Chapter 922: With great power comes great responsibility.
The streets of Asgard had their own rhythm during the afternoon.
Even under the fine snow that still fell on the rooftops, the city remained in constant motion. Carriages crossed wide avenues, workers pushed carts loaded with wood and metal, merchants called out to customers in front of their shops, and soldiers patrolled intersections with the disciplined posture of those who had become accustomed to the absurd size of that city. The distant sound of the factories mingled with the occasional whistle of the locomotives, creating a kind of heavy, vibrant, and impossible-to-ignore urban music.
In the midst of that movement, Strax walked calmly, holding Vex’s hand.
But he didn’t look like Strax.
The magic he had cast upon himself had completely altered his appearance. His white hair had given way to dark brown strands, his golden eyes had taken on a common, faded amber hue, and the overwhelming presence that normally made anyone around him tense was completely muffled. His clothes also seemed simpler, similar to those of an ordinary traveler with good financial means, but without any symbol that directly linked him to the mansion, the government, or the monstrous figure Asgard called king.
Vex was also disguised.
Her blue hair had been subtly altered to a light brown shade, and her bright eyes had lost some of that draconic intensity that would immediately draw attention anywhere. She still looked like a pretty and unusual girl, but not the kind of presence that would make guards, nobles, or mages stop in the middle of the street to try to figure out who she was.
She walked beside him, looking at everything.
Not exactly speaking.
Just looking.
And that, once again, said a lot.
The shops of Asgard seemed to fascinate her in a different way than the mansion. There, everything was alive, noisy, and unpredictable. There were shop windows full of clothes, bakeries exuding the aroma of fresh bread, small boutiques with colorful fabrics, watchmakers, bookstores, toy stores, and even makeshift stalls selling caramelized fruit in the middle of the cold street. For someone who came from the frozen lands of Mercedes, where everything was more rigid, silent, and formal, Asgard seemed almost absurd.
Vex squeezed his hand slightly before finally speaking.
"Why do we need to look like other people?"
Strax glanced at her sideways, without slowing his pace.
"Because it’s easier that way."
She frowned slightly.
"Easier how?"
He took a few seconds to answer, not because the question was difficult, but because he was looking for a simple way to explain it without turning it into a tiresome political lecture.
"Asgard is safe," he said. "But that doesn’t mean walking around drawing attention is comfortable."
Vex looked around.
Some people passed by them without noticing anything special. A man crossed the street carrying a huge toolbox. Two women chatted about fabric prices in front of a shop window. A group of children chased a ball near a partially frozen fountain. No one bent down. No one made way. No one whispered.
For her, this was new.
Very new.
"Do you attract that much attention?"
Strax chuckled softly.
"A little."
"You’re lying."
"I’m softening it."
"Then it’s a lot."
"Yes."
Vex looked at him intently. There was a calmer curiosity in her face now, less explosive than during the first few hours, but still deep. She seemed to be trying to understand not only the words, but also the weight behind them.
"Mom gets a lot of attention too," she said after a while. "Whenever we go somewhere, everyone straightens up. Some don’t even breathe properly."
"That makes sense."
"She doesn’t like it." "Probably not."
"But let it happen."
"Because it needs to."
Vex remained silent for a few steps.
The sound of carriage wheels passed close by, crushing the dirty snow accumulated on the sides of the road. In the distance, a locomotive whistled, and the girl immediately turned her face toward the sound, though she still didn’t know exactly where to look.
Strax noticed her reaction but continued the conversation.
"With great power comes great responsibility."
Vex looked back at him.
"That sounds like something someone important would say."
"Maybe it is."
"Did you make that up?"
"Probably not."
She narrowed her eyes, suspicious.
Strax smiled.
"But it’s true. The more power someone has, the more people look to that person expecting decisions, protection, or answers."
Vex seemed to consider that seriously.
"So that’s why they call Mom the queen."
"Yes."
"And that’s why they don’t call me Vex."
"Also."
She sighed, still dissatisfied.
"This is still annoying."
"I know."
"You don’t seem bothered."
"I am bothered. That’s why we’re disguised."
She looked around again and seemed to understand better.
Without that disguise, Strax probably wouldn’t be able to walk three blocks without guards approaching, citizens bowing, officials trying to deliver reports, or someone asking for an urgent decision on some administrative problem. Attention would come from all sides. And, if that happened, Vex would probably spend the rest of the afternoon watching his father be pulled away by responsibilities.
Strax then added, with a discreet smile.
"Besides, you probably don’t want to lose my attention today, right?"
Vex turned her face to him immediately.
The answer came quickly.
"No."
"Then that’s it."
She was quiet for a moment, then squeezed his hand a little tighter.
"Then let’s continue being different people."
"Good choice."
"But only today."
"We’ll see."
"Dad."
"Alright. Just today, if it’s up to you."
She seemed satisfied with the answer.
