The ray of light that shone from the window into Ragna Griffin’s prison cell prevented the darkness from consuming her, but it also told her that for the rest of the world, life went on without a care for her shattered dreams.

Sunk in her chair, Ragna shifted with her eyes through the cell. The wet spots on the table had dried up. Like her reddened cheeks had returned to white, all traces of her tears had disappeared. Silence and emptiness manifested around her, creating a second barrier between her and the outside world.

She had wished to become a Valkyrie, to be a hero, but now, she had lost everything. And if she didn’t take action, she would never escape this nothingness. Fate and future would both remain bleak.

Ragna jumped from her chair and got on her feet. She had made her decision.

Still, in the back of her mind, the question loomed, how this could have happened to her.

֎

The crimson runes on Ragna’s phone told her she would never become a Valkyrie. She had failed the exam to enter the Valkyrie Program because three out of five examiners had considered her unfit.

Her fingers tightened around her phone. She clenched her jaw and kicked her boot against the corridor’s alabaster walls.

Fuck those idiots. What did they know about being a Valkyrie? What did it take anyway? Didn’t she possess strength, beauty, and intelligence? Wasn’t she fighting to protect the innocent? Then, why did she not pass the exam?

Ragna pocketed her phone in her academy uniform and looked at her palms. Scarlet impressions marked the spots where her flesh had pressed against her phone’s metal casing.

No. Thinking about their decision wasted her time. It deterred her from her path to create a better world. They were wrong, and she was right. Nothing else mattered. And she would prove it to the world.

The corners of her mouth rose.

She might have failed the exam, but a Valkyrie couldn’t doubt herself. They had to be strong, intelligent, and beautiful. They had to be righteous. Or else, they wouldn’t deserve the moniker of hero. She wouldn’t either if she let every failure make her lose hope.

After all, she still could reach her dreams. One last chance existed, to which she would cling to with everything she had. If she beat one of the examiners in a duel, she could force them to change their decision.

Her boots echoed across the corridor’s halls, their thuds deepening with every step.

Light infiltrated through the glass door at its end. It guided her towards her destination, towards the only path she could walk on: towards the arena.

The outside noises increased in their cacophony the closer she got to the arena, drowning out her steps.

She would become a Valkyrie. Once she did, she would reach the pinnacle of society and gain the resources to create a better world. Not that she could see any other future for herself. Her fate dictated her to become a Valkyrie and be a hero.

For a second, her smile disappeared. Ragna stopped just before the arena’s entrance. Her shoulders dropped, and she let out a heavy sigh.

“You’re strong. You’re smart, and you look amazing,” Ragna said to herself. “You’re made to be a hero. Never forget that.”

She let her hand slide over her face, putting on an invisible mask, and smiled.

Her feelings didn’t matter. Once she stepped outside, she became a public figure. The world could only see whatever she projected onto it – a woman destined to become a Valkyrie.

The automatic door opened up her path towards a glass dome that allowed one to peer into the forest outside the skirts of the City of Midgard. Phones welcomed Ragna in a wave of shutter lights that obscured her surroundings for a second. Under the audience’s cheers, she widened her arms. She bobbed them to the rhythm of the spectator’s jubilation, and their shouts boomed through the glass dome.

Quite an audience had gathered. But she should expect great interest since she was the daughter of two Valkyries and going to fight the academy’s shooting star. It helped that the semester had just finished. The academy wouldn’t open until the end of summer. All the cadets had either graduated, dropped out, or had holidays. Ragna would have relaxed for the next two and half months as well, if Altera hadn’t made her fail the exam.

Ragna jumped down from the bridge to the audience ring. She high-fived her classmates as she spurted past them. One of them held her phone up in the air, and Ragna stopped. Putting her arm around the girl’s waist, she posed with her.

To turn her dreams into reality, she couldn’t stand alone. She needed followers – people who believed in her, wished for her success, and shared her ideals. And in turn, she had to be there for them.

“Say, yay.” Ragna winked at the camera and formed two peace signs with her fingers for the girl’s InstaNorse photo.

Ragna’s gaze wandered towards the duel ring in front of her. The sun shone into her arctic-blue eyes, forcing her to squint. It radiated over the glass dome’s zenith, judging the two duelists who would fight out their battle under its blister.

Four tusk-like structures arched in the dome’s center, creating a ring for the duelists to fight. Around them, her classmates and seniors whispered among each other. Some bet on the duel’s outcome, while others took photos or filmed the event.

A camera clicked behind her.

Ragna sighed. Seriously?

