a hole anyways. She shouldn¡¯t have missed it.¡±


    ¡°Of course she did, you grew up there afterall. I still remember a tiny version of you running after her at every moment. You never left her side.¡± Tao hummed. Johan¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°A tiny Note?¡± He questioned, eyes sparkling and Note cleared his throat, neck turning red.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Tao gave Johan an amused smile. ¡°Maybe you¡¯ll be interested in hearing some stories of shy little Note?¡±


    Shy?!


    ¡°I would love to.¡± Johan said genuinely, then to Note. ¡°Shy, huh?¡± Note pointedly turned away but Johan snickered as he saw the blush deepening.


    ¡°We should have some old paintings somewhere as well.¡± Tao wondered aloud and Note made a noise.


    ¡°Tao.¡±


    ¡°Ah, sorry. I¡¯m just so happy you¡¯re here! And you even have a friend!¡± Tao led them into a room with a small table and some seats and sat down furthest from the door, motioning for them to sit down across from him. He eyed Note with warm eyes. ¡°Though you are already twenty-for years old now. An adult.¡±


    ¡°Ahh...Well.¡± Note croaked and exchanged a look with Johan. Technically sure, but he had been dead for four of those years so did they really count?


    Johan shook his head. Tao had just relaxed a little, no need to let him know just yet.


    Still with a soft smile on his face, Tao motioned and suddenly a servant appeared with cups and by the time she had exited the room, shutting the door softly behind her, the easy atmosphere had all but disappeared. For a long time nobody spoke.


    ¡°I...actually-¡± Note started but stopped. ¡°It¡¯s a long story.¡±


    Tao watched impassively as he spoke. After a moment, Note straightened up and stared right into his brother in law¡¯s eyes. ¡°But first of all I need you to know that I did not mean to leave.¡±


    Tao frowned. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Note glanced at Johan before turning back to Tao.


    ¡°That day.¡± He started seriously. ¡°I¡¯m sure you already know that someone broke into the house. I¡¯m not sure what they wanted, but whatever it was, they found Liya first. I heard the yelling from my room but by the time I got out there she was on the ground, in a puddle of her own blood. As far as I know, she was already dead.¡± Note paused for a second. ¡°They saw me next and as I pulled my sword out, I was killed.¡±


    Johan stared at the table. That¡¯s how Note became a deity. He still remembered the wound from that day yet it never occurred to him that Note had been murdered.


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡± Tao said with narrow eyes. ¡°You are sitting right there.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s why it¡¯s a long story.¡± Note informed gravely. ¡°What do you know of deities?¡±


    ¡°Are you saying this has to do with them?¡± Tao asked seriously, leaning forward. When he didn¡¯t get a response he straightened back up. ¡°Deities are the superior beings. They control and protect as well as ruin, all depending on what we do and deserve.¡±


    ¡°Do you know how you become one?¡± Note asked.


    Tao stared. ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    ¡°How does a deity become a deity?¡± Note repeated. Tao opened his mouth just to close it again.


    ¡°Nobody becomes a deity.¡± Tao answered finally. ¡°They were here long before any of us ever were.¡±


    ¡°No, they weren¡¯t.¡± Note corrected and Tao leveled him with a silent look. ¡°Have you never wondered about why they are always depicted differently? When a deity dies, the first fitting person takes their place.¡± He took a deep breath and Johan could see his fists shaking just below the edge of the table. ¡°When I died, it didn¡¯t take long before I woke up again. In a very different place.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡± Tao repeated breathlessly, but his eyes flickered to Johan for a second anyways.


    Note continued like he had said nothing. ¡°I woke up in a puddle of my own blood. Inside Heaven¡¯s palace. The Lord of Life and Death had died and I had been picked to replace him.¡±


    ¡°Note.¡± Tao muttered, shaking his head. ¡°Are you expecting me to believe this? That you¡¯re the Lord of Life and Death?¡±


    ¡°Not quite. I¡¯m only the¡­Lord of Life. My sis- uhm. Signe¡­ Uhm, someone else is the Lady of Death. The old one kinda¡­¡± He glanced at Johan for help. ¡°Separated into two.¡±


    ¡°It was a very confusing day.¡± Johan added unhelpfully, remembering the confusion on everyone¡¯s faces as everyone had been cleared from the crumbling palace and instead of one new deity, there were two.


    ¡°You can¡¯t expect me to believe this!¡± Tao repeated loudly. ¡°A deity? Note, this isn¡¯t real.¡±


    ¡°I can prove it.¡± Note said simply and suddenly it was like a switch had been turned off. His eyes glowed purple and the room that was so cozy just a second ago turned dark, the fire in the fireplace went out. Black smoke seemed to seep in from everywhere; the cracks in the walls, the doorframe and even from the windows, they came in big waves.


    Tao jumped to his feet, alarmed and Johan followed, grip tight on his ribbons. The man stood there in shock, a stricken look of fear on his face. But he didn¡¯t look away from Note, and he also didn¡¯t draw his sword, his hand only clutching the hilt of it. He didn¡¯t move, so Johan didn¡¯t either.


    The same smoke appeared from between Note¡¯s hands as he slowly cupped them together.


    Johan watched cautiously as Tao stared in shock and after a long moment he asked. ¡°Are you doing that?¡± It came out more like a breath.


    Note didn¡¯t answer and the smoke only grew denser.


    Then, abruptly, it stopped.


    Note opened his hands and from inside, a purple butterfly appeared. Tao stood there, still as a rock, just starting. Note lifted his hand and with a flutter of its wings the butterfly flew through the room and after making a lap it went right out the slightly open window.


    Note let his arms fall down at his sides. ¡°Do you believe me now?¡±


    Tao had been following the butterfly with his eyes, and swallowed heavily as he stared at the spot it disappeared. He took a deep breath and turned back to Note, this time also looking closely at Johan. With a cautious look Tao looked him over, eyes catching on his hands holding the ribbons, before turning to Note.


    ¡°I do.¡±


    -


    After filling him in on the basics, Tao sat back in his seat, looking defeated and thoughtful. Johan could understand. It was a lot to take in. Note appearing alive was probably enough of a surprise, to find out he was a deity as well was even worse.


    ¡°You¡¯re a deity.¡± Tao stated. Not questioned. Stated.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Note confirmed and twitched involuntarily in Johan¡¯s direction.


    Tao nodded thoughtfully. Then he set his eyes on Johan. ¡°Then who are you? How do you know each other?¡±


    Johan froze, his heart skipping a beat. Ah, right. So he had to explain now. He glanced at Note but found absolutely no help, only mirrored panic.


    ¡°He¡¯s Johan.¡± Note said tensely. ¡°My...¡±


    Johan took a sip of his drink, using it as an excuse to school his expression into something more fit for this conversation.


    ¡°I¡¯m Note¡¯s dear friend Johan.¡± Johan started, extremely aware of how Tao was sizing him up for some reason while smiling. He cleared his throat, knowing how the next part was going to go. ¡°Also known as Fate.¡±


    At once Tao¡¯s face dropped. His eyes went wide as plates as he stared at Johan¡¯s face and Johan grabbed onto the thighs of his pants to keep from patting his hair down further over his eyes.


    ¡°The king?!¡± Tao startled.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Note said at the same time as Johan said, ¡°No.¡±


    Johan glared at Note but he just glared right back.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a king.¡±


    ¡°You would have been.¡± Note hissed back, sending a smile at Tao before turning to Johan and hissing quietly. ¡°He doesn¡¯t know this stuff, it¡¯s just easier to explain without all the baggage-¡±


    ¡°So I take it, yes.¡± Tao interrupted. This time Johan was sure, that was a smile on his lips. ¡°You are the Fate, then.¡±


    Well if he said it that way. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°But not the king?¡± Tao asked. ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a long story.¡± Johan answered, trying to steer away from the subject. Note seemed to have different ideas, though.


    ¡°A power hungry deity turned Heaven against us. As a result Johan fled the city after I and Sig- Lady Death, were killed.¡±


    ¡°You were killed?!¡± Tao exclaimed, eyes turning to rage.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Note answered impassively, barely giving him a glance. ¡°But it¡¯s fine now.¡±


    Unsurprisingly Johan could see that Tao definitely did not think that was fine.


    ¡°We came back to life again and Johan saved us and got out of Heaven. We have lived peacefully since.¡± Note added. ¡°Until now, at least. The man we thought did it was only the scapegoat, instead it was someone else. A man who now knows we are alive and is after us.¡±


    ¡°You will not die.¡± Tao said, his tone deadly. ¡°Not again. Stay here, we will keep you safe.¡±


    Note¡¯s head snapped up. ¡°You still want me to...¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Tao said firmly, not even waiting for Note to finish speaking. ¡°You are family. You will always have a home here. So what do you say?¡±


    There was no way¡­


    Johan looked at Note. Searching for anything even remotely like he was going to turn him down. That he wouldn¡¯t just stay.


    Finally Note turned his head towards Johan and his heart dropped. He saw happiness. A childish excitement in his eyes, all hidden in a small, real smile.


    Of course. Note was going to stay, wasn¡¯t he?


    Johan looked down at his cup. He felt cold. So this was the end, then.


    He forced a smile on his face and looked up at Tao. ¡°It¡¯s getting late, I¡¯ll take my leave.¡±


    Tao nodded, expression unreadable as Johan got to his feet.


    Alarmed, Note called after him but Johan ignored it. Instead he closed the door gently behind him and for the first time in a long day, Johan let his expression fall.


    For a long moment he stood there, facing the door, taking deep breaths to calm himself down. It was fine. Everything was fine. He knew this wouldn¡¯t last forever. He knew that.


    He swallowed and turned. His eyes burned, probably from the smoke. A red figure darted behind a wall. Probably a servant that wanted a front seat to the drama. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to care whether they heard or not.


    Johan quietly walked out of the palace, then out the gate, then down the streets. The sky was already dark by now. They had spent a long time in the palace. Emil was probably waiting for them¡­


    He should find Signe first.


    He continued down the street, lit up in bright lights from what he had thought was decoration hanging between the buildings.


    Then Johan saw them.


    Signe and Vero were laughing by a food stall, sharing something on a stick, and somehow Johan¡¯s heart fell further down into his stomach.


    Right. She had always wanted to see more of the world.


    He swallowed. And turned around.


    The walk back to the gallery was quiet. The beautiful city looked even more beautiful in the dark, yet Johan couldn¡¯t enjoy it. It was a somber setting.


    Emil was waiting outside the building and was rubbing his hands together as he looked around. He caught eye of Johan and a shining smile grew on his face.


    ¡°Johan! It went amazingly! Everyone loved my pieces!¡± Emil bounced over but paused halfway as he seemed to realize something. ¡°Where is Note and Signe? Aren¡¯t they with you?¡±


    Johan looked away. ¡°Let¡¯s just go. Where¡¯s your boat?¡±


    Johan started walking in one direction, only turning when Emil finally stuttered out a response to his question. He must have noticed something was off because he didn¡¯t say anything else after that.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you need to bring your paintings?¡± Johan asked as they reached the small boat.


    ¡°No, they¡¯ll be brought for me in a few days.¡± Emil answered silently.


    It didn¡¯t take them long to get to the boat.


    Johan started rowing. For hours the only words were about the direction back to the village. Emil sat curled up at the helm, holding the map, and was eyeing Johan warily every few seconds, but every time he seemed to raise the courage to ask, something seemed to stop him.


    That¡¯s when it happened. One second he was on the boat, watching the waves glint in the moonlight, and the next he was inside a house.


    Disoriented by the change he stood there for a few seconds.


    Where was he?


    He slowly looked around. It was familiar. He was sure he had been there before, but when-


    Suddenly a scream came from outside. Johan didn¡¯t think before running for the door, ribbons ready.


    What he saw sucked the breath from his lungs. Johan looked back to the house he just came from. Odin¡¯s.


    A burning arrow came flying past him, sticking out of the wood and Johan stumbled back as the house caught on fire.


    The arrow was just one of many. As soon as he saw the ships sailing past, arrows started raining down around him. Johan flinched as one landed right in front of him, sizzling out on the dirt ground.


    Then for a second he looked down at the village as it burned in the darkness of the night.


    Then everything went dark.

 The Third Vision

    ¡°Johan!¡± A hand slapped him. ¡°You almost fell overboard, what¡¯s wrong?! Are you okay?!¡±


    The sensation of standing changed in a heartbeat, instead he was laying on his back in a slowly moving boat, with only the quiet noise of shifting water and his hammering heartbeat in his ears.


    ¡°The village!¡± Johan managed to say and quickly pushed himself up but he saw nothing. No other boats, no fires. No village.


    The last was the most damning.


    ¡°What about the village?¡± Emil asked.


    ¡°This can¡¯t be happening.¡± Johan muttered, going for the oars. They had to go quicker! ¡°We¡¯re still so far away-!¡±


    Johan stumbled and almost fell back to the floor in his haste. Still on the ground Emil watched him, his expression slowly turning from confused concern to real worry.


    ¡°What about the village?¡± Emil asked again, slower this time.


    ¡°It¡¯s burning.¡± Johan answered without thinking.


    ¡°It¡¯s burning?! How do you know?!¡± Emil stopped himself in realization. ¡°Did you have a vision?!¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Johan felt his eyes burning.


    ¡°Johan!¡± Emil got to his feet.


    ¡°I can¡¯t go faster!¡± Johan burst out. He let go of the oars, defeated and got to his feet. ¡°Damn it!¡± He kicked the side of the boat before slumping back down on the seat, head in his hands.


    ¡°Damn it.¡± He whispered and felt his eyes watering up. ¡°Why today?¡±


    ¡°...Johan.¡± Emil whispered and a thud sounded in front of him. Johan looked up to see Emil kneeling in front of him, fear in his eyes. ¡°What¡¯s happening to the village?¡±


    Johan clenched his jaw, trying unsuccessfully to keep the tears in. What was he going to say? Emil¡¯s home was burning down and there was nothing he could do to stop it.


    Johan hesitated. He tried to get himself under control. It helped nobody that he was acting like this.


    ¡°I saw the village burning.¡± He said lowly, finally he looked up at Emil.  ¡°Longboats sailed past and shot burning arrows. The entire village went up in flames.¡±


    As he spoke, horror slowly found its way to Emil¡¯s face. Johan looked away, unable to meet his eyes.


    This was all Johan¡¯s fault. If he never entered the village then the deities would never have done anything to it. Was this revenge for telling Greed no?


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have stayed.¡± Johan whispered to himself, staring down at his feet. His breath hitched as tears ran down his face.


    ¡°No.¡± Emil said weakly. ¡°This is not your fault. We knew the dangers when we asked you to stay. This is not your fault.¡±


    Johan didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. It¡¯s all fine.¡± Emil whispered and sat down beside Johan. It sounded more like he was speaking to himself.

 Of Grief and Hard Choices

    Johan couldn¡¯t say anything as the island came into view. He could only watch as the flames licked at the charred remnants of the place he had only just started to call his home.


    The houses were soot black, hollow, and most roofs had caved in. Those that were still standing had lost everything but the structure.


    They were too late.


    The silence was deafening and Johan took a shuddering breath as they walked up the beach, the smell of smoke still lingering in the air.


    A horrible feeling settled deep in his stomach. There was no-one there.


    Silently they walked through the village, taking it all in when suddenly Emil rushed past him.


    ¡°No¡­¡± Emil muttered breathlessly, coming to a stop in front of a house. The familiar blue color was all gone, replaced by burned planks and debris laying strewn on the ground around the damning pile of black roof tiles. ¡°Mom! Dad!¡±


    Emil fell to his knees and screamed.


    Johan swallowed. They were all dead. Attacked in the middle of the night, while they were sleeping. Odin, Hilda, Leif, Astrid¡­ Everyone. They were all gone. Everyone except Emil. And now Johan couldn¡¯t even find the words to comfort him.


    Loud and ugly sobs came from Emil.


    No apologies or comforting words would help now. Especially not from Johan.


    He bowed his head low, hoping to every being that Signe was able to get them safely.


    A raven screeched and Johan jerked back as claws landed in his hair, a small black head appearing from above. He weakly swatted at it but the only thing it did was fly off for a second before landing right back down in the same spot.


    Emil sniffled and turned halfheartedly at the noise.


