"You think it reached Asgard?"

"Are you doubting my aim?"

The click of Gerald's tongue once again presented itself to the world as he looked at Van sparingly, "Why didn't you just throw one yourself if you're just going to complain? I swear you beggars are such entitled fucks."

"..." And once again, Van could not help but wonder how Gerald had not changed even after more than a hundred years. Harvey and the others have all gone through significant changes-- but Gerald, even as Xinyan lay unconscious in the confines of her own glacier, managed to remain the same as how he was before. Maybe he had gained the maturity one would expect from someone who had experienced what he had-- but Van just could not see it.

"So, you're decided on letting yourself be known by the Aesir?" Gerald then muttered as he took in a deep breath, squinting his eyes as he stared calmly towards Asgard, "With what you've done to one of them, they will surely recognize you as a threat. The Aesir do not really care about each other that much. Their pride, however, is another thing entirely."

"How much do you know about them?" Van then said as he sat on the unconscious Surtr's horn, "Do you think Beatrice was right that they're early descendants of the enhanced humans back in the Circle?"

"Don't know, don't care," Gerald smirked, "One thing I do know is that when I killed Magni, Thor did not come to seek revenge for him."

"Thor... Magni's father? But I thought you fought with him, you said it lasted weeks," Van squinted his eyes.

"I did. But Thor did not come for revenge-- he came to test out his strength. If one thing, he was pissed off since his son lost, tarnishing his reputation as his father," Gerald said, "The Aesir are quite easy to understand; maybe even easier than you."

Once again Gerald let out a smirk as he too sat on Surtr's horn.

"..."

"Your talk about war with your ancient daughter, quite a speech," Gerald chuckled, "We both know that's a lie, what's worse is that you might even be starting to believe it."

"...What are you trying to say?"

"You're an impulsive liar, boy. 5 out of 10 words that come out of your mouth are lies. Even compared to your abnormal speed back in the Academy, you being a liar is what I remember most," Gerald's chuckle then turned into a burst of laughter, "You...

...seeking peace? Stop speaketh the bullshit, boy. None of them knew what you are-- Harvey, your other friends, the people from the Pit; they all just thought you were a kid from the slums, doing everything he could to stay alive-- but some of your oldest friends say otherwise."

"...Oldest friends?" Hearing Gerald's words, Van could not help but slightly raise an eyebrow.

"Friends from way back in the Relic Graveyard. My brother was so obsessed with you back then that I had to make sure you were truly worth it. Before we went on to our useless adventure to secure my family's company, I went on a little detour to your home to find out more about you-- I may have killed one or two before I found one of your old friends."

"..."

"I was so sure that my men may have missed something when I first asked them to investigate about you. I ordered them to stay, but Charlotte's men were also there interfering with their work," Gerald then turned his head to look at Van,

"You're a monster, Van, just like me-- a monster created by the world."

"We are nothing alike, Gerald."

"That's what you think," Gerald once again laughed, "I have always wondered how a scrawny little kid like you survived the harsh environments of the Relic Graveyard. You were abused, beaten, and raped by your own father at a very young age-- most people would have already chosen death, or just died in a pile of trash. But not you, you're the son of gods; you would have survived anything in the first place…

...it just made you resentful. So I asked around; because how come someone like that turned out looking so innocent?"

"..."

"Turns out-- you're not. I found your little group in the Relic Graveyard, Van. You've hidden your past so well that it might have already started hiding from you too. Do the Looters ring a bell for you?"

As soon as Van heard Gerald's words, he once again quickly raised an eyebrow, but after a few moments, he just let out a long and deep sigh as he turned his head upwards.

"You just didn't survive in war-- you thrived in it," Gerald chuckled, "A small group that instigates chaos through lies and deception, and then looting all the little drops that came after. A boy who has no leadership experience? What a load of bull."

"I did what I had to to survive, Gerald."

