There was neither day nor night in the intermediate world. There was neither light nor dark. And yet it felt like a morning wet with dew when you awoke from your sleep.

A heavy feeling pushed you towards the ground while it weighed on your shoulders. You were not cold.

Tiredly rubbing your eyes you raised your head.

Emptiness.

In this place without space nor time there was nothing but stars you could have looked at.

But something that should have greeted you after your deep sleep was missing.

"Thor?", you asked into the vastness of the stars.

No answer.

Your gaze wandered over the plateau, hoping he would sit on the edge and just surrender to the silence. But there was no one there. You were alone.

A heavy sigh left your lips.

"As you had predicted...", you muttered and rubbed your forehead. "Why am I a fool? Fate is playing with me. I knew the rules and it could still use me..."

As you sat up, the feeling of heaviness slipped from your shoulders. Thor's tunic he always wore around his waist.

For a moment you looked at the greenish fabric. As you lifted it to your nose to bury your face in it, you could smell a slight scent of rain.

You knew he would return.

Thor only left things behind when he wanted to make a promise. He had given you a necklace when Odin had sent him into the realm of the giants to destroy them.

And he had returned.

Not as the same young man, the fire in his eyes had grown quieter, almost threatening to go out. But he had come back to you. And he would do the same now.

Taking a deep breath, you managed to get to your feet. Sticky liquid dripped down your leg as you took the first step. A reminder of the night that should never be forgotten.

You had to laugh mockingly, both at your own stupidity and at what an unfaithful dog the God of Thunder was.

With tired steps you walked to the edge of the plateau. Stars passed by. For a moment you allowed yourself to enjoy the sight.

Next to you lay your crumpled clothes. Thor must have tried to fold them.

"At least not dirty.", you muttered, pulling your jerkin over your head to escape the goose bumps that crawled up your arms.

Your gaze wandered over the edge of the plateau, but this time not up to the stars but into the depths, back to the branches.

The in-between world was a place of infinity, it was hard to see things with a clear eye because they went far and were more distant than one would expect.

But despite the blue veil that enveloped the air, you thought you could see shapes moving on the branches.

At first you thought it was the boy and his father. You had been watching them for a while. You knew from experience that they had the ability to use the world tree to travel between realms.

So they had managed to reach Jötunheim even though Odin had destroyed the bridge to it thousands of years ago.

But as the blurry figures approached, you had to frown.

Whatever it was, it wasn't human.

If you hadn't known better, you would have thought it was Nidhogg itself, the lizard whose children kept the roots of the Yggdrasil tree free of vermin.

But you hadn't seen the reptile with your own eyes for ages. Tyr had always said it was a matter of live and let live, so you had always avoided getting close to the creature.

And Nidhogg was not known to react kindly to uninvited visitors. She usually stayed among the roots and incubated eggs there. But occasionally, when the roots of the tree were damaged within the nine worlds, Yggdrasil could summon the lizard to protect itself.

But what danger could there be for a tree that existed and yet did not?

Its branches could not be cut down, but fire burned in the in between world for all eternity. Then there remained only the question of which fool would set the world tree on fire.

Hastily you got up as your eyes followed the path of the shadow. Whatever it was, it was heading straight for the dwarf's hut. The dwarf who had given shelter to the boy and his father.

Tying the loincloth of Thor around your shoulders, you grabbed your belt. But there was nothing there.

"Damn it!", you growled when you remembered that you had given your master's knife to the boy.

You were not a fighter, at least no more than a simple soldier. But it was always wise to be prepared. Magic listened to those who had a clear will and firm leadership. It would be possible for you to defend yourself.

And yet.

Tyr had never truly finished your training. If it had been up to you, you would have gladly avoided a fight.

"Hope for the best, expect the worst.", you muttered as you began to climb back into the depths.

Tyr had always been sceptically optimistic. A trait that had rubbed off on you. However, with the cynicism that past experiences had brought, it was not a good combination.

Secretly you expected the worst. If only you knew what the worst was.

Could it be a dead Thor?

The boy who stood against your cause?

Or his father?

Whatever it was, you feared your master's alternative prophecy would fail. Surely fate would find another way.

And yet, this path was the only one that would not end in total darkness. It had to happen this way. At least if you wanted Thor to survive.

Taking a deep breath, you narrowed your eyes. It was as if you were taunting yourself with your own actions. All this just so Thor would live.

Well, not quite.

If Odin died, then Thor could take over the throne. He wouldn't be a perfect ruler but he'd be better than the Allfather. Heimdall would continue to protect Asgard and Freya could return to her homeland.

You would live.

And there would be a chance to see your master again. It was a vanishingly small possibility. But without Ragnarok, Tyr would not fall in battle.

So no matter who you did it for, it would ultimately serve the life of a man you were attached to.