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Chapter -6- Celestial Politics

Meanwhile Celestial Realm ...

Sigyn eyed her husband."I've recently learned that you have brought harm to one of my spirit foxes."

"Oh?" Loki looked up at his wife from where he was chained to a rock surface, overlooking a hot springs grove.

"Cancer?! You could have killed her! Why would you hide something like that from me?"

"Sinopa Crevan-Parker? I have not reached out to that kitsune in ten Earth revolutions."

"It has only just come to my attention that you brought her harm, Loki. Unlike modern humanity, _you_know how protective I am over my spirit foxes. They are my only children from my last iteration."

Loki tilted his head somewhat. "Do you remember the succubus daughter of Azazel?"

"Which one?"

Loki smirked. "The one who still lives, Sigyn."

She nodded. "Keturah. I believe she is called Karla, now."

"Mm. I have set her on a path to help your three-tail become whole once more."

"You know how I feel about harm coming to my..." Sigyn trailed off, eyeing her husband. "What is the succubus' mission?"

Loki smiled. "To rescue your precious three-tail's memories."

Sigyn arched her brows in a questioning manner.

"Keturah will help Sinopa to rediscover her past, regarding her children. In turn, Sinopa will guide the succubus to a truth that was stripped from the kitsune's mind in 2014."

Sigyn's eyes widened. "Sinopa Parker has been through enough. You caused her to have cancer in 2014." Sigyn's eyes narrowed. "And now that I have been made aware of this, I have come to confront you, Loki."

Up in the tree, Tamamo bristled up at the thought of Sinopa's sacrifice in 2014.

Down on the boulder, beneath the large tree, Loki reached for Sigyn's hand. "Love, the three-tail was asked by the deities to give up her family in order to fight in the celestial war. I merely wish to reunite her with her children."

Tamamo's heart ached - she was the one who repressed Sinopa's memories of her children.

Down below the kitsune, Loki and Sigyn continued their conversation.

Loki said, "Do not worry, the three-tail is safe, just as I promised you in 2014. Her children are still safe - which is important, as those children are an integral part of the plan."

Sigyn glanced at his hand and turned her head. "I ... see."

He offered his wife a charming smile. "I assure you that Sinopa will survive, as will her children."

High up in the tree, the little white vixen swallowed again. Hearing that Sinopa would remain safe brought some measure of relief, but the solace she felt was only slight. Tamamo licked her lips, listening to the deities below.

"Why did you arrange for Sinopa Crevan-Parker to have cancer in 2014?" She glanced back at Loki's offered hand but didn't take it.

"Because it is the missing component for Aris Falcon to perfect his supernatural soldier program." Loki brought his hands together in his lap. His chains rattled.

"Jasper Cunningham is the only soldier he could create," Sigyn said. "And his child, Laura, was not genetically stable. You saw what happened to her twenty-four Earth revolutions ago."

"The three-tail's cancer tumor is the key to repair her," said Loki. "That is why I arranged for Sinopa to develop cancer in 2014."

From the tree high above, Tamamo's eyes opened. Her white-furred ears perked up.

Down below, the prince in the shadow said, "It is important that Dr. Falcon can study the tumor that was removed from Sinopa's body in 2014."

"Why?!" Sigyn erupted.

"The immortal cells of an immortal's cancer tumor could be reverse engineered to create a more refined version of human longevity. Your three-tail survived, Sigyn. I promised you she would not die, and I kept my word. The experience made her stronger, and we still have her children to use as part of our original plan."

"You mean _your_plan - a plan you have not yet fully revealed to me." Sigyn pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. "Cancer was an extreme measure. I am very protective of my foxes. They are all that I have, now that _my_children are..."

"Sigyn..."

She raised her volume, speaking over her husband. "I was very careful when reinventing myself under the auspices of the Æsir. I ensured that my fox spirit creations would be prayed to by the distant Asian religions, to guarantee their survival!"

"Sigyn..."

"Loki, I reinvented myself and my name when I traveled to northern Europe. I worked hard so that humanity would see my vulpine creations as mysterious, thus guaranteeing my foxes would thrive. I put a great deal of planning into my actions before being reborn as the child-bride you sought to marry."

"Sigyn, I know you care for each spirit fox throughout the two realms. However, I assured you that Sinopa would survive."

"No, you promised that no harm would come to her. She was harmed! First, she suffered from cancer, and then she lost her connection to her children! How could you allow such a horrible...?! Ugh!"

"Sigyn..."

"Loki, you wound me with your actions. Worse, you wound me because you withheld information from me. I am your wife."

"Love, the three-tail..."

"Her name is Sinopa, now!"

Loki nodded. "Yes, it is. Forgive me. I mean to say that Sinopa not only lived through the operation in early 2014, she lived through the celestial civil war in late 2014."

"You arranged for the memories of her children to be repressed, Loki! You allowed her children and husband to believe she died! You took from her the one thing I would never begrudge a woman! Her children!"

"She does not remember what she lost, Sigyn. Her attachment to them would hinder our need to use the twins as part of the plan. Worse yet, having her mind clouded with worry would have jeopardized her during the Celestial Civil War, ten revolutions ago. She went to battle with a clear mind and survived."