She performed a pirouette and grabbed a fellow cadet’s phone. Her finger swiped over the screen before it could go dark until it stopped at a photo zooming on her skirt.

Ragna glared at the guy whose phone she had taken. “Did you try to take an ass shot?”

The cadet’s face paled. He tried to speak, but only gibberish left his mouth.

“It’s fine, it’s fine.” Ragna chuckled and showed him a smile. “If you wanna jerk off to it, be my guest. But that makes …“ She wiggled her head as she calculated an appropriate sum. “Let’s say ten thousand Wert. That sounds fair, right?”

The cadet’s mouth dropped. “Are you crazy? Who would pay for that?”

“How much do you think I’ve to train and regulate my meals?” Ragna flipped one of her ink-black twintails and swung her hip. “You don’t get an ass like that just by lying around on the couch.” She deleted the picture from his phone and returned it to him. “But I’m glad we agree.” Not losing her smile for a second, Ragna’s voice turned into the sweetest tone she could fake as she cracked her knuckles. “Hope I don’t see any pictures of my ass on the AetherNet. Or I’ll get my favorite pumps and ram the heels so high up into your cherry that the people far back in Kemet-Raa will mistake your screams for the call to their daily prayer.”

The cadet nodded repeatedly. Under the surveillance of Ragna’s eyes, he retreated into the crowd.

Valkyries might be servants to the public, but they still should be true to themselves. The masses should follow her ideals, and who would trust a fake?

“Ragna, would you please stop messing around?” Altera’s voice rang behind her. “You’ve wasted enough time as it is.”

Ragna’s smile disappeared. She turned around, her eyes latching onto the duel circle.

Two people were waiting for her. Against one of the tusks leaned Elizabeth Elisea, and within the ring’s center, Altera Xion had crossed her arms while tapping her foot against the glass at an increasing pace.

Ragna clicked her tongue. She returned to the bridge and walked towards the duel circle.

“Yo, Eli.” Ragna smiled. She raised three of her fingers and bumped her friend’s fist. “Sorry for dragging you into this.”

Eli frowned. As her shoulders dropped, her hand combed through her spiky verdant hair. “Worry about yourself.” She stabbed Ragna’s chest with her finger. “You’re putting your future on the line here. Do you get that?”

Ragna shrugged. “Only if I lose.”

“Why are you doing this?” Altera’s metallic heels clicked across the glass. She looked at her with half-open eyes. “Do you know what happens when you lose this duel?”

Oh, now she cared about her.

“Course, I do.” Ragna didn’t allow her body to react.

Altera shook her head. Her voice started to drop, turning into a whimper. “You might know, but you don’t understand. Once you lose the duel, you’ll become a Nidingr. You’ll be forever at the bottom of society.” She clutched her hands in prayer and looked at Ragna with teary eyes. “You’ll lose your human rights. Anyone will be allowed to kill you, and you’ll never get a job or anything else. Is becoming a Valkyrie worth it?”

“You can shove your fake compassion down your throat.” Ragna glared at Altera. She drew her saber and pointed it at her. But then, her voice lowered. “You should know it, too. There’s no future where I’m not a Valkyrie.”

Altera sighed. “I guess paying the Weregeld won’t do it.”

“You can’t just slap a number on my dreams. Even my greed has limits.” Ragna sheathed her saber and revealed her teeth. “You destroyed them when you let me fail. This duel is your fault. If you had just let me pass, we wouldn’t be in this mess right now. You knew that it all hinged on your decision, and it’s not like you were a great mentor. You did a shit job.”

“That… That’s not …” Altera stepped back. Her eyes looked at the ground. “You weren’t ready to become a Valkyrie.” Altera shook her head. She stomped over the circle and looked down on Ragna. “The way you fought against the soldiers was unacceptable.”

“Why? Because I killed a bunch of virtual Vaixian scumbags in a simulation?”

“You behaved unprofessionally. During the fight, you injured and damaged the enemies beyond the point of necessity. You treated the fight like a performance where you can show off.”

“Who cares? They’re monsters.” Ragna snorted. “We make a better world when we get rid of them.”

Altera scowled. “They… They were still humans with human rights.”

“And here I thought you couldn’t tell any jokes.” Ragna cackled. “They were going to rape a girl. They were monsters.”

“Calling them that doesn’t make them less human. Everyone has a right to live. Be it a child, our enemies, or criminals. And Valkyries protect them all.”

“You serious?” Ragna looked at her aghast.

How could she defend a bunch of pedophile rapists?

