Strife of Misfortune(Wattys2016)

...Or To Forget

That night, Egypt snuck out of Loki's bed chambers, leaving him in the tangled mess of the bed sheets. She opened the door quietly, not allowing a single sound to penetrate the air. After slipping through, she closed the door, cringing at the clicking sound erupting from the hinges. Damn! She hope Loki didn't hear that. Not wasting another moment, she descended down the halls. The crawling shadows splayed on the walls alluded to the horrors and night terrors she experienced all those weeks ago. There were no golden loops, no tints of sunlight leaking through the windows, only the moon, the signal. She was too afraid to look at the solar orb. What if the color red returned? What if the shrieks returned? She will be the only one running away from the phantoms. Running from Loki. With one step, she dived down the halls, running and racing. She couldn't stay in that hallway, she couldn't look at the moon. Her heart flailed at her chest in a mad attempt to escape, her mind drawing images of the dreams, of the blood, the screaming and bleeding.

It was fear that driven her, fear that fueled her legs to sprint down the halls, running from an invisible force, running from what could happen as long as the moon stalked the skies, as long as apparitions continued to spring up in her mind. Egypt continued to run, the moon sprayed a silver path in front of her. She could feel her irrationality like a chill in her bones, her sanity dwindling like a leaf in the wind, threatening to be snatched away from her. Would it ease the pain to finally lose it? Would it end this parade, this fiendish torment the night subjected her to? Or would it inspire other monsters to devour her brain? Would she continue to run like this? Run from nothing and everything, running from herself? She was her own enemy. The night was her enemy and her thoughts, her greatest fears.

Egypt finally arrived to his room, opened his door a little too quickly and rushed inside. Every breath burned her lungs as she desperately searched the air for oxygen. Her throat fried with each inhalation, her muscles relaxed with each passing moment. Egypt leaned against the doorframe, her breathing tranquilized as she searched the room for Fenrir. He was in the corner, his nose buried in a book with the lamp spilling a feeble yellow light onto the pages. It was when he heard the door slam that he pulled away and dismissed his reading. He looked at Egypt with wide eyes, taking note of the urgency in her movements, of the madness obstructing the hue in her eyes. "Egypt what is wrong?"

"Nothing!" She said, spewing the answer too quickly.

"Egyp-"

"Just ignore it, it's not important. I just don't like the dark okay."

Fenrir nodded his understanding, not pushing for a better answer. "Are you sure you want to embark on this journey?" He soon switched the conversation. "Once you learn of father's plans there's no turning back. Do you wish to have that responsibility on your shoulders?"

"Why else would I be here?" Egypt replied with a bit of sarcasm. "Just tell me what I need to know."

"Come have a seat." Fenrir led her over to the sofa, the plush pillows and cushions felt soft beneath her. The boy then drew his hands together, rubbing them as he pondered the words to say. "Ragnarok is a war of legends, descending from god to man. It inspired fear in people ever since. It's a war that would destroy existence as we know it, a war father desires to start."

"So where does Asta fit in all of this?"

"Asta..you are the key element in this play. In your past life you were the daughter of Surtur, a fire giant and enemy of the Aesirs. Within you is the ability to revive your deceased family of giants, including your father."

"And...?"

"Your father's revival will mark the beginning of the end, as his return to life would awaken other giants Odin has banished from existence. It will also awaken Ymir, the protector of the Aesirs. If he awakens and clashes with Surtur then all is lost. Their clash will breath life into other disasters, other wars that will devour both man and god." Fenrir said.