WIEDERGEBURT Act VII: Chapter 6

I released a deep breath, dispelling all the tension I had built up when Morden launched an attack at my loved ones. The tautness in my back eased. It felt like my muscles had become bunched up.

“Eryk… is that really you?” someone asked.

The tension returned immediately.

I turned around to confront the person who had spoken. A woman with scarlet hair like a blazing fire stood naught but a few meters away, her expressive green eyes staring into mine with so many emotions I felt overwhelmed looking at them. Fay hadn’t changed at all since the last time we saw each other. Her outfit was different, but the contours and lines of her body remained the same.

The new pants she wore seemed a little puffy around the legs, but they conformed to her hips and firm bottom perfectly. Her bare stomach was visible underneath her shirt. I could see chain mesh armor underneath her sleeveless shirt, which revealed slender arms with corded and strong muscles. Vambraces and shinguards protected her limbs. She looked every bit the goddess of war that I remembered. No, I would say she resembled that title even more now than she had back then.

That made me feel guilty.

“Fay, it’s me,” I said simply.

Fay sucked in a breath as tears sprang to her eyes. There were people directly behind her, but neither of us paid attention to them. All of our focus was on the person before us.

“Eryk… I…”

“DARLING!!!”

The moment was shattered as Lin broke through the crowd, rushed forward, and slammed into my chest. I grunted for a moment. The force of Lin’s hugs was still quite something. I didn’t fall, however. Not this time. My strength had grown, allowing me to remain standing even after this force of nature tackled me.

“Darling! Darling! It’s really you! This princess… this princess has missed you so much! Daaaarling!!!”

Tears began soaking into my shirt as Lin cried. I looked down at the crown of her head, my own lips trembling as I tried not to cry. My arms moved of their own volition, wrapping around the woman, pulling her close. I buried my face into her hair and took several deep breaths. Lin smelled of sweat, sand, and blood, but that hardly mattered. She was here, in my arms. I could touch her. I could hold her. I could smell her. Nothing else mattered to me.

Lin had wrapped not only her arms around me but also her tail. I remembered a time when these hugs would have broken my spine, but I didn’t feel any discomfort now. At the same time, it was a little awkward standing there with a woman who was half snake wrapped around me like a scarf gone wrong. The looks of those present really didn’t help. Was Queen Medusa smirking at me?

As the Lamia continued crying into my chest, I looked up at Fay. The woman’s expression was frozen. Her entire body was locked in place, her left leg raised in midair as though about to take a step. She looked like a human popsicle.

Our eyes locked. For a moment, time seemed to have frozen, but then the moment ended. A resigned smile appeared on Fay’s face as she lowered her leg to the ground and calmly walked over to us.

Kari saw this, smiled as well, and tapped Lin on the shoulder.

“Don’t I get a hug? Why are you ignoring me?”

Lin pried her face from my chest. It was quite the sight. Tears spilled from her red eyes and liquid was coming out of her nose. The breadth and depth of her ability to cry had me astounded, but this was all par for the course. Lin acted the most haughty out of all my wives, but she also possessed the most expressive and childish personality.

“Big sister…? BIG SISTER!! I MISSED YOU SO MUCH!!”

I watched, amused as Lin leapt from me to Kari, who now bore the full brunt of Lin’s snake hug. Her tail coiled tightly around the blonde, who merely smiled like a loving older sister as she petted the dark-skinned woman’s head.

“There, there, Lin. I’m here. You’re all right.”

Those words just made Lin cry harder.

“Eryk…”

My attention was pulled from Lin and Kari back to Fay. She had closed the distance between us but stopped a few footsteps away. I closed that small gap, spread my arms, and pulled the woman into my embrace.

Fay returned my hug every bit as fiercely as Lin had.

The peace I felt in this moment as the two of us embraced, as I reunited with the rest of my family, was something I would never in a million years forget.

“Ahem,” a cough interrupted this touching moment.

Fay pulled back, an embarrassed blush staining her cheeks as she looked at Queen Medusa. I glared at the snake queen for interrupting our moment together… even though I knew why she had done it. She could have shown at least a modicum of tact. Would it have killed her to give us just a little more time?

“Welcome back, Eryk,” Queen Medusa said. “This queen is sure you would love to become reacquainted with your wives, but there is much to discuss. Perhaps you could save the reunion for later.”

