On Astral Tides: From Humble Freelancer To Astral Emperor

Within the richly decorated room, silken tapestries and beautiful portraits and other works of art on the walls, pristine vases and marble statues arrayed around large couches that were occupied with a trio of inhumanly beautiful women of different builds, hair and eye colours like a rainbow assortment, one of the women jolted upright, her expression tense.

“Again?” One of the women still sitting down, who now had a number of faint, claw-mark scars trailing down one smooth cheek, past her vivid, orange eyes, ran a hand through her brilliant aqua-blue hair. “You have all the good Fortune, littlest sister. Perhaps the Allfather smiled during your birth.”

Ortlinde nodded, her brilliant golden eyes going a little vacant, the prismatic silver rainbow of aether forming around her wrist like a halo, matched by the same glow in one of her eyes.

The third Valkyrie looked up from the book she was reading, flipping the pages idly with one hand, her other arm strapped up and splinted. Ordinary injuries could be healed or recovered from easily enough, Ortlinde knew, but wounds caused by the dreadful creatures that were invading the World Tree Pantheon and the surrounding Territories were no trivial matter to recover from, resisting aether and adherence.

“It makes sense. She was the one who persuaded us to go with her reckless plan. All is as the Allfather wills it, even our defiance, it seems.” The pearly-eyed and pink-haired Rossweisse shrugged, her book momentarily forgotten, her injury too, judging by her slight wince. “A shame hers seem exceptional. Although…” She puffed out her ample chest proudly, at odds with her small frame.  “…mine are showing their talents. Sometimes the obvious choice is not the best one. For all my study of strategy, I am beginning to learn that lesson.”

“It’s not fair, Rose.” The blue haired Siegrune pouted. “I picked carefully too, I did. But when I’m handling his Favours, it’s only natural that they are going to have erratic personalities. I wish I was lucky like you were!”

“Be quiet…” Their youngest sister hissed, Ortlinde trying to concentrate. Rossweisse let out a dry chuckle, before shaking her head, clearly amused.

“Our littlest sister is a serious as ever. Why else would she carry Tyr’s gifts down to the mortals? Besides, if you want to complain about Favours, those who Tyr’s blessing favours should be reckless and self-sacrificing. Usually they are amongst the first to fall.”

“Could you please be quiet?” Ortlinde repeated, the chattering of her two sisters distracting her. She forced a smile, the only one able to see the spiritual body of the being in front of her, one of the two she chose to bear both Seeds that were not truly hers to give and Favour that was her responsibility to pass on.

“Yes, serious as ever.” Rossweisse smiled.

“Quite unlike me, huh?” Siegrune snickered. “Don’t mind me, I’m just complaining. After all, you only had your arm broken, me, my beautiful face got scarred. What if it can’t be fixed? The Einherjar will weep… huh… no way, that isn’t right…” Her inappropriate jests were driven from her lips, her orange eyes going wide in shock, a faint, weak glow around her wrist shimmering in all the colours of the rainbow.

There was a single sound in the room, that of a book falling to the floor, as Rossweisse stood in shock, her wounded arm striking the book clumsily and sending it flying.

Ortlinde turned to see Siegrune’s vision fixed on the second of the Chosen she had passed on her burdens to, and frowned. “You… see him too?”

“I do, Lin, I do.” Siegrune babbled, giving her an annoying nickname. As the most cheerful, energetic and rascally of the nine sisters, Siegrune was always a handful, and Ortlinde might have thought it a prank, some sort of teasing, except there were slight tears in her eyes, silver drops luminous against the deep orange. “For a moment I thought it was impossible, that he somehow wasn’t dead, but…” She shook her head, tears forgotten, and suddenly she yelped, pushing one hand to her faintly scarred cheek. “Oh no, Lin! He’s quite handsome, and I’m all beaten up. If I’d have known I’d have worn makeup to cover the wounds!”

Ortlinde let out a long, bitter sigh at her antics, though it was hard for annoyance to overwhelm the feeling of relief and satisfaction that came from seeing one of her charges once again.

“So, uh… hi there, Ortlinde.” Akio scratched at his own cheek, rather shocked by this situation. “I’m sorry, but… I don’t have time for this. I know there’s heavy time dilation between Earth and here, but… lives are in danger. I have to go back.”