    Johan swatted at it again but it kept dodging and instead landing on him in different places or snapping at his clothes and pulling when it got a grip. Johan let out an angry breath, getting fed up, and the next time it landed on his head he was prepared. He snatched it up in his hand and threw it.


    With a loud screech the raven flew away into the trees.


    Johan huffed quietly. ¡°Sorry about that.¡±


    Emil just gave him a sad smile and turned back to the house.


    Suddenly the sound of thundering footsteps came from the forest. Johan turned in shock as a small white sheep practically flew out from between the trees, the proud raven perched on its head.


    ¡°Lambert?¡± Emil asked, wiping his face with his sleeve.


    ¡°Lambert!¡±


    Much to Johan¡¯s horror the sheep didn¡¯t slow down though. He sailed past Emil and right into Johan, almost knocking him to the ground and by the time he regained his balance, the sheep had bit down firmly on the leg of his pants.


    ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Johan cursed loudly. He lifted his leg in the air the best he could but Lambert still held on to it, getting up on his hind legs to keep his bite on Johan¡¯s pant leg.


    The raven flew and started pecking on Johan, grabbing the shoulder of his cloak with its talons and trying to fly off. Johan flailed with his arms, trying to get the animals off of him.


    ¡°I think they want you to follow them.¡± Emil said and sniffled.


    Johan paused at the words and was almost pulled over by Lambert. He met Emil¡¯s eyes, his pale face was flushed red and covered in tears. Johan eyed the animals worriedly but he stopped fighting them.


    Within a couple seconds they seemed to realize he had stopped struggling and started pulling him more consciously in one direction. Lambert finally let go of his leg and ran around him to start pushing from behind instead, herding him towards the forest.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re right.¡± Johan said slowly.


    ¡°Where do you think they¡¯re taking us?¡± Emil asked, getting to his feet and following Johan.


    Hopefully not towards something worse, Johan thought but didn¡¯t dare say.


    Johan just shook his head in response. The raven now flew ahead of them, leading the way and circling back around every now and then to make sure they were following.


    It took a long time before they got there, further and further up the mountain. Then the realization hit him. He had been here many times. They were going towards -


    ¡°Viddi¡¯s cave.¡± Johan muttered to himself, his heart skipping a beat and an idea hit him.


    There was no way right¡­?


    He surged forward and ran. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Emil yelled after him but Johan didn¡¯t stop until he stood breathlessly at the top of the hill.


    ¡°Johan!¡± Emil yelled, staggering up behind him and wheezing for air and Lambert happily passed by them now, having reached the destination. But Emil wasn¡¯t the only one that yelled his name.


    ¡°Johan!¡± Johan¡¯s legs felt weak at the sight. Odin was right there, waving at them. Johan couldn¡¯t remember the last time a voice sounded so comforting.


    His eyes started tearing up and his whole body shuddered in relief.


    Thank the Jotun.


    Odin and Viddi stood at the opening of the caves.


    Mindlessly Johan staggered forward, crossed the distance.


    ¡°You¡¯re alive-¡±


    ¡°My boy!¡± Odin laughed and before Johan knew it he was engulfed in big, strong arms.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Viddi asked concerned and a shadow descended over them.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Johan grunted and took a breath before pushing away from the hug. He turned to see his travel companion staring at them with tears streaming down his face. ¡°Emil get over here!¡±


    ¡°Emil.¡± Odin said silently, almost to himself. Johan looked up but Odin just shook his head somberly. Johan frowned. There was an aura surrounding them that he, immersed in his own relief, hadn¡¯t noticed before then.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Johan asked, quietly so Emil wouldn¡¯t hear. ¡°Where¡¯s everyone else?¡±


    ¡°Inside.¡± Odin said shortly with a strange look in his eyes. ¡°Come.¡± Odin turned and walked inside. Johan looked up at Viddi but the giant refused to meet his eyes.


    Suddenly Emil ran past, a huge grin on his face. He ran after Odin, right into the caves. Johan followed slightly behind.


    Johan stopped right inside. As Odin said, the rest of the villagers were there, all spread into this first room of the caves, no giant in sight other than Viddi. They were all probably further inside. Big, flat stone bowls covered the floor, all containing what looked like porridge, all of them full.


    ¡°Grandpa! Einar!¡± Emil ran for his family where they sat by the wall to the left. ¡°You¡¯re ok!¡±


    Johan didn¡¯t miss the glances from the other villagers as he said that, however brief they were.


    ¡°Emil, give you grandpa some room to breathe.¡± Odin scolded weakly. ¡°Johan get over here.¡±


    Slowly he walked over. Johan nodded a greeting to Sigurd, Emil¡¯s grandpa, where he held Einar in a tight hug, and noticed the tears.


    ¡°Emil.¡± Odin started strongly but faltered. He hesitated for a long second. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, son. Your parents are dead. As is Astrid.¡±


    Johan froze.


    Emil stood there, completely still as he stared at Odin with big eyes. Then slowly he looked around the room.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡± Odin started.


    ¡°Why?¡± Emil interrupted, eyes snapping to Odin. He was breathing heavily now.


    ¡°Around one in the morning we were woken up by screaming. Astrid had gone into labor.¡± Odin started. ¡° A few hours later most of us were awake and waiting for the big moment when suddenly we became aware of the danger as the ships were sailing past. Large, longboats with dozens of archers.


    Odin shook his head with a deep frown. ¡°All we could do was spread out to try to get as many as possible out of the village. Ulfhild went to get your father but their house was one of the first to go. In the end there was only enough time to throw Einar out the window before the ceiling collapsed. ¡±


    A gruesome expression had grown on Emil¡¯s face as he spoke. ¡°But I was only gone for a day. It was only one day!¡±


    ¡°Emil¡­¡± Johan muttered and suddenly Emil turned to him.


    ¡°You.. Johan, you could have done something.¡± He flinched. ¡°You¡¯ve saved my dad before from that beam! If you hadn¡¯t come after me you would have been here. And Signe and Note! You three could have saved them! You could have done something!¡±


    Johan didn¡¯t say anything. Emil was right. He could have done something.


    Tears ran down Emil¡¯s face as he screamed, then he stopped, a horrified look slowly taking over and he staggered back. Emil lifted a hand to his face. ¡°I.. if I hadn¡¯t left. If I hadn¡¯t left this wouldn¡¯t have happened¡­¡±


    Emil sat down and fell silent, his head in his hands.


    Odin sighed and put a comforting hand on Johan¡¯s shoulder as he continued.


    ¡°I understand this was supposed to be an ambush while we slept. The rest of us were lucky. We got out. Luckily we were awake when Frey came with the warning.¡±


    Johan''s mind whirred to a stop.


    Frey had been here?


    Odin stared at the wall, eyes shining as he worked his jaw, but he didn¡¯t cry. ¡°I carried Astrid here, but unfortunately without a healer to help with the birth¡­she didn¡¯t make it.¡±


    ¡°She had her baby?¡± Emil looked up weakly.


    ¡°Yeah. The child is alive.¡± Odin smiled gently, tears still visible in his eyes. ¡°Once this is all over, that little boy will have a hell of a story to tell about his birth when he grows up.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a boy?¡± Emil asked and Johan squeezed his eyes shut.


    ¡°Yeah. Trygve, after your brother.¡± Emil made a squeak before burying his head in his hands again, then, sobbing uncontrollably, he got to his feet. ¡°I want to see them.¡± Before he even said the words, Odin pointed him in the right direction.


    Odin watched him run off then turned to Johan. ¡°You don¡¯t want to see the child?¡± His sad smile immediately fell when he saw Johan though. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Frey was here?¡± Johan asked, feeling numb.


    Frey had been here. Just hours after trying to convince Johan that Greed was innocent, he had been here. Frey- the only one that knew where they were.


    Frey¡¯s loyalties had only ever laid with one person and Johan was stupid to think that had changed.


    ¡°Yes, he was. He warned us about the ships just in time.¡±


    Johan met Odin¡¯s eyes. ¡°Do not trust Frey.¡±


    Odin didn¡¯t answer right away, his face cautious. ¡°I¡¯m going to need more information than that.¡± He said quietly.


    Johan wasn¡¯t listening though.


    ¡°How dare he.¡± Johan hissed, hands clenching into fists. Three people were dead because of him. Ulfhild. Trym. Astrid. All of them were dead because of Frey. Johan shook with anger. How dare he come back here after betraying them. How dare he go back to the sins. How dare he do this to the village.


    Johan turned around. Three people had died. It was time to finish this.


    ¡°Johan, answer me.¡± Odin ordered.


    ¡°Frey betrayed us yesterday and took us to face Heaven.¡± Johan said and Odin¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°Note and Signe-?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re fine.¡± Johan said. ¡°Frey let us go, but then he brought the enemy here.¡±


    A worried look settled on Odin¡¯s face. ¡°Johan, don¡¯t do anything stupid.¡± He pleaded. ¡°Stay here with us, where it¡¯s safe.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t safe here. It never was.


    Johan didn¡¯t turn back.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to do what I should have done a long time ago.¡±

 Returning Home

    The splashing of his footsteps echoed in the cave.


    He took a breath. Then sent out his ribbons. He was back in the very same cave that he had used with Note and Signe to escape Heaven not even a year ago.


    Now he was using it again.


    The vines covering the hole had wilted, letting in the little light from the dark sky outside.


    He launched himself through and when his feet hit the grass on the other side, back in the meadow, he set red eyes on the palace towering ahead.


    His heart had calmed during the journey, and had settled from pounding rage into a slow and steady beat, but now as he stalked closer and closer to his goal he felt the anger coming back even stronger.


    Three names ran through his head. Over and over. Ulfhild, Trym, Astrid.


    More came rushing to mind. Note and Signe.


    All of them victims to Greed¡¯s sins.


    The closer he got the more restless he got. He could feel the crawling under his skin, itching for him to move quicker, to find that guy and end it right there.


    They were going to pay.


    His feet hit stone. The sky moved above him, the black clouds passing in and out of each other, letting through thin streams of sunlight as he entered the courtyard.


    The big palace was in his way.


    His hands twitched.


    Maybe he should bring it down.


    It shouldn¡¯t exist anyways. As if waiting for his decision, a moment passed where everything was quiet. Then the ground shook. The trees behind him started swaying in the vibrations and a strong gust of wind blew his hair around.


    He barely noticed the path cracking beneath his feet.


    Loud creaking noises came from the palace, a loud bang and the walls started cracking, dust started falling, filling the air.


    Johan watched, a weird but warm feeling filling his body. He let out a small laugh.


    ¡°Johan!¡±


    His smile fell.


    That voice. His mind cleared just a little and he clenched his jaw. Ribbons falling into place in his palms.


    Instead of stopping the earthquake, he did the opposite. The earth shook even harder as he turned to meet the bright, blue eyes.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Surprisingly enough though, it wasn¡¯t just Frey. Sloth and Envy were also there.


    ¡°Pride.¡± He acknowledged drily, head spinning. How should Johan deal with him? An eye for an eye? He eyed the palace. Even stone walls could burn with enough heat, though the city itself would have no trouble lighting up.


    ¡°Johan, you need to stop!¡± Frey yelled with panic in his voice. ¡°You¡¯ll hurt someone!¡±


    He didn¡¯t quite manage to stop his smile at that.


    ¡°That¡¯s the point.¡± He said and watched in deep satisfaction as Frey¡¯s eyes turned to fear. As Johan stalked forward, more and more anger seeped into his words. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have burnt my village.¡±


    ¡°Stop! Wait! Let me explain!¡± Frey yelled, backing up. ¡°I didn¡¯t do it! I saved them!¡±


    Johan gritted his teeth, his eyes burning. ¡°You killed them.¡±


    ¡°No, no. Johan, they are all safe in the caves with the giants!¡± Frey tried to placate, hands up in front of him. Besides him the rest of the sins watched with wide eyes.


    ¡°Their deaths are on your hands!¡± Johan screamed.


    ¡°Johan!¡± Envy yelled, interrupting their fight. ¡°You need to stop right now! Thomas will know something is going on, if he doesn¡¯t already!¡±


    Johan ignored her. Let the guy find them, it would speed things up.


    ¡°If he runs away, you will never catch him!¡± She continued and the earth abruptly stilled. Run away? Johan frowned and Envy tok an encouraged step forward. ¡°He is the one that sent the ships. He gave the order. He is the enemy! Not Frey! And not us!¡±


    ¡°They were your soldiers on the ships.¡± Johan snapped.


    ¡°Under his command.¡± She replied quickly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me.¡±


    The flash of guilt was gone before it was even really there, but Johan saw it. There was no reason for this Thomas guy to burn down the village. Even if he knew that Johan was alive, or even where he was, the only thing it would achieve was getting him to Heaven.


    He turned back to Frey. ¡°I¡¯m here. Are you happy now? You killed Emil¡¯s family but I guess that was just an added bonus to you. All of that just to get me here.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Frey breathed, face paling.


    ¡°That was not my intention.¡± Envy jumped in. ¡°But I had to do something, Thomas needs to be-¡±


    Johan¡¯s eye twitched. ¡°Thomas is not my enemy! He has done nothing to me! He tok Heaven. He killed Note and Signe. But he only ever did what you and the other deities allowed him to do!¡± The sins stared in shock as he trembled in anger. ¡°I¡¯m only here for Greed, not some random guy.¡±


    They shifted uneasily at that.


    Johan tok a deep breath. ¡°So, where is he?¡±


    He saw Envy clench her jaw. ¡°I do not know.¡±


    Liar.


    ¡°Tell me.¡± Johan insisted.


    ¡°You cannot kill Greed.¡±


    Johan smiled, the earth shook in warning. ¡±Are you going to stop me?¡±


    ¡°Johan! Listen to reason! He has countless allies! You cannot take him alone. Deities will not stand with you without an official fight! We have a plan. Join us.¡±


    He raised an eyebrow. ¡°Tell me where Greed is and I¡¯ll leave the rest of Heaven alone.¡±


    She hesitated at that, eyes flickering, but she still stood her ground.


    ¡°We have been waiting for this moment. All the deities in the city have waited for this moment. Few support Thomas. We will fight with you, just let us.¡± The sins formed a line beside her as she spoke, silently supporting her words as they waited for his answer. When he just stared at them, she added. ¡°Besides, Greed is Thomas¡¯ prisoner, even if I tell you where he is you would have to go through his army first.¡±


    You could hear a pin drop.


    Johan watched them unhappily. Then sighed.


    He was not going to like this.


    ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡±


    Envy grew a bright smile, though right then, she was the only one happy.


    ¡°Let¡¯s speak inside.¡±

 Keeping up with the Sins

    Johan eyed Envy as she led them inside, she didn¡¯t seem to have any ulterior motives. Aside from the very obvious ones, of course.


    Johan felt eyes burning into his back. He was carefully kept in the middle of the group as they walked through the palace. In a different setting it would be funny, how they seemed so cautious around him.


    She led them past all the destruction from Johan¡¯s first visit. Straight past the roots and the plants and the rest of the mess, right to the library.


    ¡°You use my palace to plan?¡± He asked with a frown but Envy didn¡¯t take the bait. Instead she sat down at the long table and gestured for him to sit as well. Johan¡¯s eyes caught on the table though, a large map laying there, covered in notes and small figurines. Curiously he ventured closer but before he could see anything interesting, a hand on his chest stopped him.


    ¡°Not yet.¡± Sloth rasped.


    Johan sat down at the end of the table, the other two sins taking seats close to Envy.


    ¡°You came here alone?¡± Envy asked. Johan clenched his jaw, a pang of hurt in his chest.


    ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡± He asked coldly, crossing his arms.


    Envy nodded like that answered her question. She stood up from her seat and leaned over the table. ¡°As you know we have many possible allies. We might be some of Heaven¡¯s strongest, but even we are worthless against Thomas¡¯ forces. I¡¯ll get right to the point. The first course of action will be to free Greed.¡±


    Yeah, he should have expected that.


    He raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°I understand that this will be difficult for you.¡± She started. ¡°But to get the deities to fight with us they need a leader. Someone they can trust and follow. No offense, but you don¡¯t fit the picture right now.¡±


    ¡°None taken.¡± Johan answered. ¡°You sure you want me to be king when you can¡¯t trust me to lead?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d learn.¡± Envy shot back, a grin flickering across her lips. ¡°But that¡¯s not your goal, is it?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Johan smirked.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s move on.¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡± Johan interrupted. ¡°You¡¯re clearly working with that guy, at least in some way. How are you on my side?¡±


    Honestly, he had been wondering this since Frey betrayed him. They were clearly honest about their want to get rid of Thomas. But how had they managed to go on for so long without being discovered? Clearly that guy had some unfinished business with Greed so the fact that his little group of sins went free was surprising.


