From pawn to god: A High School DxD crossover story

Reveal of Fate in the Aftermath

We all stayed resting back at the Hyoudou household for the rest of the day after my battle with Thor. Turns out, if it weren't for the berserker armor being activated, I would've lost at least a third of the blood in my body—at least that's what Fenrir and Hel said about me. Sirzechs volunteered to reveal that it was me fighting Thor in a way that wouldn't mark me as a threat to the underworld the next day, so I was thankful for that.

I was pretty scared on what the underworld would think of me—I mean, an unknown individual with jet black armor just took on a norse god like it was nothing. I wouldn't blame everyone if they thought I am a menace to them. There was also the concern of people in power wanting to use my skills for their own gain—devils were pretty selfish in nature—and then there was the fact that I could have just caught the eye of some beings I really didn't want to get involved with.

Don't get me wrong, I like being a god, but the attention that comes from it is probably not a good thing—especially if it comes from some... not so good people.

Anyway, now, we were sitting in the backyard around a campfire at night as Hel enthusiastically showed the ORC the video of me fighting Thor in the underworld.

Issei: "Dude...how are you so fast!?"

Gasper: "That's what you're asking!? How the hell did you blow up a mountain?!"

Koneko: "No kidding..."

I shook my head as I held out my left hand, which was still in the form of the prosthetic, in front of all of them.

Rossweisse: "A weapon...that's also a prosthetic hand?"

"You're actually right on the money there Rossweisse. Right after I fought the bear, Brok and Sindri gave me a visit and gave me the hand."

Koneko: "Is that your hand...glowing in the video?"

I tilted my head towards the nekomata.

"Glowing?"

Koneko pointed to the video, where sure enough, for every 5 frames I was visible, my left hand was glowing blue.

"That must've been the cannon charging up..."

Akeno: "Sorry...repeat that!? Cannon?!"

I chuckled before I flicked my wrist down to reveal the cannon in my hand. Everyone gained a look of understanding almost immediately.

Rossweisse: "What...exactly is that hand made out of?"

I thought back for a moment before suddenly being enlightened by a past memory.

"Sindri told me it's a mix of draconic energy, bifrost, embers from muspelheim, and mist from niflheim."

Rossweisse: "Hm...well that certainly explains why the cannon exploded so violently when you fired it."

"Eh...I guess? I don't really know the properties of those materials."

Fenrir: "Bro has all the power in the world, but barely knows the origin of the materials where the power is coming from."

Jörmungandr: "To be fair, I never expected him to be interacting of any of those materials right now. Right sister?"

Hel: "Yeah...bifrost is usually almost impossible to get your hands on if you're not an Asgardian...and I don't think Rossweisse donated any."

Rossweisse shook her head and we all stood silent for a good 10 seconds before anyone spoke again.

Issei: "So...I really hate to bring it up, but how do we feel about how the underworld will react to Ethan?"

Akeno: "I feel pretty confident in Sirzechs to slap down the idea that Ethan's a threat. I'm personally not concerned with it."

Koneko: "Agreed"

Kiba started to chuckle

Kiba: "You think Eíthürr will become popular in the underworld after everything?"

Xenovia: "That's a given considering battle prowess is very important."

Xenovia turned to Irina, who was sitting right next to her.

Xenovia: "And what about you? Do you think Lord Micheal would have his attention grabbed by Ethan?"

Irina suddenly snapped out of whatever daydream she was taking part in before turning to her ally.

Irina: "What?—Oh...yeah I think he'll notice everything...but with Ethan's allegiances mostly to the underworld, I doubt he'll make much of a difference in how everything goes."

I nodded as I turned my gaze up to the sky and towards the moon.

"I trust Sirzech's judgement on the matter. Whatever he says to Azazel and Micheal will be beneficial to all of the factions most likely."

Hel: "How does everyone think the Norse pantheon would react though?"

Rossweisse gained a look of thought as she looked at the fire in front of us all.

Jörmungandr: "Based on my experiences with them, they'll more than likely be excited to find a new foe to practice against, nervous due to how much effort it took for you to take down two of them or heck, maybe they just don't care."

Sköll: "As much as I would like to believe that, the fact that Eíthürr has those blades probably nullifies any chance of an apathetic reaction from them."

Fenrir: "Agreed, they bound me to a rock for Ymir-knows how long all due to Ragnarök foretelling me as the one who ends up killing Odin. They're going to compare Uncle Eíthürr to Grandfather. It's simply in Odin's nature."

Rossweisse: "That sadly sounds like a perfect description of him..."

Rossweisse frowned as her gaze went further down. Issei, bless the guy, put his hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

Issei: "Do you think they'll go after him?"

Rossweisse shrugged, and Leia's grip on my shoulder tightened slightly.

Rossweisse: "Whatever Odin does...I'll make sure you remain untouched Ethan...even if I have to make some sacrifices."

My gaze went to her and I looked at her with concern. Thankfully though, Leia spoke up.

Leia: "Those sacrifices won't help with anything in the end Rossweisse...I would know."

Everyone's gaze turned to her, to which Leia's grip strengthened on my arm as she continued to speak.

Leia: "I'm the child of a civil war that has been going on for...eons. The things I did so that I could try to bring my mom and dad's people together in peace...I lost a part of myself during those efforts...and in the end they changed nothing."

Leia's gaze turned to me for a second before turning back towards Rossweisse.

Leia: "Based on what I've heard about Odin from my parents and how you sound when discussing him, there's likely nothing you by yourself can do to protect him. That's why these groups of factions are formed in the first place. So that people can be there to support us when a large issue such as Ethan's fight with Thor occurs."

I smiled at her and wrapped my arms around her shoulder before pulling her towards me. Leia blushed in response as Rossweisse stood silent before beginning to smile to herself.

Rossweisse: "You seem awfully wise for someone so young Leia."

Leia pushed herself out of my grip before sheepishly smiling at the former valkyrie.

Leia: "When you're forced to grow up in a civil war as the only hybrid between the 2 warring factions, you have to be mature about a lot of things."

Issei: "That must've been crazy to live through huh?"

Leia nodded before she cleared her throat and excused herself from the campfire and went back into the household towards my room.

Gasper: "She seems to be a nice girl..."

I nodded while smiling softly towards the house.

"With everything she's been through...it's a miracle she's the way she is right now...and I can't be more grateful for that."

Gasper smirked before exhaling in a laugh while Issei and Kiba lifted their eyebrow in amusement.

Akeno: "If you don't mind me asking Ethan...what did she do for you during your time in Alfheim?"

I turned back to all of them before pointing at the berserker armor on me.

"She's the one who allowed me to dump the armor into the lake of souls to allow the armor to become more controllable...and believe it or not, she has the ability to snap me out of a berserker rage almost instantly."

Xenovia: "How? She wasn't involved in the potion created to help you out with that."

I shrugged as I looked at the knight.

"I'm not very sure, but I feel it's something to do with her connection to the light of Alfheim. Maybe that's a weak point for the souls of the armor since they can sense their family or friends through the light."

Xenovia: "I see..."

Irina: "So she's the one who basically unlocked that controlled form?"

I nodded.

"Yup. In fact whenever Akeno was getting grabbed by Thor, I nearly reverted into a mindless berserker rage...but then Leia's voice called out to me from the armor and calmed me down enough to think straight."

Akeno started to stare at me while everyone else nodded as sat in silence around the campfire just staring at the fire because it looked cool.

Hel: "So...what do we do now?"

Rias shrugged but stood silent as everyone else looked around in uncertainty.

"Who knows, we'll just do what comes up next for all of us."

Fenrir: "I'm in agreement..."

Fenrir then yawned.

Fenrir: "I'm worn out."

Hel: "Alright then, let's head off to bed then..."

Everyone nodded as everyone started to leave the campfire,although Akeno was staring at me a bit longer before leaving after everyone else and Rias just sat still. Eventually, everyone left and only me and Rias were left sitting at the fire.

It took me a bit to realize I wasn't alone so I sat up and looked at Rias strangely.

Rias: "You seem to be bothered by something."

I looked at her before shaking my head and looking at the floor.

"It's nothing..."

Rias awkwardly scooted towards me as she sighed and looked at me.

Rias: "Ethan...I've known you almost all of my life, I know when there's something bothering you."

I looked at her again with a hardened gaze.

"Since when did you care?"

Rias looked hurt by what I said but she closed her eyes in acceptance.

Rias: "I know I've been...probably the worst master in the world towards you recently."

I continued to gaze at her but said nothing.

Rias: "...I just don't understand how you even can be so...happy when you're around me now...how?"

I looked down towards the ground again.

Rias: "If I were you...I would've been...angry, resentful, so why haven't you done anything to us?"

I looked at her slightly hurt at her implication.

"Were you...expecting me to do anything?"

Rias immediately seemed to realize what she said before she began to panic.

Rias: "Wait what!? N-no! I didn't mean it anything like that! I swear to Satan himself!—Why can't I start these conversations without making you uncomfortable!?"

I smiled slightly at her reaction but remained silent as her face erupted in red. However, the fact that she wanted a start a conversation was a standout for me.

"You wanted to talk with me about something then?"

Rias nodded as she looked at me once again before taking a deep breath.

Rias: "Yes...I've wanted to talk one on one with you for a long time."

If I was anyone of the hundreds of people who were madly in love with her, I would've grown extremely excited, but because how our relationship deteriorated recently...I got pretty nervous. So, I only slowly nodded to tell her to start talking.

Rias: "Ever since that meeting with the Norse pantheon when you nearly mauled Irina...I couldn't stop feeling like I needed to make you... not hate me anymore...and yet, each time I tried to talk to you to fix things up...you were changing so quickly...I thought you were going to be better off without me."

I frowned as Rias continued her speech.

Rias: "Soon enough...those thoughts made me become cold towards you...which was the complete opposite of what I really wanted to do. I...I'm...so...so sorry...!"

Rias began to tear up as I felt my eyes beginning to water.

"Rias..."

Suddenly, Rias began to go off the rails.

Rias: "What am I doing...you already hate me..."

Suddenly my concern for her went up immensely as I tried to comfort her.

"Rias..."

Rias: "I mean it's only natural...I've been by your side your entire life...and then...I just ignore you for a love that blinded me *sniff* and then, after everything happened, I end up still treating you like garbage when you came back...just say you hate me already...just say..."

"RIAS!!!"

I suddenly lunged forward and grabbed her shoulders and turned her to me, now that she looked at me, I could see what was going on in her head.

"What are you thinking!? I don't think any of those things at all!...Why are you beating yourself up so much?!"

Rias only took a shaky breath as she continued to cry, I embraced her in a hug and began to rock her back and forth to try and calm her down. Eventually, she did.

"Are you ok now Rias?"

I could feel her nod her head against my chest so I gently pushed her off of me.

"Ok...it looks like I have some things to make clear with you. Number 1. I don't hate you...I never have, and I never will. As much as some people may say I should, I can't possibly hate any of you at all."

Rias: "Even after we ignored you?"

I nodded slowly.

"You, Akeno, Koneko, and everyone else were all just discovering love for the first time, what's more, you fell in love for good, if not, decent reasons. Even Kiba and Gasper were finding one of the most important people in their lives. You may have just thrown me to the wayside, but it wasn't intentional. I completely understand that."

Rias frowned at my words.

"Besides...the people I loved the most were happy with a guy that genuinely loved them back. I can't be angry at your happiness Rias."

Rias began to blush as she started to put her index fingers together while looking to her side.

Rias: "Do you...still have feelings for us?"

That question caught me off guard and I'm pretty sure I looked bewildered for a second before I regained my composure and sighed.

"...Yes..."

A good amount of silence between us ensued as I looked to the floor in shame.

"...Are you weirded out about it...?"

Rias smiled and shook her head.

Rias: "No...not at all...if I may ask, why exactly do you like us?"

I blinked before I chuckled to myself and looked up to the moon above us.

