The NightWalker: Reborn

The Devil's Island

My friends and I huddle together in our camp on Devil's Island as a truly hideous creature descends creature on us from above.
"*SNARL*"
"Oh my god! What... What is that?" I stumbled back. Double checking that I have my sword.
"A spiderferal?" The creature lands in the middle of our camp, snarling and thrashing with its many limbs, a thick black goo bubbling out of its lips.
"Don't let it bite you! No matter what!" Odin orders. We all roll our eyes as he talks.
"Uh, DUH! Kinda goes without saying!" Melody steps back. We all back away as the creature's eyes dart hungrily among us, its limbs thrashing in the dirt.
"Easy... Easy..." Loki whispers. Then the spiderferal's head swivels my way and it lunges.
"Bollocks to this," I draw my blade with lightning speed, meeting the creature mid-lunge with a slash "Fucking die," The blade hits its grey flesh and slices through. With a spray of inky blood, the spiderferal glances at me and stumbles back into the glade, a long rift in its side. It snarls loudly at me but before it can lunge again, Loki moves. He snaps a thick branch of a tree.
"Die already!" He hurls the branch like a spear. It plunges clean into the spiderferal's chest, skewering it through. The spider feral lets out a piercing shriek as it falls back and crumbles into dust.
"I am glad that's over," Thor sighs, sheathing his sword.

The clearing is silent once more. Until Melody speaks.
"What the hell was that?" She squeaks as she waves at the dust pile.
"I have no idea. Some kind of feral but I have never seen one like that before," Thor flicks a bit of ash out of his face.
"It must be like a mutation or something. Like the ones we saw in Paris," I crossed my arms. Loki kneels down, his fingers coated in the creature's ash.
"Baldr's energy is like radiation, seeping through this entire island. The ferals he created are monstrous," Loki wipes his finger on a leaf.
"Because, you know, when I saw a regular feral, my first thought was boy, these just aren't monstrous enough, I just needed to see something even worse than those fuckers," Melody shivers. The jungle stirs around us, the trees creaking, a whispering running through the air "Oh, hell no!"
"More of them incoming," Thor unsheathed his sword again.
"That means that ear-busting scream was--" I look towards the jungle.
"A rally cry," Sif snarled. I press up against Loki as he wraps a protective arm around me.
"What do we do?" I whisper. Thor draws his swords.
"Prepare for a fight," Thor growls. Melody grabs her crossbow and loads it. Odin jerks his hands, still bound by the wire Nebula gave us.
"Someone minds untying me now?" Odin holds his hands up. Sif draws her dagger and walks towards him. But instead of untying him, she grabs the wire's long end and uses her dagger to drive it into the tree, tethering Odin to it "What are you doing?"
"We can't fight the creatures and watch you. So, my dear ex-husband... Are going to sit tight," Sif spat.
"Are you out of your mind!? You need me!" Odin fights against his bindings. So much for busting out of them whenever he wanted. With her remaining dagger, Sif turns to face the stirring jungle.
"No, I don't," Sif snarls, Lips curl over her teeth.
"Sif, please, listen to me. This isn't a game. You are in grave danger. You--" But before Odin can finish, the trees above us stir as a half-dozen spiderferals descend.
"Oh shit!" I go for my sword.
"Nope! Nope! Nope! Nope! Fuck this shit!" Melody levels her crossbow at the spiderferals and fires bolt after bolt.
"Everyone split up and take on as many as you can!" Loki orders.
"Emily! Behind you!" Odin shouts. I turn and face down the spiderferal descending toward me on a long, silken thread, its legs tucked up and ready to spring.
"Oh fuck off, Darth Maul," I groan as the spiderferal screeches at me. I raise my sword and stare down the approaching spiderferal "Bring it on," The spiderferal swings and using the techniques that Thor taught me, I slide low under it, my blade streaking like silver. It screeches in pain as I cut it in half and watch as it drops to the ground, its legs writhing in the air before dissolving.
"Nice Star Wars reference," Melody calls out. She is standing in the middle of the campsite, shooting down creatures with her crossbow "This sucks! This sucks super bad!" Catching my breath, I look over to find Thor lost in the battle.
"I am not dying today!" He creates a whirlwind as he wields both his own sword and Selvig's, a dazzling cyclone of steel, slashing down one after another "Not! Today!" I look at the others and see they are holding their own. Sif kicks her foot through the head of a spiderferal and stabs another through the eye at the same time.
"Will... you... please... oh, just fuck off already!" Sif's lips curl in anger. Loki grabs one by the head and twists, jerking its head around 360 degrees.
"They won't stop coming!" Loki huffs. More and more spiderferals keep descending from the trees, completely overwhelming Loki and making him disappear under a mound of writhing legs and bodies.
"LOKI!" Sif and I rush forward and know the spiderferals off as best as we can, trying to evade their fangs and their claws. Even their legs. Loki punches his fist through the gooey insides of a spiderferal and emerges, gory and panting.
"First, he stinks and secondly, damn it, just how many of these things can there be?" Loki asks, shaking the goo off. We don't have time to answer. As a new wave of spiderferals come right for us, gnashing their teeth and hissing.
"Oh, I have had enough of those things," I snarled. They have messed with the wrong psychic vampire "Hold this," I hand my sword to Loki and hold out my hands. Recalling Rocket's training, I focus on the energy inside me, building up at the back of my skull and travelling downward. As the spiderferals click their dripping fangs and reach for us with their hairy limbs, I feel the energy warming my hands. And with a yell, I release all the energy at once at the wall of spiderferals, which go flying back, rattling the forest of trees behind them.
"Whoa," Melody's jaw dropped. I let out a tired gasp as I stumbled. Loki quickly grabs me and holds me steady "That was awesome!"
"I don't think I have it in me to do that again for some time," I place my hands on my knees and catch my breath. The spiderferals are beginning to thin but the ones that are left are the strongest, the angriest, the hungriest.
"Why can't we ever go anywhere nice? Why do we always end up at places where terrifying assholes wait to kill us or eat us!?" Melody points to the incoming spiderferals.
"If we get out of this alive, we need to go on a cruise," I huffed as I took my sword off Loki.
"Hawaii? Let's do Hawaii," Melody grins.
"Will you both focus!" Sif shouts. I steel myself as a couple of spiderferals scuttle out of the trees on either side of me. I look from side to side as sweat runs down my neck and my muscles tense.
"I can do this" I whisper to myself. but one of the spiderferals is faster than the other and its claws go straight through my leg "OWW" I fail and kick at it as the other spiderferals leap on me.
"Emily!" Sif swoops in, smashing one spiderferal's skull against a tree and slashing the other with her dagger "Stay the--" But Sif can't finish the sentence as a spiderferal tackles her around the waist, slamming her down.
"Sif!" There's only one more wave of spiderferals left. But we are all exhausted and wounded. The islands curse weakening us. We all make one last valiant stand as the monster descends, their fangs clicking in glee. A spiderferal leaps onto my, pinning me to the ground with its weight, its jaw snapping in my face "Oh fuck off!" The others fight to get to me but they are also overwhelmed, bloodied, barely standing. Thor leaps for me but as he does, one of the larger spiderferals slams into him, knocking his sword from his hand.
"Em!" Thor calls out as the sword spirals through the air and smacks into Sif's dagger, knocking it out of the tree. Freeing Odin. Odin stands there a moment, watching the spiderferals overtake us. Then suddenly, he launches himself at the horde.
"My turn," He grabs Thor's sword and leaps into action. His hands were still bound. The spiderferal vaults off me, plunging at Odin and he swings wide. The spiderferal split into two at the waist, both halves flying apart. The rest of the horde pivots, descending on him. Odin smiles with a cruel grin. Then he leaps forward to meet them, a whirring hurricane of metal, cutting, rending. Basically obliterating everything in his path.
"My god," I shuffle into a sitting position. He decapitates one feral, crushes another's skull, drives the sword through one's mouth, and then jerks up, cleaving its head in half.
"Now, this... this is what I live for," Odin barely looks like he breaking a sweat.
"Maybe we leave him on the island?" Melody whispered as she helped me up. Our eyes meet across the clearing. his blaze with fury, hate and so much pain. And as he sees me, he snarls. He winds up and hurls the sword. I throw my hands up but's too late. The sword streaks like an arrow and straight over my shoulder and into the chest of a spiderferal behind me. It's fang inches from the back of my neck.
"What?" I look behind me. The feral dissolves into ash, billowing over us like falling snow. And the clearing is still.

