The transition between realms felt different from normal teleportation. For a moment that stretched into eternity, we existed everywhere and nowhere, suspended between worlds.
Then reality slammed back into place.
The cold hit first—a bone-deep, unnatural chill that went beyond physical sensation. This wasn't a normal cold; it was the primordial cold of Niflheim, the realm of ice and mist that had existed before the Nine Worlds were formed.
We materialized on a ridge of black ice overlooking a vast, frozen wasteland. The sky above was a strange, twilight purple, with no sun or moon visible. Just endless, dark clouds churning with silent lightning.
"Ginnungagap," Rose whispered beside me, her breath forming crystals in the air. "The great void."
She'd changed during the teleportation. Her casual clothes were gone, replaced by the full battle armor of a Valkyrie. It was easy to forget sometimes that Rose had once been a warrior of Asgard, chosen by Odin himself.
"Where are we exactly?" I asked, scanning the horizon.
"The outskirts of Niflheim," she replied, pointing to a distant structure barely visible through the swirling mist. "That should be Hel's temple."
I focused inward, trying to sense the thread that had connected me to Koneko. Still nothing. Complete silence where that bond should have been. The barriers here, or perhaps Loki's magic had severed the connection completely.
But somehow, I knew she was here. My instinct tells me she is here.
"She's here," I said, my eyes fixed on the distant temple. "I can feel it."
Rose didn't question it further. She knew me well enough by now to trust my instincts.
"Loki will be expecting us," she said instead. "He wouldn't have gone through all this trouble just to get you here quietly."
"I know." I replied grimly.
My hand tightened into a fist at my side. I wasn't arrogant enough to think this would be easy. Power wasn't everything and Loki had been playing these games for millennia.
While I might surpass him in raw strength, especially with Laevateinn, he was a god who'd survived countless schemes, betrayals, and wars. He'd been manipulating gods and mortals since before my ancestors drew breath. The god of lies and mischief, titles earned through blood and cunning.
Experience. Knowledge. Ruthlessness. These were weapons as deadly as any blade or spell.
And this was his territory, his carefully chosen battlefield. Every step we took was likely part of his design.
I scanned the frozen landscape, my enhanced cognition already mapping the terrain, cataloging threats, and calculating possibilities.
During the teleportation, my mind had been working, processing everything I knew about Loki, Hel, and Norse mythology. By the time we arrived, I had formulated seventeen possible scenarios and corresponding strategies.
"We need a plan," Rose said, crouching beside me on the ridge. "Hel's temple isn't just a building—it's an extension of her will. Every shadow, every shard of ice could be watching us."
I nodded, my enhanced cognition already formulating strategies based on our position, resources, and known variables.
"Direct approach is suicide," I said, eyes still fixed on the distant structure. "Loki will have layered defenses designed to confuse, separate and kill us."
"Agreed," Rose replied.
"We need to approach in stages," I continued. "First, magical concealment."
Rose nodded, already tracing runes in the air with practiced precision. "I can modify our magical signatures to read as something native to Niflheim that wouldn't draw attention."
I could have attempted the spell myself. My cultivation and studies had given me a working knowledge of various magical systems, including Norse magic. But her magic will blend more naturally with the realm's energy allowing us to blend more naturally.
"How long will it last?"
"In this realm? Three hours, maybe four. Longer if we avoid direct confrontation with anything that could strip the enchantment."
"That should be enough." I pointed toward a winding path that seemed less treacherous than the surrounding terrain. "We'll approach through that ravine."
She nodded as she began casting the spell.
As Rose completed her concealment spell, the air around us shimmered briefly before settling.
"Tell me about Hel," I said as we began our descent from the ridge. "What should we expect from her?"
Rose's expression grew serious. "Hel is... complicated. As Loki's daughter, she inherited his cunning, but not his nature. She's methodical, patient."
"And her relationship with Loki?"
"Strained but loyal," Rose replied. "Odin cast her into Niflheim and made her its ruler. A kingdom of the dead as a prison disguised as a gift. Loki never forgave him for that, though some say it was Odin's mercy that spared her a worse fate."
We moved carefully across the frozen wasteland, following Rose's suggested path.