"I have endured losing Narfi to Vali's maddening transformation, Loki. But even though I mourn, I would never wish to forget my children! I mourn for the hole you have drilled through Sinopa's heart."

Loki sighed. "I manipulated Tamamo-no-Mae into taking the memories from Sinopa. Again, please understand, I did it so that Sinopa could remain focused on her duties as a warrior, during the Celestial Civil war, ten years ago."

"You will return Sinopa's memories of her children, Loki."

"In time," Loki said. "After Aris Falcon is finished with Fox and Topaz Parker, I will allow Sinopa to remember them again. As I said earlier, that is where Keturah the succubus will come into play."

"Karla," Sigyn corrected.

"Very well. Karla. She will help Sinopa find her children. Then it will only be a matter of time before Sinopa remembers them."

She grimaced and furrowed her brows with a look of disgust. "My foxes are delicate..."

"They are not delicate, Sigyn. They are crafty, intelligent, strong, and their numbers continue to grow."

"I want you to promise_that Sinopa remembers her children _soon. Furthermore, I want Jasper Cunningham's daughter to be restored."

"In due time, Sigyn, all your requests will be honored. You have my word."

"Why did you do these things, Loki?"

"All that matters is the tumor will wind up in the hands of Dr. Falcon. He will study it, and it will help him to perfect the super soldiers for my future army. With the knowledge he gains, he will repair Jasper. When Jasper has proven stable, genetically, Dr. Falcon will create more soldiers."

"Understood." Sigyn looked away. "Super soldiers," she added, with a scoff. "Why?"

"I require an army to fight the deities while you and I escape to Earth."

Sigyn stared at her husband with confusion in her gaze. "I thought your plan was to employ the Jötnar?"

"Love..." Loki sighed.

"No, explain this to me! Your entire plan hinges on Aris Falcon's competency to create enhanced human soldiers?"

"It is preferable, because they will utterly destroy the deities. However, if Falcon cannot deliver, I will have to fall back on the original plan of using the Jötnar to burn this realm to the ground. I am not convinced my race is capable of slaying_all_ the gods - some would survive. That is why I want the genetically enhanced human warriors."

Sigyn stood up and stretched. She reached for nearby branches and ran her fingers over the leaves. She balled her hands into fists. "Sinopa is mine. I would never have agreed to endanger one of my creations by purposefully giving her cancer. The fact she cannot remember her children further breaks my heart."

"Every action, every detail of my plan has purpose, Sigyn."

"Find another way. I am loyal to my foxes."

"Yet you abandoned them for hundreds of years. You left them in Asia while you reinvented yourself in Europe."

Sigyn turned away and began walking.

"Wait!"

She glanced over her shoulder, torn between her loyalty to her fox spirit pets, her loyalty and love for her husband, and the unfamiliar sensation of scornful resentment building in her heart.

Loki took a deep breath. "Forgive me. I spoke out of frustration for my imprisonment."

Sigyn scoffed. "To whom have you to blame for this imprisonment? I speak out of frustration because your actions brought harm to our children."

"Sigyn, I feel impotent, lying here on this rock, beneath this serpent."

"You are," she murmured with a glare.

Loki flinched. "When I am free..."

"Stop. Do not make promises. Even if it were true, I would not raise a child in the midst of Ragnarök."

Loki leaned his head back against the trunk of the tree and gazed up at the belly of the serpent, several feet above his head. His eyes shifted to the bottom of the bowl, which his wife installed to protect him from the dripping venom.

Silence.

Loki licked his lips, took a deep breath and said, "I spoke to you out of turn due to the frustration I feel toward myself. Forgive me, Sigyn."

She ran her hands back through her hair and sighed. "Loki..." Her eyes lowered.

"Sigyn, I cannot regain my freedom without my son. I beseech your assistance." His imploring tone was gentle and sincere.

She eyed her husband. "Tell me, love. How do we free Fenris?" She approached him and knelt at his side.

He sighed in relief and reached for her.

Sigyn moved into his embrace, straddling his lap.

Loki offered her an appreciative smile. "First you must understand the truth of my son's imprisonment. Odin fragmented my son's spirit to ensure the silk chain of the dwarfs would be powerful enough to hold him."

Sigyn blinked. "What? Odin did what?"

"He secretly broke the spirit of my son, Fenris."

"Why?"

"To ensure success."

"I do not understand, Loki. The legend speaks of the mighty Gleipnir chain, which binds your son to the end of time."

"Not the end of time, love. Merely until the end of the current age." Loki smirked.

"But the lore..."

Loki brought his hands up to either side of her face. He used his thumbs over her lips to quiet her. "Everyone speaks of the legendary silk fetter stronger than the strongest iron. Everyone raves about mighty Gleipnir; the humans write poems of the silk chain that is more powerful than my mighty son ... but such an object does _not_exist."

"Are you suggesting the Gleipnir restraints are a lie?"

"No, Sigyn. The Gleipnir is real. I'm telling you that a fetter 'more powerful than Fenris' does not exist. It is all a farce designed to bring about respect to Odin and the dwarves."