All of us stand there, panting, gasping and staring at Odin, who stands untouched in the middle of the clearing. He lets out a sharp exhale.
"I can chain myself back up if you would like but really, it feels like a formality at this point," Odin smiles as he points back to the tree.
"You... you saved my life," I pant. Odin glances away, a familiar scowl on his face. Sif walks up to him and unchains his hands. Odin rubs his wrists.
"I need you alive to fight Frigga. I can't exactly kill her if we all die here," Odin shrugs. Loki rises up, takes off his torn jacket, takes his phone and wallet out of it and tosses it away. He then turns to face Odin.
"Either way... Thank you," Loki nods his head. Odin hums low in his throat but otherwise doesn't respond. He just turns away, unable to meet Loki's gaze. Loki sighs and rushes over to me, hugging me tightly "Are you okay?" Loki checks me over.
"I'm fine," I smile as Loki kisses my forehead.
"Please leave the PDA until later," Sif sighs. Loki and I both poke out our tongues at her. The rest of the group rises up, catching their breath, and taking in the damage.
"That was -- and I cannot stress this enough -- the absolute worst thing that has ever happened to me," Melody shivered as she wiped some black goo off her arm.
"Even worse than seeing the Hulk naked?" I wiped my sword on a large leaf.
"Ten times worse," Melody held up her hands.
"We'll have to drink the rest of the blood packets to make sure we heal," Loki heads to the cooler, throwing us some blood packets.
"Is that wise, considering it will only get harder from here?" Sif catches her packet.
"We have no choice," Loki sips on his blood packet. Grimly, we all drink the rest of the blood packets, resting in silence as our wounds knit and heal.
"We have to keep going, don't we? Into the jungle?" Melody rubs the side of her head as she looks into the jungle. I look over my shoulder and I close my eyes and can feel... something. Something is calling me. The voice is faint, like a whisper in the back of my mind.
"Sorry Mel, But we too. I can feel it" I wrap my arms myself.
"We should get going, then," Loki grabs my hand as we all abandon the campfire and head back for the trail towards the heart of the island. Odin moves last, stopping only to offer Sif back her dagger.
"Here. I believe this belongs to you," Odin holds it out. Sif takes it and says nothing.

