Road to Valhalla

Prologue

That day, the wind blew into swirls of sand, as if possessed by a demon. It blew and blew, towards a single wasteland, filled with an army of corpses and guts. As far as the eye could see, on mounds and in ditches, were fallen men with spears and bayonets impaling the Earth and their flesh. The wind blew strongly but silently, not with respect to the fallen but trodding upon those whose eyes failed to close all the way as if awaiting some hope.

In that wasteland, where the sun shone no longer, stood a man, cloaked from head to toe with a staff in his hand. This man shone in a strange glow, with a face so beautiful and sparkling, he could have been a woman. And who knows, perhaps he wasn't even human. He looked around upon the endless wasteland and took a deep breathe.

"The blood is so thick in the air", he thought to himself as the pungent air burned through his throat and he had to cover his nose.

"Humans...this is beyond ridiculous", he murmured as he investigated the landscape.

His appearance was traditional of the mages and he certainly wasn't just passing by. He soon realized that there was not a soul that breathed any longer and that left him to wonder as he stood on that sandy mound.

"Who summoned me? Could it be...? If that human is already dead then what of my great ordeal? Am I to bring the human back to life? That's a hard bargain with the gods. Master...are you sure I am even capable of this?", he questioned himself as he looked around him, for any sign of life.

"The great sage...elder druid...my master...", he sighed to himself, "His prophecy could never be wrong. I have no reason to doubt that and yet..."

The mage closed his eyes and realizing he would not find anything in that wasteland, struck his staff in the ground, drawing up a crimson magic circle above him, a teleportation circle.

"What a waste...", the mage mumbled as he was about to spirit away.

Perhaps if he had just been a moment sooner, he would have prevented the tragedy that was to befall two decades later and that would shake the world's pillars.

But he stopped before teleporting away as his eyes caught the movement of a small creature.

It was a little girl, a soldier. She dragged her feet ahead, towards the mage in the distance, two rusted blades covered in blood, clutched in her hands. She walked and walked in a uniform, bigger than her demeanor and boots flooded in blooded that only barely stayed on her thin legs. Her red eyes glimmered like an empty fire, still hungering more.

The mage stood frozen as this little figure approached him and looked him straight in the eye before dropping the blades on the ground.

"Are you a survivor?", the mage asked in his enchanting voice.

"Free...give...summon", the girl mumbled, her head dropped on her chest.

"Did you kill them?", he asked gently but in a stern voice.

"Mage...you can grant wishes...", she looked him in the eye, "I killed them."

He paused, "You are mistaken. Though it looks like I was summoned here by you but if you think I'm a wish granting demon then I'm afraid you are wrong."

The girl remained silent, sternly staring at the man's face.

"Still, I'm impressed you didn't hesitate. Some would call you a witch but that's only if you summon a demon", the mage raised his voice slightly, "However, I won't lie. I can grant certain wishes if I wish. But too good for you, though today I don't wish to, I have to fulfill my purpose. If this was foreseen as it was foretold, I wouldn't regret it. So tell me, what do you wish for?"

"Freedom"

"Eh?", the mage was at first shocked by that unrestrained response but then he burst into a laughter, "Hey girl, what's your name?"

"I don't remember", she replied with quite a scornful look.

The mage calmed his laughter, "Alright, if you don't want to tell me, fine. But answer this, do you know what that word means? If you seek to get away from this filthiness you are in, it would be an easier matter and you'll live a happier life and die surrounded by people who you love. You can live just like a normal-"

"No!", the girl interrupted him, "Don't want that."

"Listen foolish little human, that which you seek is not a princess adorned in jewels with a golden crown on top of its head, its a raw piece of meat, thrown in a dirty street and then carried away by a drooling dog. It is abhorrent, ugly, no happiness is to be earned from it. It has not an inch of beauty to it. That is the reality of what you seek", the mage read her mind, looking through her eyes.

"That's fine by me. I want it...raw...pure...painful. I don't want to be happy."

"You would throw away the world for ugliness?"

"Bright, pretty, happy, fun...I've never wanted that. I want the real freedom and also maybe...", the girl fell into thought, "...wings."

The mage's eyes opened wide as he glanced at this little broken figure standing on its frail legs asking to be thrown in hell. Surely all he could think of was 'why' but this little mystery had no answer.

"Angel...", he let slip through his lips just barely. The girl looked at him, awaiting his answer.

"And is that all?", he inquired.

"That's all. I called you...for that. That's all."

"Then, I'll grant you what you ask of. Freed from all, your true freedom will bring you misery in the days to come. This blessing...no, this curse I grant you. You've truly made me into a demon now, you little witch. But all your sins will be forgiven and the life you live from now on...uncertain. You will be the greatest mystery of this world."