"Why have you not told me this until now?"

"As a father, it is difficult to..." he trailed off, licked his lips and swallowed back his disgust. "It is difficult to acknowledge the broken spirit of my son, Sigyn."

"Help me understand, please."

Loki looked away, unable to make eye contact with her.

"Let me help you. Do not carry the burden of shame alone."

He replied with a simple nod. "Odin sought out the blood of Fenris' mother, Angrboda. He used her blood to shatter the spirit of my son. He only attacked Fenris, and he told no one of his action."

Sigyn nodded. "Out of self-preservation. It is said Fenris will one day devour Odin."

"I agree. Odin is a coward who only cares for himself."

"So why break Fenris' spirit? The Gleipnir is more than powerful enough to contain the massive wolf."

"Wrong, Sigyn. Shattering the spirit of my son was the only way that Odin could ensure Fenris would not break the silken fetters."

"I'm not sure I understand the point you are trying to make, Loki."

"Two powerful chains of iron could not hold Fenris! How could silk be more powerful? It's not. Odin simply shattered my son's spirit to make him less powerful than silk fetters."

Sigyn brought a hand to her mouth. "Odin manipulated..."

"Já, Sigyn. Now you understand. Odin imprisoned me, attacked my children with you, imprisoned my favorite son with Angrboda, and then the old fool gloated how his trick was far more impressive than any trick I have ever concocted. He did it as an insult to my ego."

"Does Fenris know what has been done to him?"

"No. My son believes he is truly not powerful enough to break a silk ribbon made by the dwarves. But silk, like steel, can shatter."

"So it is normal, weak silk?"

"No, love. The Gleipnir is far more powerful than the chains it replaced, but it was never strong enough to contain my son. That is why Odin secretly fragmented Fenris' spirit."

Sigyn frowned in silence.

"I am the only one who discovered how Odin managed such a farce. Is it any wonder why my prison is far from the ears of others?"

"Again I ask - how do we free your son, my love?"

"To release Fenris, we orchestrate the eradication of all werewolves."

Sigyn blinked.

Up in the tree, Tamamo blinked.

Loki reached for Sigyn's hands. "That is how Odin shattered my son's spirit."

"Go on."

"Each werewolf is born from a fragment of the spirit of Fenris. When a werewolf dies, their spirit returns to Fenris. If werewolves become extinct, Fenris will become whole once more."

"No easy task, my prince," Sigyn acknowledge with a firm nod. "But even if Fenris were to break free, and even if he were to rescue you, how do you plan to kill off one hundred thousand supernatural human beings?"

Silence. Loki looked away.

She smirked. "Did you not realize the supernatural population has grown so much in the past hundred years?"

"Sigyn, forgive me."

She sighed. "I know you've become married to a goal whenever you repeat your ideas several different ways. However, there is no way you can manipulate the events of humanity in order to kill a hundred thousand supernatural humans."

"You misunderstand my request for forgiveness." His eyes cut to the side, meeting his wife's gaze. "It has already happened. A hundred thousand supernaturals have fallen to their death."

"Wait. That was your doing?"

"Indirectly."

"How did you know it happened? I am the only one that brings you news."

"No. I do not always involve you. Some of the things I ask would be unfair to you."

She rubbed her face. Her heart ached in mourning for the human Specials that recently died. "You were never like this, Loki. When I married you, you were not a monster."

"It was a small sacrifice compared to the billions that will die during Ragnarök if I do not intervene on behalf of humanity!"

Sigyn slid off his lap and smoothed the hem of her long skirt. "We've tried for ages to free you. It will never work. This is not the first time you've rambled about becoming free again. Just because the supernatural community is not around to protect the treaty, which bars gods from Earth, there is no guarantee you will break those chains, Loki. You 'indirectly' murdered a hundred thousand people on a gamble!"

He sat up a bit more and took her by the wrist. "Sigyn, you will do as I say. I am your husband, and I believe in this end game with all that I am. I need_your support. I _need you to help me."

Sigyn used her foot and swept back her lengthy strawberry-blond locks of hair. At a glance, the end of her hair resembled ten fox tails. "Very well."

"I appreciate your loyalty, Sigyn." Loki reached for her. "You have grown from that young girl I met in the garden so long ago."

"I was naïve. I had the mindset of a fifteen-year-old girl when we married. You were charming and romantic. I had not yet regained the memories from my past iteration."

"I remember your owlish gaze. You were hesitant and nervous to sit at my side. I spoke to Njörd before I took you as my wife. You were so full of life and innocence."

"You must have thought me a fool."

"Anything but. I saw an intelligence behind your eyes. I saw a sadness that I wished to repair. It faded in time, but my actions later brought you more grief than I ever intended."

"Odin brought harm to our children. Odin is who I blame. Even Njörd does not see eye-to-eye with Odin over the atrocities regarding my sons."

"Let me touch you, Sigyn."

She lowered to her knees at his side, and cupped his face in her hands. "How will you accomplish your plan to free Fenris and yourself?"

"First, I will ponder a way to drive the werewolves into extinction. However, I cannot guarantee it is actually possible."

