Chapter 127 Aftermath

Jan and Signy, from afar, saw the explosion and immediately halted in their tracks.

Signy looked in horror because he did not know what had happened, flashing Jan a glare.

"Relax, King Signy, I knew nothing of this, but I am glad we were not there when that happened." Jan expressed relief that he was not caught in Vestfold's chaos.

"We need to go there!" Signy commanded, and Jan had no problems complying with Signy as he had proven himself to be the complete opposite of his father.

A welcomed change in leadership as Vestfold had been too passive despite their influence over the smaller kingdoms.

Signy was worried about what would happen to his people because if the explosion were that big, most of the people he had gathered there would die.

This would not only prove detrimental to Vestfold, but he would not be able to rebuild his army in time if things went south.

"I hope you guys are okay…." Signy muttered under his breath, something Jan noticed and frowned upon as they increased their speed.

-

The forces of Kattegat were slowly regaining consciousness, surprised to see no more enemies in sight, but this was because the ones that could walk had retreated, and the ones that remained were dealt with by Erik and Birger.

Birger was disappointed with Ulf, disappointed that he could not take his brother's life, but he understood that the opportunity was not as clear-cut as he had wanted.

He looked at Erik, his body full of injuries, yet he was still in fighting shape; this man had to be studied because strength alone could not be achieved.

It took an equally firm resolve to make your body move in that state, so what was the driving force for Erik? It felt like each time he got closer to death, the stronger he became.

This is a prime example of learning from your mistake, but this time it was Erik's body learning from that mistake as he involuntarily adapted to his enemies' fighting styles.

King Askild woke up, he was injured and bleeding, but the good news was that he did not die.

"W-What happened?" Askild was dizzy and still trying to comprehend what was happening because the last thing he could remember was a flaming sword being thrown through the air.

"Tyr…" Askild muttered, and just then, Ragnar regained consciousness as he held his head. He felt excruciating pain ring throughout his body. Asger soon regained consciousness but fell asleep right after as his body's fatigue kicked in; this peace of mind came with a victory that allowed the body to let itself go.

Bjorn lay beside him, and Ragnar tapped him gently to wake him up.

"Wake up, Bjorn…" Ragnar kept tapping him, but he was not moving. Ragnar thought it was because of the recoil of the explosion. It did cause so much damage to an adult he could not imagine the damage it had done to Bjorn. Bjorn was not the only one, as Skarde was also motionless, but they were not the only ones.

Ragnar had an intrusive thought, placing his hand below Bjorn's nose, and his worst fear came to pass. Bjorn was not breathing!

-

"Where am I? Where is this place?" Tyr questioned. He was a lot younger in this illusionary world, he had lost consciousness in the real world, and it felt like Tyr was in a lucid dream because he retained his current memories and could recollect what had just happened.

In this dream, Tyr was no more than nine years old and in a strange hut; it was not a house or a tent. That was a weird transition from what he was used to.

"He is awake!" A young girl called out; she had the same skin color as him.

"Wait!" Tyr called out, chasing after her as she ran out of the hut, but he found himself in the middle of a battlefield, and the scale of this battle was on a scale he could not even conceive.

He was scared; his legs were trembling, and his anxiety spiked through the roof.

He looked back, trying to return to the hut, but the shed had vanished.

Instead, his eyes settled on a warrior covered in markings from head to toe.

Tyr could not see whoever this was, for his face was concealed by a strange light, but he too had the same skin color as him; they were all dark-skinned.

"Who are you?" Tyr asked, and a voice echoed in his head.

"Your enemies were put in this world for you to trample. Only after you die can you be reborn…" The voice reverberated in his head, and Tyr found himself drowning the next thing.

He was gasping for air, but regardless of how he fought, he went deeper and deeper.

"Let the water in…." The voice said again, and Tyr lost his strength in the process.

Tyr allowed the water in and closed his eyes to accept his fate. He let his life flash before his eyes, including Asmund's final words to him.

"Do not be afraid, warrior, take my head," Asmund had said, but Tyr found that he was being drawn to a voice, a single name being called that brought him back.

"BJORN!" This was the voice of Ragnar, jolting Tyr back to reality.

Tyr continued crawling; he noticed that warriors were patting themselves on the back, and this was a good thing as it confirmed that they had won the battle.

Ulf was standing above Bjorn, beating his chest to get his heart beating, but he was not responding.

"Wake up, Bjorn!" Ulf shouted; this was a personal moment as no one else looked to be saddened by his passing, but a miracle happened.

Bjorn returned to life; they had gotten his heart beating again, internal damages did not cause his temporary death, or he would not have been revived.

It was from the smoke, he had suffocated, and Ulf knew he had to get his heart pumping again.

Ragnar, for the first time in battle, showed emotion as he let out joyful tears upon realizing that he had not lost his son, and Ulf had a satisfied look on his face.

But that look soon changed to disgust the moment he saw Tyr, he was infuriated with his outrageous action, and he was going to let him know.

Ulf charged at the child, picking him up by the collar and lifting him off the ground.

"What the fuck was that!?" Ulf barked. Tyr did not even struggle.

Ragnar was too busy processing that Bjorn was alive, embracing him with his back faced to Tyr; it was understandable considering the circumstances.

"Put him down right now, Ulf…." A voice said behind them, Tyr expected his father or brother to stand up for him, but the man that did was Erik. Tyr saw Bjorn was looking right at him when this happened, but the look in Bjorn's eyes was the same look he had seen others give Erik.

Bjorn, in that brief moment, feared Tyr.