About halfway to the temple, Rose suddenly froze, raising a hand in warning. I stopped immediately, following her gaze.
Ahead of us, drifting through the mist, were pale, translucent figures. They were human in shape but with features blurred and indistinct. They moved aimlessly, occasionally passing through solid ice as if it weren't there.
"Lost souls," Rose whispered. "Those who died without purpose or glory, denied entry to Valhalla or any afterlife of meaning. They're bound to Niflheim, neither fully conscious nor truly dead."
I watched them drift. "Are they dangerous?"
"Not directly," she replied. "But they're sensitive to living energy. If too many cluster around us, it could disrupt my concealment spell and alert whatever's guarding the temple."
I nodded, considering our options. I could cast a repulsion spell to keep them at a distance, but using my magic here might be like lighting a beacon for Loki. Better to rely on Rose's more naturally camouflaged abilities when possible.
We skirted around the gathering of souls, keeping our distance. As we passed, one of them seemed to notice us—its featureless face turning in our direction, empty eye sockets somehow focusing on our position.
"Don't look directly at them," Rose cautioned. "Intent draws their attention."
I kept my eyes forward, ignoring the hollow sensation of being watched by the dead. After several tense minutes, we cleared the cluster of souls and continued onward.
Our path ended at a steep incline leading up to what appeared to be a side entrance, it was a narrow arch carved into the black ice of the temple wall, unmarked and unguarded.
"This was too easy," I said, studying it.
Rose nodded, then knelt and placed her palm against the ground. She closed her eyes, lips moving in a silent incantation. After a moment, her eyes snapped open.
"There," she said, pointing to what looked like ordinary ground about twenty feet ahead. "A detection barrier. Cross that, and every guardian in the temple will know we're here."
I studied the area with my enhanced perception, noticing now the subtle distortion in the air like heat ripples on a summer day, but twisted sideways in defiance of natural law.
"Can you disable it?"
Rose shook her head. "Not without alerting whoever cast it. But I can create a temporary passage, like some sort of tunnel through the magic rather than dismantling it."
"Do it," I said.
She began a more complex spell, her fingers weaving intricate patterns in the air. Runes appeared and faded with each movement, building upon each other in layers of meaning I couldn't fully comprehend. This was centuries of Valkyrie training at work, the knowledge that was passed down through generations of Asgard's elite.
"This will only last for a few seconds," she warned. "We'll need to move quickly, and in perfect sync. The moment we're through, the barrier will snap back into place."
I positioned myself beside her, ready to move. "On your signal."
Rose completed her spell with a final, decisive gesture. A narrow opening appeared in the barrier that was visible now as a shimmering wall of pale energy.
"Now!"
We sprinted forward, diving through the opening just as it began to close. I felt the magic brush against my back as it sealed behind us.
We crouched on the other side, waiting to see if any alarms had been triggered. Nothing happened. The temple remained still and silent.
"That was too close," Rose whispered, her breathing slightly labored from the magical exertion.
I nodded, scanning our surroundings. We were now at the base of the temple proper, the side entrance just a short distance away.
"What's our best guess for where Loki would keep Koneko?"
Rose considered this, her expression troubled. "Hel's throne room would be at the center, but that's too obvious. Loki would expect us to head there first."
"So somewhere unexpected," I mused. "A place we wouldn't think to look."
"The Soul Chambers," Rose said. "Rooms where Hel keeps souls in transition, neither fully in Niflheim nor released to their final destination. They're scattered throughout the lower levels of the temple."
"Perfect place to hide someone you want to keep contained but accessible," I agreed. "Is there a way to detect which one might hold Koneko?"
Rose shook her head. "Not without entering the temple. But once inside, I might be able to sense disruptions in the natural flow of death energy. A living being like Koneko would create ripples in a place like this."
I took a deep breath, centering myself. "Then that's our first objective—get inside, locate those chambers, and find Koneko."
"And Loki?" Rose asked.
My expression hardened. "Let him find us. I'd rather deal with him after Koneko is safe."
With a final nod to each other, we moved toward the entrance, ready to infiltrate Hel's domain and face whatever traps Loki had laid for us within.
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