“I think I’m gonna prank Captain Graswald as a wedding present.” Elizabeth Elisea chuckled. “Maybe I’m gonna buy him those sugarless gummy bears that give you diarrhea.”

„Cut it out.“ Aura groaned and massaged her temple as if she had a headache. “It’s my wedding night, too. Aren’t priestess supposed to be wholesome?”

“Well, I’m not just any priestess. I’m an ultra-priestess. My devotion belongs to Twice and the soul … music.” Eliza pointed at her black leather top. A gust of wind blew through the spikes of her short verdant-colored hair.

“May I remind you that you’re talking in front of a Captain and the commissioner of the fucking police.” Captain Fran groaned.

Leaning against a tree, she had crossed her arms and tipped on her phone.

Eliza smirked and looked at the Captain. “You need to relax, old lady. Constipated as you are, you might need some of those gummy bears, too.”

For a second, a chuckle escaped Captain Fran’s lips before she managed to suppress it, and her face returned to her unimpressed expression.

“But anyway.” Eliza turned her head to Aura. “You didn’t say anything against the idea in general.”

Aura tilted her head.

Was she supposed to object the idea of giving Captain Graswald diarrhea on principle alone? It wouldn’t affect her and didn’t cause any lasting damage. A prolonged visit to the toilet could deter him from his duties as a Captain, but Eliza should be smart enough to choose a safe day. Perhaps Marcus’ commitment to the role of being her husband required her to voice her concern over such trivial affairs. In that case, she could adjust her behavior as she had caught on to the custom in time.

„But seriously. You’re my friends. It puts the marriage in a bad light if none of you accepts Marcus. What’s your problem anyway? He’s a nice guy.” Aura leaned against the back of the bank, stretched her legs, and let her eyes wander over the cathedral’s courtyard.

“Captain Graswald’s a great guy, but you should marry for love. Also, I was rooting for you and Ragna.”

Aura sighed. “Please stop shipping real people.”

“Why?” Eliza shrugged. „Have you seen how often she checked you out?”

“You know she’s just into feet. That’s all. Though I admit, had Ragna asked me, I would’ve married her. I owe her at least that much.”

Captain Fran arched her brow and looked up from her phone.

And if it would make her happy, she would make herself fall in love with Ragna. At least, she would offer Ragna her body without question. Though, even if it would disappoint her, she would never submit to her. The world had to end before she would consider becoming a bottom.

The smile on Eliza’s face disappeared. “I don’t think she’s guilty.”

Aura nodded in silence.

“Well, I was worried about you, too. I tried to visit you, but they never let me.”

“Next time I’m in a coma, I’ll make sure to tell everyone to let you in.”

It wasn’t like she didn’t want to tell Eliza the truth, but she wouldn’t have been able to convince her father or the Allfather. Even if she trusted Eliza from the bottom of her heart, others wouldn’t extend the same goodwill.

Eliza put her arms behind the bench and crossed her legs. “Seriously, I’ve no idea if you’re being sassy or trying to apologize.”

Aura shrugged. “There’s little value in an apology. But I will repay you accordingly. What do you wish?”

“I was just joking. So, what are you going to do now?”

“The world’s in full hysteria. I’ll act as a diplomat to prevent others from escalating the conflict. But some people are making it difficult.” She cracked her neck. “They want to fight. They’re stuck in the past, just like those proponents of the Progression Stasis. I want to improve society, but they put obstacles in my way.” She sighed. “Why can’t they change?”

Another gust of wind blew through the air and would have made her shiver had she not worn a jacket. Midgard’s capital lay in a moderate climate area and didn’t have to experience rainfalls like Avalon or winters like its southern regions or Vaix, but that didn’t change that it could get cold in the later months.

Aura’s eyes followed the leaves dancing in the air. The winds blew them, turned them around, and let them circle the trunk of one of the many yew trees in the cathedral’s backyard. The sun rays managed to penetrate the leaves through their gaps and painted circles on the ground. Under one of the trees, a family of four was kneeling and raising their hands to pray.

How funny it was that a poisonous tree was the official symbol of Twice. But that might be on purpose. While trees represented life, poison represented death. The yew thus served as an appropriate symbol for the duality of the hermaphrodite Godking Twice.

“I get that you want to repay your debt to society because you think you’re privileged,” Eliza said, and Aura turned her head towards her. “But why do you think progress is the way to go?”

Aura smiled. “Have you ever heard of the principle of ‘survival of the fittest?’”