The six of us walked in silence along the trail, deeper into the island. The trees around shake in a gentle breeze, vines curling like snakes. There's something in the air too, a curdled tang, an electric tingling that sets my hair on end. There is rot at the heart of this island and we are getting closer and closer to its core.
"So, we have spiderferals. And I guess that they were birdferals that took down the plane?" Melody hops over a tree root.
"I believe so," Sif nodded.
"Man, this is some straight-up Annihilation bullshit. The sooner we get off this island, the better," Melody ducks under a branch. Sif reaches out, squeezing Melody's arm.
"We're close. We will make it," But even as she speaks, I can see her straining. Little beads of sweat streak down her brow.
"Baldr, where are you?" I look down at my feet.
"Just a little further," A voice at the back of my mind whispers. I look up and look around.
"huh?" I frowned. Odin glances at me, eyebrow cocked.
"Something wrong?" Odin asks. Loki and Thor glared at him for speaking but then looked at me.
"No, I... It was... never mind," A silence lingers between the two of us, dense and impenetrable "Odin, Thanks for what you did back there. When you... saved me," Odin doesn't look at me. He just walks on, eyes straight ahead, expression unreadable.
"After everything I have done to you... it was the least I could do," Is Odin's icy exterior defrosting? He doesn't seem so cold. He seems about to say more but up ahead, Melody slumps against a tree. I ran over to her and placed a hand on her back.
"Mel?"
"Oh god... I just realized how much I have enjoyed... not coughing," Melody holds her ribs.
"It's Baldr's effect. The closer we get to him, the more the symptoms will increase," Odin stifles a cough of his own.
"We're all dying. Slowly," Loki sighs, wiping his forehead with the back of his arm. Thor swallows, looking pale. His hands tremble as he parts some vines to walk through.
"How much longer do you suppose we have to go?" Thor grabs a stick and uses it like a walking stick.
"I have no idea. But I hope it is not much further. For all our sakes," Loki sighed. Thor clenches a hand into a fist and as he does, for one second, his veins throb black.
"That is not good," Melody coughs.
"Listen, if I start to go feral... you need to promise you will kill me. I don't want to live like one of those things," Thor runs a hand over his veins. Melody coughs again and her hand comes back bloody.
"Me too..."
"No one is turning feral. I won't let it happen," Sif marches forward, strong and steady. then slumps against a tree, breathing hard.
"Sif," I spoke. Loki and I rush to her side. We both help her straighten up.
"I'm fine... just... let's keep going..." Sif grunted.
"Guys... maybe we should..." But my words trail off as I see something shiny on a nearby branch "You have got to be kidding me," I rolled my eyes into the back of my head and groaned as I turned around. Loki called my name but when I didn't respond, he called for the other two vampires.
"Emily, Is everything alright?" Loki asks but I don't respond. I hurry over to the shard. From it, I can sense a deep pain and flashes of a grieving Heimdall and a furious Odin. Swallowing, I carefully reach out and touch the shard "Emily?" The jungle spins around me until it fades completely from sight, throwing me into the vision.

Back in the throne room of Mydiea, Heimdall rushes through the doors, opening a trunk filled with ledgers and parchment. He furiously begins to pack them.
"Come on..." He hisses to himself.
"HEIMDALL!" Odin's voice bellows as rushes into the room after him, blade drawn. Fury and grief twist his face "How could you do this!" Odin bellowed.
"Odin, please, I--"
"You killed her! You traitorous bastard!" Odin launches himself at Heimdall, who dodges out of the way. Odin smashes into the floor, cracking it. Growling, Odin pushes himself up and swings at Heimdall.
"Odin, listen to me! Please! I had a reason for what I did," Heimdall ducks as Odin swings for him.
"Silence! I do not want to hear it. Frigga... she..." Odin's arm shakes and he grips his sword tighter.
"Odin, take a moment to think about the last several years. Surely you knew something was amiss," Heimdall grabs Odin by the shoulders "Ever since Baldr and Freyja... Frigga hasn't been the same. She changed for the worse. She has grown mad with power, for blood. She is even worse than my father ever was," Odin breathes heavily, eyes wet with unshed tears.
"You... killed... her," Odin pants.
"Just look at yourself! Look at what you have become! By the gods, think of what you did to that village... To those poor people. To the children!" Heimdall pushes Odin away. Odin stumbles and falls over a table.
"I served my Goddess!" Odin screams as he stands up.
"You have changed too, Odin. You have let Frigga consume you. Take over your mind. Losing Freyja cost Frigga the last of her humanity,"
"Humanity is a weakness! What Frigga was... what we are... is so much greater!"
"Odin, deep down you must know that I speak the truth. Frigga did not care about us. She did not care about our kind nor you or me. All she wanted was to avenge her daughter. All she wanted was to set the world ablaze," Heimdall places a hand on Odin's shoulder "But we have a chance now to make things better. We can undo the destruction she has caused. We can work together, as brothers, to atone for what she had us do. To make things right," Odin stays silent and still for a moment, staring Heimdall down. Then Odin launches himself at Heimdall again, who unsheathes his own blade just in time, deflecting Odin's attack.
"I... will... kill... you" Odin stained every word.
"I can see that getting through to you is impossible, even with her gone. So be it" Heimdall twists his body and kicks Odin in the torso, launching him through the air and crashing into the throne.
"Hcckkk" Odin crawls from the rubble, the side of his head bleeding "You... will... pay..." Odin flies at Heimdall and launches a series of furious blows, one right after the other. Heimdall just barely manages to block. Odin manages to slash open Heimdall's arm and thigh before Hemidall jumps into the air and spins around, in an attempt to decapitate Odin "NO!" Odin dodges and punches Heimdall in the chest, making him fly through a few pillars as the throne shakes.
"Ugh!" The two men battle across the room, slashing and weaving, trading blows and injuries while the ceiling of the throne room gorans ominously "Know that I tried to make you see reason. That you had a chance to walk away from this,"
"I would never walk away from her!" but the roof caves in on the men, Heimdall jumping out of the way as a large stone slab traps Odin against the floor "Hrrk!"

