There were very few things that could have swayed Himchan’s attention from his brother when the group arrived at their destination, but the room they ended up in made him pause and stare in reluctant fascination.  “What is this place?” he breathed as he felt power hum around him, completely contained and yet stored in abundance.  The crippled wings finally fell away at his command, leaving him with only his armor, and he stared at the arcane equipment which lined the walls.

                Dara smirked from her vantage point as she took in the party’s wonderstruck expressions and nodded to herself, “You’re in my tower.”

                “You’re joking…” Youngjae gasped, eyes nearly bugging out of his head.  It was obvious he wanted to touch and inspect everything but wary glances at the other mage kept him where he was.

                Zelo on the other hand, looked completely overwhelmed and baffled.  He appeared rather pitiful as well with his bloodstained armor and the dark red fluid crusting on his face.  “This is…”

                “Not something you should have been able to do,” Himchan frowned at the self-satisfied mage.  He spied various tomes dealing with powerful magics lying open and closed on the many surfaces of this first room.  All manner of crystals: storing, scrying, focusing, elemental, and such, were present, as well as sketches for glyphs and seals for a great many of them.  The warding spells were extensive and with some thought, he realized this was why they hadn’t been able to sense it before.  “Mortals were not meant to have such power,” he explained, letting his hand drift through the air as he practically felt the energy present.

                “Says who?  The gods?” she asked irreverently with a roll of her eyes.  “Greedy, old, self-righteous bastards,” Dara grumbled, wandering closer to Youngjae who eyed her uncertainly.  She paid him no mind as her gaze was fixed upon the place where Daehyun’s soul had been crystallized and stored.  “Even their power couldn’t keep me out though,” she laughed in satisfaction.

                “Eh?” Youngjae blinked, pressing his hand over Daehyun’s crystal defensively as he took a step back.

                Dara finally looked up to meet his gaze and flashed him a winning grin, “Yes.  One of them sealed my tower to try and keep me out.  It doesn’t work so well when there is more than one way to get in that has nothing to do with the front entrance,” she winked.

                “So once you got inside, it was easy enough to take the barrier down then wasn’t it?” Himchan asked, pulling himself together with some difficulty.  His gaze flickered to Youngjae as well but there was nothing save concern in his eyes when he tried to feel his brother.

                “Take it down?” Dara snorted derisively.  “Of course not.  That would alert everyone I was back.  It’s much more useful being in place as it is, so long as I can get around it,” she laughed, bouncing on her feet.

                “Why did you bring us here?” Zelo interjected in a hushed voice, still looking around with wide eyes, though his gaze settled on the hallway that led further into the structure where a soft, blue glow gently lit the interior.

                Dara moved closer to the warrior, dwarfed by his height, and patted his arm in a friendly manner, “To save Daehyun of course.”

                “Is he not safe now?” Himchan asked immediately, stepping closer to the female mage as fear struck anew.

                “He’s stable… for now,” Youngjae explained, withdrawing the crystal which floated in the palm of his hand, lazily spinning in circles on an invisible axis.

                “As I mentioned before, it is but a temporary fix,” Dara sighed as she waved them after her while she headed for the back where the glowing blue light was coming from.  “Don’t touch anything in the next room.  You’ll undoubtedly break something,” she grumbled with a roll of her eyes.

                Dark eyes narrowed, Himchan watched her lead the way and allowed Youngjae and Zelo to go before him while he stayed back and took another sweeping look of the interior.  Dara was an accomplished mage indeed, apparently obsessed with powerful magic and knowledge no mortal should have been able to decipher.  How had she been able to understand some of these texts?  His curiosity had to wait though for he had more immediate concerns: such as saving his brother’s existence.

                He was not prepared for the contents of the next room however, and stopped in the entranceway, jaw hanging open in horrified fascination.  “What is this?!” he growled in growing horror as he was met with an entire wall of glowing blue tubes, each one filled with a full-sized approximation of… Daehyun.  The details weren’t quite right with his features being slightly off, the details in his face too narrow and fine, but his build and physical characteristics were as they should be.

