His eyes jumped hastily over his shoulder.

"No one is near the door.", you said.

He frowned.

"How do you know?", he asked, sceptical and yet confused that you sounded so convinced.

You smiled.

"Intuition.", you said, and glanced at the door as well. "Even though Tyr was a god of war, he preferred to nurture the knowledge in me. He could do so much more than kill."

"What kind of teachings did he have? Was he a good mentor.", with an excited twinkle in his eyes he came closer and put his hands on the wood of the window sill. "I think Tyr was fantastic. He certainly could have answered all my questions."

One of your eyebrows rose in amusement.

"You seem to have a fixed image of him.", you chuckled.

"Of course I do. He was a god. The god of war."

"Like your father.", as soon as you said it, the excitement on his face froze.

All at once there was doubt in his eyes again.

"You can't know my father.", he tilted his head suspiciously.

With a deep breath you nodded.

"It would be good to tell you why I came here in the first place.", you said. "To avoid misunderstandings."

"You think I can find Tyr?"

"No. That's not what either of us are meant for. No one but Tyr himself is."

He frowned.

"Tyr is meant to find Tyr? How is that possible."

Exhausted, you sighed and raised your hands in a defensive gesture.

"Only fate knows the answer.", you regarded him again.

It was remarkable how much like your master he was.

You had never known Tyr as a young man, let alone as a child. But if you would have, he must have been just like this boy. Or at least very similar.

Curling his lips in dissatisfaction, he let himself sink back onto the bed. His shoulders slumped.

"I'll never know what my destiny is all about...", he sighed.

A soft smirk appeared on your face.

How endearing he was. He almost awakened parental feelings in your chest.

"No need to be disappointed.", you said, pushing yourself off to stand firmly on your feet again. "Tyr left me a few of his visions before he disappeared."

"Like the shrines?"

"Not exactly. They were cards. Poems. If you deciphered them correctly, they came to life and showed you the part of the future my master had seen."

With a sarcastic expression on his face, he jumped back to his feet and shrugged his shoulders.

"So like the shrines.", he said as if it were basic knowledge.

Now it was your turn to look at him in confusion.

"What do you mean?", you tilted your head.

He raised an eyebrow.

"You don't know about the paintings?", he laughed. "What kind of apprentice are you? Maybe you're not telling the truth if you don't know something like that."

He wanted to turn away but you raised a hand and grabbed his shoulder.

"No, wait!", you begged.

Surprised, his body tensed.

Immediately you raised both hands in silent apology.

"I went to the shrines.", you assured me. "Every single one. But the colours had already faded."

He shook his head.

"The visions have nothing to do with the colours.", all at once he sounded arrogant.

Maybe it was his young age or just the certainty that he knew something you did not. But at that moment he felt superior.

A fatal mistake, as he would later realise, but you allowed him to savour this small triumph.

For the moment, at least.

Fascinated, you watched him with a smile of disbelief. Your head shook slightly to silently deny what he had said. But your mind knew that Tyr had been a master at hiding things inconspicuously under the Allfather's nose.

"Show me.", you breathed. "Please."

For a moment he stood silently.

His blue eyes stared into yours. It felt like just one of his glances was enough to bore through every layer of your body.

Perhaps this was one of his abilities.

Foresight?

The recognition of truth?

Whatever it was, it had to be powerful. He had to be powerful. The time just hadn't come for him to unleash that power yet.

At that very moment, it struck you like a bolt of lightning in the night.

He was part of Ragnarok. He might even be the one to fulfil the alternative prophecy.

With his chin raised, he finally approached you until he stopped in front of the window.

Now he was so close that you could detect a strange smell on him.

Ashes.

He smelled of decay and death.

No, that was not his own smell. His was hidden under that frightening stench. Pine cones and moss after the rain, that was what enveloped him.

"How can I trust you not to use the information from the shrines against me?", he finally asked.

A huff escaped your lips.

"Why should I do that?", you asked back, looking at him with raised eyebrows. "I don't even know your goals. Or your name."

He seemed to consider for a moment.

"Call me Loki.", he finally said. "And my goal is to kill Odin. With the help of Tyr."

Satisfied, you nodded.

"With the help of Ragnarok. Then we have a common goal, Loki. I, too, wish to destroy the All-Father."

"What reason do you have?"

"The question is not what, but how many."

"For example?"

The confidence froze on your face. Cold rage rose in you.

"He took my master from me.", your voice almost trembled as you told him the most honest words that had ever crossed your lips. "He took a part of my being. And he made someone who meant everything to me turn against me. He took everything from me. His life in return is no prize. Only a redemption. So? Would you be so kind to help me, young friend?"

For the breath of a second, doubt appeared in those blue eyes of Loki. But as soon as he realised how much rage burned in your eyes, he grabbed his bow and jumped out the window to your side.

"We have to be quite.", he whispered. "My father is... not very fond of me wandering around."

You chuckled.

"With strangers to add to that."

He grinned, ashamed.

"Uh... Yeah..."