"Say…" Nino spoke, asking a question that has been on Sam's mind. "If she really is my sister, what does that make me?"
"Does the name Lachesis ring any bells?" Sam asked.
"Hm? A little bit… I think? I remember hearing it in…" Nino's eyes became saucers as she suddenly came to the realization. "Atropos had two sisters! Lachesis is the middle one!"
"Apparently that's what she called you back then." Sam said.
With everything he had heard so far, Sam hypothesized that, after she was killed by Atropos, Lachesis somehow reincarnated as a Valkyrie and became Nino. Her memories of her previous life seem to be gone, but not completely.
"Lachesis…" Nino murmured to herself. She then looked at Sam with a difficult expression. "I've been wondering for some time now but… does this mean I have already died once?"
"Pretty much." Sam replied.
"Then how am I here? Isn't death supposed to be the end?"
"Apparently not…"
The mystery surrounding the Valkyries kept getting more and more complicated. Yesterday's battle alone has added another layer to it, one that Sam has never even considered before.
If Nino truly is the reincarnation of Atropos' sister then that brings the question of whether the other Valkyries are in a similar position. The fact that they still didn't know what kind of beings the Olympians are only complicated things.
So far only Nino showed a strong reaction to them. Maybe her grudge against her sister was carried with her to the next life, reigniting the hatred she felt when they met again. Then there is the problem with her appearance which helped the Olympians recognize her. He didn't know how reincarnation works, however he was sure that the probability of her ending up in a body that's an exact replica of her old one was extremely low, especially since all of the Valkyries were created using designs Wolf came up with on his own.
A moment of thought was enough for him to realize that Shizuru, that Loki had something to do with it. It was the only explanation. Sam didn't find it difficult to believe that she knew more about the Valkyries than any of them. It scared him, but there was nothing he could do about it right now.
None of the other Valkyries had any similar reactions to Nino's, and the Olympians didn't seem to recognize anyone beside her. It might be that they have yet to run into the right trigger so there is no telling if they will end up in the same situation.
Sam felt a bit relieved when he arrived at that conclusion. Nino reincarnated in his world despite being in another in her previous life. With the multiverse being theoretically infinite, the likelihood of running into something that would awaken their memories from their previous lives was almost zero. Even more so when considering time as well.
'... Who am I kidding…'
He let out a sigh, the relief he felt a moment ago vanishing. He had no evidence to support it, however he was sure that Nino was just the start. Something told him that when they begin their search for Alice, every world that they travel to will coincidentally turn out to be the original world of one of the Valkyries. He was also ready to bet that each of them was somehow involved in major events or connected to influential figures which eventually led to their deaths.
'I never expected it to be easy, but still…'
"So, I died, then I was born again…" Nino said, crossing her arms in thought. "Is that what happens to everyone who dies?"
"That… I don't know…"
The concept of reincarnation has been around for a very long time, however there was no way to confirm if it's really what happens after death. The special circumstances surrounding the Valkyries meant that they couldn't take Nino's case as proof, and with memories being wiped out before rebirth it would be very difficult to try and research This topic.
'Maybe I can find a way to access those memories…'
He quickly shook the idea out of his head. Things were already complicated enough as is. His curiosity was not a good reason for him to add more factors into the equation. He reminded him that he needed to focus on his goal and thus tossed the idea to some dark corner of his mind.
"Nino…" looking up at the young Valkyrie, Sam spoke in a serious voice. "Whether you were that Olympian's sister or not, none of that matters. You are Nino, a Valkyrie. Whoever you were in your past life is a different person."
"... But…"
"And you don't have to worry about the others. They're probably just confused. I don't think they meant to make you feel bad about what happened."
Pausing for a second, Sam glanced at the two unconscious Valkyries. So far he had no clue how he would go about saving them, but he had no intention of giving up.
"We will find a way to help them, and we will go home victorious, all of us."
Nino stared at him for a while, she then lowered her gaze, unable to say anything. A part of her wondered if things would've been different if she stayed back at the forty sixth base. Because she volunteered to go on this mission, two of her friends were now unconscious, trapped between life and death.
She knew what the Doctor said is true. The others were just trying to be considerate of her situation, and she didn't fault them for being alert around her. A lot has happened in their first day in the Nephilim world so it's only natural for everyone to be on edge.
"Ah, just to be clear." Sam was about to go take a break when something suddenly occurred to him. "Don't even think about sneaking out and going to fight those bastards on your own."
Nino could only blink at him, not understanding where he got the idea.
"Why would I do something like that?" She asked.
"Huh? Why…" her confused response seemed genuine enough so he doubted that she was lying to his face. "Well, just make sure you don't do it. We are already short on hands. If you disappeared I won't be able to move a single step."
This was supposed to be a reconnaissance mission so he limited himself to only twelve Valkyries. Two of them are now incapacitated and unable to participate, and though the others should be capable of covering up for them, what they had to do from now on was simply too much.
With the Bifrost gone asking for backup was out of the question. As things are going right now, their only chance at contacting home would be the gate in Odin's old castle. Reaching it definitely won't be an easy task, the Olympians won't just stand there and let them use it. Then there is the matter of the human survivors and Ramla's warning about the upcoming monster attack.
Sam felt that he was back to the desperate time when Hela attacked the Resistance headquarters, when everyone lost hope of winning the war, and just like last time he was prepared to fight until the bitter end.
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