No POV

Nier is still rowing the boat with Yonah and Kaine sitting in it and Mimir in tow. Yonah still looks at the water, thinking about the last conversation she had with Emil. Kaine is looks at Nier, still having a hard time believing that he's a God. But he told her the truth when he could have kept doing everything he could to keep it a secret. Her serious expression begins to lighten up a little.

Kaine: Mimir, is it true that Bladur is unkillable?

Mimir: Aye, Baldur is blessed with invulnerability to all threats, Physical or magical.

Nier: That's just him boasting. Everyone has to have a weakness.

Kaine: Yeah, no one is perfect in any way.

Mimir: Not him I'm afraid. Baldur is blessed with invulnerability to all threats, Physical or magical.

Yonah: You just said that, Mimir.

Mimir: Did I?

Kaine: Yeah. Word for word except for that last sentence.

Nier: What's the source of his power?

Mimir: Well, as I recall... it involved... eh. a spell?

Yonah: Mimir?

Mimir: parts of my brain must still be coming back to life. Just need a moment to finish waking up.

Yonah: (Whispter) I hope he's not broken.

Kaine: His head fell like only one foot.

Nier continues rowing and we eventually make it to the port of Tyr's temple. We arrive at the port and dock the boat. I grab Mimir and attach him to the back of my belt and continue walking.

Yonah: What happened between you and Hera?

Kaine: Don't talk about it. At least not while walking.

Nier: We can catch up on stories when we're back on the boat.

Mimir: Completely understandable. I'll finish later lass

Nier: So how we talk to Jormungandr?

Mimir: There's a horn on a platform at the middle point of the bridge. Take me to it.

Yonah: So that horn will summon him? Amazing.

We go to the middle of the bridge and I turn the lever to bring the platform up to the horn.

Mimir: Good, now put my lips to the horn.

I grab Mimir and put him close to the horn so he can blow it. He does so and Jormungandr rises before he suddenly takes a huge bite out of the statue of Thor

Kaine: The fuck?

Yonah: Why's he doing that?

Mimir: Odin had that statue made in honor of Thor. And seeing as the World Serpent absolutely abhors the fat dobber, he was probably sick of looking at it.

Yonah: But doesn't that hurt?

Kaine: Yeah, all the jagged shit ending up in its gut.

Mimir: Well, he and thor have a bit of unpleasant history between them... or they will, anyway. So I guess waking up to see it was worse than the thought of lumps of solid stone passing through his gullet. You want me to ask him?

Nier: No. Ask him about Jotunheim.

Jormungandr: (Ancient language)

Mimir: Alright, wish me luck

Mimir and Jormungand speak to each other. There was a moment there seemed to be misunderstanding. But things got corrected and Jormungandr began pushing the platform.

Yonah: What is he doing?

Mimir: Making sure we're heading in the right direction. Listen closely now. We need two things to get us into the land of the Giants. First, we need to learn the travel rune that opens the realm travel to Jotunheim. Second, we need to carve that rune into the special gateway.

Yonah: That one on the peak where we first met you?

Mimir: Correct. Except the Giants, in there infinite wisdom, saw to it that no ordinary chisel would do the job. Only the tip of a magic chisel could open the gates. Luckily, I know where it is and it's not far.

Kaine: Any explanation why Jormungandr seemed pretty pissed for a moment back there?

Mimir: Ah. That. He thought I said you were friends of Odin. Forgive me, I've never spoken the Ancient Tongue sober.

The platform stops and Jormungandr leaves.

Yonah: Guys, look at the lake.

Nier and Kaine see the lake and see that the water level dropped.

Kaine: Damn. Why does the water drop every time that snake talks to us?

Nier: So were is the chisel?

Mimir: Find me a boat and we'll go from there.

The four walk down the stairs that leads to a dock with a boat attached to it. They get in and Nier begins rowing them away.

Nier: Which way to the chisel?

Mimir: Keep rowing toward the statues of the oarsmen, then thread past between them.

Nier rows and follows the direction that Mimir gave. Soon the boat reaches a cave with the oarsman at the entrance.

Yonah: Mimir, what happened between you and Hera? She seemed pretty displeased by you.

Mimir: Let's just say I've made a lot of mistakes in the past. And a many of them were big ones. Hera in particular was a friend of the goddess Freya. Though this one is probably a different version of the goddess you probably heard about in the other world. It all goes back to the Long War between the Aesie and Vanir.

Kaine: My grandma told me stories about that. The Aesir finally met their match in battle and it was a very bitter stalemate.

Mimir: Aye, sister. Both sides suffered tremendous loses.. and for many of us, quite frankly, war was simply no fun anymore, but a rather senseless waste of precious life.

Kaine: And then Odin's most brilliant advisor tried to find a better path and the best one he could come up with is prostituting the Vanir Queen to the Aesir Bastard King.

Mimir: That's not too far off. I persuaded Odin to marry Freya in order for peace. *Sigh*. A lot of good that did in the end.

Suddenly, they see something flying around on the mountain and hear someone yelling.

???: Stay away from my house you bastards. Leave me alone!