I hated to admit that she was right, but… well, she was right. Even I could not deny that.

“That’s fine,” I said with a sigh. “I have a lot I’d like to discuss with everyone as well.”

“In that case, let us adjourn to the meeting… hall…?” Queen Medusa trailed off. I didn’t have to wonder why. Coming up to our group were the some one thousand odd Lightning Giants who’d been enslaved and forced to fight by the Sekbeists.

This was my first time seeing one of the Lightning Giant race. They looked exactly like those statues I’d seen in the ruins that me, Kari, Fay, and Lin visited alongside Catalyna. If one discounted that the shortest among them was still more than twenty meters tall, they looked mostly human. They were broad of shoulder, with thick and powerful chests, and contained powerful muscles. Each one wore little more than a loincloth. Their gray skin and the blue lightning symbols covering it was visible for all.

“Excuse me. Are you a member of the God Race?” asked who I presumed was the leader.

“I am,” I stated. “My name is Eryk Vei… Eryk Vanyr. I am the son of Freyr and Gerd. And you are?”

A hustle of commotion went on behind the Lightning Giant speaking to me as the others began whispering to each other and pointing. Their words were hushed, but I could hear them just fine. I was pretty sure I’d be able to hear them even if my hearing wasn’t so good.

“That’s the son of Freyr and Gerd?! Impossible! I heard he died!”

“But what if it’s true? If is, then…”

“We can’t know that for sure.”

“But if it is true…”

“I am Galdr. Son of Faldr and Brunehilde,” the Lightning Giant said. “Are you truly the son of Freyr and Gerd?”

“I am. Fray herself has confirmed it,” I said.

The hubub behind Galdr increased in volume and intensity. It seemed these Lightning Giants knew my parents, or perhaps they just knew them by reputation? All of them were at the Fourth State of Spiritualism, so it was perfectly possible they had been alive during the Great War, but I couldn’t say that with any certainty.

“Will small wonders never cease,” Galdr said. “It is a blessing to see you have survived to this day. I was good friends with your parents.”

“Uh… thanks, I guess,” I said, uncertain. “So, um, did you need something?”

Galdr nodded. “I did indeed want to speak with you. As I’m sure you have surmised already, my people have been enslaved by the Sekbeists. Even now, many of us are being used in battles across the nine realms. I would like to free them all, but we do not have the power to travel between dimensions. We need someone who understands a high-level concept. I saw your battle with Morden. I would like to propose an alliance between our people. We both share a common enemy, so how about it?”

I knew nothing of the Lightning Giants beyond stories, but I did know that they were allied with the Guddomelig during the Great War.

Slowly nodded, I said, “I would welcome you, but the decision is not mine alone.” I swept my arm back to indicate all the people who were standing behind me. “I recommend all of us speak of this and other things. I’m certain we can come to a decision that will benefit everyone.”

Galdr looked at the people behind me, some of whom I sensed had reached the Fourth State of Spiritualism, then looked back my way and nodded.

“That will be acceptable.”

With the decision to include the Lightning Giants in our discussion made—by me—we could no longer have the meeting inside of the palace. While the majority of our forces went back into the city so they could let the refugees out of the palace’s lower levels, I created a large round table and enough chairs for everyone out of the sand. No chair looked any different. This meant there was no head among our council. While Queen Medusa and King Menes looked at me with speculative gleams, everyone else sat down.

Lin and Fay sat on either side of me. Siv sat beside Fay, while Kari was next to Lin. It had been decided by the women that since these two had not seen me in so long, they would get to be closer. The others all sat arrayed around the table.

I recognized everyone present; there was Queen Medusa and King Menes, of course, but I also spotted Earland Astralia, Alexis Mutig, Qawuin, and Commander Ashten. I was a little surprised to see both Alexis and Commander Ashten. What were they doing here in the Endless Desert? I also noticed someone else sitting at this table. It was a young man with hair like Fay’s, eyes like mine, and furrowed brows as he stared at me. He looked away the moment he realized I had caught him staring.

I bit my lip as Queen Medusa spoke up. “This queen would like to know just where you have been, Eryk. It has been eight long years since you vanished. All of us except for Fay and Lin have long since thought you were dead.”