“So heroic. Definitely one of yours.” Siegrune chuckled. “Where are my manners? I’m Siegrune, Lin’s older sister. And you… you’ve obtained the lingering trace of my Truesoul I left with that poor unfortunate.”

At her words, Akio clutched his head, eyes narrowing, an expression of pain crossing his features, and Ortlinde gasped in shock and annoyance. “Sister, we cannot speak so carelessly of such matters. It is against the agreements we all made, adherence binds us to not speak of it to those from humble worlds!”

“Is it?” Siegrune giggled innocently. “Right here and now, we’re simply sitting in our parlour, relaxing and celebrating our survival in another life-and-death war. I can speak of what I want.” She stuck out her tongue, and Ortlinde found it a little endearing, even if annoying. “Besides, even if we don’t speak of it, the fact remains all the Favours are made from soullight, and the damned Ninth Heaven and their Linked Favours make extensive use of Truesoul fragments and soullight to dominate the worlds adrift in the Boundary seas. It’s all hypocrisy, forced on us to minimise lost worlds, but what good does that do us?”

“Yes, but…” Ortlinde grimaced. “It sounds wrong when you speak so fluently about weighty matters.” She glanced over at Akio, who had a look of realisation and understanding, and was nodding to himself, while muttering “So that’s how it is. The missing, repeated question marks were those…”

“How rude. I’m not an idiot, Lin! How could you say that in front of our visitor?” Siegrune pouted, though she was still cheery and excited. “I’m as smart as anyone, I just don’t like books like Rose, or boring talks like younger Hilde! Besides…” In fact, her excitement was rising, and honestly, Ortlinde felt it too. She had been delighted when her second Chosen had reached a level where their Truesouls had resonated, but this one, this Akio Moonstone Oshiro, he had exceeded her expectations by far, and now… Seemingly he has managed to claim one of the strands of Truesoul Siegrune left behind…

“…he’d have a fair chance at making Foringi of an Einherjar battalion of one of the outer Territories. I’m jealous.”

“I’m sorry.” Akio’s words distracted the two Valkyries. “But again, there’s no time. The situation is a mess…”

“There is a saying, better sure than swift, but better swift than hasty.” Ortlinde warned. “It seems your circumstances are indeed not ordinary. But… you are here now, so I shall guide you to make the best of it. Your other visits have proved fruitful, the Seeds bearing rewards. This shall be no different.”

“What youngest sister Lin said!” Siegrune chimed in, laughing. “Neither of mine made much of an impact. No, that’s not right, is it?” Her smile was wicked. “You’re mine, now. I’m much cuter and fun than our straight-laced and boring youngest sister! Let big sister Siegrune take care of you from now on.”

“Enough.” Ortlinde narrowed her golden eyes, and Siegrune snickered, claiming she was scared. Shaking her head, she brushed aside her crimson locks and assessed Akio. “I suppose now that my loose-lipped sister has said things she should not have, I may as well explain further. And the benefit may see you through your current crisis.”

“That would be great.” Akio muttered. “I never thought it’d be so annoying only having a single consciousness again. I guess my Silver Connection doesn’t easily support such unfathomable distances… but you certainly do like explaining things, Exposition-san.”

At that Siegrune choked with laughter, before Ortlinde sighed. “I told you to call me Ortlinde, youngest daughter of the Allfather. Now… the Seeds, to be used properly…”

“I’ve been thinking about it.” Akio interrupted. “And I have someone very knowledgeable to talk to, even if what she doesn’t say is usually how she guides us, without breaking the rules. I wondered why I was so… woefully unprepared. While most everyone else was armed with their Favour and the ability to thrive, I didn’t even have a functional Chakra network. I should have died a dozen times over. It was a miracle I didn’t.”

“By the Allfather, Great Mother, the White and Pure, The Thunderer, Trickster and all the Highest.” Siegrune swore, her face expressing her shock. “I know that’s how the Seeds work best, but… you gave nothing?” Her orange eyes sharpened to the point of fierce hunger, and right now she looked like one of Loki’s spawn, ready to devour Ortlinde whole. “And yet here he stands? Even Rose’s pair don’t have his power.”