"Back when we were younger, I saw all 3 of you as my siblings, no different from how I saw Gasper and Kiba back then. I would always try to make you guys happy...I still remember the stupid things I did to try to cheer you guys up."

Rias began to laugh silently as the smile on her face grew.

Rias: "Remember when you practically blackmailed Sirzechs to start acting like my horse in front of the other Satans just because I had accidentally destroyed a part of a dining hall when I first met Sona?"

"Now and always, I'm still able to get free favors from him due to that."

The princess of ruin giggled at me.

"Returning to the previous topic though, things started to change whenever we all started to grow up. You and Akeno grew into absolutely beautiful young women...and since I was a teenager, I naturally took notice."

Rias: "You...only started to like us for our looks...?"

I shook my head and huffed.

"That was the original reason...but Kiba set me straight on what love actually was. That's what made me realize...I actually loved both of you, more than siblings normally should. Kiba's words also helped me notice how I felt about Koneko."

Rias: "Really? Kiba knew about how you felt?"

I nodded and smiled.

"I practically begged him to keep it a secret, but yeah, he's the one who helped me realize my feelings."

We both stood silent for a bit before I quickly spoke up again.

"But, I know that those feelings will just complicate things so...I'll shut my mouth or leave the room you're in if you don't want me to—"

Suddenly another pair of arms wrapped around my neck, and judging by the force and lack of soft objects on my back, it was Koneko.

Koneko: "You're fine Ethan."

"K-Koneko!? What are you doing here?! Aren't you supposed to be back inside?"

Koneko: "I got curious...and heard everything."

I felt a large amount of heat gather on my face as I pried Koneko's arms off of me and I stepped away from both of them waving my arms embarrassed.

"Sorry about the way I saw you 3 previously...I await my punishment now!"

Normally, Koneko would absolutely clobber anyone who even had a semblance of a perverted thought, and despite my connections to her, she told me personally that she would still do the same to me if I became a pervert. So I closed my eyes and accepted my fate.

Except it never came.

Instead, I heard a quiet giggle from Koneko and Rias. When I opened my eyes Koneko was staring at me emotionlessly as usual, and Rias was trying to hold back laughter.

Koneko: "I'll let you off the hook this time Ethan."

I sighed in relief and sat back down across from the two of them, where an uncomfortable silence then formed between us.

Koneko: "So Ethan...what are you going to do now that we know?"

"Quite frankly, it's to get over all of you...feels like I've been saying that a lot recently."

Koneko, strangely, frowned at my words while Rias gave a nod in response.

Rias: "Do you even know how to?"

"Yeah, Irina actually gave me some tips on how to let everything go...it'll just take a while to fully adjust."

Koneko: "Have you found anyone else to help you out with everything?"

I looked at Koneko curiously.

"In what way?"

Koneko shook her head and remained silent. It didn't really take all that much brainpower to realize she was asking if I had ANOTHER love interest.

"As of right now...no I'm not looking for anyone else. I know there's people more than likely willing to be with me, but quite frankly it's unfair for them."

Rias: "Why do you say that? You do realize you could do no wrong in Leia's eyes right? Even with the time she's spent with us, I can tell she is completely infatuated with you."

"And yet I don't feel the same...not nearly to the same extent. I don't want to say 'Hey! Let's start dating!' and then proceed to compare her with you 3 all the time...I just don't want to use her to move on is what I'm trying to say"

Rias gave a nod of approval and she flashed me another smile.

Rias: "You are a good person to recognize that. Just know, if you do end up getting with her, I fully support it."

My chest started to hurt for a little bit, but then I pushed the feeling down and nodded.

Koneko: "...Anyone else?..."

I looked at her confused and then another realization hit me like a sledgehammer.

"What are you trying to say Koneko?"

Koneko: "Has she been trying to get with you?"

I nodded.

"Yeah? And? I know better than to fall for her just because of looks Koneko, you of all people should know that now."

Koneko then reached into her pocket and then showed me what she grabbed. A jet black piece of hair, alongside some cat fur.

Koneko: "I know that, but are you in the process of falling for her?"

I rolled my eyes at the nekomata, she only became protective like this whenever Kuroka was mentioned.

"What would happen if I said yes?"

Koneko immediately gave me a death glare.

"Of course not Koneko! I don't even know her that much!"

Koneko: "You better not."

Rias: "He knows better than to fall in love with a criminal Koneko."

Koneko: "Based on the meetings they've been having recently, I've come to doubt that."

"Ok? So? She's a friend, nothing more, nothing less."

Koneko: "You'd do well to keep it that way."

Koneko gave me one last glare before she stood up and walked away.

"Hate it when she's all moody like that..."

Rias: "You know how she gets whenever Kuroka is mentioned..."

"Yeah...I'm convinced she's not as bad as the law states she is."

Rias raised her eyebrow at me in intrigue.

Rias: "And why would you come to that conclusion?"

"Each time I bring up Koneko to Kuroka, she seems happy that she is doing well, but upset that she can't be around her...to the point of almost breaking down crying one time."

Rias remained silent as a thought came to my head.

"Speaking of which, why do you seem...more loose on Vali's group? After my transformation, you don't really become all that concerned whenever any of them get mentioned...at least when it comes to Vali's gang."

Rias nodded her head before she turned back to the fire.

Rias: "I still really don't like them...but if they're the ones who opened the door for your ascension, then I need to be accepting of their presence...besides...you chose some of them over some of us in the peerage when it came to making that potion...it seems you like their company quite a bit. They also don't wish to fight us whenever you're around, so that definitely is a big factor."

"You think they could potentially come onto our side through their connection with me?"

Rias: "What makes you say that?"

"Kuroka keeps on saying that Vali isn't happy with his position in the Khaos Brigade despite how he acts...maybe it applies to his friends as well."

My previous king looked down at the fire for a bit pondering everything for about a minute before finally shrugging.

Rias: "It all depends on how my brother, Azazel, and Micheal feel about them. No doubt there is a huge amount distain from all of them."

"To be fair, Azazel did raise Vali."

Rias: "He did, but you weren't there to witness the interruption of the faction peace meeting led by Vali. He was extremely upset with him."

I nodded in understanding before looking back up into the sky towards the moon once again.

Rias: "What's with you looking up towards the moon now? You do that almost every single time we're out at night."

I shrugged.

"It's something I got from Fenrir during my time away from you. Before Sköll and Hati came down here and began to inhabit mom and dad's weapons, Fenrir would always look up towards the sun or moon to remember where his children were."

Rias: "Oh..."

"The moon's also pretty to look at. It kinda reminds me of everyone here."

Rias' jaw dropped as my glance went to her for a split second. When my eyes landed on her, I gave her a slight smile before I looked back up into the sky.

She seemed to be shocked at what I said for some reason...eh, can't be that big of a deal.

An uncomfortable amount of silence passed between us before Rias spoke again.

Rias: "I never had the opportunity to say this earlier today...but thank you Ethan...so much for staying around, for accepting our presence after everything that happened, for defending all of the city from Thor's anger...thank you."

I looked down towards her once again, this time a massive smile forming on my face.

"I've wanted to hear that for such a long time...you have no idea."

A flash of guilt spread across Rias' face before I continued.

"But...you're welcome."

Rias' smile came back and she hugged me once again. I embraced her in return and wrapped the cape of the armor around her body.

Rias: "This feels nice..."

I chuckled.

"Don't get too used to it. I'm not always going to have cape-wrapping services available."

Rias giggled as she yawned.

"Looks like the princess of ruin is tired."

Rias groaned at the nickname and playfully punched my chest as I began to laugh.

"Alright then, time to go to bed for you."

Rias: "I'm not a child..."

"Curiously, you only act like one around either me, your parents, Sona, Sirzechs, and Issei."

Rias pulled away and rolled her eyes at me before she stood up to go back inside the house. Once she got to the door, she put one hand on the door while turning back to me.

Rias: "I guess I'm just at my most comfortable around you and the others you just mentioned."

I huffed and shook my head slightly before looking at her with a smile I hadn't have thought possible directed towards her.

"Goodnight Rias. I Lo–"

I immediately cut myself off and blushed while internally facepalming myself. Rias herself was blushing a bit while smiling back at me.

"Sorry..."

Rias: "Goodnight Ethan."

It was then that my previous master entered the house, leaving me alone in the backyard, now with a pretty big smile on my face from the interaction. I took a deep breath in and exhaled, feeling like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Irina's words began to echo in my head.

Irina: "Just because they don't love you in the same way you love them doesn't mean they can't make you happy."

Hm...maybe it's not the worst thing in the world to still have some feelings...I just have to tone them down a good amount.

Before I could continue with my thoughts though, a magical sound whirred in the backyard quietly and my eyes snapped up as I recalled the axe back into my hand and stood up immediately. However the sound of hooves hitting the ground suddenly put my guard down as a blue glow appeared in the back of the yard.

Skeleton Knight: "You seem on guard for someone who just fought Thor to a standstill."

"What are you doing here?"

The skeleton knight finally appeared in the backyard as we stared at each other in silence.

Skeleton Knight: "That clash of power is a catalyst for massive change around the world."

"Stop with the cryptic shit, either you tell me outright, or leave. I've already got a lot to process."

The skeleton knight looked at me while turning his head before shaking it slightly.

Skeleton Knight: "A group of enemies your brother has made have sensed your release of power during the battle with Thor. Things are going to ramp up from now. Be prepared."

"That doesn't make anything more understandable buddy. Atreus has a bunch of enemies."

The skull knight looked at me before a chuckle escaped from him.

Skull knight: "You're a blunt one. As I should expect from a son of the Ghost of Sparta."

"I guess I am, so what?"

Skull knight: "To be more specific the enemies are the topic we discussed after your clash with Björn."

Björn was the norse word for "bear" so I could immediately understand what he was mentioning. The "true threat of Ragnarok" was here...somehow.

"...good to know...anything else to say?"

The skull knight stayed silent, but then looked straight to the second floor of the household near Gasper's room before his golden eyes immensely shined brighter than anything ever should at night. Once the shine stopped, he was silent, as he opened a portal up behind him and vanished from the backyard.

I sighed at him as I put the axe on my back and turned back towards the house. Thankfully, nobody seemed to be wandering the household, and by extension, could have seen my talk with the Skull Knight.

After I registered that fact, I went back to my room. Surprisingly, on the way there, there was no mischievous giggling or yelling from Issei's room, everyone must have been tuckered out from the day. Once I walked into my room, everyone was looking at me concerned. Fenrir was shrinked to the size of a Labrador while Sköll was the size of a small spaniel

Hel: "Uncle Eíthürr...why did you recall the axe?"

"The Skeleton knight showed up and wanted to talk with me."

Fenrir and Jörmungandr suddenly became more on guard as the former's hair on his neck stood up slightly while the latter's eyes narrowed significantly.

Fenrir: "What exactly did he discuss with you?"

"That things are going to ramp up for me...apparently I got the attention of some enemies of your father."

Leia: "What is that supposed to mean?"

Jörmungandr: "The enemies that have been hunting down mother and father during their time exiled...they're now going to start targeting Eíthürr."

I looked at my youngest nephew confused.

"How did you know that?"

Hel: "Mother took us into Groa's shrine and showed us what you saw...and also told us that father is not the person we thought he was."

"Ah, that's one of the things she told you two to not tell me?"

Hel: "That and a couple more things..."

I squinted at her suspiciously before I shrugged.

"So you all knew that Atreus was the bear?"

Everyone nodded, except for one person

Leia: "I didn't! What in Freyr's name is going on!?"

I chuckled as we pulled her aside and began to talk about my brother and the history he had with both his children, and the ORC. It's safe to assume I'll be up for a little bit.

Gasper POV

I was awoken by the sound of a strong wind and then the sudden realization that I was no longer in bed. I then snapped awake and then looked around to see...a yellow desert?

"W-what? Where am I?"

Suddenly a giant shadow suddenly covered me and an...I don't know how to describe it, but unnatural roar seemingly rang out as the winds intensified before a golden silhouette of...someone, just formed in front of me and bowed before motioning for me to follow it.