“It’s about the strong deserving to live and trample over the weak.” The corners of Eliza’s mouth turned upside-down. “And everyone has their own definition of ‘strong’. For Kaiser Wilhelm, it meant having Vaixian Blood. For Eren’s Queen Hannibal Shark, it’s a pure meritocracy, and so on. The idea makes me wanna puke.”

“I think there’s merit in the ideals of Queen Shark, but your definition’s a common misconception.” For a second, the smile on Aura’s face disappeared. “Honestly, it’s why I hate common knowledge so much. ‘Survival of fittest’ means that those that can fit are the ones who survive. Or in other words, those who can adapt to a new environment will continue to live. Those who can’t die.”

“That doesn’t sound better.” Eliza frowned. “So, we should abandon anyone who can’t adapt.”

“I wonder if we’ve any choice. Evolution and progress are necessary for survival, and the environment’s ever-changing. If society wants to survive, it has to change alongside the environment. Stagnation’s the death of a species and the death of society.”

“We’ve done well for the last thousand years.”

Aura shook her head. “We tried to control the world to remain unchanging. But that didn’t work. Aes is constantly evolving. Conservatism holds humanity back because it prevents us from keeping up with the pace of the world. And if we continue, we will race to our end.”

For a moment, Aura’s voice deepened. The Allfather’s prophecy ripped waves in her memories. His words reverberated as if he spoke them at this moment.

A war to bring forth the end of the world would break out. She refused to believe that one couldn’t change the future. But if humanity didn’t act, nothing could prevent the inevitable.

“Aura…” Eliza’s voice dropped.

Behind her illusion, Aura peeked at Captain Fran, whose expression revealed the same concern as Eliza.

Aura clicked with her tongue.

Her voice had dropped too much and gave suspicion that she was keeping secrets from them. Captain Fran had proven that she wasn’t a conspirator, and the Allfather planned on introducing her to his circle, but Eliza shouldn’t be involved.

She shouldn’t forget her Fylgja affected visuals, not sound.

“I’m not saying you’re wrong, but change can be scary,” Eliza continued. “If it happens too quickly, people can feel lost. Rapid change will have long-term consequences. You can’t make people look just for the future or to think long-term. That’s not how we work.”

“I agree with her.” Captain Fran stepped forward. “You used nature as an example of the necessity of progress. But nature’s a bitch. Millions of mutations and changes happen every second. Most of them end up useless or do more harm than good. I don’t care if you’ve to pay sacrifices, but progress for the sake of progress is idiotic and leads us nowhere. Worst case, we’re losing what we have.”

“But the longer we wait, the worse it becomes. Now, we can pay the cost of changing. Eventually, we won’t be and won’t have any choice.”

“We’re afraid of the unknown, and nothing will ever change that,” Eliza said. “You can’t get rid of our fears.”

“But one can conquer them. Our ancestors were afraid when they embarked into unknown waters and found this unknown land.” Aura stretched her arm into the sky. “Had they not progressed further, the kingdom of Midgard would have never existed.”

Aura looked at the trees.

Without Eliza, she wouldn’t have been able to learn to see her opponents’ points. If she wanted to convince them, she would have to understand them first. Then she could make humanity change. Princess Aurelia had the reputation of being understanding. Without Eliza, she wouldn’t exist, and to repay her debt to Eliza, she had become Eliza’s friend. From that moment on, she had made herself care for Eliza’s wellbeing and tried to make her happy and be worried for her.

֎

Allfather Albain Trutner picked up an ebony piece from the Hnefatafl board and moved it five squares in a straight line until it stood next to an ivory figure. Three other ebony pieces surrounded the ivory one in a cross formation, denying it the possibility to move in straight lines.

“Your king’s overrun.” The Allfather removed the ivory piece from the board. “Raid complete.”

Aura’s illusion showed the Allfather a smile. “Good game.” Her eyes wandered towards the board game. “Wait a second.” They stopped a second on the pieces and focused on his single red eye. “You cheated.”

“Of course, I did.” The Allfather held the piece of the king in the air between his thumb and index finger. “If skill doesn’t suffice, then one has to find ways to compensate. Listen well. In war, there’s honor. And there are rules, but there’s always room for interpretation. If one can find a way to gain an advantage, they will. Fight your opponents with everything you have because they will do the same. On the battlefield, no one cares if you did your best. If you lose, you die, and your nation might as well.”

Aura grumbled. “I thought this was supposed to be a friendly game.”

The Allfather narrowed his eye, its crimson turning into a dead red, and smirked. “Since when were you under the impression this was a friendly game?”

Aura gulped. Her body started to shudder as if the sun had decided to disappear for one moment, the temperature dropped, and the lights drowned in darkness.

“But it was a refreshing game.” His smirk turned into a warm smile. “Being able to leave Yggdrasil for a day per week keeps me from going insane.”

