Chapter 19: The Encounter with Sleipnir

After traversing the rugged mountain path, they arrived at a dense, sprawling forest. Under the spur of urgency, the sun had just set, and the moon had yet to rise, when they reached the abode of the ‘White Horse’ as Aldoran had described it.

“Stop,” Aldoran pulled on the reins, halting the horses at a high cliff overlooking the forest. She pointed to a river flowing through the trees below. “Hmph, I don’t see any caves or shelters here,” Liliya remarked, her eyes sharp and critical. “There are no caves here,” Aldoran replied, dismounting and pointing to a small wooden house almost hidden by the foliage. “She doesn’t live in such places.”

“Lies can’t last forever, so now you’re making excuses? A horse living in a human house?” Liliya continued, unyielding. “Liliya, remember, the horse can take human form,” Alice intervened, silencing Liliya with a glance. Liliya grumbled but said no more.

“Please wait here. I’ll go scout ahead and signal if I need assistance,” Aldoran instructed, using her powers to see that the White Horse, now in the form of a girl, lay sleeping in bed. “But how will you signal us from so far away?”

“Trust me, I have my ways,” Aldoran assured them, stepping closer to the cliff. “Perhaps you plan to run away while you have the chance,” Liliya quipped. “My wife and companions are still in your village. What good would escaping alone do?” Aldoran retorted.

“Liliya, hide yourself,” Alice ordered. “Then, I’ll be off,” Aldoran said, leaping down the cliff and landing gracefully on the forest floor. She smeared dirt on her face and clothes, then approached the wooden house, knocking firmly on the door. “Knock, knock, knock.”

“Who is it?” a voice called out, irritated. A silver-haired, blue-eyed girl peeked out, her expression sour to match her words. “I, I am a traveler,” Aldoran stammered, feigning timidity. “Traveler? What’s it to me? Get lost and don’t bother me,” the girl snarled, dismissing Aldoran.

“But, but I’m lost… please…” Aldoran’s voice broke, and tears welled up in her clear eyes, her dirt-smudged face only enhancing her pitiful appearance. “Damn it, you’re a woman? A woman, you understand?” the girl growled, even more annoyed. “I advise you to disappear before I lose my temper.”

“Understood? Then go!” The girl pushed Aldoran away, and as she started to close the door, Aldoran caught it with her hand, pleading desperately. “Please, please help me… I’ll do anything…” The girl relented, “Fine, come in,” and opened the door, her expression feigning resignation.

“Really? Thank you!” Aldoran’s face brightened, and she followed the girl inside, oblivious to the dangers that lay ahead. Those who entered her house never left again.

“Clean yourself up,” the girl tossed Aldoran a handkerchief. After wiping her face, Aldoran carefully washed the handkerchief and returned it. “Thank you, you are a good person, and goodness will be rewarded,” Aldoran said.

“Oh, I often think the same,” the girl smiled, her eyes gleaming with malevolent anticipation. She leaned back, resting her feet on the table, and asked, “So, where are you from?”

“Well, I’m looking for someone…” Aldoran replied hesitantly. “Speak up, don’t be a coward,” the girl snapped. “I, I’m looking for a friend from the Habi tribe…” Aldoran stammered, her voice barely audible.

“Habi tribe? I know them. Some of them are my friends. If you need, I can take you to their place,” the girl offered, her eyes gleaming with a hidden excitement. “Really? That would be wonderful!” Aldoran’s face lit up, and she grasped the girl’s hand eagerly.

“Of course,” the girl stood, her reflection growing larger in Aldoran’s hopeful eyes. “If you like, I can take you right now.”

“If that’s so, that would be perfect!” Aldoran beamed, grasping the girl’s hand tightly. “First, have some water, rest a bit, and then we’ll go,” the girl said, pouring a cup of water.

As Aldoran drank, her eyes never left the girl’s face. The girl’s smile held a hidden menace, and a chill filled the room. “May I ask, what friends do you know there?” Aldoran inquired, placing the cup down.

The girl pulled Aldoran close, her grip tight. “Want to know? Look there, where you weren’t paying attention,” she said, pointing to a corner of the room. As Aldoran turned her head, she felt her breath catch—it was a wall of severed heads, each a gruesome display of fear, anger, and despair.

“Look, these are my friends!” the girl laughed, her voice echoing madly. “Isn’t it a beautiful sight?” She reached into the pile, pulling out a man’s head. “Oh, and this one? This was my wife!”

