Chapter 364: The final piece
While Dante fought on another battlefield, the scene in Fenrir's palace was one of strange and unsettling calm.
Fenrir, Loki's daughter, sat on the throne of the King of Werewolves, the heavy crown resting on her head, but her expression did not reflect glory or triumph. Instead, her eyes were distant, lost in deep and confusing thoughts. Around her, the setting was a grotesque reflection of her own uncertainty.
Velkan, the one who was supposed to be the King of Werewolves... was on all fours before her, with the empty gaze of a defeated animal. He acted like a submissive dog, waiting for orders from his new "Mistress."
Fenrir had simply decided that this foolish being would not be able to control anything, so she took his place, and now he crawled like a mutt, without any trace of pride or resistance. Velkan's advisors, once powerful and influential men, were all in the same humiliating position, on all fours like dogs, awaiting instructions.
When Fenrir chose to help Velkan in this war, she believed that the complete subjugation of their enemies would be the key to her success, a confirmation of her strength.
However, as she looked at the scene before her, something twisted inside her mind. Initially, the sight of Velkan and his subdued advisors was merely pathetic. She sat there, immersed in thought, her vacant eyes observing those who should obey blindly, and a sense of emptiness washed over her.
'My father…' she thought.
"What happened here, after all?" she murmured to herself, doubt whispering like a cold wind in her mind.
Fenrir knew this was not the answer she sought. Something inside her, a deeper voice, called her to reflect on her past.
It was a shadow of Loki himself, her father, whose presence had influenced her since the beginning.
Loki was a god of trickery, deception, and uncertainty, but... was he really the father she remembered? Or were her memories distorted by a heroic vision that no longer held?
As these questions haunted her, Fenrir rose from the throne, gazing at the advisors and Velkan in their humiliated postures. Something inside her began to change. The idea of subjugating them, of having all at her feet like animals, no longer brought her the same pleasure. There was a restlessness in her spirit, a corrosive doubt about the path she was on.
She was about to order Velkan and his advisors to rise, to free them from this humiliation that now seemed an unnecessary burden. But before she could utter a word, a sudden presence filled the throne hall.
"I knew you would hesitate at some point," a feminine, enigmatic voice echoed through the cold walls of the palace.
Fenrir turned immediately, her eyes narrowing. A woman emerged from the shadows of the hall, walking with disturbing grace. Her name was Mary Rose. Tall, with skin pale as ivory and white hair cascading in wavy locks to her waist, she carried an air of mystery that left Fenrir suspicious whenever she appeared. She was responsible for providing Fenrir with the monstrous hybrids that had been used to fight Dante, Siren, and their forces. With each appearance, Mary Rose brought promises and enigmas, and this time was no different.
"What do you want, Mary Rose?" Fenrir asked, her voice cold and hard, but not devoid of uncertainty.
Mary Rose smiled enigmatically, her eyes shining as if she knew more than she was revealing. She walked lightly through the hall, observing Velkan's advisors and Velkan himself still prostrated like animals, a glimmer of amusement in her eyes.
"You seem... restless," Mary Rose said, ignoring Fenrir's direct question. "Why the hesitation? Isn't this what you've always wanted? Power, control, all at your feet? Revenge for your dear daddy's death?"
Fenrir snorted, turning to face Mary Rose directly, her expression serious. "There's something wrong with all of this. At first, I thought subjugating my enemies would be the key to victory. But now, looking at them... This is not what I want."
Mary Rose raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "Ah, but what do you really want, Fenrir? Think carefully. Are you hesitating because you're losing faith in what you've sought for so long? Or is something deeper troubling your mind? Perhaps... something related to your dear father?"
Fenrir fell silent for a moment. Mary Rose had a gift for penetrating people's deepest doubts, and her words struck Fenrir like sharp knives. She was truly beginning to question her father. Loki, the trickster god, had always been an ambiguous figure in her life. A father who taught her to fight, to scheme, to be relentless. But now, disturbing dreams about him had started to surface, becoming increasingly vivid. Dreams where Loki was not the loving father she had always believed him to be, but rather someone cold, manipulative, someone who used her as a pawn in his games.
"I'm no longer sure if my father was really that good," Fenrir finally admitted, her voice quieter and more hesitant than before. "I used to see Loki as a hero, but... these dreams... something is wrong."
Mary Rose smiled, her eyes shining with renewed interest. "Ah, so that's it. You're being consumed by doubts, my dear Fenrir. The great Loki, the one who betrayed gods and mortals, is now the source of your uncertainty."
Fenrir shook her head, a frustrated sigh escaping her lips. "I don't know what to believe anymore. And this war... all this violence... is this really what he would have wanted? Am I just repeating his mistakes?"
