“I knew that you would be here,” Wendy said as she descended from the sky.
The silver-haired young man didn’t turn his head and continued to stare at the bridge that connected Asgard to the other realms of Yggdrasil.
“Listen, I know what you’re thinking, but it’s not going to happen.” Wendy stood beside the warrior whom she had personally brought back from the battlefield a week ago. “You can’t return to Midgard. Just give up.”
William didn’t say anything because he knew that she was right. He was already dead and it was impossible for him to return to Midgard. The young man knew this, but he was still unwilling to give up.
“Is there something you need to do?” Wendy asked. “Pass a message perhaps? If you ask nicely, I’ll find a way to deliver your handwritten letter the next time I go to Midgard to gather the souls of warriors.”
This time, the young man finally had a reaction. He stared at Wendy intensely as he grabbed her arm.
“Can you really send a letter back?” William asked. “Will you do it?”
“That will depend on my mood,” Wendy replied with a smile. “Also, it depends on the contents of the letter. Take note that coded messages are not allowed. If you play something fishy, I will personally hand you to Lady Freya to have your memories erased completely.”
The young man flinched when he heard Wendy’s warning. He was planning to send a coded message to someone very important to him, but if the price was to have his memories erased then it would all be for naught.
Wendy gave him the “I knew you’d do that” expression and pried away the hands that were holding onto her arm.
The man snorted and walked away. Since his plan to send a message could no longer be achieved, he had to find another way to contact that person in Midgard.
—–
Three months later…
William thrust his spear and pierced the eye of an Orc Champion that was wreaking havoc on the battlefield. The monster screamed in pain and waved its giant axe at random in order to protect itself from further attacks.
Finding a gap in the Orc Campion’s attack, William charged in and slid between its legs. He then used his full strength to cut off its head from behind, ending its life and making its subordinates scatter in fear.
The green fountain of blood rained upon the beheaded champion’s surroundings, which made the warriors that accompanied William regain their morale and attack the Orc Champion’s subordinates with renewed frenzy.
“Good Job,” Wendy landed beside William. “With this, we have successfully defended this Elven Outpost. I’m sure that the Lords of Alfheim will reward us generously… What’s wrong?”
Wendy noticed that William was looking absentmindedly at a dead Elven warrior not far from him. Since this was an outpost that belonged to the Elves, it was only natural that the ones protecting it were the Elven Warriors of Alfheim.
“Don’t tell me that the standoffish William has suddenly awakened to Necrophilia?” Wendy asked in a teasing tone. She had already noticed that the Elven warrior that had died was a woman and wondered why William was looking at her with such an intense gaze.
“Do I know any Elves?” William asked absentmindedly. “I can’t remember anything, but for some reason looking at her is making me feel anxious. It’s as if…”
The silver-haired warrior paused mid-sentence before holding his head as if he was suffering from a headache.
‘The cleansing has already reached this stage,’ Wendy thought with a sad expression. ‘He stopped going to the Bifrost Bridge two weeks ago and just stays within Valhalla to train everyday.’
The so-called cleansing was the gradual loss of memory after a warrior had entered Asgard. Most warriors completely lose their memories within a month of their arrival, as they helped the Gods of Asgard safeguard the denizens of the other Realms from invaders that were allied with Jotunheim and Muspelheim.
Those who had broken free from the shackles of their past lives were baptized by the light of Yggdrasil and were born anew as an Einherjar.
(A/N: Einherjar means “Army of One”, or “Those Who Fight Alone”.)
William, was a very rare existence because he had held on this long and still kept a few of his memories intact. However, it wouldn’t be long before those precious memories of his also vanished into thin air.
When that day came, he, too, would be reborn as an Einherjar.
Wendy had watched over the cold, yet brave warrior, who would always fight on the frontlines in order to protect his comrades. She watched him save the weak and helpless from the monsters that invaded their lands without even thinking of his own safety.
Part of her wanted to see William free from the shackles that hounded him, even in the afterlife. The other part of her wanted to preserve the memories of the brave warrior that had wormed himself into her heart.
“Let’s go back, Will,” Wendy said softly as he patted the warrior’s shoulder. “Let’s go back to Asgard.”
William blinked and looked at her absentmindedly. Soon, he nodded his head and accepted Wendy’s invitation.
The Valkyrie Captain transformed into a Pegasus and allowed William to mount her. This was a special privilege to a select few. Usually, only those that a Valkyrie had chosen to become her life partner would gain this right.
Naturally, William wasn’t aware of this hidden rule among those that ferried the souls of brave warriors to the halls of Valhalla. He was busy trying to grasp the fleeting memories in his hands, before they too, disappeared for eternity.
—–
Inside William’s Quarters in the Solaris Dormitory…
Wendy opened her eyes and found herself inside William’s room.
She had been sleeping with him since the day they had returned from the North and rumors were starting to spread in the Martial Division that she was their Commander’s Lover.
To her surprise, William didn’t deny or affirm the rumors. He simply brushed them aside as if they were something insignificant and not worth his attention.
Wendy’s twin, Spencer, was very vocal about it and would confront William from time to time. However, after William threatened that he would kick Spencer out of the Martial Division, the Siscon Brother had no choice but to back off.
William was not only the Commander of the Knight Order, but also the Head Prefect of the Martial Division. His words were law and no matter how aggrieved he was, Spencer wasn’t able to do anything in front of William.
Instead, he would often tell his sister that the Half-Elf was a Wolf in Sheep’s clothing and if she wasn’t careful, she would be eaten up in a heartbeat.
Little did Spencer know that Wendy was looking forward to being “eaten” by William. It was quite unfortunate that, aside from simple hugs and kisses, William wouldn’t do anything that was beyond his bottomline.
“Good morning,” William said when he noticed that Wendy was already awake. “I brought you some breakfast.”
William went early to the kitchen to smuggle breakfast for both of them. He had done this for the past few days, and Wendy loved these simple gestures that made her feel as if they were newlyweds.
After eating breakfast, Wendy returned to the Magic Division because today was Saturday. It was also the day that she promised Charlotte that she would accompany her to train.
“Big Sister, this is not the way to the training grounds,” Wendy said after she noticed that they had left the premises of the Magic Division.
“There is a place that we need to visit first before we start our training,” Charlotte replied with a smile. “I need to meet the maker of those candies that you love so much. He said that he has finished making another batch and asked me to pick them up.”
“Really?” Wendy was pleasantly surprised by Charlotte’s words. “I’ve long wanted to meet the one who makes those delicious candies.”
“Don’t worry, now is a good opportunity to meet him,” Charlotte patted Wendy’s head. ‘I’m sure that you will love him, too, Wendy. This way, the two of us can become his brides and live happily ever after.’
Charlotte guided Wendy towards the residences that were reserved for the teachers of the Royal Academy. The place where a certain candy maker was looking forward to her arrival.