“You’re still only in the castle gardens.” Aura waved her hand around the knot garden that surrounded them and the pagoda under which they played their game of Hnefatafl.

“But should you really spend your limited free time with me?” Aura asked.

Though Captain Fran probably rejoiced over her meeting with the Allfather since she didn’t have to guard her with him around.

“It’s clear that we’ll be working together once you become president. I couldn’t think of a better use of my time.” The Allfather put his arms on the table, his gaze focusing on Aura and penetrating the illusion she had cast. In response, the fake Aura’s smile intensified.

She had heard that the Allfather used to be a skirt chaser, leaving behind many broken or enchanted hearts and the plausibility that any random illegitimate child could be his. Looking at him, she could see from where these rumors had sprung.

“Our views are the opposite.” Aura took a sip from her tea. “Will we actually be able to work together?”

The Allfather chuckled. “Our differences are within an acceptable margin. You wish to make humanity adapt to the ever-changing environment; I want to change the environment to adapt it to humanity’s needs. But at the end of the day, we both have the same goal: mankind’s survival on an never-ending scale. So, the two of us will work together when it really matters.”

“Such an unusual response. Few still wish to hear opposing points. And when they do, it’s to crush them and prove themselves superior.”

Aura put her cup of tea down, its auburn liquid reflecting the face of her illusion.

Was the Allfather that open-minded, or did he know the two of them had to cooperate? The conflicts in Aes had been escalating. If only she knew the catalyst, then she could find and eliminate it. This millennium peace, as exaggerated it was, would last as long she had the power to maintain it.

The Allfather nodded. “When President Leif Erikson set foot on these lands and this country was founded, he wished to lay the foundation for freedom. But to protect our freedom, we to crush those with the ability to take it.”

“This world’s hypocritical.” Aura looked at the knot hedge in front of her. As a child, I tried to live to the teachings and words of the adults.” Behind the illusion, she bit into her lips and crunched her teeth as a drop of blood ran down from her mouth. “But they were full of holes and contradictions.”

“That’s part of being human. To live in this contradictory and hypocritical world to carve yourself a piece of truth that matters to you. Just look at the Einherjar and Valkyries as an example. They’re supposed to fight with honor yet ensure victory at all costs. You have to find out how to be compatible with this schism.”

Aura shook her head. “With all due respect, Lord Trutner. I cannot follow your line of logic. If I may give an example myself, let’s take the idea of killing a living being. Killing is bad. Every child learns that.”

Memories flashed in her mind.

Ragna was shouting at her. She snatched the magnifying glass from her hand and told her that killing was wrong.

Aura’s eyes switched back and forth from Ragna and the ants against whom she was holding the glass.

She asked Ragna why it was wrong, and Ragna told her that it hurt them. And it hurt those who cared about others.

She had never grasped why killing someone was supposed to hurt others but understood that others felt “hurt”. These others wouldn’t approve of her behavior, and if she had to fit in, she had to conform to those “expectations”. She had to feel hurt when others died. Did that work?

“So, when we see someone killed, that shouldn’t be happening. But when that someone had committed a crime, it suddenly becomes okay. Does a person doing something make killing less bad? Who decided on that? All humans are equal and should be considered equal. But one’s actions make you less equal. If killing someone who did something bad is justice, then justice makes humans less equal, but equality is justice. Justice is evil, for it leads to evil.”

The Allfather laughed, and Aura frowned.

The greatest example of humanity’s hypocrisy had to be its acceptance. Humans valued individualism but shunned differences. How absurd that was. One could only be a certain kind of different that was okay for others. One valued freedom but wished to exterminate freedom that threatened one’s own.

Nothing made sense.

“That reminds me, I’ve heard that Altera Xion’s Bragi was your idea. In light of the vision you had told us, can I assume that you think she can prevent the war?”

“It’s true. I’ve seen her future, but that’s not why I chose her.”

Was he telling the truth? She couldn’t tell. That he even bothered to see Altera’s future, implied that, it had the potential to shake this world for better or worse.

“Then what was it?”

The Allfather picked up one of the pieces from the board and balanced it between his fingers. “The present’s more important than the future. And what I saw with my eye here and now made me believe in her. If I’m honest, I’m quite fond of the girl. And before you ask, I’ve no intention to find another wife. A pride has filled me that I’ve never felt before. I’m proud of her and our kingdom. I wonder if this is what it means to be the father of all.” He let the piece fall on the board, disrupting the entire board. His red eye glared at the board, and the joy in his face had made place for a scowl. “Sadly, I can’t say the same about Griffin’s daughter.”