"Um...hello...can you tell me where I am?"

The figure continued to walk without answering, so I walked behind it for a bit before we arrived at a pit in the ground in the shape of a human. The figure just pointed to the hole while looking at me, so I laid down within the hole.

Not that I wanted to, but like what else am I supposed to do in a place like this?

All of a sudden, another roar rang out throughout the desert and an extremely dark shadow cast over me, eventually though, the sound of wind started to stop playing in my ears, and was soon replace by sounds I would assume to be normal within a jungle.

I opened my eyes and...well quite frankly, saw a forest unlike anything I've ever imagined.

"What...is this place?"

???: "Impressive huh?"

I screamed out of terror before turning behind me to see a dark skinned woman. She quickly lifted her hands up in a calming manner and shushed me.

???: "Hey there...there's no need to worry, I'm not going to hurt you."

"Who are you? Where am I?"

???: "Ok let's start over. I'm Angrboda, and right now, you're in Jötunheim, the realm of the giants...or jötnar."

"What!?"

Angrboda: "Reasonable reaction. You probably have a lot of questions right?"

"I have a lot—"

Angrboda: "I'll answer that later, come on, I need to take you somewhere."

Angrboda grabbed my wrist as she dragged me through the forest as I warily eyed all of my surroundings.

"Um...can I ask you a question now?"

Angrboda giggled.

Angrboda: "Sure you can Gasper!"

I was caught off guard by her knowing my name.

"H-how do you know my name?"

Angrboda: "It will be explained later, next!"

"Um...I feel like I've heard your name before in norse mythology...should I?"

Angrboda: "Eh you don't need to, but if you want to know. I'm the mother of Fenrir, Jörmungandr, and Hel. Which would also make me the wife of Loki, and the sister-in-law of Ethan."

The weight of what she said took a couple of seconds for me to register. She was the wife of the god who nearly ripped us all apart and saw us at our most desperate time...who has now escaped.

"I—um..."

Angrboda: "Don't worry, I'm not with him anymore, our paths began to split a good 150,000 years ago."

"Oh...sorry about that."

Angrboda: "No need for apologies...I'm just happy he's sealed away where he can no longer do any harm."

"About that...."

Angrboda looked at me with a questioning, but also concerned expression.

"He actually escaped from the seal...and now his whereabouts are unknown."

Angrboda stared at me in silence before she exhaled in a frustrated manner.

Angrboda: "I should've expected no less from him...how did you find out?"

"Well...Thor paid us a visit—"

Angrboda: "Thor?"

"Yeah...and he came to question all of us...and then proceeded to start a fight with Ethan."

Angrboda: "Is Ethan alright after everything?"

I looked at her confused.

"Why are you so concerned about him? You don't know him."

Angrboda chuckled mischievously.

Angrboda: "Ah, I see that he's never told you about how we met in Alfheim."

"Wait what? You met him in Alfheim?"

Angrboda: "Yup! I'm the one who introduced him to his jötnar abilities as a matter of fact!"

"Oh...I thought he only learned to control the armor there...anything else he was hiding?"

Angrboda: "Don't think so...unless he hasn't told you about meeting Brok and Sindri?"

"Ah, yeah, he told us that."

Angrboda: "Well then, that's all that happened during his time there...anyway, we're here."

I finally started to look ahead of us to see a house that was built into a tree.

"Woah...is this your house?"

Angrboda: "Yep, pretty much grew up here. Come on, we're almost at the thing I want to show you."

She quickly sped up as she walked into the house.

"Is there anything here that can explain how I got here?"

Angrboda: "Since you're not a jötunn, there's only one possible explanation for your arrival here. Ymir himself had to have willed you to enter this realm and forest."

"Ymir? Wasn't he slain by Odin and his brothers?"

Angrboda: "That they did, and they nearly destroyed every single part of him...except for one thing."

"Which is...?"

Angrboda: "Do you remember that strange desert you found yourself in?"

"Yeah...?"

Angrboda: "That's what we call the Utangard...or in more simple terms...Ymir's dreamscape."

"Wait what...? How does...a body die but the dream...?"

Angrboda shrugged before she turned to the living room of her house, I began to look at her walls to occupy myself, however, my eyes caught onto a set of 3 pictures on the wall.

Above all 3 of the pictures, the word 'Angrboda' was spread out over the top of them, with each of the pictures depicting some big event in her life. The leftmost image depicted her as a young girl smiling while she was on top of a strange cow-like creature. The middle image seemed to be a picture of her and Loki at their wedding or honeymoon, both of them with huge smiles on their faces—without any malice. The final image on the right was a picture of the two of them with a very young Fenrir, Jörmungandr, and Hel. All of them looking extremely happy.

It was just then I realized how much Ethan actually resembles his brother. Their faces looked almost identical and the only difference was the color and length of their hair. The thought of Ethan being in a situation like this in the future made me smile as I found myself lost looking at the picture.

Angrboda: "I'm happy that you're so lost looking at the best moments in my life, but I need you to come over here Gasper."

I turned to her and nodded before walking up to her. She was actually knelt down next to 3 giant tablets in the room, as she pat the ground next to her.

Angrboda: "This...is how I know you and everyone else in Ethan's life."

I knelt down next to her and looked at the tablets. The leftmost tablet showed two figures called 'Laufey' and 'Farbauti' alongside two more human figures labeled 'Loki' and 'Angrboda', a wolf, snake, and a slightly shorter horned figure, which could only be the children of the two of them. And yet something stood out in that depiction. In Laufey's arms was a little bundle of lines labeled 'Eíthürr'.

"Is this...Ethan's birth?"

Angrboda: "Yep...that day was filled with good memories. Atreus always was upset he didn't have a sibling growing up. He was constantly in a good mood that day...always teasing his parents on why it took so long for them to give him a sibling."

I smiled at the tone Angrboda had while talking about it. She clearly remembered that day well. Looking onward though, things changed rapidly, as right below that depiction, two figures labeled 'Rizevim' and 'Cruach' respectively, and some sort of dragon labeled 'Alatreon' were shown above the figures of Farbauti and Laufey lying down on the ground, while Loki was carrying Eíthürr in his arms. Angrboda and her children were depicted dragging Loki away from the depiction.

"What happened...?"

Angrboda: "An event we now call the reemergence...which I know for certain is the single worst thing I've ever been apart of..."

She stayed silent and it was obvious she was not happy at all to recall this moment.

"This is where Kratos and Laufey died then..."

Angrboda nodded silently as I continued to read through the panel at the bottom right. Loki, Angrboda, and their children were fighting hundreds of thousands of...something labeled 'Draugr' and even some bigger creatures called 'apostles', eventually leading to Eíthürr being left on the steps of a house in Midgard.

That was where everything ended on the leftmost panel, then on the middle panel, the door to that house was open and two new figures were picking up Eíthürr. The names of those figures were 'Zeoticus' and 'Venelana', and next to Venelana...was a very small figure named 'Rias'

Right after that, a pawn piece was seen in between Rias and Eíthürr alongside a queen, knight, rook, and bishop going to 4 figures labeled 'Akeno', 'Kiba', 'Koneko', and 'Gasper', with each of us having something indicating our true heritage other than devils, as Akeno had black angel wings, Kiba...well...had a destroyed sword underneath him, Koneko had cat ears over her head, and I...had fangs. After that though, it showed all  the remaining seven pawns traveling to a figure named Issei.

After that, well, it retold our story, with a special focus on Ethan as he got more and more isolated from us all as Issei gained more power and respect as the ORC's membership grew over time. After that it showed Ethan losing his arm, being taken to Vali's group, and then recalling both his father's blades and his mother's axe while also learning about his nephew Fenrir. The last depiction on the panel was of Ethan activating his spartan rage for the first time in Asgard and collapsing to the ground.

Somehow, everything that happened to Ethan in his life was written down, almost exactly down to the bone. The next panel was all about Ethan's journey to acquiring the berserker armor via his meetings with Freya and his biological family, his fight with Thor and Odin, his unleash of power at the meeting, his trip to Alfheim, where he met Leia and Angrboda, learning to control the armor, and returning back to Midgard. The last things depicted on the panel were Ethan's fight with Thor in the underworld...and his fight with the bear, who was interestingly, named Loki...

"That doesn't...what? There's no way..."

Angrboda: "No way about what?"

"That bear that Ethan fought was Loki?!"

Angrboda: "Seems like it...Ethan must've hid that from all of you."

"But...how!? Wouldn't Ethan be more concerned and want to warn us all about this after what he put us through?"

Angrboda: "Everything is not always how it seems Gasper."

I felt confused at everything before looking at her worried.

"Hearing that from you is not comforting..."

Angrboda huffed as she turned around.

"Wait a minute...I thought the giant's visions stopped after that last vision of Ethan going berserk..."

Angrboda: "Every giant has their life story already written out for them, no matter how influential or powerful they may become in the future...what's odd is how Ethan's story is much longer than most other stories."

Gasper: "Really? How long are most stories?"

Angrboda: "Well...usually only events such as these are written...but they only take up 3 panels. Compare that to the fact that Eíthürr's story most likely isn't even close to being complete...and we have a mystery on our hands."

"...and why do I need to know this? I'm happy I'm learning Ethan's actually being seen as a jötunn by his people, but this literally does nothing in the long run for me.

Angrboda: "Well...there's something else..."

I looked at her with the most "kill me please" expression I could muster as she reached over to a piece of a panel on the ground and handing it to me...there was a part of 3 similar depictions.

The first depiction was clearly Ethan standing above a figure on the ground, a pool of blood around them, interestingly, with some sort of spear in his hand. The figure had a sword...and something else attached to their hip. Their name was unfortunately missing...but I could make out the characters " i l" in the place the name was supposed to be in.

The second depiction had Ethan in the berserker armor and Loki in his bear form standing beside each other above...someone named 'Gná' and two more similarly sized figures whose names were missing. Interestingly, I could also see half of some sort of black hole above them...which strangely had Sköll and Hati running towards it...

Maybe it's an eclipse?

Moving on, the third depiction was actually showing a wedding, which to my lack of shock, was between Ethan and Leia, although now, it was her true name written down as 'Leiœrtheia'. That one got a good smile out of me.

Angrboda then grabbed the piece and then looked at it, her eyes suddenly started to glow yellow as a yellowish-sand began to surround the depiction of the wedding...and then...more and more figures were forming around Ethan.

At first I wasn't really surprised by some names, like 'Kuroka', for others I was a bit taken off guard like 'Sona' being present in the picture, and even a name I didn't know yet like 'Ingvild''...but then...Irina?...Koneko? Rias...Akeno?... DIDNT THEY JUST REJECT THE FUCKER!? LITERALLY EVERY GIRL IN THE ORC EXCEPT ASIA IS HERE!

"What the shit?"

Angrboda: "The biggest reason for me knowing you all is that most of you in the ORC will all become my husband's sisters-in-law in the future."

"How...WHAT?! That can't be what happens! They're so happy with Issei...the idea of them leaving him is completely insane!"

Angrboda deadpanned at me.

Angrboda: "Agreed, but I can't exactly control Eíthürr's or Issei's fate can't I?"

My mind was sufficiently boggled by this completely stupid revelation. What the fuck Ethan.

"This is stupid, this has literally nothing to do with Ethan's story. Don't most special giants have something that, I don't know, AFFECTS THE ENTIRE WORLD?!"

Angrboda: "That's what I'm trying to figure out, Ethan clearly has something big in store for him. The big question is...what is that 'thing?', other than getting married? Or could it be that this marriage marks something else?"

"Hm..."

Angrboda: " And that's why Ymir brought you here. You're going to be a reporter on the inside and tell me anything that seems off to you. Then we can try to see if any events are either going to occur or not occur."

"You see, I don't really want to do that though. If I'm going through this alongside Ethan, I don't want to try to bend reality to try and make something happen for him."

Angrboda nodded in acknowledgment.

Angrboda: "That is true. The fact fate is always at work in the strangest ways doesn't make things any better."