Aldoran’s mind whirled, flashes of memory flooding back—a face, once sad and now twisted in eternal fear. “What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?” the girl laughed hysterically, her eyes brimming with tears, but not of sorrow.

“Oh, yes, be more afraid, like she was. Like when she realized my true self and begged for her life. Be more desperate, like when I took her by force. Fear, like she did when I—” The girl’s laughter turned into a howl, her voice a wild, guttural scream.

“Ah, if only you had wings, I could enjoy plucking them out!” The girl’s voice dripped with relish, her eyes gleaming with cruel delight.

“This is disgusting,” a voice rang out, cold and emotionless. The girl froze, a chill running down her spine. “You are disgusting,” Aldoran said, her face a mask of cold indifference, all traces of fear and desperation gone.

“Sleipnir, the Eight-Legged Steed, right?” Aldoran asked, her voice steady despite the rage simmering in the girl’s eyes. “Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!” The girl laughed, a wild, manic sound that echoed through the room.

“You, you—” The girl’s face contorted with fury, and with a kick, she sent the heads flying. Magic surged, and the small house exploded, a whirlwind tearing through the forest. Trees snapped like matchsticks, and the ground split open, a jagged chasm running through the earth.

“Kiels, Jess!” A massive shield of light appeared, deflecting the chaotic winds. Silver light glinted, and two girls with wolf ears and claws materialized, their eyes blazing with battle fury. “Attack!” they cried, charging toward Sleipnir with a ferocious howl.

Sleipnir’s hands shot out, catching the girls’ claws, and with a grunt, she tossed them aside. Ice crystals formed into razor-sharp arrows, slicing through Sleipnir’s face, blood spattering the ground. “Wind Song!” Sleipnir chanted, and a tornado of wind and ice erupted, clashing with the onslaught of ice arrows, creating a dazzling display of explosive magic.

Above them, a massive vortex swirled, the wind’s howl intensifying as it spread across the forest like an audio tsunami. “Ha!” As Sleipnir focused her attack on Aldoran, Jess leapt high into the sky, her claws engulfed in dark energy, expanding into a monstrous, towering beast. If it struck, it would be fatal.

A blinding light flared, and Aldoran summoned a colossal shield, a hundred meters wide, deflecting Jess’s attack. The moment it did, Kiels struck, kicking Sleipnir back. White feathers rained down, transforming into a barrage of swords, hurtling toward Aldoran.

Aldoran quickly erected a barrier, deflecting the blades. “Master, should I rescue them?” Kiels asked, her voice tense. “Go,” Aldoran commanded, dismissing the shield and transforming her energy into a spear. She threw it with all her might, the spear roaring through the air, a blue trail streaking behind it.

“Die!” Sleipnir howled, her wings spreading wide, the wind’s energy swirling around her. She soared higher, kicking Jess away, and a colossal sword, hundreds of meters long, glinted in the sun, its blade shimmering with the force of a thousand storms. The ground quaked, the earth splitting open, as the sword descended, a blinding light enveloping the forest.

“Odin!” Aldoran cried out, her hands outstretched, and a blizzard erupted, a giant eagle materializing behind her. Ice spears burst from the ground, and a colossal blast of magic exploded, the eagle’s cry piercing the sky. The sword crashed down, shattering the earth, a wall of fire erupting from the impact.

The ground trembled, and the forest was reduced to rubble. The sword, relentless, tore through the earth, leaving a gaping chasm in its wake. “Extreme Cold!” Aldoran chanted, her voice cutting through the chaos, and a blizzard of epic proportions exploded, a giant ice beast taking flight, its wings spanning hundreds of miles, clashing with the descending sword.

Light and ice collided, the earth shaking with the force of the impact. When the light faded, Aldoran knelt on the ground, her arm hanging limp, her eyes bloodshot. Jess lay unconscious beside her. Across from them, Sleipnir lay broken, her leg shattered, her body a mess of wounds, her right eye sightless, her left eye fixed on Aldoran with a glare of pure hatred.

“Ha… ha…” Aldoran gasped, her breath ragged, as she pushed herself to her feet, stumbling toward Sleipnir, each step a struggle. You bastard, you just want to kill me!

Sleipnir retreated, her strength spent, her mind focused on escape. “Wait…” Aldoran growled, her voice a guttural snarl, as she forced herself forward, her body trembling with exertion. This bastard! Just wants to kill me!

Sleipnir, her strength waning, revealed her true form—a magnificent white steed with eight legs. With a final, agonized neigh, she stood, her limbs shaking, and raced away, her hooves kicking up clouds of dust.