“Eight years, huh?” I took in a deep breath and smiled mirthlessly. “Time really does pass differently in other realms… or perhaps it is Miðgarðr that is out of phase with the other eight realms.” Queen Medusa and the others looked at me with questioning expressions, but I waved my hand to ward them off. “During our battle against the Sekbeist Overlord, Kari, Siv, and I broke through the barrier between realms. While Kari and Siv ended up on Vindenket, I became stranded on Gudeverdenen…”

I explained to everyone present what happened, how I had found myself in the Ironwood Forest, how I struggled to survive each and every day for four years. I told them about how I came to understand the Concepts of Life and Death, my battle against Zugarod and Durmuz, the moment when Fray Vanir saved my life, and my time in Ásgarðr. Since it would be a long explanation if I told them everything, I left out the less important parts and only focused on what I felt was vital for them to know. By the time I was finished, everyone wore an expression like someone had punched them in the gut.

“That is… quite the tale,” Queen Medusa said at last.

“I have only learned about the eight other realms recently. To think you actually traveled to the highest realm possible. It is quite astonishing,” King Menes added.

“Your absurdity is never ending,” Alexis muttered, her expression bitter. “Can you for once in your life not do something that shatters my definition of common sense? I feel like it’s become even more fragile since the moment you arrived.”

“I can’t help you with that,” I said with a shrug. “If you wanted to maintain your common sense, you should have never become a Spiritualist.”

“Tch!”

As Alexis clicked her tongue and looked away, I glanced around the table at everyone present. So many familiar faces. So many things I wanted to ask. I decided to ask the most important question first.

“Can you tell me what happened after the three of us vanished?” I asked.

“Allow this princess to tell you what happened.” Lin stood up and coughed into her hand several times. “Ahem. After you disappeared, several people traveled back to Nevaria. We wanted to see what happened to you and learn about the state of our home. The report we received was… unpleasant. Neveria had been turned into a smoking crater and you, Big Sister, and Siv were nowhere to be found.”

“No… I can’t believe it. Neveria was destroyed in this timeline too?” Kari muttered when she heard about what happened to her beloved city.

Lin bit her lip as she looked at Kari, but then she sucked in a deep breath and continued. “We did our best to live after that. Most of the people from Nevaria had survived, but they had no place to go. With help from Alexis, Commander Ashten, and Rienhard, we were able to create a place for our people to live. Empress Momma was still our leader and joined the Council of Six.”

That was… interesting. So Empress Hilda became a member of the Council of Six. I’d always found that title funny since there had technically been seven members of the council, though I knew the term referred to the Six Great Sects of Midgard.

“What about the Sekbeist?” asked Kari. “When did they begin appearing?”

Lin tilted her head, crossed her arms, and pondered this. We remained silent as she bit her inner lip, waiting for her to continue.

“It was about six years ago,” Alexis said.

“Hey! This princess was going to tell them that!” Lin shouted.

“Then hurry up and tell them,” Alexis grumbled. “I’m tired, I ache in places I haven’t ached in years, and I have a massive headache. I know this meeting is important, but I’d like to get it over with.”

Lin grumbled under her breath before continuing. “Right. So about six years ago, a Warp Gate opened in Vahn and hundreds of thousands of Sekbeists came pouring out. Fortunately, we were prepared for them and managed to close the Warp Gate. However, that wasn’t the only one that opened. Warp Gates began opening in all the ruins across the Northern Plains. Since some of those ruins had cities built around them, many cities were destroyed. We were still able to hold them off… but then the Warp Gate we had taken from Nevaria activated and six Sekbeist Lords appeared.”

Kari, Siv, and I sucked in a deep breath when we heard this. Lin was of course referring to the Warp Gate that had been located underneath the Imperial Royal Palace in Nevaria. It sounded like they had transferred the Warp Gate from Nevaria to Midgard. Under normal circumstances, that would have been the correct course of action. They could have never known the Zehn Todesharr would find a way to activate the Warp Gate and travel through it.

“What happened to Midgard?” I asked, already fearing the answer.

“Midgard is gone,” Alexis stated bluntly. “It was annihilated the moment those six appeared.”

