15. Story of the Vikings

15

Story of the Vikings

Merin

H is eyes fluttered open, a groan escaping his lips as he tried to make sense of his surroundings. His head felt fuzzy, like it was stuffed with cotton, and for a moment, he couldn't quite remember how he'd gotten here.

Wherever ‘here' was.

He sat up slowly, blinking against the soft, golden light that filtered through the small, round windows of the hut. The air was warm and fragrant, scented with herbs and something that smelled suspiciously like freshly baked bread.

"What the hell?" he muttered, running a hand through his hair as he took in the unfamiliar space. It was cozy, in a rustic sort of way, with rough-hewn wooden walls and a dirt floor that was scattered with colorful, hand-woven rugs.

And there, on the table in front of him…was a steaming mug of tea, its curling tendrils of vapor dancing in the soft, flickering light of the candles that burned in sconces along the walls.

Merin frowned, his brow furrowing as he tried to piece together the fragments of his memory. He'd been in the coffee shop, talking to Peter about Wanda and Wyatt and the woman who had disappeared into the crowds like a wraith.

And then nothing. Just a blank, a void where his memories should have been.

He shook his head, trying to clear the cobwebs from his mind. His magic had been acting strangely lately, evolving in ways that he couldn't quite understand or control. And the visions they kept taking him back in time, showing him glimpses of the past that he couldn't quite make sense of.

Like now. Because if the rough, handmade furniture and the flickering candlelight were any indication he was definitely not in the present anymore.

Merin stood up, his legs a little shaky as he made his way around the small, cozy space. He could hear something simmering over the fire, could smell the rich, savory aroma of stew or soup or some other hearty, rustic meal.

But what caught his attention, what made his heart skip a beat in his chest was the sound of singing. A voice, high and clear and achingly beautiful, drifting in from somewhere outside the hut.

Merin felt a shiver run down his spine, a sense of recognition and déjà vu that he couldn't quite place. He'd heard that voice before, he was sure of it. In his visions, in his dreams…and in the coffee shop, mere moments before the world had gone dark and he'd woken up here.

"I have to find her," he muttered, his jaw clenching with determination as he made his way towards the door.

He hesitated for a moment, his hand hovering over the rough, weathered wood of the door. He didn't know if he could touch anything in this strange, dreamlike world, didn't know if his actions would have any consequences or repercussions.

But he had to try. Had to take the chance, had to follow the voice and the mystery and the burning, desperate need for answers that consumed him like a fever.

So he reached out, his fingers closing around the cool, smooth metal of the doorknob. And with a deep, steadying breath…he turned it, and stepped out into the unknown.

The first thing that hit him was the scent. Fresh and clean and alive, like the world had been washed clean by a summer rain. He could smell wildflowers and fresh laundry and the earthy, green scent of growing things, could hear the chirping of birds and the distant, happy laughter of children at play.

It was beautiful. Peaceful. A world so different from the one he knew, the one he'd left behind in a haze of blood and shadow and endless, desperate fighting.

But before he could lose himself in the wonder of it all, before he could let himself forget the urgency and the mystery that had brought him here…

A voice called out, soft and curious and achingly familiar.

"Are you alright, love? You look a bit pale."

Merin spun around, his heart pounding and his blood rushing in his ears. And there, standing in a patch of sunlight with a basket of laundry on her hip was the woman. The same woman from his visions, from the coffee shop, from the battlefield where he'd watched her cut down her enemies with a grace and skill that took his breath away.

She was beautiful. Ethereal. With long, red hair that fell in loose waves around her shoulders and eyes that seemed to change color with the light.

And she was smiling at him, her head tilted to the side as she studied him with a look of gentle concern.

"I…I'm fine," Merin managed, his voice rough and shaky. "I just…where am I? What is this place?"

The woman's smile widened, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "You're in my home, love. In the village of Fernwood, on the outskirts of the great forest." She set down her basket, wiping her hands on her apron as she took a step closer. "And as for what this place is well, that's a bit of a longer story. One that I think might be better told over a cup of tea and a warm fire."

Merin hesitated, his mind racing with questions and doubts and the burning, desperate need to understand. But something in the woman's eyes, in the gentle, patient way she looked at him made him want to trust her. Made him want to follow her lead, to let himself be guided by the strange, inexplicable connection that seemed to hum between them like a living thing.

