Throvald Fors
Force magic... That was Force magic. That spell, Repulsion… a Tier 3 Verse Spell.
I pushed myself up, dirt clinging to my palms, and looked around at the vast clearing. It was far bigger than before, the trees erased, the earth torn apart. The beast did this? Such destruction with just a Tier 3 spell?
"Elara…?" My throat tightened as I turned. "Elara!" I screamed into the emptiness, but no reply came. Not from her. Not from anyone.
Panic clawed at my chest. I should have listened to her. We should have run when we still had the chance. No… no, she is strong, far stronger than she lets anyone see. She will not die here. I will not allow it.
I staggered to my feet, forcing the weight of dread off my shoulders. Then the sky began to turn a deep, angry red. I looked up to see the accursed beast floating high above, wings of blood spreading wide, drowning the night, mana flaring so violently it pressed against my bones. My knees nearly buckled. I couldn't remember ever feeling so helpless, so utterly outmatched.
And yet, a memory clawed its way up from my mind. My son. His voice, his smile, his unyielding courage. I would not allow this monster to defile his memory with his weapon.
I steadied my breath and straightened my back. One step. Then another. Then I was running, summoning my axe into my hand, ready to hurl myself against the impossible.
But before I could, streak of silver light tore across the night, a star falling in defiance. It pierced through the beast's blast as if it were nothing, then struck him clean, sending the monster crashing to the ground.
The ground shuddered as dust plumed high, swallowing the battlefield in haze. My grip on the axe tightened, and I moved toward the impact site. Whatever had fallen, it was not ordinary.
Then a voice reached me, faint but familiar.
"Give him hell, Valka."
"Elara?" I spun, sprinting toward the sound and there she was, lying on the ground, her chest rising and falling. Her eyes closed, but she was breathing.
Relief hit me like a wave. I dropped to my knees beside her, my hands trembling as I touched her cheek. "Thank Aethelhum… Elara…" My heart eased, even if just for a moment.
"Paa."
The voice pulled me around. Through the thinning dust, she stood tall, silver mana glimmering faintly around her frame, unshaken and smiling as if there was nothing to worry about.
"Valka…"
"I leave her to you," she said with a smile, a smile so certain it left no room for doubt.
"So you have arrived," the beast said, pulling himself out of the crater.
Valka placed a curled fist on her hip, her tone smug. "What can I say? I like making an entrance."
"So you are the 'Divine' who lives in that town."
"Hmm, 'Divine,' huh. Looks like you know a lot. And…" She looked over her shoulder at me and then her eyes drifted toward Elara. The look that filled them made my blood run cold. "But you've made a mess." Silver mana surrounded her, making her shine like a star in the night.
The beast answered with his own, crimson rising like wildfire, shaping into twin swords that burned with killing intent.
The ground split. The air quaked. Their power swelled until even breathing became heavy. Then they vanished.
Flashes of silver and crimson clashed across the sky, too fast for me to follow. Each collision thundered, shaking my bones, driving me back. I could only cling to one certainty, silver was Valka. Crimson was the beast. And then, the silver intersected the crimson, and the beast's arm went flying through the air, his body striking the ground with a crash.
"Done already?" Valka floated above, arms crossed, confidence radiating from her. "That was quicker than I thought."
The sharpened tendrils came from behind the beast. Crimson mana started concentrating within them, and he shot out a blast of red mana. Just before it reached her, Valka raised her hand and shot out a cone of silver mana out to meet the crimson.
The two attacks touched, intertwining and eating away at one another, each perfectly canceling the other out.
But the beast was already moving. He grabbed his severed arm… and reattached it?
The tendrils behind him extended, moving with a speed I couldn't follow, cutting through the crackling cloud that remained after the two attacks collided. As the clouds vanished, Valka stood there without a single change; the tendrils did not even scratch her, despite slashing directly against her.
She sighed, caught one tendril in her hand, and pulled. With the other, she raised her fist. The beast mirrored her, fist meeting fist. The shockwave split the ground, air ripping outward in waves. But it was the beast who flew back, Valka held tighter onto the tendril and pulled back, her fists raining down on the beast without delay, one after another, each strike shaking the air, each strike breaking him down further.
"So that's Valka. The Valkyrie... The Goddess of War," a female voice said from behind me. I turned to see three knights walking toward me, their clothes drenched in blood and dirt, their eyes fixed on Valka. I could tell they were in awe because I was too.
I looked back to my daughter.
I had heard the stories. The unbelievable feats. The victories that carved her name into legend. But this was the first time I truly saw her fight and in that moment, pride swelled inside me.
"This is taking too long."
Valka's knee slammed into the beast's stomach, launching him skyward. She was already above him before I could even follow, her leg lifted high. Then it came crashing down, driving the beast back into the ground with a force that split the clearing apart. Cracks spiderwebbed outward, and rocks and dirt flew in every direction. I held Elara tightly, shielding her from the rain of debris.
Ashar and Captain Tavian moved in front of us, creating walls of fire and wind to destroy the debris coming toward us.
"Move."
