When he finally woke up, Daniel felt like he was lying on a cloud, but he soon realized that he was back in the room where the Christmas elves had taken them when they arrived at Santa's fortress.

Man, these mattresses are super soft. Do elves use NASA technology on them?

"We thought you were going to snore until tomorrow." Mikaela, sitting on the windowsill, chuckled.

Thomas was sitting next to her, and Daniel couldn't help noticing that the two were holding hands. The two were looking at something outside with great curiosity.

" I'm sorry to spoil the meeting of the lovebirds, do you want me to pretend that I'm still sleeping? " He said to get their attention.

The blonde got to his feet, red as he always used to get when he became the target of provocation, put his hands in the pocket of his orange jacket and approached him.

"We were worried about you during the trial," Thomas said, and sat down at the foot of the bed.

Mikaela also approached, disguising her embarrassment much better than him.

" Where did you end up? How were things during your trial?"

When he didn't say anything, Thomas took the initiative and talked about what had happened to them. After him Mikaela did the same and when the two finished their story Daniel felt like he was the only one excluded from a group work.

Why did I just have to fend for myself? Okay, technically I had Jonas with me, but still...

The two watched him anxiously, but he didn't know if he wanted to share his story with strangers. On the other hand, he thought, Thomas and Mikaela weren't complete strangers. At least not anymore.

We face evil snowmen and a giant wolf together. That must count for something.

Taking a deep breath, he tried to recompose himself and got the words out. To his surprise, once he started, he just couldn't stop until it was all out. He told the two about Jonas, about the bullying and prejudice that the two suffered for loving each other, talked about their separation and how it all took shape during his trial. When he finished, he felt like he'd been talking for hours and hours. He looked at Thomas and Mikaela and decided to wait for their reaction.

" Man, how did you face all this alone? " Thomas was the first to say something.

Daniel shrugged.

" I wasn't alone, Jonas helped me"

"But he wasn't really there, was he?"

Mikaela slapped the blonde on the shoulder to stop the interrogation.

"I guess we'll never know, I'm still not sure my dad was part of the illusion back there in the hospital. I feel like, somehow, he really was with me."

Thomas eventually put his questions behind him and smiled.

" If you're right, maybe I did talk to my dad. I mean, something tells me that's exactly what happened, but it's weird to think that I talked to his ghost. On the other hand, we're at the North Pole inside Santa's fortress, who's to say what is and isn't possible?"

" We found a valkyrie and elves who can't seem to speak properly" Mikaela added to the list.

It was Daniel's turn to laugh.

" Snow monsters, elves, magic... it's all so crazy. " He said and then decided not to miss the joke. " And the weirdest thing of all, you two getting along there in the window. You don't even look like the people I met in the forest."

Mikaela clenched her fists and Daniel flinched, sure he was going to get punched in the face, but Thomas saved him.

"You need to take a look at what's out there."

He pointed to the window, and Mikaela decided to postpone the beating she'd been preparing.

Wasting no time, Daniel turned away from the girl and walked to the window, took a look outside and whistled. If he hadn't already seen the remains left behind by the monstrous snowmen, he would have thought that someone had scattered logs of wood everywhere just for fun.

He knew that those trunks, among which some were still moving, were the arms of those weird monsters. They seemed to be everywhere.

There must have been at least a hundred of them!

However, the most spectacular thing was the giant snow carcass of one of the enemies that attacked Noel's fortress. The thing was huge, he guessed it had to be at least sixty feet tall. His guess was based on the fact that all that was left of the colossus was half of its body. One of the creature's arms had been torn off and rested on the battlefield. Fortunately, that giant arm wasn't moving anymore, so he figured it was safe to say the monster was one hundred percent dead.

"Who was it that defeated the Ultraman sized snowman?" He managed to ask after a while.

The bedroom door opened at that moment and Noelle's massive figure entered, accompanied by the elf Ylerio.

" You mean the giant snowman outside? I've faced bigger things, he was no match for the lightning I threw at him. " The warrior said casually, as if to say, "he was big, but he wasn't two".

Daniel was startled and wondered how good her hearing must be to have heard his question from outside the room.

" They're finally awake! That's grape! " Ylerio said, not giving time for any questions. "Now that your trial is over, and we've defeated the sorceress's army, I think we can get away with a good meal!"

Noelle smiled at them and gave Thomas a friendly clap on the shoulder. The blonde stumbled and would have fallen if Mikaela hadn't caught him.

