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i. IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD
Somewhere in SPACE
[ ... ]
Somewhere in space,far beyond the reach of her home, the daughter of Odin lies in the dust.
It's humiliating, more than she could feel. Astrid's like a martyr now. Like the stories. Like her fate. It's fulfilling in some sort of prophetic way. To be exactly what her father said she would be. To be exactly what she denounced. A long time ago, she once thought she could run from it. Like every teenager in their angst does. Perhaps this is why she stands so still. That is why she lets the dirt stick to her. Lets the blood run dry across her skin, and she doesn't reach for her weapon or command it by her side. Even in her hand, even sewn into her skin, would it be of any help? Her body is numb, her mind sore. Astrid must be floating, and yet the ground is rigid against her head. It's all she can feel.
All she can be. It makes her remember exactly where she is.
Now a martyr, Astrid becomes a contradiction too. A lie.
And while it is something she has once said she could never know, it seems to suit her well.
She would be unrecognizable to whoever she once was. The old her, the battle-hungry, less beaten down, version of her would've stood. Somewhere within herself, Astrid would tear and stretch all her muscles to make herself stand. She would've lifted herself up and allowed the possibility to get knocked down again if it all meant she could stand on her own two feet for a single second. Any stubbornness she had within left would've guided her to her own death if it meant a proper one.
And everyone would see because what is Astrid if not a spectacle?
Now, Astrid settles━ has to settle for licking her dry, splint lips and breathing in the dust she shares the ground with.
The old Astrid would've been so disappointed. She'd spit on the ground and wouldn't understand. Her judgment, her deduction would be so raw and burning; Astrid would know. It's her. She'd conclude that whoever this person was wasn't her. And maybe in a way, she was right.
How could she explain it though? Everyone's time comes. Blind ignorance can never last. Not with people like her. Even if Astrid believes she can move planets, she cannot move this.
