Backdated to September 20, 2015
Word Count: 755
Having given up the last time he was there, Sessrumnir returned a week later to try and find something that would help them. He couldn’t tell if Valhalla’s condition was getting worse, but he knew better than to think it would just resolve itself on its own. This time when he arrived, he found himself inside a large room with a ceiling that was domed and made with the same thick glass as most of the windows he’d seen. Most likely to try and keep out the torrential rain and wind and lightning. It seemed to work since the panes of glass were still intact and there did not seem to be any leaks. Even so, the size of the room itself was enormous and the ground was covered in dirt.
Not always though, he realized as a sudden flash of what he could only describe as a memory revealed itself to him. The room was once filled with green grass and wildflowers. It was as if they had created their own oasis inside of the horrible storms Jupiter offered them. As Sessrumnir stood there, not wanting to move for if he did he was afraid it would disrupt the sudden vision, he noticed how many people were gathered around. They were all dressed non-combatively in robes and tunics and flowing cloaks. Some had more fur and leather than others, but apparently the memory he’d stumbled upon was that of a warm day where most of the residents had removed the outer layer of their clothing. This scene, more than anything, cemented his theory that this was a place for people to gather and discuss with one another. There were many sitting around those who were speaking or reading out loud, others seemed to be painting on large canvases, or playing musical instruments, and others partook in games.
One small boy, no older than fourteen or so, seemed to be garnering more attention than many of the adult speakers. The boy had dark auburn hair, stormy blue-grey eyes, and a winning smile that seemed to be infectious. Many were gathered around him, watching him intently and laughing as he told them an apparently humorous story.
But not everyone seemed to be happy to hear him speak, or that he was even there. Sessrumnir watched as a man from another group gathered close by slowly stood up. He had a dark look in his eyes and Sessrumnir was immediately put on alert. This was not the look of a man with any good intentions, and as he moved towards the boy, he pulled out what looked like a knife. Sessrumnir could do nothing but watch in horror as the peaceful scene erupted into fear and panic. A woman listening to the boy let out a scream when she saw the man approaching with the knife. The boy in question whipped around as the others tried to get up and defend him against his attacker, but they weren’t fast enough to stop the knife from cutting across his chest.
There was a sudden burst of wind that knocked the man backwards, a giant wolf materializing and standing over top of where the boy was knocked onto the grass; bleeding, but still very much alive. Many others took custody of the man who’d attacked him, subduing im now that he was knocked backwards from the burst of wind. The boy, white with fear and now bloodloss, seemed to be holding something in his hand as the wolf loomed over him protectively. It looked almost like a piece of bone… or a fang.
The vision faded and Sessrumnir stood in surprise, trying to decipher exactly what had happened. Obviously there was some unrest among the people of Sessrumnir and the knight, himself. But why? Was it because he was just a child, or was his ties to Earth the disturbance of the seemingly peaceful wonder?
The knight took a step back to leave the room, but that vision wasn’t the only thing that offered itself to him. A piece of paper, perhaps torn from a book, was laying on the ground. Sessrumnir bent down to pick it up and inspect it. It looked a little more complicated than a written page or drawing. A schematic of some kind, like a blueprint. Whatever it was, he carefully rolled it up and tucked it into one of the pouches at his side, his hand brushing over the fang he’d found there previously, more curious than ever about what it could do.
