Brynhildr Aria

Chapter Twelve: Virtue and Vice

Chapter Twelve: Virtue and Vice

Ever with grief

and all too long

Are men and women

born in the world;

But yet we shall live

our lives together,

Sigurth and I.

Sink down, Giantess!

Helrid Brynhildar (Brynhildr's Hel-Ride), Poetic Edda

Mother Ship Admirabilis, Isolation Chamber

They both saw it happen. Two of the last Kamui in the universe, Kriemhild and Fenris, watched on as Yuki Takanashi writhed and wailed, and only continued to observe as the S-Class Brynhildr painfully transformed into a winged, horned monstrosity bent on destruction. "Ah...there it is...the Class S Brynhildr..." Fenris gasped. "I...I never thought she'd look like this...she's like a goddess..."

Kriemhild gritted her teeth at the sight of the rampaging girl. The entire ship rattled and shook, steel walls being mangled and torn apart as her unchecked vectors raged. She had seen this before. "That's no Brynhildr. I could barely even call her a Kamui. Fenris...this was a mistake...I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giantess and fill her with a terrible resolve..."

"Hey...what are you saying?" Fenris asked. "That look you've got...it's like you know her."

"I don't know her," Kriemhild growled. "I know Seishirou. He looked like that once. I was his partner during the Galactic War. We fought together once...and when he unleashed his rage...that was what he looked like. His horns and wings were huge, and he had claws, fangs, and a tail. Not only that...he had red eyes. He looked like a monster...it was terrifying." She turned to face Fenris. "We have to release Seishirou. If there's anyone who can stop her...it's him."

The two Kamui raced down the corridor to the Isolation Chamber, where Kosagi and Kuina were restrained in cages alongside Seishirou, who was held back and wrapped firmly in a steel harness, with an odd metal headpiece to prevent him from using his vectors. He called out to Kriemhild. "It's begun, hasn't it? The beginning of Ragnarok...I can feel it...I can sense her...Yuki has awakened..."

Kosagi looked up. "Wha...what?! You! What have you done to Yuki!?"

"Shut it, pipsqueak," Kriemhild snapped. "Seishirou...this is your fault. You created her, she's your problem. And you're going to fix it." She marched over to a control panel and punched in the codes. There was a hiss of steam as Seishirou's restraints unwound, and the Brynhildr's cages opened up.

The Kamui stood up to his full height, brushing off his flowing brown trenchcoat. He shot Kriemhild and Fenris a sharp glare. "Isn't this what you wanted? Ragnarok, the Twilight of the Gods, the end of the old world and the beginning of the new world...that's why you helped make this happen, didn't you?"

Fenris snarled at him. "The hell do you know, Poindexter?! You abandoned us! You left your species behind and ran away to Earth because you didn't want to deal with it! We did what we had to survive! We had no choice!"

"And you thought that THIS would be the answer?!" Kuina retorted. "I took the Yggdrasil to keep you from doing this, and look what's happened now!"

"That's enough, both of you," Kriemhild muttered. Her voice nearly fell to a whisper. "Seishirou...I'm sorry. I know it's my fault that you left...I blamed everything on you...and I didn't even bother to think about your feelings. But if the S-Class Brynhildr continues this...everything will end. She's going to destroy everything, this entire planet...and she's targeting our kind first. Please...you have to stop her! She was born from your blood, isn't there anything you can do?"