WIEDERGEBURT Act VII: Chapter 1

Kari, Siv, and I woke up with the sunrise. I’d been sleeping in the last few days, ever since we confronted Tyr and forced him to accept a duel with Tor. Unfortunately, that had only been a few days worth of rest.

While Spiritualists such as myself didn’t need to sleep that did not in any way mean I did not desire sleep. One of my greatest pleasures in life was sleeping while being embraced by my wives. This was a pleasure I had been unable to experience in over four years, and now that I had been reunited with Kari and Siv, I wanted to experience that more than anything now.

But we had something important to do.

“Master Eryk, you’ve woken up early,” Chloe said when Kari, Siv, and I emerged from our bedroom.

We were dressed in our usual clothes. I smiled at the woman who acted as my personal maid, even though she was actually one of the strongest Spiritualists among the Guddomelig—the God Race.

“We have something important to speak with Fray about,” I said with a shrug. “Do you know where she is?”

Chloe shook her head. “I do not. She might be in the informal dining room, but she might still be sleeping. Lady Fray has been so busy with work that she has only been able to get some rest the other day.”

Chloe fell into step with us as we began walking down the hall. Kari and Siv were on my right and left, while the maid, or the warrior dressed as one, maintained a distance of five steps behind us and to our left.

“I can imagine how busy she’s been,” I said with a nod as we turned a corner. The sound of our footsteps echoed across the space. “Dealing with the fallout of a traitor like Tyr is never easy.”

“She is incredibly busy,” Chloe agreed.

Tyr had not only plotted against Fray’s brother, but he had nearly succeeded in overthrowing Tor as the ruler of Gudeverdenen. He had done so by finding people who were dissatisfied with the current stalemate we’d had with the Sekbeists, convinced them to join his cause, and waited for the perfect opportunity to strike. All four of the Cardinal Divisions had been on his side. This had caused an even split between the military. Now that Tyr had been defeated, Fray and Tor were forced to determine what form of punishment those who followed him deserved.

I didn’t envy Fray or Tor.

“This situation reminds me of the one my mother was in when the Drage Family rebelled,” Kari said with a gentle humming sound. “However, our situation hear is even more precarious. We had already defeated all of our enemies and could afford to mete out suitable punishments for traitors. Fray and Tor cannot afford to punish too many people for fear of weakening our forces from within. At the same time, they cannot allow traitors to remain in their military, or it could cause a breakdown in military procedures later on.”

“They are in a very unenviable situation,” Chloe said, nodding.

We soon reached the informal dining room. It was a large space with a single round table in the very center.

This was one of those open rooms; the entire eastern wall had been removed, allowing the rising sun to shine its line inside. Soft shadows played on the ground as the sun hit the columns that lined the eastern side, creating arches of light and dark.

“It seems Lady Fray is not here yet. Why don’t you three sit down? I will bring out some breakfast that you can eat while you wait for her,” Chloe suggested.

“Sounds good. Thank you,” I said to Chloe.

Chloe offered me one of her beautiful smiles before turning around and leaving through another door on the northern side. I believe that way led to the kitchens.

I sat down with Kari and Siv on either side of me. Left with nothing to do but wait, we decided to speak of all the things we needed to accomplish.

“How long do you think it will take for Lady Fray and her people to open the Warp Gate that will lead back home?” asked Kari.

With a sigh, I shook my head. “I don’t know. We’ll have to ask Fray when we see her. I hope it’s soon, but until she does, I think we might want to consider using the training method Fray spoke of the other day.”

Siv frowned, biting her lower lip. “You mean the one that allows us to learn how to use each other’s powers?”

“That’s the one,” I said with a nod. “She said there was a way for us to train using the Shared Power Rune Array that would allow all of us to get stronger. I believe we should begin using that method as soon as possible. The sooner the better.”

We were in a dangerous situation. Neither I, Kari, or Siv were strong enough to fight against the Zehn Todesherr—the ten strongest Sekbeist Lords in all nine realms. However, it was those very lords who had traveled through the Warp Gate and were now on Miðgarðr.

