Fated

Chapter Ten

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‘Chosen one’…Utgard-Loki’s words seemed to echo repeatedly into Eir’s mind, seeing Ikol’s fingers making their way through his hair and clutching onto it painfully. She knew how Ikol hated that word, hated the fate that was brought to him, hated that damn Loki Utgard-Loki also mentioned.

Loki…so he had been near them fighting this wolf and hadn’t shown his face to them. And all there is for Ikol is to find Loki. The Loki who is, at the moment, hiding away from him as if mocking his position being the ‘Chosen One’.

Suddenly feeling the heat in her face, Eir stared at Ikol with wide eyes, not witnessing any flames at all but burning heat that represented his anger. Everyone felt uneasy from the heat besides Utgard-Loki whose smile only widened. This was the first time Ikol had ever shown his gifted powers this powerfully…

“Yes…Loki was here…” Utgard-Loki said slowly, smiling down at Ikol a bit too pleasantly, as if enjoying the feel of his anger, “Haven’t any of you seen him yet? That wolf there is solid proof…”

Runa growled at him, “Utgard-Loki!”

Ikol now fell upon his knees, his fingers digging deeper into the scalp of his head, long bangs covering his eyes to hide the emotion on his face. Neither one of his female friends could even come near him, the heat much too hot and began to spread. They knew for sure that his heat alone could melt an object of steel if they didn’t calm him down soon.

“It’s a shame, really,” Utgard-Loki continued, his arms now crossed and enjoying Runa’s murderous stare, feeling his long tied hair slowly beginning to curl, “For a ‘Chosen One’, you sure are terrible in doing your job. I do wonder why you were chosen though…”

Utgard-Loki reached out and simply grabbed an orb of water sent from the angry seid before it can even touch him. He crushed it easily in his hand, the water leaking from between his long fingers with a grin. “I’m only helping him, Runa, do you have to be so mad?”

Runa could hardly believe her ears or hold back her incredulous stare. “HELPING him?! HOW?!”

“I can tell he’s fairly weak in controlling his given powers,” he drawled, now seeing red flashing over his eyes, the mad coloring of the heat that continued to rise, “From what I can tell, high emotions are the only way to activate them. That will not do at all if he wants to survive, being a Midgard human that he is.”

Ignoring the sweat coming from her face, Falila frowned before feeling Eir’s gaze upon her as she turned her head and caught her eyes. Amber met her black-lilac ones and Falila quickly understood, hoping Runa was able to distract Utgard-Loki long enough. Bringing the flute to her lips, she watched Eir removing the pouch from over her head after swallowing a small pill then nodded, making sure that Utgard-Loki hadn’t caught on to their unknown plan yet.

Cover your ears, Runa. Immediately, Falila let out the highest-pitch she can make out from her flute, her brow furrowed in concentration, also having difficulties on her own from hearing it. Runa gave a hollering scream and grinded her teeth as Utgard-Loki stopped in surprise and covered his ears.

Eir ran into the scene and cried out in pain from the heat, feeling her flesh beginning to burn, her hands still reaching out to the young boy. “IKOL!”

Ikol’s body gave a twitch at the cry, feeling hot slender arms around his neck from behind until the scream boomed into his ears with tortured pain. “Eir…” Ikol glanced at her from the corner of his eyes, slowly trailing it over to Runa and Falila, both suffering from the heat and the tone that the elf is playing. “Everything that’s happening…it’s always my fault…”

Ikol went stiffen when hearing Utgard-Loki’s voice inside his head, seeing that grating smirk crossing over the giant’s lips, though his ears are pressed hard to block Falila’s sound. “Loki is definitely near, ‘Chosen One’…But how can a mere boy like you be able to find a god? Such a shame…”

Ikol’s jade eyes flashed dark in a pair like emerald jewels while Utgard-Loki’s face broke out in shock. His young voice erupted as the pressure of his aura expanded so far and wide, breaking the building apart from the inside until it was devoured in flames, a hot boiling inferno like lava reaching high into the heavens beautifully, painting the sky completely scarlet until the proportion of ashes showered upon the earth down below.

Out from the distance near the cold mountains, black orbs from a large raven watched the entire scene, taking in as much details as he can before spreading his wings in a forceful gesture, giving out a single crow. Dark feathers blew when he gave a powerful flap of his wings, gliding through the sky and disappeared from above the stiff clouds, avoiding the redness that spread in an alarming speed. Odin will most definitely get his news…

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One obsidian eye from under his wide brimmed hat gazed in silence between the Gods and Goddesses attending the meeting. None uttered a word or sound to distract any who would want to be the first to speak. But that’s much too rare for someone as impatient as the Thunder God to just sit around and burn holes into the other’s quiet faces.