Waving the dust from his face, Heimdall stands over Odin, shaking his head in disappointment. Odin tries to pry the stone off of him, writhing furiously.
"I am sorry, my brother. Sorry, that it had to end this way," Heimdall whispers.
"Kill me then! Kill me and get it over with!" Odin snarls, spitting blood. His eyes were hot with tears.
"No. You deserve the chance to see sense," Heimdall shakes his head.
"I will make you pay for this, Heimdall! No matter where you go or where you hide. I will find you and I will make you suffer. I will kill everything you love. I will burn the world just to burn you with it," Odin promises. Heimdall hesitates, half-lifting his sword and then he sheathes it. He can't do it. Not even now.
"Goodbye, Odin. If we meet again... I hope it's on better terms," Tears in his eyes, Heimdall turns and leaves the throne room, leaving Odin to scream in fury behind him.

I gasp as I come back to myself with a shudder. I looked around and saw that I was in Loki's arms, My head on Loki's shoulder.
"Oh, thank the gods. You are okay," Loki stroked my face. I nodded as I blinked a few times. I looked around to see Frigga was once again hovering nearby.
"Yeah, I am guessing I flopped?" I glance down and the shard is gone. I rubbed my eyes.
"You zoned out and flopped. You nearly hit your head on the root. Loki caught you," Melody repeated as she handed me my glasses. Loki helps me to my feet, keeping a firm hand on my waist "What did you see?"
"I saw Odin and that idiot, Heimdall. They were arguing," I pressed my fingers into my forehead. Odin tilted his head at me. This vision thing sucks "They were... urm, there was... anger... I don't know. My brain cell is fried,"
"Are you sure you are alright?" Loki mumbled.
"Loki, will you stop worrying, I'm fine,"
"What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't worry?" Loki said with an eyebrow raised.
"A normal one," I cupped his chin.
"Are you sure? You only had a vision a few days ago,"
"It's not the first time, last Christmas I had 4 in two days. It only hurts for a moment," I sniff and give myself a moment to recover before smiling at the others. I look at Odin and he seems to be a little worried.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. Now stop fretting and let's get moving,"

Up ahead, Odin pushes forward through the brush, revealing a clearing and a single tree. The tree stands in the middle, sinister and dark as night. That terrible energy we have been feeling, that rot... that darkness, we have found its source.
"It's just like the tree from Frigga's Tomb," Loki coughed, He spat out some blood.
"Yeah, on an opposite day. What is... it?" Melody frowns. I know what it is. I don't know how I know, I just do.
"The tree of eternal death. It's Baldr," I whispered. The others asked how did I know "I don't know but it is," We all tried to get near but every step was more painful than the last.
"Oh god... I... don't know... if I can go on..." Melody whimpers As she leans on a rock. Thor sways and collapses to one knee and Loki falls next to him. Even Odin and Sif are affected by the tree's presence, breathing harder as their eyes begin to leak blood.
"I can feel it... my blood... turning me," Odin strains.
"I didn't... come this far... just to... come this far..." Sif moves carefully, slowly. Her body shaking, her teeth grinding. And then I hear a voice in my mind, clearer than ever.
"Come to me, my child," The voice calls. I stare at the tree, feeling its pulsing, dark energy stretch towards me.
"Who are you? What do you want?" I looked at the tree.
"Emily, who are you talking to?" Sif looked at me, confused. I point to the tree.
"That thing is talking to me,"
"Just come. Then we can talk," Swallowing my unease, I do as the voice says and stride forward. Slumped over, Melody reaches out to me, hand trembling.
"Emmy? Don't... don't do it,"
"Strange enough... I've got this. I really do," I manage to walk past Sif and Odin, step by painful step. Loki and Thor call out my name. Melody lies down on the floor.
"Let her do this," Melody sighs. Until I am standing in front of the tree.
"I made it..."
"Touch the bark, Then we speak," The voice spoke. Swallowing, I reach out, my fingertips barely skimming the dark bark.

I come back to myself within the void of a mind, surrounded by grey, insubstantial memories.
"Oh, that is just great. I'm back in mind limbo," I spin around. I hate this place "Where am I?"
"It is what is left of me," I turn and see a man standing before me, expressionless.
"Are you Baldr?" I tilt my head.
"I am. or should I say I was," When he speaks, his voice is flat, utterly devoid of emotion, ancient beyond imagining.
"And now you are a tree?" I raise an eyebrow.
"All things change, given time," Baldr placed his hands behind his back.
"Nope, but sure" I clear my throat, trying to accept the utter strangeness of what is happening "Do you know who I am? Why I am here?"
"I know all things, my child. My roots reach deep into the world. I have seen your journey here. I have seen your path. You have come for my blood, to put an end to my beloved Friegga once and for all. To undo the original sin that birthed so much pain and darkness," Baldr crosses his arms "I have been waiting for you for centuries, dear granddaughter,"
"Granddaughter?!" The word pierces through me, making me take a step back "Can you repeat that? There seems to be something clogging my ears up. Did you say, Granddaughter?"
"I knew that only one with our shared blood could withstand my powers and make it this far. And you are of our blood, Emily. Mine and Frigga's,"
"What are you talking about? How the fuck is that possible?"
"A truth I discovered long after I had ceased to be a man. From here, I see all. Present. Future and the truth of the past. Frigga thought that our daughter, Freyja, had been burned by our enemies. But it is not so," Baldr floats around as he looks into a portal. He beckons me over and shows me the vision.

