Asgard: The Unraveling

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

By the time we were back within the walls of Argentine Academy, everything had shifted back into its usual rhythm - the chatter of students in the courtyards, the echo of clashing metal from people training, and the sound of birds that usually occupied the trees in our field. It was almost like we’d never left. Except, we had been missing for 5 days.

No one had questioned us when we slipped back in through Lucian’s portal just before night struck two nights ago. No suspicious glances, no sudden summons from the nobles or the headmaster. It seemed that our carefully crafted lie - that we had gone to visit Tabi’s family - had worked out perfectly.

In truth, we had spent the first night back just… resting. All of us.

The next day, we’d gathered in the meeting room for our debrief. Raul had even brought out notes. George and Ivan, who were still giddy from their newfound strength, had also managed to focus long enough to contribute.

We discussed everything about the village, from how peaceful it was now, how the people were rebuilding faster than expected, to how the air itself felt different. Brenna mentioned that nature’s rhythm there was “balanced again,” and Thora agreed, saying it was as if the land had been cleansed of something heavy. Raul reported no traces of demonic energy. Even Warren, who was normally sceptical, admitted it was strange in a good way.

Lucian had sat at the end of the long table, quietly listening before concluding in a composed tone, “Then we did the right thing.”

No one disagreed with him. We could only smile.

Now, with the debrief behind us and the adrenaline finally gone, we were scattered across the Academy, each of us retreating into our own corners to do our own thing.

And I?

I was curled up in bed, propped against a stack of pillows with a textbook open on my lap, and the late afternoon sunlight spilling across the room, the golden light catching faint dust particles in the air. It was oddly quiet for once. I could hear faint laughter from the courtyard below, and somewhere in the distance, the metallic ring of training weapons striking echoed faintly through the walls. But the council’s dorm was empty.

Rollo wasn’t with me either. He was with Lucian.

Lucian had decided to train him that morning, insisting that Rollo needed to strengthen his instincts even more if he was going to keep guarding me. I had tried to protest, but the second Lucian raised a brow and said, “You could use a day off, Annalise,” I had no choice but to give in.

So here I was, trying to read a chapter on elemental theory - and utterly failing.

The words blurred together after a while, and I caught myself staring out the window instead. The clouds drifted lazily across a blue sky, and I wondered what everyone else was up to. Quincy was probably asleep or out and about. Will had gone to visit his parents again. Warren was likely cooped up doing council duties. Tabi was probably asleep as well. Thora and Brenna were probably in the kitchen, judging by the smell of baked butter wafting in the air. Raul was most likely crafting something in the forge. And Kory… probably in his room, antisocial as ever.

And Lucian - well, knowing him, he was probably making Rollo fight him until both of them were both drop dead exhausted.

A small smile tugged at my lips at the thought.

It was strange how quickly everything had returned to ‘normal’. No one would’ve guessed that just days ago, we were standing in front of a giant, watching him bless two heirs of Jotunheim while undead spirits tried to kill us.

And yet… here we were.

I sighed softly and closed the book, running a hand through my hair. My body was still exhausted from everything.

Outside, a faint breeze rustled through the trees. The air smelled like rain, though the sky was still clear.

There was no urgency. No mission. No demons.

Just peace.

And, honestly, I didn’t know how long that would last.

Lucian’s words from before echoed faintly in my mind - about how the balance between realms was shifting, about how we’d need to find the other guardians eventually. And Hakon’s final words before we left his cavern still lingered somewhere deep inside me: “You have much ahead of you. But first, you need to figure out who you are.”

I pulled my knees up and wrapped my arms around them, resting my chin on my knees.

Who I am.

It sounded simple. But it wasn’t.

I sighed, leaning back so I was lying on the bed. I stared up at the ceiling, my hands twirling around the dust particles highlighted by the evening sun. Closing my eyes, I called my power up front. When I opened them, I saw the golden hue surrounding my hand. I clenched my fist, then reopened it, watching as it formed a golden ball. Spinning it around and around, I mumbled: “Who am I?”

💠💠💠

I felt a hand on my shoulder before I heard a soft voice calling my name.

“Annalise,”

The voice sounded soft but firm - familiar enough that my body stirred before my mind caught up. My eyelids fluttered open to find Lucian sitting on my bed, strands of silver hair falling into his eyes, the setting sun shining onto him. For a moment, I was confused, still very much half asleep.