She kept on staring at me with an intrigued expression.

Angrboda: "How about this, I can give you a device that would allow a sort of silent communication, how does that sound?"

"What purpose does that even serve you?"

Angrboda: "It gives me an opportunity to see what's going on through his eyes, which is not only entertaining to me, but also important for me and my partners to work with to make sure fate doesn't bend in favor of...well..."

The giantess pointed towards the mural of the two figures over the corpses of Kratos and Laufey.

"Are they still around?"

Angrboda: "Unfortunately...yes"

"Do we have any idea of what this mystery faction is?"

Angrboda: "Somewhat, yes."

An alarm suddenly sounded in the treehouse as Angrboda pressed a button to stop said alarm.

Angrboda: "Well then, it looks like your time is up...Ymir should be sending you back to the red dragon emperor's house now."

"Wait what?! Why all of a sudden!"

Angrboda quickly threw me a small cylindrical object which quickly disintegrated into golden essence.

Angrboda: "If you have any questions, feel free to ask any of my children, they'll have clearer answers for you."

Golden sand began to surround me as I began to panic.

"Wait what! No! What is all of thi-"

Angrboda: "Say hello to Ethan for me~!"

I was suddenly transported back to my bed and hurriedly checked my surroundings to make sure I was actually in my bed.

"What the fuck just happened?"

I sat still trying to process everything. Ethan becoming a god was a much larger event than I could've imagined if Ymir, WHO IS THE FIRST AND MOST POWERFUL BEING IN NORSE MYTHOLOGY, is paying attention.

Honestly, I was just tired at that point, so after about five minutes, I just collapsed onto my bed and fell asleep.

Ethan POV

When I woke up, it was a real pain to even move anything at all...literally. The berserker armor may have nullified any feelings of pain and healed up all my injuries I obtained from Thor, but when the venom from the armor finally drained out of me, anything that was injured in the battle became INCREDIBLY SORE.

Curse my streak of constantly getting into squabbles with enemies I really have no business going up against.

It took me a solid 10 minutes for me to be able to sit up in the bed without hissing from pain and waking my nephews, niece, and Leia up, and an extra 15 minutes for me to actually take off the berserker armor and put on a semi-normal outfit.

Nonetheless, I eventually made it down to the living room, where I found Kiba up in the living room cooking breakfast. Once he made eye contact with me, he smiled at my presence.

Kiba: "Good morning to you Ethan!"

"Good morning..."

I groaned in pain as I walked down towards the couch of the living room. Kiba, being the nice guy he was, helped me onto the couch before heading back into the kitchen.

Kiba: "So, I'm guessing that battle didn't leave you completely unaffected huh?"

"Makes sense really...I wouldn't be surprised if every bone in my body was broken..."

Kiba huffed in a laughing manner before continuing to flex his cooking skills on me.

Kiba: "So, word is that Sirzechs himself is putting up an address to the rest of the underworld in response to that battle this afternoon, feeling nervous?"

"Sort of..."

I looked down at my prosthetic hand and clenched it before ultimately deciding that Sirzechs will do his best to paint me out in a beneficial light and calmed myself down.

"Moving on, is there anything else we're doing today?"

Kiba: "We shouldn't be if it was a normal day, but with your luck, who knows?"

I playfully rolled my eyes as I turned on the television and started to watch some news flashes throughout the supernatural world...why? Because quite frankly, it was just a strange habit Rias and her family had while he was growing up.

Every single news channel that was part of the 3 factions was on a countdown to Sirzechs' speech about the 'mysterious wolf figure', as I was called.

"Dang, I really am famous now huh?"

Kiba chuckled.

Kiba: "With your display of power against Thor and your true heritage now revealed, I would be surprised if you don't get swarmed at the next underworld meet-up party."

I immediately shook my head at the idea of that. I specifically wanted to be recognized by my peerage and nothing else. I was pretty bad at interacting with anyone outside of the group that I wasn't immediately familiar with.

"Yeah...I wish I wasn't though."

Footsteps were heard from the staircase, who were found to be from Asia. Once she saw Kiba cooking, she immediately rushed to the counters to ask what he was cooking. It took her a bit of time to realize I was sitting on the couch

Asia: "Oh, Ethan!"

She immediately rushed over to me and sat down next to me and began to scan my body.

Asia: "Are you feeling anything after taking the armor off? Do you need me to heal anything?"

I shook my head and chuckled at her. She was way too pure for this world. It's a miracle she's the way she is right now with everything she's gone through.

"I'm feeling a little sore all over, but overall? I'm not injured in the slightest."

I gave her a smile, but she gave me a pout as she then began to heal me. Almost immediately the stiffness in my body went away and I was able to move freely like normal.

Asia: "So...you must feel pretty good right now..."

I looked at her curiously.

"Why do you say that?"

Asia: "You made up with Rias last night right?"

I began to laugh quietly as I recalled our conversation.

"I would say we did...but how did you know that? You weren't there to witness the conversation."

Asia began to smile and then quickly stood up and brought me onto my feet before bringing me to the table.

Asia: "Rias was so happy whenever she entered our room last night! And when we asked if she talked to you, she broke out into a giggling fit after nodding!"

That caught me off guard and I felt a huge feeling of pride within me for being able to actually help her out. Asia wasn't even done with her conversation before I started to enter a giggling fit myself. Asia herself actually gasped in astonishment.

Asia: "Ethan! You're laughing! Like genuinely laughing!"

I only began to laugh harder as we arrived at the dining room table. Asia then began to laugh as well.

Hel: "What's with all the noise down here!? There's people trying to sleep you know."

"Oh shut up Hel."

In the next two minutes, almost everyone in the ORC came down, alongside my nephews and Leia and we all sat down to eat breakfast together.

Irina: "Look at you Ethan! You're way more cheerful now!"

Issei: "I know right!? Holy crap! When was the last time I heard you laugh like that?"

I smiled as I bit into Kiba's meal.

"Don't know, can't exactly remember."

Rossweisse: "It's good to see you happy Ethan. After everything that's occurred, you need it."

I then felt a pair of arms wrap around me and suddenly a very familiar voice played.

Akeno: "Agreed. Your happiness is very important to everyone here. Especially me~!"

I naturally felt my face heat up at the contact and I looked to Rias for help...but she just nodded while giving me a smile and then did nothing to stop her. So I just closed my eyes, smiled, and then pried her arms off of me before looking at her.

"Really~am I that important to you~?"

Akeno: "Ara~when did you become like this?"

Leia: "Alright! That's enough! Ethan! Eat!"

Leia almost immediately stood in between me and Akeno and sent me a death glare. I just playfully winked at her before continuing to eat.

"Wait a second...where's Koneko and Gasper?"

I heard an unhappy 'hmph' in response and saw Koneko on the stairs glaring at me.

"Ah, sorry, I didn't quite see you there."

Koneko didn't make a single sound as she went into the kitchen and grabbed a dish of her own before sitting down at the table.

"Ehm...are you still upset at me?"

The nekoshou huffed as she turned away from me in a very 'tsundere'-like style.

Rias: "Koneko...come on."

Koneko: "No."

"It's fine Rias...at least she's here."

Koneko rolled her eyes as she began to eat.

"Moving on...where's Gasper?"

Kiba: "I think he's still asleep...although he doesn't usually sleep in this much."

"I'll go check. I'll be right back."

I stood up and went back upstairs and was about to enter his room when all of a sudden, Fenrir was at my feet sniffing the floor right next to his door.

Fenrir: "I can tell he's still sleeping...and it's likely he'll be sleeping until the middle of the day."

"Why do you say that buddy?"

Fenrir: "I can smell the Utangard in his room...that means he was transported to Jötunheim. Judging by how fresh the scent is, he likely arrived back here at 4:00 AM at the earliest."

"Can you tell when he departed then?"

Fenrir: "No...but it had to occur when everyone was asleep in the house...which means that, for him, he was in Jötunheim for just 30 minutes, which equates to about 5-6 hours in Midgard."

"So you're telling me he was in Jötunheim the whole night?!"

Fenrir: "You have no right to be concerned after you stayed in Alfheim away from everyone for 3 weeks."

I immediately shut my mouth in embarrassment and shook my head. My nephew was right...obviously.

"...should we let him sleep for the day then?"

Fenrir: "As long as nothing substantial happens, I say we do."

I nodded before I walked back downstairs to the table. Everyone looked at me expecting to see our little dhampir bishop with us, but quickly everyone realized what happened.

"Bro wants to sleep in for the day. Are you fine with that Rias?"

Rias nodded.

Rias: "Nothing is planned for today...so he should be able to skip the day...why is he sleeping in may I ask?"

I looked over to Fenrir and shrugged and he shrugged back at me.

Fenrir: "He got transported to Jötunheim overnight, and spent the entire night there awake."

Rossweisse immediately looked at us with confusion.

Rossweisse: "I beg your pardon, but Jötunheim!? It's impossible to travel there..."

Fenrir: "Say that to Ymir himself who transported him there. I can recognize the scent of a jötunn anywhere."

Rossweisse: "...but why would Ymir bring him to the realm? There's not anything important there...right?"

Hel: "Debatable...but yes, most of the realm is inhabitable, and it is completely desolate."

"I don't have an idea of what could've happened to him when he was over in Jötunheim...perhaps you and your younger brother can stay behind and ask him some things while we're at school."

Fenrir looked over at Jörmungandr and snorted. The latter rolled his eyes and hissed.

Hel: "Can't you guys watch your language around everyone...for Ymir's sake it's not that bad to be stuck together!"

Hel's older siblings rolled their eyes as I sat down at the table once again and finished our breakfast before it was time for us to go to school.

The trip to the school was relatively normal and proceeded to be relatively the same as usual when we entered the school together and got ogled by most of the students. As usual, there was a large amount of people yelling in jealousy at Issei's situation as, even though they never acted like they were in a relationship in public, the girls always tried to stick as close as possible to him.

Unusually though, Rias actually stuck closer to me this time around, in fact, both Akeno and Rias were making it VERY clear that they were close to me by holding my hands.

Now usually, I would fucking love this situation, but the fact that my niece was staring at me with mischievous eyes and the fact that Leia was glaring at the two of them as she basically walked right in front of me made me a bit uncomfortable.

That and the fact that I was trying to forget them, but eh, how big of an impact would that REALLY have?

"Alright then everyone, I'm going to check in with the student council to see if they're alright, I'll see you at lunch?"

Everyone agreed to that, and I made my way down to the student council office, in which, almost every member of Sona's peerage was present.

I'm going to be completely honest, I didn't know most of them, except for Saji, Tsubaki, Momo, and Sona herself, so seeing them all stare at me quietly as I entered was pretty unnerving.

Sona: "Ah, Ethan, you're here."

I nervously clenched my mouth shut as I nodded.

"I came here to see if you needed any help with anything after all the trouble that I caused yesterday."

Sona slightly tilted her head at me, a small frown on her face.

Sona: "You didn't cause anything, you didn't expect Thor to arrive—none of us did. You did what you needed to get rid of him. You don't need to beat yourself up over that."

I smiled at her words and Sona motioned her peerage to continue on with their duties. Eventually, everyone was out of the room except for me, Sona, and Tsubaki.

Sona: "Actually...I do have a request for you Ethan..."

Sona then began to blush a little as she bent downward and picked up a chess board.

Sona: "...Do you care for a match?"

My eyes immediately widened at her request. Growing up with Rias also meant practically growing up with Sona as well. I knew everything about her marriage situation and how she got out of it—and how someone can become her spouse if they beat her in a game of chess.

Basically, she fucking proposed to me.

Tsubaki also grew concerned almost immediately upon hearing her request.

Tsubaki: "P-president! Do you realize what you just said!?"

Sona raised her hand to silence her.

Sona: "Yes, I know full well what I'm risking by asking this. However it's been a while since I had a good conversation with Ethan and even longer since I've had a good chess opponent."

Sona then turned her gaze to me.

