Tyranny of Steel

Days had passed, and the blizzard that trapped Berengar, Honoria, and their young child vanished. Because of this, the trio and the soldiers that protected them made their way closer to the target of their covert operation. Immediately upon entering the borders that surrounded the dense woods, Berengar felt the presence of the supernatural.

At first glance, this wooded area was nothing special. It was a small forest of pine trees covered in snow. However, there was something eery about it which caused Berengar to feel unsettled in his gut. He knew he had found the right place. Thus, he quickly voiced his concerns to the men beneath his command. 

"Keep yours heads on a swivel boys, we do not know what is in these woods..."

The men weren't aware of the supernatural, and thought that the Kaiser was being overly cautious, still they checked their weapons to see if they were loaded. After confirming this was the case, they mounted their bayonets to the barrel of their rifles. Honoria was especially cautious, as she was aware of the potential dangers that she and her family would encounter. She raised her young son on her back and lectured him while loading a shell into the chamber of her trench gun. 

"Alexandros, you must behave yourself. Stay on my back at all times! Whatever you do, do not go wondering off in the woods!"

Alexandros gazed upon his mother's actions with a hint of wonder in his eyes. He too wanted to be armed in this moment, but unfortunately he was too young to be afforded such a privilege. All he could do was nod his head in agreement. He was already in enough trouble for stowing away. The last thing he wanted was to add more to his punishment. 

Berengar pulled out his P25 pistol, which was based on the luger, and loaded a round into its chamber before marching forward into the woodlands with an excited expression on his face. Perhaps it was because of the boon of courage he had received from Baduhenna, but he felt no fear as he charged into the potentially dangerous woodland.

His soldiers were quick to follow behind as they rushed forward into the unknown. The moment the company of elite soldiers entered the woods, they noticed the trees appeared far taller than they should be. From an outsider's perspective, these pine trees were fifty to eighty feet tall and covered in snow.

However, the moment they stepped foot in the forest, the length of their trunks appeared to be in the hundreds, if not thousands, of feet. It was impossible to know for sure as a thick fog shrouded the vision of the soldiers, making it difficult to see even a few feet ahead of them, let alone the size of the massive trees. 

Aside from the sheer difference in size of the surrounding trees, there was not a hint of snow in sight, and the weather within the dense woods was quite mild. So much so that the men were feeling uncomfortable in their thick winter attire. 

When Berengar gazed upon the massive tree trunks, he felt as if he should have worn a helmet like his soldiers had wisely chosen to do. There was no telling the damage a pine cone could do to his noggin if it fell on him from such a height. He instantly turned around to order one man to give him his helmet, only to find that he was truly, and utterly alone. 

This sudden turn of event shocked Berengar. Just a moment ago, his wife, young son and a company of his Imperial Guard flanked his sides. Now he appeared totally alone in the mists. He quickly called out to the others, hoping they were just hidden in the fog.

"Honoria! Alexandros! Is there anyone out there?"

Shockingly, a feminine, yet foreign voice called out to him from among the mist. However, its tone was far from pleasant, instead it sounded more like a hunter who was stalking its prey. 

"They can't hear you... You are all alone, here with only me to keep you company..."

Berengar immediately reacted to this by raising his pistol towards the location of the hostile voice. He did not hesitate to fire a shot into the mists, hoping to injure whoever was stalking him. Unfortunately, all Berengar saw was a pair of glowing golden eyes fade away into the mist, and the sound of shrill laughter echo in the surrounding air.

"You think you can harm me with such methods? If you want to see your wife and child again, I suggest you seek me out. That is, if you can manage to find me..."

The mocking tone in the woman's voice outraged the Kaiser, causing him to fire another few shots randomly into the mist, all while he called out to the owner of the taunting voice.

"Who are you? What do you want from me?"

This time there was utter silence, and Berengar had no choice but to trudge through the mists, hoping to find the others. While Berengar cautiously made his way through the misty woodlands, Honoria and Alexandros were held captive by a young girl who appeared to be in her early teenage years. 