“I do agree that we need to train… but I feel like we should wait until after we go back to Miðgarðr,” Kari disagreed with me. “We don’t know how long it will take for this training method to work, but we will have to go into closed-door training. You know as well as I that training while completely isolated from the outside world results in a person’s sense of time being distorted. What if we begin training, and a whole year passes without our knowledge?”

I grimaced at Kari’s words, which were indeed a concern, but I still held my ground. “We can just have Chloe or Fray bring us out of closed-door training when they are ready to open the Warp Gate. That shouldn’t be too hard.”

“But that might harm our cultivation,” Kari pointed out.

That was also a possibility I couldn’t deny. Interrupting a Spiritualist while they are deep in training could leave a sequelae that took years to recover from, but this was also very rare. It didn’t happen often enough that I was concerned about it happening to us.

The door opened before I could point this out, and Tora walked into the room, her shoulders slumped and bags in her eyes. She looked exhausted as she dragged her feet over the table and sat down next to Kari. The three of us watched as her head dropped onto the table.

“Long night?” I asked.

“A very long fucking night,” Tora sighed.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Tora lifted her head from the table and looked like she might take me up on my offer, but then she shook her head.

“Fuck no, I don’t.”

I shrugged and decided not to ask about her problems right now. Tora had been like this since the other day. I wasn’t sure what was wrong, but I knew that asking her about it would avail me nothing. The only way I could help Tora solve her problems was if she came to me and asked for my help. I didn’t doubt that forcing her to tell me about her issues would just make he resentful, and I really couldn’t afford to force this issue, whatever it was, right now when I already had so many problems on my plate.

With Tora now present, our conversation shifted away from the shared power training method and onto more pleasant topics. It wasn’t that we didn’t trust Tora. However, she was not yet a part of our family. I was actually trying to be considerate because I thought discussing something I could only do with the women I married might make her resentful.

Chloe re-entered the room not long after Tora appeared. She wasn’t alone. There were several maids and butlers with her, all of them pushing carts with a cloche on top. Even with the cloche covering the food, it could not mask the smell. The strong scent of meat filled the air as soon as they entered.

Siv started sniffing the air as eight of the ten carts were pushed in her direction. One of the butlers removed the cloche from his cart, revealing a stack of perfectly cooked steak. Several other maids and butlers removed their cloches as well. Each time they did, the scent of meat became that much stronger. Siv was practically drooling as the first butler set her plate of food on the table.

Unlike my carnivorous wife, the rest of us did not have meat dishes for breakfast—at least, not full meat dishes. Served with a more buffet style, the butlers and maids set several trays down on the table. One tray contained smoke salmon, while another had fried sausages and watercress on crisp flatbread. There was muesli—a mix of rolled oats and grains—mixed into milk porridge. They even had a tray filled with nothing but yogurt parfaits.

It really was quite the feast.

I went for the smoked salmon and fried sausage. A moan almost escaped my lips upon taking my first bite of food. The delectable flavor of the salmon made my tastebuds awaken. I ate four more salmon slices before starting on the sausage.

While I had decided on more meat, Kari grabbed only one slice of salmon. She went for the yogurt parfait instead. Meanwhile, Tora was slowly eat a bowl of muesli. She looked like she wasn’t all there.

Chloe stood off to the side while the four of us ate, hands clasped behind her back, a gentle smile on her face. I noticed her staring at me. It made me a little uncomfortable, especially since she wouldn’t look away even after I’d caught her.

Fray eventually meandered into the room just as we finished up breakfast. I noticed immediately how Tora’s entire body went stiffer than a board. The woman tracked Fray with her eyes as my aunt walked over to the table and sat down. On the other hand, Fray smiled at all of us like there was nothing wrong. That made me wonder what Tora’s problem with Fray was. When had it started? And why?

“Good morning, you four,” Fray said.

“Good morning,” I greeted.