"Is it possible to become free without Fenris devouring Odin?"

"Yes, however the other gods will survive to aid and possibly guide the humans. If the gods lead the humans into battle, my end-goal plan will not be successful."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Ragnarök is an eventuality, Sigyn. Just as the Christian bible claims in its Book of Revelations, the Earth will undergo a dramatic, catastrophic change. Billions will die. Whether it is two people or two tribes of people who survive, the loss of life will be beyond compare."

Sigyn nodded and lowered her gaze. "I remember we spoke of this before. When the gods die, as is our fate, the humans we protect will suffer in the wake of our death. As we kill one another off, one by one, so too does science and technology guide humanity away from faith and their belief systems. It is only a matter of time before Ragnarök occurs."

"If I can escape to Earth, I can present myself as its savior. I will convince the Christians I am the reborn Messiah. I will convince every religion needing validation, that I am what they've been waiting for. With the power of eight billion worshippers, I can protect humanity from catastrophic death. And..."

Sigyn looked away with a frown. "I understand you wish to escape this realm and 'conquer Earth' as it were. But there were one hundred thousand supernatural beings across the globe. How did you manage to murder so many?"

"I do not wish to conquer Earth - I wish to exalt humanity, and save them from a tragic fate."

Sigyn grimaced. "Answer my question - how did you strike down a hundred thousand supernatural people?"

"Simple racism. I inspired a silent inquisition."

"What?"

"The humans killed one another, Sigyn. It is human nature - they, as a species, cull themselves."

She blinked. "How did you convince them to wipe themselves out?"

"I inspired racism and disgust for supernaturals who have crossbred with mundane humans." Loki gave her hands a gentle squeeze. He lifted one of his hands up and stroked her hair, softly. "It is no secret that the older members of the Esoteric Community have whispered amongst themselves for a purity cleansing. They have spoken of such for centuries."

"Mothers, sons and daughters, fathers, and loved ones - they were all murdered."

"Yes."

"And you triggered the event leading to this awful cleansing?"

"Yes, Sigyn."

"Who was the leader of this insanity on your behalf, Loki?!"

"A human who is hungry to be given abilities. He found a way to alter himself on the genetic level."

"You mean the overburdened geneticist, Dr. Falcon?"

"Yes, him."

Sigyn dabbed at the tears in her eyes. She secretly mourned those who died. "I never thought you were capable of such things."

"We choice do I have? Dr. Falcon will grow in power as he learns how to imbue himself with abilities, Sigyn. That was always part of the plan."

"Remind me why we need a human-turned-god. Dr. Falcon is over-encumbered by all the tasks you have bestowed." The grief on her face was obvious.

"He is highly capable, however his usefulness will end in a few Earth revolutions."

"You are using Falcon as a means to an end?"

Loki smiled. "You see, now? I can either kill him, or I can leave him to the new obsession I instilled within him. Falcon would serve his purpose and leave us to fulfill his obsession at the bottom of the ocean. Everything I've arranged, all my planning - it is nearly complete."

"And what of the surviving supernaturals?"

"They are working with Dr. Falcon. They will not interfere."

"I see a flaw in your plan," Sigyn said. "Elder Specials hate mundane humans; they will certainly not wish follow one, no matter how impressive Falcon's understanding of science has become."

"Why did the Nazis follow Hitler, a Jewish man with brown hair?"

"That is _one_instance..."

Loki leaned forward, straining his chains. "And what of Temüjin of Borjigin? Despite racial distrust, he single-handedly united nomadic tribes and, in a short time, created the largest empire humanity has ever seen. He became known as Genghis Khan."

She grimaced. "Genghis Kahn, yes. I know of him. He encouraged religious tolerance, ensuring the survival of my foxes. Yet my foxes feared him because of his brutality."

"My point is simple: Never ignore the power of a persuasive personality who is unafraid to speak his mind. We simply need an intelligent man capable of winning hearts and minds for a cause."

"The surviving elders of the Esoteric Community will not follow Dr. Falcon."

Loki nodded. "Very well. Let's convince the elder supernaturals that they are merely _using_Falcon to cull the supernatural mutts. Meanwhile, Falcon will use the surviving elder supernaturals to find the technology buried by the First Age Humans."

"Atlantis? Ultima Thule? It is a myth."

"No, it is real. It sank into the Atlantic Ocean well over ten thousand Earth revolutions ago. The technology of humanity's first age was powerful enough to stand up to the gods. In the capable hands of Dr. Falcon, those who seek to stand in my way will fall to the wayside."

Sigyn lowered her gaze. "Is there anything else I can do for your plan, love?"

He nodded in reply. "The super soldier, Jasper Cunningham..."

"Yes? What about him?"

"Watch over him."

"I watch over his daughter, Laura."

Loki tilted his head. "You do?"

"Ja." Sigyn's thoughts turned to her surviving son, Vali. Her eyes became moist, thinking upon the once-innocent little boy. "Vali," she muttered sadly. Her heart ached for Vali, maddened by his forced change into an animal. She cursed Odin beneath her breath.

