The Original Champion Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Re-Life



All he saw was darkness and all he heard was silence. 



Pain, grief and anger surged through his now broken mind – twisting it, engulfing it, shattering it further – as the cold embrace of death wrapped around his once warm body.



Even in death, he wasn't given the satisfaction of knowing why he was betrayed. He didn't know why he was lied to by the woman he considered to be his mother and the men he called his brothers.



Their last words still echoed in his conscience, their last deeds still flashed in his fractured mind, yet he could never find the answer he sought after, no matter how much he analyzed and rationalized those deeds and words.



It was all so foreign to him— betrayal. It was such a disgusting and wretched sensation. A sensation.. he never thought he would have to experience, yet he was made to by the people he held dearest to his heart.



And now all he could do was curse at them from the depths of Niflheim. The absurdity of the circumstances was laughable, yet this had turned into his reality.



Oh, surely, he was not going to Valhalla, he was absolutely certain of that. 



He was chained, betrayed and killed— without his sword in his hand. 



He was going to Niflheim's deepest coldest pits. Only a true warrior held the right to enter Valhalla and his death was anything but warrior-like, so his final destination would also be befitting his end.



"But what if you got a second chance?" 



As he sank into the darkness of the void, as the last shreds of his fractured mind started scattering, a voice, eerie and malevolent, echoed throughout the unending stretch of void he found himself in.



"What if you had the power to never have to bow down, hide or cower in fear. What if you can have your revenge?" 



The voice was hoarse and chilly, yet it whispered the words that he wanted and needed to hear.



"What will you do, Leif… son of Varashí."



His mind had long since deteriorated to decipher the words, but he did hear two things clearly, two things that all of his being longed to hear at this exact moment.



Second chance.



And Revenge.



"I can give you the life that you desired and the power that you need… for your revenge." The voice whispered. "And all you need to do…"



Leif steeled his semi-broken mind to hear the voice.



"... is say yes…"



The words revenge and second chance echoed through his consciousness— screaming at him to say yes. 



As his sanity dissolved further, he hurriedly squeaked out.



"Y-Yes…"



Cackling laughter echoed throughout – malevolence, insanity and evil echoing in each note – scaring the little bit of hope that he had left. But fortunately for him…



The voice wasn't going to betray him.



"Marvellous, son of Varashí! Marvellous!"



Leif drifted into the darkness, unable to comprehend the words spoken further.



"From this moment onward, you shall live your life in the name of vengeance. Through lies and deceit, good and evil, kindness and cruelty— you shall hunt down your traitors. You shall be reborn as the greatest hunter, the greatest of predators and the greatest of schemers. You shall show no mercy to your enemies, you shall use your followers as stepping stones and you shall sacrifice their blood for your cause— You shall be reborn Leif, you shall be reborn!"



As the voice roared, Leif had finally sunken into the depths of darkness.



"You shall be reborn as Leif Lokison! The Champion of the Trickster God and the Lord of Deceit!" 



It cackled maniacally.



"Sleep well… Because once you wake up…."



The cackling grew louder, reverberating throughout the void shaking it with it's intensity.



"Chaos shall ensue."



…


…



Ayana Bennet, the prophetic witch of the village, rushed through the woods when she heard about Mikael's deed. The spirits had enlightened her about the consequences that shall follow after Mikael's actions.



She had warned Esther about the terror that was sure to ensue once she dabbled into the dark arts of immortality. 



She wanted to make her children immortal. Her youngest son, Henrik's death had shaken her family and on Mikael's demand, she dabbled into the dark arts— in the hopes of turning her children into beings that would tread this land forever.



But Ayana knew… She knew that once Esther casts the spell, the spirits will forever turn on them. They will be immortals, yes, but their beings will forever be shrouded with darkness and misfortune.



Never to be happy again.



As she reached the village, she cried in helplessness as she smelt the thick stench of blood around Esther's hut.



She walked in and saw blood everywhere, flooding and staining the wooden flooring. 



"What have you done Esther… What have you done!!"



Ayana was fuming at her friend, cursing her in her mind for the stupidity that took hold on her, but she felt sorrow for Esther as well. She had doomed not only herself but also her family. 



In the hopes of becoming immortal, she had turned her entire family into the enemies of nature and the spirits.



Immortality has always been against nature and those that go against nature— suffer.



Just as she was about to leave to search for Esther, she heard muffled cries.



She jolted at the sudden noise but as she turned around, she was shaken to her core.



In the corner of the room, behind the doorway… laid a wounded Leif. 



The very boy that Mikael marginalised from their village and the same boy that was kinder than anyone she had ever met.



"LEIF!"



She rushed towards him, placing an arm over his wound and diving into the spiritual arts to close it.



The boy had blood gushing out of his stomach and the puddle of blood surrounding him meant that he had already lost too much blood.



Ayana found it to be a miracle that Leif was still alive and she prayed to the spirits to help the kind boy.



But to her surprise and horror, the spirits seemed to abhor going near the boy, staying a sufficient distance away as if in disgust of his existence.



This scared Ayana, if the wound wasn't treated, it was going to be the end of Leif. And she couldn't allow that. She couldn't allow for such a poor and kind soul to meet its end like this.



"I pray to thee spirits to help this poor soul." She begged. "He does not deserve thy hate, he was betrayed. A kind soul betrayed by greed and blindness of those fools." She bowed down and kept on begging. "I beg thee to help this poor soul."



Ayana was the strongest sorceress within the village. Her mystical and spiritual arts made Esther look like a child, but even she had to bow down to the eternal spirits as no mortal could ever reach them.



The spirits, while angry and disgusted… still decided to listen to Ayana. She had been at their service for her entire life and as much as they abhorred being near Leif— because of reasons that confused Ayana— they still decided to heed her cry of help. 



They surrounded him, covering his wound in dazzling light.



Ayana stared hopefully at the glowing light as the wound that had wreathed Leif's stomach began to close. 



"Thank you… Thank you…"



She cried in felicity as the spirits had listened to her plea. Her joys knew no bounds at being able to save this poor child.



The boy's eyelids twitched as the cold and pain started to reach him. His consciousness finally returning to his tattered body.



"Oh, you poor soul." 



Ayana caressed his pained face, trying to ease the pain with her witchcraft.



"*Aarhh…*"



He slowly opened his eyes as the bright light made his head ache in agony.



"A-Ayana?" He muttered painfully as Ayana started to nod vigorously.



"Yes, little boy… It's me." 



"Where am… I?"



Leif looked around his surroundings in pain and confusion as the memories started to slowly return to him. His eyes widened and his face began to morph into a scowl as he remembered what had transpired within the wooden shack.



But as he was reminiscing the painful memories of betrayal, delivered by those he held dearest, Ayana was frozen in confusion and worry.



"Leif…"



The boy looked at her, confused by her cracked tone.



"Why are your eyes red?"