“A pleasant morning to you, Lady Fray,” Kari said.

“… Morning,” added the still shy Siv.

“…” Tora said nothing.

“You need not call me ‘Lady Fray,’ you know.” Fray pointed this out to Kari with a smile. “You are Eryk’s wife, which means you are family. Just call me Fray.”

Kari flushed bright red. It was such a unique reaction that I couldn’t help but want to carve this memory into my heart forever. How long had it been since I’d seen my wife get flustered? I think the last time it happened was just after I traveled back in time.

The only person among the four of us who had not finished eating was Siv, who was still working through stacks of meat. Chloe ordered some of the servants to bring Fray some food while she served all of us tea. As I took a slow sip of the gentle and fragrant tea, I decided to speak with my aunt about the training method she discussed with us.

“Fray, do you think it will be possible for me, Kari, and Siv to use the shared power training method you mentioned awhile back?”

“Are you that eager to go into closed-door training with your wives?” asked Fray with a smile. I frowned, but she continued before I could respond. “Unfortunately, you cannot go into closed-door training right now. It will take years for this training method to provide results. And if we bring you out of your training before you are ready, it could leave a lasting sequelae in your cultivation.”

I glanced at Kari, who stuck her tongue at me. Smiling wryly, I turned back to Fray, who was watching us with amusement.

“Then perhaps you could tell us what kind of training this method requires from us?” I pressed further.

“Well… I suppose I could,” Fray muttered, tilting her head as if considering the idea. She eventually nodded. “Very well. I suppose there is no harm in letting you know what will be required of you three to train using the shared power training method.”

Kari, Siv, myself, and even Tora and Chloe leaned forward as though eager to learn about this new method of training. Fray did not say anything at first. I wondered if she was gathering her thoughts or pausing for dramatic effect.

“Tell me,” she began at last, “have you ever heard of the term ‘dual cultivation?’”

“Dual… cultivation…”

I tilted my head and frowned, then glanced at Kari and Siv. They both shook their heads after catching my gaze. Tora also didn’t seem to know what that term meant. However, Chloe’s eyes lit up in recognition. She was also blushing, her cheeks stained red as she placed her hands against them.

Fray smiled. “I did not think you would. Dual cultivation is a very rare method of training that very few people can use. It a method of cultivating with a partner, and it requires complete trust and faith in your partner to work. There have been a few cases where two people tried to dual cultivate and harmed their cultivation. I even remembered a married couple who tried this method and crippled themselves. This method of training was eventually sealed away by Wodan because of how dangerous it is.”

Wodan was the Great Overlord of the Ninth Realm. He had been sealed away with either of the other Nine Great Overlords five thousand years ago to defeat the Sekbeist Overlord. However, I was currently more interested in learning about this dangerous training method.

“So… how do you dual cultivate?” asked Kari.

Fray smiled. “That is simple. You isolate yourself and your partner in a meditation chamber and have sex.”

...Huh?

I blinked several times and even stuck my pinky in my ear. I was 100% certain I had heard this woman wrong. Yes, that must be it. I must have heard her wrong.

“I’m sorry. Can you repeat that please?” I asked.

Fray’s smile widened as she giggled. “I understand your surprise. It doesn’t sound like a viable training method, does it? However, dual cultivating is probably one of the most powerful methods of raising your cultivation ever created, and it comes with numerous benefits. For example, when you dual cultivate, it is not just you who gains power. Your partner also gains power.”

I sat there with what must have been a stupid look on my face. Gain power through sex? Could such an amazing training method exist? It sounded completely implausible, and if it were not for the situation we were in, I would have suspected my aunt of blowing smoke in my ear.

“Can you explain this in more detail?” asked Kari, asking the important questions despite blushing to the roots of her hair. My wife was a pragmatist, but it seemed even she was embarrassed about discussing sex with my aunt.

