After Ragnarok, the war of the gods, the era of the great god Baldur's light began. Only a handful of the surviving gods remained, and most of them were male. Therefore, Thrudr, the daughter of Thor, held considerable importance.
The significant imbalance in the number of surviving goddesses and gods from that great war changed the nature of the Valkyries, the black-winged maidens, forever. It is believed that even Berlynda, the most renowned Valkyrie, left Asgard for these same reasons.
Most of the Valkyries who fled went to live in Midgard or Svartalfheim. These strong and magically adept women came to be collectively called "Witches." It's highly possible that among the nine witches who successfully established the realm of Einhymingur in Svartalfheim, there were former Valkyries among them.
The realm of Einhymingur is comprised of nine witch villages, one of which is Vinakarn. The founder of this village is Vina, the Witch of Stone, who possesses powerful earth and rock magic.
It is important to note that the Nine Witches did not seize this territory from the Dwarves; rather, they broke through and established their realm during a time when the area was occupied by evil dragons under the dominion of Harðtennr, the sole surviving giant dragon who still controlled nearly all of Southern Svartalfheim.
Vinakarn is not merely a community but the most critical fortress and the most dangerous frontline of the Einhymingur realm, constantly resisting and facing the dragons who continue to multiply and expand their territory. This stone stronghold is the dividing line between survival and annihilation for the exiled Valkyries.
And so it was today...
The sky above Vinakarn was covered in thick black smoke, obscuring the light, along with the resounding roars of dragon hordes attempting to breach the stone fortress from both the sky and the ground. A strong smell of sulfur, originating from the digestive acids the dragons use for their fire breath, permeated the chilling wind.
The continuous attack for over three days and three nights by the vast, relentless dragon hordes had inflicted damage more severe than ever before. The stone was crumbling, and the magical defenses were weakening with every clash.
The warriors stationed here from the Einhymingur realm, mostly Witches and loyal Dwarves, were nearly broken from exhaustion. The commander overseeing the fortress was a witch named Gloria.
Gloria, wearing her orange-red armor and the witches' dark grey conical hat, stood resolutely on the high front wall, surveying the entire situation before her. She was surrounded by trusted fighters who guarded her against the Wyverns attacking from the sky. Although this sounded dangerous and reckless, observing the true state of affairs to strategize the next maneuver was worth the risk.
"This is bad. A new flock of Drakes is reinforcing them," Gloria yelled, her voice hoarse, competing with the dragons' roars.
Suddenly, a streak of blue light flashed down from the sky. A brown-haired woman in gleaming armor pierced and instantly killed two medium-sized Drakes, scattering their flesh before they fell dead. The radiant blue-white sword in her hand shone brightly even at midday; it could only be a magical weapon crafted from the Mithril ore of the High Elves.
The Drake horde, spotting the stranger in their midst, wasted no time, rushing toward her from all directions to slay her instantly. The nearest Drake lunged to bite from behind. As if she had eyes in the back of her head, she quickly lifted a hand, seized the Drake's neck, and used it as a pivot to swing toward another direction. Simultaneously, she used the magical sword in her hand to slice across the throat of the unfortunate Drake. Its body was then used as a weapon, hurling it into another Drake rushing from the opposite side.
This magical sword in her hand was actually named "Gradius." It was a weapon specially crafted only for the highest elite of the High Elves. Only eleven such swords existed in the entire universe, but the King of the High Elves had gifted one of them to the great god Baldur. This Gradius sword was later bestowed as a reward upon one of the most distinguished Valkyries, named Marin.
Two other Drakes watched Marin's unexpected movements. Before they could react, a cross-shaped blade of light shot toward them from a distance, simultaneously carving both of them into three pieces.
The largest Drake in the fighting circle shifted its head and blasted its sulfurous fire at the enemy before it. The enormous flame, which seemed about to engulf the woman, was cleanly sliced in half by a sweeping arc of the sword. Then, a gleaming shadow shot through the air again, and the large dragon that had been breathing fire was incredibly cleaved apart.
The sight of countless Drakes being utterly defeated by the gleaming armored woman astonished Gloria. She correctly guessed the radiant blue-white sword was a magical Elven weapon but could find no reason for the Elves to come to the aid of a witch village.
In her thoughts, she tried to process the scene before her again. Considering the limitless bravery and power beyond that of other beings in the realms—only one group was known to enjoy such meddling.
"She must be a Valkyrie of Asgard!" Gloria exclaimed involuntarily, before adding, "Only the Asgardians would interfere with the affairs of other realms like this!"
Then, two more streaks of blue light, similar to the first, descended from the sky. Two other women in gleaming armor simultaneously attacked the Drake hordes. One was a large woman who wielded two axes, and the other, smaller in stature, used a short weapon and a shield.
The smaller woman moved so fast she was almost a blur, but along every path she took, the Drakes bled. No dragon could touch her or keep up with her. Meanwhile, the large woman struck fiercely with her double axes. Any Drake that faced her was cleaved apart over a wide area, her strength immense, like a giantess.
"Let's focus on dealing with the Wyverns first. Leave the Drakes to the Valkyries," Gloria ordered her retainers, raising the staff in her right hand and swinging it in a circle. A magical ring of power formed, firing several sharp stone projectiles at a group of three Wyverns flying in the air.
The stone projectiles impaled two of the three Wyverns, causing them to plummet from the sky. The surviving Wyvern showed signs of panic, trying to fly higher. Even so, it could not escape a large arrow that pierced its body, fired by a group of Dwarves manning a giant crossbow on the fortress battlements.