Loki tilted his head. "Your expression betrays your emotions, Sigyn. I mourn Vali's transformation, too. But what does our son have to do with Jasper Cunningham's daughter?"

"I watch over Laura because she, like Vali, has been forced to transform against her will. And, like our son, she has taken the life of family, and is broken by her insanity. When I honor my Vali, I now light a candle as well for Laura Cunningham-Báthory."

"I respect your compassion, Sigyn. But I require human fodder to use as warriors in the war against the gods. I need Falcon and I need Laura. They are apart of my plan."

Sigyn pursed her lips together.

"Please understand, they're very important. Even as an insane creature, Laura has her place. She is useful."

"Very well." Sigyn swallowed down the heartache that she felt in her chest. "I forgive you because Sinopa has survived. See to it that she remembers her children soon."

"I will, I promise."

Sigyn nodded. She leaned in and brushed her lips against his cold mouth. "I love you." She stood up, and abruptly left the hot springs."

Loki waited quietly. He imagined how long it would take for his wife to make her way through the grove back towards the heart of the Celestial realm.

Silence.

"Vali?"

A medium-build black-furred wolf padded into the clearing. Vali sniffed at the air. "The discovery of your codex forgery has occurred. It is only a matter of time before human beings have translated it."

"I am so proud of you, Vali."

"I do not care."

Loki blinked. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

"Vali, this is how we convince my wife to see things my way. I already noticed a slight change in her demeanor."

"Congratulations, you made her impatient. You must be proud."

"How dare you speak to your father this way? Vali, we are so close to accomplishing everything we spoke of in the past."

The black-furred wolf glanced away. "I am finding it increasingly difficult to care." He sniffed at the air again.

"Vali, you are simply tired. Or perhaps you are bored. I promise the outcome will be worth all your hard work."

"I could care less regarding the outcome of this plan."

Loki tilted his head. "Your apathy continues to consume the last of your desires to transform back to your original form?"

"I feel no drive to continue. Nothing matters anymore - neither your success, nor my mother's grieving."

"Can you possibly understand what she has endured?!"

Vali sighed. "She has endured, yet I feel nothing. I no longer care that she has to endure."

"Then why did you help me kill a hundred thousand humans?"

"My hunger," Vali said. "I wished to taste blood again. Now my hunger is sated and I no longer care whether or not I taste it again any time soon. I am returning to the forest."

"Vali! I need you to ensure my plan will come to fruition!"

"I no longer care enough to continue this." Vali turned away from his father. "I only wish to be left alone, now." He sniffed at the air again.

"I do not wish to be alone, Vali."

"I wish to be alone." Vali began to walk away from his father.

"You are my son, and I still believe in you. Come back, so that we might talk through this. It's just a phase."

Vali paused and glanced back at his father.

Loki could see the indifference shining in his son's gaze. "You would leave me alone, unable to carry out my plan?"

"You are not alone. One of mother's silly pets is high above you. I would have killed her for you, had I cared enough. She is nothing more than a pretty little bitch."

Loki blinked.

Vali took off, disappearing into the grove.

Loki looked up at the bottom of the bowl suspended above his head. "Tamamo-no-Mae?"

The little white vixen dropped to the rock surface, facing Loki. "You are my source of entertainment. I enjoy listening to how you wish you could rule the humans."

"Rule? Tamamo, millions will die soon. That is no longer avoidable. I see the bigger picture. I wish to save humans before billions die."

"You are not going to convince me."

Loki sighed. "In two revolutions from now, several million humans will perish. Again, it is unavoidable at this point. However I can still stop Ragnarök from playing out as it was originally foretold. I can change the outcome."

"You are a fool."

"Tamamo, listen to me. Twenty-six revolutions from now, Humanity will parish. The death toll will be in the billions. My wife was born to be the perfect mother. My dream is to save humanity, so that Sigyn can become the mother of the Earth."

"How do you know this?"

"I prefer not to reveal my source, Tamamo. I need your help to become free, so that I can stop the death of so many innocent lives."

"You've just taken a hundred thousand!"

"It was necessary!"

"You are insane!" she barked in anger and disgust. "You are madder than Vali!"

"It had to happen in order to save the rest of Earth's people! If the millions parish in 2025, will you believe me then? Will you help me to become free? It is the only way I can stop the billions that die in 2060!"

"No one will die in 2060. No one will die in 2025. Do you know why, Prince Laufeyjarson? Because I will do everything in my power to help ensure that you will not become free."

Loki sighed. "If you do not believe that millions of people die in 2025, consult an oracle. Ask ... Nathanial Carrington. That is the name of the one called The Reaper, is it not?"

Tamamo grimaced. "Very well, I will ask him should we ever speak again. But if millions die in 2025, it is because you killed them."

"You think I would arrange for potential worshippers to die?"

"Yes!" Tamamo exclaimed. "And I will stop you."

"I am trying to _save_humanity, Tamamo-no-Mae. I wish to make my wife the mother of Earth. I will likely sacrifice myself to give Sigyn the billions of children that she deserves."

Tamamo looked away.

"Also, I wish to reunite her with her own children. I wish to find a way to restore Vali and resurrect Narfi. I love her."

