There was no sense of the passage of time as Jongup fell through the dark depths; no change in temperature to indicate anything beyond the constant stream of wind that blew past him as he continued to descend.  Screaming did no good for his voice was whipped away as soon as it left his mouth, the sound dwarfed by the darkness, swallowed up in a muted canvas of shadow that gave him no glimmer of light.

                He simply held Rune’s Fate close and took one breath after the next, resisting the urge to call his wings.  It would do him no good to stop his fall in pitch black if he had no direction to go.  The Valkyr gasped in surprise when the curtain of darkness finally fell away and he slipped into a massive cavern larger than any structure he’d ever seen before.

                “By Odin’s Wisdom,” he breathed, slowly descending towards the ground without the need of his wings.

                Wide, dark brown eyes stared around the huge expanse of space in open wonder.  The interior was lit entirely by a single enormous crystal set in the middle of the floor, emitting a soft green glow.  Every few seconds it pulsed, like a giant heartbeat, alighting the walls with a warmer luminescence and further showcasing the nine portals spread out through the enclosure.  The one he’d fallen from was nearly directly above him but short of flying, there was no way he’d be able to reach it, or the other two aligned in a triangular manner overhead.

                On the walls near the middle of the cavern were three additional portals while three more lay entrenched in the very floor he landed upon.  Bending down, Jongup placed his palm on the surface and smiled to feel the gentle warmth of living wood beneath his touch.  Like the crystal, it felt as if there was a pulse under his hand and he laughed in wonder.  “Yggdrasil,” he smiled, tracing his fingertips over the smooth surface, making no effort to try and read the memories that undoubtedly lay within.  Likely, he’d go mad or never come close to understanding what they meant anyway.

                Grinning with almost childlike delight, he stood up and held his arms out to either side of him, closing his eyes as he basked in the power of the tree.  Life.  It was all around him.  Pure and untainted by any of the madness beyond.  It was almost enough to make him cry and he felt tears sting his eyes before a very quiet snort startled him out of his peace.

                “Who’s there?” he asked, whirling around to face whatever had made the noise, both hands gripped around the hilt of Rune’s Fate.  “Oh…” he murmured when his eyes fell upon four deer considerably larger than him.  “Well then,” he blinked, hedging back nervously as the creatures approached.

                At least double his height, the masculine animals regarded him with intelligent, green eyes, the shade similar to that of their coats.  Or maybe that was just the light reflecting off their coats, but they were solid in coloration with massive antlers extending to either side of them.  Their presence was undeniably regal as the four circled around him, extending their soft noses to sniff the stranger in their midst.

                “Easy.  Easy,” Jongup urged, keeping the sword lowered so as not to be a threat.  Frigg had given him instructions about this part and from the information she departed to him, these were the four harts which lived in and on the tree Yggdrasil.  Free to come and go at their leisure, they subsisted on the foliage of the tree itself and it was on one of them that he would find his passage to Midgard.  “It’s alright,” he soothed, extending his hand to the one directly in front of him.  There were no markings to tell them apart, each creature being nearly identical to his brother, but Frigg had not said he needed to choose a specific one.

                The hart before him bumped the palm of his hand with his nose, blowing warm air into it firmly before it took another deep breath, catching his scent.  He snorted softly and picked his head up, starling Jongup until the large creature carefully lowered himself to the ground as his brothers departed, no longer needed or curious.

                From the brief contact, Jongup was able to grasp the creature’s name.  “Dainn,” he smiled, letting his hand rest on the slender nose as the hart looked at him again, peering into his eyes intently.  “I understand,” the Valkyr nodded, hurrying around to the side before he climbed on, still needing to jump in order to make his back, even when he was lying down.  “To Midgard,” he murmured, gripping his hand into the surprisingly soft fur of the deer.

                Slowly, his mount got to his feet and ambled towards the crystal.  He paused before it and breathed upon the crystalline structure.  It was the only way that Jongup could describe it and the crystal glowed before shooting a concentrated beam of light to one of the portals in the middle of the wall.  Turning slowly, the Valkyr felt the muscles under him bunch up with tension as the hart prepared to… jump?

                “Uh… Dainn?  Are you sure about this!?” he yelped, holding on tight when the hart snorted and launched himself through the beam, throwing them both into the shimmering portal with no hesitation.  “Yah!” Jongup yelled, blinded once more though this time, his ride felt as if he was jumping off of something, jerking the Valkyr with every lunge.  “Are you sure- you know where- you’re going?” he asked, his question broken up by each jump.

