81 LXXXI. The Story

"Boy, you're 18, but you talk like an old wise man. Your determination is a breath of fresh air for my old, rusty spirit" Egill said.

Dag sighed, looking down.

"Brann" said the Master Of Healing.

Dag immediately looked up at him, listening intently to what he had to say.

"Magni probably talked you about him. He was our Warchief. He was as determined as you are, but he had decided to tackle the problem by going another way. He wanted to become King of all Vikings. Under his command, we fought several wars and emerged victoriously. But it couldn't last forever. His personal ambition pushed him to go further, until he lost his head, believing himself to be more powerful than anyone else" Egill said.

"I know what happened to him. I know about the battle against Lies Of Loki" said Dag, who recalled the words of Asa and Gridd.

"During that battle, we allied with the Sons Of Freya and fought like one great Clan, as you said before. But victory was not enough for him. He wanted to kill their commander, to prove his supremacy, putting the lives of all of us and the allies of the other clan at risk".

"What? I didn't know this version. All I knew was that he had died in battle because someone wanted to take over his n° 6 emblem" Dag said, puzzled.

Egill walked a few meters away and opened a trunk that was near the wall. He took a small metal vessel from the inside.

He put it on the table in front of Dag, who didn't understand.

"Brann was in love. You, Earthlings, are more attached to this concept than us, born here on Skjold. In Viking culture, love weakens. In my opinion, the truth lies in the middle. But that was the rule for him. He loved your foster mother so much... he liked to exterminate his opponents to brag before her. It was because of a woman that we lost our most valiant warrior and were forced to retreat to the Temple Of Orn, to remain neutral to the Clans wars" Egill continued.

The man took a water bottle, detaching it from his belt.

He poured the liquid contained in it into the container. It looked like normal water.

Dag did not answer, he was trying to store the information that his Master was providing him.

Egill took a knife and cut himself in the palm of his hand.

"Master, what are you doing?"

Egill did not answer. He clenched his fist, dropping a few drops of his blood into the water of the vessel, which turned red.

"I want to trust you, Dag. In your eyes, I see hope for a better future for our clan. I'll take you there" he said.

"Where? What are you talking about?" asked Dag.

Egill grabbed his wrist and with a quick gesture cut him on the back of his hand.

"Ouch!"

He put his hand on Dag's, matching the two cuts and dipping them both into the water.

Egill's eyes turned white.

Dag looked at him frightened.

His pupils were turned backward and from his mouth, he emitted strange verses.

"Master Egill! Are you feeling good?!" said Dag, when he felt a chill starting from his hand submerged in water and running through his arm until it reached his neck and head.

At that point, suddenly, Dag closed his eyes.

A few seconds passed before he could reopen them.

In that short amount of time, he heard a noise of the wind and a feeling of cold.

He opened his eyes, looking down.

His feet were completely submerged in snow, which covered his calves down to his knees.

He was wearing iron armor.

"What? What?! Where..." said, emitting vapor from his mouth as he spoke.

After looking up, he realized that he was in the middle of a battle.

Hundreds of warriors fought around him.

Sounds of swords and shields, screams of pain and despair.

The battle was real.

Before Dag realized he wasn't in a dream, an arrow flew next to his face at great speed, grazing his hair.

Dag stood still, frightened.

The arrow had just hit a warrior who was trying to attack him from behind, killing him.

Dag looked at the dead warrior, then turned to the other side again.

A young woman with a long white braid had just saved him.

"Come on, soldier! There's no time to waste!" she yelled.

After listening to her speak, Dag had no doubts: it was Asa's voice.

"But how is it possible?! Did Egill make me time travel?! It all seems real here!" thought Dag, who grabbed the dead warrior's spear.

He ran towards the girl with white hair.

As he ran, enemy soldiers approached him, trying to hit him.

Dag dodged the blows, sticking the first of them with the tip of the spear.

The other hit him with a kick, but he grabbed his foot and pulled it towards him, knocking the enemy to the ground.

After extracting the spear from the other warrior's dead body, he also pierced the second, in the chest.

Dag looked better on both men on the ground: they wore light leather armor and thin iron protections on their legs.

In the center of the chest, a symbol of two crossed daggers adorned the chainmail.

"Lies Of Loki!" thought Dag aloud.

The battle was supposed to be exactly what he was talking about a few minutes earlier with Egill.

"Brann! Maybe he's still alive!" thought Dag, who was looking for him.

He kept running in the same direction.

The white-haired girl walked further and further away, Dag couldn't keep up.

She finally stopped, when enemy warriors encircled her.

Before Dag could help her, she jumped and heavenly wings appeared on her back.

As she flew, she powerfully waved her wings toward the enemies, causing a gust of wind that swept some of them.

The others, however, suddenly disappeared and then reappeared above her, hitting her behind the back with a punch.