    Envy and Sloth exchanged a look.


    ¡°I am the only one of us ¡®working¡¯ for Thomas.¡± Envy spoke clearly, making signs in the air as she mentioned how she worked for him. ¡°We have all lived very different lives the past years. Some freer than others.¡±


    ¡°And Greed decided all this?¡± Johan asked.


    ¡°No. He guessed how it all would go and planned around it so we could eventually take back Heaven.¡± Envy said matter of fact. ¡°We each play our part to make this succeed and so far everything has gone to plan.¡±


    ¡°Good to know.¡± Johan said bitterly. The image of a burning village burning in the back of his mind.


    ¡°Some things are unavoidable.¡± Envy said. ¡°Still. I¡¯m sorry for your loss.¡±


    The bone-deep cold hadn¡¯t left since Johan got to the village, yet that lie almost made him crack.


    ¡°I have worked close to Thomas for the past four years, slowly becoming someone he can trust. It took a long time and a lot of effort, but I did manage.¡± She explained. ¡°As for the others. Well, you already know that Lust has been in house arrest. Yet his club has only bloomed and information is not hard for him to gather.¡±


    Despite Sloth sitting next to her, he made no move to tell his part and Envy went right ahead without waiting. ¡°Oscar has been limited in a different way to the rest of us. As he is one of the elementals he¡¯s kept under strict observation when he is out in public but at the same time he¡¯s too powerful for Thomas to control. He had been able to leave Heaven for limited amounts of time, so he has delivered information to and from Frey.


    ¡°And Nora,¡± Envy shook her head in dismay. ¡°She¡¯s become shunned yet again.¡±


    Well, that was not very surprising. The deities had always been horrible to her because of her powers.


    ¡°Though because of her mother she has been able to enter my army. Nobody pays any attention to her so she can deliver messages with little issue, not to mention, as a part of my army she can even do something I can¡¯t. She can get close enough to Greed so that he can talk to her.¡±


    Johan raised his eyebrows.


    ¡°Now, Frey has been-¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t-¡± Frey glanced at Johan and then immediately away when their eyes met.


    ¡°Assassinating.¡± Envy continued as if he hadn¡¯t said anything.


    Johan froze.


    Assassination. He repeated in his head and turned to stare at Frey with wide eyes. He didn¡¯t look up from the table.


    Johan wasn¡¯t expecting that. So that¡¯s why Frey had been in the mortal world, huh. To kill people. Johan glared at him. He definitely had a gift for murder.


    ¡°Through the years, he has been killing off Thomas¡¯s human allies.¡± Envy continued. ¡°We were under the impression that the body would eventually give in, even with their souls still intact inside them. Though when Signe came back to life, we expected her to take their souls. Unfortunately it seems to be going quite slowly.¡±


    ¡°Keep her out of this.¡± Johan snapped.


    Envy nodded as if she expected his outburst. ¡°This will work out better.¡±


    ¡°What about Vero?¡± Johan asked, they hadn¡¯t mentioned her yet and honestly, he was more concerned with her than any of the other sins.


    At that question Envy paused for a moment and for a split second Johan could swear he saw something like annoyance on her face. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Vero has been the same as always.¡± She finally said, voice strained. ¡°As expected, four years ago she ran off to search for her beloved, in complete denial of her death. Unexpectedly she did eventually manage to find Signe again¡­And marry her. Which was even more unexpected. Or rather, I didn¡¯t expect Signe to agree to that.¡±


    ¡°They have a good relationship.¡± Frey shot in.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything else.¡± Envy shot back but Johan could tell it was a lie.


    ¡°Hey! I heard we have a visitor!¡± The big library doors suddenly slammed open and Lust¡¯s voice ran through the library as he stalked inside, his long cloak flowing elegantly behind him. Johan gave him a dry look. ¡°So you came afterall, huh, Johan? Where is Life and Death?¡±


    ¡°We felt the earthquake...¡± Behind him, Gluttony came in, her smaller frame almost running to keep up with Lust.


    Johan clenched his jaw, starting to feel the pressure now that they were all there. Wasn¡¯t Lust supposed to be in house arrest?


    Maybe it was a better idea to just level the city and just wait outside to see if Greed or Thomas came out alive. The idea was getting more and more tempting. Though he felt for his powers, now that he had calmed down a bit he wasn¡¯t really sure how to find them again.


    ¡°The plan?¡± He initiated and thankfully Envy jumped at it. At the clear rejection Lust and Gluttony sat down without a word.


    ¡°It was supposed to be only Frey and I. However, adding you does make it easier.¡± Envy mused thoughtfully. ¡±Despite impulsively throwing yourself into dangerous situations, you do have a way of getting things done. ¡±


    Sloth snickered and Johan scowled.


    Everything he did was planned. Very well planned.


    He turned his glare back at Frey but he still wasn¡¯t meeting Johan¡¯s eyes, instead he seemed very interested in the table, sitting hunched over and staring at it. He must have noticed Johan watching him though, because his shoulders visibly tensed up.


    ¡°I will lead the way. Greed is kept in the very same building that I and the other executives use to meet up. Though in further sections of it. Coincidentally I am supposed to be there for a meeting today and nobody will look twice in my direction.¡± She pointed to the map, indicating Johan to get closer to see. ¡°This is the building. Greed¡¯s room has windows opening to the street, however you will not be able to leave through them. I haven¡¯t been in this part of the building before, but from what Nora says, it shouldn¡¯t be too difficult for you and Frey to navigate in and out.¡±


    Johan blinked and leaned forward. In his seat Frey tensed even further. ¡°Me and Frey?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Envy said sternly. ¡°You, Johan, will enter the room and get Greed out. Frey will be the lookout.¡±


    At that Frey finally reacted, his head whipped around to stare at Envy with shock.


    Johan narrowed his eyes. Frey was supposed to be the lookout?


    ¡°As I said.¡± Envy continued, giving them both serious looks. Then she straightened up and looked outside. ¡°Well, then. You have about six hours to work out whatever this is, before my meeting starts.¡±


    For a second Johan eyed Frey but then he froze, realizing what Envy just said. Six hours?!


    ¡°It¡¯s not now?¡± He didn¡¯t want to wait six hours just to meet Greed. They could just go there now.


    ¡°Well we were not supposed to be going until tomorrow. However, someone decided to barge into Heaven and cause a very distinct earthquake, the last time it happened was the resurrection of Life and Death.¡± Envy crossed her arms and stared pointedly at him.


    Johan sat back down on the chair with a huff. Six hours.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to excuse me.¡± Envy said. ¡°Unlike the rest of you, I have a job.¡±


    ¡°For a murderer.¡± Lust huffed and crossed his arms.


    ¡°Says a murderer.¡± Envy grinned back at Lust as she stalked out of the room. ¡°Come on, Nora. We¡¯ll walk together.¡±


    ¡°You broke my picture.¡± Lust suddenly said and stalked over, claiming a chair closer to Johan.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Lust sighed. ¡°Last time you were here. You threw my picture into the wall and the shards from the frame ruined it.¡±


    Johan just looked at him. What picture?


    Lust stared at him through a long moment of silence, then added. ¡°The picture of us I had in my room.¡±


    Oh. That picture. It seemed like so long ago since Johan had been in that room, searching for his dad¡¯s journal with Note. Johan glared at the wall. Lust had ripped apart the journal and given away pieces of it, yet what he was talking about was a stupid picture.


    ¡°Oh, that picture.¡± He said coldly. ¡°Cool.¡±


    He watched keenly as Lust¡¯s face twitched, his tailfeathers clearly ruffled at Johan¡¯s response.


    Johan eyed him. Lust seemed different this time. Less¡­murdery.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be in house-arrest?¡± Johan asked and leaned back in his chair. Might as well get comfortable if he was going to be there for six whole hours.


    Lust grinned at him and Johan paused in surprise when his face suddenly started changing. He had only seen Lust change a few times before and it was unexpected every single time. The cracking of bones breaking filled the air as his stature became shorter. His skin changed color and a mole appeared besides what was previously gold eyes, now a bright blue instead.


    ¡°Ah. So that¡¯s what Envy meant by murderer.¡± Johan mused as he tok in the man standing across from him. It was the co-owner. ¡°Killed your babysitter?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to kill them to take their face.¡± Lust reminded him with a grin. ¡°But yes. I did.¡± Then he turned back with a shudder. ¡°Disgusting. My body is much better.¡±


    Johan didn¡¯t bother acknowledging him, instead he watched Sloth where he had fallen asleep on the couch. It got quiet.


    ¡°You¡¯ve changed a lot.¡± Lust broke the silence, his voice quiet. Johan rolled his eyes. Really? This again? Lust snorted softly. ¡°When I swept your hair up that day I couldn¡¯t believe my eyes. This guy that was making a mess of my club, was the very same as the one from four years ago.¡± He leaned in closer. ¡°But you¡¯re not the same, are you? You¡¯re still quiet, but in a different way.¡±


    Johan sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve had this conversation with half of you already.¡±


    Lust only looked at him, a sadness flickering across his face and Johan turned with a huff. Lust could stare at him all he wanted, it didn¡¯t change anything he had done.


    ¡°You¡¯re all so interested in how I¡¯ve changed. Envy, Sloth, Vero, Pride-¡±


    Frey mumbled something from where he sat.


    ¡°What?¡± Johan snapped, then paused in surprise when Frey actually met his eyes. He looked miserable.


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me that.¡± He said angrily but his lip wobbled.


    ¡°Thought you liked your title.¡± Johan said without emotion, eyeing him cautiously.


    ¡°Not from you.¡± Frey said and Johan clenched his jaw. He had just killed three people, he should be happy that Johan called him by his title and not anything worse.


    Lust looked back and forth between them curiously.


    ¡°Who died?¡± Frey broke the silence and Johan took a deep breath through his nose. Frey was looking at him with his big, blue eyes, clearly miserable. He didn¡¯t actually seem to think Johan would answer, but he asked anyway.


    Johan hesitated for a second.


    ¡°Ulfhild, Trym and Astrid.¡± He finally said after a long moment, voice void of emotion. He heard Frey suck in a shallow breath.


    He was suddenly aware of the bone-deep chill again. Ulfhild, Trym and Astrid. Three people he would never talk to again. People whose voices he would eventually forget.


    ¡°You sent Emil for the opportunity of his life only for him to get back home to find out he¡¯s now an orphan. I hope it was worth it.¡±


    A soft whimper followed by a sharp intake of air made it so Johan lost his own composure. He leaned forward and let his head fall as tears welled up in his eyes.


    For a long time the only sound came from Frey. He was normally such a loud person, but right now he was silent, only making soft and muffled noises as he cried.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Frey¡¯s voice broke.


    ¡°Don¡¯t apologize to me.¡± There was no point in apologizing when the ones that deserved it weren''t there to hear it.


    Johan closed his eyes for a second. He was tired. This wasn¡¯t what he came to Heaven for. He was supposed to kick Frey¡¯s ass for the murders, not listen to him cry about it.


    Johan looked at Sloth who was slowly becoming one with the blue couch. To imagine someone could look so peaceful right now. Maybe in a different life Johan could have been that content too.


    Slowly the crying stilled and sounds only came from Frey occasionally now.


    ¡°Everyone was supposed to be fine.¡± Frey said after a long time. ¡°They were all awake and moving when I left.¡±


    Johan didn¡¯t say anything. It wouldn¡¯t change anything anyways.


    They sat in silence for the rest of the time until Envy came back.

 The Big Fight starts with A Small Plan

    Hours later the sun was directly over the palace, shining in through the stained glass of the roof¡¯s window and lighting up the whole library in color.


    Johan had never officially moved into his palace unlike Note and Signe who had both moved into their own, instead Johan had stayed in his childhood home where he had grown up with his dad, a small and plain wooden house on the outskirts of the city.


    Because of this Johan had spent very little time in the palace and hadn¡¯t really grown any kind of attachment to it.


    BANG!


    So watching Frey wreck the library really didn¡¯t bother him.


    Lust had left a while ago, presumably to do something more important than sitting there in silence and getting rejected every time he tried to start a conversation.


    Either way, Frey had been on a destruction spree ever since he stopped crying. Something Johan appreciated in Frey, at least in small doses, was that he never ran out of energy. When one emotion ended another immediately started. Currently it was anger.


    A book flew across the room, landed on the table and skidded to a stop in front of Johan.


    He rolled his eyes and looked over to where Frey was seemingly trying to make his way through a wall of bookshelves.


    Time was ticking by slowly and Johan¡¯s foot was moving subconsciously up and down, faster and faster as he became more impatient.


    Then the doors opened.


    Johan got to his feet as Envy and Lust stalked inside. On the other side of the room Frey froze mid-throw.


    Lust looked at Frey. ¡°Don¡¯t you have manners? We have a guest.¡±


    Frey put down the book with a frown and muttered. ¡°Guest? It¡¯s his place¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s time.¡± Envy said, blue eyes settling on Johan.


    Finally.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡± He said, eager to get everything going.


    Envy gave him a confirming smile and turned to walk back out the door. Johan was quick to follow.


    ¡°Wait.¡±


    Lust stopped him and blocked the doorway, his voice low as he turned intense eyes down on Johan. ¡°A word of advice. Don¡¯t fight Storm, especially not alone. He has become very powerful and he has no loyalty to you nor Greed.¡±


    Johan glanced uncertainty back at Frey who was still making his way across the room, then looked back at Lust. The memory of a child flashed across his mind.


    ¡°The dandelion kid?¡± He asked hesitantly.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Lust looked amused at the title. ¡°I know that the last time you saw him he was a little brat, but remember, it¡¯s been years. He¡¯s not a child anymore and he has had a lot more practice with his powers than you have. Do not face him alone.¡±


    Johan eyed him for a moment, then slowly nodded. If Lust felt the need to warn him about Storm then Johan had no interest in a reunion with him. Not that it took much to have practiced more than Johan, considering it was about three days since he had first gotten his powers¡­


    ¡°Ok, I won¡¯t.¡± He said simply, easily agreeing, and quickly shoved past him to follow Envy, Frey now falling into step next to him. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Good luck!¡± Lust called after them.


    ¡°You should listen to him.¡± Envy said and sent a knowing look back at Johan, her heels clacking against the hallway floor. ¡°Storm is an elemental, afterall. And I assume you have dealt with enough of those.¡±


    Johan shuddered at that, remembering the way Signe had disappeared inside Carlotta¡¯s fire back when they got the journal.


    It didn¡¯t take long before they got to the vestibule and Envy started gingerly pushing away the thorn-covered vines in the doorway, making a small opening for them to get out. She easily avoided the thorns, as did Frey when he followed after her. Johan went through last, not bothering to avoid them as he bent down to get under the first vine.


    Then halfway out, something caught his eyes.


    He paused as he eyed the patch of vibrant, colorful flowers growing straight out of the stone path. That didn¡¯t seem like a place they would be able to grow.


    He carefully stepped around the flowers, making sure they didn¡¯t get stomped down as he made his way outside and pulled his cloak free from the thorns. When he straightened up he saw even more flowers. Clusters of them had pushed their way through the stone path outside the palace in random patches here and there and even continued partly down the stairs leading down to the big tree.


    Johan tok a second to stare at them before moving on.


    The next thing he noticed was the bodies.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at them.¡± Frey warned as Johan¡¯s eyes widened.


    Almost completely covered in flowers and roots, Johan wouldn¡¯t even have realized what he was looking at if it wasn¡¯t for the familiar black uniforms.


    ¡°You just¡­left them here?¡± Johan asked Envy in horror. They had to be the soldiers that had tried to follow him and Sloth into the palace almost a year ago, back when Johan was saving Note and Signe.


    They were all laying in the exact same spots they had fallen in, surrounded by large patches of flowers growing out of the stone around them, and, Johan noted in mute horror, more flowers were sprouting directly from the bodies.


    His stomach churned and he stared at Envy. Didn¡¯t she at least want to bury them after sending them to their deaths?