Kaine: I recognize those birds. Get it's to a dock, fast.

Nier nods and looks for a dock before rowing faster and arriving at it. The four get off and head up the mountain to find several Demons harassing an old man. The old man holds an ore to throw at his attackers, but they mock him.

???: Get back! What more do you want from me?!

Demon: You're getting old and grey. Why don't we just do you a favor and end you now since you've got no one to be with you.

Kaine rushes in and attacks the Demons. She brings out her swords and uses them to behead two of her targets.

Demon: It's those fuckers!

Demon 1: Get them!

The Demons charge at the group and Yonah summons her bow before Nier joins Kaine to fight them. Nier and Kaine kill some of the demons and keep some in place for Yonah to shoot in the heads. Soon she brings out her axe and runs into the fight.

Demon: Little girl thinks she's though shit? I'll fucking murder you!

Yonah then uses the axe to chop off the Demon's leg.

Demon: THE FUCK?!

She then swings the axe down and decapitates the Demon. More come, but she uses the Axe's ice powers to freeze them in place before throwing it at one's head and killing it. She then summons the Axe back and uses it to chop up more of the demons. Nier then powers up his sword and slashes two times, which sends two ice blade waves at the demons and cuts through them. Kaine then uses her magic that runs lighting through her swords and she sends it toward the rest of the demons. The whole time, Nier felt her burning hatred toward the demons and sees one playing dead in an attempt to sneak up on Kaine. He then rushes fast enough to suddenly appear behind and uses the Demon's head with enough force to render it a bloody pulp.

Kaine: Thanks for having my back.

Nier; No problem.

*Laughing*

The group looks at the old man walking closer to them and clapping his hands as he's laughing.

???: That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen. I'd expect nothing less from three special younglings and the Smartest Man Alive.

Mimir: Uh, sorry for being rude lad, but do we know you?

???: Of course not. I understand that. Just what I've heard during my travels around Midgard. And the few times I came across your parents and your grandmother.

The old man points toward Nier and Kaine respectively.

???: My name is Elias. I came across your families when I was out looking for materials or hunting.

Nier: Well, we're glad we could help you.

Yonah: Yeah. Even though Kaine was more focused at the demons.

Kaine: We'll Elias seemed like a nice guy, so no reason in letting an old man die like this.

Elias: I want to be a bit insulted, but my days of fighting are long gone. Allow me to repay you.

Nier: You don't have to do that sir.

Kaine: Yeah, we're good on funds for a while.

Elias: I meant why don't you four stay in my house for tonight. It's going to be pretty dark soon and the monsters do get more active at night. And allow me to make you three some stew. Take this as a small token of my appreciation.

Yonah: We have been going all day almost nonstop.

Mimir: Aye. No reason to risk ourselves running on fumes.

Nier: What do you say Kaine?

Kaine: ...I still don't know.

Elias: Would a story about the Son of Revenge and the Origin of the Demons interest you?

Nier is shocked to hear that and Kaine ends up interested by what Elias said.

Kaine: Alright then

Elias: Great. Come on in.

The four enter Elias' house and see that the construction is a bit more skillful than what they've seen.

Elias: Make yourselves at home. I'll get to cooking. I'll try to make this the best damn stew you've had in weeks.

Nier and Yonah give a light hearted chuckle and Kaine looks on in nostalgia of her time with her grandmother. A tear then slips out of her.

Mimir: Sister. Tell me what's on your mind.

Kaine: How do you know?

Mimir: Not my fault you forgot to put at a different angle.

Kaine wipes her tear and tries to compose herself.

Kaine: It's my grandmother. I miss her.

Mimir: Tell me at your own pace. I won't force you to do it.

Kaine: Thanks for being considerate.

After an hour or so, Elias gives them stew made from rabbits and pheasant. He then serves the three travelers and they eat the entire bowls. Kaine had three servings of the stew.

Nier: Oof, I am stuffed.

Yonah: That was delicious

Elias: I'm glad you like it. Your older sister there had three of them.

Kaine: Sorry. Although I'm not their sister.

Elias: I know. And don't worry about eating so much. Feeding you three was a pleasure. It was like having serving dinner to my grandchildren. I never had them, but if I did, I'd want them to be just like you three.

Yonah: Thanks again for the stew.

Elias: You're welcome.

Nier: So what was this about the Demons. And this "Son of Revenge"?

Elias sits down as the four listen in on what he has to say.

Elias: To understand both, you must go back to the other world that resides on this Earth. A world far away from what we call Midgard and the Nine Realms. To a land known as "Greece" and the ancient war against the Titans.

Kaine: "Titans"?

Elias: When the world that would be known as Greece was new... The Olympians, the gods of the realm and the masters of Light, waged war against the Titans, the family of chaos and darkness. The king of Olympus, Zeus, lead a rebellion against the his father, the Titan king Kronos, to free his siblings and defeat him. The Titans loyal to Kronos aided him and the Titanomachy began. However, Zeus convinced two of the Titans to take up arms with the gods. And with this, reason and compromise were introduced to the world.

Kaine rolls her eyes at the fact a god brought reason and compromise to a different realm.