                “Homunculi,” she answered matter of factly, wandering by the wall to check their stability with a wave of her hand.

                “You’ve gone mad,” Youngjae murmured, clutching the crystal close as he stared around the room too.

                Once more, Zelo was completely lost and he shuffled closer to Youngjae, tugging on his sleeve while he asked, “What’s a homunculi?”

                “A homunculus is a thing of false life,” Himchan growled, placing a hand on the glass of the nearest container, his face a mask of displeasure.  “A mere vessel for power and you have made them into mockeries of my brother!” he snapped, metal grating over glass so that his fingertips scratched the surface.

                “You make it sound like it’s such a bad thing,” Dara huffed before she leaned against the glass of the homunculus nearest her, almost petting the surface.

                “Get your hands off him!” Himchan snarled, launching himself at Dara with fury in his gaze as he summoned his scythe immediately.

                “Yah!” she yelped, shoving herself away, but both were just as surprised when Youngjae jumped between them, holding his hands in front of his person to stall the angry Valkyr.

                “Wait!” he cried, cringing when Himchan nearly ran into him, seething glare focused directly on the shaking mage.  Beside the trio, Zelo stood frozen with wide eyes, completely out of his realm.

                “Move!” Himchan barked, shifting his scythe so that the head rested near his feet, ready to be swung at a moment’s notice.

                Youngjae cringed at the order but lifted his gaze to meet Himchan’s, blinking rapidly.  “I hate to agree with Dara right now, but a homunculus is the best chance we have of stabilizing Daehyun until we can find him a proper body,” he murmured, trembling where he stood as the Valkyr radiated furious energy.

                He flinched when Dara came up behind him and rested her chin on his shoulder, effectively using him as a shield while she spoke to Himchan again.  “Every moment we waste arguing here, the more your brother’s soul degenerates.  The homunculi are based on the low born bodies of elves and will hold his power just fine until such time that we can obtain a better suited vessel.”

                Himchan’s anger shifted back to the female mage and he scowled, “Is that how you have gained your knowledge, wench?”

                “What is it with men and calling women wenches?” Dara exhaled in irritation.  “Does it matter?!  You either want to help your brother or you don’t,” she reminded him with a narrowed gaze, holding onto Youngjae from behind so he couldn’t slip free, though he tried to sidestep out of the way.

                “Is that the only way?” Zelo asked, finally moving closer to inspect the tubes himself, brows furrowed in concern.

                All three of them looked at each other and Himchan finally clenched his fist around the shaft of his weapon, banishing it back to his person with a muted growl.  Dara stepped away from Youngjae in satisfaction and he sighed in relief, knees nearly buckling under him.  “So far as we know,” he explained quietly, withdrawing Daehyun’s crystal again to peer at it, sparkling motes of light trapped within the interior.

                “Come on then, JaeJae,” Dara smiled and waved at him, drawing his attention to one of the last tubes.  It was a homunculus that favored Daehyun the most, though the features were somewhat feminine with slightly longer ears and a narrower face.  “This one used to be a female elf but I finally had a chance to modify the appearance to look like Daehyun more.  The changes aren’t finalized but when we merge his soul with it, the form should take care of itself,” she explained, gesturing at the tube to drain it of the stasis fluid.

                “Do they know that you have done this?” Youngjae asked of the female mage when he stepped close, watching her actions with a critical eye.

                “Of course not,” she scoffed, pressing her hand to the glass where a line appeared, allowing her to open the front and expose the homunculus to them.  It was hanging from a single support attached to the upper interior so that it didn’t crumple where it stood.  “Come on then Valkyr,” she waved at Himchan to give them a hand.

                Himchan simply glared at her with his fists clenched at his side.  “I’ll do it,” Zelo offered, not looking at the Valkyr as he stepped past him towards the homunculus.  He carefully reached in, flinching when his fingers brushed against the damp but entirely human-like skin, and made sure the support was released before he tried to move him.  His eyes focused on the apparently sleeping face of the figure within and took a steadying breath as he lifted the surprisingly light figure out of the tube.  It was an awkward hold until he stepped back and adjusted to a bridal style carry with the unclothed but otherwise genderless figure cradled close to his chest.

