At the sound of Alexandre's voice, the two boys behind him executed their movements in a very orderly and disciplined manner.
It was clear that their father's training had been successfully imparted to them.
Loki, on the other hand, was slower to take up his position.
Something inevitable.
Olivia did not have the heart to raise a "soldier" child, whereas Zack had spent a good part of his life as a member of the Imperial Guard.
The two had vastly different visions of family.
And unfortunately for Loki, his mother's overprotection had so far proven more harmful than beneficial.
Thus, a turtle-shell formation formed successfully.
But with a slight delay.
"Grr-hrr!" The beast growled one last time toward them, then charged at an abnormal speed for its imposing size.
One did not need to be a genius to guess the outcome of the confrontation between the charge of a thirty-meter-long beast and the defense of four adolescents.
The young men were swept away in a second.
The scene was reminiscent of a bowling ball perfectly striking the pins at the end of its trajectory.
"W-what is this terrifying strength?" thought Loki after violently hitting the damp ground.
The young boy's small body tried to get back up.
But it was not an easy task.
The beast's attack had clearly inflicted damage beyond the injuries visible to the naked eye.
He was certain that the arm holding the shield was broken.
Loki could no longer feel it clearly.
Beyond this physiological aspect, the child was also facing another major crisis.
Something not foreseen by his mother.
The fear of death.
Indeed, his inexperience in a situation where his life was at stake became a real flaw. Where Zack had been hard on his bastard children, Olivia had never considered exposing Loki to any real danger to his life.
The young boy had spent his entire life in a city far from external danger.
Including situations that could lead to death.
This was not something that painful training could compensate for.
Thus, Loki cracked at the sight of the loss of a companion.
"M-mom… I want to go home…" he let slip, while a macabre scene unfolded before him.
The Catachan devil was in the process of skinning and devouring Aurélien, who was still alive.
"H-help… me… p-please… Ahhh…" begged Aurélien as he stretched his hand toward Loki.
Unfortunately, his wish was not granted.
At the terrifying sight of his companion being devoured alive, Loki slowly backed away.
One step.
Then another.
After that, he fled.
The idea of fighting this thing seemed laughable to him, even pure madness. He preferred to return home covered in shame.
But life came before everything.
Yes, Loki was done with the Odyssey.
At least, that's what he believed.
"A-Alexandre!!" he let slip upon seeing his childhood friend unconscious against a rock.
Blood was flowing from his temple.
If he really left, then his oath brother would certainly perish in this forest.
Yet logic made him understand the impossibility of fleeing while carrying him.
Could he even survive with these injuries?
"I-I… I have to flee… even… without him," he thought as he slowly turned away from his friend and brother.
His heart tightened in his chest. Shame weighed on his small shoulders like an anvil.
But Loki still chose to flee.
"Disappointing…"
A voice echoed.
Loki froze in the middle of the woods, while his eyes searched for the source of the sound.
Anyone could have read a glimmer of hope in his gaze, but this attitude only exasperated the unknown voice even more.
"Loki… do you even know the story behind this name? Do you only understand the notion of sacrifice?" the voice continued, maintaining that disappointed tone.
"H-he's speaking in my head?" he realized for a moment. However, his attention was very quickly focused on something else.
The name Loki.
Just by recalling the meaning of his name, the child's shame became overwhelming in his heart.
He had betrayed his mother's expectations.
"Loki, the god of lies… yes, you are certainly that version," mocked the voice. But it was clearly alluding to the other version of Loki.
A version different from the myths of the Old Earth that the inhabitants of northern Limnos III knew.
A version told by his mother to help him sleep when he was very young.
That of a great god.
A god who had started with a modest destiny, for he was always compared to his "perfect" brother, destined for a glorious life.
This god also made bad decisions during his long life, leading everyone to judge him unworthy of trust.
Many even ended up considering him the incarnation of betrayal.
However, he proved to everyone that they were wrong.
He went from the god of betrayal and lies to the god of stories through sacrifice.
A sacrifice that cost him…
Everything.
"I-I am not—" Loki tried to justify himself, but the voice immediately silenced him.
"Silence! I don't care about your excuses. I don't care about your words and above all… I hate cowards."
The voice severely reprimanded Loki after he had tried to justify his choice.
The eleven-year-old boy lowered his head, ashamed.
He did not know who the man behind this reprimand was, but Loki knew it instinctively.
It was as if it were engraved in him.
This man wished him well.
"Go, boy. You are not weak. Remember that day, and this beast will no longer be your opponent," he said before disappearing as mysteriously as he had appeared.
But Loki did not remain focused on that detail.
He was more struck by something else.
"That day…" he muttered, as if information sealed within him suddenly became accessible.
He was as if in a trance for a few seconds, then disappeared in a greenish glow.
…
"Alexandre!! W-we won't survive at this rate!" roared Lycarus as he narrowly dodged a paw strike from the creature.
Alexandre nodded toward him but did not reply. He was still half-dazed from the initial attack of the Catachan devil.
He preferred to use all his strength to stay focused.
The beast roared with indignation upon observing their pitiful resistance to the inevitable.
It moved its gigantic body with surprising agility, then brought down its pincer toward the spot where Alexandre stood.
The beast wanted to crush him in a single blow!
Crack.
"My hands… no longer tremble…" Loki uttered as he watched the gigantic pincer of the Catachan devil being deflected by his sword strike.
He had managed to rival the beast in strength.
Something logically impossible given his small build.
Yet the Immaterium moved around his soul in a manner similar to a raging ocean against a raft carrying a light at the heart of the storm.
Loki was a psyker.
But the latter seemed deaf to the calls of the Immaterium.
It was as if the Warp was facing a firewall that filtered the energy of the Immaterium before it could reach Loki himself.
Observing the scene from space, the origin of the unknown voice sketched a satisfied smile.
"The experiment is a success, Loki… Make your Father proud of you," he said, ignoring the other Astartes watching the fight.
An eleven-year-old child against an adult Catachan devil.
***
Author's Note:
No, the protagonist did not offer the "trust" to someone or to his descendants, unlike the Emperor who shared his qualities with his children.
Atreus simply exploited a rule of the trust from the To Be Hero X universe, which consists of affecting people linked to the holder of the trust.
For example, the heroine Moon.
(Image)
She could not teleport far away from Nice (her power brings her to him preferably). Why? Because the trust givers want Nice and her to be together!
Atreus exploited this aspect.
The natives increasingly saw him as a god, while he himself did not truly know about the Warp (except for a restricted elite).
So, what would happen if a group of individuals providing trust to Atreus discovered Loki's identity or were aware of his existence?
Wait…
He would have expectations toward the child of the "divine being."
Loki, who was already a psyker by default (under Atreus's influence), will not be an ordinary psyker.
He simply cannot be one.
However, Loki's margin of evolution will be different from Atreus's with his trust.
The former must spread his own name, while the latter must spread his father's name to improve his strength.
Atreus had chained his son to himself.