Chapter 293 Two Queens.
"It has been a while, sister."
Deep underneath the forty sixth base, two of the oldest Nephilim stood facing a wall of transparent glass.
Thor eyed the inside of the spacious prison cell where a young girl was lying down on a large bean bag, her face depicting the shock she was experiencing at the moment. She wore nothing but an oversized t-shirt and in her hands she held a small device which, considering the flat screen in front of her, was clearly a game controller.
On the floor beside her were quite a few empty cans and bottles.
"Th-Thor!!?" Jumping to her feet, Hela quickly made her way to the glass wall. "Since when were you…"
"You… changed your skin color…" the crimson queen commented as she held her sister with her eyes.
"Yeah, the humans did it and refused to change it back." Noticing the second Nephilim on the other side of the glass Hela's expression brightened. "Mimir! You're here as well!"
"It has been a while, lady Hela." The green haired Nephilim replied with a curt bow of her head. "Glad to see you are in good health."
"I came to see you, but…" gazing around the cell, the younger yet more mature looking then closed her eyes and heaved a sigh. "It seems I have been worried for nothing."
"A-ah, things got a lot better after you agreed to work with them." Hela averted her gaze. "They don't plan on releasing me, though. And of course they have no intention of replacing my heart."
"That is to be expected. Your methods have always been quite excessive." Thor replied. "Maybe you should reflect on your actions for a few years?"
"Hey, it worked the first time, didn't it?" The elder sister said. "hold on, don't tell me you're planning on letting them keep me here!?"
Thor lingered for a moment, but then a small smile formed on her lips.
"That would be for the best, don't you think?"
Hela's eyes went round, her body trembling slightly. She stared at her sister for a while before her shocked look turned to a glare.
"Are you betraying me?"
"Letting you call the shots was our biggest mistake. Even if we were to take you back, I have no intention of letting you reclaim your authority."
The two sisters glared at each other, but then the older one turned to the second visitor.
"Mimir! Talk some sense to her!" She ordered. "We can't allow this to go on any longer!!!"
Unfazed by the demanding shouts, Mimir looked back at the former queen with a face devoid of emotions.
"I did warn you, lady Hela." She said.
"You…"
If she had access to her runes then maybe her rage would've brought the entire base down, but at the moment she looked nothing more than a brat on the verge of throwing a tantrum.
"Your Highness." Mimir turned to her queen. "I think it would be for the best if you inform her of what happened."
"... Yes. That might be right."
The two sisters continued to at each other. In the meantime, the advisor asked the two Valkyries standing guard for a chair and was provided with two. Before she spoke again Thor took a seat, and though she had her own, Mimir chose to remain standing.
"We… have lost our home world." Thor said eventually. "It is doubtful whether we will be able to reclaim it or not."
She went on to explain what happened after the Olympians appeared, including the purpose of their invasion and the state they left their world in. Hela listened in silence, her expression remaining calm even when the number of Nephilim casualties was mentioned.
Her only concern was always her sisters and people so she never had any connection to the land itself. Hearing that it has been infested with Madness and monsters didn't bother her at all, but it did make her consider an obvious question.
"And? What do you plan on doing now?" She asked. "Don't tell me you're simply going to coexist with the humans of this world?"
"As things are right now, we don't have much choice." Thor replied. "I still have yet to discuss this with Doctor Sanderson, but I plan on establishing a country for our people here in this world."
Owing to the massacres the Nephilim committed most of the planet was empty and would stay like that for years to come. Humans were barely able to avoid extinction, thanks to the Valkyries, of course. There was nothing they could do to stop the Nephilim if they decided to take a patch of land for themselves.
"Just wipe them out." Hela said with a sarcastic tone. "As I said, it worked before, didn't it?"
Thor lingered for a moment before heaving a tired sigh. Mimir shook her head in disappointment. The two of them knew for a while that their first queen was a genocidal maniac, but to this day they still can't accept her behavior.
"Actually, sister, it appears that some have managed to survive your wrath."
The statement caused Hela to twitch, her body suddenly becoming stiff.
"You don't say…"
"That's right. In fact, thanks to the recent events, we have learned that humans are able to awaken the ability to use Runes." A smile played on Thor's lips as she spoke. "At this rate it won't be long before they're able to stand on equal grounds with us, just like the Olympians."
The truth was that the Olympians, Freyja's Children as well and ordinary people were all humans. The first Awakened their Force and achieved immortality through unknown means, maintaining their biological constitution. The second were reincarnations of Awakened using artificial bodies and the third were normal humans who have yet to awaken. If no one tried to tip the scales it would be only a matter of time before a balance is achieved.
"Don't you think that's all the more reason to get me out of here?" Hela asked. "We need to finish the job before they become able to resist us."
"That won't be happening. Ever." Thor replied. "If a time comes where we would have to fight them then we would do it ourselves. However, we will never again slaughter innocents just to put your mind at ease."
Once again the first Nephilim glared at her younger sister.
"What in the world happened to you." She said. "You know what they wanted to do to Alice. They are our enemies!"
"It is no longer about Alice." Thor answered with a solemn expression. "I refuse to perpetuate your evil."
As the two sisters exchanged looks, Mimir watched in silence with a suppressed smile. Love is quite a powerful emotion. Thor might not have been as enthusiastic about wiping out humans as Hela was, but in the end she participated in it nevertheless. Until recently she never cared about humans at all, but now that a man has found his way to her heart her thought process completely changed.
"As you already know, we are unable to increase our numbers without saving Alice first." Thor explained. "Even with the Valkyries as our allies, I doubt we would be able to fight Loki when she could be creating armies as we speak."
"Ha! As if humans would be of any help when it comes to that."
Hela wasn't exactly wrong. Unlike Freyja's Children, humans would take decades before they reach a state where they can make a difference in battle. Even if they were to awaken at a young age, it would still take them years to learn how to use their powers, and many more to get to a level where they can fight the likes of the Nephilim or the Olympians.
"Still, having them on our side is better than nothing. Besides, our agreement with the Valkyries rests on us not killing any more humans. I doubt Doctor Sanderson would forgive us if we harm his people again."
A moment of silence passed before anyone spoke a word. It didn't seem like Hela was going to give up on her stance, but Thor no longer cared about that after all she was the queen now. She has the Nephilim's support and most never liked the idea of committing a massacre in another world. All she could hope for was that her elder sister would change her mind at some point, but from the looks of it that won't be happening for a long time.
"Haaaaah. How did we end up like this?" Seemingly having given up, the first queen slumped her shoulders and turned around. "Now you're rubbing shoulders with humans. Don't come to me crying when they inevitably betray you. It's in their nature after all."
"I will work to ensure that day never comes." Standing up from her seat, Thor turned around to leave. "I will try to visit from time to time."
"No need. I don't want to see your face until you realize your mistakes."
"I see. This is goodbye, then."
A hint of sadness swelled in Thor's chest, however she quickly suppressed it and walked away. Mimir watched her queen's back then spared the previous one a glance. Without saying a word, she took her leave as well. On her way she could only wonder if their relationship could ever be mended after that.
New n𝙤vel chapters are published on f(r)e𝒆webn(o)vel.com