"The Sons of Ares took my little girl and raised her, hoping to learn more of Frigga's powers that way. But Freyja was normal. A human. Or so they thought. Although my daughter had not been turned by Frigga, they still shared blood and therefore, power. Freyja was able to see her mother's memories,"
"She was... a BloodKeeper,"
"The first BloodKeeper," Bladr smiles as he watches his daughter smile "Far from, Frigga's power, Freyja grew up. She married and she also had a daughter. And so it began. A second bloodline running parallel to the vampires passed down through generations. The keeper of our memories and ending with you, Emily. The first BloodKeeper in history to be turned. The fusion of the two lines. Frigga's vampire blood in her human descendant," Baldr waves his hand at me as we leave the vision "The sap of the tree in the blessed chalice. At last,"

"What exactly are you?" I ask as the portal closes behind me.
"I was a living man, Then I was a dead one. Now, I am something else. Not alive or dead. Not in the real world or the next. I sit at the nexus of life and death, past and future. I simply am."
"That is not really helpful, you know," I pinch my nose. Why are the older people so goddamn cryptic?
"But it is the truth,"
"So... I am a chalice. I am not sure how I feel about that?" I look down at my hands. I remember hearing this sentence in many visions.
"My metaphor is imperfect. Language cannot capture the true abstract, especially given the divide between us," Baldr raises his eyebrow.
"Wait... your metaphor? The prophecies... the dream and visions... is that all because of you?" My jaw dropped as I stared at the man "You're the reason I get so many headaches!"
"An unintended consequence. As I have gazed out upon the world, at times it seems the world gazed in at me. Those most sensitive to the psychic plane may have caught glimpses of my thoughts. Glimpses that manifested as prophecy,"
"How do I know you are not lying?" I narrowed my eyes, crossing my arms.
"Not only do I have no reason to lie, but I also do not think myself capable of it" Baldr sighs.
"And I am just supposed to take your word on it?" I sighed. I only trust four people not to lie to me.
"The truth is the truth, whether you believe it or not," I stared at this man, the man who called me his granddaughter and felt helplessness creep through me.
"I don't know what I am supposed to do with this information," I lowered my arms and stared at another portal.
"You will do what you come to do. My blood is yours to claim as you wish," Baldr floats closer to me. He smells like rot.
"And you're okay with that? With me... killing Frigga?"
"I merely observe what is and will be. You will take the blood and you will confront the first,"
"Sorry, I'm trying to wrap my head around all this. You can... see the future?"
"In a sense. The things I see are like what a person can see in the ripples of a pond. Some are certain and some are like shadows,"
"That's from a movie," I ran a hand up my arm "Do my friends live?"
"I'm afraid that I cannot see that far out with any clarity. there's a cloud of darkness marring my sight, a storm of uncertainty darker than any I have encountered," Baldr closes his eyes and the void throbs around me "But what I do see is you standing before Frigga on a great stage. I see you howl with pain, with fury, with unimaginable loss and then..."
"And then..." I gulped.
"And then you make a choice. A choice that will change the world forever," Baldur sighs. I bury my face in my hands.
"This is all just... so much..."
"My child... we cannot change the choices we are faced with. We can only control what we make of them," The void around me pulses, darkening at the edges "You cannot stay here much longer, granddaughter. You must return to your friends. I will do what I can to contain my influence but I can only hold it for so long,"
"Can you tell me anything? Anything that would be helpful?" Baldr stares at me, his face a blank slate but his eyes flicker with something like sorrow for a second.
"Hold your friends close. Savour every moment you have with them. Cherish the time you have left"
"The time we have left? What does that mean?" But the void is already fading around me and I can feel myself being jerked away "Baldr, wait!" I lunge toward him and grab his hand. He stares down at the contact, stunned. When he speaks at last, his voice is different... softer, charged with emotion. At that moment, he seems almost human.
"I am honoured to have met you, my child, my granddaughter," Baldr strokes my head and places a kiss on my forehead. He briefly smells like honey before the rot returns "There is no one more worthy to carry on our line. To usher in the new era. When you see Frigga... Tell her that I always loved her. Good luck, my child,"

And with that, I feel myself pulled back into my aching body, gasping for breath. I drop to my knees.
"Oh, I hate it... I hate it..." I press my fingers into my forehead. The tree of death looms before me, menacing and promising. I slowly stand up.
"Emily! Here!" Sif shouts. I turn and catch the dagger that Sif tosses me.
"Alright... you said this was okay," Gritting my teeth, I plunge the dagger into the bark. Black sap drips out and it coats the dagger in a resinous substance until the blade begins to grow black "Oh, that stinks. But we have it. the weapon that will kill Frigga," I turn back to the others, who are all slowly pulling themselves back up, already looking better.
"You got it! you got the blood," Loki grins.
"Yeah, it was a whole thing," I smile, looking back at the tree. Thor clenches his hand into a fist and this time, his veins are clear.
"Is it me or did this place just get a little more bearable?" he keeps clenching his hand. I rest a hand on the tree's bark.
"I think Baldr might have done something to contain his influence?" I can't call him Grandpa. Sounds weird. Like super weird.
"Baldr is the tree?"
"It's a long story," I sigh. I walk over to Melody and help her stand up "Let's head back to the beach," With one last glance at the tree, The others and I set off into the jungle.