                Jongup’s only response was an answering snort before a particularly long jump had them falling again with the wind making his eyes tear up as they did so.  Trusting to the hart that it wouldn’t just let them both die, Jongup grit his teeth and whined as they descended, nearly losing his breath when they apparently landed and he was smashed against his mount’s back.

                “Ack…” Jongup groaned, prying open his eyes and wincing from the light of the slowly setting sun.  “Where are we?” he asked with an uncertain pat on Dainn’s shoulder.  The hart shook his head and huffed at him, shifting in place.  “Okay.  I get it,” Jongup grumbled, throwing his leg over to slide off the tall creature, catching himself awkwardly when he landed, finally able to get his first good look around.

                He was up high, that was for sure.  It was cold here and there were clouds spreading out in every direction.  From his vantage, there was water on all sides of him so he was obviously on a small island of some sort.  Jongup didn’t see any manner of civilization nearby either…

                “Dainn.  What is this place?” he turned to ask, starting when the hart ignored him and shifted as if to leave.  “Hey!  Where are you going?”

                Dainn didn’t even react as he stood away from the Valkyr and raised his head to the sky, roaring in a strange way that echoed to the heavens and vibrated in Jongup’s body eerily.  A soft, green light speared him from somewhere above and the hart gathered himself to leap, launching his large body into the air.

                “Wait!  What am I supposed to do now!?” Jongup yelped as he watched the hart float into the sky before he disappeared.  He figured he probably could have followed with his wings but that wouldn’t help him here.  And neither would it tell him where he was.

                Clutching Rune’s Fate close, he turned to examine his surroundings once more.  He had been awake for over twenty years now and though he had never been upon Midgard’s surface in all that time, he should know what it looked like.  This place however, brought no recollection to him.  Like many things, he felt that it should be familiar, but there were no clues to give him the name of this location.  Very slowly, he reached his free hand out towards the West, feeling a strange sort of pull that had absolutely nothing to do with his brothers.

                “What is it that I’m sensing?” he asked himself, taking a step towards the West.  With a shuddering breath, he was immediately torn between finding out what was calling to him here and where his brother was.  Pausing for a moment, he closed his eyes and clenched his right hand around the sword hilt, trying to get a direction in which to search.  Southwest.  Wherever Daehyun was, he was somewhere to the southwest.  The realization made Jongup gasp with relieved surprise.  “He’s alive!” he shouted, jumping in place with an excited whoop.

                He hadn’t been entirely sure after he’d exploded in the Eye of the Gods, but the mere fact that he was able to get a location on him meant there was something left to find.  Thank the gods…  No.  The gods had nothing to do with his brother being alive.  Jongup frowned at the thought and exhaled.  Well, thank whoever or whatever had made it possible.  And Himchan?  He could still feel his eldest brother, but there was nothing else to go on.  He bore nothing on his person that he could use to track the Valkyr and it would take him hours, likely, to reach where Daehyun was.

                With a glance to the sky, he saw that he still had a couple hours of daylight left.  Maybe he could just fly down to the West and find out what was tugging on his awareness there and then make his way to Daehyun.  A couple hours shouldn’t make too much of a difference, should it?  It might, but there was something here.  Something nearby that felt very important.  He just couldn’t remember it…  Curse Odin and his stupid seal.

                Making up his mind, Jongup nodded to himself and called his wings, flapping the golden appendages to shoot him towards the West and whatever secrets lay therein.  His journey did not take long, aided by the downdraft helping to carry him from the mountain’s peak as he approached the remnants of what he had to presume was an abandoned city.  It felt wrong to fly over the crumbled stone and broken buildings so Jongup set himself down and went afoot, holding tightly to Rune’s Fate while he banished his wings.

                Greenery had nearly overtaken the entirely of what remained behind, beautiful white stone and marble breaking through in some areas, but no whole structures remained.  The very edge of the city itself was marked by the rubble of a wall that had done no more to protect it than the soldiers it must have employed.  Bits and pieces of armor lay strewn about but there were no bodies otherwise.  Taking one slow breath after the next, Jongup inspected what remains he could find, poking his head into partial structures to see if anything was left behind.

                “Such destruction,” he murmured, realizing that it was not the work of any army that had torn this city down.  There would have been more remains and the entirety of the area would not have been so decimated.  “What happened here?” he murmured to himself, brushing his fingers along the walls to see if he could get a sense of the events of that time.

                The last moments of the city were incredibly brief…  A bright light came from the skies and there were screams all around; hands rose to ward off something none of them could stop.  A bright beam of power crashed into the city, disintegrating the mortals and ripping the structures apart bit by bit.