Altera didn’t show a reaction, and Ragna facepalmed. “Listen, you stupid bird brain. We protect those who are worth it. That’s what Valkyries, what heroes do.” She drilled her finger into Altera’s breast, causing her to flinch. “You’re letting monsters live because of some stupid moral code. Innocent people are going to suffer because of you. It’s an insult to the victims to deny them justice. Their souls will wander for eternity. But that’s fine since you can sleep better at night. What a great hero you are.” She stomped her boot against the glass. “We aren’t equal. We were born all different, and I can tell you for damn sure our choices make us different. I’ll never treat a criminal like an innocent girl.”

“And you have the right to judge?”

“We’re humans. We judge other humans, and we live with the consequences of our actions.”

Altera shook her head.

“The moment someone decides to harm another person, they become monsters. That’s just common sense, like how Aes’ is a round planet. Monsters don’t have the right to live. We kill them to protect others.”

“The world’s more complicated than that.”

“It ain’t. You’re making it complicated.”

“Still a child,” Altera murmured.

Ragna glanced to the spectators below and smirked. She turned around, facing the audience. “Yo, can I ask you guys something?”

The cadets started to whisper among each other, some raising their phones.

“How many of you have lost someone to Vaix? Most of us, isn’t it?” Ragna marched around the circle’s rims. Drawing closer to Altera, her voice increased in strength. “Funny, how we’re supposed to have peace. Yet, we’re not gonna stop sending our loved ones to their deaths until they’re gone. I mean, when you’ve cancer, do you keep sunbathing, or do you try to get rid of it?”

The whispers increased in volume. Approval reached Ragna’s ears from the audience as they streamed her words to the world.

Ragna suppressed a smile.

She had swayed their sympathy to her side. Not that it took much. One had to identify the opinions and views of the masses, voice what they wanted to say, and use trigger words that appealed to them. Of course, it helped that she was right.

They would root for her from this point on. It could give her a psychological edge in the duel and get her the future support of those who listened and agreed with her words.

“Let’s be honest. While we keep waggling our tails to protect this peace, Vaix keeps pushing. They see we’re weak and push harder. And we continue bending our asses. So, don’t be surprised if they overrun us.” Ragna shook her head, her eyes staring at the audience.

“No, that’s not good. I’m so sick and tired of seeing those we love to die for fucking nothing. Our world praises the virtues of sacrifice and death in combat, but you still throw your life away to defeat one enemy. What about the others? We can save more lives and defeat more enemies if we’re alive. Giving away your life on the battlefield, ain’t that romantic? You give the world no choice but to remember you as heroes.”

Ragna paused, allowing the audience to internalize her words. As they continued their murmurs, she glanced at Altera hugging her body with her eyes on the ground.

“Oh, cut that crap.” Ragna’s voice echoed across the glass dome. It let her voice ring like a legion and quenched the audience’s whispers. “A hero who can’t save lives is worthless. And death without meaning isn’t a sacrifice. It becomes a waste of lives.” She stomped with her boot against the ground, shaking the glass. “Once I become a Valkyrie, I’ll dedicate my life to creating a world where children won’t have to live without their parents, where we won't die alone and nameless.”

The spectators cheered.

“Where’s your witness?” Ragna turned to Altera.

Altera stumbled backward. Her eyes hopped across the ring, and her facial expression lost its strength.

Ragna sighed. “You couldn’t find anyone? How do you expect the duel to start?”

Altera avoided her gaze.

“As a priestess of Godking Twice, I can be the witness for both of you.” Eli walked between the two. “I still don’t like this, but I get that you need to duel.”

“Do we have to use their name in such a nonchalant manner?” Altera clung to her left arm.

Ragna rolled her eyes. “Even now, you have that stick in your ass. Twice isn’t even a real god.”

Altera scowled. “Please, refrain from such blasphemy.”

“I gotta agree with Altera.” Eli huffed. “This might be a clash between two cadets, but it’s still a holy ceremony. So, let’s set the ground rules. You won’t fight to the death. It’s over if one party can’t continue, leaves the ring, or gives up. If Altera Xion loses, she must allow Ragna Griffin to enter the Valkyrie Program. If she wins, Ragna Griffin will be branded as a Nidingr.”

“I see.” Altera lowered her eyelids. She turned back, and both duelists stepped towards the circle’s opposite sides.

“To make it clear. If anyone interferes, the duel will be canceled, and you can search for another witness. Are you ready?”

Ragna and Altera nodded.

“Thus, in the name of the binary Godking, may this duel commence.”

