Tyranny of Steel

Berengar gazed at Wyrd with a stoic expression on his face. The little girl's smile sent shivers down his spine. This was not the pleasant smile of a normal girl, but instead that of a supernatural being who wanted to devour his soul. If not for his boon of courage, he might have collapsed in the face of such a terrifying being. 

Honoria was confused about everything that was happening. She was uneducated on matters of Germanic mythology and its various branches. She did not know what the World Tree was or its significance to the Germanic pantheon. Nor did she understand that this woman was the Norse equivalent of the Moirai. 

As for Alexandros, he was too afraid to even move, and stayed within his mother's grasp, fearful of the little girl who was awfully reminiscent of his other mommy Adela. Though the woman he knew was far older, and more developed than this little girl. 

The fact that this supernatural woman had proclaimed that Berengar was the cause of many headaches for her and her sisters meant that she was naturally hostile towards his existence. Despite the frightening gaze the young girl was giving him behind her blindfold, Berengar felt compelled to ask the questions within his mind. 

"If you are a weaver of fate, and my existence causes an unbalance in this regard, why am I here? For what purpose was I reincarnated into this world? It appears to be a phenomenon unique to me, but none of the deities I have been in contact with have explained it."

The adolescent blind girl giggled when she heard this. Her brow was visibly raised as she questioned the sheer extent of Berengar's hubris.

"You think you are the only one? It is possible for most gods to bring a being from another timeline into this world. It is just rare, as it costs a considerable amount of power. You should be joyous, as the All father himself is the architect of your rebirth. Though by doing so, he has made himself weak."

This statement immediately confused Berengar. He did not know how much power the gods wielded as they seemed to play a background role in this world, nor how they gained their powers. He quickly inquired further about this matter.

"What are you saying? Why would he expend so much power just to bring me here?"

Wyrd smiled and approached Berengar while holding a bucket filled with the starry water in her hands. She quickly dipped a ladle into the mysterious water and shoved it into the man's face.

"I have no intention of sitting around for days on end and explaining to you the complexity of the gods and their machinations. If you want answers, you must seek them out yourself. I must warn you, such a path is a treacherous one, and you are not likely to survive. However, if you are hellbent on hunting down the gods and compelling them to answer your questions, I can give you a gift to help you on your journey. 

However, I will warn you, out of all the poor souls who have found their way to the world tree and drank from the water of the cosmos, none have remained intact. If your mental strength is not strong enough to endure the truth of the universe, your mind will fracture, forcing you to become nothing more than a rambling madman. Do you honestly believe you can endure such a thing?"

Perhaps it was because of the boon of courage that Baduhenna had given him, or it was due to his personal ego. Whatever the reason, Berengar did not hesitate and immediately gulped down the whole contents of the ladle, shocking the little girl in the process. He was supposed to take a small sip, not drink the entire ladle!

In the next moment, Berengar's eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he collapsed to the floor, completely unconscious. Though it startled Wyrd at first, she quickly broke out into a fit of laughter as she gazed upon the poor state of the man. 

"By the all-father! I can't believe it, he just drank the entire ladle! He's a goner for sure! What madness compelled him to do such a thing?"

The norn who took the appearance of a young Adela sighed heavily as she kneeled down and placed a flower in Berengar's ear. She shook her head as she muttered the words.

"Such a pity..."

Honoria immediately cried out in fear as she saw what happened to her husband, and called out his name, hoping it would bring him back to the light.

"Berengar! Stay with me!"

This response caused Wyrd to sneer in disdain. The ancient weaver of fate had enough of this foreign whore who entered her lands unannounced. She quickly rolled up her sleeves as she stood in front of Honoria with a cruel smile on her face.

"You know, I may tolerate his existence because he is chosen by the all-father, but you I really can't stand. Just what right do you have to sit here in front of me and listen to my words? Since your man is basically dead, how about I send you to join him in the afterlife? Don't worry, I have the power to ensure you both end up in the same place!"

Wyrd was just about to punch through the Honoria's chest and rip out her heart when a firm grip latched onto her dainty forearm, preventing her from doing so.  The girl gazed over in shock as she witnessed a peculiar sight.