Fray nodded. “Of course. The dual cultivation method uses a powerful rune array to connect two individuals together. The rune array is painted onto the bodies of both Spiritualists, and then they connect physically. This physical connection creates a spiritual link between the two dual cultivation partners, allowing them to share power, thoughts, emotions, and their own cultivation with each other. The results vary, but it is not unheard of for two Spiritualists to have their cultivation increase two to even five times using this method.”

Fray’s explanation actually made a lot of sense. I understood why sex was necessary for this training method. It required an intimate connection between the Spiritualists who were using it, and there was no connection more intimate than sex. That did make me wonder about something, though.

Before Weiß launched his attack on Nevaria and I was thrown into this realm, my wives and I had a lot of sex. A lot of sex. It honestly wouldn’t be unusual for me to have sex four or five times a day. And that made me wonder if the reason my own cultivation for the fire, darkness, light, earth, and wind elements had reached the Third State of Spiritualism. Could it be that having so much sex had actually helped my own cultivation? And what about my wives? All of them had reached the Third State of Spiritualism for water and lightning before I left. It was quite possible that our healthy sex life had been the cause for our incredible increase in power.

Well, that was my theory at least.

Kari seemed to have reached the same conclusion. “Then the reason Eryk, myself, and Eryk’s other wives were able to master the seven elements…”

“It is because of the rune array connecting you all together,” Fray confirmed. “You all must trust each other very much for this method to have worked so wonderfully.” She paused. Her smile widened. “You must also have a very healthy sex life.”

I had no desire to tell my aunt about my sex life, so I did the only thing I could think of to avoid it.

I changed the subject.

“How long will it take to open a Warp Gate to Miðgarðr?”

Fray frowned before taking the teacup to her lips and drinking slowly, stalling for time. I didn’t rush her.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Tora biting her lip so hard that blood welled up. She was staring at Fray with such a conflicted look that I really wished I could force her to tell me what her issue was. I think the only reason I didn’t was because of my fear that it would push her away. I didn’t want Tora to become another Sigfried.

“I’ve spoken with our greatest smiths,” Fray began at last as she set the teacup on its tray. “They said they will be able to forge an artificial key in seven days time. I did ask them if they could work faster but… well, this is a delicate task.”

“I understand,” I said in a soft voice.

I did not like that it would take seven more days to create a key, but I knew a procedure like this couldn’t be rushed. I would rather they take their time to do the job well the first time than cut corners and fail. It still rankled on my nerves. My worry for Fay, Lin, and Raul grew every day we remained in Gudeverdenen.

“I also feel obligated to tell you that this method will only work once,” Fray added. “We are using the key shard to forge the artificial key. However, because it is not the true key, it does not contain the power of the original. This key will break once we use it.”

“Meaning if it does not work the first time, we will be stuck here,” Kari said.

Fray nodded, expression grave. “And if that happens, the Sekbeist Overlord may be revived. That is a future I wish to avoid at all costs.”

***

Fray soon left to deal with important matters, Tora went off on her own after giving a brief grunt about having things she needed to do, and so I was left with my two wives and Chloe. I didn’t want to just sit on my laurels and do nothing. However, there also wasn’t much I could do at the moment.

So I decided to train with my wives and Chloe.

“Hrk!”

I grunted as Chloe placed me within a time lock. It felt like my entire body had frozen up, but I could still circulate Spiritual Power through my body, and so I released the floodgates on my power. It exploded from my body. The time lock shattered. However, I didn’t have any time to launch an attack.

Because Chloe was already in my face.

Her training sword was raised over her head as she prepared to swing it down, but Kari and Siv appeared on either side of her, attacking before she could complete her swing. She was wide open. If she had been less experienced, their combined attacks would have turned the woman to pulp. But this was Chloe. A woman hailed as the Invincible Valkyrie.

Chloe tilted her sword down, defending against Siv’s tail attack. My wife was strong. The resulting force of her attack sent Chloe sailing backward, but the woman also went with the flow, negating all that power by traveling with the attack. This also took her out of Kari’s reach, and so the attack meant for Chloe was now aimed at Siv.