"Keep telling yourself that, kid. The Academy was all fine and well before you came and swooped in, granted, I will give you the benefit of the doubt on that one… But the Pit? For hundreds of years, they remained dormant and quiet-- until you arrived. The next thing they know, there were bodies everywhere…

...and a boy that somehow led them to freedom through those bodies. Everything you do is for your own good, anyone with half a brain and not intoxicated by your mysterious charms could see it."

"...All of those are coincidental, Gerald."

"Maybe, but who is to say you're not unconsciously doing your thing? You don't just erase that part of you that made you survive all those years, Van." Gerald said as he waved his fingers, "Even now, you didn't have to do what you did, but you did; you declared a war against the Aesir as soon as you realized you can gain something from them-- information. As soon as you realized you could take them on, you just went for it, not even thinking about anyone else."

"Are you done dissecting me, old man?" Van then said as he let out another long and deep sigh, standing up and patting his legs, "Everyone would have done the same thing in my situation."

"Well, not everyone," Gerald chuckled as he did the same, "Right now, I am actually just curious-- what are you going to do next?"

"Have I told you I unlocked my System again?" Van let out a smirk.

"Unlocked… you mean you can access your System!?"

"I can," Van said, "And right now, it's giving me an Objective-- Go to Vanaheim."

"...Is this another one of your lies? No… your lies wouldn't be this vague. But how? How can you access your System? It's been so long since I last saw mine… I can feel myself leveling up, but the satisfaction of having to distribute the 15 points I always get is gone."

"...15 points?" Van could not help but blink his eyes a couple of times. Gerald gets 15 points each time he levels up?

"Wait, how did you unlock yours again?"

"...No idea."

"Fucking shit, you're just not telling me, are you?" Gerald clicked his tongue, "I bet this has something to do with that mother of yours."

"It always has something to do with her," Van sighed before walking on Surtr's face, stopping on his forehead and slapping it rapidly with his palm, "Wake up, progenitor of the fire giants."

"The guy has been awake since earlier," Gerald said as he too slapped Surtr's forehead. But unlike Van's strikes, Gerald did not hold back.

Van could only use his [Air Step] skill to not stumble as Surtr's head dug through the ground.

"You dare hit an unguarded opponent!?"

Van then quickly moved to the side as Surtr suddenly got up from the ground. Both Van and Gerald put up a stance as Surtr let out a thunderous roar, even louder than when he woke up the first time.

"The fuck, shut up, man!" Gerald could not help but cover his ears as Surtr's roar seemed to have no sign of letting up even after several seconds. But after a while, Surtr's body slowly turned smaller and smaller; only stopping as he reached the size of a human, only taller than Gerald by a few inches.

"I, Surtr, have awakened after a thousand years of slumber," Surtr then said as he slowly approached Van and Gerald, "Only to find a human and a pure-blooded Aesir working together."

"Pure-blooded Aesir?" Van squinted his eyes as the now human-sized Surtr pointed at him, "You mean me?"

"Yes," Surtr also squinted his eyes, "Your blood is even purer than that of the Aesir King, and even those who came before him. Now, tell me why you cause havoc in my realm?"

"And now you're suddenly eloquent?" Gerald let out a scoff as he stood right in front of Surtr, looking at him from head to toe.

"Any creature would be overwrought from having woken up and finding his home in tarnished, human. Now tell me, what is your purpose for slapping my prepossessing face?" Surtr then turned to look at Van.

"...I wanted to know if you're in allegiance with the Aesir," Van said, but after a few moments, he shook his head, "But what did you mean by pure-blooded Aesir?"

"Your blood is purer than most of the Aesir, what else could it mean?" Surtr tilted his head to the side, his horns almost hitting Gerald's face, "I have been alive at the time of Odin's father, a time long forgotten."

Hearing Surtr's words, even Gerald shut his mouth as he took a step back, glancing towards Van before turning his attention to Surtr once again.

As for Van, he once again asked the same question he did to Hermod.

"Hermes, Evangeline, and Azrael… do those names ring any bell for you?"

"Only one," Surtr closed his eyes as he took in a long and deep breath; and as he did so, the embers of Muspelheim all turned into a blaze, as if it was breathing with him, "Evangeline…

...the Allmother."