Tamamo looked away. "Your wife is loyal to you, but Queen Sigyn would never help you become free. She knows that your freedom is part of what triggers Ragnarök."

"She will stand at my side when she realizes that I can give her what she wants most in life - I can restore Vali to his original form. Furthermore, I believe I can eventually resurrect Narfi. Saving humanity is just one of the many things I will do when I am free."

"Lady Sigyn is prayed to as the lady of staying power. She will never become consumed with revenge, and she will never feel the anger necessary to help you become free. She will never help you escape to Earth."

Loki shook his head. "Little is known about Sigyn by the humans. Most of her mythology was lost to time."

"Exactly. And the humans who do know her name ... they pray to her for her steadfast ability to be the epitome of a perfect wife. A lady. A strong woman, filled with love and compassion. You are lucky to have her. Do not use her or hurt her."

"I would never. I'm not Odin, after all."

Tamamo smirked. "And neither are you. Best you not forget that."

Loki eyed the little white vixen. A slow smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "The cards have been stacked, and they will be dealt soon. And then? Then you will see that Sigyn, like any woman, is capable of scorn. The scorn of a woman is legendary, is it not?"

Tamamo bared her fangs. "Would you like to see first hand?"

"Your threats do not scare me, little fox."

"They should. I am far older than you, and I have millions of worshippers, meaning I could easily overpower you."

"You've boasted about being older than me once before, Tamamo - the last time we spoke, in fact."

"Oh, but I _am_older. It makes a difference."

"The worshippers of my pantheon came together twelve hundred years before the birth of Christ. They pieced together information regarding the Vanir and Æsir."

"I was born in China _thousands_of years ago. I moved to India, and _then_I moved to Japan. I am far older than you."

"I know who you were, Su Daji. You were the prize consort of Emperor Zhou of Shang in 1047 BC. You are _not_older than me."

"You should brush up on your literature with all the free time you have here, Prince Laufeyjarson. I was already a nine-tail when I met Di Xin," she said, using another version of her late husband's name. "It takes a thousand years, minimum, to obtain nine tails."

"Mm. Regardless, Sigyn is older than you, Tamamo."

"Not in her current iteration. Yes, her soul predates my own, however she was reincarnated; she is younger than you. Now, are we finished splitting hairs? You are beneath me."

Loki nodded. "I agree that she was reincarnated and reborn as Sigyn, but she has the memories of her past life. She has since she became an adult."

"She is first and foremost a fox, not a slave to your bidding."

"She is, first and foremost my wife. The arctic fox inhabited Iceland long before man. That was my wife's doing. I know she still loves her foxes - even you. However, Sigyn is my wife. She does as I ask her."

"Like Lady Sigyn, I have reinvented myself. Her way was to be reborn as the woman she is now. However, you cannot change what is at the core of her heart."

"Iterations, yes. But I was always Loki - as I am now. Where you were reborn, reinvented yourself, and your lore changed, I have always been ME, as I am, Tamamo." Loki's eyes narrowed. "And I have experienced a lot in the past three thousand years, without dying."

The vixen grimaced. "I was slain in physical form in 1155, true. But you are far from correct - I was not reborn."

Loki arched his brows.

"You forget - I am a messenger spirit, I do not reincarnate as a deity. If I die, and _if_I reincarnate, I would come back as a human. My last brush with death was greatly exaggerated, and Inari saw fit to resurrect me in this realm without my Earthly body. I was not reborn. I continue to exist. However, I cannot pass into the Earth realm, as I lack a physical body."

"Ah. I see. So you did not die when you were released from that 'killing stone' in Japan?"

"No. Inari received my spirit, when Genno-sama released it. Inari no kami felt I was worthy to survive. Also, Lady Sigyn, is protective of her oldest creations. They worked together to ensure my survival, and so I endure."

"Interesting choice of word - endure."

"It is true. I endured during my imprisonment as the killing-stone -the Sessho-seki. Sigyn saved me when she sent Genno to rescue me from my curse as the Hoji, and I now endure without a physical form, unable to leave this realm."

"I know your story," said Loki. "But you do not know all of mine. Soon, you will see that my wife is, like any woman, capable of scorn. Also, like any mother, she would do almost anything to have her children safely returned to her. You will see soon enough."

"You are a fool."

Loki scoffed at the insult. "Perhaps you cannot understand what a mother would do to rescue her children because you have no children of your own, Tamamo."

Tamamo's ears laid back. "You sling such arrows because you are impotent; you cannot give your wife another child to ease the pain of her loss."

Loki sneered. "We'll see how impotent I am when I'm free. Yet you have no body, and will never have children now."

Tamamo bared her teeth.

Loki continued. "Soon, Tamamo, you will see just how far a mother will go for her children. Then you will realize this is bigger than..."

"Again, you are a fool."

"Again, you will see, soon enough."

Tamamo's ears perked up tall. "I wish I could stay and watch you fail, Prince Laufeyjarson. However, I hear Nathanial Carrington calling for me! Ironic how we only just spoke of him!"

"Remember to ask him about the year 2025, and how many millions of people are scheduled to die."