Sona: "So, what do you say Ethan?"

"...are you sure you want to do this. Not to sound arrogant or anything, but there is always the chance I could beat you...and then you'll have to sign your freedom away...and then—!"

Sona: "It's fine Ethan, please, I insist."

I shakily nodded then as I sat down on the opposite side of the table.

Sona: "Which side will you be? White or black?"

"Black. I want to make this easier for you to win."

Sona huffed as she placed her pieces on the board and then moved her D pawn forward two spaces.

Sona: "So, I assume you've made up with Rias judging by the attitude you both had walking here."

I chuckled and nodded as I moved my same pawn forward to block it..

"Yeah...we had a conversation last night about how we felt about my whole ascension ordeal. She was able to bare her soul to me, and so was I."

Sona: "Good. I hated to see you two acting so unnaturally around each other."

We continued to play onward and we became more and more focused and less talkative as more rounds passed.

Rias may have been a pretty good chess player due to her responsibility as the king of her peerage, but Sona was on a whole other level. I was usually able to beat my previous master within about 10-15 turns, and yet, as those rounds passed for us, we were both making sacrifices to specific pieces, each of us making attempts to break through our defenses.

You may be wondering how I learned to play chess so well. To be frank, it was just a whole ton of computer matches I played during the time Rias and the other's attention was off of me and on Issei.

Eventually though I saw a weakness, and I took full advantage of it, soon taking out most of her pieces and leaving her with her king, a rook, and about 3 pawns. I had a knight, a bishop, my king, and 4 pawns.

Eventually, I was able to trap her king with a bunch of checks before I eventually put her into checkmate.

"And...Checkmate! Dang you're a really good player So–"

I didn't realize what I just did until I looked up and saw her blushing face looking at me. I immediately panicked.

"...I RESIGN FROM THE MATCH!"

Tsubaki: "Too late..."

"I..."

I immediately stood up and timidly looked at Sona, still staring at me, before booking the hell out of that room and towards my classroom.

"Why the fuck did I accept that offer! Ethan you're such a fucking idiot! Goddammit!"

I suddenly saw the doors to my classroom and practically broke them down as I entered the classroom, and put my head on my desk in a face plant.

Issei: "Uh...Ethan? Are you ok?"

Rossweisse: "I'm of the same opinion, did something happen?"

I looked up and just shook my head.

"I screwed something up big time, carry on the lesson without me."

I then proceeded to face-plant into my desk and hide my embarrassment from the rest of the classroom, much to the concern of Asia, Issei, and Rossweisse.

Gasper POV

I opened my eyes only to get completely blinded by the sunlight blasting through my window. I immediately snapped awake and closed the curtains so that I could actually begin to see around my room.

Strangely enough, I didn't hear the noise of anyone else throughout the household. In fact it was dead silent. It wasn't until I checked my alarm that I began to panic.

"IT'S 11 O'CLOCK?!"

I quickly then rushed around my room to try and get my uniform on before I heard someone stepping by up to my door and knocking.

"Who is it?"

Fenrir: "It's Fenrir, can I come in?"

"Uh...yeah...sure..."

I opened the door to see a shockingly small Fenrir standing on the other side of the door alongside a smaller Jörmungandr. They both allowed themselves into my room and sat down on my bed.

"Sorry about everything, but I gotta go, I'm going to be late for school!"

Fenrir: "You don't need to worry about that. Rias said it was fine for you to skip for the day."

"Why did she say that? She usually doesn't like it when we don't arrive."

Jörmungandr: "Because she knew where you were last night. We all do."

I looked at my hands, and strangely enough, the small device Angrboda gave me materialized in my hands.

"So it wasn't a dream..."

Fenrir: "Far from it."

"Wait...so it's possible for people to just dream themselves into Jötunheim?"

Jörmungandr: "You're missing some parts. First off, you need to gain Ymir's will in order for him to want you to take you to his realm. Secondly, you need to be trusted by them. And knowing my race, that's a very hard thing to accomplish."

I thought through what they said. The giants were, after all according to Ethan, a very secretive race. Then, I remembered him saying something about Thor doing...something to them all. Considering how angry Rossweisse, his nephews, and niece got whenever Issei asked what he did...that led to only once conclusion...

A genocide

"Wait...so how much giants are left now...?"

Jörmungandr looked at me intrigued.

Jörmungandr: "When it comes to pure blooded giants, there's only three, one of which, you met last night. When you talk about beings who are part giant, then we have a slightly larger amount."

I kept my shock to myself as I tried to process what they said. Almost every single giant is dead. Only Angrboda, some other pair of giants, Loki, Ethan, Fenrir and his children, Jörmungandr, Hel, and Thor alongside his children were left.

"I guess it isn't exactly hard to gain their trust now...isn't it..."

Fenrir's ears flattened on his head as he whined a small amount.

"I'm sorry for what you went through by the way."

Fenrir and Jörmungandr both looked at me confused.

Jörmungandr: "Define 'what we went through?'"

"Well...your mom called it the reemergence—"

Almost immediately Fenrir and Jörmungandr's eyes narrowed and both of them started to growl. The former's hair on his neck began to stand on end and the latter's poison began to leak out of his teeth. It was safe to say, they DID NOT like to be reminded of it at all. In fact, it had such a large affect on them to the point where it took a good 30 seconds, but they eventually calmed down and sighed in acceptance.

Fenrir: "Well...we're glad you care."

"Ok...to move on from that subject...did you guys already know the things that Angrboda showed me?"

Jörmungandr: "It depends on what you talk to us about. Mother does have a way of being sneaky with her conversations around different people."

"Ok, so let's start with something simple...did you guys know that Loki was actually the bear that Ethan fought a couple days ago?"

Fenrir and Jörmungandr both nodded.

"Ok...what about Loki and Ethan taking down an individual named Gná?"

This time, the sons of Loki looked at me confused.

Fenrir: "That's...strange to find out...considering Gná is one of the highest ranked out of all the Valkyries in Valhalla...why would they need to fight her?"

Jörmungandr: "Was there anymore detail mother gave to that story?"

"There was...I believe an eclipse...Sköll and Hati seemed to be chasing it."

Both of the two looked at each other with wide eyes as something seemed to click in her head.

Fenrir: "You don't think..."

Jörmungandr: "She's a damn apostle!"

I remembered the word 'apostle' from the depictions of Loki and his family fighting off a horde of them on the panel, so that stood out to me.

"Wait...what are you talking about...? What's an apostle?"

Fenrir and Jörmungandr looked at each other and nodded before they looked at me with a serious tint in their eyes.

Fenrir: "If you want to know, then you have to swear not to tell anyone else who lives in this house."

Jörmungandr: "Except maybe Hel and Uncle Eíthürr."

Fenrir glared at his younger brother before returning his gaze back to me.

"Alright then...I won't tell anyone."

They both gave nods of approval as Fenrir sat down.

Fenrir: "To discuss what an apostle is, we must go back to the event we now call the reemergence. At this point, Uncle Eíthürr was just 2 months old. Life at the shack was happy and carefree...mother and father both took every opportunity to tease grandmother and grandfather about how long it took to have another son."

I gave them a bittersweet smile and allowed them to go onward with their story, odds are, things were not going to become better.

Jörmungandr: "However...as you know, all good things do not last forever. One day, the sky darkened, and a strange foreign presence entered the area. Everyone noticed it, even young Eíthürr, who at that point just learned how to walk."

I suddenly started to feel a sense of dread as the story continued.

Fenrir: "The next thing we know, an eclipse formed in the sky for just a moment...and three figures descended upon us...they introduced themselves as Alatreon, the Blazing Black Dragon, Rizevim Livan Lucifer, the son of the original Lucifer, and Crom Cruach, the strongest evil dragon."

Jörmungandr: "They then...proceeded to mark all of us...at least almost all of us...with this..."

Both Fenrir and Jörmungandr turned around. Hidden in the nape of Jörmungandr's neck was a mark, and on the left hind calf of Fenrir's leg was also an identical mark.

"What is that mark for?"

Fenrir: "A brand...of sacrifice, whoever bears this mark, is targeted by undead rogue spirits, evil dragons, other undead creatures, and, most importantly... apostles. Whenever night falls upon the land, these beings manifest into a physical form around the targets...and relentlessly attack them."

"Do most targets actually survive?"

They both sadly shook their head.

Jörmungandr: "These marks do not go away until the target dies...and with our knowledge, no one else has actually removed the mark...you can only struggle through life with it, constantly fighting every single night until you find a small window to sleep when the sun rises."

I looked down to the ground and frowned.

"Who wasn't marked...?"

Fenrir: "Eíthürr was the only one to avoid getting marked due to Father's efforts."

Jörmungandr: "But to return to our original story. Rizevim fought grandfather, while grandmother fought Crom Cruach. Unfortunately for them, their power exceeded anything we could've expected...and they both perished in battle to protect us...we had to retreat from the cabin they lived in order to survive."

Fenrir: "We recognized that we were putting Eíthürr's life in danger just by being near him, so we decided to drop him off in front of a vacation house of a special devil family in hopes of him being taken in...thankfully, that gamble worked out for the better."

"Wait...you dropped him off at the Gremory household without knowing if they'll take him in or not!?"

Both siblings nodded while also flinching slightly at my tone.

Fenrir: "Desperate times call for desperate measures...having another person for us to protect would've been harmful for us in the long run."

I shook my head in shock. The depictions on the panel were the result of actions that were completely based on luck that could've gone horribly wrong if the details were changed even just a little.

"...so apostles are like minions of Rizevim and Crom Cruach?"

Fenrir: "Well, we believe that they work in a large group that works behind the scenes to bend causality and fate to go into their favor. If they were part of any organization, then they'd be one of the higher ranking members."

Jörmungandr: "To put it simply. Yes, apostles act like small elitists in the deranged armies they command. They are specific beings that are often wooed into throwing away everything they love alongside their original heritage to gain power that trumps their original forms."

Fenrir: "To put it simply, it's an extremely deranged version of the evil pieces system you devils always use."

I nodded at the information and stayed silent. Whatever the case was for the purpose of these apostles, they weren't up to anything good.

"Do they have any special abilities that allow us to find out which beings are apostles?"

Fenrir: "They have an extreme resistance to damage of pretty much any kind unless the damage is from anything of a jötunn, greek, Hindu, or angelic nature. However, the need to actually attack the being to test it out by itself a risky move, especially if a high ranking being like Gná is a suspect."

"Not the best way to find out if you're trying to be subtle then..."

The two brothers nodded. I then had a realization about the circumstances of them being here.

"Wait...why the hell are you staying around here if you endanger us each night?"

Fenrir and Jörmungandr both shrugged.

Fenrir: "Our brand's effects have been toned down immensely due to that skeleton knight and Freya's magic. Weaker beings like angry spirits or draugr only arise for about 3 hours a night around me and my siblings."

Jörmungandr: "The fact that father deliberately sticks around the borders of the town without an altered brand naturally leads to the spirits summoned around us to try to attack him instead of us, allowing us to live a relatively normal life.

It took a moment to process that. Loki, the god who supposedly was the biggest threat the peerage has ever faced, was deliberately sacrificing his own health and safety to ensure his children and brother would not be affected by the unfortunate hands in life they were given.

"Wow...your dad must be strong then huh?"

Fenrir snorted.

Fenrir: "He has yet to let out his full strength in all the time I've known him. That clone that you fought against with everyone in Asgard was apparently only a fifth of his full power, so I can't even imagine what happens when Father actually gets angry."

"He can probably match Ethan whenever he enters a spartan rage...!"

Suddenly another realization hit me.

"Wait! If he is the reason all of you modified the berserker armor. Could it be that he was preparing for Ethan's ascension!?"

Jörmungandr: "I wouldn't be surprised if he did plan it all out...both mother and father are shockingly spectacular at manipulating the strings of fate."

I took a faint step back and blinked. Holy shit, life just got a bit more exciting.

???: "Why, thank you for the compliment."