"Come, younglings. The elves prepare a feast to celebrate your triumph in the trials. We still have a lot to talk about, but firstly come with me to where we are taking care of your family members, I have something to show you"

"Is this good news?" Daniel ventured.

The Valkyrie bit her lip.

" Yes and no, but before you ask me anything, you better see it with your own eyes."

She didn't need to speak twice. In the room where the entire sleeping population of Cleston rested, things still looked bad. Many stirred in their beds and screamed from time to time, as if they were having some kind of nightmare.

Daniel looked around the room until he found his uncle's bed. He was close to Thomas' uncle and brother. Mikaela's mother and old Tony were also on that side of the room. Fortunately, none of them showed signs of suffering like the rest of the city's population. He wondered why only they seemed to sleep peacefully when something in their beds caught his attention. It was a kind of circular amulet hanging from the headboard that reminded him of a Dreamcatcher.

Except that amulet didn't look like some cheap thing made by some hippie's hands. Like most things there, the structure appeared to be made of gold and had small colored stones studded around its edges that sparkled constantly.

These elves must be richer than all the billionaires in the world.

" The sleep in which humans are trapped leaves their souls at the mercy of the winter sorceress, the amulets help keep her away from them. " Noelle explained, pointing to the Dreamcatchers.

"Usually Claus crafts them, but while you were going through the trials, I managed to build a few of them with Ylerio's help. I prioritized the ones we found with you and distributed the rest to the women and elders of your village."

Daniel wanted to laugh when the valkyrie said "village", but gratitude kept him quiet. When his friends reached for their families, he approached the bed, where his uncle Peter was snoring. He remembered how Thomas and Mikaela had accused him of doing the same, and he knew his father was worse than Peter.

"Maybe this runs in the family?" he asked the sheriff.

His answer was another snort.

" I bet that when you called me to live in your house, you didn't think that I would attract an army of snow monsters to your city. " Daniel said softly and sat at the foot of the bed. "Maybe my dad was right when he said I'm just a troublemaker little brat."

Even without wanting to, he ended up remembering the fight with his parents and the reason why he moved to the small town of Cleston. With two homophobic and "Catholic" parents and a neighborhood of people as prejudiced as they are, having his relationship with Jonas discovered by everyone after the fight at school was not something that made his life easier.

Daniel almost cried when he remembered his father's words: "You need to get your life together, can't you see you've only brought heartbreak and confusion to our family?" If it hadn't been for Peter, he didn't even know what he would have done.

His uncle was not a religious hypocrite like many in the Stokes family and, knowing his brother well, he offered him a place to live away from his parents. For his father, sending his gay son away was a good solution. Daniel didn't mind leaving either, after Jonas left for boarding school in another city there was nothing in North Dakota to stop him from leaving.

He squeezed his uncle's hand and wiped away a tear that escaped his eye against his will.

"I'll pack things up, uncle" he said and then stood up. " I don't know how, but I will. You won't be stuck in this sleeping beauty state forever"

Suddenly staying in that room seemed impossible to him, and the next thing he knew he was walking aimlessly through the corridors of Santa's fortress. A door in his path caught his attention because it led to a balcony, and that's where his feet took him.

He needed fresh air.

Daniel leaned his arms on the porch and watched the curious phenomenon that made the stars in the sky disappear from time to time. Looking at the immensity of the North Pole, it occurred to him that he must be freezing, but he didn't feel much more than a slight chill.

"It's fire magic." Noelle said from behind him.

He nearly jumped off the porch in fright.

Daniel turned to face the Valkyrie and was surprised at how easily she had surprised him. For such a big woman, she knew how to move like a true ninja.

Big, strong, agile, stealthy... it's like someone made a wonder woman, hulk and batman combo!

" Fire magic?" He managed to ask after composing himself.

Noelle also leaned her arms on the porch and enjoyed the view for a while before answering.

" Hope awakens the magic that lives inside everyone, and yours is that of fire. " She explained bluntly. " That's a good thing, your friends will need you to face the sorceress of eternal winter. Without your magic, your mission will be an impossible task."

He laughed.

"If I'm so vital to the job, why did I have to fend for myself at the trials? Thomas and Mikaela relied on each other, from what I've heard."

Noelle glared at him and Daniel felt like running away. Despite having beautiful blue eyes, the way the warrior analyzed him was simply too frightening.

" The power of fire is a lonely burden, Daniel. There are few souls capable of carrying it, and if you were chosen, it's because you have what it takes to use it. " She said, and before he managed to open his mouth, she continued, "Fire is the element that allows the proliferation of most life forms on the planet. Do you understand this responsibility? It is the basis that sustains life, and that requires a type of strength that not everyone has."