"Good bye, fool." Tamamo turned about and trotted away. "Also, I noticed you seem to have distracted your wife from remembering to dump the contents of the bowl above your head. I imagine it is only a matter of time before the acidic venom dribbles over the side and burns your skin. I wish I could stay and watch."

Loki grimaced and lifted his gaze to the bottom of the bowl above his head. "She will return before it is filled."

"You are an idiot." She continued to trot away, head held high.

"You will soon see, little one."

Tamamo left the hot springs grove with a smug smile tugging at the corners of her muzzle. The forced smile faded as she moved further away. Her ears lowered. Her tails dragged through the grass.

Once out of earshot, Tamamo sighed. "Drunk or sober, he always seems to know how to make his words sting. It is no wonder Odin dealt such a harsh punishment - he was a fool to have bragged about killing Balder. He was a bigger fool to have insulted all the women that day."

Silence.

Tamamo's heart ached. She felt like a fool.

She continued through the Celestial Realm until returning to the hub-like region, known as the Hallway of Reflection.

A tear in the fabric of space-time made the ground appear vacant of mass. The grass faded to obsidian black.

The little white vixen padded over the spatial anomaly. Up ahead, reflective golden tiles faded into existence. She continued forward onto the reflective golden hallway.

On all sides, there were various sized portals showing parts of Earth. She walked into the maze of hallways, having memorized the layout.

She stopped in front of a portal and sat on her haunches. "Nathan-sama. I did as you have asked."

On the other side of the portal, Nathanial Carrington looked up. He got to his feet and approached a mirror on his side. "And?"

"Vali, the son of Loki, is afflicted with madness. Twenty-five years ago, he was ordered to hide a codex of the Norse Rokkr gods. Loki created a masterful forgery that will change human outlook on many of the gods, including Sigyn. This will align her to see things as Loki wishes."

"Yeah, and Vali helped Loki with the attacks, too. Right?"

"Hai. Aris Falcon is their puppet."

"So the EC _was_hunted by Aris Falcon, with the guiding hand of Vali?"

The little white fox nodded her head. "Vali's madness influenced the thirst for blood for supernaturals to attack their own kind. However, it was Loki who..."

"Yeah, yeah, I know - Loki is the bad guy. Some stereotypes always seem to play themselves out, Mizukume. The thing is, I'm not yet sure about Loki's motive. So keep spying for me."

"He believes he is mankind's last hope."

"Bad guys always have a reason. Doesn't excuse their behavior. Anyway, you keep spying. Got it?"

"As you wish. And what of Sinopa?"

"You send her to California. She has an investigation to conduct."

"Why there?"

"Because it's time she meets Inspector Reno Nevada."

"And what about you?"

Nathan shrugged. "I'm going to finish putting Karla's team together."

Tamamo grimaced. "I have a question."

Nathan sighed. "Fine. What's the goddamn question?"

"In the year 2025, how many humans will die?"

Nathan squinted at Tamamo. His expression softened to a sad frown. "Millions. How the hell did you know about that?"

"Loki seems to know."

"That's because it's part of the plan. He wants to sacrifice millions to save billions - Loki is killing people to make himself more heroic later on. Narcissists always seem to think things revolve around them."

"Hai, but we cannot ignore a very obvious fact - he is at the heart of everything."

Nathan scoffed. "That's because powerful narcissists go out of their way to make things revolve around them. He really believes himself to be the hero, here."

Tamamo swallowed in an attempt to repress the stew of emotion bubbling in her chest. "Is he?"

"I'm too close to this bullshit to answer that question."

"In your opinion, Nathan-sama, is Loki the hero of this?"

"In my opinion? Hell no. He has no idea what he's doing, and he's going to cause more problems than he knows how to handle. He probably means well, but, let's face it ... everyone hell-bent on making world-wide changes probably 'means well,' you know?"

Tamamo remained silent.

Nathan sighed. "We don't have very long. Things are going to happen quick from here on out."

Tamamo sighed through her nose. Her ears laid back. "Very well. You have my attention."

"Good. First, you're going to get Sinopa to America."

"Hai, we have established this as a fact. And then ... what?"

Nathan smirked. "Here's what's going to happen next. I'm not going to repeat myself, so listen close..."

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Saturday, September 2, 2023 - 11pm... *

"...The internet is abuzz with information coming out of Iceland in the past few hours. A codex has been discovered, and is said to have been penned by Snorri Stuluson in the 1200's. This codex details more about the pagan gods, like Odin and Thor, as well as other deities made recently famous by comics, games and movies. Consider the fact that Thursday was named after the Norse god, Thor. Heathenry religions have been around since before the birth of Christ..."

Nathan Carrington looked up at the television and frowned. "So that's how this bullshit gets started." He reached for the remote and turned up his TV.

The anchor changed over to a reporter in Iceland, speaking with a hint of a dialect. "Yes, well, the codex has not yet been verified as authentic. An unnamed source discovered it and delivered it to a media outlet, here, in Reykjavík, Iceland. We are as-of-yet unsure why someone would deliver it, here, to the largest news broadcasting station in Iceland."