The two continued walking for a few more minutes, crossing a wider avenue that led to a busy part of town. Vex noticed that the flow of people was gradually increasing. Carts loaded with goods all followed in the same direction. Uniformed men crossed the street with clipboards and small whistles. Some metal signs indicated times, destinations, and numbers she didn’t yet understand.
Then the sound came again.
Louder.
Closer.
A long, deep whistle cut through the cold air.
Vex stopped mid-stride.
Strax stopped too. She looked ahead.
Between the tall buildings and steam columns, a gigantic structure loomed before her. It was a train station. The building rose with dark stone walls, enormous metal arches, wide windows, and snow-covered side towers. Large doors remained open, allowing people to constantly enter and exit, while workers carried suitcases, crates, and sacks of supplies.
But it wasn’t the station that completely captured her attention.
It was what lay beyond it.
On the tracks.
A black locomotive rested, releasing hot steam from its sides, melting the snow around the metal wheels. The machine’s body was enormous, heavy, and gleaming, with golden details and the symbol of Asgard engraved on its side. Steam escaped in constant jets, and each small internal movement produced deep metallic sounds, as if the creature were breathing.
Vex stood completely still.
Her eyes lit up.
Her mouth opened slightly.
She released Strax’s hand only to take two slow steps forward, as if she were standing before something too sacred to be touched without permission.
"That’s..."
Strax stopped beside her.
"A train."
The word seemed to enter Vex’s mind with an almost magical weight.
She continued staring at the locomotive.
For several seconds.
Without blinking properly.
"It’s bigger than I imagined."
"This one is small."
The girl turned her face slowly towards him.
Her expression was pure disbelief.
"Small?"
Strax pointed to the more distant tracks.
"The freight ones are bigger."
Vex looked where he was pointing and saw, further in the distance, enormous wagons lined up behind another, even more robust locomotive. It seemed to be carrying half a city, and perhaps it really was. Workers loaded boxes, barrels, and metal structures into the wagons, while supervisors shouted schedules and instructions.
She took a deep breath.
Then she exhaled slowly.
"This doesn’t look like a machine."
"No?"
"It looks like an iron beast."
Strax smiled.
"That’s a good description."
"Is it alive?"
"No."
"Are you sure?"
"Relatively."
Vex looked at him.
"Relatively?"
"Some machines here almost seem to have a will of their own."
She looked back at the train with renewed respect.
"Then maybe it’s alive."
"Maybe."
"Does it eat coal?"
"Yes."
"Then it’s alive."
Strax chuckled softly.
He didn’t argue.
Because, in a way, he understood her reasoning. To a young dragon still organizing the world based on instincts, a huge machine that breathed steam, ate fuel, and roared along the tracks really did seem like a creature.
Vex took a few more steps toward the platform, still completely absorbed by the sight. The train released another burst of steam, and she took a half-step back before realizing it wasn’t an attack. Then she smiled, almost embarrassed by her own reaction.
"It makes noise."
"It does."
"Good noise."
"You think so?"
"I think so."
She observed the wheels.
The pistons.
The plates.
The chains.
The carriages.
Every detail seemed to create a new question within her, but there were so many that none could come out first. Strax noticed this again and smiled.
"Speechless again?"
Vex didn’t take her eyes off the train.
"I have words."
"You do?"
"I have many."
"So?"
"They’re fighting to see which one comes out first."
Strax laughed genuinely this time.
The answer was so absurdly similar to her that it was impossible not to find it funny.
He placed his hand on her head and lightly ruffled her disguised hair.
"Then choose one."
Vex thought seriously.
Very seriously.
Then she pointed to the locomotive.
"May I get in?"
Strax looked at the machine.
Then at her.
Then at the station employees, who remained oblivious thanks to the disguise.
"We can try."
Her eyes shone even brighter.
"Try?"
"There are rules."
"Are you the owner?"
"Not exactly."
"But the city is yours."
"Not exactly either."
"This is complicated."
"Very."
She sighed, but didn’t seem annoyed.
Just anxious.
Very anxious.
Strax reached out again.
Vex immediately took it.
And together, they walked toward the platform.
With each step, the locomotive seemed to grow even larger before her. The heat of the steam reached her face, melting small snowflakes stuck in her hair. The smell of metal, coal, and oil filled the air around them. The ground vibrated slightly beneath their feet.
Vex looked up.
Then at Strax.
"Dad."
"Hm?"
"I like Asgard."
He looked at her for a few seconds. The smile came effortlessly.
"Already?"
"Yes."
"You haven’t even seen half of it."
"Then maybe I’ll like it more later."
"Probably."
Vex looked back at the train.
And, in that moment, surrounded by warm steam, melting snow, and the metallic sound of the station, she felt something new.
It wasn’t just curiosity.
It was a kind of quiet certainty.
The North was her home with Mercedes.
But Asgard...
Asgard seemed like the kind of place where the whole world could fit into a single afternoon.