" Thomas is a very strong guy. " Daniel finally managed to say.

" I speak of a very different kind of strength, boy. It is something that dwells in the heart of living beings. " The warrior replied. "Thomas has a strong heart and an unrivaled will when it comes to protecting those he loves, but when it comes to protecting himself, he doesn't have what it takes."

"So I was given the power of fire because I know how to be selfish and think only of myself?"

Actually, it makes sense. I left Jonas alone because I was scared and worried too much about myself.

"Jonas wouldn't have helped you at the trial if you were that kind of person." When Noelle said that, Daniel felt like she'd slapped him across the face.

He wouldn't be surprised to find out that, in addition to being a formidable warrior, she also happened to be a telepath.

" Jonas helped you because you awakened the best part of your soul. You warmed his life and made it grow and strengthen. You may not notice it, but there is something that shines brightly in your soul and that attracts people, gives them the power to overcome adversity and survive any difficulty that life throws your way."

"I always knew there was something special about you" is what Jonas said back at the elves trial. Is this what Noelle is talking about?

The blonde winked at him, and once again, Daniel wondered if she could read his thoughts.

"Sometimes people need help finding their own strength, and fire magic looks for those who have the power to offer that help. But to give courage to another person your spirit needs to be strong, and you need to learn how to stand alone because that is the burden of those who are born to be the foundation on which others lean and strengthen."

" How do you know so much about fire magic? Besides being incredibly strong and powerful, you also know how to throw fireballs?" Daniel glanced at the warrior.

Despite being joking, he wouldn't doubt it if she told him that on top of being able to summon lightning and thunder to explode her enemies, she could also incinerate them with just the hatred in her gaze.

Noelle laughed before answering.

" I knew a god who was born with this power."

"Thor?" He guessed.

" By Odin and Freya, no! He was always too dumb for that!"

" Then?"

"I mean Loki, you and him have one thing in common."

That took him by surprise. Daniel was no expert on Norse mythology, but he knew enough about Loki to know he wouldn't want to be compared to a lying, cheating god.

"What do I have in common with that guy?"

Noelle looked up at the sky, as if she were remembering something from her past.

"You are capable of doing anything for those you consider your family, Loki was like that too. Even if all odds were against him, he never gave up on his family."

Unable to respond to what the Valkyrie told him, Daniel decided to keep quiet. It wasn't every day that a legendary being compared him to a god. It was she who broke the silence.

" Think about what I told you and keep that in mind, Daniel. When you are face to face with the sorceress, she will exploit every one of your weaknesses. Winter magic works like this, its cold immobilizes us and steals our will to live. It is up to fire magic to scare away the cold and bring life, never forget that".

Still not knowing what to say, he just nodded.

"Now let's go, a feast awaits you and you better eat well because you're going to need your energy renewed for tonight."

With those words, the Valkyrie finally piqued his curiosity and Daniel was forced to ask.

"What are we going to do tonight?"

The warrior looked at the horizon, then answered.

"We will begin your training for the fight that awaits you".

"Do you think we have a chance?"

Noelle bit her lip, and he realized she did that when she wasn't sure of something.

"I've trained men to face the end of the nine worlds, I think I can help you face the sorceress of winter."

"Did you fight at the end of the world?"

"Worlds" She corrected him. "My people called that battle Ragnarök. And no, I didn't get to fight. I said I trained men to fight that battle, but the truth is, it never happened. In case you haven't noticed, your world is still here".

Daniel continued to stare at the Valkyrie, more lost and confused than he had been before she started to speak.

"Didn't this Ragnarök thing actually happen?" Was all he thought to ask.

The warrior sighed, and he couldn't tell if that was a gesture of joy or sadness.

"Someone just destroyed the fate of the Gods and that sort of canceled Ragnarök. It's a long story and I don't intend to tell you. The whole point is that without divine fate me and my sisters, not to mention the gods, are left without a role in creation".

" That's why you said you're retired. " Daniel remembered that she had said that when they first met.

Noelle smiled and nodded.

"I never thought I'd retire, but Claus and his elves have helped me find a new purpose in life. Ragnarök may have been cancelled, but with the winter sorceress trying to destroy your world, I'm going to expend all the energy I didn't use in the final battle of the gods to end her".

The valkyrie's excitement was infectious, and Daniel burst out laughing. Then he made fire appear in his right hand.

"I'm on your side, let's melt that witch"