Ortlinde’s expression blanked, and she felt the niggling sting of pain, not just from her slightly wounded Truesoul, but also from her heart. It was a pain her sisters felt keenly as their Chosen fell one by one as always, but the guilt was a different beast this time. Turning to Akio, who was watching in impatient silence, Ortlinde bowed in apology, one fist striking her chest in military fashion, signifying that she saw him as a combatant. This time we did not merely choose those to pass Favours on to, plunging them into battle which would likely lead to their deaths, but… we actively tried to hamper them, so that the Seeds could sprout. Because only from virgin, untainted soil can the mightiest of trees grow…

“I’m not stupid.” Akio said at last, seeing her reluctance to speak. Siegrune chuckled, though her expression was still dark.

“You talked about the easy way, and the harder, better way. Just as I got my Eye…” He touched his right eye socket, and Siegrune peered into it until Akio blushed and looked away. “…because it was what I needed and cultivated, I think that was the reason you didn’t teach me much.”

“It sounds like she threw you naked into the Troll’s den, it’s a miracle you weren’t eaten. I wasn’t so harsh… yet, here you stand, and mine don’t.” Siegrune allowed. “Of course, when the Trickster’s evil pranks end up doing some good, the others still don’t give him the credit. Intentions are important, but also what was done matters. I’m… shocked, youngest sister. That you’d go so far…”

“I had little recourse.” Ortlinde felt ashamed, but also that her choices were limited. Taking a deep breath, she apologised again, once more bowing and thumping her chest. “It is time to speak. You are obviously hunting the remaining Seeds, it can hardly be coincidence you have found Siegrune’s first gift.”

Akio nodded, and Ortlinde continued. “The World Tree is not merely a tree, but a living being with a Truesoul so strong that its soullight illuminates our vast Territory, bringing strength and prosperity. Perhaps it lacks the grandeur of the Throne, but… it is one of the wonders of the multiverse. And the Allfather commands and protects it, is in a way part of it. The Tree is the embodiment of the Laws of Knowledge, and the Fruits it creates hold precious Seeds that can strengthen and empower. But…”

“Knowledge is power, but knowledge is built on what comes before.” Siegrune was serious now. “A Fruit such as we found could have empowered one of us to reach the heights of true Divinity. Another truly Divine being to fight against the… no, that I won’t speak of, or Lin will kill me. No need to shake your resolve, and… the more you know, the quicker you die. That’s what they say in the Six Paths, isn’t it?”

“You have come so far precisely because you had nothing but a few fragments of my wisdom. Even your foundation…” Ortlinde stepped forward, and surprising Akio, tapped his lower body. “…it seems unusual. Álfar perhaps. But I can see it has already been strengthened by a Seed, and…” As Ortlinde watched, she could feel another Seed break away from the strand of Truesoul she had hewn from herself and spun into a bracelet, containing the Seeds and linking them unto death. “…it is ripe for more, the aether, adherence and even soullight unknown to you gathered sufficiently.”

Akio nodded, and his aura of power grew, his League clearly intensifying. Soon he will reach the point where to go further requires igniting a Spark, or claiming the Truesoul of his world. If he can do it, my… our hopes would not be in vain, and the guilt will be worth the pain…

“I need more than raw strength though.” he pointed out, and Ortlinde agreed.

“A sword that can slice through any armour, a spear that never misses, a shield that repels all ills. Even strengths such as these can be overcome. But… your Eye. It has Truesoul within it, that of the World Tree itself, through the Seeds. Before, you were gifted with a little of my knowledge, now you see through our great Tree. Though your vessel is far too fragile to hold all it radiates. Body, of mortal flesh, and aetheric matter. Spirit, of mind, memory, belief and will. Truesoul, that which we thought indestructible, immutable, until recently… the core of existence, that which endures. Only when all are sufficiently strong, can one truly claim to be powerful.”