“Many of the people who lived there survived. We managed to evacuate more than eighty percent of the population before it was destroyed,” Commander Ashten amended Alexis’ dark statement.

“We were lucky,” Alexis said with a sigh. “I got the feeling the Sekbeist Lords didn’t much care about us. They destroyed Midgard as easily as snapping a finger, then vanished. We thought that might be the end of it, but it was only the beginning of our problems.”

“What happened?” I asked.

Lin picked up the story where they left off. “We managed to relocate to Vahn. Our plan was to re-establish ourselves there. However, not long after we moved in, thousands of Warp Gates began opening up and more Sekbeist than ever before began pouring in. It was more than just a couple hundred thousand. Millions of Sekbeists emerged and indiscriminately attacked our cities.”

“We were pushed back. The opposing armies forces were just too many and ours were just too few. Our forces were soon broken up and scattered. Ours is one of those groups.” Alexis said, then shook her head and added. “I don’t even know if the others are still alive. Honestly, I’m kind of amazed we’re still alive.”

I think I understood everything that had happened now. They had been doing well against the Sekbeist Invasion that happened in my past life, but something had changed the status quo. And I think I knew what it was.

In my past life, Kari and I traveled to Niðavellir and fought alongside the Dwoerg to bring their people back to Miðgarðr. We succeeded, but Hriedmar had been left behind. He was then captured by the Sekbeist, enslaved, and forced to come to Miðgarðr, where he undid the seal on the Great Overlord of the Seventh Plain.

Hriedmar and his people had not been saved in this life. I could only assume that his people had been captured and enslaved, and rather than being taken to Miðgarðr, they had somehow ended up being taken to the higher realms; Vindenket and Gudeverdenen. The proof of this was the fact that Hriedmar had been with the Zehn Todesharr when he activated the Warp Gate in the Ásgarðr Palace.

“We will find the others eventually,” I said after a moment. “Kari, Siv, and I were also split off from our main force. We came here with Fray Vanir, my aunt and the leader of the Valkyries Division. She came with a force of one-thousand.”

“One-thousand?” Alexis snorted. “What’s a mere one thousand going to do against a force of billions?”

“Do not underestimate one thousand Guddomelig,” Galdr said, speaking for the first time since this meeting began. “They are the most powerful race among the nine races. The weakest Spiritualist among the God Race is said to be a match for one hundred thousand Sekbeist. If Lady Fray brought one thousand with her, then they are at the very least equal to one hundred million.”

Alexis looked like she had swallowed something sour. She glared at Galdr, who only stared at her with mild look of reprove, then looked away and grumbled under her breath. “Equal to one hundred thousand, my ass. I’ll believe it when I see it.”

The conversation continued for some time, but I was beginning to zone out by this point. I kept stealing glances at the young man sitting at the table next to Alexis. He was not looking at me. I had the distinct impression he was trying his hardest not to look my way. A sharp sting ran through my chest, causing me to raise my hand and attempt to message the feeling out.

If only matters of the heart could be solved so easily.

“I do not believe we will get anywhere by continuing this discussion right now,” King Menes said at last. “We are all tired. Let us rest for now and pick up this discussion tomorrow.”

Not a single person disagreed with him, and thus our meeting was called to an end.

I stood up with everyone else and looked at where the young man had been sitting—only to discover the seat was empty and the young man nowhere to be seen. I looked around, but I couldn’t find him anymore. It was like he’d vanished the moment the meeting was called to an end. Biting my lower lip, I was just about to reach out with Spiritual Perception to find him, but Fay and Lin interrupted me.

“This princess is so glad that meeting is done and over with. Darling, let us begin what we started and get reacquainted.” Lin grabbed my left arm and held it tight. I wished this arm had more feeling in that arm, but it was still just a fake.

“I would definitely like to learn what you have been up to in further detail,” Fay added as she hugged my other arm to her chest. This time, I felt it as my arm was engulfed in the warm softness of her breasts.

Lin jerked on my arm as though to pull me closer. “This princess would like to get reacquainted with Darling in private.”

“You are not the only one who missed Eryk, Lin.” Fay narrowed her eyes as she yanked me back to her. “He is just as much my husband as he is yours. I am not against you spending time with him, but I believe I also deserve to be with him.”

“Then you can wait your turn!” Lin yanked once more, pulling me away from Fay and toward her.