All of us shot up in alarm and turned around to see Loki leaning on the doorway looking into the room.

Jörmungandr: "Father!? What are you doing here?"

Loki: "Angrboda just updated me on the situation Gasper just went through, figured I could drop by and say hello."

Gasper: "Angrboda talked to you!? But she said she cut ties with you!"

Loki rolled his eyes and chuckled, while his children just huffed.

Loki: "That's what she said to you in Jötunheim huh? You should know by now that reality isn't always what you think it is Gasper."

I felt stupid for a moment and stared at the floor in embarrassment. It takes literally only two brain cells to figure out that, yeah, Loki isn't as bad as we thought he was, so of course, he's still with her.

Loki: "So, how's my brother? Has he progressed with any of his future fiancés?"

I got snapped out of my embarrassment and sat up at an unnatural speed and looked at him in shock.

"What!?—oh wait...yeah that..."

Loki: "Looks like you're still trying to process that huh?"

"It's so weird to think of them all...feeling that way for him...I mean it feels impossible quite frankly."

Loki: "Yeah, that would take a large amount of time to get used to."

"But...no, for now, I don't think he's made any romantic advances towards anyone. I don't think any developments were made last night concerning any of the peerage members..."

Fenrir snorted.

Fenrir: "Yeah right, you weren't awake to eat breakfast with us this morning. Rias and Akeno were practically hooked on him. In fact, he's the happiest he's been in a good amount of time. Who knows? Maybe that friendliness will lead to romantic affection."

Jörmungandr: "I still don't believe it'll play out ever. Leia, Kuroka, Sona, and perhaps that Ingvild girl are the only people I'd imagine Eíthürr wanting to marry right now. If any of the others tried to even date him, he'd reject them all in a heartbeat."

"That what I'm saying! And why is this marriage so much of an important event that it needs to be written down in his story?"

Loki shrugged.

Loki: "At this point, me and my wife don't know...and all the places we've searched for more panels have not yielded any returns. There is always the possibility that it's just a marriage ceremony, which is usually an extremely special moment in someone's life."

I nodded in acknowledgment and looked out the window of my room before sighing.

"Everything is just becoming so weird now...all of a sudden, because of something we never intended, Ethan reveals he's a GOD! The things we thought we knew about your family turn out to be complete ruses, and now you're telling me you're getting hunted by some sort of mystery enemy while Ethan is about to cause something that WILL bring tensions to the household whenever it occurs."

Loki clenched his jaw and his sons looked downwards to the floor, a noticeable sad expression on his face.

Loki: "I know life will not be easy for everyone here Gasper. I truly understand that, and I am sorry for dragging you into our conflict. But I know you and everyone else here will struggle through it, and endure...everyone has proven that they're capable of doing such. Look at you, Asia, Rias, Akeno, Kiba, and Rossweisse. Even people like Koneko, Xenovia, and Irina are all going through things that they're still trying to figure out. The one thing in common is that, no matter how bad life kicked you onto the ground, at one point or another, you all gained the courage to overcome the obstacles your life presented you."

I looked down at the ground, and suddenly an image of my childhood friend Valerie flashed in my head. Right after that, I looked at the cardboard box on the ground that I always used to hide in before Ethan helped me learn to become more sociable.

I frowned at the memory...even today I wonder where she went after I escaped that disgusting place.

But then...I remembered how everything changed once I was introduced to Ethan. Slowly but surely, he helped push me out of the dark place I found myself in. Whether it was Ethan or Issei, they wouldn't have been able to help any of us if it weren't for us actually wanting to grow past those bad memories ourselves.

Loki: "I mean this genuinely Gasper. Out of every potential adopted family we could have given to Ethan, you're in the best group in the world when it comes to dealing with what the future may bring. I can't imagine a better family for him...and I would imagine Ethan would say the same."

I smiled at him and looked down at my hands before intertwining them in front of me before turning to another picture I had on the walls of my room. It was a picture of all of us before Issei joined the peerage, and quite frankly, Ethan was pretty much the only genuinely happy looking one in the picture. Everyone else was smiling, but I could tell we were all fake smiling.

Contrast that to a picture much more recent, right before our trip to Asgard and right before Rossweisse joined the peerage. Now, everyone else had genuine smiles...except for Ethan himself, who was putting on more of a fake smile than any of us ever were on the previous photo.

I frowned at the image before the conversation we all had on our day out came into my head. Despite everything, he was still the empathetic kind and wonderful person he was before everything.

"You...really believe in us that much...?"

Loki smiled as he nodded and huffed in a happy manner before he turned around to leave.

Loki: "Well then, I think now's a good time for me to go..."

Loki chuckled as he looked around the house.

Loki: "...I don't think most of your friends would appreciate seeing me here."

I shook my head and quietly laughed at him. Fenrir and Jörmungandr just seemed done with him, and practically threw him out of the room.

Loki: "I'll see you guys later!"

Jörmungandr: "Yeah yeah...get out of here old man."

Ethan's brother faked an expression of shock as he held a hand over his heart and left the house.

"You don't think you could've been more kind with your goodbyes?"

Jörmungandr: "I'm the middle child, so fuck the idea of any happy goodbyes."

Fenrir swatted his brother's face with his paw.

Fenrir: "And I'm the oldest, so my job is to tell you to shut the hell up."

The two brothers began to growl at each other before a golden light erupted in their ears and they both perked up.

Fenrir: "Hel just gave us a news bomb Gasper..."

"What is it now?! I listened to so much exposition that anyone that could've been listening to us is asleep!"

Fenrir: "Ethan has his first fiancé."

I looked up at the wolf giant with an incredulous look.

"Who is it?!"

Jörmungandr: "Sona Sitri...Leia's not going to be happy at all about that..."

Fenrir: "Neither will that Kuroka girl..."

I just groaned as I slammed my face into my pillow and just screamed.

"WHAT THE FU—"

Timeskip to when they return home from school.

Whenever they arrived home, something was immediately off with how everyone was acting. For one, Sona was now with the group, and to add onto that point, she and Rias were practically killing each other with the glares they directed at each other, and were also constantly fighting the entire time they got here.

The rest of the peerage was pretty uncomfortable by the whole situation given that whenever I asked about it, they only gave single-worded questions. Leia had a murderous aura surrounding her whenever she arrived home, and Hel?

...well Hel just seemed apathetic to the whole thing, but who can blame her if she already knew it would happen to some extent?

Right now I was listening to Issei's side of the story. Apparently, Ethan 'accidentally' beat Sona in a chess match when he was meeting with her to repay any potential debts he may have brought around. Once she delivered the news to the peerage during lunchtime, Rias, uncharacteristically, snapped, and then proceeded to start to argue with her for the rest of the day.

Issei: "It's just so weird...you think this day will be a relatively normal day...and then something completely absurd has to occur."

I looked up to him with a relatively thoughtless expression on my face.

Issei: "You don't seem all that surprised about anything that's happening."

I shrugged as I looked at him.

"I've been with you throughout your time in the peerage...it's safe to say your adventure to actually acquiring your harem is pretty absurd. Besides, I've been surprised a whole lot in the last 24 hours. This is relatively tame in comparison."

Issei: "What...did you find out then...?"

I looked at him hesitantly and held my breath.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you. And if you did...I don't think you would like what I did find out."

Issei: "Come on...how bad can it be?"

I was going to continue my discussion until ANOTHER point of concern reared it's head.

Fenrir: "What do you mean that Eíthürr just split off from all of you on your way home!?"

Irina: "We didn't do anything! If anything, Rias and Sona basically told him to leave them alone!"

Kiba: "Ugh...just a couple hours before Sirzechs delivers his speech."

Fenrir: "And you guys did nothing to stop him?!"

The other peerage members, sitting down with Fenrir, all shook their heads sadly.

Fenrir: "Great..."

I then began to look upstairs in the direction Rias and Sona went and began to think about the whole situation. It didn't make any sense why Rias would get angry at something like this. Sure her best friend is now locked into a marriage, but if Sona allowed Ethan to play with her in the first place...there had to be some sort of romantic intent right?

"I say let him have some space. He did just drop a bomb on you guys anyway with that reveal. He's probably just giving Rias and Sona some space to sort themselves out."

Akeno: "But what if he...runs away again?"

I gave a questioning look towards Akeno at the sound of her tone. It wasn't just sad...it was genuine concern.

Leia: "Well he can stay away as long as he wants! I don't want to see him right now!"

Literally everyone deadpanned at her jealous tone, it was almost an exact copy of the tone Rias had when she was fighting the other girls over time with Issei.

Jörmungandr: "Sorry princess, but I think you're the only one who doesn't want to, so you're outvoted."

Fenrir snorted.

Fenrir: "Don't be upset that it didn't go your way when you did nothing to advance your relationship with him. If you want to be with him, you gotta put in more effort."

Hel: "Shut up Fenrir."

Almost immediately, the elf princess began to blush as we all moved on from the subject.

"About him running away Akeno...are you really asking if he's going to do that again...after how you two interacted this morning?"

Almost everyone smirked as they looked at her, Akeno shockingly, had a small amount of red form on her face.

Akeno: "I guess not..."

Xenovia: "How do you know what happened this morning? Weren't you asleep?"

"Oh I didn't. These two here just told me and I just gambled with that sentence."

I lowered my hand, which Fenrir then slapped with his paw while Jörmungandr hit it with his tail.

Hel: "I like the way you think Gasper."

We all began to laugh for a little bit before silence fell across the room once again.

Rossweisse: "Now then Gasper...Fenrir said you were transported to Jötunheim last night. Is that correct?"

I nodded and sat down next to everyone in the room.

Irina: "Ooh! Did you find out anything interesting? Is Ethan secretly going to be some super-being!?"

I looked at the sons of Loki with an unsure side-glance as they chuckled.

Jörmungandr: "I guess if you exaggerate it, it could be seen as that."

Irina: "Huh!? Wait, I was just joking!"

I shook my head and laughed as I began to explain what happened to me in Jötunheim—except the whole "Most of you will be betrothed to him in the future" part of the story.

Ethan POV

After the school day ended, the argument between Rias and Sona just got worse whenever I was around. Due to that, I decided to take a little walk away from the household and just walk around the city. As the day went on though, I eventually started to sense someone following me.

Thankfully, whoever was following just let me be, so I didn't really harbor any concern for this mystery being.

After about a walk that lasted 3 hours, I arrived at the location where I first met Atreus in his bear form. As expected, there was a massive clearing in the forest that made it look like a bomb blew up in the middle of it.

"Doesn't look any better huh...good thing this didn't take place in any urban area..."

I decided to sit down and think through everything that has gone on recently. Odds are, if I wanted life to be easier, I'm taking the complete opposite route that I need to travel down.

Bikou: "You know, you have a shocking history of being left alone from the rest of the peerage. You gotta fix that bad habit."

I looked up and smiled at his voice. Sure enough, almost everyone in Vali's group was there sitting on a tree above me.

"You have a shocking history of randomly showing up whenever I leave them alone for just 3 hours. I'm not running away from them dingus."

Vali: "Well at least you're not as immature as you were the first time you met us."

I shook my head to try and get that memory out of my head. Looking back...yeah I was a fucking loser, heck, I still am to an extent now.

"A little bit, but that's better than nothing."

Vali huffed and nodded in agreement.

Vali: "You seem to be more than capable of doing things on your own...why don't you?"

"Because that's not how I was raised. Things will always be better if you have someone to combine your abilities with. Even you, the white dragon emperor, could benefit from something like that."

Vali shook his head.

Vali: "I fully know that. The thing is, the power discrepancy between you and everyone else there is beyond anything I've ever witnessed in my life."

I shrugged my shoulders.

"Well then, I guess it's just fun to be around them."

Bikou: "That's what I was saying! Told you Mr. 'he has a tactical and political advantage'!"

I looked at Vali with a questioning look, but he just waved it off.

"So, what are you guys here for?"

Kuroka then slyly appeared behind me and embraced me.

Kuroka: "To see you of course~"

I rolled my eyes and pried her off of me.

