บท 69: Chapter 69 - A desperate queen
"Crap!" Atreus yelled out as he remembered something. "What happened?" Ryu said as the yell startled him. "Freya! She's been chasing revenge for practically an eternity, but she doesn't know that Odin's dead already. And if Odin's dead, she'll go after father. I don't want her chasing me and my father for eternity," Atreus said as he had a worried expression.
"Yikes. Yeah, we need to solve that. I'll take you along to solve that problem, okay?" Ryu asked, and after receiving a nod from the teenager god he teleported them away.
In a frozen forest, a woman was sharpening arrows while sitting by a small fire. Though she looked bitter, exhausted, and worn out, her charm could capture even the most stone-hearted man.
She had the appearance of a beautiful woman in her late 30s. She had long back-length reddish-chestnut hair tied in near the end with some beaded and two long braided locks that fall to her shoulders. She was also barefoot and very tall, standing almost two and a half meters tall. Her tattooed arms had an intricate, yet captivating look to them. She had two swords and a bow resting beside her, and she wore a clearly improvised combat suit made from animal fur and leather.
"Sup," Ryu said, startling the queen of Asgard. "Who- Atreus. Did your father finally send you to kill me? I see you've brought backup," Freya asked menacingly as she drew one of her swords. "Nothing of the sort. As a matter of fact, it's the opposite. We've come to ask you if you're interested in Asgard's throne," Ryu said, shocking the goddess.
"Is this some kind of joke?" Freya asked in a confused yet cautious tone. "No. Freya, listen. Odin is dead." Atreus broke the news, leaving Freya speechless.
"...What? What nonsense are you spouting, Atreus?" Freya said as she looked at Atreus as if he was a madman. "He's telling the truth, you know? If you want I can show you his severed head," Ryu suggested.
"...Let's say you're telling the truth, how did you get past Thor and Heimdall?" Freya asked suspiciously. "Well, Thor's on our side now, and Heimdall is just a big crybaby. He couldn't even look me in the eyes straight after scaring him for a bit," Ryu explained casually.
"And you expect me to believe that?" Freya asked as she prepared to attack. "I mean, I did offer to give you Odin's severed head," Ryu shrugged. "Then show me," Freya said seemingly relaxed, but ready to pounce into battle when Atreus and Ryu's 'lie' was exposed.
"Sure, here you go," Ryu said as he summoned Odin's severed head from Asgard and tossed it to Freya's legs. "You've got to stop doing that," Atreus said, a little disturbed. "And miss out on reactions like that? Not a chance in hell," Ryu smirked as he saw Freya's frozen expression.
"This can't be... What sort of illusion is this?!" Freya said as she began to frantically cast spells meant to free one's mind. But as each one of her spells failed her, Freya's expression grew more and more distraught. "What kind of magic is this?!" Freya didn't know what she feared more. That someone, presumingly Odin, could trap her in such a strong illusion, or if the latter was actually dead.
"This isn't magic. Now that Odin's dead, I wanted Thor to pick up the mantle to help him grow, but he was right in saying that Asgard's throne is yours by right. So, do you want to go with me to Asgard?" Ryu asked.
"...This... This is real? Odin, dead? Just like that?" Freya spoke with a hollow look in her eyes. "Isn't this what you wanted? Your tormentor is dead, you can move on," Ryu said as he tried to cheer Freya. "I... What of Ragnarok?" Freya asked.
"Not relevant anymore," Ryu smiled, "The future of the realms is undecided, so go nuts. Do what you want to do, your fate isn't engraved in stone anymore," Ryu continued. "But if that's the case, why did my son have to die?! The only part of the prophecy I tried to prevent came to fruition, and then that prophecy suddenly stops. Why Baldur? Why my son?!" Tears streamed out of Freya's eyes as she protested.
"Go, leave me be. I won't return to Asgard, that place is no home of mine. And even if I wanted to, I can't leave this realm. Tell Thor that I relinquish my right," Freya said as an emotional storm consumed her. "...Very well. But allow me to give you a parting gift," Ryu snapped his fingers, undoing Odin's spell that bounded her to Midgard. He had knowledge of the spell from Odin's memories, so undoing it wasn't difficult.
"You're free to transverse the Nine Realms again. Go home," Ryu said as he and Atreus vanished.
---
"...Why did you do that?" Atreus questioned as the two arrived in Asgard. "What do you mean?" Ryu asked, acting confused. "You handled that situation horribly! You treated such a delicate situation like a practical joke, didn't you feel anything?" Atreus said in a frustrated manner.
"...Truth be told. Unless there's some strong trigger, I don't really feel anything anymore. It started off as a defense mechanism, but I can't really turn it off," Ryu sighed.
"What do you mean?" Atreus asked, confused. "Well, take your father for example. When I read his mind, it wasn't only dry details that I got from him. I experienced what he did, and felt what he felt. When I look at you, there's a small part of me that sees and loves you as your father does. But I did that procedure hundreds of times. Can you imagine how it feels to be forced to feel love toward thousands of people? Your father will sacrifice everything he has in a split second to protect you, his life, his possession, everything. And I feel that way towards thousands of people. Do you know how horrible it is to have so many strong emotions towards so many people?" Ryu questioned as he stared at a faraway mountain.
Seeing Atreus processing his words, Ryu continued. "It's horrible. Really bad. Every second I wasn't in the vicinity of those people, my mind went crazy. And was just love, so take that shitshow and multiply it by twenty-five. Luckily, I found a way to suppress my emotions to deal with it," Ryu explained.
"..." Atreus didn't speak, but he looked at Ryu with a changed expression.
"Alright, let's go. Thor's lessons need to start," Ryu said as the two headed toward Thor's house.
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