Eli left the circle, and the fight began.

Ragna drew her saber, holding her blade between herself and her opponent.

Once she won, Altera would have to acknowledge her. Still, she couldn’t drop her guard for a second.

Metal expanded from Altera’s choker, wristbands, and the bracelets around her thighs. She marched forward as well. Armor covered her body, evoking the image of disjointed stockings, opera gloves, and a corset.

Ragna had to admit that Altera presented herself as a Valkyrie. She dressed for the battlefield and the gala. Charming the cameras, animating the masses to fight, protecting the innocent, working to improve the world, and defeating the enemies of Midgard – Valkyries embodied beauty, intelligence, compassion, and strength in one.

And Altera’s beauty eclipsed most humans, veering into the supernatural. Long white hair with teal highlights pronounced Altera’s uniqueness. Her eyes resembled a thin and sharp layer of frost on the petals of a rose. White and red eyes was a rare combination. Few possessed either trait and even less both.

Under the audience’s shouts, Altera drew her partisan and held it down to her chest.

The two women circled each other. Neither let the opponent’s weapon out of their sight, waiting for the moment to strike.

Ragna’s eyes latched onto the partisan’s winged diamond head. Its size reached Altera’s height, increasing the difficulty getting close to her.

Of course, Altera would play it safe. Just like she risked becoming a Nidingr if she lost, Altera’s reputation would shatter if Ragna defeated her. Would she still be able to become a Valkyrie? She could strive for excellence all she wanted. If she made one mistake, the world would remember nothing else.

Altera made the first move. She charged her partisan, and Ragna blocked with her saber.

The two blades clinked. Altera rotated her weapon and struck again.

Ragna jumped back outside the weapon’s reach. She ran across the circle’s rims, her eyes trying to locate an opening. Behind Altera, she had found one. Before she could turn around, Ragna attacked with her saber.

The partisan’s shaft extended backwards.

Ragna narrowed her eyes.

Did the partisan move by itself?

She grabbed its shaft, rotated around it as if it were a pole, and threw a kick. As she swiped Altera off her feet, Ragna smirked.

“Gotcha.”

She let go and thrust her saber into her face. Altera’s eyes widened. Wings grew out of her back. As she beat them, she jetted backward, and the blade cut through the air.

“What the Hel?” Altera flew under the dome’s ceiling. She grimaced and pointed at her forehead. “You almost stabbed me in the face!”

“Relax, I would’ve stopped in time.” Ragna landed on the ground. “Besides, I knew you’d activate your Fylgja.”

She pulled out her tongue and blew a raspberry.

“Oh, that’s it. No more playing nice.” Altera crunched her teeth.

Ragna giggled. “Wow, you look cute when you’re angry.”

Altera yelled into the sky and spread her wings.

She torpedoed towards her with her partisan head-on.

Yet, Ragna didn’t move. She stood still and held her saber ready.

Phase Two had begun.

The danger of her partisan unfolded once Altera flew into the sky and rammed the spearhead into her opponents. If she hit her at full force, the impact would pulverize her bones.

Altera swooshed past Ragna and raced over the circle’s rims. Her speed kept increasing as her image started to blur. Ragna tried to trace her, but her eyes couldn’t keep up.

Fuck. How could she get so fast?

But then, Altera took a turn into the center.

Now.

She raced towards Ragna, and Ragna tilted her saber. The sunlight that glittered on her blade reflected into Altera’s face.

The intensity forced Altera to squint. Her movements stopped, allowing Ragna to tap her right glove.

A blue circle of light sprang from the glove and covered her like a second skin. The gravity manipulator’s AI connected with her mind and soul. It created an invisible sphere that surrounded Ragna and moved alongside her.

The gravitational forces around her shifted, and her speed increased.

As Altera opened her eyes and thrust her weapon, her movements slowed down. Ragna leaped forward. She landed on the partisan’s head, forcing it to the ground.

“You’re open.” Ragna smirked and threw a punch. Her fist hit Altera’s sternum, catapulting her into the air.

Altera gasped for air, spitting saliva.

She flailed her wings. Just before she would crash through the dome’s ceiling, she halted. Groans escaped her as she rubbed her chest with her palm.

“Dammit.” Ragna clicked her tongue. She reached for Altera’s partisan. Her gravity manipulator reduced its weight, and Ragna threw it outside the circle.

At least she got rid of Altera’s partisan. Now, she only had her wings.

“Yo, Eli.” She glanced at her friend. “Not that anyone could steal it, but please keep an eye on the partisan.”