"Good to see I have some sort of personal value to you guys."

Arthur: "Debatable, Vali just wants to have another strong opponent to fight."

"Yeah, I gathered that by now buddy."

Bikou: "As if...this guy is always asking what you're doing. He probably thinks of you as family or something."

Vali grunted as Kuroka giggled and Arthur huffed.

Vali: "Think what you will, I've been trying to find a way out of the cursed situation we brought ourselves into."

I looked at him genuinely shocked.

"Wait, you're trying to leave the brigade?"

The descendant of Lucifer nodded his head.

Vali: "Quite frankly, I've grown to dislike the company the group brings to all of us...it reminds me of some pretty bad things. Not to leave everyone else out, we've all been feeling this way for a while."

I looked at everyone for verification and they all nodded in agreement.

"Well...I'm happy you two want to leave the Brigade behind, but I can't exactly do anything to help you guys out. I may now have garnered some attention, but I can't just switch everyone's feelings about you guys around."

Vali: "Oh we know that. Bikou and Kuroka just wanted to update you...mostly Kuroka because that would mean she gets to visit you more."

I took a quick glance at Koneko's older sister before looking back to Vali.

"...right...like that's completely normal."

Arthur looked down towards his wrist and sighed, garnering the attention of all of us.

Arthur: "Looks like Sirzechs is talking about you right now...look."

A magical image appeared in his hands, which turned out to be a broadcast from Sirzechs addressing my new status as a god.

Sirzechs: "It has come to almost everyone's attention that a mysterious being destroyed a barrier between the realm of humans and the underworld—and then proceeded to fight Thor to a standstill. Understandably, I know a good amount of devils—and potentially other supernatural groups—are concerned about this mysterious being potentially causing havoc unmonitored. In most cases, I would be concerned about something of this magnitude...however, I have reason to believe that this new being will not cause any trouble for anyone at all."

I began to smile at Sirzechs' words. Damn, it is good to be friends with him!

Sirzechs: "The reason for this claim comes in the fact that this 'mystery individual'...actually does have an identity...that name, is Ethan Turner."

I internally cringed at that name, just because it was just so completely unlike anything the ORC members—or any other supernatural—were named. With most names, they usually had some sort of flare associated with their family or were connected to a specific part of the world— usually Japan, in which, Akeno, Kiba, Koneko, Asia, and Issei come to mind.

It was then I realized just how much I came to accept the name of Eíthürr. I've already pretty much accepted the name my mom gave to me when I was born.

Bikou: "Eugh...doesn't sound right knowing your true name."

Arthur: "Agreed...that just sounds wrong."

Sirzechs: "It was about 3 months ago that I, alongside the other faction leaders, discovered that the pawn of my sister is the biological son of the figure known as 'Laufey the Just' and the infamous Ghost of Sparta. To make a long story short, this indicates he is a god of both Olympian and Norse origin."

A good amount of gasps were heard right in front of him in his conference room.

Sirzechs: "It is due to his connection to my sister and her peerage is why I state that Ethan Turner, or, rather his true name, Eíthürr, is actually an ally of us all. That is all I have to state. Now, are there any questions?"

Immediately a bunch of chatter flared up in the hologram.

Arthur: "Seems like you're going to be off the hook."

"I guess so...even then other problems are still there for me...odds are I'm going to be either a person of scrutiny or praise across the underworld."

Vali: "And why do you care about that?"

"I mean...I'm basically a part of Sirzechs' family as a younger brother of sorts...I would hate to be the one to hurt his reputation around the world."

Vali: "Ok two things. One, you're being way too critical of yourself. Yes you needed to activate that armor to gain an even ground with Thor, but you weren't the one who instigated it, nor did you fight for a selfish purpose."

Almost all of Vali's team just deadpanned at the white dragon emperor since what he just stated was completely contradictory to why he left the factions behind in the first place.

Vali: "Two...why do you care about what others think about you? Rias has made it clear she doesn't like being in the underworld hasn't she? What you should be caring about is how the people close to you think about your actions...because those will be the only people who actually know who you are within."

I took a small time to think through it all, and surprisingly, yeah, he was right. Leia even tried to tell me the exact same thing when I was out in Alfheim.

"So...what do you guys think of it all?"

Almost everyone in the team brightened up with smiles at the question.

Arthur: "It's overall a good thing in my book. Your story is very much interesting."

Vali: "Agreed. You may just change everything in this world if you get lucky."

Bikou: "It's FUCKING AWESOME! ZERO TO HERO BABY!"

Kuroka: *fufu* "I love it~"

I rolled my eyes playfully at Kuroka's words while gratuitously smiling at everyone else.

Vali: "Believe me Ethan, your family at the household would probably think the same exact thing."

Vali looked down and shrugged while chuckling.

Vali: "Maybe even with a bit more affection."

I nodded.

"Yeah...I'll keep that in mind."

Arthur shut off the hologram and looked at me.

Arthur: "Well then Ethan, it was pleasant to see you again, but I feel now is the time to go. Right Vali?"

Arthur gave Vali what seemed to be a knowing look to which he responded by nodding.

Vali: "I suppose it's time to leave. It was nice to see you again Ethan."

That was always something strange to hear from Vali. He was always described as someone who was mostly emotionless and a cold individual. But, for me at least, I didn't really seem to get that impression.

Bikou: "First recorded instance of Vali being happy."

Vali: "Shut up."

I laughed with Bikou at his reaction as Vali quickly created a portal and teleported everyone away from our location—except for Kuroka, who stayed behind.

We just stood still in an awkward silence before Kuroka began to speak to me.

Kuroka: "So...I have a question..."

Kuroka's tone was absent of any flirtatiousness and she seemed to be nervous. Because of that, I immediately had an idea of what she was about to ask and my chest began to tighten nervously.

Kuroka: "How...do you feel about...us?"

I turned back to look at her.

"You're a friend to me right now...why do you ask?"

Kuroka's ears flattened on her head as she frowned.

Kuroka: "You...never thought of getting together with me...?"

"I'll be lying if I say the thought hasn't occurred to me Kuroka. With your advances, it's almost impossible for me not to think of you like that."

Kuroka gave me a hopeful look.

"But...I don't think it ever could work out between us...not without risking my relationship with your sister."

Kuroka slowly nodded, sadness starting to show itself across her face.

Kuroka: "I understand..."

We stayed silent like that for a bit before any one of us spoke again.

Kuroka: "I should...probably go..."

The Nekoshou turned around and started to talk to me when I suddenly had a thought occur to me.

"Wait..."

Kuroka stopped as she turned to look at me.

"...Look...I want to help out with your relationship with Koneko."

Kuroka looked at me with a confused expression before chuckling in a sarcastic manner.

Kuroka: "And how do you suppose I do that?"

"Well first...I need to know what actually happened that night."

Kuroka immediately frowned and clenched her jaw and began to look at the ground.

Kuroka: "Shirone already told you what happened, why should I?"

I walked up so that I was right next to her.

"I need to know what your side of the story is. Based on your reactions, it's a different tale compared to Koneko's."

She looked up to me with sad eyes before nodding and sitting on the ground and motioned for me to do the same.

Kuroka: "As you probably know...Shirone and I didn't have our parents for long...at all. So, we became devils of a separate peerage from your own."

I nodded as her hands clenched and blue senjutsu started to form on them.

Kuroka: "But my master was not who he claimed to be...he was a freak. A monster, trying to put himself in the same position as heaven's original ruler. The worst thing was...he hid it from all of us, showing off the facade of a caring and kind master..."

I immediately started to pay more attention because this part of the story was completely absent from Koneko's extremely brief story of the topic.

Kuroka: "I tried to ignore his disgusting behavior...but then he began to experiment on some members of our own peerage...and then he turned his eyes to Shirone..."

Her tone immediately grew angrier and angrier by the moment as she practically bursting with senjutsu.

Kuroka: "I had to stop him somehow from hurting my sister...but...the only way I could've done so..."

"...was killing your master..."

All of a sudden, the magic around the nekomata dissipated and her posture suddenly dropped as she looked at the ground.

Kuroka: "Yes...What I didn't plan for was for me to lose control of myself...right in front of her."

I frowned at Kuroka as the connection between Koneko effectively never using any of her own senjutsu finally clicked in my mind. She saw her sister in something akin to my berserker rage that was caused by something that was also in her own blood.

Kuroka: "After that...after seeing how terrified Shirone became of me...I ran...I left her behind."

Her voice started to break and tears began to form in her eyes.

Kuroka: "I knew that I had hurt her...but to see what she has become now...it hurts me every single time I see it more than I could ever imagine."

I immediately embraced her in a hug as she just sat there silently crying over the ordeal.

"Maybe you did hurt her...but in the end, you still saved her."

Kuroka nodded with her forehead rubbing on my shoulder.

"It wasn't an easy thing to enact. I understand that, but you took a chance—a leap of faith—and ultimately suffered both the successes and consequences of that...I did the exact same thing."

Kuroka looked at me confused.

Kuroka: "What do you mean?"

"I was gambling with my life when I ran away for the first time...and yes, while I did gain the abilities of a god and the attention that I always wanted, there was also bad things that came from it. Look at what happened yesterday with Thor deliberately instigating a fight with me. Even in the ORC, everyone had to find ways to accept my new nature...that ultimately led to me running away a second time."

Kuroka continued to stare at me and I looked back at her and gave her a small smile.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is...I know what you went through to an extent...and now, that just makes me more determined to help you out. You're not a bad person at all Kuroka, at least in my eyes."

Kuroka: "You...really mean that?"

I nodded and I could feel my smile grow. Kuroka then gave me a small smile of her own. What stood out to me was that it wasn't a lewd smile or any sort of suggestive grin...it was just a happy genuine smile.

"I have to say...if it weren't for my connection with Koneko, I would be pretty fine with dating you."

Kuroka immediately nuzzled into my chest and began to purr as her tails began to sway in a happy manner.

Kuroka: "Ok then! What if I made up with her? Would you allow me to be with you if that happens?"

I was about to nod when the thought of Sona earlier today came to the forefront of my mind.

"Maybe...but I already am engaged to someone..."

That was not a good thing to bring up. Almost immediately her smiled faded and she looked at me without any emotion.

Kuroka: "With who....?"

She sounded like a stereotypical yandere right now, so I knew if I said one more wrong thing, I would probably be dead.

"I-it's Sona! Sona Sitri. I accidentally beat her in a chess game and now she's declaring that I'm her fiancé!"

Kuroka's expression suddenly relaxed as she sat back.

Kuroka: "Oh...so you're only engaged over a chess game huh?"

I nodded.

Kuroka: "Great! Then that means that you don't feel any romantic feelings for her right?"

"I guess...?"

Kuroka: "Then it's fine! I'll show her how much more suitable I am for you than she is!"

I just looked at her slightly concerned but then tried to drop it to discuss Koneko.

"Ok, anyway, let's get back to you making up with your sister."

Kuroka eagerly sat down.

"Ok...so the first thing to do is to make sure she knows how you feel about her."

Kuroka: "She already does though...I show her every single time I see her."

"Show? I wouldn't exactly call your interaction with her in Asgard 'showing' affection. It sounds much more like you're teasing her, which is almost impossible to take seriously, especially from Koneko's point of view. You need to be more genuine with your emotions around her."

Kuroka frowned.

Kuroka: "I don't know how to do that..."

"That's why I'm here aren't I? Look at me, you probably wouldn't get anywhere without me."

Kuroka glared at me due to my words and I shut my mouth.

"Right, now isn't the time for jokes. Well...in my experience, showing real affection involves putting the other person's needs before your own...like if you're battling alongside her, make an extra effort to defend her. Showing that you're willing to put yourself in harms way to protect her will cause Koneko to see the light in you—even if just a little."

Kuroka slowly nodded. She must be trying to process it all since she's probably not genuinely interacted with Koneko in satan-knows-how-long.

"But, if you're just speaking to her, try to just...be serious and genuine. There's times to tease and not to tease, but in a situation like this, it is almost completely forbidden."

