A large dark green magic circle glows around a long golden spear, while a young woman chants a sacred spell throughout the area. As she speaks louder, the green light of the magic circle shines brighter.
The sorceress with red hair is chanting a special spell, with her hands together in a triangle shape at her chest. Next to her stands a tall woman in shiny silver armor, watching the golden spear closely, showing how important it is.
The golden spear looks simple, like any other spear, made of gold with a pointed tip connected to a long, slim handle. However, this spear is considered the prototype of all spears in the universe; it is "Gungnir," the spear of the great god Odin.
Everyone knows that Odin died long ago at the jaws of the giant wolf Fenrir during Ragnarok. Since then, no one has been able to use this magical spear again.
The red-haired sorceress continues chanting the Valkyrie spells, which summon the souls of brave warriors to this land. It is believed that the more valuable the item used to summon a spirit, the stronger the warrior spirit that can be called. This time, using Gungnir as a medium for summoning, everyone hopes for a powerful outcome.
The red-haired sorceress's ability to chant these spells perfectly shows that she is a former Valkyrie who survived the ancient war. In that war, she was the leader of the 23rd combat unit, known as "Berlynda," called "The Red Dream," serving as the battle standard bearer beside the goddess Freyja.
Berlynda, once beautiful and brave, now wears a rough sackcloth instead of the mysterious black armor of the Valkyries that used to rule the skies. More than 700 years have passed since the Ragnarok war, yet she still looks like a young woman of 18 or 19. All surviving Valkyries appear similarly youthful, which has led to them being called "witches" in modern times. Since Odin's departure, they have scattered to live in different places, with no Valhalla to return to.
The tall woman in shiny armor standing near Berlynda recently came from Valhalla. She is a beautiful golden-haired elf named Enya, who is not inferior to Berlynda in appearance. If you look closely, you'd notice her pointed ears, a characteristic of elves.
Indeed, Enya is an elf, and she holds a high position as the sister of the Elf Queen. She is known as the "The Night Blade."
Berlynda separates her hands, ending the sacred chant of the Valkyries. She closes her eyes to calm her mind after completing the greatest summoning spell of her life. In the era of Valhalla, the Valkyries played a crucial role in summoning the souls of strong warriors to prepare them for the gods. However, only a few Valkyries were trusted by Odin to lead different combat units, making Berlynda's former position as the leader of the 23rd unit a testament to her excellence.
"Is it done, Berlynda?" Enya finally speaks after a long silence.
"I've completed the chant forty-nine times. Now we only have the final step, where the medium will summon the spirit to combine with it. I hope nothing unexpected happens," Berlynda replies while still with her eyes closed, seeking peace after the challenging chant.
"Something unexpected?!" Enya expresses her concern, realizing the importance of this mission.
"It's rare for a powerful object like the god's spear to be used as a medium. With Gungnir's hidden power, I can't predict what kind of spirit will be summoned," Berlynda says as she opens her eyes and looks at Enya.
"That sounds ominous," Enya presses further.
"It could indeed be a bad thing," Berlynda admits, reaching for the short dagger at her belt.
"How could anything bad happen? This is Gungnir we're talking about!" Enya protests. This mission must not fail.
"Just be prepared. My summoning should definitely call forth a strong spirit, but it may not necessarily be a warrior spirit. Sometimes, strong spirits can be of evil beasts," Berlynda explains her concerns.
"We can't afford to make mistakes. I promised the god Vidar!" Enya says seriously, readying herself and gripping her long sword at her waist, preparing to face Berlynda, the former leader of Odin's unit.
"Whether we need to fight each other is secondary. If Gungnir transforms into a beast, we must work together to defeat it first. At least then you can return the spear to Vidar," Berlynda concludes with a smile, believing this reason would resonate with Enya.
Fog begins to thicken around Gungnir, with flashes of light resembling lightning and a rumbling sound in the mist. Then, the golden-yellow fog slowly shapes into a figure resembling a human.
"It seems to be a human. That's a good sign, right?" Enya observes the fog, hoping the human shape forming around Gungnir is a positive outcome.
"If it's a human, it's definitely better than a dragon," Berlynda adds, hinting at deeper meanings.
"With Gungnir's immense power, if it turns out to be a beast, can we really handle it?" Enya questions, still doubtful. Despite being a high-born elf trained extensively, she has never witnessed a Valkyrie summoning a warrior spirit before; this is her first experience.