His large golden hammer, a symbol of his strength, was thrown and slammed onto the ground, creating many cries of surprise before it was reverted back to his waiting hand. Thor lowered his hammer, a frown marred on his lips.

Thor was consider to be very tall compared to any of the Gods that attended. His size alone could be mistaken by those who don’t recognize him for a giant, giving off a noble but dangerous aura to those that came near him. Then again, any that truly know the God see him with respect – and also know him to have the biggest ego with quite a temper that could be compared to an erupting volcano in Asgard.

Angry blue eyes lifted, his large hands ruffling his garnet-colored hair in frustration. “Loki isn’t found, the ‘Chosen One’ is unknown, and all we’re doing is sitting here without discussing much of the situation! What are we going to do?!”

His beautiful wife, Sif, known for her pure gold hair, placed a gentle hand onto his large arm, calming him slightly. With a smile, she turned to Odin saying, “There isn’t much time to spare…we all should be part of helping instead of waiting.”

“What good would that do, Sif?” Heimdall spoke over the tables, his arms crossed over his chest, his face holding nothing but hidden anger, “I, myself, don’t trust many to help seek the ‘Chosen One’ or even Loki. We just might not know who would be the next to betray us…”

Freyr’s hand slammed onto the table, standing up from his seat. “The betrayal of Eir affected all of us too, Heimdall! Not to mention Runa as well! And-”

“Including the elves you ruled over, Freyr?” Heimdall interrupted smoothly, tilting his head to the side, “Alfheim is a world gifted for you to rule, but yet, I noticed your anger once you came back from your trip to learn of the betrayal by the ones who praised you as their Lord. You weren’t very silent about it so it wasn’t hard to miss…”

Freyr’s sister beside him gave a cold glare. “I don’t want to hear any of this from you, Heimdall.”

“I’ve had enough of this,” Thor grumbled, pushing his seat away once he stood and began walking out from the room.

Sif gave him a look of concern. “Where are you heading, Thor?”

“Nifheim,” was his answer over his shoulders before disappearing into the shadows behind the doors. Heimdall gave one last look over to Odin, standing up as well and stepping onto his heels, leaving after the Thunder God.

“Odin…is there any way to search for both the location of the ‘Chosen One’ and Loki?” Freyja quietly asked, leaning against her seat properly but no one needs to guess that she’s completely drained, “This ‘Chosen One’…he has been a problem to us.”

Freyr hung his head in silent agreement.

Odin only lowered his hat, “I need more time, Freyja…just a little bit more…”

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“Falila…”

The whisper soon awoke her, now warning her of the pain she will feel before a small silent cry escaped her lips. Her arms were burning and wounded, long pointed ears drooping from the ring of her notes she had played.

She felt small arms wrap more gently but tightly around her, her head resting against the warm comforting lap. A feeling much too familiar, the kind of sensation she had thought she would never experience again.

A surge of warm light consumed the area where she felt the pain, feeling her body surrendering to the magic before feeling her forehead touching with another, their soft strands caressing her face. “I don’t have the talent to heal your wounds but I can block your pain…I will never see you hurt under my care, Falila…”

Her eyes tried to flutter open, a sense of panic and dread shivering in her mind from the familiarity of the voice. Please…let it not be him…

“Falila…are you trying to wake up…?”

…Aaron…Her body tensed, now blocking his magic and pushing onto her arms with a soft whimper, eyes still closed tightly to hold back the pain. Once she succeeded in sitting away from his touch, Falila grabbed onto her arms and breathed deeply, her long tangled hair swept over her shoulders.

As she began to rise, Falila froze when feeling his small arms around her neck once more, this time more strongly than before so she wouldn’t move and could see his light thick bangs blowing past her face until his magic was instantly thrashed into her. “Don’t you be ignoring me, Falila.”

His voice was hard and demanding, a tone she had never heard of him using with her. Eyes shadowed, she bit hard on her lips. “Release me…”

“I will not.” Aaron lowered his head to rest his chin against her shoulder and Falila thought she could feel his tears against her cheeks. Aaron never let his tears fall. “I thought I’d lost you…from that explosion…I thought none of you would survive…”

Everyone…Falila snapped her head up, for once showing complete horror and fear crossing her face. She felt her heart stop when seeing the rest of the group farther away, a place where she can keep an eye on them without being spotted.

Runa lay unmoving on the floor, her clothing completely soaked, giving Falila the impression that she’d drenched herself from further harm from the explosion of burning heat. But kneeling beside her is Ikol, who was holding onto Eir in his arms without much of an expression.

They were all lying on the hard cold grounds of the mountains, all of their belongings shattered from around. Any sight of Utgard-Loki’s sanctuary was completely out of sight like it was never there before, as if everything that was happening was a complete dream. Not a single piece of rubble was even seen…nothing that would trace that Utgard-Loki was ever here.