"Alright," he said finally, his voice low and rough. "Lead the way."

The woman's smile was like the sun breaking through the clouds, warm and bright and filled with a joy that made Merin's heart ache in his chest. She reached out, her hand soft and cool as she twined her fingers with his.

"Come on, then. Let's get you inside and warmed up. You look like you could use a bit of rest and a good, hearty meal."

Merin let himself be led, let himself be pulled along in the wake of the woman's gentle, insistent tugging. And as they stepped back into the hut, as the door swung shut behind them and the warm, golden light of the candles washed over him like a balm…

He felt a sense of rightness, of belonging, settling over him like a cloak. Like he was exactly where he was meant to be, exactly when he was meant to be there.

With a deep, steadying breath, Merin made his way back inside the hut, his steps slow and measured as he tried to wrap his head around the strange, surreal turn his day had taken. He half-expected to wake up at any moment, to find himself back in the coffee shop or his bed at home, with nothing but a vague, unsettling sense of déjà vu to show for his troubles.

He lifted the mug to his lips, inhaling the fragrant, herbal scent that wafted up from the surface. It smelled like nothing he'd ever encountered before, a blend of earthy, green notes and bright, citrusy ones that made his mouth water and his senses come alive.

"Well, here goes nothing," he muttered, taking a tentative sip of the hot, steaming liquid. "If this is a vision, it's not like it can hurt me, right?"

The flavor exploded on his tongue, rich and complex and utterly unlike anything he'd ever tasted before. It was like sunshine and moonlight, like the whispering of wind through the trees and the thrumming of magic in his veins.

"Wow," he breathed, his eyes fluttering closed as he savored the taste, the warmth, the sheer, unbridled pleasure of it.

A soft, musical laugh echoed through the hut, and Merin's eyes flew open to find the woman standing in the doorway, a basket of herbs and flowers on her hip and a smile of quiet, knowing amusement on her face.

"I'm glad you like it," she said, her voice like honey, like the sighing of wind through the leaves. "It's a special blend, one that's been passed down in my family for generations."

She set the basket down on the table, her movements graceful and fluid as she settled into the chair across from him. "Moongrass and lemon, with just a touch of magic to bring out the flavor and the potency."

She paused, her head tilting to the side as she studied him with a look of gentle curiosity. "I'm Mira, by the way. And you're Merin, aren't you?"

Merin's eyes widened, his heart skipping a beat in his chest at the casual, offhand way she'd spoken his name. Like she knew him, like she'd been expecting him.

"I…yes, I'm Merin," he said, his voice rough and shaky. "But how did you know that? How do you know who I am?"

"Oh, my darling boy," she murmured, her voice like a caress, like a lullaby. "There's so much you don't know, so much that's been hidden from you for so long." She took a deep breath, her gaze holding his with an intensity that made his very soul tremble and quake. "But it's time, Merin. Time for you to learn the truth, to understand the destiny that's been waiting for you since the moment you first drew breath."

Merin's heart skipped a beat, his blood rushing in his ears as he stared at the woman who had haunted his dreams and visions for longer than he could remember.

"What…what truth?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Mira smiled, a soft, sad thing that made Merin's heart clench and his throat tighten with a sorrow he couldn't quite name. "The truth of who you are, Merin. Of where you come from, and what you're meant to do."

"The truth of who I am? I don't understand." Merin asked confusedly.

She took his hands before speaking again and gave it a gentle squeeze. "You are my son, Merin. The child I bore in another time, another place, when the world was dark and the shadows threatened to swallow us all."

Merin's breath caught, his eyes widening as he stared at Mira with a shock and disbelief that made his very bones ache.

"Your son?" he whispered, his voice hoarse and shaking. "But how? How is that possible?"

Mira's smile was like the sun breaking through the clouds, warm and bright and filled with a love that made Merin's heart swell and his soul sing with a joy he had never known.

"I was carrying you when the war broke out," she said, her voice soft and filled with a quiet, ancient sorrow. "When the demons broke free from their prison in the hells and threatened to destroy everything we held dear." She shook her head, her eyes distant and haunted as she remembered. "We didn't know how they'd done it, how they'd managed to gather enough power to break through the barriers that had held them for so long. But we knew…we knew that we had to stop them, had to find a way to banish them back to the darkness from whence they came."

