Hiro's Magic

There weren’t always dragons in the Valley. Hiro knew they usually spent their mornings snoozing and sunning themselves on Heaven Mountain. She was not used to the sight that she now beheld, the usually monstrous, threatening creatures were being playful! Short puffs of smoke escaped their nostrils as they seemed to laugh? Laugh, really!? She had her shield and a safe spot on the mountain crest to observe this unusual spectacle. Where she was nestled overlooked her beloved Valley, her sanctuary. It was not ordinarily something she had to share with others, the Valley was small but full of endless delights, the most important of which was peace. Peace for her to gather her thoughts and to recalibrate herself. Over the last month she had been channelling her lifeforce into a power she suspected she had. A power that felt like a tingly, electrifying mist from her third eye. It came in waves from moments she felt a threat or imminent danger. Her dear Mother had said that it was a gift inherited from her grandmother, Freyja, and in order to hone it, there was a crucial need for her to practice. Calm and quiet helped her to understand and recognise where and when her magic grew from.

The dragons continued to disrupt this by having their fun, teasing one another, they continued their chasing game and in what seemed to be then most obvious game of hide and seek. Their tails and wings protruded wherever they tried to conceal themselves, Jormungandr was the best at coiling into small crevices, his body was akin to that of a snake. Fafnir was much larger, and his full wingspan was a third of the space in the valley, there were limited options for him to properly hide his vast mass. Just as Hiro had this thought, Fafnir swiftly flew up towards where Hiro was oh so quietly observing, “BRUSI!!!” she exclaimed to herself in a terse whisper… There was not much that she could do, to run would be to expose herself more and the spot she had chosen had tall, angled rocks that were her best chance of avoiding being burnt to a crisp. So, with great fear and trepidation Hiro tucked herself into a ball and hid as closely as she could to the rock face. Fafnir drew closer and the heat, the smoky, steam from his nostrils encircled her, it tickled her nose and throat. “NO! Do not sneeze! Do not sneeze!” thought Hiro as she bit the inside of her mouth in an attempt to prevent what was now an overwhelming urge…. It welled up and then without warning a light “Achoo” escaped her mouth. Fafnir reacted, in a low rumble, he knew exactly where she was, and it was now too late to pretend otherwise. Hiro drew up her shield and stepped out to face the mighty beast, his eyes were stunningly beautiful, that did not escape her notice, golden and luminescent, almost aglow. “Vǫrðr.” She whispered to herself, as a prayer to the Gods, her fate was sealed, she ferociously hoped that her trusty shield and fledgling power would be strong enough to save her skin.

Fafnir considered her with some amusement, this tiny human that stood there defiantly, barely the size of just one of his talons. He cocked his head to the side, deciding whether or not to toy with her first. Hiro matched his mannerisms all while honing into her inner force, she felt the electricity and magic brewing, her head flickered with a bright, blue glow which started to emanate and grow. A torrent of incredible light started to build and pulse out like a tide, her feet left the ground as she hovered up feeling stronger, bigger than her body. The dragon’s already large eyes widened, as he wondered, “What is she? This is unlike the weak humans; she must be a Völva!”

The growing light met him where he was beholding her, it felt white hot, it seared his scales. He recoiled in pain and let out a piercing yelp, in the meantime, Jormungandr had darted up to where Fafnir was. He exhaled a massive surge of fire, which met with the force of the blue light as if it had hit an icy wall, it blew back at both dragons scorching them, they retreated, crying out in pain. They pivoted their singed, heaving, aching bodies away and fled as swiftly as their current state would allow.

Hiro came back to earth with a thud, she squealed and laughed with sheer relief, she was triumphant! She pressed her hands into her body, she was alive, she was still here!?! As rapidly as the excitement had come a sense of intense exhaustion settled in, overwhelming her ability to stand, she collapsed suddenly to the ground. As her eyes grew heavy, she felt a gust of warm air on her neck and heard a low, rumbling growl. The world turned to black.