But seeing that Ikol is alive and Runa slowly waking up, knowing Eir will be fine as well, Falila gave up her strength of dread for the condition of her teammates, collapsing to the side and would have met the ground if Aaron hadn’t caught her. A blanket of comfort and light washed over her, her pain slowly disappearing and Falila had no other choice but to give in.

The light-haired elf slowly brought her back to his lap, now running his hands through her hair gently before cupping her cheeks and forcing her to look at him. Her eyes were clouded from tiredness and relief, but it immediately brightened once she stared into his soft aqua orbs. “Ikol knows you’re here with me, Falila,” Aaron whispered to her, smiling once noticing her confusion, “I could tell…he’s much more powerful then any of you think and I’m sure he wasn’t even aware of it either…he had noticed that I had followed you right from the beginning, but it wasn’t I who you and the other girls had sensed, but Vali.”

She choose to ignore the person he’d mentioned and finally gave a soft direct murmur, “You left Alfheim…?”

“I chose to.” His face softened, telling her silently that he did not regret it. “Lord Freyr must know my absence for I felt my powers turn normal like any of the others…I decided to help Ikol as well.”

“…Why…?”

“To be near…” He paused, seeing her orbs widening and waiting for him to finish his answer. He knew she understood his swift decision for once he finished with his explanation, she’ll be talking some sense into him of returning to Alfheim and would be blaming herself for his actions…rejecting him again. “It’s my own decision…I left when I woke up…”

Aaron immediately cursed at his words and felt her body stiffen on his lap. Now feeling her pain gone but numbness in her arms, she sat up quickly to turn and look at him. Aaron’s appearance changed, though still in the form of the boy she last saw. But it appeared as if he had been ready for this event to happen. Dressed comfortably for traveling, she noticed a large cloth tied behind his head to hide and hold up his long ponytail. But he’s much too covered…

Grabbing his arms, she noticed the flinch he tried to hide and examined him carefully. She could feel much weariness in him and her eyes grew hard. “I want you to drop your magic and let me truly see you.”
He gave her a forced smile with a change off the subject. “Just don’t move around too much; your wounds aren’t healed at all.”

“Aaron…” she now begged, slowly releasing him but he quickly grabbed her hands, holding it tightly, “Please…”

“I don’t ever want to lose your touch, Falila…” Aaron whispered pleadingly and felt his body running cold once she moved away. That expression on her face nearly made Aaron weak in the heart, feeling his breath shortening… …the expression of pain and rejection. Giving in, he nodded and let his head drop, the burning ribbon of his last light peeling away to show his true skin as it vanished.

Falila held her breath when seeing the wounds on his bare arms and face, the burning marks on them from the battle between him and Runa. Aaron slowly raised his injured face, reaching silently once again for her trembling hand and held it to his face soothingly. “My wounds will heal eventually, Falila…”

“I thought…I thought Lady Freyja would heal you…and give you the one night for the completion of being the Leader of the Elves…” Her eyes widened, as if in disbelief. “You didn’t…”

His smile began to grow true and warm. “Never.”

“And you’ve been following all of us in this condition…and helping me not feel the pain…”

Aaron slowly lowered her hand to his beating heart, reaching out to flick her bangs away from her glittering eyes. “Should I call this even between us…?”

Falila gazed into his smiling face. “Even…?”

“Not enough?” It began to grow playful and he inwardly laughed at her expression, now wrapping his arms around her neck like before when they were once very close friends. Happiness built into his chest and he quietly whispered into her ears, “Then let me come with you…” His grip tightened to stop her from speaking. “I cannot go back to Alfheim when I’m no longer the Leader…I betrayed our Lord of my own decision. My only place is to be with you…”

Falila’s eyes lowered. “You’re forcing me, aren’t you?”

He finally let out his laughter. “Is that a yes then?”

Their conversation instantly shattered once their ears quirked, Falila carefully standing so her wounds wouldn’t be worse and helping Aaron gently. “We better go to Ikol and the others…”

“Yes…all of them should be heavily injured from the explosion to go against Vali,” the young elf replied, shaking his head at her blank look, “Yes, that wolf has a name…he’d been following you, but not in the form of a wolf until a God I believe to be Loki had appeared. I was too weak to confront either one of them…”

“Loki really had appeared…” Falila whispered, taking cautious steps forward until she stopped, looking at him. Smiling, she held out her hand. “Let’s go…Aaron…”

A flash of pain crossed over his aqua eyes, but it softened with appreciation for allowing him to be part of the group. Watching her hand, he raised his own slowly and grabbed it. One touch of her skin and his heart immediately jolted before it crashed down heavily when remembering this wasn’t the oath of accepting his feelings or he for himself considering she still called him by his nickname. As they were running the best they could towards Ikol and the others, he let his fingers caress the violet petal hidden in his sleeves. “Thank you, Falila…”

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