“What Lin is clumsily trying to explain is… it’s like we gave you a sword. You can fight with it, defeat many foes, and grow stronger. But you’ll be a swordsman. Now, I like swordsmen.” Siegrune winked. “If you were here in more than a shadow of your spirit and Truesoul, I’d test those muscles. But… perhaps you might be the greatest swordsman ever, talented and true. But then, maybe you were best for a spear, or to cast elemental energies that rend apart your foes. Or even to sing songs that inspire and heal like a Skald. But with sword in hand, you wouldn’t ever know, would you?”

“I can explain. He is my charge!” Ortlinde insisted, annoyed.

“Jealous, littlest sister? How cute. Wait until I tell the others.” Siegrune snickered. Turning to the watching Rossweisse she barked a harder laugh. “This is priceless. I just wish you could see this. Oh, no I don’t. You still have your own!”

“You were left as untarnished, as pure, as blank as I could make you. To constrain the Seeds, to link you to us, we sheared off a fragment of our Truesouls and spun them into parts of you. We only believed it possible to do because…” she fell silent. “That does not matter. What does is, we were prepared to hamper our own growth for this. Wounds to the Truesoul are hard and woefully slow to heal, for it should never sustain injury at all, but…” She held her chest. “They also serve as our penance. We were sick and tired of sending you and those like you out to fail.”

“Divine Atropos likely knows what we did. Borrowing her shears… it was reckless indeed. But…” Siegrune confided in Akio. “It was so very like our littlest sister. She may be stuffy, straight-laced and as prone to lecturing as both the younger and older Hilde, but she cares more than anyone. So please don’t hate her.”

“I could never.” Akio shook his head, surprising Ortlinde, as the truth was fully unveiled. “I listened. You told me the harder way was better, and I took that advice. And it was better. I could have, should have died. But I didn’t. Intent, right? You wanted me to be strong. I wanted to be strong. And I see what you meant. I’ve always thought my cheat was growth. And it turns out it was. I’ve met many people, many beings, and fought many foes. And through it all I’ve always grown. But more than that… I’m not a swordsman, despite using a sword. I’m not a spearman, though I carry a spear sometimes. My elemental energies may be strong, but I’m no mage or wizard. And I’m certainly no speaker of influential tales or singer of songs… any path you put me to… it wouldn’t have been right for me. It would have stifled me. No, my path is one I can’t walk alone. I have to take everyone with me. So thank you, Ortlinde. Your exposition wasn’t in vain. I get it… and what I need to do now. Better sure than swift, but better swift than hasty. Fine. I’m too slow, so… now, what I need isn’t knowledge or strength or anything but speed.”

As Ortlinde was surprised at his thanks, another Seed pulled free from her fragment of Truesoul, his trio of aspects ready to accommodate it, a rate far in advance of what she ever deemed possible. But that wasn’t all. He turned to Siegrune then.

“I’m sorry, but yeah, your Chosen here. He died. But perhaps not in vain. I’m not sure whether he was really a dangerous, evil person like Midas and Hermodike said, but … I do know that you tried to give us all the best possible chance. So… I’ll take up his burden. But not alone.” He smiled then, even as his being trembled, the Seed free inside him starting to fragment apart, drawing on deep indigo energies. “Just as my true path is the path of bonds, of connections, of everyone covering for each other’s weaknesses, bolstering each other’s strengths, with me at the heart, protecting everyone, so too you aren’t alone. You have your sisters, who understand your pain and loss more than anyone else. And I understand it too.”

“Oh my…” Siegrune was lost for words. “You’re trying to comfort me? I’m touched and shocked. Uh… should you succeed and tame the Truesoul of your world, becoming Astral Emperor… I’ll feel it. When your world no longer bobs on shallow eddies, but is a shining pearl amidst the heights of the true Astral… I’ll come see you!” Siegrune gave a brilliant smile, and Ortlinde felt a painful headache coming on.

“Act your age, sister! Besides, Akio is mine. I shall be the one to usher him into the World Tree!”

“Jealous? Oh how adorable, little Lin! Maybe I will let you, after all… then you’ll have to explain just how he came to be. By the Allfather, I don’t relish that conversation!” Siegrune teased, but her orange eyes narrowed. “I may not have the connection you do with him, my strand of Truesoul is barely integrated, most of the Seeds already shorn free, but… you can sense it? Why not help?”