"At first, everything will emerge in a state of unconsciousness. If there is any mistake, it will be during this time when we can correct everything," Berlynda explains, her demeanor shifting as the golden fog begins to take shape.
"Then it's like killing it while it's still asleep," Enya replies coldly. Her title as "The Night Blade" carries a hidden meaning of being an assassin. With her sister as the Elf Queen, she has many responsibilities, including eliminating enemies.
"I'll let you decide whether to keep it or kill it. But there will be no second summoning, even if it's a request from Vidar," Berlynda states, her gaze fixed on the increasingly clear golden fog.
"Even if it's a request from Vidar, don't forget you still owe my sister a favor," Enya reminds Berlynda of their past connection with the Elf Queen.
"Ugh..." Berlynda sighs in irritation.
"It seems Gungnir is turning into a man. With that black hair, he probably doesn't have any noble blood," Enya comments. Coming from a high elf family, her hair originally was a silvery gold but changed to gold as she grew. Elves believe hair color indicates noble blood, from silvery gold, gold, green, blue, to brown or black, which is considered the lowest.
After speaking, Enya confidently approaches the naked figure in the center of the magic circle. Everything seemed to be settling down as the figure born from Gungnir transformed into a tall man.
Suddenly, a bright flash erupts from the naked man unexpectedly. The light expands into a radiant halo, threatening to engulf the surroundings. Enya, moving closer, finds herself in the path of this threatening light. Just before it hits her, Berlynda yanks her back to safety.
This swift action shows Berlynda's survival skills from Ragnarok.
The threatening light dissipates before touching Enya and Berlynda, keeping them both unharmed.
"It seems nothing more will happen," Enya says, returning to the naked man. This time, she draws her slender sword, preparing for any potential danger. With her confidence in the "Gradius Sword" and her skills, she feels ready to face whatever threat may arise.
The Gradius Sword is a special weapon created by high elves from a rare metal called "Mithril," which glows at night. Additionally, these special swords are inscribed with unique runes, allowing skilled users to control the sword's magic as they wish, enhancing both the sword's sharpness and the wielder's magical power.
Although Berlynda seems to have no objections to Enya, she still says, "As for my debt to your sister, I believe that by saving you and protecting those lovely eyes of yours, it has now been fully repaid."
"Ugh..." Enya sighs, unable to deny that Berlynda did indeed save her. The light had been rushing toward her eyes, the most delicate part of her, and it would have been a great misfortune to lose her sight. She acknowledges that their past debt has been cleared.
Both stand close to the figure of the naked man, slowly examining his appearance.
Enya speaks first, "Do you think that light from him changed his once fair skin to this dull tone?"
"I'm not sure, but if I remember correctly, it does seem darker than when I viewed it from afar," Berlynda agrees with Enya.
"This is a real letdown. Not only does he have black hair, but his skin is also dark," Enya said with a sour expression, secretly disappointed that the Gungnir spear had transformed into a human male with such features.
"So, are you going to keep him or dispose of him and take the Gungnir spear back?" Berlynda mentioned the agreement they had made earlier.
"Well, since he's in a human body, I should probably keep him and put him to use," Enya turned and gave Berlynda a teasing smile.
"If you're going to keep him, you must whisper in his ear, give him a name, and tell him the duty you want him to perform. All of this will be embedded in his memory forever," Berlinda would normally have been the one to perform these duties herself, but this time, she was acting on the orders of the god Vidar, relayed through Enya. So, she offered for the high-ranking Elf woman to carry out the process herself.
"What should I name him?! If I think of one on the spot like this, I'll probably end up with some weird, ugly-sounding name," Enya muttered.
Berlynda suddenly felt sympathy for Enya and suggested, "In the language of the Valkyries, 'Asanee' means lightning, which seems to suit the Gungnir spear perfectly. How about you use that name?"
"'Asanee,' 'Lightning,' you say? But this guy is dark-skinned?" Enya continued to grumble as if talking to herself, still hesitant. Nevertheless, she walked up to the naked man, leaned down, and whispered in his ear, "Your name is 'Dark Asanee.' Your duty is to assassinate the gods Modi and Magni."
After hearing Enya's words, Berlynda's eyes widened in surprise. After the brutal Great Ragnarök War, only a handful of gods had survived. Yet now, the god Vidar wanted to kill two gods who were the bloodline descendants of the great commander, the god Thor. What was this all about? Why were the gods seeking to kill each other like this? And was the king of heaven, the great god Baldur, not aware of this?