                “Odin did this…” Jongup coughed, clutching at his armored chest harshly as he gasped for breath.  The Valkyr staggered and leaned against the nearest wall, resting his weight on the sword to help give him additional support.  “Why would Odin destroy this place?” he asked aloud, completely confused.  The gods so rarely intervened with the lives of the humans, it was strange to contemplate it now.

                Still panting, he sensed that his answers lay within the heart of the city.  Picking himself up, Jongup squinted at the remains and frowned, feeling heartsick and betrayed.  No one deserved this… least of all an entire city.  Determinedly, he firmed his jaw and took a deep breath before he forced his body to stumble forward towards the more pronounced wreckage.  The outskirts were littered with broken houses and what had once been shops, but the heart of the city would likely have been where the castle or seat of power was.  If anything was left, it would be there.

                As the light of day continued to fade, Jongup made his way through the wreckage, saddened by more than just the destruction.  There was something here.  Something about him that resonated in this place.  It was strange to feel a memory of himself and as he traced his fingertips over the next building, he shivered as a chill ran up his spine.  “I know this place.”

                At last, the remains of the… castle stood before him.  Large pieces of the stone wall remained in tact though the ceiling had long since collapsed.  There had once been a fountain in the main courtyard but nothing remained of the winged woman who had played a harp while water perpetually burbled beneath her feet.  Whimpering softly, Jongup placed his hand atop the crumbled remains of the fountain and tried hard not to cry.

                Memories spoke to him again and he saw himself running with another young man about his age.  They were playing on the fountain, teasing each other about who would fall in first in an impromptu sparring match.  Jongup was in a human guise with nothing of his Valkyr status to indicate what he really was.  The boy…  He was a prince.  The gold circlet around his head indicated as much and yet, they were playing like he was nothing more than a servant.

                Jongup retracted his hand without watching to see who fell in first.  He already knew he’d let the Prince win.  It wouldn’t have been fair otherwise.  Tears sparkled on his lashes as he pressed his hand over his mouth and stumbled further in, letting his gaze land upon everything he could make out.  The remains of an inner wall greeted him; some sort of a statue had once stood there on the side of the front entrance.  Remnants of regal arches lay scattered about and he had to step over them to make his way inward, breathing in the air of the dead city.

                He paused to rest against the remains of a pillar and closed his eyes, catching tidbits of gossip from the servants and soldiers as they passed by.  Trade was going well with Tierne Vallen and the merchants who carried goods to Artolia prospered greatly from their patronage.  There were no enemy forces that posed any great threat to their city and the King and Queen were blessed with a son and daughter who would follow in their footsteps as well.  Prince Ricky was set to inherit his father’s throne with marriage talks in the works for the hand of the Princess of Valinceburg no less.

                Things were going so well.  Too well in fact.  Jongup pried his hand away with a heavy heart as the last memory told him that the King thought he was prosperous for of his own talents and not because he was favored by Lord Odin.  The artifact in their possession gave them luck and they had no need of the gods.

                “No,” Jongup whimpered, stumbling forward again as he sought the inner ruins of the castle.  “You didn’t…” he cried, swallowing his grief while he waited until he found what he presumed was the throne room.  Falling to the ground, he placed both hands upon the stump of rubble he believed represented the throne of the King and Queen of… Paranthir.

                The city no longer existed.  Its King and Queen destroyed by Odin’s wrath.  Ricky…  By Freya’s Mercy.  Jongup choked on a sob as he turned his head to the side and saw Prince Ricky waving him off.

                Take it, Jongup!  Hurry!  I cannot leave my father, the young man explained, running a hand over his short black hair.

                I can’t leave you!  That was him.  Jongup in another time…

                You must.  For me, the Prince begged, gripping Jongup’s arm tightly as he looked back and then up when the ceiling began to shake.

                Come with me, Jongup begged, stumbling backwards while he clutched the glowing orb Ricky had given him to his chest.  It nearly burned him with its power but the other boy would not listen.

                Father! Ricky cried, his lips with a final glance back at Jongup before he threw himself into the deteriorating interior of the castle.

                Ricky!

                “Gyah!” Jongup shrieked, tearing himself free of the rubble as his vision went white.  Panting heavily, he dug his fingers into the debris and held tight, feeling the bits of stone bite into his palm as he tried to make sense of the memory.  He should have died that day.  There was no way he could have survived Odin’s wrath unless…  The orb.

