Chapter Eight: Raphael and Odin

Chapter One: Michael

Day One: Dawn

After completing his prayers, Raphael rose before the statue. The statue was a gray marble replication of Thor, and the artist had done an exceptional job of capturing his likeness. Thor was in his prime, in battle regalia with his helmet held close to his body. In his right hand, he bore Moljnor. Holding the famous hammer by its elongated staff, and the sharply-clawed eye rested on the ground before him. His dreads hung to his shoulders.

There was a bronze plaque prominently displayed in front of the statue, which read:

In Monumentum
Thor Valkryie

Approaching footsteps echoed throughout the residential corridor. Raphael glanced and saw Odin, who was casually dressed in thin, light-tan wool pants and an open silk shirt, coming towards him. In his right hand, Odin carried a rapier sheathed in polished black wood.

Raphael involuntarily drew in a short breath. He always felt like an unwelcome child when Odin found him paying respects to his children. Odin never seemed to mind, but no one was better at masking their emotions than he was.

As Odin came within striking distance, he extended the rapier. Still smiling, he said, “Welcome back, little brother.”

Raphael looked down at the sword he had surrendered upon retirement with hesitation. Odin sensed the apprehension. “Are you certain you wish to do this, Raphael?” Odin asked. Accepting the sword meant Raphael would, once again, hold the highest rank in the Holy Sefiroth, Heaven’s greatest army.

With his good hand, Raphael reached out and clasped the blade by its sheath. It was cool to the touch, and Raphael felt empowered when he held it. Odin seemed proud that Raphael had taken it. Raphael lowered his hand to his side, and looking back to Odin, he nodded his head. “Thank you, my lord.”

“No, thank you,” Odin quickly returned. “If you hadn’t accepted, Michael would have been the next choice.”

The comment was beyond absurd. Raphael chuckled. Odin grinned, pleased that he could still get the veteran to laugh. “Tell me” Odin began, turning to the statue of his son, “what do you think Thor would say if he knew what Yang was planning?”

Raphael joined him in observing the statue. “Same thing we all are, I imagine,” Raphael replied, “that this is madness.”

Odin raised his eyebrows, looking back to Odin as if he expected the answer. “Madness, you say…” He mused, more to himself than to Raphael. “Yes,” Raphael pressed, “not just breaking the nexus stone, these…children…with all this power…”

Odin quickly turned to Raphael. Although he was still smiling, his eyes were black, creating an eerie visage. “Do you speak of the Valkryie, Raphael?”

“No,” Raphael replied, mindful of his tone, “The Seraphim.”

Odin seemed to relax. Raphael hoped that Odin knew that no one—least of all, him—would speak out against the Valkryie. “The Seraphim…” Odin spoke, again, as if to himself, “Infants who have never seen blood suddenly awarded power beyond the greatest of the Sefiroth….” Odin turned back to Raphael. “How are they so different from the Valkryie, Raphael?”

Raphael inhaled. The question was a challenge. “The Valkryie,” Raphael countered, “are made to earn their power. The seraphim merely swear an oath.”

“But they all work towards the same goal; the end of this madness.” Odin spoke the last word forcefully, and while the smile was gone, the black eyes remained as he fully turned to Raphael. “Yin—our sister—set her forces upon our children while they slept, Raphael.”

Odin pushed his index finger into Raphael’s chest. “That is madness.”
Odin lowered his hand and let it rest on his hip. “Should the Seraphim turn, then they will be dealt with, as problems are. But for the time being, we use every asset at our disposal to bring an end to this war—so no more children are lost.” He spoke the final words desperately, with the anguish of one who had lost all of his children to war. “So put aside your feelings for the Seraphim, Michael, Uriel—put aside any old animosities and do your job, alumno.”

Humbled, Raphael remembered the days as Odin’s student and smiled slightly. “You haven’t called me that…for a long time.”
Odin returned the smile, his eyes softening and returning to their natural brown. “You haven’t been in need of schooling for a long time.”
He gestured to the open end of the hallway, which opened high above Asgard. “Shall we?”

Raphael, still holding the sword, stepped to the edge of the precipice and looked down. They were hundreds of feet above the majestic city, and even with all that was raging in the world below, the city was still a beautiful place.

Asgard was an extensive metropolis of rounded ivory and marble constructions which were joined together. The buildings, which spanned as far as the eye could see, were mostly off-white with splashes of black, completed by gold trim. Many of these structures, especially those meant for worship or training, were capped off by glorious spires that reached high above the city to where Raphael and Odin currently stood. It would’ve been easy for Raphael to leap from the mouth of the hallway to the nearest one, some twenty feet away. He had done it often as a child.

The only solid black structure was inconspicuously located where the city began, off to the northwest from Raphael’s vantage. It was a large, black rectangle surrounded by domed buildings, with a large, beautiful courtyard. The courtyard was the only available walking space in Asgard, designed with multi-colored lava rocks neatly aligned beside a long white cloth, bordered by red trim: the colors of Asgard. Elongated, rectangular flags bearing the insignia of twins in battle lined the walkway, which opened into a scenic courtyard that was currently occupied by hundreds of women engaging in mock battle. New Valkryies were being trained.

The black structure was where the archangels would be trained, if they arrived on time. It was also the final test of the Valkryie, to see if they could emerge on the other side with their lives. The black structure contained the greatest warriors ever to die in service to Heaven. This structure was Valhalla.

Asgard was almost claustrophobic in its conglomeration; the city had no roads. Instead, there were only openings at the front and rear of each building to allow entrance.

Odin moved to stand before Raphael. “Yang and the others are behind Valhalla,” He said, the smile still present. “We should meet them there.”

With that, Odin extended his hands out to the side and drifted backwards, falling into the sky, plummeting towards the city without a care in the world.

As Raphael leaned forward, he realized he wasn’t breathing. Odin, in mid-fall, raised his head and smiled at Raphael. He turned towards Valhalla and suddenly, leaving a sonic boom in his wake, rocketed off towards Valhalla. His hands were at his side, and he flew as though he controlled the wind itself.

Raphael shook his head. He never got used to that. How Odin had managed to hold onto his nonchalance all this time was a mystery…and a blessing.

Raphael gently leapt from the opening, giving himself to the sky. The wind whistled past him for a moment as he dropped, the city growing larger as it drew nearer. Raphael tucked his knees to his chest and rolled, completing a full flip before extending his body towards Valhalla, and then willing himself towards the Great Hall. The next second, he was a projectile hurtling through the sky.

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