by Garnet Hart
Grunt swirled and rolled on the ground, but Lior kept his teeth buried on his flesh. He felt Grunt’s colossal weight crushing him, but he refused to let go.
In desperation, Grunt stood up and slammed his back against a big tree. Once, twice, thrice!
Lior felt his spine snap.
The next thing he knew, he was on the ground on his back, unable to move. He could only watch as Grunt grabbed his neck and drove his long, sharp claws down his throat. He felt his neck crack.
Lior could not make a sound as he felt liters of his blood spill out, quickly draining the life out of his body.
He’d done all he could…
This was the end.
He heard a faint scream. He moved his eyes as he could no longer move his head or any other part of his body. He knew he was only seconds from death. It was just his mind fading now. Grunt’s claws still pinned him to the ground.
He saw Asra on her knees at the edge of the cliff. Lysander was right beside her.
Just as the light started to leave him, he smiled, knowing that his beloved was alive and safe. He knew Lysander would be able to defend her. The Vampire was holding the Dainsleif.
He closed his eyes to rest in peace. At least, his death would not be in vain.
Asra tried to stay away from Lysander who was slaying the smaller beasts like a bunch of helpless pigs. She’d heard of his sword called the Dainsleif, and she had to agree that it was one of the most fearsome blades ever created.
She had no idea where Lysander came from, and how he managed to come just in time and caught her from falling off the cliff. But that was the least of her concern. She had to get to Lior.
She crawled her way while Grunt’s minions were attacking Lysander and the other Lycans surrounded Grunt. All the beasts were attending to Lysander and some other Lycans surrounded Grunt.
By the time she had reached him, he was back to his human form.
Tears rolled down her face even before she could touch him. Something in her knew that he was dead, but she did not want to accept it.
She pressed her palm on his cheek. He was getting cold, and blood had formed a red pool around him. She glided her fingers under his chin to feel his pulse, but she felt nothing.
She cried out loud and dropped her face over his, seeking his remaining warmth.
“Why?” she asked him, even though she knew he could no longer hear her. “Why did you have to come for me? You should have stayed in Vanar and became their king.”
She was saying this now, while just yesterday, she was cursing him for choosing Var over her. She understood him now. If she had not been that stupid, she should not have gone to Vanar, and none of these could have happened. Bran and Lior would still be alive, and Lysander should not be wasting his time fighting these monsters here, at risk of dying as well in the hands of this monster Grunt.
Suddenly, she heard a loud growl behind her. She lifted her head and turned to see the son of a bitch advancing towards her. She had forgotten that Grunt could easily throw the Lycans like a bunch of rabbits.
At a distance, she saw a woman lying dead on the ground. She cried again. Ginny might not had been very friendly to her, but she was the only one who had shown her kindness among the female Lycans, and she was the one who had healed her lash wounds just last night.
She screamed her rage, no longer concerned that Grunt was about to get her. She’d rather die, as well. If her spirit should go to Asgard, she’d have her spirit killed as well and join Lior and Ginny to a world they called as nothingness.
Lior’s dead, and this monster had no more use of her. He’d surely kill her now.
But before the monster could hurt her, a sharp blade cut through his paw, slicing through the flesh and bone that fell heavily right in front of her.
She screamed in horror and moved back, until she realized Raith was standing right in front of her, with his long and heavy two-handed sword.
She was speechless, awed by the presence of another hero who came to protect her. She knew Raith was alive, and she knew he was the one who brought her to Alfheim to be healed. But she couldn’t seem to appreciate everyone sacrificing themselves to protect her. She wished they’d just let her die, and all of these would come to an end.
“Are you okay?” Raith asked, glancing briefly at her.
“Yes,” she replied. “Be careful that monster had killed Bran and Lior… and Ginny.”
Raith was unperturbed. “The more reason I have to kill this giant prick.”
To their surprise, Grunt’s paws spawned back in a blink of an eye.
They were both stunned. So this monster had the ability to regenerate his body parts as well. How could anyone kill this beast then?
Raith lunged forward with his sword. Grunt easily dodged the attack and ran off. Asra thought it was too tired to fight, but when it stopped, she realized it only did so to have the time to summon more minions.
This time, Grunt did not only summon dozens but hundreds of minions. Lysander and the other Lycans came, and together they fought the horde of beasts while Grunt rested at the corner.
Asra turned away when she witnessed two Lycans fall to their deaths. This was too much. It just had to stop. But how? How in the world could they defeat an evil monster like Grunt?
Lior could hear Asra’s voice. He could hear her crying and praying for the gods for help. He could hear his men falling to their deaths. He could hear Raith and Lysander gasping in exhaustion. He could hear the minions growling in hunger for a kill… And he could hear Grunt laughing at the pathetic creatures who dared and tried to stop him.
His body was dead, but the Vanir god in him still lived.
He was furious at the futility of it all. How could he help his comrades? It was impossible to kill Grunt. Only one weapon could kill this beast—the Grimrist that was hidden inside his body.