It was a good thing my two wives had trained together for so long. Kari transformed into light, dispersed into particles, and reappeared next to Siv before her attack could land.

During that time, I closed the distance between myself and Chloe, attacking the woman to give my wives time to regroup. The massive ruler in my hand was made of ironwood. It weighed several dozen kilos, but I swung it with one hand like it weighed less than a feather. Upward. Downward. Diagonal. Each of my attacks flowed into each other.

Of course, I was not just using physical attacks.

As my feet tapped along the ground, tiny tremors caused the earth to shake. Anyone else would have stumbled and left themselves open to attack. Not Chloe. I’d already noticed that she was not actually standing on the ground but floating a centimeter above it. While this meant my distractions didn’t reach her, it did mean she nodded to concentrate on her flying, so I kept releasing tremors into the ground with the earth element.

With all of her attention seemingly on me, she didn’t seem to notice Kari emerging from her shadow. My wife attacked Chloe with a powerful thrust of her ransuer. Contrary to my expectations, the attack did not hit. Chloe suddenly angled her sword behind her without even looking. The crashing of wood echoed around the training hall as the woman blocked Kari’s attack.

“Do you have eyes in the back of your head?!” asked Kari as she leapt back.

“Of course not.” Chloe smiled as she shuffled left, dodging Siv just as the woman hurtled past her from above. “I merely have a great deal of spatial awareness. Very little can escape my notice.”

There were many methods for increasing one’s spatial awareness. I combined the wind and earth elements with Spiritual Perception to create a map within my mind, which gave me a detailed location of every object and person in a several kilometer radius. I was not sure what method Chloe used. However, her ability to sense the location of others and keep track of them at all times was even greater than my own.

It was impressive.

It was also annoying.

The training hall we were using was a large space with a similar open design to the informal dining room. The western, eastern, northern, and southern walls were all open. Columns held the roof aloft. Longer than it was wide, the floor, ceiling, and columns were covered in glowing runes that kept stray Spiritual Techniques from doing damage to the infrastructure. Of course, these runes could only do so much. We had to be careful not to go overboard, or we might end up destroying this entire building.

Our spar with Chloe continued. Sweat stung my eyes as I swung the ruler about in my hand, striking at Chloe’s own sword as she used a series of swift thrusts to force me back. Kari and Siv were coming up behind her. But the woman suddenly disappeared from our field of view, forcing the pair to stop before they hit me.

I was able to sense Chloe’s sudden appearance behind me and turned around, smashing my ruler against her sword. The force of my swing sent her gliding backward. At the same time, Siv separated Chloe from our space and trapped her within a box. This did not bother our opponent. With an overwhelming display of understanding, she unraveled Siv’s spatial trap within seconds.

Seconds was all Kari and I needed.

We appeared before Chloe and struck her in the back, sending the woman hurtling across the training hall. The woman did not tumble to the ground, however. She used the momentum of our attacks to flip herself into a series of back handsprings and landed on her feet about a dozen meters from us.

We eyed each other from opposite sides of the training hall.

The tension in the air was thick.

Then Chloe smiled, and the tension suddenly disappeared.

“You three are very strong when you work together,” she complimented. “While you would not stand a chance against the Zehn Todesharr individually, I believe you three could defeat one of them in a three-on-one fight.”

“That’s good, since we’ll have to fight them soon,” I said.

Kari smiled wryly. “The problem will be forcing them into a situation where we can fight them three-on-one. These Sekbeist Lords are not stupid. I doubt they would allow themselves to fall into such a disadvantageous situation.”

“The Zehn Todesharr might be highly intelligent and capable, but they are also very arrogant,” Chloe said as she walked over to us. “I do not believe it will be difficult to force any one of them into a three-on-one situation. Besides, you three will not be going alone. Lady Fray is going to mobilize the Valkyries to travel with you.”

The Valkyries were Fray’s personal division. Their primary purpose was intelligence gathering and covert operations. They were like a strike force. Members of the Valkyries were not only powerful, but they were experts at using a variety of hit and run tactics to demolish enemy forces. I had been working with them for quite awhile now and grown familiar with how they fought.