Merin swallowed hard, his mind reeling as he tried to process the enormity of what Mira was telling him.

"What happened?" he asked, his voice rough and raw with emotion. "How did you survive, how did you keep me safe in the midst of all that chaos and destruction?"

Mira's smile was like the stars, like the moon, like the very essence of magic and wonder and love that flowed through all things. "Your father. He was the leader of our people. A great warrior, a wise chieftain, and a man with a heart as big as the sky itself." She reached out, her fingers tracing the lines of Merin's face with a tenderness that made his very soul ache. "You look so much like him, you know. The same red hair, the same green eyes that could see into the very heart of things."

Merin swallowed hard, his throat tight with emotion. "What happened to him?"

Mira's smile faded, her eyes filling with a grief that was as deep and fathomless as the sea. "He gave his life," she said, her voice hoarse and raw with pain. "Used every last ounce of his power, his magic, to banish the demon back to the hells from whence it came."

She shook her head, her hand falling away from Merin's face as she stared into the distance, lost in the memories of a time long past. "He was wounded, Merin. Badly wounded, in body and soul. And he knew…he knew that he wasn't going to survive, that his time in this world was coming to an end."

Merin's heart clenched. "But what about you? What about me?"

Mira's smile was like the dawn, like the first light of morning after a long, dark night. "He saved us, Merin. With the last of his strength, the last of his magic he cast a spell. A spell that would send you forward in time, to a world where you would be safe. Where you could grow and learn and become the man you were always meant to be."

Merin's breath caught, his mind racing as he tried to process the enormity of what Mira was telling him. "You stayed behind?"

Mira nodded, her eyes shining with a fierce, unwavering love. "I did. To make sure that the spell worked, that you made it safely to the future that awaited you."

"How can you be so sure? How can you know that I'm the man you think I am?"

Mira's smile was like the dawn, like the first light of hope after a long, dark night. "Because I can see it, Merin. I can see the light that shines within you, the strength and the courage and the love that flows through your veins like the very essence of magic itself." She leaned forward, her hand coming to rest over his heart. "And I can feel it, too. The bond that ties us together, the connection that goes beyond mere blood or bone or flesh."

Merin's brow furrowed, his mind racing as he tried to understand what Mira was saying. "What do you mean? What bond, what connection?"

Mira's smile was like the sun, like the stars, like the very essence of life and love and magic that flowed through all things. "The bond of our souls, Merin. The connection that ties us together, across time and space and the very fabric of the universe itself."

She took his hand in hers, her fingers warm and strong and thrumming with a power that made Merin's very bones sing with the rightness of it. "Close your eyes, my darling boy. Reach out with your magic, with the power that flows through your veins like the very lifeblood of the earth itself."

He closed his eyes. Took a deep, steadying breath, and reached out with his mind, with his heart, with every fiber of his being.

At first, there was nothing. Just the darkness behind his eyelids, the steady thrum of his own heartbeat in his ears.

Then he felt it. A flicker of light, a spark of something that made his very soul tremble and quake with the force of it.

It was like nothing he had ever felt before. Like sunshine and moonlight, like the whispering of wind through the trees and the pounding of the sea against the shore. It was magic. Pure, unadulterated magic, flowing through him like a river, like a song, like the very essence of life and love and joy itself.

And as he reached out, as he let himself sink into the warmth and the light and the sheer, unbridled power of it. Then he saw them. Two shimmering, pulsing orbs of light, floating in the darkness like stars in the night sky.

One was a soft, gentle blue, like the clear, crystalline waters of a mountain stream. It pulsed and shimmered with a quiet, unwavering strength, a steadiness and a surety that made Merin's heart ache with longing and recognition.

And the other was a fierce, vibrant red, like the flames of a roaring fire. It danced and flickered with a wild, untamed energy, a passion and a power that made Merin's blood sing and his very bones vibrate with the force of it.

He knew, without knowing how he knew, that the red light was Mira. That it was the essence of her soul, the very core of her being, shining out into the world like a beacon, like a guiding star in the darkness.

And the blue light was him. His own soul, his own magic, pulsing and thrumming with a power and a potential that he had never even dreamed he possessed.