    ¡°It was the easiest way to keep Thomas away from the palace.¡± Envy said lightly, starting down the steps without a second look back. ¡°It let him think that we couldn¡¯t get close enough to retrieve them.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Johan said. He didn¡¯t know how to feel about that.


    He followed her down and set his eyes on the tree.


    Despite the cold season, the huge weeping tree was in full bloom. And much to Johan¡¯s surprise, it looked just fine despite all the roots he had damaged while digging.


    Bright pink petals floated lightly in the air around them as they walked beneath it and Johan caught one in his hand, turning it over curiously. Last time they had been a very light pink but now they were all in vibrant shades of pink, purple and even blue.


    Considering Envy¡¯s rotting, dead soldiers were still laying behind them, Johan was surprised to see the holes he had dug Note and Signe out of were now filled.


    The walk was uneventful. Envy expertly led them right past the mementos and into a narrow alleyway that Johan didn¡¯t know existed. While they were walking, he was preparing himself to be stealthy. It was well past noon after all, the streets should be full of people. Key word being ¡®should¡¯. Yet when they got out of the alley, there wasn¡¯t a soul to see, everything was completely quiet.


    And dirty.


    Johan couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. This couldn¡¯t be the same street he had walked in just a few months ago. It had been quiet then too, yes, but it was nothing like this. Every window close to the ground was smashed, the glass littering the pavement beneath it, and the windows higher up looked like they were boarded shut, no light escaping any of them. And that wasn¡¯t just one building, it was every single one up and down the whole street.


    Not to mention the trash, rubble, broken planks- and even more stuff littering the streets.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Johan breathed out in shock.


    ¡°Thomas happened.¡± Envy answered and Frey clenched his hands into fists, radiating anger. She looked back at Johan with a raised eyebrow. ¡°One might call this an overreaction.¡±


    Johan stared at her. An¡­overreaction?


    ¡°Thomas found out you three were alive and didn¡¯t take it very well.¡± She continued drily, clearly not impressed.


    ¡°And he did¡­this?¡± Johan asked, horrified, gesturing around him. The city looked like it had been abandoned for years!


    ¡°I¡¯ll let Greed explain the rest.¡± Envy said secretly and led them into a different street, equally as trashed as the first. Johan couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. If Thomas wanted the city so bad he should, at the very least, take care of it. ¡°Do I need to remind you of the plan?¡±


    ¡±No, I got it.¡± Frey said seriously, surprisingly still not arguing at all that he had to wait outside while Johan got Greed.


    Weird. Frey should have been angry that he didn¡¯t get to save his hero.


    ¡°Johan?¡± Envy asked.


    ¡°Yeah, got it.¡± Johan said.


    ¡°Good. Then get ready because the plan starts now.¡± Envy turned. ¡°That¡¯s the building.¡±

 A Sweet Family Reunion

    There were dozens of guards outside the building, swarming around with little to no pattern. Most of them didn¡¯t seem like they were there to work, instead only passing through.


    With no delay, Envy walked out of the alley, stalking confidently towards the main entrance of the building. Johan glanced uncertainty at Frey when she waved back at them, signaling for them to follow, but he didn¡¯t seem worried at all.


    Johan could only watch with wide eyes as the guards caught sight of Envy and immediately dispersed, leaving nobody to see Johan and Frey following her from a safe distance. Even the few that stayed in their post pointedly looked anywhere else, not noticing at all that intruders were sneaking inside.


    Now the hard part. Johan peeked in at Envy through the glass doors, crouched carefully out of sight against the wall outside, Frey right next to him- and there he was. Standing behind a desk, looking menacingly down at whatever he was occupied with.


    The receptionist.


    He gave Envy a small bow with his head and Johan watched as he replied to something she said. After that he kept talking at intervals, calmly gesturing here and there but not leaving his desk.


    Johan could hear the guards coming back, getting closer and closer now that the danger had passed. Then, much to his shock, Envy left down the hallway to the right.


    For a second he thought he was done for, the guards were quickly closing in, their chatter getting louder and louder and any second now they would round the corner and see Johan and Frey hiding-


    But then the receptionist pulled something up from behind the desk, put it down in clear view, and left through the door behind him.


    Not a second later Johan was pushed inside. He looked back to see Frey slowly shutting the door, not making a sound, before turning to Johan with a finger over his lips, signaling that they should stay quiet. Then he quickly led the way down the same hallway Envy disappeared into.


    Johan eyed the desk as they passed by it. ¡®On break.¡¯ The wooden sign said.


    Down the hallway, they quickly ascended to the second floor, then the third and eventually stopped at the fourth where Frey quickly led them through the maze of hallways.


    Wasn¡¯t this building supposed to be heavily guarded?


    Then suddenly Frey stopped, almost making Johan trip over him with how quickly he knelt down to look around the corner. They had reached a fork in the corridors, the path separating into two.


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be long now.¡± Frey muttered silently, then reeled back as a door opened and the sound of voices filled the air.


    Johan¡¯s back hit the wall next to Frey with a soft thud, his heart was really starting to beat now. Was this really their hiding spot?!


    He held his breath as the voices got louder, and soon a group of people walked past. If even just one of them looked slightly to the side then they would see Johan and Frey.


    Johan let his ribbon into his palms, just in case.


    Envy was easy to pick out where she walked in front of the group. Though a different deity caught Johan¡¯s eye. He recognized the kid easily, his pure white hair sticking out like a sore thumb.


    A couple more deities were with them, some that Johan didn¡¯t recognize, but just when he thought they had all passed by, one last one appeared.


    Johan¡¯s eyes widened and he had to bite down on his lip to not make a sound.


    Carlotta walked slightly behind the group, with an air of confidence that put her above all of them. A long black and red coat spreading out behind her as she walked, the material mimicking the flicker of flames as it moved.


    Not even she noticed them, and neither did the guards flanking closely behind them. Johan stayed still and watched Frey as he stretched his neck to look after them until eventually the voices faded away.


    Johan let out a held breath and took a second to lean his head back against the wall in relief.


    ¡°That was way too close.¡± He muttered and followed Frey down the path Envy and her group had just come from.


    From there it didn¡¯t take long to find the room. Frey expertly led them until they reached the large door.


    Frey knelt down in front of it and fished something out of his hair.


    He had just moved the thing into the lock when the door creaked open.


    Both of them froze.


    The door wasn¡¯t shut.


    For a second they held their breaths, then Johan¡¯s eyes widened at the sound of voices. Multiple voices. He exchanged a long look with Frey. There wasn¡¯t supposed to be anyone except Greed in there.


    He swallowed.


    Well. Time for his part¡­


    Johan quietly snuck inside. Right inside the door was something like a small hallway, like what you would find in the entrance of a house. A shoe rack stood to one side, and the walls on the left were covered from floor to roof in sliding doors, presumably covering a closet.


    The most important thing however was that a wall was still separating Johan from the voices, an open archway leading into the next room. He eyed the archway cautiously as he moved to hide, the door shutting quietly behind him.


    ¡°Nothing to say to me?¡± An unfamiliar voice taunted. There was a moment of silence. Then a violent hiss and the scuff of shoes against the floor. ¡°The earthquake was your doing. Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know! Who did you use?! Earth?! Did you get Earth to come back to Heaven?! To fight for you?!¡±


    Johan¡¯s eyebrows furrowed at the screams. Earth? Nobody had seen him for close to a millenia, at this point he was nothing more than a myth. There was no way Greed had even met the guy, let alone recruited him to his cause. Who in their right mind would accuse Greed of that?


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous, Thomas.¡± Greed rasped and Johan jerked, eyes flickering to the doorway. The second person was Thomas?! ¡°What could I possibly do from inside this room? Though I cherish your faith in my ability, nobody has seen Earth for a thousand years. I cannot do what is impossible.¡±


    Johan frowned at the state of his voice. Before it used to be loud and strong, able to hold power over anyone, but now it was low and rusty, without even a hint of emotion.


    Greed barely finished speaking before footsteps hurried across the room followed by an almost inaudible gasp and the squeak of compressing springs.


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to play with me! I know your power!¡± Thomas screamed and Johan jumped at the change in volume. He could hear violent thrashing as Thomas¡¯ snarled. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s not Earth, but that boy. Your dear, dear nephew. Your last hope, come back to the slaughterhouse to save his precious uncle.¡±


    Johan stared at the doorway with wide eyes. Slaughterhouse?! Did he mean Heaven?!


    ¡°I have no one!¡± Greed yelled, finally showing some emotion in his voice and the thrashing stopped. ¡°I cannot do anything.¡±


    The squeak of springs. Footsteps, this time slower, like someone was backing away. Then laughter.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! You can¡¯t do anything. Nothing. Not one thing!¡± Thomas laughed like a crazy person, Johan had never heard anything like it. ¡°Your little sins scattered in the wind at the first face of opposition and here you are. All alone. Nobody to use your pesky little powers on.¡±


    The laughter faded and Thomas¡¯ voice fell to a whisper. Johan inched closer to the doorway, straining to hear what he was saying. ¡°Like always I was the one to stick around. You better remember that. In the end it will be me. And only me.¡±


    Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    Loud breathing filled the sudden silence. One long intake of air, then slowly breathing out. When Thomas spoke again he sounded like a completely different person. ¡°I have a meeting to attend. I will be back.¡±


    Johan stood completely still as the sound of footsteps came closer, his heart pounding in his chest. Soon he would get to see this guy. In his memories, the man was more of a blurred shadow hiding behind old Life/Death.


    Johan leaned his head back against the wall, flattening himself to the best of his ability.


    And then there he was, stalking in through the doorway and finally Johan got to see the man everyone was blaming. Somewhat.


    The man passed him without looking back so Johan only saw his back. The first thing he noticed was the black suit and the huge and vibrant, embroidered peacock that ran down the left arm and spread down across the back, all outlined in gold thread. The second thing he noticed was the hair. It was long and uncombed, covered in an oily shine like he hadn¡¯t washed it for weeks. It reached just over his shoulders, not unlike the length of Note¡¯s hair when he let it down. When he reached for the doorhandle Johan saw the glint of a white gemstone on a gold ring.


    For a second Johan thought to push forward, to grab him and kill him right there. But no. That wasn¡¯t what he was there for. Not who he was there for.


    Then he was gone, shutting the door behind him with no idea anyone was standing right inside. Johan stayed silently as he heard the rustling of keys and the lock turned, trapping him inside, alone with Greed.


    Slowly Johan pushed from the wall, his thoughts becoming quiet. Three names flashing across his mind.


    He walked out.


    He couldn¡¯t quite hide how his eyes widened.


    Greed laid on a bed in the corner of the room, on top of the sheets and propped up on one elbow, the other holding his throat as he stared blankly out in the air. He was wearing the same as he had been in the dwarfs¡¯ workshop, white old style dress shirt and black slacks. This time he was barefoot, with no shoes in sight.


    Johan paused, only a few steps into the room. Greed¡¯s hand stilled at his neck, tensing up.


    Then Greed slowly raised his head and Johan saw his uncle for the first time in years.


    For a second Johan studied the man¡¯s face. His uncle had always been pale, but now he was as white as the sheets he laid on. He used to have freckles, but now Johan could barely see the faint trace of them. Deep shadows colored his face and he was bleeding from a small cut under one quickly-bruising eye, the ruffles of his shirt doing a good job of soaking it up where it dripped down from his chin.


    Johan lifted his gaze.


    Their eyes met.


    Greed looked like a mess, watching him with clear shock in his eyes but Johan just watched him coldly, three names once again flashing across his mind.


    There¡¯s the murderer. Johan cocked his head.


    For a long moment neither of them moved. After a while Greed seemed to shake the shock and was now watching Johan with cautious, all-seeing eyes.


    ¡°Johan.¡± Greed must have tried to sound normal but his confidence quickly disappeared under the rasp of his voice.


    Greed jolted as Johan tok a slow step forward. Then another. And another.


    ¡°Trym the blacksmith.¡± He said and watched Greed frown, a flicker of confusion passing over his face. Greed kept tensing up as he came closer. Johan almost smiled. His once powerful uncle was scared of him. ¡°Ulfhild the healer. Husband and wife. Burned to death in their own home.¡±


    Greed¡¯s eyes widened in an instant. Good. He was catching on.


    ¡°Astrid. Their daughter in law...¡± Johan breathed, jaw clenching. ¡°You killed them. All just to bring me here. Well, I¡¯m here.¡±


    Johan let his ribbons fall into his palms-


    He launched forward, throwing the ribbon out. It twisted through the headboard and Greed gasped, hands flying up as it wrapped around his neck and pulling him flat on his back.


    A second later Johan was on top of him, eyes glowing red, and Greed¡¯s hands stilled where he tried to pull the ribbon away, staring up at him with fearful eyes.


    Johan felt no satisfaction as he relentlessly tightened the ribbon with one hand, his eyes wide and unblinking as he raised his other hand high. A flash of bright light and he closed his hand around the heavy hilt of the dagger.


    Just one more step.


    He brought it down.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Johan froze halfway. Hand stopping dangerously close to his target and his mind blanked. Greed stared up at him, jaw clenched.


    ¡°What?¡± Johan asked breathlessly, not sure he heard right.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Greed repeated, and sucked in a deep breath. ¡°It was not my intention to kill them, but that is not an excuse. Nobody should have died from this stunt.¡±


    Johan lowered his hand in disbelief. What was he hearing¡­?


    No. Johan sat back on his legs and shook his head. No. Greed was just trying to mess with him. He didn¡¯t regret anything-


    Greed continued silently. ¡°I had to get you here- I didn¡¯t see any other way. I thought this could be done differently. The plan was to convince you, make you come here willingly. But there is no time. The city will see revolution soon and it cannot survive without you. I love this city and its people, I cannot see them burn.¡±


    Funny. Johan definitely could.


    ¡°I hate this city. And its people.¡± He said coldly.


    ¡°Please, Johan.¡± Greed begged. ¡°What would your father have done?¡±


    ¡°My father was killed.¡± Johan hissed.


    ¡°Yes, by Thomas.¡±


    Johan closed his eyes in annoyance. ¡°You keep blaming that guy-¡±


    ¡°Please, I can¡¯t keep living like this.¡± Greed pleaded, his voice cracking. His eyes shone with tears.


    Johan stared at him.


    For the second time that day, Johan tok in the sight of his uncle. The bruised eye. The bloody shirt. Johan had never seen him look so frail before and he had been living like this for four years.


    No. It didn¡¯t matter. Greed still did it. He still burnt down the village. He deserved everything he got.


    A tiny newborn cradled in Emil¡¯s arms flashed before his eyes. His small hand clutching Johan¡¯s finger. Astrid¡¯s kid. Orphaned just as he came to life.


    A sudden rage overtook him.


    Damn it! Johan stabbed down with a yell.


    He jumped off the bed and walked away, sucking in a deep, shaky breath as he ran his hands over his face. He should have never come to Heaven! Let the deities fix it themselves, they created the problem in the first place!


    ¡°Johan?¡±


    Johan gritted his teeth, but it was done. All at once the tension and anger flowed out of him, leaving him exhausted.


    He took another breath. A slow inhale. This was happening wasn¡¯t it? He rubbed his eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯re a terrible person.¡± Johan said, not even trying to hold back the loathing in his voice.


    By the time Johan turned back around, Greed had sat back up on the bed and was staring at him. Beside him was the gold handle of the dagger, standing in stark contrast to the white sheets it was stabbed into.


    ¡°You missed.¡± Greed said and eyed Johan wearily.


    ¡°Get up.¡± Johan ordered and stalked to the closest window.


    While at first glance the windows seemed unprotected, Johan knew what to look for. Thin, white strings, almost invisible to the eyes, ran from top to bottom like the strings of an instrument. They looked delicate but in reality they were stronger than iron and razorsharp. But that was fine, the plan wasn¡¯t to go out the window.


    From the window he could see the front of the building. And straight ahead, in an alley on the other side of the street, stood a tiny soldier with pink socks. At the sight of moving curtains, she lifted a hand over her head, as if shielding light from her eyes.


    ¡°Time to go.¡± Johan turned with haste as the street flooded with Envy¡¯s army.


    Greed was still sitting on the bed so Johan quickly grabbed him by the upper hand and pulled him along¡­only to find him falling to the floor with a yelp.


