Nataku fondled the feathers of her Valkyrie helmet thoughtfully as she sat by the large window in the Kunren hall of Valhalla. Normally, this part of Valhalla served as a training hall for those who wished to spar with one another. But now it was empty for some reason. And it was better that way since Nataku wanted to be alone for the moment.
The Runes… Nataku felt it was going to be a long journey. No, probably more than just that. She had been on various assignments in the past and not just once was she involved with saving the whole of Asgard from the brink of something highly destructive. However, this time, she was quite reluctant on going. In fact, all subordination and submissive training put aside, she felt like she didn’t really want to go at all. It was her duty, no, desire (for a duty is not a duty unless this duty is desired… or so she was told), to protect Asgard and this was probably the reason she was going – duty, ah, no, desire.
Aside from that, she had never traveled with either Loki or Odin and she had no idea how she was going to deal with them both. Nataku wanted to be in charge of the battles but if superiority of rank were to be followed, she had no choice but to subordinate herself to the two Aesirs regardless of her opinion… unless they were in more danger than they could handle. She had no problems submitting herself to her superiors but she had to admit that going on a mission under someone who knew less than her in the battlefield did not seem very attractive or helpful either. Come to think of it, she had never been in a mission having a leader other than her or Freyja. It had even been a while since she was assigned to a mission with Freyja.
It was at this point that Nataku stretched out and stood up, put on her Valkyrie helmet and began practicing her balance stances with iron fans. But even before she could warm herself up, footsteps came from behind her and she whipped around only to find Loki drawing near. Nataku straightened, folding the fans and bowing in respect. Loki stopped at a good distance from Nataku and it was then that she noticed that he was holding a wooden staff with him. Loki gave off half a smile, seeming to have known that Nataku understood. Neither of them spoke but Nataku opened the war fans and they stood in fighting stances. A sparring match was about to happen.
In moments, the movements of the two Aesirs bothered the silence of Kunren. There were gasps on exchange of blows, blocking and evading, a little more when hit. The soles of their shoes made skidding sounds on the floor as the two fighters danced a battle waltz across the vast hall. Loki knew he was no match compared to the battle Aesir but it was of no matter. The echoes from the sparring seemed like music to his ears.
Nataku tried to keep things easy and did not take her moves too seriously in fear of hurting Loki too much since she had no idea how he sparred with anyone. Not wanting him to think that she saw him as no challenge, she gave him several openings, some of which he took and others he didn’t. Normally, she would give it her all because it was “the right thing to do” to another warrior such as herself. However, this one was an exception because he was the God of Darkness, whom she had been quite evasive from. And why she was evasive of him she did not know but what remains to be is what remains to be and that was it. And as she pondered about these random things, she noted how well than she thought he could fight since she had to keep her guard up more times than she expected. But Loki was smiling. And she summed that he was not so serious at all either.
Nataku then leapt higher than Loki thought she could and he watched her soar above him. Nataku’s movement was certain, graceful and powerful for some reason. The sound of her robes flapping with her movement and the air reacting to it could be heard piercing the silence of Kunren hall. Her short blue hair was moving gracefully even under the feathered Valkyrie helmet and Loki saw her deep blue eyes that were calm, full of life… as well as mystery… The mystery that Loki had always wondered and pondered about… Loki blocked and Nataku made a quick swing of retaliation which he evaded. From there he jumped back too late and found the iron fan towards his neck. Nataku was squatting towards him, one leg stretched and the other bent, her arms spread out, and fan in each hand. Loki smiled and dropped the staff in admittance of defeat.
“Thank you for a good match.” Loki huffed, watching Nataku bow before she straightened and folded the iron fans.
“It was an honor, my lord.” Nataku removed the Valkyrie helmet and looked at him. Loki smiled at her and she felt her cheeks getting warm for some reason. It would have been common for her to nod but somehow, she just blinked and walked away. His smile waned and he watched her walk towards the window she had previously been sitting on and set aside the iron war fans.
“I’m sorry mother had to rope you into this…”
“I understand, Master Loki. This is a mission of criticality.” She faced him finally and the Valkyrie helmet disappeared in her hand, “As I have stated, it is an honor to be able to work with you.”
She was talking so rigidly it looked as though she was faking things. Loki took notice of this while across his mind, he suppressed the thought of inquiring on her about it.
“Th… Thank you… I think…” Loki said and sighed, looking thoughtfully at Nataku.
“What is it?” she asked when she noticed him staring at her and this wasn’t the first time, which she noted. Loki gasped, smiled and shook his head, setting the staff aside. Nataku then noticed two swords – a short sword and a long sword – hitched on his hip and wondered why he had not used wooden swords in the sparring if it were his specialty. But she bothered not to ask as she thought she might offend him. She did not want to make trouble between any of the twins at least until after their quest is over.