This girl had a blindfold over her eyes, and shockingly resembled Adela during her younger years, with the signature golden twintails the young empress sported in her youth. Unlike Adela, this young girl was dressed in the fashion of a viking woman, with a fur-lined cloak adorned over her dress. When Honoria gazed upon the sight of this foreign woman, she could not help but assume that she was Adela and instantly voiced her confusion aloud.

"Adela? How is this possible?"

The woman frowned as she realized that the Greco-Roman woman had misidentified her and reacted to Honoria's confusion with stern words. 

"Foolish child, do you think I am some petty queen? I am far more ancient than you can fathom. You should show me some respect, especially since I control your fate!"

This overwhelming pride coming from a woman that looked like the young empress caused Honoria to smile awkwardly. Whoever this strange woman was, she definitely had the same vibe as Adela, especially before she became more tolerant towards Berengar's other women. She did not take the woman's rant about controlling her fate seriously. She assumed the woman meant that she could choose whether or not to kill her, not that she was an actual weaver of fate. 

Honoria gazed around and realized that she and her son were gathered at the root of a massive tree whose length extended far beyond her line of sight. Even without the fog, she could not tell the height of this tree. It was almost as if its vast trunk protruded into the universe itself. She inspected the blind woman as she drew a pail of water from the nearby well and use it to nourish the large tree.

This was no normal water, for it appeared as if it were made from the cosmos itself. Tiny specks of light littered the surface of the pitch black water as it poured onto the massive trunk of the tree, causing it its vines to grow in size.

Honoria could hardly believe her eyes when she saw this. She had so many questions, but the woman did not appear to be friendly.  The strange woman abruptly halted her actions and put the bucket of water aside while a smile curved itself upon her pretty pink lips.

"It would appear that he has found us..."

Moments after saying this, Berengar forced his way through the brush and appeared in front of the trio with his pistol in his hands. When he saw his wife and son safe and sound, he let out a sigh of relief. In the next moment, he noticed the blind woman and raised his brow in astonishment as he called out to the woman in confusion.

"Adela?"

The woman sighed as she shook her head before revealing her identity.

"The name is Wyrd. The reason I resemble your little wife is that I have chosen this form, knowing it would be more appealing to you. I am honestly surprised that you have found your way here so quickly. Then again, the very fact that you exist in this world to begin with defies fate itself. "

Berengar slowly approached his wife and child. As he did so, he cautiously kept his line of sight on Wyrd, afraid that she might do something drastic. He had an inkling in his mind about who this woman really was and what kind of power she wielded. It would be unwise to provoke a weaver of fate. After ensuring that his wife and son were alright, Berengar lowered his weapon and asked the immediate question in his mind to the small blind girl.

"And what would a norn want with me? More importantly, what have you done to my men?"

Honoria did not immediately react to this, as she was unaware of the Germanic mythology that her husband was referencing. However, the woman named Wyrd smiled once more while she spoke with a less hostile voice than she had during their first encounter in the woods. 

"Oh, I assure you, my sisters are keeping them company. Do not worry, they are unharmed and are merely sleeping. They will not remember this chance encounter. I am curious, though, about how you found us. I did not foresee your visit to the world tree. That old bastard has seriously caused my sisters and I much trouble by bringing you into this world. You should not be here. Your very existence in this world has upset the balance of fate itself!"

Berengar gazed up at the massive tree in astonishment. The woman had just called this the world tree, meaning he was standing at the very root of the universe. Or at least according to Germanic mythology. He could not help but kneel down at the sight of Yggdrasil and show his respect. This action caused the norn named Wyrd to smile even more fervently. She sighed heavily as she gazed upon the otherworlder with a sense of pity, mostly for herself. 

"It appears you know how to show proper respect. Whatever your reason for coming here, I suppose I shall hear you out. After all, if my sisters and I were to get rid of you, I am certain that old bastard would take out his wrath on us."

Ever since Berengar had first reincarnated into this world, he had many questions on his mind. Now that he was standing face to face with a weaver of fate, he knew this was his best chance to answer them all. He had the desire to give Linde all the love she could ever want, after her hunt had led him to the world tree.