“I...”

  “Wait, what? How…” Einar looked at them puzzled.

  “Your friend here is from another world,” the warrior beside the goddess said calmly. “The old world to be precise.”

  Arvid turned even paler as he heard those words, but Harald’s chuckle made him freeze.

  “Did you really think we would not notice a child from the old world appearing here? Not to mention one carrying Loki’s magic? He might be the god of trickery but we had more than the millennia to learn and surpass his magic. His protective and hiding spells lasted for maybe an hour or so after your arrival before we realised who you were.”

  “But then...”

  “Why didn’t we kill you?” Svanhildr asked with a calm tone. “Unlike those monsters back in the old world, we’re not in the habit of killing children.”

  While she was saying that, stone chairs rose from the ground in a circular shape with a fireplace forming in the middle.

  “Sit.” Harald pointed at two of the seats while he and the other two gods sat on the other side of the small but welcome fire.

  “Tell us, Arvid,” he asked with a calm tone. “What did the old gods tell you about this place? About us.”

  “They told me that you were traitors who robbed them of their power and left them to die on Earth.” The young man answered after a long moment of silence.

  “Half true, half a lie.” The tattooed warrior remarked beside the queen of the gods.

  “Loki was always good at those.” Svanhildr added.

  “So was Odin,” Harald hummed in agreement. “And I take it you were sent here to find a way to do what? Kill us? To help them get to our world?”

  “I... I was supposed to find a way to help them cross over so they could punish you.”

  The warrior beside Svanhildr began to laugh with such force that the mountaintop shook with him.

  “Calm down Steinar,” the queen of the gods chided. “You’re scaring the children.”

  ‘He’s Steiner, the god of war?’ Einar looked at the man with a newfound respect and a slight fear.

  “Sorry about that,” Steinar sighed. “I just couldn’t stop myself after hearing such lunacy. What did they expect a bunch of children to do?”

  “A bunch,” the seeker muttered as he looked at the terrified Arvid. “There’s more than one?”

  “About two dozen,” Svanhildr stated. “Four or five or three for each group of gods.”

  “Not that it matters,” Harald sighed. “By the time you are finished with the trials on these islands, the war between us and the old gods will be over.”

  “But... they said...”

  “I am sure they told you a lot of things,” the queen of the gods said as she stood up and walked over to Arvid. “Loki most likely even named you his champion, giving you a tiny sliver of his power so that you could prevail in your important task.”

  As she said those words, she caressed the young man’s face before her fingers trailed down towards his throat. One of her fingers hooked around something invisible and she pulled at it, faint threads of magic appearing around Arvid’s neck. He hissed in pain for a moment before the threads snapped, burning away as they fell from the queen’s finger.

  “There,” she said with a smile as she returned to her seat. “Your leash is now torn. You are free, child.”

  “Why?” Arvid couldn’t stop himself from asking. “Why would you do that for me? I’m your enemy.”

  “No, you are not,” she shook her head. “You are just a child, tricked into fighting someone else’s war. Just like we were once.”

  “I do not know what your world is like today,” Harald spoke with a saddened tone. “But back in our day, it was a world ripe with war and suffering. The gods were cruel, expecting sacrifices and worship, taking petty vengeance against anyone who dared to oppose them.”

  “Back then, we were champions in name only,” Steinar added from the side. “In truth, we were slaves, collared the same way you were just until a moment ago.”

  “As the time for Ragnar?k was nearing, Odin and some of the leaders of the other lands’ gods gathered together to create a truce to find a way to escape the end of the world. They found a way to travel to another realm that was untouched, yet brimming with power.”

  “We were meant to lead a portion of the mortals over to this world, preparing a gateway for them to stabilise the path between the world so that they too could pass over to this side.” Svanhildr added.

  “But you didn’t,” Arvid finally spoke up. “You betrayed them and left them on Earth.”

  “We all did,” Steinar stated with a heavy tone. “No matter which kingdom we came from, all of the champions agreed that this was our best chance to get rid of our shackles and start a new life away from our cruel gods.”

  “Thanks to the bountiful resources of this world and the gratitude of the people, we rose to godhood ourselves and sealed the path so that they could not follow us.” Svanhildr added.

  “But it was not a perfect seal,” Harald sighed as he stared into the flames. “It lasted for over a millennia but now it cracked and they broke through. We managed to fight them off for now, but they are desperate and that makes them dangerous.”

  “They were willing to sacrifice some of their own to gain enough strength temporarily so they could fight us. Now we have only one choice.”

  If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  “You’re fattening us up so that you could do the same.” Arvid said with a distrustful tone.

  “No,” the goddess looked at him with both shock and pain. “We would never sacrifice the future of this world for a hollow victory.”

  “This trial is meant to find our successors.” Steinar stated with a firm voice that made both of the God-marked shudder.

  “Your.... successors?” Einar asked, both surprised and afraid of their explanation.

  “The only way we can make sure that the old gods never reach this world is to completely sever the path between the two realms.” The All-father claimed.

  “To do so, we would need to make a sacrifice big enough to shatter the path,” Svanhildr spoke with a shaky voice that felt weaker by the moment. “Even if all of you children became demigods, you would not be able to help with it.”

  “You want to...”

  “All of the gods from all of the kingdoms have agreed,” Harald began to explain. “We will all give our lives in a final ritual, releasing our power at the same time, thus shattering the path between the worlds.”

  “But... what about us?” Einar finally managed to mutter the question after a few moments of shock.

  “I am sorry, child,” the goddess sighed. “By the time you finish the trials and leave these islands, we will be gone. The Fates will be there to aid whoever becomes our successor and we have all recorded our wisdom in many tomes, but the Hall of the Gods will be empty upon your arrival.”