                Pushing himself to his feet, he paced quickly from side to side, moving five steps one way only to pivot around and take five steps in the next direction.  It was a divine artifact.  Somehow, it had protected him from the power that had destroyed this city; the same power that had killed Ricky…

                “Yah!” Jongup yelled, swinging the sword viciously against the scrap of rubble he’d pressed his hand against, cleaving it in two with ease.  “Why didn’t you listen to me?!  Why didn’t you come with me?!” he yelled, feeling tears stream down his face.  “Why?!”

                Jongup’s knees buckled and he sank to the ground, still clutching the sword tightly.  If he’d have just listened to him back then, Ricky would still be alive.  The city would be destroyed but his legacy would have lived on.  Quiet sobs escaped the Valkyr as he blinked in the light of the setting sun.  Dimly, he was aware that it was growing dark around him, but his heart was heavy with the latest revelation.

                He had been friends with a human once.  There had been someone other than the gods and his brother.  Ricky.  And he couldn’t save him.  “Odin!” he roared, stabbing the sword into the ground as he threw his head back and roared at the sky.  “Damn you, All Father!  Damn you…” he growled, bending forward so that his head rested against the hilt already covered by both his hands.

                This was not what he had expected to find and even the thin clarion call of the pull of his brother’s existence wasn’t quite enough to draw him from this place of memory and death.  Clenching his eyes shut tight, he begged other fragments to come to him; anything to remind him of his previous life before the memories were sealed, but nothing answered his plea save a headache in the back of his head.

                “Am I really so useless that I cannot even remember my best friend?” Jongup gasped plaintively, fighting the oncoming tears for all that he was worth.  He froze when he heard footsteps behind him, swallowing hard at the sheer power harnessed within whoever approached him without his knowledge.

                “You were never useless, Uppie,” the deep voice murmured in a soft and caring tone.

                There was nothing of malice present and the Valkyr inhaled once, wiping at his eyes to clear his vision before he even tried to turn around, feeling his back tense up as if there was someone sighting on it.  Jumping to his feet, he yanked Rune’s Fate from the ground and held it tight as he whirled around to face the stranger who had approached him so quietly, blinking in surprise at what he saw.  “Who are you?” he asked, frowning in confusion when he thought the taller man should have been familiar.

                Silver eyes blinked once in a face that smiled softly, otherwise bereft of emotion.  Iron gray hair spiked back to stay out of his face and his figure spoke of poise and confidence, though he either could not or chose not to disguise his clawed hands, fingernails longer than they should be for any mortal or god.  “Do you really not remember me, Jongup?” he asked, extending his right hand politely.

                “I do not,” Jongup shook his head, standing his ground with nervous tension writ in every part of his body.  The stranger was taller than him by several inches and power hummed in his presence, though by his gesture, he had not come to fight him at all.

                “You wound me with your words, Valkyr,” the other male sighed softly, dropping his hand in a slow, controlled motion.  “Not that long ago, I gave you shelter when you needed it most.  You are one that I would call friend.”

                Jongup shook his head though he lowered the tip of his sword carefully.  “I do not remember you.  What is your name?” he asked warily, once more listening to the gut instinct he had heeded thus far.  Something about the stranger called to him and he didn’t know why just yet.

                The silver eyed male bowed theatrically and smiled, “You once knew me as Brahms.  The Lord of the Undead.”

                “Brahms?!” Jongup gasped, taking a step back as he raised the sword between them again.  “Daehyun was to meet with you,” he rattled off before he could stop himself, clapping his hand over his mouth so he wouldn’t say anything more.

                “Yes.  Daehyun came to my castle and we spoke at that time,” the other admitted with another small bow, completely polite in his tone.  “I go by Seunghyun now, Uppie.”

                “What did you do to him?” Jongup asked, reluctant to drop his sword, though it felt wrong to bring it to bear against him.

                “Nothing more than test his strength, my friend,” Seunghyun promised sincerely.  “It is good to see you again,” he smiled, letting his gaze settle fully on Jongup’s.  “I had not thought Odin would let you ever set foot upon Midgard once more,” he admitted with genuine relief.

                “Why… why do I know you?” Jongup asked in a shaky voice as he slowly lowered the sword tip until it rested against the ground again, feeling weak in the presence of the stranger.

                “Because you came to me after the Kingdom of Paranthir was destroyed,” Seunghyun explained, taking a step closer towards the Valkyr, keeping both hands where the other could see them.