For moments on they stood in an irritable silence they both wished to break for different reasons. Nataku wanted to slice the stillness with a knife. She had never thought such silence, something she had come to love and be used to for as long as she remembered, could be so annoying and troublesome. Her gaze danced from the walls to the ceiling to the floor, only looking at Loki from foot to knee if she had to. Her evasiveness from him was something she could not explain but she told herself it was for the better at least. Loki’s cunning ways were on par with that of Odin’s knowledge. Nataku could understand why the Jade Emperor and his wife had a hard time getting control over their sons. Loki was said to be the somewhat roguish son and Odin was the restrained one but both of them were complicated thinkers.
“What do you think, Nataku?” Loki popped in a sudden.
“Think of what?” she asked, still sitting by the window and she gazed out of it.
“Fenris Fenrir.” He said thoughtlessly burying his hands in his pockets and looking out from the window into the sky, “Annihilation…”
“We all have to end someday.” Nataku said, his thoughtlessness somehow rubbing off on her that she began looking at the sky as well.
“Everyone sees the surface.” Loki gave a half smile, his eyes still on the horizon and he shook his head. Out of what, only he knew.
“Huh?” Nataku gave him a look as if to say, “What do you mean?”
“Huh? What?” he gasped when he saw her looking at him and scratched his head and said, “What have I been saying? Ah, no. Never mind.”
“You seem to be so interested for people who think we’ll eventually die out like candlelight someday.”
“Who? Me?”
“You… and Master Odin.” Nataku raised her knee and rested her chin on it, “I’m wondering why such.”
Loki didn’t answer and sighed softly, taking his left hand out of his pocket and running it through his hair. Another silence was threatening to form itself. Feeling that she might have offended him, which she did not want to happen, Nataku added as polite and apologetic as she could, “I know so little. Forgive my rudeness, Master Loki. It was not my place to inquire upon you or your brother for that matter.”
“Rudeness…?” Loki gasped, sending little baffled look towards Nataku as if trying to say something that he couldn’t put into words. But did it matter? Nataku really didn’t notice it. She had her head bent and Loki sighed again before sitting beside Nataku. The battle Aesir stood up. Loki blinked twice and Nataku, as if reading his mind, said, “I am in no position to seem as your level, Master Loki.”
She was taking this seriously. Too seriously, in fact.
Loki raised an eyebrow with a smile that was asking something Nataku could not make out of. And with a chuckle behind his words, he said, “You sparred with me – defeated me in fact – just a while ago and you’re telling me that this is stepping up one level?” Then he stood up and said, “So now are you going to sit and let me stand?” Nataku opened her mouth to answer but could not deduce on anything to reply. She looked away, unaware she was blushing so Loki laughed and sat down saying, “Sit down with me, Nataku.”
Nataku did not move.
“Well, if that wasn’t enough for you then I’m telling you it’s an order.” Loki said again.
Nataku still wasn’t moving. Damn the subordination training. For that moment, she was cursing the “it’s an order” phrase. It was not very helpful and held up a rather confusing situation for her. Loki raised an eyebrow and sighed, dropping his shoulders in admittance of defeat before saying, “Ah, never mind.” The battle Aesir sighed in relief. She would not want to debate with herself whether she was to follow the rules or the orders. This situation made her principle of subordination waver a bit and she did not think she would want to risk that. No, not at all. Then Loki muttered something Nataku couldn’t hear. He was more serious this time and it made her wonder what it was. Was it about the exchange just now? Did she give him the wrong idea? Yet amidst the throng of questions she could dig from the situation, the query of his thoughts remained to be in Nataku’s head, as she would not risk feeling disrespectful once again.
Then all of a sudden, the ground shook and Nataku tried not to lose her balance. Loki stood up and both Aesirs looked at each other in baffled alarm before dashing out the Kunren dimension.
What was going on this time? It was coming from the direction of Valhalla, the Hall of Heroes, where the souls who have died fearlessly in battle were gathered so that they may dine with the gods and in the future, fight alongside them against Fenris Fenrir.
The two Aesirs rushed into Valhalla where the Valkyries were in battle. The Valkyrie helmet appeared on Nataku’s head as mysteriously as it had disappeared moments ago as if a part of the goddess’ body. Valhalla shook angrily and the pillars were getting cracked, the ceiling was chipping and the floor had potholes as large as craters. And to the Aesirs’ surprise, there stood a 32-foot three-headed flaming dog in chains and collar of spikes and teeth that were so large the mere sight of them would make one shiver. Its eyes were fiery red orange and each head roared loudly, paws swinging back and forth. Valkyries surrounded it, attacking it from different spots and different ways. Others were evading and some others getting thrown off to the walls or the pillars or out of Valhalla itself.