The situation in the battle between the Vinakarn warriors and the dragon hordes clearly shifted from disadvantage to advantage. One of Gloria's trusted retainers used ice magic to strike a pale-green Wyvern, severing its left wing. The creature spun out of control and crashed to the ground. It seemed this Wyvern was the leader of their pack, for after it fell, more than half of the remaining Wyverns broke formation and immediately flew away.
Even with one wing gone, the pale-green Wyvern was not yet finished. Despite the injuries from crashing, it thrashed its head and tail, attempting to harm the surrounding Einhymingur warriors. However, a cross-shaped beam of blue-white light rushed toward it from the side. Its head was instantly sliced into four pieces. The rest of its body twitched once, then fell silent.
The countless Drakes, in the eyes of the three Valkyries, became nothing more than toothless prey. They struck down and slew vast numbers of these dragons, terrifying and panicking the remaining Drakes. When the largest ones began to turn from attacking to fleeing, it was only a few moments before the rest retreated entirely.
Victory for the Vinakarn warriors had been achieved!
Cheers of joy echoed throughout the stone fortress. The exhaustion accumulated over three days and three nights was replaced by relief and renewed morale. Although covered in scars and soot, Vinakarn endured.
Finally, the three women in gleaming armor regrouped before walking toward the front of the stone fortress, where Gloria's group awaited them.
When the two parties met face to face, it was Gloria who first spoke a greeting.
"You must be Valkyries of Asgard, aren't you?"
Marin, the owner of the radiant blue-white sword, responded, "Yes, we are Valkyries from Asgard."
"I thank you on behalf of the Vinakarn village for your assistance today," Gloria said, then lifted her right hand to cover her left ear, the gesture of thanks among the Witches.
Marin nodded, acknowledging the thanks, then immediately stated the crucial objective of her mission.
"The three of us came to Vinakarn at the command of the great god Baldur to invite Valkyrie Vina, a former Valkyrie of the great god Odin, to return to Asgard."
"What! Valkyrie Vina..." Gloria could barely believe what she had just heard.
At the village's central meeting hall, everyone gathered once more. This time, a golden-haired woman in a wheelchair joined the meeting.
This golden-haired woman in the wheelchair was one of the nine Witches who co-founded the Einhymingur realm. Outwardly, she still appeared like a young woman of seventeen or eighteen, though slightly thin. She sat leaning back against the chair in yellow-orange clothing, her hair styled into three unusual long braids. The part of her body below her chest was covered with a thick blanket.
Marin continued to act as the spokesperson for the three Valkyries, addressing the Witch Vina.
"My name is 'Marin.' I have come to invite the Valkyrie Vina to return to Asgard, according to the command of the great god Baldur."
"You must be disciples of Lylith, my sister, I presume?" the Witch Vina said in a simple tone.
"We were unaware of your relationship. The order received came from the great god Baldur, not at the request of your master, Lylith," Marin replied calmly.
The Witch Vina was silent for a moment. She showed no emotion, but her gaze directed at Marin was confused and filled with sorrow.
"Even though Lylith would never forgive me, why does Asgard still want me back?"
"I am merely the recipient of the great god's command," Marin stated firmly. "For all other matters, the Valkyrie Vina can discuss them and inquire directly with the great god upon her return to Asgard."
The Witch Vina smiled bitterly. Then, she decided to do something that shocked Marin once more when she suddenly pulled back the blanket covering her legs. Everyone saw that she only had one exquisitely glittering glass slipper; her left foot was missing, leaving only a frightening, old scar on her knee.
"It's too late now. What kind of Valkyrie could I return as? I am merely a crippled Witch," the Witch Vina said with a determined voice laced with deep pain.
"What is this story? Why is your leg like this?" Marin asked with a look of concern.
"Many years ago, I met a person who used a sword that emitted a blue-white light, much like yours," the Witch Vina paused, reminiscing about that day, before continuing, "That person wore a wooden fox mask and wanted Sumarbrander from me."
"Sumarbrander! The magical sword of the god Frey was in your possession!" Marin exclaimed loudly, her surprise turning to astonishment upon hearing the tale of the legendary weapon.
"It was because of this magical sword that my sister and I were broken apart! But ultimately, I lost it to that person in the fox mask," the Witch Vina said, clutching her hand tightly and trembling, revealing her deepest pain. "That one didn't just seize Sumarbrander... he also cut off my left foot!"
Marin looked at Vina with her icy, vacant eyes, then returned to a posture of strict discipline. "All of this is very much beyond my expectation," Marin paused briefly and shifted back to an emotionless tone. "But nonetheless, I have received the great god's command to respectfully invite you, Valkyrie Vina, back to Asgard."
"We can carry you back along with that wheelchair, or you may choose to ride upon the back of any one of us," Marin, loyal to her duty, stated with a cold and official tone.
"Don't you... not understand the whole story yet! I am only a crippled Witch now!" the Witch Vina screamed in frustration.
Marin did not reply, but gently tapped the hilt of her radiant blue-white sword with the side of her hand, before stating with absolute determination, "I have my orders from the great god. I cannot fail or leave the task incomplete."
"You..." the Witch Vina gasped, the beginning of anger and fear growing within her.
Marin lowered her head slightly until her eyes were level with Vina's and delivered the final sentence in a flat voice, laced with the sharpest threat:
"Your glass slipper is very beautiful, Lady Vina. You would still like to wear it, wouldn't you...?"