My Crazy Years

Kuro. Part 4. Jötunn

Everyone was looking at Gertrude, waiting for her to speak and clarify the mystery of the creature in the forest which, according to her, took an interest in you. It was also quite surprising to see the nasty, old woman behaving so kindly with you now, sitting by your side and trying to calm you down together with Radiance. That was just another sign of how dangerous the whole situation had become. The entire house was awake save for the Grimmchild, who had been spared from the turmoil of the night's events, nobody wishing to burden the little one with the matters at hand. There had been enough tears for that day. Hornet was sitting on your shoulder, sipping the same strange liquid from that morning which you refused to drink. Apparently, the bugs liked it and it had a calming effect over them, as they couldn't deny having woken pretty shaken from the whole deal. In the end, unable to take the silence any longer, Pale King was the one to speak up, giving voice to the question on everyone's mind.

"Madame Gertrude, what exactly was that creature?"

The answer didn't come right away, the old woman seeming more concerned about your state of being rather than offering any kind of explanations. Thankfully, you managed to stop shivering, and your tears weren't flowing anymore either. You were much better than before, the fear dying down now that you were awake, away from that presence.

"You better?" she asked, gently stroking your back.

"Y-Yeah." Came your answer, almost a whisper.

"Good."

Gertrude's word was followed by another wave of silence, much deeper than before. Just as they were about to turn to Cody who was dozing off in one of the armchairs, tired after a long day of piloting, running, and cooking, by the fire, the old woman began to speak again.

"The creature is a Jötunn. He came a few days ago, and laid claim to the forest. From what me and Olaf found out about him, he's one of Loki's children, and not a nice one. He used to have a cult of followers in a forest near , but as far as I know, they all died. That must be the reason why he chose to leave and seek another land to call his own. This forest was once used by outlaws as a hiding place, and even before that, in ancient times, pagans would come here and offer sacrifices to their gods. You can still see the remains of their altars the deeper you are going. I guess, the left-over energies must have attracted him here."

"But that still doesn't explain what he wants with (Y/N)?" Radiance complained.

"You're not going to like this, sweetheart." Gertrude answered, looking straight at you.

"W-What?"

Your voice trembled as you spoke. You really didn't want anything to do with that creature.

"You have great pain in your heart, a regret that you couldn't let go of. Jötunn sensed that and most likely is wishing to turn you into one of his worshipers. He preys on people like you, offering to take their pain away and offer them eternal life in exchange for worshiping him."

"W-What? N-N-No! I-I d-don't want to!" you stuttered, getting worked up.

To serve a monster? No way you wanted to do that. That thing was already terrifying the living days out of you. An eternity of pain? Thanks, but no thanks. Jötunn could take his offer and present it to someone else.

"Isn't there anything we can do to save her?" James asked, regretting having brought you there.

"Of course, there is." Gertrude placed a hand on your head, her touch and tone calming you down.

Even you were surprised. She had been a jerk to you all day long, yet now she was acting like a real mother trying to comfort her child after they had a nightmare. This nice side of hers left you completely dumbfounded, the confusion, far stronger than Jötunn's threat.