“Cerberus!” It was Odin, the god of knowledge, who had just arrived probably shaken by the attack. Nataku bowed in respect, much like how she did with Loki. And Odin nodded at her and she straightened. Loki watched the exchange, something obviously going on in his mind but whatever it was, he decided not to share it.
“He’s supposed to be in Hel! What’s he doing here!?” Odin shouted as Loki pulled out his two swords.
“What’s the situation?” Nataku asked a Valkyrie nearby as she stood in battle stance.
“Cerberus leapt into Valhalla undetected for some reason.” She replied,”The Heroes were with the Queen Mother when this happened and they still are as we speak. There are several casualties but most of them are none too serious.”
“And his mistress?”
“Nothing of her yet, ma’m.”
“I see.” Nataku nodded.
“BACK!” Nataku commanded loudly and the Valkyries immediately backed from the wild dog that veered its head. It roared loudly, shaking the pillars, the ceilings and the walls. Odin fell a bit unbalanced and fortunately, Nataku was quick enough to have pulled out her sash, whipped it around and it hovered in mid air, surrounding the twins and creating somewhat of a barrier. Then she told most of the Valkyries to leave the hall and go attend to the other Aesirs and check all entrances, as this could only be a distraction.
“Nataku…!” Loki began.
“Stay here!” Nataku said immediately, two golden rings of light with inscriptions came to her grasp. She stood in defensive stance, shouting orders to her army of women. Loki stood silent for a moment, surprised at how Nataku yelled when just moments ago she was calm and reserved.
Then Nataku pulled out an Ofuda, a parchment scroll with inscriptions and tossed it into the air where it hovered much like how the sash did. The battle Aesir clasped her hands together and said an incantation. Loki was still looking at her while Odin was busily giving secondary orders to the Valkyries.
“I have secured this area. Do not leave.” That was all and Nataku charged swiftly towards the three-headed dog– a lot faster than she moved in their sparring match. Her feet were quick and she circled the beast as if to measure him before leaping in what looked like a somersault. Cerberus swept its mighty paw. Nataku tumbled in mid-air, moving her arms swiftly so that the mystic rings she held onto slashed Cerberus with a roar. Cerberus struck with it’s other paw onto which Nataku stepped before leaping again towards one of the dog’s heads and hacked between its eyes using the pair of rings she was holding. Loki and Odin were watching intently.
Cerberus gave out an angry roar of pain and it shook its head vigorously as if to shoo Nataku away. The battle Aesir leapt off its giant head, ran down the back of its head, towards its tail and off – hacking her way as she moved about its giant body, its blood spilling around and on her. The roaring intensified with its movement and caused greater tremors. She sped and circled the monstrosity that was about to breathe fire. Quickly enough, she pulled out three ofudas and tossed them, making quick clasping of her hands and saying a very short spell that blocked the wall of flame. Then Nataku joined the rings she had been holding and it hovered in the air, glistening. Nataku closed her eyes made a sign with her fingers. Her eyes snapped open with a symbol glistening on her deep blue eyes and out of the rings, a magnificent beam of light shot one of Cerberus’ heads and blinding one of its eyes.
The three-headed dog roared a roar of pain and what seemed to be a handful of curses at Nataku. She remained standing as she wiped some of Cerberus blood off her. The ground shook again but fortunately, the hall was not threatening to cave in… yet. Then all of a sudden, Nataku felt another presence and she gasped before dashing towards the direction of the twins. The golden rings of light appeared in her hands again and she stood in a defensive stance. Cerberus was still roaring in pain as if to chase after Nataku, take her and mince her into a thousand bits. But this was only one thing Nataku had to be worried about because an unwanted visitor was now making her way towards them.
From behind the banisters of Valhalla, from behind the image of the thrashing three-headed fiery dog, from behind the image of chaos in Valhalla, she could see something emerging… Rather, someone…
It was a woman with black hair and red eyes, donning a black dress and riding on smoke. Her skin was pale and her lips were dark and the ends of her dress looked like shadowy wisps waving hypnotically. She seemed to look pleased at the sight of Valhalla, as she stood hanging in mid-air. Nataku’s breath was held in her throat as she watched this woman for some reason. Nataku suppressed the urge to lunge at her and slash her neck away. She had hated this witch who was now looking at her, resulting to Nataku’s eyes narrowing as the woman in black said, “Greetings, Nataku. You have been missed.”
Nataku stood speechless for a moment and she heard Loki in a serious tone from behind her, “I know what it is you want, Persephone, and I won’t let you have it your way!”