                “Over here,” Dara urged, ushering them to a large, clean table nearby.  It was solid wood, sealed with a hard but clear substance to prevent it from staining, and cool to the touch.

                It was obviously not a preparation table since those present were currently already covered with far too many potions and ingredients to name.  “Have you done this before?” Himchan finally asked, edging closer though he kept a set distance between himself and Zelo as well as Dara.

                “No, but we know how it works in theory,” she explained with a nod towards Youngjae, completely unphased by the question and confident in her own ability.

                “We can do this,” he agreed with her hastily, shifting closer to Zelo as the taller male laid out the body of the homunculus on the table.  “Move back, Zelo,” he urged when the figure was in place.  Dara moved into position on the other side, watching him with a satisfied smile, and Youngjae withdrew the crystal again, motioning for it to move into place above the body as it floated between them.

                Unable to look away, Himchan edged closer to the tall warrior and bit his bottom lip with concern.  This was his brother’s soul they were playing with, storing it in the lesser body of this… ersion.  It was hard to watch and yet, it was the only hope he had for he could do nothing to save him on his own.  He didn’t know how.  All his hopes for Daehyun’s salvation rested with these two mages: one who was obsessed with his brother and knew far more than she should ever be capable of learning, and the other was his former Einherjar who refused to listen to him in this lifetime…  It was vexing to say the least.

                Youngjae and Dara began speaking together, the words understandable to the Valkyr, though they had little significance to him; he was not a caster after all.  Power hummed around the room as the mages mirrored each other, arms rising in apparent supplication to the crystal.  The body of the homunculus started to glow as the crystal did, slowly rising from the table to hover behind the spinning object.

                Their voices rose in strength and the light around both floating vessels became brighter as they began to merge with each other.  White and blue luminescence flared between them, pulsing once in a blinding display that completely hid the two from sight and Himchan gasped despite himself.

                When his eyes cleared, he saw just the one vessel: Daehyun’s body floating in the air.  Slowly, the figure descended to the table, landing on his feet first before going to his knees, eyes still closed.  He slumped over his legs when the power of the spell released him and both Youngjae and Dara stepped back with a gasp, trying to collect themselves from the power drain needed to complete the casting.

                “Daehyun?” Himchan asked in a breathless whisper, removing his gauntlet before he reached out to pick up the homunculus’s chin with his bare fingers.

                For a moment, the figure was unresponsive and then he opened his eyes, dark brown orbs staring back at Himchan as he took one shallow breath after another.  He blinked but said nothing and when the Valkyr looked again, he saw only emptiness within.  There was no recognition and no spark of his brother at all present.

                “It didn’t work,” he gasped, feeling both despair and bitter anger welling from within as he turned to glare at the mages.

                “He’s alive isn’t he?” Dara mumbled, irritated by his lack of gratitude.

                “That is not my brother!” Himchan snapped, pointing at the unresponsive thing on the table.  It looked like Daehyun in every way but it was not him, staring blankly ahead as he continued to breathe but that was all.

                “Not yet,” Youngjae admitted, moving closer to inspect their handiwork.  Daehyun didn’t even track his progress, little more than a living doll.  “Everything about Daehyun is still sealed inside but with life, his deterioration has been halted.  We need a better, more fitting vessel to hold the power of the Valkyr though.  A normal mortal won’t work and the half-elf… thing we have here isn’t enough either.”

                “But there are no other Valkyrs,” Zelo shook his head.  “What other body could you use for such a purpose but that of what he is?”

                “I suppose we could make do with a high elf body,” Dara shrugged with a thoughtful look at Himchan.