The anchor's voice came over the speaker. "Could it be a hoax?" the screen changed, displaying a visual of the codex on the left and the reporter on the right.

The reporter touched a finger to their ear, nodded that they acknowledged hearing the question, and said, "It appears quite old. An initial ink analysis shows the writings are likely to be from the proper period - roughly the thirteenth century."

"I see. Why not take the work to experts?"

The reporter listened over their earpiece. "We are unsure who delivered this, other than to say it was an adult male, average build, average height. While thrilled to receive such a unique, well, gift ... the station doesn't quite know what to make of it, so we have a team of scholars coming in from all over Europe, including the University of Berlin, Paris, Oslo, Helsinki, and scholars from right here in Reykjavík."

The screen split, showed the reporter on the right and the anchor on the left. The anchor asked, "Do we know anything about what is in these codex pages?"

The reporter put a finger to his ear. He nodded as if acknowledging the slightly delayed question. He brought his mic up and said, "Ah, currently, all we know is that this is new information about the old Norse Rokkr gods. There are apparently some new stories; new tales that do not match up to what has already been recorded. We'll have more information as the authentication of these codex pages are verified."

The anchor asked, "We're running out of time, but, quickly, is there a new name for this codex yet?"

There was a brief pause. "Ah, no, not at this time," said the reporter. "However, we will have more information available soon. The university in charge of this new find has decided to air live streaming to the internet. That way people can watch as this story develops. Streaming will begin Tuesday, September fourth, as the University hopes it will be an exciting new chapter in what the world can learn about..."

The anchorman cut in overtop the reporter. "And, unfortunately, that's all the time we have for now on this developing story. The University of Reykjavík will be streaming on Monday, Labor Day, here in the United States. Viewing the stream is free if you're interested in following this development of the Norse Gods story. And now, we go to the Meteorological Weather Center for your Traffic-and-Weather-Together update."

The screen changed to a man standing in front of a radar and topographical map of California.

Nathan turned off his TV and leaned back on his sofa with a sigh. "This is it. Dammit, this is when Sigyn goes bat-shit crazy." He reached for his cellphone on the end table by the armrest of his sofa.

Carrington thumbed the screen and brought the cellphone to his ear. After a moment, there was an answer. Nathan's voice changed, becoming more stern and business-like. "Methos, did you see the news about the goddamn...?"

Nathan paused to listen to the voice on the other end of the line. "Yeah, okay, you saw it 'online' earlier - fine, whatever. I still watch the goddamn news and read papers. I'm used to it, okay? Anyhow, this is the shit I told you about all those years ago - Loki's wife."

Another pause. Nathan listened to the speaker on the other end. "Yeah, Methos, this is it. One of the entries in that damn codex is about Sigyn, the wife of Loki Laufeyjarson. It will depict her as a woman scorned, who seeks vengeance alongside of her husband, regarding what Odin did to her children. Should we go and steal this thing before it becomes public?"

Another pause.

Nathan grimaced, listening to the reply over the line. "Why the hell not? If that shit gets out, it will color the world's perception of who she is, and that will change..."

Silence.

Nathan shifted the phone to his other ear. "Yeah, I know we're being attacked. I can take care of myself. I could use the help in going to get ... wait, what did you just say?"

Nathan listened to Methos' reply and sighed. "You really think it was documented already? Digital...? What?" Nathan thumbed the phone and changed it to a speakerphone setting.

"I said, Nathan, that all the pages have already been documented and uploaded to several websites. National Geographic has a large spread on the find. This is beyond containment. It happened far too quickly."

"Bullshit," Nathan muttered. "Do you know what this means? It means Sigyn is going to become a handful."

"This is one of the oracle predictions you learned about many years ago, Nathan?"

"Goddamn right, Methos. Now what?"

"Have you checked on some of your other contacts to see if any of them have survived this attack?"

"No. I've stayed in. I'm waiting for the dust to settle, Old Man."

Methos scoffed over the line. "Old man. Must you always call me that?"

"Heh, it's fitting. We can be 'Grumpy Old Men,' and you get to be the one that aged well."

Methos sighed over the line. "Just get to the Elysium. I think it's time we see who's left standing. We have to assess the damage and plan accordingly."

"Alright. Which Elysium?"

"The Speak Easy in downtown San Francisco is a good place to start. There are usually Friday and Saturday night gatherings to discuss local politics. Do you know the location?"

"Yeah, Methos. I know the church they use. Well, it used to be a church, anyhow. When should I go?"

"Can you go tonight? There are often people at Speak Easies in the evening, but no one is answering the land-line at the Church tonight."

Nathan sighed. He glanced at a clock. "Yeah, I can be there in a little bit - give me like an hour. I want to grab some dinner, first. I'll let you know what I find."

"I suggest you take Karla with you."

"Do ya' now?"

"Yes, I do. Just ... trust me on this."

"Alright, no problem. I'll give her a call."

"Be safe, Nathan."

"I know what I'm doing. I'll be fine." Nathan thumbed the screen on his cell, stuffed it in his pocket and stood up from his sofa with a grunt. "God, getting old sucks."

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