It’s true. We stole the Fruit I found, in defiance of the Laws. For the best of reasons, but… no matter. I believe my way, our way was right. And his words… “Your words move me, Akio. Just as we are the youngest nine, and fight, live and die as one, your creed is one I applaud. I hesitated over choosing you, for you seemed… sadly passive and indecisive. But it is true. What lies beneath the surface is oft impossible to tell. As for your Favour… I could free it using the Seed, but… it too is shaped, changed by exposure. Instead, you desire another power right now…”

“It’s true. I split myself in two so I could protect my loved ones, spend more time with them. But even that’s not enough. I need to be able to be by their sides, no matter the distance, the obstacles…” Akio agreed, his being shuddering.

“How apt.” Siegrune giggled, before her expression was once more deathly serious. “Rose. Can you help? You are well-learned.”

“Help with what? I cannot see him, my Chosen are far from here.” Rossweisse pouted, and Ortlinde found it hard to keep her face impassive, seeing her bookish sister so wracked with envy at missing out on this phenomenon, of three Truesouls intersecting.

“Rossweisse, Tyr’s Chosen hero, Akio Moonstone Oshiro, who has exceeded all my expectations, needs to fly, space no bar to his passage. It strikes me as very like the way we come and go from the Allfather’s Halls. Can you offer no insights? You have studied our strengths.”

“I may be smart, younger sister, but I am not a miracle worker. What do you want me to do?” The small Valkyrie shrugged. “We Valkyrie naturally have an affinity for the spatial element. It is part of who we are. But it is more than that… there is a certain measure of adherence involved. We are the Swords and Spears of the Gods, sent where the fighting is thickest, bringing the spirits of the slain back to Valhalla to join the true Einherjar, or if not, sending their Truesouls on to beyond. Hence why we have the authority, the Laws, of the Choosers of the Slain.”

“As always you know a lot.” Siegrune sniggered. “So… he has spatial element. It’s weak, but… can we work with that? I mean, that’s the whole point of the Seeds, isn’t it, Rose?”

“I said I am not a miracle worker, Siegrune. How frustrating! If I could just see for myself…”

“Sadly, the connection is fragile. After all, we only nicked our Truesouls to forge the bracelets.” Ortlinde shook her head. “You cannot see what I do… unless…” Her golden eyes went wide. “You said you had the path of bonds, of connections. Just… how do they work?” she asked her visitor.

Akio was in great pain, and also starting to become frustrated, clearly eager to return to the realms below, comrades, friends and perhaps more to save, but he managed to explain as his body boiled with aether, adherence, soullight and spatial element. “I have a Skill that binds together our spirits.”

“I see.” Ortlinde glanced at her sisters. “Rossweisse, if I had a spiritual connection with him, rather than via our fragmentary Truesoul bond and the Seeds, could you trace it? We are close in both heart and mind…”

“Maybe.” Rossweisse puffed out her small cheeks. “Let me see…” She went over to the bookshelf by the wall, pulling one tome free and flipping through. “Uh, maybe this one… Runic Craft is fascinating, but it is hard to master. Not without spending endless centuries on study. And we keep getting interrupted. If the battles keep escalating in frequency… we will barely have time to bathe and sleep, never mind read!”

“Enough talk, little Rose. We’ll make sure you get time to eat, or you won’t get any bigger!” Siegrune  teased. “Get on with it, we believe in you! Your body may be small, but your brains are as big as your chest!”

Rossweisse flushed, covering her ample bosom with the book, but with a flushed face and a scowl, she began to trace runes, adherence and aether shimmering as she scrawled the letters in the air. “Ehwaz, Mannaz, Pertra, Hagalaz, As, Thyth…” Her forehead was beading with sweat as the glowing runic letters formed around her…

“Can you connect me spirit to spirit?” Ortlinde asked. “Ordinarily such would be dangerous, but my foolish elder sister does not lie.” As Siegrune stuck out her tongue, amused, Ortlinde continued. “You do indeed have the strength to be considered a captain of the Einherjar. Your growth is astonishing. Your spirit can withstand mine.”

“I think you need to hurry… Rose is struggling to hold the runes in place.” Siegrune warned, and Akio looked troubled, before nodding.