“If anyone is going to spend time with Eryk first, then it’s me!” Fay also yanked me back, but all this resulted in was Lin yanking even harder.

My arms were beginning to feel stretched as the two pulled on me. This was the first time this had ever happened before. No one ever really fought over who got to spend time with me. Before I was sent hurtling to another realm, my wives had set up a schedule for who got to spend time with me and when. That schedule sometimes went flying out the window. Spontaneous moments of affection aside, however, it had greatly helped to settle any disputes before they could happen.

Best I could guess, eight years was just too long for Fay and Lin, and now that I was right in front of them, they were each determined to have me to themselves.

I glanced at Kari and Siv. I was positive they could see the desperate plea for help in my eyes, but neither of them did anything. In fact, Kari was smirking at me! Smirking! I found myself glaring at the woman as she mouthed the words “good luck” before gently taking Siv by the arm and leading the petite woman away from me.

So much for camaraderie between family.

***

Raul found himself traveling through the streets as he made his way toward the palace. He’d hurried away from the meeting area the moment it was called to the conclusion, unable to remain in that man’s presence any longer. His emotions were too muddled to confront that man right now.

Already the many people who had been evacuated into the palace had emerged and were beginning to get their lives back in order. They were all helping each other. Men and women. Humans and Lamia. It was amazing to see how everyone pulled together during this time of crisis. It was even more amazing to see how little the people were panicking, but Raul knew they were all used to this by now.

He didn’t think that was a good thing.

“Raul! Is that you?!”

A voice stopped Raul in his tracks before he could make it to the palace. He turned around as Sana and Lilac wandered over to him. They were people who Raul had known for most of his life. They would often come over and play with him when he was younger, but he hadn’t seen much of them now that they were all grown up. He… often avoided them.

Neither of the women had changed much in the years that had passed. They maybe looked a little older, but both of them had reached the Fourth State of Spiritualism for the fire element. Mom had been quite adamant on making sure the pair was as powerful as possible. She said it was to help them with their alchemy, but Raul thought it was also because his mom wanted them to remain safe.

“Sana. Lilac. Was there something you needed?” asked Raul.

“Is it true that Eryk has returned?” asked Lilac, walking forward and leaning over until she was practically in his face. “Is it?! There’s been a rumor going around that Eryk has returned! They say he came in like a meteor and drove back the enemy army single-handedly!”

Raul leaned back. “It’s true. Father has returned, though the rumors about him driving away the army single-handedly are exaggerated.” He paused. “Though he did defeat the most powerful enemy on the battlefield… and he also annihilated a third of the army with a single attack.”

“I can’t believe he’s back!” Lilac squealed. Then she narrowed her eyes and shook a fist. “He had better be with Master right now! If that punk doesn’t give Master the attention she deserves now that he is back, I am going to sock him in the face!”

“You’d probably break your hand,” Sana muttered.

“What was that?!”

While Lilac was now shaking her fist at Sana, the albino was staring at Raul’s face. He wouldn’t lie and say her stares didn’t make him uncomfortable. Of course, her stares were normally a lot more lustful than this. Right now she looked concerned.

“You have not spoken to him yet, have you,” she said.

It was not a question.

Raul looked away and shrugged. “I figured Mom and Aunty Lin deserve to spend more time with him right now.”

“That’s not it.” Sana shook his head. “That isn’t why you aren’t with him right now.”

While Raul really liked Sana, one of the things he hated about her was how she always seemed to see through him. That and her lustful attitude and remarks toward him was the reason he had begun avoiding her and Lilac.

“… So what if it’s not? It’s not any of your business.”

“Hey. There’s no need to be rude,” Lilac scolded him.

Sana held up a hand to stop the other woman. “Do you want to talk about it? I know it might not help, but I heard that verbalizing your thoughts and feelings can help you feel better.”

Raul was about to tell this woman that he wasn’t interested in talking, but then he paused and looked around. Everyone else was working together. They were helping each other deal with all the hardships that came from being refugees. Because Raul was the only son of Fay, he was often held to a higher standard than the others, and so he tried his hardest to remain strong so he could live up to his mother’s reputation… but surely it would be okay if he talked about his problems now? At least this once, he would like it if he could lean on someone else for a change.