    ¡°I can¡¯t stand very well.¡± Greed managed to get out through gritted teeth. ¡°My legs¡­¡±


    Johan watched horrified as Greed pulled himself up to his knees with the help of the bed. Slowly he managed to stand up but his feet were shaking just from the strain of holding himself up.


    Shouts came from outside the building and Johan¡¯s thoughts raced, it wouldn¡¯t be long before someone came to check on Greed.


    Quickly he grabbed Greed¡¯s arm again and pulled it over his own shoulder. ¡°Can you walk now?¡± Johan asked.


    With almost all of his weight held by Johan, Greed tok a testing step, and gave a confirming nod.


    Johan moved them quickly through the room, trying not to think about how small Greed was. Four years ago Johan had to look up at him, but now Greed was a good half-a-head shorter.


    Johan pushed the door open easily, already unlocked, and the second Johan started to drag Greed out Frey came running. ¡°Boss!¡±


    Johan shushed but Frey ignored him to fret over Greed. ¡°Are you ok?!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Greed said with a small, but real, smile. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again, Frey.¡±


    Frey¡¯s lip wobbled and he worriedly hovered his hands around as he searched Greed with his eyes. He paused at his back eye and suddenly his head snapped to Johan. ¡°Did you do that to him?!¡±


    ¡°What- No!¡± Johan snapped back. Seriously?! Johan didn¡¯t just go around beating people up!


    ¡°He¡¯s your uncle!¡± Frey said loudly, clearly not believing him. Johan opened his mouth to retort back but Greed spoke first.


    ¡°He did nothing, Frey. Now, we should really be going.¡± Greed¡¯s words seemed to snap Frey out of his accusations.


    From the hallways Johan couldn¡¯t hear much of what was going on outside on the streets. ¡°You don¡¯t have a view do you?¡± Johan asked.


    Frey shook his head. ¡°None of me have died yet.¡±


    Johan nodded. That was good. If none of Frey¡¯s copies had died yet then that meant it couldn¡¯t be going too badly.


    ¡°We¡¯re going out the front.¡± Johan said seriously. Greed stumbled on his feet beside him but didn¡¯t say anything and beside them Frey made a happy sound, very similar to a cat being squeezed very hard by a toddler.


    The only allies they had were the sins and Envy¡¯s army. Johan had hoped to avoid this but if he wanted to win, he would have to rally the deities.


    ¡°Let¡¯s give them a show.¡±

 Step One Was a Success. And Step two..?

    Johan kicked open the front door, Greed hanging off him and Frey quickly followed behind them, and came to an abrupt stop just outside. His eyes ran over the fighting in the street.


    Nobody had noticed them yet, too busy with their fights. So far they seemed to be winning, Envy¡¯s soldiers vastly outnumbering the guards but Johan knew it was just a matter of time before the enemy had time to assemble.


    Johan eyed the buildings around them. Most of them were apartments, and every single one of them had movement from deities peering out at the commotion. None made any move to join though, but Johan didn¡¯t expect them to.


    Well, now it was time for the deities to prove their worth, all Johan had to do was to give them the invitation to fight.


    ¡°Ready?¡± Johan asked and lowered his stance, a wide grin spreading across his face as power rushed through him.


    Frey only managed to turn to him questioningly before Johan grabbed a hold of him and the ground beneath them moved. Jagged pieces of rock pierced the pavement and spread like waves around them, stabbing high into the air as the fights broke up to terrified and startled screams.


    The ground lifted beneath them and Frey immediately picked up on what Johan was doing. The second the ground stilled he ripped out of Johan¡¯s grip and ran right up to the edge and with no hesitation, started to yell.


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen!¡± Johan barely refrained from grimacing as Frey motioned to him. ¡°The king!¡±


    It got the job done however. The street fell quiet. All fighting stopped and they all turned to stare in shock. Deities gaped out of open windows and soon murmuring started happening.


    ¡°The king?¡±,


    ¡°Fate is actually here?¡±,


    ¡°What about that speech?¡±,


    ¡°He changed his mind!¡±


    Johan ignored it all and took a step forward. ¡°Deities of heaven! It¡¯s time to fight!¡±


    Some deities would go on to say that Johan was a man of few words, none of them knew that Johan would rather face an overgrown grassman again than interact with a deity for even a second more than absolutely necessary.


    A loud roar came from the ground as he let it collapse beneath them.


    ¡°That¡¯s it?!¡± Frey yelled as they fell.


    ¡°Woah, woah! Hey!¡± Greed yelled in alarm as Johan hoised him up into his arms, bridalstyle.


    That¡¯s when the deities noticed who else was there.


    ¡°Is that Greed?!¡±,


    ¡°What happened to him?!¡±


    Johan hit the ground running and lifted the earth before them, creating them a protected path as the fighting started up again. Frey followed closely behind, yelling and screaming insults as he did.


    Deities were pouring out of their apartments now and picking fights with the closest guards, just in time for the enemy¡¯s reinforcements to invade the street.


    ¡°Johan! This way!¡± Gluttony was standing in the same alley as earlier, waving at them wildly.


    Without any hesitation, Johan ran for her, ducking out of the way as a sword swung over his head.


    ¡°Would it kill you to be a little more gentle?¡± Frey yelled after him when Greed made a noise and clutched Johan¡¯s cloak even tighter than he had been. Johan ignored them both in favor of focusing on the task at hand. They reached where Gluttony waved them through and they burst out into the street at the other end of the alley. Deities were flocking together in the streets but as soon as they saw who was coming, they quickly parted way, cheering and yelling after them.


    ¡°He¡¯s really here!¡±


    ¡°Fate is here!¡±


    ¡°Hah, I knew he¡¯d come running!¡±


    ¡°Greed is free!¡±


    ¡°Heaven is ours!¡±


    ¡°We win these!¡±


    It seemed like the enemy was following them because it didn¡¯t take long for the reinforcements to swarm this street too, coming in from all sides.


    Before Johan could even think to do anything about them though, the deities acted. Loud roars came as they set their targets and attacked, lights flashing as weapons came to existence, loud clashing of metals and all the rainbow¡¯s colors lighting up as powers were used. It was obvious most of them weren¡¯t used to fighting, yet they were creative with their efforts and that was enough. All together they formed a kind of barrier to keep the enemy at bay as the three of them ran through the street.


    Frey gasped and Johan looked back to see him doubling over while running, hand clutching his stomach. Johan had seen this before. His copy died.


    ¡°Keep running!¡± Frey yelled. ¡°Storm is coming!¡±


    Johan¡¯s breath caught in his throat and sped up. As curious as he was about Storm¡¯s powers he would rather not fight him with Greed in his arms, clinging to his cloak for dear life.


    As if reading his mind Greed spoke up. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t be in the fray. My powers work better at a distance.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t agree more.¡± Johan muttered to himself. He needed to get rid of Greed, but how? As he ran he could see every deity watching him. Wonder, amazement, shock, anger, whatever they felt as he ran past them. It didn¡¯t matter, Johan couldn¡¯t tell the enemy apart from allies, not amongst the deities, and he couldn¡¯t let them know where he brought Greed.


    Yet standing still was not an option.


    Suddenly a guard sprang out from the alley Johan was going for. He quickly turned on his heel only to find another guard quickly approaching them.


    Damn. Johan turned back but even then faced another guard.


    He skid to a stop as the enemy surrounded them, slowly backing up until his back hit Frey¡¯s with nowhere else to go. Unlike Envy¡¯s soldiers, the guards weren¡¯t wearing anything on their heads so there was nothing hiding as each and every one of them stared at Johan, the wind starting to blow through the street.


    Johan sneered and let Greed¡¯s feet touch the ground in favor of summoning his dagger. The wind was growing stronger and stronger, his hair whipping against his face.


    ¡°He¡¯s here!!¡± Frey yelled over the wind and Johan¡¯s head jerked around to look back, gritting his teeth at the sharp wind. He didn¡¯t see anyone. ¡°Look up!¡±


    His jaw dropped.


    Storm was floating above the roof of the red building behind them. Johan¡¯s eyes widened in shock as he watched the pale teen in the sky. His mind raced. Since when could the kid fly?!


    Johan shook his head in an attempt to get the hair out of his eyes as Frey crowded him back a step. ¡°Storm is here!¡±


    ¡°Fate!¡± Johan gaped at the roaring deep voice. Storm was only sixteen! His cheeks were still just as round as four years ago!


    Storm¡¯s white hair and clothes floated gently around him as he descended towards the ground. Pale blue eyes glowerd at Johan, not leaving him for a second.


    More guards pressed through the crowd, creating a path between Johan and Storm. Johan adjusted his grip on Greed, turning them both around, and let his ribbon down into his palm below the handle of the dagger.


    Storm took a step forward, eyes flickered to Greed for a second before going back to Johan. ¡°You should know better than to come back. There is nothing here for you now.¡± Storm said coolly. ¡°Give Greed to me and leave Heaven at once.¡±


    ¡°Aw, does someone not want to work today?¡± Johan forced a grin, heart pounding in his chest. He let the grin fall. ¡°If there was nothing here for me, I wouldn¡¯t be here.¡±


    Those pale blue eyes ran over Johan past white eyelashes. Watching, staring, searching for weakness.


    Then finally Storm looked away. A quiet sigh. Then his eyes snapped back up, now with a white glow slowly taking over.


    ¡°That is unacceptable.¡± Storm declared and summoned his saber, pointing it at them. ¡°Guards, bring me Greed.¡±


    Johan widened his stance and the enemy charged. He easily dodged a sword but quickly realized he couldn¡¯t do much more while supporting Greed.


    ¡°Frey!¡± He called out and dropped to his knees, forcing a protesting Greed down next to him. Frey flashed around them, creating more space for them.


    ¡°Jump!¡± He yelled and looked up to see Frey bash two guards¡¯ heads into each other, before sending out his ribbons. Dozens of guards fell all around them, screaming as their ankles were wiped out.


    But it wasn¡¯t enough. As one fell, twice as many ran into the street. Johan breathed as he watched the guards keep coming and got to his feet. Before long guards were littering the ground, making it hard to move around, but still more and more kept coming.


    ¡°We need to get away!¡± Greed yelled as Johan jumped up and clashed with yet another sword. He and Frey were knocking them out left and right, protecting Greed where he was still on the ground.


    Johan eyed Storm, but the kid just stood there and watched.


    Johan sneered and as with a yell he kicked the next guard that attacked him. The scrawny guy hit the ground hard and Greed yelled as the head bounced on the ground right in front him.


    Johan paused, eyes widening. Right where the guard had stood, where all the enemies had previously formed a blockade, there was now only an open street.


    There it was. His chance.


    He scooped Greed up and ran.


    ¡°Johan!¡± They didn¡¯t get far before suddenly Greed threw himself in Johan¡¯s grip, sending them both to the ground.


    His head snapped back as they fell, just in time to see a flash of white eyes reflecting in the clear metal of Stom¡¯s saber as he swung it down through the air.


    CLANG!


    Johan sprawled hard on his back, gasping as Greed landed right on top of him and forced all the air out of his body.


    He forced his eyes open against rough coughing and pushed himself up to his elbows, ready to-


    Silence fell.


    Wide eyed, Johan looked around him. From where he sat, all he could see were dozens of bunny-eared hoodies surrounding him and Greed like a wall.


    The middle Frey, the one that was intercepting Storm¡¯s saber with a dagger, glanced back at Johan in concern. Then when he saw they were fine he turned back and straightened up.


    ¡°You¡¯re not touching them.¡± With a hard push he sent the saber flying through the air, forcing Storm to take a big step back with a deep sneer on his face. Johan watched as the blade disappeared in a flash of light.


    ¡°And you will stop me?¡± Storm challenged, a wild look in his eyes. ¡°A million of you would not be able to stop me!¡±


    For a second everything went silent.


    Then all the copies laughed in unison. Loud and shrill, some even slapping their thighs at how funny they found it and Johan jolted at the noise, the hair on the back of his neck standing up. He forced himself back on his feet and quickly pulled Greed up beside him, the Freys behind him helping.


    Frey ducked his head and Johan could just barely see a smile. ¡°Good thing it¡¯s not just me then.¡±


    Storm sucked in a sharp breath and took a step back.


    Some random guard wasn¡¯t happy at his silence. ¡°What are you waiting for? They¡¯re right here, we can get them!¡±


    The guards all agreed and started to move but fell still as Storm raised his arm.


    ¡°Stop.¡± They all froze at the command. Johan saw Storm¡¯s frown deepening as he looked past him.


    Silence fell over them and Johan strained his ears. He couldn¡¯t hear anything but the guards shuffling and armor clinking. The distant sound of fighting too low over the loud wind still blowing around them. Hushed murmurs soon started in the crowd, wondering why Storm stopped, and Johan eyed the restless guards suspiciously. Specifically the one that yelled for action. The man was clearly a new recruit, despite his older age, he was holding his sword with a clenched fist as his eyes flickered from copy to copy.


    Johan could see the exact moment he decided to attack.


    Frey¡¯s copy turned to look back at Johan for just a second but it was enough. The guard took that as an opportunity and yelled as he charged forward, sword held in front of him like a lance.


    The sound of rushing water.


    Johan watched as a pillar of water engulfed the guard just a split second before the point of his sword could stab Frey. The water stopped him in his place and for a moment it seemed like he didn¡¯t realize what was going on, his feet still running yet not going anywhere. The confusion was quickly followed by realization, and panic colored his face.


    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Johan flinched as a bright light flashed and when he opened his eyes again the water was gone. The guard hit the ground with a wet thud and loud thunder rumbled overhead.


    That part wasn¡¯t Sloth.


    ¡°Repulsive.¡± Storm spoke harshly. ¡°Remember this! A dog that can¡¯t follow orders will be put down!¡±


    Dog? Johan understood the kid was young, but to call fellow deities-


    Oh. Johan blanched. Storm wouldn¡¯t call a deity that.


    ¡°What the-¡± Johan muttered and looked around, many of the guards looked scared, and suddenly he realized why he only recognized some of them.


    They were humans. Probably here for money and fame.


    Johan stared in horror.


    Then paused, thinking.


    ¡­Huh.


    Well, whatever. Deity or not, they were still in his way.


    Johan turned around as a black-clad man approached through the shadows of wind caging them in.


    Sloth was finally here.


    Frey¡¯s copies disappeared one by one as Sloth strolled up, hands in his pockets and not a tense muscle in his body even as his hair whipped around in the strong wind.


    Johan frowned when he saw what Sloth was wearing. The hoodie had been discarded and instead he was wearing a tight crop top showing abs that Johan didn¡¯t even know existed. But somehow that wasn¡¯t the most surprising part.


    Johan didn¡¯t know he had tattoos. Bright blue lines appeared gradually down his arms until they reached his wrists, where his hands glowed completely blue.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take it from here.¡± Sloth said cooly, stepping right past Johan with only a short, emotionless glance at Greed before turning to meet Frey¡¯s eyes. The only Frey left. The two of them shared a look of utter disgust and annoyance at the sight of each other.


    And as if on cue they both turned towards Storm.


    ¡°You can leave.¡± Sloth drawled and Frey huffed indignantly, crossing his arms. ¡°As if you could take him on alone.¡±


    Johan watched as Frey turned back to him. ¡°Johan, go. We¡¯ll take care of this.¡±


    Another Frey appeared behind Johan, tugging Greed free. ¡°I¡¯ll take Greed from here, just focus on finding Thomas.¡± The copy tok off before yelling back at him. ¡°Come on! They¡¯ll take care of Storm!¡±


    ¡°But...¡± Johan watched as copy Frey ran off with Greed on his back, Johan¡¯s own arms suddenly empty. He looked to Sloth hesitantly but was pointedly ignored.


    ¡°Ok!¡± He finally decided and with a turn of his heel, he was running up the street after copy-Frey as the fighting behind him resumed louder than before.


    Two walls of water quickly overtook him on both sides, lifting high in the air before falling down like heavy waves, taking both enemies and allies down with it as it cleared a path for him.


    The wind was coming in even stronger now, and hail was pelting him from under dark clouds as he pushed forward, almost slipping on the frozen ground. Then he broke through the wall, feet hitting dry pavement and stumbling forward a few steps as the howling wind suddenly stopped pushing him.


    He glanced back. Frey was fighting alone in the middle of it all, taking down guard after guard while other deities fought around him. No Sloth or Storm in sight. Judging by Frey¡¯s expression though, they were not losing.