“I suppose it does work. My gratitude towards you is fathomless, Ortlinde. You gave me this chance. Without it, I’d never have saved Shaeula, she’d be dead. Shiro would likely have abandoned herself to Tan, becoming a shadow of herself. Hyacinth … would still be in the box. Asha would decay away. Daiyu would be a prisoner still, lost and alone. There’d be no salvation for Tsukiko, her spirit would have been devoured. Eri, my sis, my family… I’d still be estranged from them. I’d never have known Kana. Hinata, Motoko and Natsumi would be wasted in a nobility that didn’t understand them.” His voice was solemn. “Not just them. Karen-chan would be broken, possibly suicidal. Tamamo-no-Mae would still be being tortured, and there would be no hope of saving the Cultivators she risked everything to keep alive. Every life I’ve touched, people I’ve saved… Kim Eui and those from Choe-Museon, Eleanor, David, Sir Arthur and those from London…” His words spun a tale of deeds well done, and Ortlinde was impressed. “So I guess I do see you as someone precious to me too, my benefactor. But… don’t regret this, okay?”

“What is to regret? I stole the Seed, persuaded my sisters, tricked Atropos, wounded our very immortal existences for this… a mere bond means nothing before my duty.” Ortlinde insisted, and for a moment she was confused by the very human look of pity and amusement on his face, before…

Wait, what is this? Hmm… I feel a presence, a little corner of my being… invaded? No, nothing so harsh…

“So, you have higher stats than me, huh? A side benefit…” Akio sighed. “Now it’s not just Asha’s Tree which gives me a boost…”

“Now!” Ortlinde declared, and with a final surge of power, Rossweisse inscribed her final rune, drawing it with her thumb, the array of letters bursting into shining light that somehow was many colours yet transparent and none at once.

“Eo!” With that, Rossweisse was welcomed into Ortlinde, and suddenly she could experience what she was. “So this is him, huh? I think mine are… oh, this is vexing!” The petite Valkyrie gnawed on her lips, frustrated. “Mine are still in this fight! I picked winners too, but… yes, I see.”

Akio seemed a bit taken back as her older sister looked him up and down, drawing several more runes of inquiry, Ortlinde reassured him everything would be fine. “Rossweisse knows what she is doing. Rest assured.”

“I do, I most certainly do!” she agreed, toying with her rose-pink hair. “But… that bond…” She suddenly giggled. “Our youngest is so naïve. No matter. In exchange for my aid… no fighting my Chosen. Work together, like good children, all right?”

“That’s not convincing coming from someone who looks like you, Rose!” Siegrune giggled. “Anyway, do something!”

“I am, I am! You think I am the child? I am as calm and collected as our older sisters. Now, let me see if I can … ah.” She glanced down. “Your feet are being tortured by some sort of adherence. It seems reminiscent of Endless Knot work. Geas, I think they called it? Hmm… I am no expert in their unique methods of adherence manipulation, I prefer runes, but…”

“Yes, my friends are coming under attack where they are staying, and my Boots know that. I need to warm the authorities, or my feet will be destroyed. It bloody well hurts, but so far my body is proving tough enough to get away with pain, but every second it gets harder…” Akio grimaced.

“Let us see if my seed of an idea can bear some fruit…” Rossweisse made a tasteless pun. “You have a spatial element aptitude. That is rare, for those whose worlds have not shed the Boundary that protects them and isolates them. But it is weak. Not enough for your aims. Ordinarily there would be naught you can do but train and strive, however…”

“The Seeds…” Ortlinde breathed, and Rossweisse nodded.

“Even that might not be enough, it can strengthen the spatial element he wields, certainly…” Holding her chin, thinking, she peered at him with her pearly eyes. “But… it so happens… huh… book, I need a book…”

“Rose is really into this.” Siegrune giggled as her sister turned away, rushing to the shelf and flipping through the books one handed until she found what she was looking for and rushed back.