Kuroka nodded once again as she looked at me in silence. After about 10 seconds of her staring at me, she finally stood up.

Kuroka: "Is that...all?"

I nodded.

"It may sound simple to do, but actually doing it is a whole another affair. I'm asking you to basically act like how you are right now in front of me to her, does that seem like a big challenge?"

Kuroka stood silent and thought for about 5 seconds before she began to look conflicted.

Kuroka: "I guess not..."

I walked up to her and placed my hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry. I'll be there to help you out as much as possible."

Kuroka looked at me with another genuine smile.

Kuroka: "Thank you Ethan..."

"You're welcome."

After that, we ended up staring into each other's eyes for a good ten seconds and before I knew it, I felt my face getting closer to hers. I closed my eyes and...felt Kuroka's lips upon mine.

Almost immediately Kuroka's hands grabbed my shoulders as she pulled herself deeper into the kiss and she exhaled in excitement. I then wrapped my arms around her shoulders and her waist and pulled her closer to me, causing a small moan to escape her mouth.

We stayed like that for what felt like 10 minutes but was probably only 30 seconds before splitting apart due to a need for air. I ended up staring at her for about 10 more seconds before I began to silently laugh to myself, Kuroka joining in just a moment later.

Kuroka: "What's so funny handsome~?"

"That was my first kiss..."

Kuroka's smile got even larger.

Kuroka: "Me too..."

I shook my head at everything a smile still present on my face. I often thought of scenarios where Rias or Akeno would take it, but nope!...and to be honest, I'm kinda happy now it isn't like that.

Kuroka: "I swear to you now Ethan. I will do my best to make up with Shirone and gain the ability to call you my boyfriend!"

"Go for it, I'm routing for you."

Kuroka nodded before turning around and walking away from me and creating a portal. Right before she transported herself she stopped and turned back.

Kuroka: "Thank you Ethan...for being such a wonderful being. You're a rarity in this world...and I appreciate it so much more than you can imagine."

"Thanks...I guess I was just raised to be that way."

Kuroka smiled even more as a blush formed on her face.

Kuroka: "Even now I can see...our children are going to be happy that the person they'll call their father...is you."

I felt a huge amount of heat form in my face after that and I began an embarrassed and confused chaotic panic.

Kuroka: *fufu* "I'll see you around Eíthürr~"

She then vanished into the portal and left me by myself once again.

"I swear...that girl is going to be the end of me."

I sighed happily and put my hand on my chest before shaking my head and looking back to Kuoh Town.

"It's probably about time I went back...hopefully Rias and Sona have calmed down by now."

So, I did just that, I walked back home and, given about 30 minutes, I arrived back at the Hyoudou household. It was still relatively early in the evening, so everyone was out and about downstairs in the living room.

Once I walked in, I could see that everyone except Sona, Rias, Akeno, and Leia were present. Right now they just seemed to be watching TV.

Fenrir: "So this is how mortals entertain themselves? By watching moving pictures."

Issei: "Well yeah. Mortals aren't preoccupied with the fear of getting hunted down every night or potentially protecting the city from destruction."

Irina: "I will also have you know that movies are a great way to tell stories and special lessons for life. They're a special form of art different from the drawings that you three are so used to."

Jörmungandr: "Hm...what is this movie about...?"

I looked at the movie they were watching and surprisingly, it was a movie I was fairly familiar with—Dawn of the Planer of the Apes.

"A monkey who likes people fights against another monkey who doesn't like people. Then there's some people who like the monkeys and others who want them dead or some shit."

Almost everyone perked up at my voice and turned around to see me leaning on the wall watching it with everyone.

Xenovia: "When did you get here?"

"About like a minute ago. Noticed your conversation was about educating my nephews to how it is to live as a normal being and joined in."

Gasper: "How was your 3 and a half hour long walk?"

"Pretty refreshing. I was able to catch up with Vali's group just outside of Kuoh Town for a bit."

Koneko was glaring at me since I began talking and once I said that, she immediately got up, punched me really hard in the face, and went up to her room. I was knocked on my ass from the blow.

"Yup...I probably deserved that..."

Kiba: "Vali's group out of Kuoh town...were they really that close?"

"They drop by for visits. They don't have their residence on the border of this place."

I looked up towards the hallway that led to all of our bedrooms.

"Have Rias and Sona calmed down yet?"

Gasper: "I wish..."

Rossweisse sighed.

Rossweisse: "They've been fighting ever since they arrived home."

I clenched my jaw and sighed.

"It's that bad isn't it?"

Kiba: "It's strange though...Rias almost never acts like what she did today...maybe something's going on in her personal life?"

"If she did, I have a feeling Issei would know...and I don't think he's hiding anything from us."

Issei: "Pfft. How do you know?"

"You're a terrible liar who often speaks what's on your mind without any restrictions of what people may think of you. It's not a bad thing, but it can screw you over sometimes."

Issei nodded.

Issei: "Yeah...that's a fair point."

Gasper: "Ironic for you to call him a liar whenever you met your brother and then just said 'I defeated the bear' to all of us."

My eyes started to glow golden as I stared at Gasper in disbelief.

"So what was I supposed to do? Expose my brother to all of you who hated his guts? Would you have believed me if I told you he's actually a pretty good guy?"

Gasper: "Yeah! We would!"

"YOU can't say anything buddy. Not when you literally found out who he actually is this afternoon."

Now it was Gasper's turn to look shocked at me. I just stared at him in silence for about ten seconds before looking at everyone.

"If I said that to any of you, would you believe me after what his clone did to you guys?"

Everyone silently shook their heads as I went into the kitchen and got myself a bottle of water.

"I'm sorry about lying. I know it's not my right to do such a thing, but what else was I supposed to do?"

Everyone looked at me silently without a direct answer from anyone. I sighed as I turned back to Gasper.

"So...did Angrboda tell you anything new?"

Gasper looked up at me surprised.

Gasper: "How did you...?"

"I can sense a bit of her power in your pocket."

Gasper put his hand into his pockets—which weren't very big to begin with—and pulled out a small device that was practically flooding with jötunn power.

Gasper: "She gave this to me to monitor you whenever she and Loki aren't around."

I sat down alongside everyone.

"Why would she need to do that?"

Gasper sighed as he, alongside my niece and nephews explained to me how my entire life was already written in Jötunheim. However, he went into extra detail on a depiction that showed the deaths of both Faye and Kratos.

Apparently, the "true threat of Ragnarök" the Skull Knight warned me of were beings called apostles which are beings who disguise themselves and sacrifice their humanity to become power hungry demons, usually with an obsessive need for one particular thing.

You only become a killing target for them whenever you have a special brand on your body. So it was pretty concerning whenever my niece and nephews proudly displayed them to everyone. It can be weakened, but never removed, which is why Loki sticks around the edges of the town at night—to lure the horrors of my past away from all of us.

Well if I had a reaction it would be WHAT THE FUCK?! But it also garnered a lot of respect for my brother. I'll have to thank him for everything when I see him next time.

"That's...a lot to swallow."

Gasper nodded in a agreement.

Gasper: "You're telling me! I had to learn that alongside the fact that Angrboda talked to you in Alfheim and that almost everyone here will be—"

Gasper immediately cut himself off and shut his mouth as he looked at me alarmed. I immediately assumed the worst and thought he would've said 'dead' or 'killed' because...well if my entire life is portrayed, then there's a fair possibility of it actually happening.

"...everyone here will be what? Gasper...what you're implying doesn't sound good."

Gasper kept his mouth shut as he began to blush as he looked at all the girls in the room—minus Hel and Asia for some reason—before looking back to me.

Hel: "Oooohhhh....that's what mother meant when she talked to us Jörm..."

The world serpent formed a smirk on his face as he looked at me.

Jörmungandr: "Look at you Uncle~"

"What...?"

Almost all the girls were looking at my nephews with confusion—Issei and Kiba as well.

Issei: "What's that supposed to mean."

Hel: "You'll see when the time comes~"

An awkward silence began with all of us in the room. Given that I didn't need to speak with anyone anymore, I excused myself and went up to my room.

As I walked up to my room,I noticed that the lights for both Rias and Akeno's room were on. I was about to just walk in my room for the night when I heard a muffled voice coming from Rias' room.

Sona: "Now...can you explain to me why you've just now been beginning to think this way about him?"

That caught my attention, so I snuck over to the door and began to listen in. Hey call me rude, but I'm curious dammit.

Rias: "I don't know...after talking to him about everything, all of a sudden, I could see the goodness in him. I remembered who he actually was and I saw the genuine value in how he saw me...and to hear he genuinely liked me for...ME... After he just forgave everything that we did to him when he really shouldn't have...It made me feel...happy...unlike anything I've felt before."

I took in every word she said and thought through everything. The 'just now' Sona stared was a pretty big indicator that Rias was talking about me...but then there's the fact that almost everything she talked could also be seen in Issei.

In fact, I think she's primarily speaking about Issei here.

Rias: "His newfound power corrupted who he was AND he has a good sense of control—which in of itself was a huge display of empathy's since he didn't want to rerun until he was confident he could control himself. And...seeing him take on something that would've been impossible for him to do so before without any thought in order to protect all of us...I don't know...I just...I see the good, kind person he is now...and I want to be around him the more and more I think about him."

Shit...she's definitely talking about me after what I just heard...this is not good.

Sona: "...I understand why you're so overprotective of him...but Rias...with all due respect, I saw that side of Ethan long before you did. Thats why I developed feelings for him. That's why I let him beat me in the game. I've had plenty of time to think through everything...and in the end...I decided I wanted him to be my future spouse."

I slowly turned to the door in shock at what Sona just said. Sona...had feelings for me...since WHEN?! She allowed herself to lose as well in order to marry me? I'm sorry but WHAT THE HELL!?

Sona: "From what I'm hearing...it sounds like you're beginning to develop romantic feelings for him."

The room was silent for a good amount of time before Rias responded.

Rias: "Am...I...?"

Sona: "Even if you do, I encourage you to let go of him. The two choices you have are either him and Issei...and...in his eyes, I feel there would be only one correct answer."

I smiled somberly. That is almost exactly what I would've said in this situation.

Rias: "...at this point...I have no idea who to choose."

I frowned at Rias' words. JUST CHOOSE THE GUY WHO PUSHED HIMSELF TO SAVE YOU FROM YOUR MARRIAGE! Sona seemed to have the same idea as I could hear her sigh.

Sona: "No matter what you think of him, he'll be mine, and I will begin dating him."

Rias: "But—"

Sona: "But nothing. This discussion is over."

I heard the sound of Sona getting off of Rias' bed and walking to the door. So, to avoid being caught, I quickly made my way into my room and shut the door as quickly as possible.

Right after that, I heard some footsteps leave Rias' bedroom and head downstairs. Truth be told, I really wanted to see Rias and ask if she truly meant what she was saying—but I refrained myself even though my heart was practically jumping in excitement.

I don't exactly want to complicate her feelings further. Just...leave her alone and she'll go back to Issei.

I sighed as I went into the shower of my room, got myself some pajama pants and turned on the hot water. It was then I thought back on everything—from Sirzechs' declaration, the Skull Knight's words, Gasper's explanation on how my brother was currently surviving, and all the way to Rias supposed feelings for me.

"Why does life have to be so crazy now...?"

I grabbed some shampoo and scrubbed it in my hair before turning around...and seeing a naked Leia right behind me. She nervously sighed as she pulled out some soap.

Leia: "Would you like me to wash your back...?"

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?"

Fuck you guys I'm adding two more harem members. Anyways, I would like your opinions on something. The whole point of the berserker armor is making sure you gain power while keeping your humanity in Berserk, and I want to exemplify that by not transforming Ethan physically throughout the story...HOWEVER I also have an idea for a "true primordial" form for both Eíthürr and Loki. So would you rather have me stick with the berserker armor or go for the new form whenever he powers up in about...2-3 chapters. Your choice.