“Follow me,” he said at last.

Raul began walking toward the palace again, but this time, Sana and Lilac were with him.

Upon reaching the palace, Raul floated up toward his perch and sat down with a heavy thud. Sana and Lilac appeared on either side of him. They didn’t say anything. Even the normally tactless Lilac seemed to understand that this wasn’t something she could just barrel into with no subtlety.

“So, um, about your dad,” Lilac finally began, unable to quite maintain her silence. “Are you… angry with him?”

Raul shook his head. “No. At least, I don’t think so.”

“Then what’s wrong? I thought you would be happy to see him again.”

“I am happy to see him again. At least, I think I am.” Raul began toying with his bangs as he spoke. He didn’t know when he’d picked up the habit, but this was what he did whenever he was confused or stressed. “I know at least a part of me is very happy to see him… but the rest of me is just confused.”

Sana and Lilac looked at each other from over his shoulder. While the two of them fought a lot, they were very close, closer even than sisters, and they seemed capable of understanding each other with eye contact alone. They did this often, so he didn’t let it bother him.

“Confused about what?” Sana asked softly.

“About how I should feel. What I should say to him.” With the sandstorm gone, Raul was able to look up at the sky. “Eight years ago, Father was the person I respected the most in the entire world. He was who I aspired to be. When he disappeared, I lost that pillar of support. I tried not to say anything because I knew everyone had lost something important… but I was lost. Mom and Aunty Lin did their best, but they were also busy with trying to help our people retain a sense of normalcy.” He sighed. “I think it would have been better if I could hate Father for disappearing, but I knew he wouldn’t vanish just like that. I knew the only reason he didn’t return to us was because something had happened. I think that just made it harder.”

Raul tried to put his thoughts into words, but there were so many thoughts drifting through his mind right now that he couldn’t sort through them all. They were like grains of sand. No matter how hard he tried to grasp them, they slipped between his fingers.

As his muddled thoughts descended further into turmoil, Sana leaned over and wrapped an arm around his shoulder.

“I think I understand how you feel—at least a little bit,” Sana said.

“You do?” asked Raul.

“You do?” Lilac also asked.

Sana gave Lilac a flat look, but then she focused on Raul. Her expression softened. Raul felt heat rise to his cheeks as he looked away.

“I do,” Sana declared in a quiet voice. “Eryk was the person you looked up to the most, the person you wanted to be, and when he disappeared, you lost that pillar of support. What’s worse was that everyone except Master and Lady Lin thought he was dead. I’m sure you were confused and scared. The person you admired the most had been ripped away, and now that he is back, you don’t know what to do.”

“Yes. That’s exactly how I feel,” Raul said with a nod. It amazed him how apt Sana was at putting his emotions into words.

“Wow,” Lilac whistled. “That’s pretty deep.”

“That is because unlike you, I do not have the emotional depth of a 100 mL flask,” Sana said with a vindictive smile.

“Wha—I have more emotional depth than that!” Lilac blustered.

Raul chuckled a little at their antics, which caused Sana and Lilac to stop arguing and smile at him. Sana kept her arm around his shoulder as Lilac leaned into his side. This normally would have been the moment where he bolted away like a frightened rabbit, but he found that he couldn’t bring himself to leave just yet. This closeness was too comfortable, too warm. It felt different from when Aliya hugged him. That was like being hugged by a kind older sister. This was… he didn’t know, more charged, more intimate? Something like that.

Raul realized that he wanted more of this feeling.

“You should talk to Eryk,” Sana said at last.

“I will. Tomorrow,” Raul said. Then he chuckled. “Somehow, I don’t think Father will be in any position to talk right now.”

He remembered how Mom and Aunty Lin had been dragging Father off while arguing, and while he didn’t have any experience with romance, he had been taught sex education by them both. He still remembered how Mom had blushed like a Spiritual Fire Technique as she tried to explain sex to him. He also remembered how Lin had snapped at her, then shooed the poor woman out of the room and explained the concept she called “Baby Making” to him in extensive detail.

Her explanation had been way too detailed in his opinion.

“I can think of a few things we could be doing other than talking—ouch! What did you heat me for?!” shouted Lilac.

“Idiot,” Sana muttered as stars finally began appearing in the velvet strung sky.