Brigid smoothed her blood matted raven hair, exhausted, her other hand barely grasping the heavy steel sword. Her breath was ragged; the battle had taken its toll. But now was a moment of pause, the boundaries of reality freezing all that did not belong, momentarily cutting off the energies of the other realms and planes.

The stars had aligned as Odin had said they would, giving gods and mortals alike the chance to salvage what was left of their earth.

The Descent had been fast and severe: demons and malevolent beings bursting forth from the gateways of Yggdrasil, the portal of All. Most perished within the first few hours, succumbing to the ruthless carnage, not even having the chance to react.

Brigid allowed herself to take this moment of pause to assess the damage, tears filling her eyes in the shame of her failed shielding. Biting her lip, she forced the sorrow to turn to anger.

With one final deep rbeath, she watched the stars fall out of alignment and let out a battle cry as she wielded her double-edged blade once more.