But the sword could only come out if he could shift into his Alpha form. However, the Alpha’s ability to shift into such form had been locked by Odin centuries ago, in fear that they could someday outmatch Odin’s power.
Suddenly, he heard someone wailing. The sound was loud and its pitch was so high that no ordinary creatures could possibly produce it. It was coming right beside him.
From Asra.
As the wail surrounded him, her palms pressed hard over his chest, her tears flowing like hot bolts of electricity into his system, invigorating him. The energy struck him like lightnight, fast, jolting every part of his dead body back to life.
He knew what was happening then.
“No!” he wanted to cry out and push her away. But he could not move. This Elf’s ability was not for free. It would cause her own life.
Asra stop!
But the stronger force within him came to life. A force he knew too well.
The Alpha inside him had awakened.
The curse of Odin was finally broken. The energy of nature had just purified him from all spells. Odin could not have foreseen this.
Suddenly, the wailing stopped, and the energy stopped flowing within him. His heart started to beat again, his bloodstreams rushing with his pulse.
Then he felt a powerful aura surround him.
His insides started to heave.
He felt the blade rising from his chest and it hurt like hell. This pain was worse than Grunt’s claws, and if the Grimrist should come out of him, it might just kill him a second time.
Chapter 32
Asra slowly rose from the ground. She did not know what happened. It was as if something inside her took control of her body and she wailed out loud while she absorbed all the forces of nature around her.
Then something… another stronger energy had repelled the force and threw her off.
Her surroundings stunned her. The trees and the plants, including the grass around her, had dried up all of a sudden. Did she just suck up the life of these plants around her?
Her eyes opened wide when she saw a bright light surrounding Lior’s body.
> She crawled away as she felt the heat scorching her skin. Oh god, was he burning?!
She watched in suspended fear as the light brightened to a blinding extent. Then Lior’s loud roar echoed around the forest. He was alive!
The fighting stopped and silence prevailed as everyone turned to see and was dazzled by the light. When the vivid light faded away, a man holding a glowing blue sword emerged.
Asra stared in awe. It was Lior. He looked somehow different, but she was sure it was him.
He was probably a couple more inches taller, and his physique looked broader. His body was clad in shiny, black armor with a symbol of a fierce Lycan engraved on his breast plate and a red heavy cape hung from his shoulders.
She knew, this was his god form. The Alpha.
He looked magnificent holding that sinister-looking sword.
“Welcome back, King of Vanar,” Lysander was the first one to speak, while the remaining Lycans dropped to their forelegs to show their respect.
Grunt growled loud, as though telling Lior that he was not afraid of a god standing before him but Asra could see the fright darkening his horrid eyes.
The minions started to attack once again and Lysander and the Lycans resumed their fight. Asra realized Raith was gone. She wondered if he was alright.
She moved back as far as she could, seeking shelter from a big tree. From there, she watched the legendary monster and the Vanir god challenge each other.
Grunt charged forward. Lior gripped his sword tight and waited for Grunt. He was once again ready to take on the two-ton monster.
As if the monster knew the danger that the glowing sword could inflict in him, Grunt dodged the swing of the sword and aimed for Lior’s body. But the monster could not easily hurt Lior now. The Alpha would not be so easily defeated, not even by the most ferocious beast of Vanar.
Grunt attacked with all his might, but Lior was twice faster in his Alpha form. He could easily predict Grunt’s next move. He felt amazing. Invincible.
He moved as though it was the most natural thing for him. His body was following every dictate of his mind as though they were one and the same.
He dodged all the monster’s attack, not giving it a chance to inflict a scratch on him.
Frustrated, Grunt growled and his minions turned to him. Lior did not pay much attention to the minions and slaughtered each one of them as he advanced to Grunt. Then he saw some minions approaching Asra.
He started to turn towards her, but Lysander beat him to it and hacked the smaller beasts with his sword like weeds on his path.
Grunt attacked thinking he was distracted. He swung the Grimrist upward and cut off his claw.
Grunt roared in pain as his flesh burned like a glowing ember, slowly consuming his flesh. This time, his severed limb was unable to regenerate.
If Grunt would not do something to cure his wounds, the sting of the Grimrist would slowly consume his whole body until it all burned down to ashes.
But the monster was stubborn. He preferred to fight rather than run away. Just like the Lycan he was. He’d rather die fighting than be branded a coward.
Grunt growled again, summoning hundreds of minions.
But Lior had had enough.
Slaying all the minions that came his way, he hacked his way towards Grunt.
This time, the monster stepped back, his face no longer ferocious but afraid.
Grunt managed to dodge his first attempt, but not the second attack. The Grimrist sliced his snout off cleanly as though slicing paper.
Grunt howled, filling the forest with deafening sounds of excruciating pain. He lost the capacity to think and went into a rampage, attacking without a specific target. In the process, he killed some of his own minions.
Lior knew the fight was over. He just had to finish this monster off.
He jumped over the mad beast and landed on its broad back. He raised the Grimrist up, with its blade pointing down, and plunged the sword directly on the monster’s spine. The blade went in to the hilt.
