Emery and Klea arrived at the great hall. The first thing they saw was Fjolnir, the northern king, conversing with some people and reading a stack of parchments.
It appeared the king had been gone for far too long, considering how many people came to ask for his counsel the moment he arrived. From the bits and pieces of conversations they could pick, it appeared the king had to deal with matters related to the other kingdoms.
The two of them listened intently without bothering the king, for they too were curious to know what he was currently doing.
Right when the king was in the middle of a conversation, a messenger from a tribe on the south walked in bearing a scroll. The king quickly read the contents, it seemed the Rheik of the tribe asked for support in the war against Rome. When the king asked, the messenger explained Rome had become more powerful, and at this rate, the whole Germanic regions would fall under its might without the king's help.
However, despite the messenger' best attempts at convincing him, the king was unshaken and casually rejected the request, as if he didn't care about such matters.
Right as the messenger bowed to the king and walked out, another messenger came in wearing the outfit of the western kingdoms. The warmongering Dane kingdoms asked for the king's blessing to expand their conquest across the sea.
Emery came to the realization the people who were raiding Briton's eastern shores were those very same people.
As if listening to what he was thinking, Fjolnir gave Emery a quick glance and asked. "Emery! What do you think about this matter?"
Surprised for being asked for his input, Emery took a moment to think, shook his head and said. "I donk know... i have no opinion on such matters."
King Fjolnir barked a loud laugh and said. "Hahaha! Don't you worry! Even if you want me to tell them to stop, there is no way to. It's ingrained in our Northern blood to be thirsty for battle, for that way we shall die with honor and go to Valhalla!"
An hour has passed, Emery and Klea intently listened to the king as he finished the problems both within and outside his kingdom. If it wasn't because of the king's carefree nature, the affair might have taken a whole day to finish.
"Alright, we shall go now!"
This time, they were accompanied by a few people. One of them appeared to be very old and stick thin, while the others were warriors bearing heavy weapons. The old man looked so frail he seemed like he could collapse at any moment.
But, that impression was quickly overturned when the old man climbed up onto his horse. All took their own horses and went riding for an hour. They rode down the hill, crossed a gleaming, frozen river, finally landing at a massive hill, where they circled around and stopped at a small, well-hidden door.
The king jumped down and took the keys, while the old man and the warriors prepared their torches. Emery and Klea, even Fjolnir, seemed to be just following the passages.
Emery could smell the smattering of dust and neglect in this place, mingled with the sound of distant water moving in the tunnels. The rocks were smooth, likely ground down by nature, as it went through years upon years of neglect.
A few minutes passed inside the caves, before they finally arrived in front of a massive door. It was carved from brilliant white and black stones, engravings depicting various kinds of animals, weapons, humans and objects littered all around its surface.
Just like the door that was made to keep Excalibur, Emery was unable to feel anything beyond this door.
The king touched the door, closed his eyes and started to chant. His words echoed within the enclosed tunnels and, before long, the door started glowing. He pushed the door lightly with the tip of his finger.
The door finally opened without a sound.
While the warriors were ordered to sit and keep watch outside the door, the three of them and the old man with the torch stepped inside.
Inside the door, there was a wide tunnel with engravings on the walls. Unlike the ravaged stones in the previous passage, the drawings were intact and still visible, like even the passage of time couldn't touch them.
The old man started to speak about the engraving and their origins.
It began with the story of human civilization known as the Asgardians. They lived on the planet and flourished, until the elves came and brought war for territory with them. The blood spilled culminated in a massive war, known as "Ragnarok" that killed almost all Asgardians. In order to ensure the safety of the people, thousands of Asgardians, the Vanir tribe, went into a portal and arrived in this world.
The tunnel was made atop a big opening, where they saw dozens of broken black stones and ruined criss-crossing of marks. One stone still stood high and intact, bearing the marking of a soaring bird of prey.
"This was the broken portal, our ancestor used to escape with." The old man said.
Emery and Klea were very much surprised, evidence points that some of the Earth's human ancestors actually hailed from another planet. They have seen humans on other planets and universes, as evidenced by their time in Magus Academy, but it was still strange to see Earth as one such place.
Suddenly, he had a thought and asked. "Then, can the portal be fixed?"
Fjolnir smiled in excitement and answered. "Perhaps you can find clues on how to fix it in the academy, Emery!"
The king was right, but still, Emery had no idea where to start. He decided to check the stones and organize the broken markings the best he could, before committing all the shapes he could see to memory. Then, he stood up, walked to the elder and asked.
"Then, Elder, what about the legacy of the fey beasts?"
The old man nodded and took them to the other side of the tunnel. Unlike the previous carvings, more beasts than humans were depicted here.
He explained that these engravings tell the story of what happened after they arrived. Emery was surprised to see one of the carvings showing a drawing of a massive size wolf devouring people and leaving trails of blood in their wake.
The old man explained the wolf was known as 'Fenrir'.
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Written by Avans, Published exclusively by NovelFull,