Magnus Chase - Rise Of Darkness

Chapter 9 - Six Heads, Six Problems

Here's another power for being a son of Frey: nightmare sponge. As I descended into the world of sleep, nightmares infested my mind.

Flashes of the night my mother died clipped in and out. The fire bursting from the windows, the glowing blue eyes of the wolves, her screams.

I was drug to another vision, a walnut shaking violently, as if explosions were going off in it. Hel was bashing it with a thin, sleek piece of old rusted metal that seemed dead in her hands. It was Jack, who was unresponsive to the goddess of death. Hel continued to slam the blade end of him into the nut, looking beast-like with rage. She was in a large containment room, as if one for an experiment. Gray concrete walls, plain ceiling lights. Something from an old horror video game probably.

These dreams went by so fast and so wild, I could feel the bile in my stomach rise. I was whisked again to another familiar scene. The cave of thick ice, old but also majestic. This time, I had more control. Even though the floor was ice, it wasn't slippery, but I could still feel the dangerous frost from beneath my soles. I cautiously walked down the tunnel, knowing what was at the end of it.

The chained up humanoid creature. It was still hanging on the metal plate nailed to the wall, iron chains bounded it's arms and legs apart, a black, metal and very uncomfortable muzzle strapped over its mouth. As I got closer, I made out some details.

Pale white skin, white tank top and cream pale leather pants like Halfborn's. Muscles bulged a little from their scar decorated arms and neck. It was more of the build of an Olympic track runner than a muscle man. It's hair was a soft white in a messy growing buzz. And it's eyes, they stared blankly at the floor next to me, drooping.

Suddenly, I felt less scared of it. Was it six feet tall? Yes. Could it possibly crush me in a second? Yes. But something about those cream colored eyes of pain made another feeling churn in me, something indescribable.

Sudden clanging was heard through the tunnel as electricity sparked down the chains binding the monstrosity. It arched its muscular back and screamed a roar I've never head before that made me lock myself in place out of terror. Those cream colored eyes glowed a light neon blue as the sound blasted me back into the darkness of the tunnel.

I scrambled awake, shooting up and hyperventilating in the cold air. That roar still rung in my ears, those eyes flashing in my memories. I clutched my shaking hand to my chest feeling my heart pounding out of it. I took rapid deep breaths, but it was very painful. The air around us was sharp and bitter, the feeling of breathing glass again.

Another hand rested on the one clutching my chest. Alex Fierro was looking up at me, still laying down from where she was sleeping.

"You're good," she whispered "you're still on the ship, it was just a dream."

I took more ragged breaths trying to level my heart rate, but I was still very jumpy.

"S-sorry about that." I stammered out "about waking you up."

"Nothing to worry about. " she said "In any case, I'd be more worried about yourself."

"How come?" I asked, but my voice was so blubbered and uncontrollable, it probably sounded like I was trying to say something in Dutch.

"Before you woke up as if someone electrocuted you, you were getting a bit neurotic. You were shaking, grimacing, muttering stuff in your sleep. I was even a bit worried you were going to crush me so I had to roll away."