                “Why?!” Jongup demanded desperately, feeling himself on the verge of crumbling.  His memories of this place were raw and Seunghyun felt so familiar.  He wanted to believe.  He did…

                Seunghyun smiled and took another step closer to the Valkyr.  “Because you needed a friend, Jongup.”  He raised his hand towards the Valkyr again, quietly beseeching him to take it.  “You gave me something that day, and I have kept it in my keep until such a time that you would request it again.”

                “The orb?” Jongup asked in a tremulous voice.

                “Yes.  The Draconus Orb.  Let me help you once more, Uppie,” Seunghyun begged gently, taking another step towards the Valkyr.

                “Why you?!” Jongup gasped, taking a hesitant step back.  “Why should I trust the Lord of the Undead?  Now or ever?!”

                “What does your heart tell you?” the taller male asked, making no effort to come closer.

                “I don’t know…!” Jongup admitted, face crumpling into helpless tears.  “I can’t remember anymore.  I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.  I don’t know who I am!  Odin sealed my memories and I can’t find Daehyun.  Or Himchan!” he babbled, letting him emotions run together in one big jumble.

                “Oh Uppie,” Seunghyun sighed with a sad smile, dropping his hand as he blinked at the hastily raised but shaky sword.

                “Tell me what to do!” Jongup shouted loudly, his face turning red with emotion.

                He wasn’t prepared for Seunghyun’s next move when the Lord of the Undead streaked towards him, nearly faster than his eyes could follow.  In one heartbeat, he gently guided the tip of the sword aside so he wouldn’t impale himself, and in the next heartbeat, he wrapped his arms around Jongup in a firm hug, holding him tight against his body.

                “I cannot give you that answer,” Seunghyun admitted mournfully as he cupped the back of Jongup’s head with one hand and held him close with his other, pressing his cheek against the Valkyr’s head as he waited for a response.

                Stunned by what had happened, Jongup felt the brief but short lived impulse to push free, and ignored it entirely.  His right arm relaxed and the sword tip dropped to the ground quietly, burying its nose in the rubble.  “Brahms…” he exhaled, digging his fingers into the back of the taller male’s shirt as he held tight.  “No.  Seunghyun” he corrected himself breathlessly, blinking rapidly while he tried to reconcile what had happened.

                “I’m here, Uppie,” Seunghyun soothed, hugging him tight.

                “We’re friends?” Jongup asked uncertainly, his voice wavering at the strange possibility this was a truth he hadn’t considered.

                “Yes.  We are,” Seunghyun promised with quiet sincerity.  “Let me help you as you once helped me,” he pleaded in a soft tone, keeping his gaze fixed straight ahead.

                “How?” the Valkyr whimpered, still just as lost as he had been when he started his search.

                “The Draconus Orb,” he explained, pulling back just enough that he could peer down into Jongup’s dazed eyes.  “You gave it to me once for safe keeping.  Allow me to return it to you, Uppie.”

                With teary eyes, Jongup searched Seunghyun’s face and nodded once.  “Okay.  I… I believe you… Seunghyun,” he whispered, burying his face in the taller male’s chest as he tightened his arms around his torso.  Asgard help him, he didn’t know why, but he trusted the Lord of the Undead and he desperately wanted a friend right now.

                Seunghyun smiled though the Valkyr did not see it.  “Leave it to me, Uppie.  Just leave it to me.”

(a/n: I got to bring Seunghyun back into the picture!  *spazzes*  So I like him...  I know!  No, they're not lovers of any sort, just to be clear.  Only really good friends.  We'll go ahead and get that straight right now.  ;)  lol  But, since Jongup's memories have been sealed, Seunghyun knows considerably more about them on the whole than our poor Valkyr does.

And it was hard choosing a 'Prince'.  I needed someone from a group I wasn't likely to be drawing people from and that would also be almost as innocent as our Uppie.  Not entirely easy to come by.  >,>  haha  Anyway, we have the mention of a powerful artifact which I haven't made a huge deal out of yet.  heh  The ones used by the Einherjar so far (including Rune's Fate) aren't quite on par with the Draconus Orb, though we'll get to hear about the difference in significance before too long.

I'm still debating what the next update is going to be just yet.  We already know Himchan and his group are heading for the Bifrost if it's open and will need an alternate plan if not.  Though I did make mention of our other Einherjar as well.  Any special requests one way or the other?  Now is your chance!  Should I move on to Himchan or would you prefer at least some sort of peek into our battlefront warriors and the gods on the front lines?  LIke I said, it's your call.  I can tailor the next update accordingly either way.  ^_^

If nothing else though, thank you for reading and I hope you look forward to the next update!)