He watched, transfixed, as the two lights danced around each other. Circling and swirling, twining together in a dance that was as old as time itself.

And as they touched, as they merged and became one…

He felt it. The bond, the connection, the unbreakable tie that bound them together, across time and space and the very fabric of the universe itself.

It was like nothing he had ever felt before. Like coming home, like finding a piece of himself that he hadn't even known was missing.

And as he opened his eyes, as he met Mira's gaze with a look of wonder and awe and sheer, unbridled joy.

And that's when he knew with a bone-deep certainty, with a fierce, unshakable faith that burned through him like wildfire.

This was actually real.

She was a part of him. A part of his soul, his magic, his very being.

And nothing, not time or distance or the very fabric of the universe itself…could ever change that.

Mira's smile was like the sun, like the stars, like the very essence of love and magic and sacrifice that flowed through all things. "You see now, don't you? The truth of who you are, of where you come from and what you're meant to be?"

Merin nodded, his throat tight with emotion. "I do. I see it, Mira. I feel it, in every fiber of my being." He paused, his brow furrowing as a sudden, urgent thought occurred to him. "But if you're here, in this time and place how is it possible that you were in my own timeline, in the present day? How can you be in two places at once?"

Mira's smile was like the dawn, like the first light of hope after a long, dark night. "I am a phoenix, Merin. A creature of fire and magic, of life and death and rebirth eternal." She reached out, her hand brushing against his cheek with a tenderness that made his very soul ache. "When I die, I am reborn. A new life to live and a new purpose to fulfill."

Merin's eyes widened, his mind racing as he tried to process the implications of what Mira was saying. "So the version of you in the present day she's a reincarnation? A new life, a new body, but with the same soul?"

Mira nodded, her eyes shining with a quiet, unwavering wisdom. "Yes. But with each rebirth, each new life the memories of the past are lost. Buried deep within the soul, waiting to be uncovered and remembered once more." She leaned forward, her voice low and urgent. "The version of me in your time, Merin, she is searching. Seeking answers, trying to understand the visions and the dreams and the half-remembered fragments of a life she doesn't even know she lived."

Merin's heart raced, his mind whirling with the possibilities and the dangers that lay ahead. "And if Riordan finds her first? If he gets to her before we do, before we can help her remember and understand who she really is?"

Mira's face grew grim, her eyes filled with a quiet, steely determination. "Then he will use her, Merin. Use her power, her magic, to open the gates of the hells and unleash the demons upon the world once more."

Merin swallowed hard, his throat dry and his palms damp with sweat. "How do we find her?"

Mira's smile was like the sun, like the stars, like the very essence of hope and magic and possibility that flowed through all things. "With the same magic that you used to see our souls, Merin. With the power that lies within you, the gift that was given to you by your father and I, so long ago."

She reached out, her hand finding his and squeezing it with a strength and a surety that made his very bones sing with the rightness of it. "You are an Arcane Seer, my darling boy. A wielder of the ancient magics, a bridge between worlds and a guardian of the balance that keeps the universe in check."

"I will," he said, his voice low and rough and filled with a quiet, unshakable resolve. "I will find her, Mira."

Mira's smile was like the dawn, like the first light of hope after a long, dark night. "I know you will, Merin. I have always known, from the moment you first quickened in my womb and the magic of the world sang in your veins."

She stepped back, her form beginning to shimmer and fade as the golden light of the hut grew brighter and more intense. "And now…now it is time for you to go, my darling boy. Time for you to return to the world and the people and the love that you left behind, and take up the mantle of the hero that you were always meant to be."

Merin's breath caught, his eyes stinging with sudden, hot tears. "Wait," he said, his voice hoarse and raw with emotion. "Before you go…can I…can I hug you? Just once, just to feel the warmth and the love and the strength of the mother I never knew?"

Mira's smile was like the sun, like the stars, like the very essence of love and magic and sacrifice that flowed through all things. "Of course, my darling boy. Of course you can."

And then she was in his arms, her body warm and solid and thrumming with a power that made his very bones sing with the rightness of it. He held her close, breathing in the scent of her, the feel of her, the sheer, unbridled joy of being held by the woman who had given up everything, who had sacrificed her very life, to give him a chance at a future he had never even dreamed was possible.