BLOODY VENGEANCE

The fall of a great kingdom.

The chilly wind blew fiercely across the icy mountains and thick clouds shielded the sun's rays with a dense fog as three boys walked sluggishly across the place. They gritted their teeth and shivered whenever the wind touched them but still they persisted. The mountain peaks and desolate surroundings were the only things they could see in sight after walking for so long and soon the youngest of the three suddenly stumbled and fell on the thick snow. 

His brothers immediately stopped and turned back to carry him up with wide eyes. "Ivar! Ivar, are you okay?" 

The eldest one rushed to pick him up and put him at his back, grunting at the additional weight that his weak body was forced to carry but he did not relent at all. He had been using the two moons on the sky that shone bright behind the fog to navigate their path but he still hadn't been able to reach his destination and he felt a little pang of panic and regret. Just when he was contemplating whether to give up or not, an old building suddenly came into his sight. His eyes lit up as he said to his brothers. "I have found it! The temple is right ahead!"

The other two boys seemed revived by the sight, causing them to gather their remaining strength to enter the old abandoned temple. The whole place seemed dark at first but immediately they entered the building, the whole place was lit up with torches and they were able to maneuver their way around the place with the aid of the map they held in their hand.

Once they located the statue of two goddesses standing together, they stopped and looked at each other while the eldest one put his little brother down to rest. The second brother eyed the two women skeptically, one of them standing in a regal manner with her arms spread apart as a crown of flowers adorned her head while the other one was dressed in a iron armour holding a sword and a shield poised for battle. He turned to his older brother. "Are you sure that this is going to work? It's not like the goddesses did not see our people fall into ruin, getting humiliated and massacred by our enemies. What makes you think that they will care about us now?"

The eldest brother was a bit shaken by his little brother's words but he had no choice but to try. He had risked everything to come here under that old woman's words. He could not do anything while his people suffered like this, moaning in anguish and gritting their teeth in pain. "We must do what we must. It is up to the goddesses to listen to our plea."

The second one still seemed a little bit doubtful by his brother's words but he was willing to trust in his brother. After all, they had travelled far and undergone many tribulations to get here. They could not afford to back down now. He stepped aside and pulled out a small knife he had stolen a long time ago out of his pocket, handing it to him. "Alright."

The eldest one took the knife and stepped forward towards the goddesses' statues and exhaled a short breath. He bit his lips before he cut his outstretched palm, letting the blood fall on their bare golden feet as he chanted some words that the old woman under his unsteady breath. "May the goddesses heed my summon and hear my plea. Guild my path and bend my enemies by the knee...."

After the words left his lips, he waited for something to happen but nothing had changed. The statues remained the same along with the deadly silence that continued to put more pressure on them. The second son had exhausted all his patience immediately he realized that they had failed. "Di,* I told you this was not going to work! We don't have much time. We must flee before the Scuzar soldiers find-"

At that moment, a blinding light burst forth from the statues and lit up the whole room, causing them to cover their eyes. When the light disappeared, what they saw made them retreat a couple steps back in fear and awe as they stared at a giant female whose beauty was something they had never seen before, wearing an iron armour and holding a sword. The second brother's eyes widened in shock when he saw that the second statue had disappeared. "T-This cannot be...The gods..."

The woman took a few steps down slowly as she surveyed her surroundings with sharp eyes but soon, she turned around and stared at the frozen statue with a mocking smile on her lips. "It seems Herja is truly determined to say silent this time. She has always been like this, taking people's praises yet doing nothing for them in return. What a disappointment..."

The three boys still couldn't get over their shock seeing that she had just insulted the Goddess of Life but that only drove the eldest one to speak first as he gripped the knife in a defensive stance. "W-Who are you?"

"Gudmund, son of Sigmurd." She finally cast her gaze on the eldest of the three brothers in front of her. "You are the one who summoned me and yet you do not know who I am? Why are you not bowing to me yet?"

When her words finally confirmed her identity, the three men fell to their knees and let their head hit the floor with a loud thud. "We, princes of Krudak greet Hidlr, Goddess of War! May your word sharpen our sword and grant us victory in battles!"

The goddess looked down on their lowered heads and her eyes softened for a brief moment before she said coldly. "You two should wait outside and allow me to talk to your brother. He is the Crown Prince and he is the only one I will speak with."

The other two men looked up and then cast their eyes on their eldest brother who reassured them with a small smile. "Askild, you should take Ivar and wait for me outside. I will be alright, don't worry."

The second brother nodded solemnly and grabbed his youngest brother whose foot was currently injured, helping him out of the room. When they left, the goddess finally spoke to him. "You have faced countless dangers and been betrayed by your own friends and trusted people. You carry a heart full of hatred. Crown Prince of Krudak, what do you want from me?"