He smiled faintly when he saw I was awake.

“Took you long enough.”

I heard the sound of something thumping on the floor. Glancing over, I saw Rollo watching me with bright expectant eyes, his tail thumping against the floor.

I blinked, rubbing sleep from my eyes, then pushed a strand of hair from my face. “What time is it?” My voice came out groggy, rough from sleep.

“Late enough,” Lucian replied, straightening up slightly. “You fell asleep reading.”

I followed his gaze to see my textbook half-open on the floor beside the bed. I hadn’t even realised it had slipped off the bed to the floor and didn’t hear the thump it caused. I groaned, rubbing my eyes again. “I didn’t even realise I fell asleep..”

Lucian chuckled under his breath, the sound low and warm. Then, without hesitation, he climbed onto the bed beside me. The mattress dipped under his weight, the scent of linen and pine following him.

Rollo gave a little huff at being ignored. I smiled guiltily.

Lucian leaned back on one elbow, studying me with a mix of amusement and concern. “You’ve been doing a lot lately,” he said softly. “I figured I’d check in before the chaos starts again.”

I frowned slightly, my mind unsharp as I tried to avoid the haze of sleep. “Chaos?”

He nodded, eyes flickering to the window. “We’ve got a meeting soon. Headmaster’s orders. Apparently, they’re reassigning some teams to assist with the other regions. Things have been getting… tense in the other regions.”

That snapped me a little more awake. “Already?” I murmured, my frown deepening. “We just got back…”

Lucian’s lips curved slightly, though the humour didn’t quite reach his eyes. “You know how it is. Peace never lasts long here… until we’re done with the war.”

I sighed, letting my head fall back onto the pillow. “Can I just not move for a few more hours?”

He smirked, stretching out beside me until his right shoulder brushed mine. “You could try,” he said, his voice teasing, “but the Headmaster’s not the type you want to keep waiting.”

I groaned in protest, burying my face into the pillow. “I hate responsibility… Why did I agree to this?”

Lucian laughed quietly. I peeked up at him in awe. “You say that, but you’ve been taking everything quite seriously.”

“Lies,” I mumbled, my face burying back into the pillow, voice muffled.

He didn’t answer right away. I felt the mattress shift again as he leaned closer, his hand brushing a strand of hair from my head. I turned my head slightly, enough to meet his gaze. His amber eyes caught the golden hue from the setting sun, glowing faintly like molten gold. My breath caught.

And then he grinned. That familiar, mischievous grin that he has only ever shown me. I swallowed.

“Come on, Evans,” he murmured. “Get up before I make you.”

Before I could respond, he leaned down and pressed his lips against mine. It was soft and brief but enough to send warmth flooding up my neck and into my cheeks.

By the time he pulled away, I was smiling before I even realised it.

“Not fair,” I whispered, breathless.

“Life rarely is.” His grin widened. He leaned down again. I closed my eyes, fingers clenching onto my pillow as I expectantly waited for another kiss, but then-

Bark!

We both froze. My eyes snapped open, both our heads turning toward the side of the bed.

Rollo was just sitting there, staring at us like a disapproving parent, his tail wagging slowly as if he was well aware of what we’d been doing.

Lucian’s expression didn’t change at first, but then a laugh escaped him, low and warm. I groaned, covering my face with my arm, then huffing.

“Really, Rollo?” I muttered. “You’re supposed to be on my side.”

Rollo barked again, this time sharper, as if telling us both to stop wasting time.

Lucian smirked and sat up. “You heard him,” he said casually.

I shot him a playful scowl. “You could’ve at least backed me up.”

“Oh, I will.” He reclined back on my bed again, crossing one arm behind his head. “After you’re done freshening up.”

I squinted at him suspiciously. “You’re staying here?”

He looked entirely too comfortable already, one leg crossed over the other, a faint smirk on his lips. “I’m not moving. Go get ready. I’ll wait.”

I narrowed my eyes but couldn’t stop the laugh that slipped out. “You’re impossible.”

“I’ve been called worse.”

Rolling my eyes, I slid out of bed and stretched, feeling the stiffness in my shoulders and back melt away. Rollo padded after me toward the bathroom, still watching Lucian like he wasn’t sure if he should let him get too comfortable on my bed.

As I shut the door behind me, I heard Lucian call out faintly, “Don’t take too long. You owe me for waking you up.”

I smiled to myself as the water began to run.