“Of course I am. This might be futile, but… there is definitely a chance. The Seeds are special. Our precious World Tree is knowledge, and knowledge shapes the Astral. This runic formula is a bit beyond me, but… Raido, Ehwaz, Mannaz, Othala… uh… no, that one is not right… maybe… by the Great Mother, by the Queen of Love and Desire. Time to toss the bones and gamble! Ur, Ehwaz!” The runes flared into being, and Rossweisse mopped at her sodden brow, as power flooded into Ortlinde and through her into Akio.

“What… my feet stopped hurting… huh… my boots…” Akio seemed perturbed, and Rossweisse shrugged.

I note his eyes followed her chest. How scandalous…

“The boots have an adherence of spatial travel. But they are limited by that function. Instead… the Seed… if it absorbs it… Tiwaz, Raido, As, Nauthis… maybe… Ortlinde, you owe me for this! I can feel my strength depleting!”

“There is no owing between sisters.” Ortlinde answered seriously, and Rossweisse froze for a moment, before she cracked a smile.

“You nearly had me there. I am too tense, you are right. Huh.” She took several deep, calming breaths, steeling herself, before drawing more runes. “Sowilo, Feo, Ehwaz… and lastly… Raido again!” The surge of adherence Rossweisse generated was once more absorbed into Akio through Ortlinde, and this time Akio groaned, his connection starting to collapse.

“I… whoa…” His eye burned orange as the Seed disintegrated, pulling in and amplifying spatial element and the adherence and aether liberated from the shattered boots. Some of the adherence was different, and was also absorbed elsewhere, but as the connection between them, momentary as it was, unable to withstand the vast ocean of the Astral between them, was sundered, the link between their Truesouls fading into the distance, Ortlinde thought he heard some faint words. “I’m grateful. I’ll see you again… one day. Because like it or not, now… we’re connected…”

“That… was wild!” Siegrune laughed, exultant, before fetching a jug from a side table and pouring Rossweisse a glass of wine, which she gulped down, nearly spilling it with her unsteady hand. “Good job, Rose. I don’t get it, I’m no Runecaster, but… it worked, right?”

“I believe so. I have no idea what happened to the Geaswork present within the adherence, but the nature of it was rich with spatial energy, and the ability to traverse great distances in a single step. Coupled with the power of the Seed, its nature to imbue learning, knowledge and Skill within a worthy being… I believe we achieved something.” She paused, her pale skin tinged nearly the same shade as her hair. “I am ashamed to say it, but I believe I benefited myself. My grasp on the Runes has improved, and I think my ability to handle adherence strengthened too…”

“Good job, Rose!” Siegrune praised her again, before sending a sidelong glance at Ortlinde. “Maybe you should take over from Ortlinde, since you were so helpful to him? Hang on, wait, no, I’m going to take him! It’s fate, he’s taken a piece of my Truesoul too!”

“I think not!” Ortlinde shouted, perturbed. “I passed Tyr’s blessing to him, wove the Seeds with my Truesoul fragment and set him on this path. I was harsh, offering him little guidance, but… cream rises to the top.”

“I was only teasing. But… I can think my own efforts weren’t in vain.” Siegrune was serious, her orange eyes solemn. “I’m pleased. He’s picked up the scattered wreckage of my failures. When he comes again… maybe I’ll be able to aid him as you have.”

Ortlinde nodded, but in the back of her mind, seeming so faint as to be perhaps an illusion, a faint sense of his presence lingered, a warm gratitude, and a trickle of hope. Each Seed is harder to absorb than the last. Now he has taken four… to use more, ordinarily I would expect it to take many long years, decades, perhaps even centuries… but… he is full of surprises, and… it is as he said. He is not alone. Now even Siegrune, foolish and flighty though she is, is with him…

“This quite ruined my mood to read.” Rossweisse declared, finishing her wine and taking a deep breath. “I am quite exhausted. Perhaps we should find sister Helmwige, I would greatly like to listen to some soothing music from her lyre. And she is less likely to lecture us than Brunnhilde and Gerhilde…”

As Siegrune agreed, Ortlinde nodded as well. Yes, after our fierce battles of late, we could use some more time to recover our equilibrium and poise. And… perhaps this unanticipated good news will cheer my older sisters? With that final thought, Ortlinde began to tidy up the scattered books, an unexpected spring in her tired steps…