                Youngjae grumbled at the suggestion though.  “They’re only long lived and not half as powerful as a Valkyr.  Not to mention you’d start a war if you were to kill one and they certainly won’t let you take their dead,” he muttered with a disdainful glance at the homunculi again.  “Well.  Not one of any decent standing…”

                “Quiet, both of you,” Himchan snapped as he tried to think of an acceptable solution.  He couldn’t even believe he was considering what he was about to say but another glance at the thing that was meant to be his brother nearly broke his heart.  In the heavy silence, he raised his hand to Daehyun’s cheek, letting his still bare fingers trace over the warm skin.  The homunculus didn’t even react and Himchan clenched his jaw as he retracted his hand.  He had to do something…  “What sort of condition does the body need to be in?” he asked, raising his eyes to look at Youngjae instead of Dara.

                She answered anyway.  “Relatively whole at least.”

                “Do you have something in mind?” Youngjae asked curiously.

                “Would the transformed body of a slain god work?” he whispered uncertainly, feeling nauseous at offering even that tidbit of information.

                “Eh?” Youngjae and Zelo asked, completely confused.

                “I’d imagine,” Dara nodded thoughtfully, tapping her bottom lip with her finger.  She looked at Youngjae and snapped her fingers to get his attention.  “With a reverse transformation spell and a restoration casting, we should be able to work with that, right?”

                Youngjae frowned in thought as he considered it and nodded once, hesitant in his agreement.  “We wouldn’t have power enough to do it alone though,” he added to Himchan and Zelo’s disappointment.

                “We can worry about that later.  Right now, we simply need to see if we can get the body at all,” Dara reminded him.  “So?” she asked, looking straight at the Valkyr.

                Himchan worked his jaw in irritation but finally took a deep breath and explained, “If we are to retrieve it, we must go back to Asgard.  And I do not know if the Bifrost will be open given the state of things on their side.  Nor will Heimdall be inclined to let us pass if it is.”

                “We have to try though, don’t we?” Zelo asked in a hopeful tone, looking between the three before him.

                The Valkyr closed his eyes as if his head hurt.  There was really no other answer to the question but he couldn’t believe he was going to actually go against the gods to try and get his brother back.  “I must be going mad,” he sighed with a shake of his head.  At least if he made it back though, he might well be able to check on Jongup.  There had been no time to make sure he was alright when Daehyun destroyed himself and he didn’t know how he was either.

                “We’re all mad depending on how you look at it,” Dara laughed as she clapped her hands giddily.  “This is so exciting!  We get to go to Asgard!” she squealed, bouncing in place.

                Himchan simply glared at her in annoyance before he focused on Youngjae and Zelo.  “Einherjar.  To me!”

                They both just looked at him.  “No,” Youngjae stated as he wagged his finger at the Valkyr while Zelo just shook his head.

                “Ugh!” the Valkyr groaned, further aggravated.

                “We can fly with you just fine,” Dara reminded him as she patted her scepter.

                “I can’t,” Zelo frowned with a look over his shoulder at his claymore.

                “Then he can carry you,” she improvised, pointing at Himchan whose eye twitched in response to her suggestion.

                Himchan was silent for a few heartbeats more before he grumbled, “Fine.”

                “Alright!” Dara chirped, waving them all close while she started to gather power around them.  “Time to get out of here then!”

                “What about Daehyun?” Youngjae asked, pointing back at the homunculus.

                “He’ll be fine,” she waved off his concern.  “It’s not like he’ll go anywhere in the meantime and no one else can get in here,” she promised nonchalantly before she broke off to cast her spell.

                With another sickening twist in his stomach, Himchan was wrapped up in the power of Dara’s teleportation spell and yanked along with the other three.  This was absolutely ludicrous.  With war on the horizon between the gods and the Jottuns, he was going to try and do the unthinkable: steal the body of a dead god to revive his brother.  And what was he going to do after that?  He had no bloody idea…

(a/n: Yes!  I love being able to get decent, timely updates out!  Makes me happy.  XD  I had a vague idea of what I was going to do with this part but it's starting to come together nicely.  Don't worry.  We'll be jumping back to Jongup before too long and I may get us to take a peek at the war with our other Einherjar before too long.  We haven't seen much of them and the other gods lately so let's play things by ear.  Any suggestions on what you would like to see?  I'm definitely listening.  ^_^

In the meantime, I hope you have enjoyed the latest update and that you'll look forward to the next.  Thank you and happy reading!)