"There seems to be a lot of people here."

"It just seems like that since they are crowding to see you, Van."

"Hm..."

Like with the market near the River, there was also a market near the area where the Branch supposedly stops since the beginning of time. Also like the River, none of the giants seem to know how the Branch works, and why it was rotating with Midgard as its center.

Based on Van's understanding, Midgard was like the plaything of the Aesirs-- entertainment. They use it as a medium to settle their wars. Creating their own little army of humans to battle with each other in order to resolve even the simplest of arguments. Ranging from proving who is right to something as simple as who will get what food.

As for the said humans living in Midgard, they treated the Aesirs and other races as gods, even creating shrines for them as the Aesirs give them bounties and gifts whenever they win. Perhaps the humans did know they were just being used as tools, and they just didn't mind?

It was the same in the Relic Graveyard. Van and the other people there knew that whenever someone offers them help, the other party usually requires something of them... and they didn't mind because they get something in return.

Although the relationship between the races may seem complex at first, if you boil it down to its core, it's just like any other place Van had been to, people using each other for their own good-- minus the giants, of course.

"What are you thinking, Van?"

"Nothing," Van quickly shook his head off of the thoughts that he was having as he looked at the gathered crowd. Van was still getting a lot of stares, but unlike in the River, it would seem that the giants here had something else in their minds, as they only take a glance or two before once again talking to each other.

"How long until the Branch gets here?" He then asked Lorei.

"Any minute now, Van," Lorei said, her gaze seemingly busy with something, "...But something is not right."

"What now?"

"It's probably nothing," Lorei shook her head as she let out a long and deep sigh, "But I was expecting a lot more people, even more so now that someone blew up the River's gate. Plus a group of Forest giants are here... they do not really leave their territory."

"Hm," Van could not help but furrow his eyebrows from Lorei's words as he too, started to focus on the giants. But it would seem that the Forest giants had the same idea, as their group was now approaching him.

"You... are a High Human?" One of the Forest giants said as he looked Van straight in the eyes.

Van blinked a couple of times from the giant's words. This was the first time that someone had assumed him not as a dwarf at first sight. Perhaps it was because even though they were giants, their race seemed to be the smallest of the bunch, as the shortest of them seemed to just be a foot taller than Charlotte. They also looked the most human, with their hair green, similar to Artemis.

"...I suppose," Van then answered.

As soon as he said that, the other giants that were curiously staring at him all started to step closer to them. Lorei quickly put up her guard, trying to warn the others not to approach any closer. It would seem that the other giants weren't approaching Van at first since they were trying to gauge what he was.

"Did you have something to do with the explosion?" The forest giant continued his questions, "You're the first High Human I have seen in years. Your presence in the current circumstances could not be a coincidence. But please do forgive the impudence of our questions if you truly had nothing to do with the incident."

"Stop this!" Lorei said as she guarded Van, "High Human Van had nothing to do with the explosion! As a matter of fact, he almost died when the explosion happened!"

"So, he was there in the explosion?"

"That's--"

Before Lorei could rebuke, the clamor of the people traveled through the air, drowning any words that wanted to come out of her.

"The High Human was there?"

"That's what I heard."

"Maybe it wasn't the Aesir that did it?"

"But why would a High Human do it? They've always been helping us."

"He didn't do it!" Lorei quickly shouted as soon as she got the chance, "An Aesir that looked like an old man was the one who blew up the gate!"

"And who told you that?"

Hearing the forest giant's questions, Lorei could not help but slowly look towards Van. She hated to admit it, but what the forest giant was saying was now starting to make sense. The only reason she believed that it was someone from Asgard that blew up the gate was that Van said it, she didn't even doubt him for even a second.

No one else but him saw the old man.

Seeing the reluctance in Lorei's face, the other giants all started to swoop in, pushing her to the side. "W... wait!"

She could do nothing but watch as the other giants suddenly revealed all of their weapons. And judging by the quality of their weapons and their seemingly coordinated formation, the people that were gathered here were all in the same group.

It would seem that her initial intuition that something was amiss was right. She just didn't expect an army… and a rebel army by the looks of it.

And although she was now having doubts about Van, she was still trying to stop the other giants.

If Van was indeed truly the one responsible for what happened, then even more so, she had to stop the others from upsetting him. She had seen what Van was capable of the last few days. Granted, he hasn't fought with anyone yet, but she had seen enough. Even some of the Vanirs from the stories she had heard from her grandparents were not capable of the feats that Van had been showing.

If Van chooses to... he could probably kill everyone here.

"Everyone, please. Don't-- ugh!"

But before she could warn them, one of the giants suddenly punched her on the stomach, causing her to writhe in pain and grovel on the ground.

Although Van's eye level only reached most of the giants' knees, he still saw what happened to Lorei. He could only sigh and shook his head before looking up at the faces of the giants that were surrounding him.

"I didn't do anything," Van said as he raised both his arms in surrender, "I wouldn't be here if I was the one who did it."

"You say that, but with the River gone, there is also no way for you to return to Vanaheim."

"...Oh," Van could not help but hum in disbelief from the forest giant's sound arguments. It would seem that out of all the giant races, they were the wisest ones, "I still didn't do it."

"Even if we did say that you did not do it, we could still use you as leverage. With you as our hostage, the Vanir would have no choice but to listen to our demands," the forest giant, who seemed to be the leader of the militia, then gestured to the others to tie Van up.

"What makes you think they would even help you?" Van then let out a long and deep sigh as he lowered his hands.

"The Vanir has always been our friend… they would understand our current predicament and why we do what we're doing," the forest giant also let out a sigh of his own, "If you were not the one responsible for blowing up the gate of the River, then we are truly sorry for this, High Human Van."

"Well… I am sorry too," Van shook his head before looking at Lorei, who was also looking at him as she remained wincing on the ground, "If you don't want to die, then do not get up."

"No--"

But alas, before Lorei could even finish a word, the scenery around her almost instantly changed. From the lush green and the vibrant color of the market to a parade of blood and guts that seemed to almost rain down endlessly.

She had no idea what was happening, at least not until Van got to the ones that were a little far away. It would seem that he was first targeting their legs, either cutting them or breaking them in half, before proceeding to smash their falling bodies with what seemed to be a shield.

Perhaps because she had seen Van using his speed for more than a week now, she was able to somewhat follow his movements. Like a mosquito, you know he's there, but just a sudden flicker would make you lose him.

"S… stop…" She whispered as she watched her kin slowly withering away, "Van, please stop this!"

And as soon as she said that, she felt a breeze waft onto her face as Van suddenly stood before her. She could not help but slightly scamper away in fear, her eyes not leaving Van for even a second.

"Sorry," Van let out a short sigh before he turned to look at the mess he made, "I got a little bit carried away, I only wanted to scare them but…"

Van was not lying. At first, he was only going to kill one or two of the giants that were nearest to him. But he saw something that completely made him lose control-- the giants…

...all have God Souls.