Bloodlines of the Ancient Pantheons

Chapter 580: DLXXX. Accept The Challenge

The Packmaster was astonished at that gesture, believing that no one would ever refuse such a gift and realizing more and more that the warrior before him had a good and pure soul, untouched by injustice.

"What happened in there is not your fault, you admitted it yourself. Your powers have made you uncontrollable and bloodthirsty... and I understand you. But I couldn't let this flow passively before my eyes. I'm the one who apologizes, Thyrius, for completely destroying this square and part of your childhood castle, I'm sure with your skill, you and your men will be able to fix it in record time" Dag smiled, showing empathy for the Werewolves leader. 

"... yes, I'm sure we will. Klorr is ours again!" Bloodfang shouted joyfully at his soldiers, turning backward and hailing victory again.

The screams of happiness exploded, filling the ears of everyone present.

"Dag!" Kranus said, calling his companion to attention after his speech had been interrupted with arrogance by Thyrius.

"I think it's time to go back to Tungvek and let the Claws Of Fenrir slowly regaining their control over Klorr" the ice mage continued, who was looking forward to returning home to begin the real festivities and be able to study with Dag the next move, having become accustomed to the effectiveness of his strategies.

"All right! Should... we should... I think we should..." 

As he was responding to those words, Dag suddenly stopped talking, noting that the breath coming out of his mouth was condensing into the air, as if the temperature had dropped about ten degrees suddenly.

Thinking it was normal that the temperature of the night was lower than that of the day, for a moment he believed it was only his problem since his body was fatigued by the battle, but when he noticed that the people who suffered the cold increased one after the other, he suddenly turned to the center of the square, which after the battle, looked like a fighting arena.

"Dag? What were you saying?" Kranus asked again, who had a greater cold resistance than the others, as well as all the Giants Of Ymir warriors, capable of turning into Jotunns and manipulating ice.

"I... I... I made a mistake" Dag suddenly said, continuing to look in the same direction.

"This cold... I can't believe it... it's very similar to when..." Reidar gasped, who as he was speaking stretched his eyes and swallowed empty as if he had just realized that what was about to happen was nothing good.

"Mistake? What mistake? You knocked down the great Hakon and helped us win this war! Your actions were error-free, Master Dag!" Bloodfang interrupted, who had now changed the way he looked at him and no longer wanted to address him as if he was just a kid.

"I challenged them... I told them that a warrior like Hakon wouldn't be enough to defeat me... I didn't think they would take on the challenge so quickly..." Dag replied, whose face gradually turned pale as if his blood pressure was dropping.

"Accept the challenge? Who accepted the challenge?" Atran asked, naively, preceding Kranus's words. 

"The Frostsinners" Freydis added, who would recognize that cold with her eyes closed, bringing back what was about to happen at the time when Dag had angrily referred to them, yelling at the sky and threatening them.

The Shieldmaiden grabbed Dag's arm, trembling, and trying to get his attention.

He turned to her, who caught a glimpse in her man's eyes of a strong feeling: the fear of not making it.

While against Hakon, the young Master was more determined than ever to avenge Stein and end Klorr's war, this time it was a force much greater than him, greater than any of them.

"I don't understand... what does the Frostsinners have to do with it? Is any of them coming here? Does this sudden cold have anything to do with it?" Bloodfang asked, who had never cared about the Xis, nor had he ever informed about them.

"Get back... get away from me..." Dag continued in a low voice and when he saw that no one was listening intently to his words, he was forced to repeat them screaming.

"Get away from me! Step back!" he exclaimed, walking forward and pulling out both of his weapons again, despite his physical fatigue.

Reidar and Kranus, who in addition to Freydis were the only ones who really understood the gravity of what was about to happen, spread their arms and forced everyone else to retreat to the castle gate.

Dag looked around: in front of him, the remains of Hakon's body were still in the same position, immersed in a pool of his own blood, and near them, the corpses of the soldiers who died in battle.

The ground of the square was destroyed, torn apart by powerful attacks by allies and enemies, as well as the walls that surrounded it, collapsed along with the porch that adorned them.

In that dark and still apocalyptic scenario, Dag continued to perceive that unforgettable cold, which each time brought his mind back to his childhood, to the moments of terror passed before being subjected to Temporum's judgment.

"They analyze us and catalog us as if we were animals destined for slaughter. All our lives, we have the feeling of being free, of choosing what to do independently... but it's just an illusion, it's just a deception... the Earth is now a dead and cold planet, but the reason behind all this, the real cause that led to the death of our home planet... it's just them. The Xis, they are the answer" Dag thought frantically, trying to keep in mind those concepts, which were so deeply rooted in his ego, that they were now part of his subconscious, forcing him to think about it even unintentionally.

Despite the cold, the air around him was still, not even a gust of wind passed through his hair and there was no suspicious noise.