Once we are back on the beach, we all gather around to stare at the blood-stained blade.
"So it's real. A blade that can turn anyone it stabs feral," Loki covers the blade with a plastic bag that he found on the beach.
"Hmm. To be completely honest, I didn't think this would work. Always nice to be surprised," Odin scratching his chin. Thor glares at him.
"You didn't think it would work?! And you still sent us to the Devil's island of death?"
"Thor... don't encourage him and Emily, be extra careful with the dagger. The last thing we want is for you to accidentally cut yourself," Sif nods at the dagger. I nodded.
"I hate this plan. Have I mentioned that yet?" Melody paces.
"Only about a hundred times," Thor sighed.
"So... new plan. First things first, we need to focus on how to get off this island,"
"I've been thinking about that," Loki scans the shoreline, pointing to a small yacht that looks relatively modern "I think that ship should still run. If we can salvage the right parts from other wrecks, I can get it working again,"
"You can fix a ship motor?" Melody asked. Loki nodded before glancing at Odin.
"I taught him how," Odin stated.
"Right then. Here's what you are looking for" Loki writes down what we need on several pieces of paper, on which he has drawn schematics "Thor, how about you and I go west and Sif and Melody go east?"
"Sounds good," Thor nodded.
"I suppose I will look along the beach," Odin offers. Sif nods. Loki turns to me.
"What about you, Emily? Would you like to--"
"Why are you asking? We know she will join you!" Melody leans on my shoulder.
"I want to be able to give her a choice,"
"Firstly, thank you for the choice and secondly, they are right," I hooked my arm around Loki's and smiled.
"Perfect, let us be off then," Loki smiles at me. Thor puts his hands in his pocket and heads left. Loki grabs his shirt and spins him so he is now facing right.
"I knew where I was going,"
"Really? Which way do we need to go?" Loki sighed. Thor clapped as he pointed straight in front of him, towards the north. Loki rolled his eyes, grabbed Thor's wrist and moved his hand so he was now pointing the correct.
"I knew that," Thor grumbles before walking after Me and Loki "You walking fucking compass,"

Thor, Loki and I head back into the jungle, on the lookout for wreckage.
"I swear to god, There better not be any more of those spiderferals," Thor looked into the jungle growth.
"Why did you have to remind me of them?" I mumbled.
"I'm pretty sure we killed most of them. And ones that remain know better," Loki gripped my hand.
"Oh, I see how it is. Not enough that you can rebuild yacht motors, you're also a spiderferal expert now? Is there nothing the great Loki Odinson can't do?" Thor mocked playfully.
"Give yourself another two centuries, Thor. I'm sure you will catch up," Loki taunted. I swear they were brothers in another life. I feel myself relaxing in their company, putting the revelation Baldr gave me away to think about later.
"I think the spiderferals will leave us alone. Whatever Baldr did to make the island safe, I think it will keep them away too,"
"So, this is just a regular island now?"
"For now. And kind of a beautiful one, isn't it?" I look around. I think I can hear water running somewhere.
"Actually, yeah. It's pretty nice. I have always wanted to visit a place like this," Thor agrees.
"Believe me, there is no place like this," Loki states. The three of us look through some pieces of metal that seem to have fallen from a plane "Hmmm. I bet the main body is around here somewhere. Emily, try over there," As I go around the large rock, I gasp in delight.
"Hey, guys. You might want to take a look at this," I call the others over.

I squeal as I glance at a beautiful waterfall, fireflies dance around us. The three of us stare in awe at the waterfall, surprised by its appearance.
"Oh, it is gorgeous," I squeaked "Now, that is something,"
"And look," Thor points to the bottom of the river "We found the rest of the plane," Thor took off running.
"We better follow the child," Loki smiled as he grabbed my hand.

It didn't take long to catch up to Thor. He was like a child that had picked up a worm.
"Does this have the parts that you need?"
"Only one way to find out," Loki smiles. Thor and I wait while Loki goes digging through the plane, staring at the waterfall.
"It's really peaceful, huh? The kind of place you could just rest forever,"
"It is. I could fall asleep to the sound of a waterful,"
"I'll remember that when you are having trouble sleeping," Loki raised his voice "Got it!" Loki hurries back to us, a smudge of oil on his face as he lifts a piece of metal "Found the part that we need. Let's head back,"
"So soon? We should at least enjoy the waterfall a bit, don't you think?"
"You mean you want to stay away from Odin for a bit," I tilt my head at Thor.
"That too," Thor grinned, looking at his nails.
"But Thor has a point. Come on, Loki. we just escaped death. I know we do it all the time but this is the first time we've escaped death on an island with a waterfall, right?" I bat my eyelashes at him. Loki looks between me and the waterfall, then smiles.
"All right, all right. But we can't stay too long," Loki sighs before smiling softly at me "You are a bad influence, you know that?"
"Not my fault you can't say no to me," I grin. I place my sword down. And before I know it, Loki is pulling his shirt off over his head "What are you doing?"
"You said to enjoy the waterfall," Loki grinned as she trips off the rest of his clothes. He takes two large steps before he cannonballs into the water "Oh, that is nice," He says as he wmeges from the water.
"I meant, you know, just sit here and think," Thor stuttered.
"Wow, Thor. I never knew you were such a square," I teased, nudging with my elbow.
"Oh, I see how it is" Thor laughs, tossing off his own clothes. I begin to shed my clothes as well. when I look back, I catch Loki gazing at me. Thor had his head turned toward the sky as though he just looked away.
"Ahem? Can I help you?"
"Uh, what? No, I wasn't --" Thor kept looking over at Loki but Loki's gaze never left me.
"Get in the water, darling,"
"Dude, you are broken,"