Ragna jumped in the air, covering the distance to Altera in one bound.

Altera tried to escape, but Ragna rotated in the air and kicked her away.

Altera groaned in pain. She beat her wings in quick succession and stopped her fall.

At the same time, Ragna flipped over her axis. The gravity she exerted increased. As her body dropped, she rammed the heel of her boot into Altera’s stomach and slammed her into the floor.

Ragna smiled.

Once her mind had gotten used to adjusting the forces on the fly, manipulating gravity became child’s play.

The gravity around her decreased. Ragna floated to the ground with the same finesse as a leaf.

She looked at Altera and whistled. Altera had wrapped her arm around her stomach and crouched her back. Groans escaped her lips on occasion, but she didn’t look like someone who had crashed into the ground.

And neither could see any damage on the glass.

“You should look way worse.” Ragna jumped forward and swung her saber. “How did you do that?”

“Figure it out yourself.” Altera beat her wings and dashed backward. Remaining outside Ragna’s sphere of influence, Altera evaded her blade. “There’s still so much you’ve yet to learn. You’ve never been outside the big cities, have you? You’ve plenty of summertime, so use it to expand your horizon. As a Valkyrie, you’ve to that anyway.”

“I’ve seen plenty enough.”

“You also rely too much on your gravity device. I noted that during your evaluation, too.”

“So, what?” Ragna swung her saber and missed. “I haven’t discovered my Fylgja. So, I gotta use everything I have to come out on top.” She growled. “And how’s that different from you? If I rip off your wings, what will you do?”

How arrogant. A dragon who hoarded its treasure without spending a single coin wasted it. For humans, it was the same principle. Someone who didn’t use everything available at their disposal wasted their potential. But of course, Altera would always find an opportunity to belittle her.

“Brynhildr’s a part of me.” Altera brushed her wing, her fingers sliding through the feathers. “It’s the same for all Fylgja. We’re born with guardian spirits that fuse with our souls.” Her wings widened, and she and flew under the dome’s zenith. Dark outlines sharpened her appearance, the sun casting her shadow on the glass.

“What’s your point?”

“Your glove’s a foreign object, and your soul will never completely accept it.”

Ragna’s body flickered. Her eyes widened, and a blue light shattered.

A “five” glowed on the back of her hand. The number decreased, counting down by the second. For the next five minutes, she couldn’t activate her gravity manipulator.

“It’s over. You’ve lost.” Altera descended. “Please, give up and surrender with dignity. We can work something out.”

Ragna’s body trembled. Every cell inside her screamed to defeat Altera. She gnashed like a starved dog and barred her teeth.

Was she trying to flaunt her superiority?

“Don’t get cocky.” Ragna swung her saber.

She would never retreat, never relent, and never compromise. Not even in the face of despair would she give up. She would fight and fight and fight and stay honest to her beliefs until she had carved out her victory. If she had to continue until the end of days, then she would do it.

And right now, she would beat Altera to a pulp. Without her partisan, she could only run. Either Altera’s Mana would run out, or the gravity manipulator would reactivate.

Altera beat her wings and flew higher.

Ragna missed. In the same instance, Ragna rotated her body and attacked again. Her blade cut through the tip of her wings. Her Feathers scattered in the air, leaving behind a trail on the glass.

Dammit.

Altera danced around Ragna and evaded another swing.

“Fuck you.” Ragna’s expression contorted to a grimace.

She glared daggers and threw a punch with her free hand. The woman circled her, and Ragna missed.

“Stop looking down on me.” Ragna’s eyes turned to slits.

She charged at her opponent and grabbed Altera’s wings. Feathers tickled against the glove’s fabric.

Ragna pulled with all her energy, but Altera freed herself without effort.

She soared under the ceiling outside Ragna’s reach, leaving behind the feathers in Ragna’s hand.

“By the way, let me correct another false assumption.” Altera raised her palm, and ice began to manifest over it.

Ragna’s eyes widened.

How could she summon ice?

It shaped itself into the form of a harpoon, and without a second of hesitation, she launched the weapon.

Metal stakes shot out of the glass.

“What?” Altera and Ragna shouted at the same time.

The stakes deflected the harpoon. Its momentum increased, and the construct spun towards the audience, right into a girl’s face.

The spectators screamed, trying to run.

Ragna turned around. She ran out of the circle, and her glove reactivated. The surrounding gravity disappeared. She jumped in the air and kicked the harpoon towards the ceiling before it could puncture through the girl’s chest.

The weapon shattered against the glass, and ice splinters rained down the dome as they melted