    Then the wind let up just enough to let Johan to see Storm flying backwards into the wall of a building, and Sloth landing heavily on his feet near Frey. A rogue soldier moved to attack him but only a split second later Frey appeared behind him and slit his throat, face cold in concentration. Then the wind picked back up again, this time strong enough to even hide Frey from sight as it ripped pieces of buildings apart, swimming in the strong wind.


    Johan gritted his teeth. Frey better survive!


    He turned the corner into the next street and barely managed to catch up to the other Frey holding Greed before-


    ¡°Oh shit!¡± Frey shrieked.


    BOOM


    For a second Johan was weightless. Then he hit the ground. His arms shielded his head as his body bounced at the impact and he went skidding against the pavement before finally coming to a stop on the other end of the street.


    He gasped for air, laying curled up on the empty street, his ears ringing as he squinted to see past the black smoke, the distant sounds of fighting slowly fading back in.


    Where was Frey?


    He tried to push himself up and immediately fell over with a hiss, tears of pain welling up in his eyes. He looked down to see his sleeves had been torn and his forearms were red and raw, only spared underneath the ribbons. He hissed again as the burning started. He shut his eyes and swallowed, taking a deep, calming breath. Then pushed himself up to his elbows, drops of blood running down his hands.


    Damn it. Using his ribbon now would be a mess.


    What happened? The black smoke was slowly dispersing around him, and his eyes snapped to blonde hair.


    Frey was on one knee, protectively leaning over Greed and frantically tapping his hand to the side of his head. When he turned, Johan could see red lines running down from his ears.


    Frey caught his eyes and quickly gestured for his ears before swiping a hand over his throat. Johan swallowed and turned to where the explosion came from.


    A shadow stalked towards them behind the veil of smoke. Johan tok a few more calming breaths before he pushed himself up to his knees, and just then, a black heel broke through the smoke, soon followed by a long pale leg and red fabric.


    Oh goddamn it, Johan¡¯s breath hitched. Damn it! Didn¡¯t those people have something better to do?! Those damn sins, what were they even doing?! Why was Johan meeting all the strong enemies?!


    Carlotta stalked closer.


    Was it too much to ask that she was on their side? They just got away from Storm and now another one of the strongest deities was going to try to kill them?!


    She turned to Frey and Greed.


    Johan staggered to his feet and grabbed the closest thing to him- a big roofslate- and threw it.


    Carlotta¡¯s head snapped back as it hit her right in the forehead and for a second Johan felt relief. Then she turned to him.


    Carlotta stared at him, fury on her face. With jerky movements she wiped the blood. Johan backed away slowly but she didn¡¯t take the bait. Instead she gave him an amused smile before turning back, eyes passing over Frey to look at Greed.


    ¡°So the mouse had escaped his trap.¡± She mused.


    ¡°Good to see you too.¡± Greed wheezed behind Frey¡¯s protective figure, clutching his ribs.


    ¡°An explosion? Really?!¡± Johan yelled, his arms throbbing. He let his ribbons fall into his hands, winching slightly as they wrapped tightly around his wounds. ¡°How is that fair?!¡±


    ¡°You are hurt.¡± She said stone faced, then gave a pleased smile. ¡°Good, that will make it all the easier to kill you.¡±


    Johan tok a step back in surprise.


    ¡°Who should I take first?¡± Her finger tapped her chin thoughtfully. ¡°The dog, the master¡­or Fate? Hmm. ¡° She turned to Johan. ¡°Why, you look like a disaster waiting to happen. I doubt you could control your powers after suffering a loss. Let me tell you one thing, child. This city will survive you.¡±


    Johan¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°You know you can¡¯t kill him.¡± Greed said, interrupting her.


    ¡°I know no such thing.¡± She laughed.


    ¡°There is no successor, Heaven won¡¯t survive it.¡± Johan¡¯s head snapped to Greed in shock.


    Carlotta paused with a frown. ¡°Capture then.¡± She launched at Johan, sword appearing in a burst of light. ¡°You will not leave this city again!¡±


    Capture?! Oh that was so much worse than death!


    Johan jumped back, dodging the attack but not without the fire burning at his cloak. He yelped as the heat turned up, the metal clasps of his cloak burning into his skin.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you see how stupid this all is?!¡± Johan yelled. ¡°And what about Nora?¡±


    Mentioning Gluttony was meant to make her think, but Carlotta only laughed darkly. It did, however, work better than the roofslate, seemingly making her lose all interest in the other two.


    ¡°My daughter would like me to be on your side. But she will get over it.¡± Carlotta slashed at him again but Johan quickly dodged. ¡°She has grown into a competent, young woman. Yet she keeps those same ideas you younglings do.¡± She tsk¡¯d in disappointment. ¡°Revolution and war. She will learn that not every fight can be won with blood, and she will understand with time that this is the best way. This war will stop once you¡­are taken.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t actually believe that?!¡± Johan snapped. ¡°You think I did this?! I didn¡¯t ask anyone to fight! I¡¯m not here to take the city, I¡¯m here to kill Thomas!¡±


    Well, that was the plan now, anyways.


    Carlotta¡¯s face twitched. It was barely there, but it was enough. Johan pushed. ¡°Do you want Thomas to live?¡±


    ¡°Oh, please.¡± Carlotta snarled. ¡°Of course I don¡¯t! A murder spree to take over Heaven just to get Greed? Killing Life and Death, leaving us all to lose the humans¡¯ faith? Ridiculous! But this is not the way either. Killing a third of the population in a revolution to gain back control is not the solution!¡±


    Oh, ok. So she wanted people to live, and without Johan there, the deities wouldn¡¯t fight, they would be sitting unhappily at home, wishing for the courage to fight, but they would be alive.


    And she was ready to blame Johan for all of it. As if he cared whether they fought or not.


    ¡°Lady.¡± Johan started and gestured angrily around him. ¡°I didn¡¯t start this. If you can think of any other way for me to live peacefully without him dying then please tell me, and I¡¯ll leave right now.¡±


    That seemed to be the wrong thing to say.


    ¡°Live peacefully? You! After what you have brought my daughter into!¡± Carlotta sneered, all rationality gone like the wind. Johan jumped as fire encircled them, separating them from everyone else, even Frey and Greed.


    He was stuck now, there was no way to go. He looked around wildly for any way out but there was nothing in range of his ribbon and the fire was way too high for him to jump over. The air was getting stuffy, smoke filling the circle.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t bring her into anything!¡± He coughed, hiding his nose in his elbow to try and clear some air to breathe.


    ¡°I should have killed you the first time you showed your face back here!¡± She lunged for him and he stumbled back, barely managing to stay on his feet as his vision blurred at the lack of air. The Lady of Fire wasn¡¯t done though.


    Johan jumped back in time for the next slash but then his foot caught on something and he fell. He landed hard on his back and looked up to see the tall fire hovering just behind him. He looked at Carlotta, heart hammering in his chest. She stalked closer, grin wide on her lips.


    Johan choked. At least he wasn¡¯t getting captured.


    It was like his thoughts slowed down as he watched Carlotta raise her arm, her sword glowing in the light of the fire.


    Johan shut his eyes.


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch him!¡±


    C L A N G -


    Breathe in.


    Breathe out.


    He didn¡¯t die.


    He opened his eyes.


    A big, dark shadow covered him. A black robe flowing gently against the red flickers of the fire behind it.


    His breath hitched.


    A head turned. Red eyes met purple.


    Relief washed through him, his tense muscles relaxing so quickly he almost fell back.


    ¡°Note.¡± Johan breathed and for a second he was home. Everything was ok. He was ok. Safe. Alive. Note was here. Right here.


    Note was shaking, his eyes wide and panicked as he examined Johan. ¡°You ok?¡±


    Johan just nodded, speechless. Note let out a held breath and reached out a hand. Johan tok it and when he stumbled, a strong hand wrapped around his waist and held him steady.


    Johan couldn¡¯t tear his eyes away. The red of the fire reflected in Note¡¯s panicked eyes, moving quickly as he searched Johan for injuries. Note¡¯s hand came up to rest against his cheek, and he barely felt it as the thumb hovered over a point on his forehead.


    Finally the panic mellowed into concern and Note met his eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m ok.¡± Johan said. Note nodded, his hand falling down to Johan¡¯s arm. Johan hissed at the touch against the raw wounds and Note¡¯s panicked expression immediately came back, his head ducking down to look at them.


    ¡°Your arms..¡±


    And with that the dream was over. Johan jerked back as realization settled in.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± His words shaky. Note wasn¡¯t supposed to be here. The whole point was for him and Signe to be safe. Johan pulled his arms free, ignoring the pain and Note¡¯s flinch as his callus hands rubbed against the raw skin on his own. ¡°You¡¯re not supposed to be here!¡±


    ¡°You are not supposed to be here.¡± Note threw the words back in his face with an angry scowl.


    Note opened his mouth but it clicked shut as a loud sound of a horn blared through the city and a joyous laugh rang through the air with heavy stomps shaking the earth.


    Johan turned to the bridge. His jaw dropped.


    The giants were there! And even the villagers!


    Viddi led the charge, holding a warhorn in one hand and leading a huge horde behind him, all armed with huge clubs and axes and bags and bags of rocks, swinging their weapons around as they made loud and excited yells of war.


    At Viddi¡¯s command they quickly spread and joined the fight. The first one took a running kick at a building, laughing as a huge chunk went flying through the air, people screaming beneath him, the rest followed soon after, axes dragging huge rifts in the ground and clubs sending deities flying.


    Standing beside Viddi was Dornir, but Johan was more focused on his shoulder, where Signe was standing. She was holding onto a strand of long hair and was leaning out, laughing maniacally as she looked across the city.


    Beside her Vero sat relaxed, leaning back on her arms as she watched Signe with a warm look, and as the giants joined the fight, a sinister one slowly took its place. She stood up, giving Signe a quick kiss, then jumped off Dornir¡¯s shoulder and disappeared behind a building.


    Then Signe¡¯s eyes zeroed in on Johan.


    He took a subconscious step back at the intensity. Note huffing out a laugh beside him. By the bridge Signe tugged on Dornir¡¯s hair, looking up expectantly.


    Johan could only watch in shock as his big hand grabbed her off his shoulder, lifted high in the air, and threw!


    Signe plummeted towards them across the city when suddenly screams of terror erupted from everywhere. Johan glanced around in surprise as white rain suddenly descended- wait no, lifted into the sky!


    Souls!


    He looked back to Signe and Note gasped beside him as hundreds of orbs flew up to swarm Signe, completely covering her in a bright white glow. Like a meteor she flew across the sky.


    ¡°Woah¡­¡± Johan breathed, eyes wide open. What had happened?! How did that many people die at once?!


    A triumphant laugh came from behind and Johan turned to see Frey watching everything with a bright yet crazed smile. ¡®Assassination¡¯ Johan¡¯s mind supplied, the pieces connecting.


    ¡°It¡¯s better than I could ever imagine.¡± Greed wondered over the terrified screams.


    The souls cleared when she was only a second away. Long links of souls hung from her like jewelry. Then another light flashed. An axe appeared in her hand and she threw it around, turning herself in the air, eyes glowing pure white as she lifted the axe above her head.


    And brought it down!


    Frey yelled and pulled Greed out of the way, just barely avoiding it as the axe breached the ground where he just sat, large cracks forming around it.


    Signe panted in rage and lifted her eyes to Greed. ¡°You.¡± She snarled, ripping the axe free.


    In the blink of an eye, the scene changed. Frey¡¯s arms were suddenly empty, eyes widening in panic as he met Johan¡¯s and they both turned at the same time to see Greed on the ground, Signe¡¯s fist slamming into his face.


    ¡°I hate you!¡± She screamed, continuing to punch the man. Over and over again.


    Frey yelled at her to stop and Note surged forward and grabbed him. Frey writhing in Note¡¯s arms as he was held back from helping Greed. All while Note watched the scene emotionlessly, eyes cold.


    Greed¡¯s head lulled to the side, face bleeding, and Johan acted.


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s ok!¡± Johan grabbed Signe¡¯s hand as she brought it back yet again, and Greed made a pained sound when she let go of his collar, his head falling back against the ground.


    Signe turned big eyes to him, lips wobbling dangerously.


    ¡°Johan!¡± She threw herself at him, arms wrapping tightly around him as he stumbled back a step, her face hiding in his chest. ¡°You can¡¯t just leave like that!¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Johan wrapped his arms around her almost subconsciously as she cried. He didn¡¯t think she would react like this. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    She pulled away enough to search him over, making a ugly sound when she saw the state of his arms, then turned to Note. She yanked Frey out of the way, sending him sprawling to the ground before pulling Note into the hug.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think-¡± Johan tried but Note¡¯s arms tightened around them.


    ¡°Of course we care.¡± Note grunted out and hissed in his ear. ¡°Don¡¯t ever leave us again. Family, remember?¡±


    Johan stared into Note¡¯s eyes as the stupid war raged on around them, and agreed. ¡°Never again.¡± He breathed.


    ¡°If we die then we die. But only together.¡± Note said and Signe nodded seriously against Johan¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Running away?!¡± A new voice yelled tauntingly followed by a loud clang of metal. The three of them separated to watch.


    Vero was standing there menacingly, her eyes glinting with the want to fight, and blocking Carlotta from leaving. ¡°I heard you tried to burn Signe. You are my prey now.¡±


    Carlotta glanced back at Johan, eyes running over all of them with a tight sneer and for a second he thought he saw a flash of fear in her eyes.


    He watched as Vero closed the distance with a roar. ¡°Try to touch me with your fire!¡±


    ¡°Ohh.¡± Signe smiled, walking over to grab her axe from where it was wedged into the pavement. She looked back at Johan and grinned, eyes dark. ¡°Whatever you want here, do it. I support you.¡±


    He swallowed, tear pricking his eyes as she jumped into the fight. A hand landed on his shoulder.


    ¡°We should move on.¡± Note said and Johan nodded.


    ¡°Frey,¡± He said and the blonde turned back from where he was fuzzing over Greed¡¯s seemingly broken nose. Johan¡¯s lips twitched at the sight. That was long coming. ¡°Take Greed and go.¡±


    Frey didn¡¯t need to be told twice. He quickly got Greed onto his back and gave Johan and Note a serious look as he passed them. ¡°Good luck.¡±


    Johan nodded and turned around, a small smile trying to force itself onto his face. Things were starting to turn around.


    Red flashes of fire crackled in the air, Carlotta yelled, Signe laughed and metal clashed behind them as Johan and Note set off.


    Hopefully there weren¡¯t any more interruptions.

 The King of Creepy powers

    ¡°So what are we here for?!¡± Note yelled as they ran.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to kill Thomas!¡± Johan yelled back, grinning. Note made a startled noise beside him, glancing back with wide eyes.


    Then he laughed. ¡°Hah! I¡¯ll join that!¡±


    They turned the corner and together they cut through their enemies, working their way through the street-turned-battlefield.


    The buildings lining the streets were covered in soot and red splashes of blood now as the fighting went on. Around them on every turn were more guards coming straight for them, forgetting their own fights the second they caught sight of Johan and Note.


    Johan stabbed into a guard and flung him to the ground when suddenly a large shadow passed over them. He looked up and his eyes widened in wonder.


    ¡°Woah-¡± That was so cool! Johan stared as the giant slowly stepped over them until the large foot came down and the ground shook with the force.


    Johan came back at the sound of a wet inhale. He whipped around in alarm, only to come face to face with a paling guard.


    ¡°Pay attention!¡± Note yelled, ripping his sword free and the guard sneaking up on Johan fell to the ground between them.


    Johan laughed but listened, quickly disarming the next guard that attacked.


    ¡°Johan, can you hear me?¡±


    Johan yelled in surprise, barely ducking as a sword swung right at him.


    ¡°Johan?¡± Greed repeated, voice loud and clear as it filled Johan¡¯s head.


    ¡°Yeah! I can hear you!¡± He shouted, trying to drown out the sounds of the battle around him.


    ¡°Thomas is at the palace. Work your way there as soon as possible.¡±


    His palace? Thomas was there?


    Johan¡¯s head snapped towards the big tree looming in the distance, shielding the palace from view. His face twisted in annoyance and he shook his head. There was no point in dwelling on that thought! He turned to Note. ¡°We need to get to the palace!¡±


    Note met his eyes and nodded, a glint in his eyes as immediately started to plow a path. They quickly made it into the next street, this one almost empty.