I jump into the water and quickly acclimate to the temperature, relishing the silky smoothness on my skin.
"Oh, this feels nice," I sigh. Loki runs his hands through his hair, water dripping down his face and neck. Thor shakes his head like a dog, his hair sticking up chaotically "Hey, watch it!"
"You're already in the water and you don't want to be hit with more water?" Thor frowned in confusion. He then smiled "So, what happens when I do... this," Thor splashes me, making a wave of water crash over me.
"Hey!" I squeal. Loki laughs and attacks from the other side.
"Incoming!" I duck under the water and remerge sputtering water as the other two laugh.
"Oh, it is on," I line up my shot and quickly splash a wall of water at Loki. Taken by surprise, he gets hit in the face, sputtering. Thor and I both laugh "There, now we are even,"
"Oh. I'm not so sure about that," Loki grins as he splashes me again. The three of us face off as the splashing war commences, dodging and swimming away, getting hit with bursts of water. I yank Loki down by the ankles and jump on Thor's back.
"Hey, you're using dirty tactics!" Thor spluttered.
"I will do whatever it takes to win!" I grinned as I dived down again.

Eventually, we all slow down to catch our breath. I swim over to the waterfall, peeking behind the water curtain to see a small cove blocked from view by the water.
"That looks cosy back there," I glance at the other two. Loki is contemplating the waterfall while Thor is floating on his back. I wave Loki over "Loki! Come here. I want to show you something,"
"What did you find?"
"Come with me and find out," I see Thor swimming back to where our clothes are. When he approaches, I take his hand and pull him through the waterfall.

On the other side is a small alcove filled with water. Once the two of us are alone and out of view, Loki pulls me flush against his body, gazing deeply into my eyes before kissing me. When he does, it steals my breath and makes my mind go all hazy. I kick my legs leisurely through the water, staying afloat while Loki cradles my face and kisses me deeply. My hands begin to roam over his body, feeling taut muscles and silken skin. Loki nips at my throat, making me gasp.
"I want you," Loki moaned in my ear.
"Here?" I looked back to the waterfall.
"Here," Loki nodded.
"Now?" I licked my lips.
"Now. How do you want it, Emily?" Loki kissed me along my jawline and down my neck.
"All of you. I'm yours,"
"Good," Loki grabs my thighs and wraps them around his waist, holding onto me tightly. I clutch his shoulders, kissing and nibbling his lips as he thrust forward, burying himself in one fluid motion. The feeling of being cradled in the water and being in Loki's arms sends a jolt of pleasure through me "Emily..." Loki groans my name. I hold onto Loki as the two of us move, creating ripples in the water.
"Lo... ki..." Thankfully, my cries are drowned out by the roar of the waterfall as I reach my peak. Loki's moans echo back at me.
"I love you," Loki moans in my ear.
"I love you too," I reply. Loki gasps as his body shudders and I grab him tight, pulling him close, lost in overwhelming bliss.

Climbing down from my high, I kiss Loki along his jaw.
"Best waterfall ever. Ten out of ten," Loki laughs and plants one last kiss on my lips, then one on my forehead.
"I love you so much," Loki sighed as he hugged me tightly.
"Mean it?" I smile.
"More than anything,"
"I love you too," We share one last tender kiss, soft but still so full of passion for each other before we untangle ourselves. Loki grips my hand and leads us back out of the waterfall.

Once back on the shore, we got dressed.
"Now that we are all... relaxed and we have the part we need, we should head back," Loki ordered. I smiled and wrung out my hair. Damn thick hair holds way too much water.
"Aye, aye. boss," Thor did a two-finger wave as he grabbed some metal sheets. We dry off and head back toward the jungle trail, reluctantly leaving the waterfall behind.
"Let's see if Melody and Sif had any luck. I am beyond ready to get off this island," With a yawn, we head back to the beach, ready to call it.

Once everyone returns to the beach, Loki begins to work on the ship. Odin hovers around him. "That doesn't go there," Odin points. Melody and I tiptoe away as Loki's eyebrow twitches. but he doesn't say anything and continues to work silently. Odin folds his arms and observes "It would be easier if you take off that part before installing the new one,"
"I don't need your commentary," Loki snapped. Odin didn't flinch nor did he back away.
"I'm just saying, it will go faster that way and the faster it gets done, the faster we can leave this island,"
"And why the hell do you care?" Loki bites back. I thought about going over to help but Melody held me back.
"Because I..." Odin exhales sharply "I want to help," Loki presses his lips together unhappily. He reluctantly sighs and steps back.
"Fine," The two of them work on the ship while the rest of us follow their orders (Reluctantly on my part), getting the ship as close to working condition as possible "There, I think this should work,"
"You think or you know?" Odin gave Loki a look that made him question his work.
"I know. Just... get on the damn ship, Odin,"

It takes a couple of tries but eventually the ship's motor whirrs to life. Melody flips off the island.
"So long terrible island of death! I won't miss you at all! Good fucking riddance!" she yells. I shake my head.
"Yeah, good riddance to cursed places,"
"At least we got what we came for," Everyone glances at the sheathed dagger at my waist. I can feel Baldur's power-like aura around it. It's still so hard to take in. We all watch the island fade away, a general air of weariness falls over everyone.
"Well, we've come a long way, haven't we?"
"And we still have far to go. One last battle to determine everything,"
"But now, we are armed. We have a plan,"
"Even then it might not be enough,"
"Buzzkill,"
"One way or another, it will all end soon,"
"Come one, look on the bright side. We have the one weapon in the world that can put an end to Frigga. We are ready for this,"
"Yeah, we can totally kick Frigga's ass,"
"I really hope you are right," Loki sighs. Baldr's words ring in my ears.
"Cherish the time you have left," What did he mean? Am I going to lose someone? I feel a sharp chill. Everyone lingers above deck until the island disappears completely. Then, one by one, they head off to find a place to sleep. The only one who stays behind is Odin. He watches the lightening sky, lost in thought.
"Odin?" He blinks and looks at me, his eyes distant, haunted. Heartachingly sad.
"Emily, I... It's... you..." Odin shakes his head, breathing deeply and turns away. He looks like he needs a friend.

