Chapter 61: Chapter 61: Passage to the gates of Valhalla Nia finally broke out of her stupor.
She cleared her throat awkwardly, realizing that Rhian hadn’t known about the wings at all.
Quickly, she explained how they had been appearing while he was unconscious, popping out and disappearing every so often.
Rhian listened, trying to piece it all together.
His mind jumped back to the memory he didn’t want to admit was real—the voice that spoke to him while he was fading.
She had said something about hoping he liked the wings.
His body shuddered slightly.
Who was she? Was she the one responsible for this change?
Rhian pushed the thought aside and opened his status, feeling an urge he couldn’t explain. If there were changes to his body, maybe they would show there too.
---
[Name: Rhian Locke] Age: 18
Divine Core: E Rank (38.95%) Seals Unlocked: 0/5 Bloodline: Ragnarok ---
He scrolled further, searching for anything new.
A new ability sat at the bottom of the list:
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[Valkyrie Wings]
Description: Manifest large wings of dark scale and fur, capable of short flight, enhanced mobility, and shielding.
Core Function: Allows passage to the Gates of Valhalla.
---
Rhian stared at the screen. There were changes, but he didn’t fully understand them. "Seals Unlocked"—what were seals What did they actually do?
His mind jumped from one question to another.
He focused back on the wings. The description seemed simple enough, but the note about the Gates of Valhalla made his head hurt.
What the hell was Valhalla?
Why would wings connect him to a place he had never even heard about.
The more he thought, the deeper the headache grew. He remembered the voice mentioning the World Tree too.
Whatever was happening, it wasn’t something he could ignore anymore.
His thoughts were interrupted when he noticed Nia stepping closer. She tilted her head, her hands waving slightly as if trying to catch his attention.
"Rhian?" she called out.
He blinked, realizing he had been standing there motionless, dazed, staring at nothing.
Rhian scratched his head and gave a small awkward laugh. "Oh... yeah. So, how do we do this?" he said as he walked to the edge and looked down.
The drop was still far, but not as hopeless as before.
From this point, he could see the surface water below. He realized they were about halfway up the ravine already.
Nia stood beside him, eyeing the wings on his back with a half-serious look. "I don’t know. I’ll just hold on to you while you fly up," she said, shrugging like it was the easiest thing in the world.
Rhian nodded, but inside he was less confident. Moving the wings felt strange. He could feel them like extra arms, but they weren’t natural yet.
Every small twitch felt wrong, like stretching muscles he had never used before.
𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖
Still, there was no other choice.
He took a deep breath, widened his stance, and began flapping the massive black wings.
Wind immediately kicked up around them. Dust and loose stones shifted across the ground.
Nia had to step back and dig her feet in to keep from sliding. She shielded her face with her arm, squinting against the gust.
Rhian saw her struggling and tried to slow down a little, but the moment he realized he was lifting off the ground, the awkwardness faded.
His feet came up, hovering slightly above the rocky surface.
He couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped his mouth. "I’m flying!" he said, half shouting over the noise. His voice was bright, unguarded, almost childish.
Nia lowered her arm, looked at him wobbling a few feet above the ground, and couldn’t help but laugh too.
It was ridiculous, seeing him of all people, shirtless, battered, and laughing like a kid discovering a new toy.
Rhian smiled wider, adjusting his wings with effort as he floated a little higher, trying to get used to the motion. He turned to Nia, still grinning.
"Alright," he said, "Come on. Let’s get out of here."
H descended next to Nia, landing with a small grin stretched across his face.
Nia smiled too, ready to move. It wasn’t every day you got to experience flying, and she wasn’t planning on missing the chance.
She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, fully expecting Rhian to wrap his arms around her waist like any normal person would.
But before she could say anything, she felt his warm breath against her ear.
"How about a taste of your own medicine," he muttered.
Without warning, her feet left the ground. Rhian scooped her up into a full princess carry before she had time to react.
Her mouth opened in disbelief. "Put me down!" she barked, immediately trying to struggle free.
But Rhian didn’t give her the chance. His wings spread wide and, with a heavy push of air, they lifted off the ground.
Nia froze, clamping her arms tighter around his neck. She didn’t want to risk making them crash. Glaring at him, she caught the sly smile tugging at his lips.
He didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to. His expression said it all.
Revenge.
She realized quickly this was payback for carrying him in front of their entire team back at the academy. He was enjoying it far too much.
Nia looked away, cheeks burning slightly, deciding it wasn’t worth arguing while they were still airborne.
Meanwhile, Rhian adjusted his hold and began to rise steadily, taking the flight more seriously now as they climbed higher through the broken cavern toward the surface.
Making sure his grip stayed firm while keeping a respectful hold.
Nia was wearing a skirt, and he wasn’t about to cause any accidents.
He adjusted slightly, making sure her weight was balanced in his arms without being awkward.
His wings beat steadily, the force pushing them higher.
He realized pretty quickly that his wingspan was massive.
If he fully stretched them out, they might scrape the sides of the rocky gap.
So he kept them tucked tighter than he would’ve liked, forcing himself to push harder with each flap.
The climb wasn’t smooth. Every few meters, stray drafts of wind caught them, shifting their path slightly.
Rhian corrected quickly each time, keeping his body between Nia and any jagged walls they passed.
His arms tensed with the effort, but he didn’t slow.
Above them, the light grew stronger. He could see patches of blue sky through the opening now.
Nia, still wrapped in his arms, tilted her head back to look up.
A small smile tugged at her mouth as she saw the end of the ravine. She could feel Rhian’s heartbeat pounding under her palm.
They were almost there.
Rhian gritted his teeth, flapping harder. A few more seconds. Just a little more.