I definitely would not turn away their help if they were coming with us.

Because we had worked up such an intense sweat from our several hour spar, the four of us went to the baths, where I found myself being attended to by three woman. Kari was scrubbing my back. Siv was kneeling in front of me, scrubbing my chest and legs. Meanwhile, Chloe had me hold out my arm and was running a loofah over it.

While I had no issue letting Kari and Siv clean me, I did take issue with Chloe.

“Is this really a duty that a maid should be doing?” I asked her.

“Why, of course it is,” Chloe said with a bright smile.

“Is that so...” I wasn’t sure I believed her, but neither of my wives had said anything, so I was not sure what I should do.

I was not the only one who received attention in this bath. There was no way I could let my wives clean me and not return the favor, so I switched places with Kari once they declared me clean, and I spent a great deal of time and attention to cleaning Kari’s front. I ran a soap-soaked loofah over her stomach and inner thighs. I hefted up her massive breasts and wiped away all the underboob sweat. I may have also tweaked her nipples a little, teasing her, but it was all in good fun. Kari didn’t complain anyway.

Siv and Chloe helped me.

When all four of us were clean, we made our way into the bathtub, which was massive. I sat on the seat that went around the entire tub. Kari took her usual place beside me, but Siv sat on my knees. I could not see anything thanks to her massive dragon wings.

Chloe sat on my other side.

“A long soak after training is the best way to ease the muscles,” Kari said as she glanced at me. “Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Yeah…”

“You don’t sound very convinced,” she said with a huff.

I shrugged. “I’m just wondering why you let Chloe in the bath with us.”

“Do you dislike bathing with me?” asked Chloe, her smile professional and very maid-like.

“Whether I dislike bathing with you or not has nothing to do with my question,” I grumbled.

“There is no problem,” Siv said.

“What’s that mean?” I asked.

Kari giggled. “She means we aren’t against Chloe bathing with you. I do not question her loyalty to you, so I am not against her sharing your bath or even your bed.” While I stared at my wife, stunned, Kari looked at Chloe. “Of course, since you are content being his maid instead of his wife, I won’t let you sleep with him by yourself. If you wish to bed him, you will have to be okay sleeping with me and Siv too.”

“I cannot believe we are having this conversation right now,” I grumbled.

Chloe’s smile had not left as she responded to Kari. “Please do not worry, Lady Kari. I currently have no intention of sleeping with Eryk, but if I ever do, I would have no trouble bedding both you and Siv. The Valkyries is made entirely of women, as you know. Since there are no men in our division, and most of us are unmarried and distrusting of men in general, it is not unusual for us to share a bed with other members of our division. I myself have slept with several women.”

It shocked me that I was not shocked to learn this tidbit of information.

Kari nodded. “I’m glad to hear that.”

Since this conversation was taking a direction that made me uncomfortable, I decided to change the subject. It felt like I was doing that a lot.

“Did any of you notice how Tora was acting today? I feel like there is something wrong with her.”

“Are you worried about your potential fifth wife?” asked Kari.

“I would be lying if I said I wasn’t,” I admitted with a sigh, tugging at my green bangs of hair.

“I did notice how distracted Lady Tora seemed today,” Chloe agreed. “I believe it happened after she went to see Tyr.”

“Do you think he said something to her?” I asked.

“He undoubtedly said something that unsettled her, though I cannot imagine what he might have told her,” Chloe said.

I reached out and gently rubs Siv’s dragon wings. She released a soft moan that normally would have aroused me, but I was still thinking about Tora. Something had happened to unsettle her. I would like to help her resolve whatever it was before she did something reckless. The last thing I wanted was to kill another woman who had professed her love for me.

***

Tora manipulate the Concept of Creation to cushion her footsteps as she walked down the hall, clad in an outfit that blended perfectly into the shadows. To further hide herself from the maids, butlers, and guards who roamed the halls at night, she had wrapped herself in the shadows that danced along the halls. Only a Spiritualist with incredible perceptions would be able to discover her.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she walked. She had never felt so nervous in her life.