I move to sit beside him, making him frown in confusion.
"What are you doing?"
"Nothing. I just thought. I don't know... anything could happen once we get back to New York. I might as well try and talk to you before we face Frigga. Make sure you are still up for this and not gonna turn on us at the last second,"
"Of course, I am," Odin scoffs, crossing his arms "After what I learned... that she... " Odin's voice grows thin and he trails off, glaring but there's no hatred on his face. Only grief "Why are you talking to me?"
"Because you looked sad," I sighed. Odin shakes his head in disbelief.
"Emily, I did terrible things to you. I abducted you. I raided your mind. I tortured your friends. I killed you. And you want to talk to me because I looked sad?"
"Yeah, you did all that. But you also saved my life. You fought to protect us. There are moments when you look like your old self. Angry, cruel and dangerous. but there are other moments... like now... where you look so different. Vulnerable, scared and broken. Who are you, Odin? Really?" I questioned. Odin lets out a laugh, running his hands through his hair.
"Do you want the truth, Emily? I don't even know. I was one man. Then Frigga changed me into something else. Now that change is undone. Am I that first man? The second? something else entirely?"
"I still don't understand what she did to you. She changed your personality but you're saying that you still made all those choices? If you were her puppet, then you couldn't have?"
"A puppet has no free will. I did. I just," Odin exhales sharply "Have you ever had a bad day? I don't mean a day that was bad. I mean a day where you were bad. When you were cruel and short-tempered? When you lashed out at those you loved? when you woke up the next morning and thought 'god, how could I have done those things'. That kind of bad day,"
"Yeah," I nod, remembering my mother's tears.
"And yet, it was still you, wasn't it? The person who acted that way? The person who was cruel?"
"... yeah"
"Frigga didn't make me her puppet. She made me the worst version of myself. she trapped me at my lowest, cruellest point for three thousand years. She needed me as a soldier, a killer. So she cut off my capacity to be anything else. Heimdall even tried to warn me but I wouldn't listen. It was as if my mind was a fortress that couldn't be breached. I could have fought harder against it. I should have. If I had..."
"Odin, She was too strong. Even if you had fought back more, it probably wouldn't have been enough. You have done terrible things, both in her name and your own. You just... have to accept that," I sighed, stifling a yawn. Odin grits his teeth, then nods.
"Yes. You're right", The two of us are silent for a few minutes, watching the stars start to disappear "I lived for so long, driven by purpose. To serve Frigga. To punish Heimdall. To create a world for our kind. That purpose gave me clarity. It gave me meaning. I was a soldier, a butcher. There was nothing that I wouldn't do for Frigga. No atrocity I wouldn't commit. Nothing could stand between me and the cause,"
"Odin,"
"And as awful and dark and monstrous those years were... they were simpler. Because I had a cause. I had a purpose," Odin clenched his fists "Now, all I have is killing Frigga and when that's done... I'll have nothing left,"
"That's why you are ready to die. Because you're terrified of having nothing to live for,"
"There will be nothing to live for,"
"I think you are wrong," I sign, leaning back slightly "I know it sounds impossible but I think you can find something out there worth living for,"
"Even if that was true... would I deserve it?"
"Honestly. I don't know," I shrugged. Odin cranes his head up at the night sky, and his eyes sparkle with... tears?
"Do you know what the worst part is? Not that she used me or manipulated me. Not that I was forced to be her monster. That I will get over. It's that she never loved me. Somehow, that still hurts. Pathetic, right?" I lean forward and kiss Odin gently on the cheek. His hand flew up to his cheek. He looked startled, as if he had just been attacked "Why?"
"Because you need to be reminded that kindness and decency still exist, even if you long forgot them," I reach down and squeeze Odin's hand "Goodnight, Odin,"
"Goodnight, Emily," I stand up and head to my cabin door but as I go to open it, Odin speaks once more "If we had met in another life... I think things could have been different"
"Yeah. In another life," More like in another reality. I then step into the cabin and leave Odin alone for the night. I climb into bed next to Loki, I tell him about the conversation I just had with Odin and even though he wasn't happy that I was alone with him, He was content that I might have finally got through to Odin. Sighing and then yawning loudly, I curl up in Loki's arms and pass out.

Our ship barely makes it to a small Polynesian island. After one flight on a rickety prop plane and a nine-hour layover in Peru (Melody went sightseeing again), We arrived back in New York City. We all descend from the plane, gazing out at the skyline of the city just beyond the private airfield.
"We made it... We are home," I sigh, breathing in the familiar air. Melody drops to her knees, lays down and hugs the tarmac.
"I never want to leave New York again. I was born here and I will die here,"
"Didn't you always want to visit Norway?" I sign as pick Melody up off the floor.
"Ooh, I want to go to the Blue Lagoon," Melody grins, clapping her hands together.
"Focus, girls," Thor speaks. Melody and I stop prattling around.
"Yes, we are home and we are going to take it back. For good," Loki looks towards the city.