    ¡°Wait. Do you hear that?¡± Note asked in alarm, stopping Johan with an arm on his chest.


    Johan paused, eyes quickly running over the street as he listened. Nothing.


    ¡°No?¡± He said, and that¡¯s when he heard it.


    BANG


    Before he knew what happened, they were standing meters away and dust filled the air. Johan stood in a low crouch, ribbons tight in his fists and slowly wrapping back around his arms as he pushed Note an extra step back for good measure, and straightened up.


    The wall they were just running by was now a gaping crater and Johan hesitantly glanced back at Note as the dust cleared, their eyes meeting with a similar mix of concern and shock at the sight. Then Johan turned back. The kid was still standing there in the big hole, panting heavily, his fists clenching and unclenching as he stared ahead.


    Johan followed his eyes across the street to see an unmoving guard laying in a mound of broken debris, halfway through the wall of another building.


    The kid breathed heavily and pushed his sleeves up as if in victory, but he didn¡¯t move closer to the fallen guard.


    Johan frowned, did the kid do that? He couldn¡¯t be more than 10 at most, what was he doing on the battlefield?


    The kid didn¡¯t take his eyes off the guard for a long time, chest heaving with every breath, then finally he swallowed and looked around. That¡¯s when he noticed Johan and Note. He jumped in surprise before falling back into a fighting stance, hands in front of him.


    ¡°Go away or I¡¯ll punch you just like I did with that guy!¡± The boy yelled and Johan might have fallen for the act if it wasn¡¯t for the quivering lip.


    Johan opened his mouth but nothing came out. Was he supposed to¡­do something? He looked to Note who was frowning deeply in concern.


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Suddenly another voice spoke up. ¡°Is it safe yet, Bennet?¡±


    ¡°Get back!¡± The kid yelled, not taking his eyes off of Johan.


    A girl ducked her head past the opening in the wall. She had long, deep red hair, a wilted flower holding one side behind her ear. At the sight of them her blue eyes widened and her face turned into one of fear.


    She yelped and ducked back in but then, after a short moment, her head slowly peeked around the corner again, watching at them with big, curious eyes.


    ¡°You are the king!¡± Johan stared at the girl in horror. King?! Her fear was completely gone now and she tried stepping out from behind the boy but was quickly pushed back.


    ¡°I read about you in the history books,¡± She contined silently, hugging a stuffed bunny tightly in her arms. ¡°But¡­Bennet, they can help us.¡±


    ¡°Shh, Mia.¡± The first kid hissed over his shoulder, still not taking his eyes off of them. Then he yelled. ¡°Go away now!¡±


    ¡°But¡­Mr. King.¡± The angry man came to our house and - and then everyone went home! I also want to go home.. but Bennet said..¡± She paused and fickled with the foot of the bunny. Then she shook her head violently and yelled. ¡°And we¡¯re running away!¡±


    ¡°They didn¡¯t go home!¡± Bennet insisted loudly, making the girl flinch. ¡°They died!¡±


    Well, that didn¡¯t sound good. Johan shared a worried look with Note.


    ¡°Are you¡­from the orphanage?¡± Johan asked hesitantly.


    The orphanage was one of the oldest systems in Heaven. It wasn¡¯t unusual for children to become deities, but when it happened, they were then seen as adults in both human and immortal eyes. Though they were still children, they couldn¡¯t take care of themselves. Most of the time another deity would take them in, whether it was because of friendship with the previous owner of their title, or because they could see the child becoming useful. The orphanage existed to house the remaining few.


    When Johan was younger there were only three other child deities in the city and only one lived in the orphanage.


    ¡°No!¡± The boy yelled, then gritted his teeth when the girl nodded confirmingly behind him.


    Note tok a calming breath, and put on a smile. He slowly walked over to the kids, appearing harmless, and kneeled down, reaching out. He gently put a hand on the girl¡¯s head. His face grew soft as he carefully tok the dead flower from her hair and lifted it up in front of her. She looked on anxiously and jumped back a tiny step as black smoke encased it, whirled around, then disappeared, her eyes turning round in wonder as she looked at the now alive flower.


    ¡°Mia, was it?¡± Note smiled comfortingly at her and put the flower back in her hair. ¡°Unfortunately Mr. King is busy saving the city, but I will help you.¡±


    Note looked apologetically back over his shoulder. ¡°Johan, I¡¯m sorry but..¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡± Johan said softly. Note always had a soft spot for children. ¡°Go.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need me to win.¡± Note said confidently and grabbed one child in each hand. ¡°I love you.¡±


    Johan''s eyes widened. And then he was alone.


    He huffed a short laugh.


    ¡°Johan!¡± He jolted as Greed yelled his name. ¡°Now is not the time!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry so much!¡± Johan laughed back but started running towards the palace anyways.


    ¡°Thomas isn¡¯t going to go down easily. Don¡¯t lower your guard now.¡± Greed scolded but Johan easily ignored him.


    ¡°What are his powers again? You mentioned it back in the workshop.¡± Johan asked Greed. He couldn¡¯t remember it- He had had other things on his mind at the time.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know.¡± A strange voice echoed in his ears.


    Johan froze mid-step, breath caught in his throat.


    Thomas.


    He whirled around only to find- nobody. He looked around the empty street, heart pounding loudly in his ears. He was sure he just heard¡­


    ¡°Did you hear that?!¡± He demanded. The following silence told him all he needed to know. Johan could hear Greed inhale anxiously.


    ¡°Johan, you have to be very careful not to fall for his-¡±


    A shiver went down his spine. Someone was standing behind him.


    He turned slowly, feeling every tense muscle in his body telling him to run, get away, don¡¯t turn towards him-


    ¡°Why, it¡¯s insanity.¡± Thomas grinned down at him, only a hair¡¯s breadth away.


    ¡°-hallucinations.¡± Greed finished, ignorant of what was going on. ¡°He brings forth illusions and hallucinations until the mind is irreparably damaged. Insane, you could say. His powers are over delusion-.¡±


    Johan stared up with wide eyes, not listening. Despite how close they were he couldn¡¯t feel Thomas breathing. Slowly took a step to the side but the man¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t follow him, instead they stared into the same space Johan just left.


    Carefully he took a step forward and waved an arm. It went right through the illusion and it disappeared like smoke.


    ¡°If you can see him that means you¡¯re getting close, keep going.¡± Greed¡¯s voice continued and Johan turned to look ahead. He was almost back at the palace now.


    Close. He was close.


    He took a calming breath. Wow, that was so creepy.


    He clenched his fists tightly around his ribbons and felt for the quiet buzz of powers under his skin-


    And ran for the palace.


    ¡°Johan~¡± A voice sang, first faintly, like a gust of wind, then louder, closer. It kept repeating his name. ¡°Come, come~ Past the tree~¡±


    ¡°He plays with your fear.¡± Greed¡¯s explanation carried on.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Johan mumbled numbly to himself. ¡°That¡¯s so creepy.¡±


    He kept running, leaving even the distant sounds of fighting far behind him. The closer he got, the quieter it became. Not a soul dared step this close to the palace and it was eerily silent as he made his way through the last street with only the sound of his shoes hitting the pavement and the occasional wind blowing through broken windows and empty buildings.


    He slowed down as he entered the last alley, and stepped out on the other side.


    The weeping tree loomed in the distance.

 The True King

    Johan carefully stepped forward, eyes roaming the street for any sign of movement.


    It was completely silent. Barely a gust of wind. ¡®Past the tree¡¯, the voice had said and Johan eyed it cautiously. It looked exactly the same as when he walked past it earlier with Envy and Frey.


    He glanced at the spear, still embedded deeply into the bark.


    ¡°Just a little closer~¡± The voice sang, fading from one of his ears to the next.


    Greed was strangely absent in his head now.


    Then-


    ¡°Got you.¡±


    With a startled gasp Johan jerked around. Light flashed and the loud clang of clashing metal rang through the air.


    He gritted his teeth as he clenched his hands around the hilt of the dagger, muscles trembling under the pressure of stopping the sword from cutting down into his head.


    Thomas grinned manically, eyes wide open, and leaned heavier on his weapon.


    With a yell Johan pushed, sending them both back a couple steps. Johan stumbling to regain his balance as Thomas made a intrigued noise.


    ¡°Good reflexes,¡± Thomas commented pleasantly from his perch a couple steps high on the stairs leading up to the palace. Then his expression turned cold. ¡°Pest.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you too.¡± Johan said drily, eyeing the man with his heart hammering in his chest. He hadn¡¯t expected an ambush.


    ¡°Where is Greed?¡± Thomas demanded with barely concealed anger and took a threatening step closer.


    ¡°Not here.¡± Johan shot back and Thomas¡¯ eyes widened in rage.


    ¡°You-¡±


    Johan threw his ribbon and pulled himself into the air, just barely escaping the sword as it slashed through where he was just standing. He landed easily on the stairs, going right over Thomas¡¯s head, and turned to see the man stumble to not crash into the tree trunk.


    ¡°You ruin everything!¡± Thomas screamed and twisted around, the veins in his neck and forehead bulging out as anger colored his face red.


    He ruined everything? He did?! Johan laughed, vision turning red.


    ¡°You killed my dad!¡± Johan yelled and took a step forward as anger coursed through him.  Thomas ignored him in favor of attacking again, forcing him further up the steps, flowers crushing beneath his feet.


    Johan let him continue attacking until his foot hit the flat ground at the top of the stairs. Then he acted. Rage ran through his veins as he watched the simple man jolt after him, launching himself after Johan, time after time again, as if he would ever reach, yelling taunt after taunt, none of which reached Johan¡¯s ears.


    ¡°You killed my friends! You took everything from me!¡± To think this menace managed to take over his world! He had left Heaven and he had stayed away for years. What more did this guy want?!


    Their weapons met with a loud clang.


    ¡°I was going to let it go.¡± Johan hissed, eyes twitching. ¡°But then you let Greed burn down my village.¡±


    Thomas grinned down at him, his eyes glinting with bloodthirst. What a disgusting-


    The earth shook beneath them and Thomas¡¯ grin was ripped right from his face. He jumped back, halfway down the stairs, and struggled to keep on his feet as the violent vibrations shook the world around them.


    Johan walked down slowly, unbothered by his own powers, and the ground shook harder and harder with every step. Ahead, the tree swayed violently, its branches whipping wildly through the air, deadly to anyone who came close enough, and the pedals all floated down in thick, colorful clouds. Behind him, the palace creaked, roof-slabs smashing against the ground.


    He watched Thomas become smaller and smaller, shoulders hunching in as he was unable to stand up without falling. One attempt sent his sword cluttered down the stairs as it almost sent him falling to his death over the railing.


    Thomas¡¯ eyes followed the sword, then glanced fearfully back to Johan before falling to his knees, attempting to follow it down.


    Johan let him crawl. He slowly followed the man down until he was close enough, the long, thin fingers reaching out for the sword hilt. Then Johan kicked it away.


    He watched as terror-filled eyes turned to him.


    This was the guy that killed Johan¡¯s closest and turned Heaven against him.


    Pathetic.


    Johan crouched down and watched Thomas jerk away in fear. Somehow he couldn¡¯t find it in himself to feel any sort of satisfaction, only an overtaking need to finish this once and for all.


    He didn¡¯t spare a second before he grabbed Thomas by the throat and pushed him down, raising his own dagger high in the air.


    ¡°You should learn when to stop.¡± Johan growled. His dagger shone as he thrust it through the air, straight towards Thomas¡¯ head.


    ¡°Johan...¡±


    He froze, only halfway through the stab. That voice¡­


    ¡°Stop this, Johan.¡±


    The world stilled. Johan turned.


    At the top of the stairs. Staring down at them.


    Johan faltered. ¡°Dad?¡±


    For a second everything stopped. Johan¡¯s eyes widened as he stared at the old man reaching a hand out to him. He looked exactly the same. Same gray hair, same kind smile, same...


    ¡­red eyes.


    Wait.


    The world sped up again as the realization hit him. His dad¡¯s eyes were bright red, just like his own. Two Fates couldn¡¯t live at the same time!


    Just too late he noticed he had let go of Thomas. A grinning face flashed before his eyes for only a split second before the air was punched right out of him, sending him flying back, his head slamming into the sharp edge of a step and he gasped in pain. His vision swam, fading in and out of darkness as a hand fisted in his cloak and started dragging him.


    ¡°You fool! You fell for that?! Hah hah haaa!¡± Thomas laughed shill and loud, then he threw Johan.


    Johan hit the ground hard and he doubled over to the side, coughing and gasping for air.


    Hallucination! How could he fall for it so soon?!


    With a groan of anger he snapped his eyes open and grabbed for his dagger-


    But stopped.


    For a second he struggled to catch up to what he was seeing. What he was hearing. Feet covered his line of sight in all directions. and Johan struggled to his feet, almost getting pushed over multiple times by the people crowding around him. What had happened?


    People were yelling, and they were everywhere! What was going on, just a second ago he was alone with Thomas?!


    ¡°Death to tyranny!¡±


    ¡°Peace! Peace!¡±


    ¡°Get out!¡±


    ¡°For heaven!¡±


    Loud roars surrounded him on all sides and finally the words caught up to him.


    No.


    Johan¡¯s head snapped up. His breath quickened.


    ¡°No.¡± He muttered. ¡°No. No, no.¡± He started pushing through the crowd. ¡°No, no no no-!¡± He screamed and a person spoke from the stage.


    ¡°Today is a joyous day.¡± Thomas¡¯ voice rang out through the air and Johan quickened his pace as two familiar figures were brought forth.


    ¡°Stop!¡± Johan screamed as the crowd cheered. Signe¡¯s fighting form was pushed to her knees, the guard behind her holding her hair tightly in his fist. She stilled as a blade was put to her throat, a fearful sneer on her face.


    ¡°It has been a year since they invaded Heaven! Our own city! They killed our kings and surrendered us to Greed control! But no longer! Finally we will be free! Today we end their tyranny! Let them leave this world just as they came into it!¡±


    Johan¡¯s body shook as he forced his way through the crowd as fast as he could but barely moved any closer. There were too many people, he couldn¡¯t get past them in time!


    He summoned his dagger and started slashing. Deities fell to the ground around him and he sprinted over them, finally gaining speed.


    But he was too late.


    ¡°Signe!¡± The blood-curdling scream stopped him in his tracks. The crowd roared and cheered as Signe fell to the ground, her hands trying to stop the blood gushing from her neck.


    He could only watch as Note got out from their hold, screaming, and stole his captor¡¯s blade, all while roots shot up from the ground and wrapped around a limp Signe.


    The crowd screamed and ran as roots lashed out and a great big tree grew up from the ground.


    Johan¡¯s vision was blurring. He couldn¡¯t breathe.


    Note was fending them off, taking down a lot of them, but then one guard got a lucky swing, and he fell.


    Then everything went silent.


    Suddenly Johan was laying on his back. He coughed violently but his body wouldn¡¯t move, held down from all sides. He struggled to find his surroundings, hands twitching against the rough¡­wood?... that was holding him down. He tried to open his eyes into the darkness but immediately shut them again as they filled with dust.


    Where was he?!


    The realization sent fear through him. He was pinned under something.


    He had been in a memento, he knew that much! But where was he now?!


    He took a calming breath, careful not to breathe in the dust. It didn¡¯t work. He swallowed drily. Slowly he controlled his ribbon to explore around him, but nothing. There wasn¡¯t a single gap.


    Was he going to die like this? Suffocating to death?!


    Shit, he had to calm down.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    He took another deep, calming breath and tried to clear his mind. He was not going to die like this. That was stupid.


    Slowly he searched for his powers and felt a small rumble from below. He tried to raise himself up against whatever was holding him down, giving it a shake to try and loosen the hold it had on him.


    It was heavy. Much heavier than when he was just laying there. It was like his entire body was being crushed, his lungs compressing enough that he couldn¡¯t breathe in anymore.


    Then the burden lightened! Just a little bit, but it was enough! He drew in a dust-filled breath and tried to speed up.


    His body was shaking now and Johan couldn¡¯t tell why. The fear? The pain? The lack of air? He cursed, straining against the hold on him both with his powers and with his body, trying to move his hands even a little bit.