After what felt like hours but was really just minutes, Tora arrived in front of the door leading into Fray’s room. She stared at it. Why were there no guards? One would expect there to be at least a pair of Valkyries standing guard on either side of the door, but there was no one.

Perhaps Fray was just so strong she didn’t feel the need for guards?

Shaking her head, Tora touched the door and slowly pushed. She expected it to be locked. It wasn’t. Despite being surprised and even wary, she did not hesitate to push the door open a crack, slip inside, and silently shut the door behind her.

Fray’s bedroom was large but not extravagant. There were a few decorations lining the walls like suits of armor and portraits of her family, but it lacked the kind of pompousness Tora expected from a noble. The only items to note was the sitting area off to one side and the large bed in the very center of the room.

Tora’s breathing stilled as she stared at the bed, or rather, the figure lying asleep on it. Even now with hatred clouding her mind, Fray remained a paragon of beauty to her. Right now the woman looked so vulnerable. She was lying there on her back, her breasts spilling from the robes as they parted down the middle. It was a side of Fray she had never seen. She wondered how many people had seen this side of the woman who normally appeared indomitable.

Tora’s mouth went dry, but she tried her best not to be distracted.

She had a mission.

Spiritual Power coalesced into her hand as she walked up to the bed, the raw energy transforming into a black sword that seemed to absorb all light. It looked like a cursed blade. She raised this weapon above her head, prepared to bring it down.

She stopped.

It was not of her own volition.

She just couldn’t move.

“I knew something happened to you after you went to see your father,” Fray said, opening her eyes and staring into Tora’s startled ones. “You seemed very distracted all yesterday and at breakfast this morning.”

Tora’s muscles strained and her Spiritual Powers flared wildly, but she could not move a centimeter. Her entire body had been locked away.

Fray sat up. “Do not bother trying to move right now. I have sealed your body in time, locked you away in another dimension, and phased that dimension in an entirely different space. Even if you can manipulate the highest level concept of all, you cannot break out of this prison.”

Tora cursed. She should have realized Fray had suspected something. The lack of guards had been the first clue. This woman was not stupid. Hailed as one of the strongest Spiritualists among the God Race, Fray was known for her cunning plans and incredible strength on the battlefield.

“I don’t think I need to ask why you are here,” Fray said at last, and finally, her expression shifted from neutral to gentle. That expression caused Tora’s anger to flare. “You are here because of your mother, yes? I suspect Tyr said something regarding your mom? Oh, you may speak by the way.”

“Bitch!” Tora snarled. “I know what you did! I know you killed my mom!”

While there was a lot of vitriol in her tone, Tora’s emotions were a mess. Not only had she been caught so easily, but her feelings of respect and admiration toward this woman mixed with her hatred of her.

“Is that what Tyr told you?” asked Fray. “I have a question for you. Why did you believe Tyr’s words so easily? You have never gotten along with him before, so why believe anything he says now?”

Tora was about to shout once more, but she stopped short, her brow furrowing. Why did she believe him about this? She had no reason to. Then she remembered the look on Tyr’s face when he spoke of her mom’s death, the look of inconsolable grief and rage. It was an expression not even her father could fake.

“I know he was telling the truth about this,” Tora said at last.

“Your father does not even know the truth of what happened,” Fray said with a mild shake of her head. “Do you wish to know what happened to your mother? The real reason she died?”

“What… do you mean?” asked Tora.

Fray smiled sadly as she raised her hand and undid all the power locking Tora in place. It was such an abrupt change that Tora stumbled forward. She righted herself, moved her limbs, and looked at the woman she had come here to kill.

The conflict within her grew.

Fray stood up and wandered over to the balcony, gesturing for Tora to follow her. The woman bit her lip but followed nontheless.