  Einar felt a chilling pain in his chest as he listened to Svanhildr speak, tears slowly trickling down his face. Glancing to the side, he noticed that Arvid was shedding tears as well, despite being sent here to sabotage the very same gods that now sat across from them. The Gentle Queen stood up, her face filled with motherly love as she walked closer, reaching down to wipe their tears away.

  “Do not cry for us,” she said with a faint tone. “Grow strong, wise and kind enough to be able to take up our mantle once we leave. That is how you can honour our sacrifice and be worthy of becoming the new gods of this realm.”

  “She is right,” Harald nodded in agreement. “With us gone this world will turn darker and much more dangerous than what you are used to. Without us to keep them at bay, the horrors lurking in the dark will make their way toward the mortals.”

  “It will be up to you to fend them off and keep the mortal kingdoms safe,” Steinar added with a grim look on his face. “You will also have to keep the other gods in check. As you already know, the truce we made with the other kingdoms’ gods will only protect you on the first island. Once you reach the second one, battles will be inevitable. Both with the other kingdoms and amongst yourselves.”

  “It gladdened my heart to see both of you making a life among the people of the other kingdoms. Should they make it to the end and become gods themselves, that could prove helpful in keeping the peace between the people.” Svanhildr remarked after sitting back down.

  “Although you have made allies,” Steinar spoke up. “You have also made many enemies. You burn too bright and many will want to claim that fire for themselves. There will be a lot of bloodshed along the path of your ascension.”

  As they talked, the flames of the small campfire began to flicker with a silver hue.

  “It seems the time allotted for our meeting is nearing its end,” Harald stated as he slowly stood up. “Einar, I want you to know that I am proud to have a descendant like you.”

  “Descendant,” the young giant looked at him baffled. “I’m your descendant?”

  “Yes,” the god nodded. “Along with every Arnessen walking this world.”

  “Then why...”

  “Why were you not born a God-marked? The Fates claimed that your path will steer that way on its own so I chose to heed their warning and did not interfere. Still, you have proven your worth and your ability to grow both in strength and in wisdom. Never forsake that curiosity that leads you on. It will help you become what you need to be.”

  After saying those words, the All-father stepped closer to hug the young seeker and nodded to the other two.

  “Young Arvid,” Svanhildr called out to the warrior. “Although you are not born into this world, I hope you will come to love it as much as those who did. Take care of this realm and it will take care of you. Do not let the scars of your past chain you down.”

  As she stepped back, Steinar too decided to say a few parting words.

  “Although you might think that these lands only hold monsters and riches, they also hold a power unlike any other in this realm. Time moves slower the further inland you will go. It went half the pace on this island compared to the outside world but the second island and a few of its shards will keep your day at a week’s pace while the last one will exact a month for each of your days. Do not linger more than necessary or you might find that even if you got free of this land, no one will wait for you at home.”

  Einar froze up as he heard those words, the thought of years or even decades passing in the guise of days making him shudder.

  “With this, your ninth trial is considered conquered,” Harald said as he smiled at them. “Step up to the altar one after the other and claim your prize. Whether you forge ahead to the next island or wait for the others is up to you but know that you cannot return to this mountain again. Only those who have yet to speak with us can do so. Farewell and may you succeed on your path to greatness.”

  “Live well and do not forget our sacrifice.” Svanhildr said finally before the three gods disappeared in a flash of light.

  The young giant stood there frozen for a minute or so before he finally gathered the strength to speak.

  “They’re... gone.”

  “Do you think they told us the truth?” Arvid asked incredulously.

  “I believe they did,” Einar answered as he walked closer to the altar that burst into golden flames. “When Lady Svanhildr spoke, I felt the same thing from her I did when my mother was saying her goodbyes. She wanted to say more but was too hurt to do it.”

  “So what now?”

  “Now we claim their farewell gift and move on,” the seeker stated as he held out his drinking horn toward the golden cloud that appeared on top of the altar once the flames died down. “Becoming a god is the best way to thank them for what they’re going to do.”

  Once the cloud filled the horn with divine nectar, he drank it and looked at the rest of his gifts. A handful of gold coins, an obsidian rune and a figurine depicting a praying man. He put them away and let Arvid get his due rewards while trying to make sense of what he was told by the gods. It still felt unreal that the gods that protected their world for so long were about to die, sacrificing themselves to protect the realm one last time. It weighed on him heavily, but before he could sink too deep into his thoughts, a pat on the shoulder snapped him out of it.

  “That was quite an unexpected meeting, wasn’t it?’

  “It was, Arvid of Earth.” Einar said jokingly, earning a slight flinch from him.

  “Could you keep that between us? I doubt the others would be so friendly after they found out.”

  “I don’t mind it as long as you don’t keep other secrets between us.”

  “I promise not to keep any secrets that would come to bite you in the ass. So... will you be heading toward the other island now?”

  “That’s the plan. I mean, you heard Steinar. Time moves slower there. By the time I make camp, you and Rúna will likely arrive as well.”

  “You think I’ll wait for her?”

  “I know you will,” the seeker claimed. “You’re like a lost puppy without her.”

  “Fuck you,” the young warrior flipped him off before raising his hand forward. “Good luck out there and try not to get yourself killed before we get there!”

  “Stay safe, Arvid!” Einar raised his hand for a shake, then walked toward the edge of the mountain, looking out into the distance.

  He could hear his friend’s footsteps growing distant as the warrior left the summit. The young giant looked down through the scarce clouds toward the distant island that was separated by miles of dark and turbid sea. Letting out a deep and troubled breath, Einar finally leapt off the mountain, falling for a few seconds before he turned into his raven form, gliding toward the sea and the new adventures that awaited him.

  End of book one