Same old Lucian. Calm, teasing, and just infuriating enough to make my heart race.

And somehow, that made everything feel okay.

I quickly washed my face and ran my fingers through my hair until I looked more presentable. My hair was slightly damp and tied into a loose ponytail, a few strands sticking to my face. Once I was pleased, I opened the door to see Lucian leaning against the doorway, arms crossed, and one shoulder pressed lazily against the frame. He straightened up when he saw me.

“You done?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I said, brushing the few wet strands out of my face. I bent down to slip on my slippers. “I’m surprised you waited.”

“Of course.” His tone was dry, but there was a hint of amusement underneath. “Someone has to make sure you don’t fall back asleep.”

I rolled my eyes at his joke, walking past him. “Rollo, come on.”

The wolf perked up, his tail swishing around as he trotted after me.

As I walked through the hallway, I realised how unusually quiet it was. All I could hear was faint murmurs from downstairs and my footsteps echoing faintly. Lucian walked a few paces ahead, his footsteps silent.

“So,” I started, breaking the silence. “Do you know who’s being deployed?”

Lucian glanced at me from the corner of his eye but didn’t answer right away.

“Lucian,” I grumbled, narrowing my eyes. “You know something.”

He exhaled through his nose, clearly amused by me. “Wait till the meeting.”

I frowned. “I hate surprises.”

“That’s what makes it fun,” he said simply, smirking.

I groaned. “You’re so annoying.”

He chuckled under his breath, but he didn’t comment further.

Just as I stepped foot on the second floor, a familiar voice called out, “There you are.”

Ivan popped out from the room, his usual grin in place, though his hair looked slightly more ruffled than usual. “Headmaster’s waiting. We’ve been holding off for you, Brenna and Quincy.”

“Where are they?” I asked curiously.

“Brenna’s trying to wake Quincy up,” he said with a shake of his head. “Apparently, she’s pretending to be dead just so she doesn’t have to come.”

I snorted. “Sounds like her.”

Lucian just sighed. “Let’s hope she doesn’t actually make us wait that long.”

Ivan laughed, stepping aside to let us pass. “They’ll be here soon. The rest are already inside.”

As we entered the meeting room, the atmosphere shifted. The air was thicker - more formal.

Headmaster Kirkwood sat at the head of the long oak table, hair perfectly in place despite the faint fatigue in his grey eyes. He radiated the kind of authority that made everyone straighten automatically when they walked in.

“Good evening,” he greeted, his voice deep and even.

Lucian nodded in acknowledgement and made his way to an empty chair to the right of the Headmaster, his usual place during these kinds of meetings. I hesitated for a second, glancing around the room.

Raul sat near the far end, quiet and composed with his arms crossed. The twins were whispering something to each other, their expressions smug as always. Brenna’s seat was empty, presumably waiting for her and Quincy. Thora was beside Will, quietly petting a tiny bird perched on her finger. Warren was on the left of his grandfather, followed by Tabi on his left.

And Kory was there, in the corner of the table, arms folded and expression unreadable as usual. His blue-grey eyes flicked up briefly when I entered.

I awkwardly nodded at the Headmaster and made my way to the open seat beside Kory. He didn’t say anything, but he shifted just enough for me to sit comfortably.

Rollo, of course, bounded after me and immediately jumped onto my lap, his weight making me grunt softly.

“Rollo,” I whispered, trying to sound stern but failing. “You’re getting heavy.”

He tilted his head and wagged his tail as if completely oblivious to the concept of personal space.

I sighed and gave his butt a gentle pat to get him to settle down. He huffed, circled twice, and then flopped onto my lap, tail still swishing. I reached down and ran my fingers through his fur - it was thicker now, and softer too.

He’s really getting big, I thought to myself, smiling faintly.

Across the table, Will caught my eye and mouthed, He’s huge.

I fought back a laugh and shrugged. “Don’t tell him that,” I whispered back. “It’ll go to his head.”

Kory’s lips twitched slightly - almost a smile, though it vanished just as quickly.

I leaned back in my chair, hands absently combing through Rollo’s fur as I glanced around the room again. The air felt… different. Not tense exactly, but definitely heavy.

Lucian sat straight beside the Headmaster, expression unreadable again. When he glanced my way briefly, his expression softened for just a second before returning to neutrality.

Something told me this meeting wasn’t as simple as I assumed it was.