The windless night was chilly but not bitingly so. Fray hugged herself with both arms and goosebumps appeared on her skin. Tora, standing beside her, didn’t know what to do, though she did not attack. It was clear now that any attack would be dealt with as easily as breathing.

So this is the strength of the God Race’s strongest woman…

“Clara was my best friend in the entire world,” Fray began. “She was also one of the strongest Spiritualists in my division. I suppose that is why I relied on her as much as I did.”

Tora wanted to say something, but she held her tongue as Fray’s lips trembled.

“We had received reports that members of the Zehn Todesherr were on the move. They had been silent for thousands of years, so of course we were startled by this news. Tor ordered the Valkyries and the Western Division to mobilize and determine what was happening. The Valkyries would ascertain whether the reports were true, and the Western Division would deal with the problem once we learned the truth.” Fray paused for a moment, took a shuddering breath, and continued. “But it was a trap.”

“A trap?” asked Tora.

“A very heinous trap,” Fray confirmed. “Because the area was infested with Sekbeists, Clara and I decided to infiltrate the base on our own. We made it deep into the Sekbeists territory, where we discovered Gorrick getting ready to perform a ritual of some kind. We thought he was trying to open a portal to invade other dimensions… but we were wrong. Several other Sekbeist Lords ambushed us. They separated me from Clara and corralled me toward the ritual site. I became trapped within a powerful lock that not even I could break out of. Just before the ritual could be enacted, Clara pushed me out of the ritual site and ended up becoming its victim instead of me.”

Tora swallowed heavily. “What… what did the ritual do?”

“It forced whoever it was performed on to obey every command Gorrick gave,” Fray said flatly. Tora paled as the woman turned and looked at her with so much pain her eyes that even she could not say a thing. “Gorrick was furious and ordered Clara to kill me. What made it worse was that Clara could still think for herself. Only her body was forced to do Gorrick’s bidding. She begged me to end her. To stop her before she killed me… but how could I do that? Clara was like my sister. I loved her so much. I told her that I would find a way to remove his control, to just hang on a little bit. But there was nothing I could do. I think Clara knew that. I don’t know how, but she was able to somehow overcome Gorrick’s control just long enough to throw herself onto my blade. She died in my arms.” Fray took another shuddering breath, sucked up her tears, and continued. “It was just as Clara died that Tyr and the others arrived. I’m sure he believes I killed his wife, and I have never tried to dissuade him from thinking that way. It is my fault. If I had been stronger, if I had been smarter, then I could have saved Clara.”

Tora was silent for a long moment. She didn’t know what to think, what to feel. She was so confused.

“How do I know what you are saying is true?” she asked finally.

Fray smiled sadly. “You don’t. However, if you wish to learn the truth, there is something you can do.”

“Oh, yeah? What’s that?” asked Tora.

“Confront Gorrick and ask him about what happened yourself.” Was Fray’s answer.

***

I woke up to the sound of knocking. It was still night. The scent of sex hung in the air as I sat up and looked around. Kari and Siv were still asleep, both naked as the day they’d been born. I smiled at them before the knocking sounded again.

Grumbling as I slipped out of bed, I put some pants on and wandered toward the door. I opened it, only to become surprised when Tora bowled into me, sending me backward a few steps before I caught myself.

“Tora! What are you…?” I trailed off as my chest became wet. Tora wrapped her arms around me as she cried into my chest. “Tora, what’s wrong?”

Tora shook her head and said nothing. I looked back at the bed. Kari and Siv were still asleep, or so it seemed. Turning back to the shaking woman clinging to me like a lifeline, I wondered what I should do, but really, there was only one thing a man could do at a time like this. Tora wasn’t my wife. But she was important to me. I couldn’t stand seeing the normally vibrant and crass woman so vulnerable.

I placed one hand on Tora’s head, threading my fingers through her hair, and the other on her lower back, pulling her closer. The tears flowed even harder after I hugged her. They created streams down my chest and stomach and were even beginning to make my pants wet. I didn’t let that bother me. I stood there and let Tora cry in my embrace.