Elias: With the aid of these Titans, the gods were able to defeat Kronos and imprisoned many of his loyalists in the realm of Tartarus. And with that, the Olympians began to rule the Greek world. Unlike the Nine Realms, they were more evolved due to not having afterlives centered around how one dies in or outside of battle. Then one day, a boy hailing from the warrior nation of Sparta had spent his life pledging service to the gods and begged of them to heal his ailing sister. However, in a horrific battle against the Barbarian hordes that threaten to overrun the lands, he was slain in battle. His last breath was begging the gods to save his sister. But many refused, some even mocked him. It was a grave mistake.

Nier began to remember bits of the story Elias is telling and every bit is true. In his past life, he hailed from Sparta, had a sister, trained since childhood, and fought many battles for the gods.

Elias: When the boy ended up in the underworld, Nemesis, the Goddess of Revenge, was enraged by how the brave warrior had been treated. Disgusted by both the gods and humanity's hubris, Nemesis declared the boy her child and allowed him to return to the mortal realm. Knowing that no ordinary weapon would suit her new son, she created two blades forged from her own ribs and the fires of the underworld. The Blades of Chaos would then become a part of the boys soul, and he would then use them and his new power to slaughter the horde that killed him. From that day, Damocles, the Son of Revenge, was born.

Yonah: So he went and slayed all the gods?

Elias: Not as straightforward as that. Out of love for his sister, he attempted to give them a chance to learn from their mistakes. But they didn't, and they inevitably took part in the death of Damocles' sister. Soon Damocles would rage war against the gods. What makes Damocles such a feared symbol is that he possesses a power that can shake the balance of worlds. When a god dies, they also go to one of the afterlives respective to their world. But when Damocles kills them, no afterlife awaits them. Only endless oblivion. His war against the gods accelerated when the mortal Pandora ended up opening a box that had many of the world's evils sealed into it. She perished by the gods when the discovered her mistake, and Damocles then released the Titans to aid him. The Second Titanomachy began and soon many of the Olympians were slaughtered in his rampage.

Kaine: Except for Hera.

Elias: As well as many gods that weren't in Greece at the time.

Nier: I think I heard that the gods represented many elements of the world.

Yonah: Yeah, like if something happens to them, it affects the world.

Elias: Indeed. The gods' deaths triggered many catastrophes and ultimately destroyed the world. Damocles then saw all that he had wrought and felt immense shame at his actions. When he asked what he would do, he realized the strongest power in the world, the power of Hope, resided in him when Pandora's Box was opened. Using the blade he usurped from the Olympians, he impaled himself and allowed the power to be spread to the world and its survivors. With no purpose left for existing, Damocles faded away, becoming a story of warning for those whose arrogance consumes them.

Kaine: What the fuck does this have to do with the demons?

Elias: Patience, young lady.

Kaine: Don't patronize me.

Elias: During the second Titanomachy, one Titan fell from Olympus and into the sea. Poseidon's death caused a massive flood that ended up washing the Titan away. And eventually, its body ended up in Midgard. And unfortunately, it would be found by a man. he stumbled upon the body and became drawn to it. To touch a titan desiring destruction is to feel the abyss. And as a moth is drawn to the flame, so were others drawn to him. These men ceased to worship the gods. Instead, they pledged their allegiance to the Titans. And soon, the began to eat of the Titan. Through this black communion a new family of darkness arose. They became demons. Evil wicked creatures hidden beneath the human veneer. All led by the one that first found the Titan.

Nier: Seraphim.

Yonah: And the gods won't do anything about it?

Elias: Unfortunate as it may be, we cannot on the Gods to help us with this problem. *Sigh*. For many reasons.

Mimir: Odin and the other Aesir try to do little with Midgard as possible. All part of his attempt to make sure nothing happens to Asgard.

Kaine: The Demons do nothing but kill everything and everyone we love. That's why I have to hunt down every last one of those damn fuckers.

Elias: Then, I hope you know what you're going to do once they're all dead.

Kaine then looks on in confusion of Elias' words.

Elias: I hope you'll have a reason to go on living or at least have an idea of what you could do once vengeance is achieved. Revenge isn't wrong, but it shouldn't be your only reason for going on.

Kaine then looks down at the floor.

Elias: Sorry, i should've pressed like that.

Kaine: No. I get it.

Elias: Well you three can take the second bedroom There's two beds and one of you is rather compact, so no need for worries.

Elias shows the group to a bedroom and they all settle in.

Nier: Thank you, Elias.

Yonah: Yes, thanks so much.

Elias: My pleasure. Get some sleep. I'm sure you've all had a long day.

The Nier, Yonah and Kaine get into bed while Mimir is placed on a night stand.

Yonah: it's nice to be in a bed for a bit.

Kaine: Yeah. The walls certainly help as well.

Nier: Kaine, if you ever need anything, just let us know. You're our friend after all.

Kaine: Thanks. I'm going to sleep now.

Nier: Same. Night.

Yonah: Night.

Kaine: See you in the morning.

The three turn off the lamp as they fall asleep. Leaving many of them wondering about the story Elias told them about