THIRD PERSON POV
Astrid's eyes fluttered open at the sound of a gentle whisper and a light tap on her shoulder. Lora, a muscular woman in her late 30s with striking blue eyes and a stern face, sat beside her in a black tent. Lora was Astrid's right-hand woman and mentor from back home.
"Lora?" Astrid's voice trembled with uncertainty as she struggled to sit up.
"Princess, it's good to see you," Lora said, pulling Astrid into a warm hug. "I've missed you so much. It's been almost six months since we last met."
Astrid's mind was still foggy, but she was determined to piece together the events that had led her here.
"What are you doing here, and where am I?" she asked, her brow furrowed in concern.
"We're back at camp," Lora replied. "I found you unconscious in front of an unfinished building in Flavin."
Panic set in as Astrid's memories came flooding back. She recalled her fierce battle with Claw and Eren's passing. "Where is Claw?" Astrid asked, her heart racing with anxiety as she quickly rose to her feet.
"Relax, he's dead," Lora assured her. "I left his body back at the abandoned mansion."
Astrid let out a sigh of relief, but her reprieve was short-lived. "And Eren, has he been buried?" she asked, her voice laced with concern.
Lora's expression turned puzzled. "Eren is dead?"
"Yes, he was lying right in front of the building where you found me," Astrid explained, her brows narrowed at Lora.
Lora's face turned apologetic. "I'm sorry, Princess. I didn't see his body, and we searched the entire village. As far as I know, Eren is still missing."
Astrid's anxiety turned to panic. Something was off, and she was determined to get to the bottom of it. "Lora, prepare the horses. We're going in search of Eren's body."
Lora's expression turned firm. "I'm afraid that's not possible, Princess. It's late, and you need rest. We'll leave in the morning."
Astrid's anger flared up. "Do you realize I'm still your princess?" she spat, her chest heaving with indignation.
Lora stood her ground, her eyes flashing with defiance. "Yes, I do. But I work for your father, not you. And I'm still your teacher, so you'll obey my commands."
Astrid knew she couldn't win this battle, so she reluctantly backed down.
Meanwhile, a few kilometers away, Grandma Joy stood on a mountain top, surrounded by a white circle. Her friend Grandma Lucien stood beside her, holding two bowls of coconut oil. Two lifeless bodies lay before them: Eren, the young ungifted werewolf prince, and Claw, the man who had caused Joy so much pain.
Thunderstorms cracked the sky as Joy and Lucien circled the bodies, sprinkling oil over them. They were about to perform a ritual that would transfer Claw's soul into Eren's body.
Joy's reason for this ritual was simple: she wanted to punish Claw for his past transgressions. Claw was responsible for the death of her husband and three sons.
She had watched Eren struggle to defend himself. Turned out Eren was an ungifted. Ungifted were a select few who were cursed with no skills and found it hard to learn anything, even their intelligence was considered to be was below average, she knew his body was the perfect vessel for Claw's soul.
And just to make things a little bit worse, she was going to make his scent revolting, and threatening to all living dead, which included vampires and their hybrids.
"May I begin the ritual?" Lucien asked, her voice firm.
"Yes," Joy replied, lying down between the two bodies, her face expressionless.
Joy lit four red candles around them and began her incantations.
"Vérar heimskauta, máni ok stjarna bera mik vitni þessi blót" (VEH-rar HAYM-skow-tah, MAH-nee ok STYAR-nah BEH-rah mik VIT-nee THEH-see BLOHT)
Translation: "Forces of the universe, moon and star bear me witness of this ritual"
she chanted, her voice rising to the heavens.
"Kló hafði valdið okkr ástþjöng" (KLOH HAHF-thee vahl-DEE-th ok-kr AYST-THYONG)
Translation: "Claw has caused us heartache"
"Vér viljum hefna honum með því at gefa honum annan líkama" (VEHR VIL-yoom HEH-fnah HON-um MEH-th THVEE AT GEH-fah HON-um AHN-nan LEE-kah-mah)
Translation: "We wish to punish him by giving him another body"
"Ek kalla á Helvegrsgarða at láni mér sálu þess dauða" (EHK KAH-lah AY HEL-vegrs-GAR-thah at LAH-nee MER SAH-loo THEHS DOW-thah)
Translation: "I call on the gatekeeper of the underworld to lend me the soul of that demon"
The air was electric with anticipation as Lucien joined in, their voices weaving a powerful spell.
Just then, lightning struck, and the white circle erupted in flames. The Grim Reaper emerged from the inferno, his presence imposing and unsettling.
The Grim Reaper stood at an unsettling height of around 6 feet 5 inches. His presence is imposing an aura of inevitability.
His face, a skull devoid of flesh, with empty eye sockets that seem to bore into the souls of those around him.
A tattered black hood covers his head, casting a dark shadow over his skull. His body was draped in a flowing black cloak. In one bony hand, he grasps a scythe, its blade gleaming with an otherworldly light.
"You summoned me, human," he growled, his voice like thunder.
Lucien bowed low, her voice trembling. "Greetings, Gatekeeper of the Underworld. We have summoned you to lend us the soul of Claw the Invincible."
The Grim Reaper's gaze turned piercing. "Like it's said, nothing goes for nothing. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and a soul for a soul. What are you willing to offer?"
Lucien's voice turned pleading. "My friend Joy Voger is willing to sacrifice her soul in exchange for Claw's."
The Grim Reaper's face turned calculating.
"We have a deal. Say the secret prayer and offer her soul to me."
Lucien's eyes locked onto Joy's, filled with concern as she grabbed a red dagger from one of the bowls. But Joy's mind was made up. She nodded, a broad smile spreading across her face edging her forward.
The ritual continued, the words echoing through the night air as Lucien spoke the secret prayer.
"Vérar heimskauta, bera mik vitni þessi blót" (VEH-rar HAYM-skow-tah, BEH-rah mik VIT-nee THEH-see BLOHT)
Translation: "Forces of the universe, bear me witness of this ritual"
"Ek bjóða sálu Joy Vogar í staðinn fyrir sálu Claw inn ósigra" (EHK BYOH-thah SAH-loo YOH-ee VOH-gar ee STAH-dinn FEE-rir SAH-loo KLAH-oh inn OH-see-grah)
Translation: "I offer the soul of Joy Voger in exchange for the soul of Claw the invincible"
"Tek þessa sálu sem brennandi blót til að færa þinn reiði" (TEHK THEH-sah SAH-loo sem BREH-nahn-dee BLOHT til ah DEH-rah THIN REI-thee)
Translation: "Accept this soul as a burning offering to fuel your rage"
As Lucien finished the prayer, she plunged her dagger into Joy's heart, ending her life. The Grim Reaper nodded in approval.
"Það er gert" (THAH ER GEHR-t)
Translation: "It is done"
With a wave of his hand, the Grim Reaper vanished into the night, leaving behind a trail of flames and the scent of death. The ritual was complete, and Claw's soul had been transferred into Eren's body.
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