    Then his hand moved!


    It shot up through whatever was holding him down, feeling the wind against his skin. A tiny stream of light appeared and with all his might, Johan shoved.


    He dug himself out and his face was hit by cold, fresh air. He took a deep, dust-less breath and cautiously opened his eyes to a clear sky.


    Relief.


    He sat up, coughing and dragging in as much air as he could. Planks and rubble were covering him, his clothes and skin covered in a thick layer of dust.


    He didn¡¯t notice the laughter until it stopped.


    ¡°What, you¡¯re still alive?!¡± Johan¡¯s head snapped up to see Thomas staring at him in shock all the way over by the tree. The man let out a breathless laugh as Johan struggled to his feet.  ¡°Wow, little king. Catching two buildings with your body and not dying! I¡¯m impressed.¡±


    Johan¡¯s eyes widened. Catching two buildings with his¡­


    He looked around.


    The street was barren, the mementos gone under the rubble. Only one building was still standing and that was just barely, the third floor completely open to the world.


    He let out a shaky breath. What happened?


    ¡°There¡¯s quite some power in those earthquakes of yours.¡± Thomas said and Johan froze. He looked around again, taking in all the destruction.


    He did this?


    He swallowed.


    Loud laughter filled the air and Johan turned back to Thomas, pushing down the ugly feeling threatening to come out.


    Thomas grinned at him. ¡°Too bad you still need to die.¡±


    Thomas charged and Johan tok a surprised step back then yelped as his legs buckled and he fell back against the rubble. He watched with wide eyes as Thomas sailed over him.


    Johan quickly pushed himself up, his whole body aching as he stumbled over the rubble, trying his best to stay standing. He needed to get to solid ground or he was done for!


    Behind him Thomas yelled something unintelligible, cursing loudly.


    He managed to get over the worst of it with minimal struggle, only falling a few times before finally planting his feet back on the solid, flat ground by the tree.


    ¡°I almost feel bad for you.¡± Thomas yelled after him. ¡°So powerful yet so pathetic at the same time!¡±


    Johan gritted his teeth. If it wasn¡¯t for that stupid hallucination then this fight would have already been over!


    ¡°Get over here!¡± Johan yelled and Thomas¡¯ grin twisted darkly.


    ¡°As you wish, your majesty.¡±


    Johan met him halfway, their weapons clashing under the tree¡¯s falling flower petals. He felt for his powers, but nothing happened. Not even a hint of his previous control.


    Their weapons continued to clash, trading blow after blow and Johan dug deeper. It was in there somewhere! That buzz of power!


    With a yell. Johan charged, pushing himself harder and harder as adrenaline coursed through his veins, canceling out any pain or ache in his body.


    His ribbon quickly wrapped around his forearm. Once. Twice. And when Thomas¡¯ sword swung down at him, he was ready. He intercepted the blow with his arm and with his main hand now free, he took another step closer, dagger twisting in the air, and slashed.


    Thomas jumped back, eyes widening in surprise as the blade passed just in front of his face and Johan grimaced when the man got away with only a pained grunt.


    ¡°Heh,¡± Thomas huffed out a laugh through heavy breaths, drops of sweat forming on his forehead. ¡°Your eyes are flashing. Can¡¯t keep up?¡±


    Johan¡¯s eyes widened at the revelation. Then twitched.


    He found it.


    He grabbed a hold of it. Then let the ribbon covering his forearm fall to the ground. Thomas launched forward and once again their weapons met.


    Johan let out a small laugh.


    Time to finish this.


    It was like a switch flipped. The world shook harder than ever. Thomas¡¯ eyes widened in fear.


    The rumble in the ground even touched Johan now, enchanting the buzzing in his skin unfathomably, and when he took a step forward, it followed him. A large crack appeared under his feet, spreading across the street like a flash of lightning, and when he stepped away- it opened up.


    The following rumble was eardeafening as the world separated before their eyes. Distantly Johan saw the tree tip to the side and fall into the nothingness below.


    All his attention was on Thomas. The man¡¯s face was ugly with terror and the world slowed as Johan pulled the ribbon taut and Thomas¡¯ eyes widened impossibly as his feet were pulled out from beneath him and he fell back. Johan tok a step to follow him, body buzzing with power. He raised his dagger high, this time it would actually-


    Blood spewed past his lips.


    Everything went black.


    -


    It couldn¡¯t have been more than a few seconds before he opened his eyes again, and his face immediately twisted as pain scorched through his body. Beside him Thomas was getting back on his feet and Johan tried to do the same, limbs slow and heavy and he moved to push himself up.


    He barely got to his elbows before needing to stop, vision swimming.


    A hand grasped the collar of his cloak and Johan gasped as he was roughly pulled to his knees. Then he was let go and for a second he started tilting to the side, then his hair was grabbed.


    Johan panted through gritted teeth as his head was wrenched up and he felt the cold touch of metal against his throat.


    ¡°Finally run out of steam?¡± Thomas taunted. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, your ¡®family¡¯ will be here soon.¡±


    Johan¡¯s mind stirred to a halt.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± He tried to turn but the hand in his hair held him still. Instead Thomas leaned around Johan with a sinister smile, slowly pushing the edge of the blade just a little deeper.


    ¡°They are both very loyal to you.¡± Thomas said seriously, and petted Johan¡¯s hair softly. ¡°All I had to do was show them you, and they come running.¡±


    Johan¡¯s heart fell. He couldn¡¯t mean¡­?


    He heard loud yelling and Thomas made a pleased sound. ¡°Ah, here they are.¡±


    Johan¡¯s eyes widened in horror as Signe was dragged into view. One buff guard on either side of her as she kicked and screamed. A cut on her forehead painted the left side of her face and chest red.


    Then came Note. Johan would have hit the ground if it wasn¡¯t for the hand holding him up.


    In contrast to Signe¡¯s loud threats and curses, Note was completely silent, head hanging and with only one guard pulling him along. His robe was gone, showing big, ugly bruises down his chest, and his right arm hung limply at his side, dislocated, his sword nowhere to be seen.


    They were both pulled towards the large crack in the ground, where they were unable to get closer.


    Signe saw him first.


    ¡°Johan!¡± She screamed and one of the guards behind her quickly covered her mouth.


    Note¡¯s head snapped up to meet Johan¡¯s eyes. He was clearly struggling to focus, but for just a second his eyes were crystal clear and glowing purple. Then the next second the guard hit him over the head, almost sending him to the ground.


    Johan fought. Or well. He tried to.


    Sweat ran down his face as he grabbed for the hand holding the sword against his throat, but Thomas easily shook him off.


    ¡°Used up too much of your energy, huh?¡± Thomas whispered tauntingly in his ear. ¡°Oh well, then you¡¯ll just have to sit here and follow my command like a good boy.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re not real.¡± Johan hissed. It was a hallucination. It had to be. Note and Signe couldn¡¯t actually be there.


    Thomas chuckled lowly into his ear. ¡°As real as those resurrected freaks can get.¡±


    Then he straightened up, turning to the newcomers.


    ¡°Such loyal pets!¡± Thomas yelled. ¡°Coming all this way to rescue their little king! Well, welcome to the show!¡±


    ¡°Johan!¡± Note yelled. He struggled in the guard¡¯s hold but was quickly pushed down to his knees.


    Johan gritted his teeth, breaths coming out in short rasps as his heart beat loudly in his ears. He watched Thomas in the corner of his eye. ¡°Why are you doing this?! What¡¯s the point?!¡±


    ¡°The point?¡± Thomas laughed lowly and the grip in Johan¡¯s hair tightened, making him stretch his neck further. ¡°You Fates.¡± He hissed. ¡°Destined kings or whatever they call you. You are trash. Disposable. Your only purpose in life is to serve until the next Fate appears! You don¡¯t understand love! First your father stole him from me. Now you! I was right to hunt you down, my only mistake was to let you go in the first place!¡±


    The realization hit him like a rock.


    ¡°Greed?!¡± He snapped incredulously. ¡°My uncle, you did this for him?! You killed my dad, his brother! You-!¡± The hand in his hair yanked him higher and he let out a hiss of pain.


    ¡°Now you¡¯re getting it~¡± Thomas dragged out. ¡°Love is a beautiful thing, little king. It brings light to a dull and boring life, making it into something worth living. You damn Fates almost destroyed that for me. Now it¡¯s my turn. Now I will take one from you. Let us see where your love lies.¡±


    Johan froze.


    ¡°Kill one.¡± Thomas said and Johan¡¯s heart skipped.


    What did he just say?


    ¡°Come on. We don¡¯t have all day.¡± Dread and terror filled Johan¡¯s veins. Thomas leaned over to look him in the eye. ¡°Pick one to kill. I¡¯ll let the other live. Well, for a little longer at least. None of you will leave Heaven alive this time.¡±


    Johan stared at Thomas. He couldn¡¯t really mean-


    ¡°Pick or I will kill them both.¡± Thomas hissed when Johan stayed quiet.


    Johan''s heart was beating so strongly it felt like he was moving with it.


    He had to pick one to die.


    He tested his powers, sweat running down the side of his face, but it was useless. Whatever power he had found, it was gone now. Thomas had outplayed him.


    ¡°Tick tock, little king.¡± Thomas taunted impatiently with a manic grin on his face. ¡°Or they both-¡±


    ¡°Kill me.¡± Johan breathed.


    Thomas paused. Then let out a soft laugh. ¡°That¡¯s not one of the options. Either violent, little Signe dies, or big, strong Note does. You will stay alive.¡±


    Johan swallowed.


    Note and Signe had fallen silent now, too far away to hear their talk but clearly able to tell something was wrong.


    ¡°You won¡¯t get out of this alive.¡± Johan said desperately. ¡°Whatever you think you have here, it will all be gone. The deities won¡¯t stop fighting, I¡¯ll make sure Greed never-¡±


    He didn¡¯t finish his sentence. He didn¡¯t need to, because Thomas already tensed up. For a second Johan thought it worked. The blade pushed hard against his throat, and slit-


    But then it stopped.


    Warm blood trickled down. The sword was moved away.


    ¡°Trying to trick me, are you?¡± Thomas spoke darkly. ¡°If I kill you then you don¡¯t have to choose. Where would the fun in that be?¡±


    ¡°I-¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± Thomas roared. ¡°Choose now!¡±


    Johan gritted his teeth. Why did he go to Heaven? And why did they have to follow him there? It was one thing if Johan died, that was his loss. But them?!


    He couldn¡¯t be alone. Not again.


    ¡°Enough.¡± Thomas growled and sighed deeply. ¡°Kill them both!¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Johan jerked forward, but it was too late. They were pushed off.


    Without a second thought Johan slammed his hands on the ground. Please. Please, just this once! Listen to him!


    A jolt went through him.


    Everything was quiet.


    Slowly he opened his eyes- and almost fell over in relief.


    Note and Signe were on each their boulders. Floating over the void. Floating, not moving. Johan swallowed, arms straining. He could see Note pushing himself onto his elbows, and while Signe had managed to pull herself to a crouch, there was no way either of them were getting back up without outside help.


    What now?


    His powers were leaving him quickly, he had already been struggling, but now? It was like a thousand steel blades were cutting into each and every one of his muscles.


    He tasted blood.


    His breath hitched and he attempted to lift them back up to safety, but nothing happened. Sweat was stinging in his eyes but he refused to blink, his whole body quivering from the effort of simply holding on.


    What now?!


    ¡°They¡¯re here!¡±


    ¡°Shit, Johan!¡±


    His head snapped up at the sound of voices. Reinforcements had arrived.


    The sins were there! Wading through the ruins of the streets with Envy in the lead, her, now smaller, army of soldiers followed right behind her.


    ¡°Need some help there, Johan?¡± Frey shouted with a grin as he flashed through with ease, the first one to get to solid ground.


    Johan felt tears well up in his eyes.


    Note and Signe were going to live!


    ¡°Not so soon.¡± Something cold pressed back against his neck and he froze. Frey¡¯s grin fell and Envy¡¯s hand shot up, soldiers stopping their advance.


    ¡°Pick one or I¡¯ll kill you and they will both fall to their death.¡± Thomas hissed in his ear, nicking Johan¡¯s throat with the blade. Then he yelled out. ¡°Hear that, sins?! One more step and your king dies!¡±


    Distantly he could hear someone yelling back, but his attention was somewhere else.


    Johan looked back and forth between Note and Signe. Note was staring at him with terrified eyes, still on the ground as he gestured desperately at Signe.


    Then Johan slowly turned his blurry eyes to her. She wasn¡¯t struggling anymore, instead she was smiling, a small and sad thing. Johan neared his limit. She knew that.


    He sobbed, the tears finally falling free down his face. She was trying to comfort him even as her own eyes shone.


    His powers were at their end. He had to pick one.


    Note would hate him for this, but not more than he would hate himself.


    Signe glanced back.


    He let go.


    ¡°Signe!¡± Vero¡¯s scream mixed with Note¡¯s and with his last remaining power, Johan stabbed Note¡¯s boulder as hard as he could into the dirt wall of the abyss. Then he was out. The pressure on his throat disappeared and he fell forward, Thomas laughing maniacally.


    His body convulsed as he sobbed into the pavement.


    He just killed Signe.


    Suddenly gentle hands touched his back and his shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Johan. You can let go now. Note is safe. It¡¯s finished.¡±


    He raised his head to see a struggling Note being put back on solid ground, his face twisting as he tried to get back to the edge before finally falling back against Lust¡¯s hold in defeat. His eyes snapped up to meet Johan¡¯s.


    ¡°Nothing is fine.¡± Johan finally muttered as he watched Note walk away.


    Nothing would ever be fine again.

 Epilogue

    They didn¡¯t find Signe¡¯s body and they didn¡¯t hold a funeral. Johan couldn¡¯t bear the thought of sending her away without her most loved ones by her side. Instead he held his own little memorial. A small thing, just to say sorry. He didn¡¯t say goodbye, not when it was his actions that killed her.


    Somehow life continued on. Signe was dead, yet no new deity came to take her place and unlike the last time, when dead people were stuck in their own decaying bodies, this time they actually died. As if having a deity of Death was completely unnecessary.


    The deities of Heaven had been happy with their win, and with a horde of fresh deities, the replacements for those that died in the revolution, they had set their efforts to rebuilding the city. Turns out Johan had caused a lot more damage than he thought.


    Note was gone. He had walked away and that was the last time Johan saw him. He hadn¡¯t come back and no matter how much Frey tried to reassure that he would, Johan didn¡¯t believe it.


    And Vero. She had left in silence after Johan had passed out, without even a word to him or the sins before she disappeared. Maybe she had gone after Note. Johan didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°Please understand her.¡± Greed said, standing to the side of the palace¡¯s master bedroom as he watched Johan be dressed by the servants. ¡°You didn¡¯t see it but Signe gave her final goodbye to Vero in that last moment. Give her time to come to terms with it.¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°She won¡¯t.¡± Johan said numbly. Signe had been the love of her life. When she had died the first time, Vero had spent years searching for her. ¡°She¡¯ll never stop searching.¡±


    Greed sighed and walked around to stand in front of Johan, but before he could say anything the door creaked open.


    ¡°It¡¯s time, your majesty.¡± Envy¡¯s voice filled the stuffy room, soon followed by the click of her heels on the floor. ¡°You look-¡±


    ¡°Forced.¡± Johan finished for her and turned.


    ¡°Majestic.¡± She corrected, a small smile tugging on her lips. ¡°Like a king.¡±


    Johan didn¡¯t say anything, instead opting to take a last look in the mirror. He felt suffocated already.


    The outfit hugged him, expensive fabric decorated in gold embroidery, and a heavy, red cape moved behind him at every movement. Johan barely recognized himself. Even his hair was unfamiliar, two twin braids on the top of his head tying his hair away from his face and leaving nothing to cover his dead eyes. Johan couldn¡¯t remember the last time he had gone outside without them hidden.


    He looked like Emil¡¯s painting. The only thing missing was the crown.


    ¡°Today is an important day.¡± Greed said seriously, face bright. He put a hand on Johan¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Do well today. It will be your first appearance as king.¡±


    Envy smiled at him in the mirror. ¡°Come on now, or you¡¯ll be late for your own coronation.¡±


    Johan nodded and followed her, Greed¡¯s hand lingering on his shoulder until he was out of reach.