Berengar was glaring at her fiercely. His sapphire blue eyes were glowing like neon lights, and it was clear to her that even his wounded eye had temporarily regained sight. The ancient norn could only stare in disbelief as she uttered her thoughts aloud.

"Impossible..."

Berengar smirked when he saw the surprised look on Wyrd's face, making a bold proclamation as he did so.

"I have seen a thousand lifetimes, and the potential realities that I can create. In none of them are you capable of laying your hands on my woman!"

After saying this, Berengar threw the norn across the grove and into a nearby tree, nearly knocking her unconscious. Wyrd could only gaze up at the juiced up human with a genuine sense of fright in her heart. Honoria used this opportunity to hug onto her husband and check on his condition.

"Berengar? Are you alright?"

Berengar smiled as he gazed into the fog above, as if he was staring into the universe itself. He had a confident smile on his face as he said his thoughts aloud.

"I know what I must do now..."

As Berengar said this his eyes faded back to their natural state, and he collapsed into Honoria's arms, creating some difficulty for the woman as she tried to keep the man standing. Though it may have seemed like Berengar was unconscious for a matter of seconds when he initially drank the mysterious water. In reality, his life rapidly flashed before his eyes, showing him all the potential fates he could create in this world by being a transmigrator. 

Unfortunately for him, he could learn nothing about any other potential transmigrators in this world. Even if their fates were intertwined with his own, they were not revealed to him. Thus, he was entirely unaware of Itami on the other side of the world. Still, he had gained some inkling about the gods' plan for him, and where to find them. 

Wyrd struggled to rise from her spot while blood dripped from her mouth. The impact was too much for her. Though she wasn't severely wounded, her pride had definitely been torn apart. She gazed at the exhausted state Berengar was in and cursed him.

"How the hell did you survive that? Not even I can drink so much water from my well without consequences. Yet here you stand, perfectly unphased! A human's mind can't possibly endure such a thing. Just what in Niflheim are you?"

This statement confused Berengar, but he ultimately mocked the woman as he approached her, and put his boot on her pretty little head.

"I suggest you and your sisters let my men go now. I have gotten what I came here for, and I no longer have a use for you."

In response to this, Wyrd broke out into laughter as she swiped Berengar's leg off her head with an agitated expression on her pretty little face.

"Look at you struggling to stand! Admit it, you no longer have the juice to harm me. You are in no position to make demands of me, Berengar von Kufstein! However, since I don't want to entangle myself in your affairs any longer, I will be benevolent and let your men go this time. You and your followers are free to exit the forest, but should you return to these lands, my sisters and I will be far more hostile!"

Berengar chuckled and patted Wyrd's golden hair like he was toying with a young Adela. He wore the same warm smile on his face like when he used to have when he dealt with the girl when she was younger. As far as he was concerned, Wyrd was just throwing a tantrum, and thus, he coddled the girl.

"Oh, I am sure you will be furious the next time I visit. Don't worry, I know where you live now and remain unafraid. You have not seen the last of me!"

Wyrd's pale cheeks reddened as she heard this, and her face contorted into a pout. She immediately swiped Berengar's hand away while cursing him once more.

"Piss off!"

Berengar only laughed as he regrouped with his wife and son, before leading them out of the forest where they rendezvoused with their soldiers, who had dazed expressions on their faces. When he was out of sight, the other two norn sisters appeared in front of Wyrd. They too wore blindfolds. However, their appearances were of beautiful women that Berengar would not recognize. Skuld was the first to ask the question that she and her other sister Verdandi both had in mind.

"How was he?"

Wyrd averted her gaze and blushed when asked such a question. She knew she could hide nothing from her sisters and muttered under her breath in a voice so low she hoped they didn't hear it. 

"He wasn't entirely bad..."

Verdandi, who took the form of a busty mature beauty, grabbed hold of Wyrd and stuffed her head into her substantial bosom while mocking her.

"Oh, our sweet little Wyrd has a crush!"

Wyrd immediately fought out of her sister's embrace and stormed off in a fit of rage, echoing the same sentiment she said to Berengar before he left.

"Piss off!"