“What do you want of me? What could I possibly help you with?” Jormurgandr asked.
Nova put his hand in a pocket of his robes and said, “You know of the beast the Nords call Fenrir?”
“Yes. It was one of the monsters they threw at me. I killed it and ate its pitiful form long ago.”
Pulling something out of his pocket, Nova said, “There is another being in this world who equals my power, the only other sent to watch over this place. However, she has turned wicked and delved into darkness. Evil is a trap for my kind. Once you‘ve tasted of that kind of power, your soul is eaten and your heart destroyed.”
“Sounds like a woman I’d like to meet.” Jormurgandr joked.
Nova gave him a chilling gaze. “No, she is far more sinister than you can believe. She would not entertain you. She would destroy you for being a rival.”
“I’D LIKE TO SEE HER TRY!”
Nova’s eye flashed a bright light and Jormurgandr lost some of his zeal, “Even at your strongest, you would not be a match for her alone. As you are now, you would not survive.”
“Then why come to me for help?” Jormurgandr asked.
“She wants to begin an age of darkness in this world and use it as her divine realm of evil with which to spread the darkness across the universe. Her heart touches the darkness, and the more she has, the stronger she will become. She has begun this effort by crafting demonic creatures of great power based on the myths and legends of the humans. Her most powerful creature thus far has been a recreation of Fenrir, made of shadow.”
“I may not be strong enough now to fight such a creature.”
Nova laughed, “No, you are not. However, I was able to overpower its darkness with my light. I destroyed it... or so I thought. It is mere shadow, a being that cannot be destroyed while she lives. But I have contained it to the object that she used to cast it.” Now Nova revealed a ruby in the shame of a rhombus.
“Is that Fenrir?”
“It is... or rather was its eye. Once I destroyed the body, this is all that remained. She just needs to touch it and it will revive.”
“Do you want me to destroy it?”
“You cannot, neither can I. Only on her death can it be destroyed, and I fear nothing of this world can kill her at this time. So, I’m forced to find ways to contain her power. She does not know of you. Your conquests over the titans of old caught my attention, but she was focused more on her own burgeoning realm. Once I realized you could be an ally of mine, I made certain she never knew of you. With your power reduced, she is sure not to easily find you, or even know to look for you.”
“Is she out there seeking this?”
Nova shook his head, “Not at this time. I defeated not only her version of Fenrir, but her as well. I cannot destroy her, I have reduced her to a weaker state. However, she will regain her strength in time. I need you to take this and hide it, seal it so that it cannot be found easily. Do not even tell me.” He held out the stone.
Jormurgandr did not immediately take it. “Why would you trust me? You say I have goodness in me...bleh! I am the world eater! I killed the titans to amuse myself, not to make life better. I like killing things...that means I’m not the good guy.”
Nova held the stone closer to Jormurgandr. “You are a loud, brash, arrogant creature, and you enjoy being so. But, for someone who proclaims he enjoys killing things, you have left the humans relatively untouched. Why?”
“They aren’t worth killing.”
“Don’t lie to me. I may only have one eye, but I can see the truth in you. You understand the concept of justice. This is why you seek balance in the universe. Justice is balance.”
“Okay, maybe you’re right.”
Nova took Jormurgandr’s hand and put the stone in it. “I have few I can trust, but I know you will do what is right. And, in the future, when this is all done, I will help you.”
“How can you help me?”
“We will see. Just know, if you betray my trust, I will be as ruthless as you, and you have had a taste of my power.”
Jormurgandr said, “Fine.”
Nova turned to leave, but paused. “What do the humans call you?”
“I am Jormurgandr, the great serpent...”
“No, what do they call you to your face?”
“Oh, Ulfr the Loud.”
Nova laughed, “I like that. Fitting.”
“You will call me Jormurgandr.” His tone was demanding.
Nova said, “No. That is the name of a demonic force for fear and death. You are here, protecting this world as much as I am now. Another name for Jormurgandr is Midgardsormr, which is a way of saying this world. So, I think I’ll call you Midgard. That way you will know it is I who speaks to you.”
“MIDGARD!” He pondered that for a moment and then smiled. “I like it. If a man comes to me and says that name, I’ll know it is from you, and no other.”
“Good luck, Midgard. I go to continue my protection of this world.”
As Nova walked away from the weakened form of Midgard, the vision faded away around Chase. She watched the current world come into focus around her, with Lieutenant Bonnie and Gar both watching her.
Bonnie asked, “Well? What just happened? You were standing there silent for a long time.”
Chase fell to the side and was caught by Gar. She said, “That took a lot of my power to witness. Nova... left me a message, a piece of his past.”
“Why would he do this?” Bonnie asked.
Gar set Chase up and held her gently by the shoulders. “Is this a trick?”
“I don’t think so. I think Nova is trying to help us. He just showed me what he is here for, or rather, what Lady Echidna has sent him here for. Just like she recreated Krampus, she once created a version of Fenrir that Nova battled. He defeated it and reduced it to a single stone. If she gets it, she can use it for her own evil.”
“We defeated Krampus. This will be no different.” Gar proudly proclaimed.
Chase shook her head. “I think this is much stronger and much more powerful. We have to find where it was hidden before Nova can get to it.”
Bonnie asked, “Okay, so where do we look?”
“He asked someone else to hide it and never tell him where it was hidden.”
“That’s bad.” Bonnie said. “He already has a head start on us.”
“True. But I think I know who we need to ask.”
0 Comments