Another deafening sound echoed and this time it could have reached the people in Dunvegan Castle.
The monster was dying, Lior could feel it. His flesh was burning, but Grunt refused to give up and made one last attempt to grab him. Lior left the Grimrist impaled on Grunt’s back and jumped off, landing on the ground.
He watched Grunt whimper in pain until his huge body fell heavily on the ground, the impact rumbling the earth like a seism.
Grunt was still breathing, still fighting for his life, but he was unable to get up. He was finished.
Lior pulled the Grimrist from Grunt’s body and watched the monster chase his final breaths. He gripped the sword downward, and then shoved it down the ground. It created a wave that washed over the ground, killing all the minions along its way and burying them all back to the earth.
Aware that the battle was over, Lysander lowered his sword. Asra came out from hiding behind the tree as well.
His heart longed to go to her, hold her in his arms, and never let her go ever again, but he must not. He had a responsibility for to people, and this meant he’d have to leave her forever.
It hurt him like hell, his heart breaking into pieces like a shattered glass beyond repair, but a king would not place his personal happiness over the welfare of his people.
He turned back to Grunt and saw him take his last desperate breath. Slowly, the monster returned to his human-like form.
Lior did not expect to feel this much sadness over the death of this creature.
Grunt was a treasure of Vanar. His strength was respected and regarded as legendary, but the monster had a pride bigger than his body.
Grunt could have been an excellent warrior. He could have helped the Lycans during Asgard’s attack, but instead, Grunt made Asgard’s job easier.
Suddenly, a portal appeared in front of him and a horde of Lycan soldiers came rumbling out. One of them was an elder who had the ability to summon a temporary portal.
They could have known of this encounter, and so they rushed to come help him. But they came too late. Grunt was already dead, and so was Ginny.
Garr, who was one among the soldiers who just arrived, stepped forward and fell on his knees before Lior.
“The Alpha! Our king!” Garr cried as joyful tears sparked in his eyes. “I did not expect to see it again.”
Lior nodded for his general to stand up. “The curse has been broken. All Alphas can transform to their god form now.”
Garr rose to his feet and smiled. “You’ve done a great job, my king. And for that, you have my utmost respect and loyalty. It will be an honor to serve you forever. Thank you for giving me another chance.”
Lior smiled and tapped Garr’s shoulder. “Your love for Vanar is incomparable. You deserve to be the king more than anyone of us does.”
Lior turned to Lysander who was standing a few meters away from them, silently watching the drama with Asra by his side.
“Lord Lysander Rochford,” he said aloud, “the people of Vanar wish to thank you for helping us. From this day forward, you will be regarded as one of our heroes.”
Lysander grinned, shaking his head. “I’m only returning the favor you have given me many times. No need to honor me.”
“I insist,” Lior said and fell to his knees to show his respect to the Vampire. The rest of the Lycans followed, all lowering their heads to the earl of Rochford.
Lysander motioned for everyone to stand up. “Thank you. Will I ever see you again?”
Lior stood up before he answered. “Definitely. If you need me, my forces are always ready.”
Lysander smiled and nodded. “Farewell then. I wish you well.”
Lior turned to see Asra who had been waiting for him to look at her. Finally, their eyes met, and as if she was expecting him to say something to her.
But there was nothing he could tell her. If he did, the pain and the sadness of this parting would only crush them both.
Asra’s heart sank
when Lior turned away from her without saying a word. He went to pick up Ginny’s body while two of his men took Grunt.
He headed to the portal but suddenly stopped to again look at her.
Her heart was crying now, begging for him to say something to her… anything.
But he did not. He just stared at her for a few more seconds and then turned away.
“Lior!” She called out, unable to contain her overflowing emotions. She was about to run to him, but he quickly shot her a hard stare.
“Dunna follow me!” his rumbling voice warned her, but he did not even open his mouth. The voice was right in her head.
Frozen, she could not say a word even if she had too many questions to ask him.
“Do you no’ understand?” he continued. “You’re a human and I’m a Vanir, a god, and a king. We are never meant for each other.”
Asra clenched her knuckles. Fury and pain mixed up inside her. She wanted to kick his holy balls, but the pain overwhelmed all other emotions inside her that she just found herself crying.
The arrogant, heartless king of the beasts showed her no mercy and turned away, quickly disappearing behind the portal. His men followed, and in a minute, the portal closed. Only she and Lysander remained standing there.
Tears continued flowing down her cheeks, sobbing like a lost child in the wilderness. Then she felt Lysander’s hand around her shoulders.
Unable to contain her emotion, she pressed her face on his chest and cried louder.
For the next couple of minutes, Lysander stroked her hair, comforting her from the pain that kept wounding her heart.
“You have to understand, lass,” Lysander told her softly, “he is the hope of his people. He cannot turn his back from them. If you were in his place, you’d do the same.”
Asra knew that, but the pain of accepting it was unbearable. However, she had to consider that Lior had already risked his life to save her. It would be too much if she’d ask for more from him.