"Huh?" I looked back up to see Valka staring at me.
"Move!" Her tone left no room for doubt.
I understood. I instantly got up with Elara in my arms, but a hand grabbed my arm. It was Ashar.
"What—"
"Wind Cloud!" Tavian's voice cut me off, and a gust of wind appeared at our feet, lifting us into the air.
Valka raised her fist. "Tenfold Fist."
A storm of silver constructs erupted around her, each one taking the shape of a fist. They rained down upon the beast, each strike carving fresh craters into the scarred land. The ground quaked beneath her relentless assault; dust and stone burst outward with every blow.
"I can't believe I'm seeing this," the girl, Aifa, said, her voice trembling with excitement. Her eyes were shining as if she were gazing at a hero from a legend. "To see Lady Valka fight with my own eyes."
"This way we'll have another Valka Valley," Ashar said, half laughing and half grim.
The Valka Valley… I remembered reading about it. The whole thing was all over the paper for days.
"Valka Valley? Please. Let's not do it here."
The voice came from my arms.
"Elara? How are you feeling?"
"I am fine." She pressed her palm against my chest, steady, then pushed herself free from my hold. Her eyes were sharp again, clear with command. She turned toward the battle, where Valka's fists thundered down like falling stars.
Elara drew in a deep breath. Then...
"VALKA!" She screamed.
"Ma?" Valka turned her head blinking in surprise.
"Stop destroying the land near the barony and end this NOW or forget any allowance!"
"What? You can't be serious!" Valka's voice cracked like a child caught red-handed, fists still hanging in the air.
"It's already late! End it now!" Elara shouted again, arms crossed in fierce judgment.
Behind me, Ashar's laugh broke loose, loud and unrestrained. Aifa and Captain Tavian exchanged bewildered glances, unsure whether to laugh or stay silent. I couldn't blame them, even though I have seen this scene my whole life, I was smiling too, pride and amusement tangled in my chest.
Below, the beast stirred. His body was mangled, limbs twisted the wrong way, armor was now cracked not only on his face but all over his body. Somehow, impossibly, he began to rise again.
But Valka was already there. In the blink of an eye, she stood before him.
He lunged.
Her fist pierced through his armor before he could even touch her. The crimson light in his eyes faded into nothing. His body slumped back, crashing lifelessly onto the ruined ground.
We began descending, the wind carrying us gently until our boots touched solid earth again.
Behind us, Captain Tavian let out a long, weary sigh. "It's finally over."
Elara turned toward the knights, her expression softening. "You three took that attack remarkably well. Quite resilient."
Tavian placed a hand over his chest. "I believe it's thanks to the potion Lady Fors provided us. Its effects are still lingering in our systems."
"Yes… we are grateful," Ashar added with a slight bow, Aifa quickly mimicking the gesture with her own.
"I should be the one thanking you," Elara murmured, her shoulders dropping with a sigh.
I couldn't agree more. Without them, we would have never lasted this long.
"You've gotten pretty close," Valka's voice chimed in, bright and easy as she strolled toward us, reminding me of the time when she used to be a little girl, jumping everywhere.
"You were amazing, Valka," I said, a wave of happiness swelling in me despite the exhaustion weighing me down.
Elara smiled warmly. "Your father is right. Your timing was impeccable. Good work."
Valka puffed out her chest, hands planted firmly on her waist. "I know. I'm amazing."
"Yes!" Aifa burst forward, eyes shining like a child's. "Lady Valka was incredible! I've heard so many stories, but seeing it myself was breathtaking!" She barely paused for breath.
Captain Tavian tugged her gently back by the shoulder, but before she could say more, he turned to Valka. "Lady Valka, allow us to apologize. We failed—"
"Oh, come on," Valka interrupted, waving her hand dismissively. "I can tell by looking at you how hard you fought." She placed a hand on Captain Tavian's shoulder, her voice softening. "Sieg is safe, isn't he? You did well."
The three knights bowed deeply, their voices unified. "Thank you, Lady Valka."
Relief settled into my chest. With everything seemingly resolved, I stepped forward. "Now then, everyone… we should make our way home."
Elara nodded. "Right. Valka, grab the corpse and let's go."
Yes…all that was left was to return, to see Sieg's face, and finally allow our hearts and bodies to rest.
"M… Ma?"
The voice cut through the air like a blade, freezing every thought in my head. I nearly stumbled from the shock of it. That voice, I knew it.
Beside me, Elara stiffened, her eyes wide with the same disbelief twisting my chest. Slowly, both of us turned, and even Valka was staring in the same direction, her expression wiped of its usual confidence.
The sound had come from the beast.
"Ma? Is that… y-you?"
A terrible cracking noise followed, the helm splitting apart, shards falling away like brittle shells. From beneath the shattered armor, a face emerged, one I knew too well.
The face of the boy I had raised. The man I had buried in my heart. The son I last saw Eleven years ago.
"Elara… no… it can't be…" My voice was a whisper, breaking apart in my throat.
The face looked up at us, so achingly familiar, so impossibly real.
"Erik?"