The tension in the air seemed to increase as Fenrir spoke, as if the palace itself was attuned to the internal conflict unfolding within her. Mary Rose, however, appeared completely at ease. She stepped closer to Fenrir, watching her with an almost maternal yet deeply manipulative gaze.
"Then why continue with this war?" Mary Rose asked, her voice almost melodic. "If you have so many doubts, why not stop now? Why not follow your heart and seek answers? Perhaps the truth lies with those you considered your enemies."
Fenrir lifted her head, her eyes fixed on Mary Rose. The idea was bold, but it made sense. What if she stopped the war? What if she went to Valentina and asked her the truth about Loki? Perhaps there was more than she knew. Maybe her loyalty to a distant father was blinding her to something greater.
But before she could make a decision, something in Mary Rose's gaze shifted. The woman smiled, but this time there was something dark in her expression. Fenrir felt a sudden wave of discomfort, as if something was wrong.
"Unfortunately, dear Fenrir, I cannot let you go so easily," Mary Rose said softly, her eyes shining with a malevolent light. "The second god came here, and now you think you can simply do as you please? No, no. I will show you what happens to those who stray from the plans."
Before Fenrir could react, a wave of energy emanated from Mary Rose, enveloping her in a dark spell. Fenrir tried to resist, her body trembling as she fought against the magic coiling around her, but the force of the spell was overwhelming. Her mind began to cloud, her thoughts becoming scrambled as control slipped away.
"You hesitated, Fenrir. That was your mistake," Mary Rose whispered, her voice echoing like a poisonous melody. "Now, I will make you my loyal little pet."
Fenrir felt her body bend, involuntarily dropping to her knees. The humiliation burned in her chest, but control was no longer hers. Mary Rose's magic ensnared her mind, like invisible chains pulling her toward submission. The figure of Loki, her father, began to fade from her mind, replaced by the crushing force of Mary Rose.
She, who once controlled Velkan and his advisors like dogs, now found herself in the same position—enslaved to another's will.
Mary Rose approached Fenrir, placing a hand on her head as if petting a domesticated animal. "You will be a valuable tool, dear. And when the time comes, we will put an end to all who dared challenge fate."
Fenrir tried to scream, to resist, but her voice had been stifled. Now, she was nothing more than a puppet, ensnared in Mary Rose's cruel plans.
As Fenrir struggled uselessly against Mary Rose's spell, trying in vain to regain control of her mind and body, the atmosphere in the throne hall grew even heavier with the arrival of a new presence. The shadows in the hall seemed to stretch, as if darkness itself were alive, and a faint echo of footsteps resonated across the cold stone floor.
A man emerged from the shadows, his tall and imposing figure surrounded by an aura of dark power. His skin was pale, almost translucent, and his eyes glowed with a deep red that seemed to reflect a malicious pleasure. He wore an immaculate black suit, a perverse contrast to the chaos around him, as if he were ready for a gala event rather than a war. His dark, short hair framed an elegant face, but there was something about him that exuded menace. He was a vampire, and not just any vampire—he was a noble, that much was clear. Find your next read on empire
"Ah, I see the final piece has been captured," he remarked with a cruel smile on his lips, his long, sharp canines visible as he approached Mary Rose and the humiliated Fenrir. The tone of his voice was smooth, almost casual, yet laced with poisonous arrogance.
Mary Rose turned to him, a similarly malicious smile on her lips, petting Fenrir's head as if she were a submissive pet. "Yes, it seems our little wolf has finally bowed to reality," she said, not even bothering to disguise the triumph in her voice.
The vampire looked at Fenrir with calculated interest. He stepped closer to her, observing her as if she were a new piece on a chessboard he already controlled. "Who would have thought that the feared daughter of Loki would end up like this? Subjugated... and now devoid of any trace of her former glory."
He crouched beside her, tilting her chin up with a cold, calculated touch, forcing her to meet his gaze. Fenrir, even while internally struggling, could not resist the spell. Her eyes were empty, lifeless, and a powerless fury burned deep within them, mingling with a growing sense of despair.
Mary Rose, still wearing a satisfied expression, walked around the two, savoring Fenrir's humiliation. "She was powerful, no doubt. But in the end, what is power if we cannot control it? Now, she will be useful in a... different way." Mary Rose's enigmatic smile never left her face, as if every word she spoke was part of a twisted game.
The vampire nodded, clearly pleased with the situation. "Everything is finally ready. Our hybrids are prepared, and now, with Fenrir by our side, nothing will stand in the way of our final assault." He chuckled softly, a hollow and chilling sound that echoed through the hall. "The final piece. A trump card that none of them will see coming."
Mary Rose crossed her arms, her smile widening even further. "And to think that she, the great Fenrir, would hesitate because of doubts about her father. A trickster god, and yet she worshiped him as if he were a hero. Pathetic."
"Come, it's time to fetch the last ingredient," Mary Rose said as a pink magic circle appeared beneath her feet.