"Don't challenge me, kid!" Kjell replied, quickly holding one of the two chains.

"You're the one who chose not to fight me... if you wanted so much to show your 'superiority' you should have made the most of that opportunity" Replied Dag, standing still with his hands in his pockets and the same smile printed on his face.

A second before Kjell could shoot at him in a raptus of madness, Sander's enormous body appeared before him, placing his hand on his chest and holding him still.

"All our warriors are watching you. Better if you hold your tongue, my friend, you're not looking good" the Master Of Defense whispered in his colleague's ear, who in a stinging gesture pushed him and returned to his seat, snorting at the nervousness and without saying anything else.

"Try to stay calm, Dag. You know Master Kjell... there are times when he doesn't talk, other moments when he can't hold back. I apologize for him, but you can imagine why he was so aggressive" Sander said, turning to Dag and continuing to look at Kjell out of the corner of his eye, ready to intervene again if he got up from his bench.

"Accepting new things is never easy, Master Sander. All this reminds me of my childhood when I arrived on Skjold. Until then I had grown up with the belief that things were going as they were to go and that the presence and dominance of the Xis on Earth was normal. But unfortunately, in order to really grow, one must renounce one's beliefs, abandoning on the unknown... and sometimes that's what scares" Dag said, who hadn't actually lost his temper for a second and kept talking confidently that Kjell would listen to him.

"Why did you say what you said, then? What made you think of this question of 'pa.s.sages to other kingdoms'?" Gridd asked, trying to understand the origin of his brother's reasoning.

"Reidar's question made me think. Actually, I was something I'd already thought about, but it was just a pa.s.sing curiosity. Instead, it could be much more... Krypstorm's perennial ice... why are they perennial? We are not at the poles of the planet, the solar heat is evenly distributed that way. There has to be another explanation" Dag continued, looking out to the sea.

"And you think we'll be able to figure out what it is, Captain? Finding a way to move between the 9 kingdoms could change our lives forever! We might even meet Odin, Thor, Freya, and all the other G.o.ds!" Reidar exclaimed, excited. 

Those words caught the attention of soldiers who were listening to the conversation from afar, in that place where the only background noise was that of the sea.

"I hope so, my friend... I really hope so! But if it is as we are a.s.suming, Asgard would not be the only kingdom communicating with ours..." Dag continued, thinking aloud.

"Alfheim, Helheim, Muspellsheim, and the others..." Sander commented, in a worried tone, conveying his fear to everyone else.

"You know better than I do that the G.o.ds are not all benevolent... think of the Jotunns and what they did. If their power comes from the ice giants, it follows that they are evil creatures, from which it is better to stay away. Or think of Lies Of Loki. Needless to tell you why they are evil" Dag replied, continuing Sander's speech. 

"How can all this be related to your weapon? Let's remember that the real reason that drove those warriors so far from their home is your axe, Dag. They are interested in its power more than anything else and this is justified by its divine origin! We absolutely have to find out why!" Freydis interrupted, looking into her man's eyes.

The two rows of soldiers began to row again when the wind diminished its power, as did the tireless helmsmen, who stood still, allowing the boat to always travel in the same direction. 

The Iron Emerald was now in the middle of the Great Deep Sea: around it, in every direction, there was nothing but water and darkness and this thing would make the journey uncertain until it would have finally reached its destination.

The perplexity and fear of the warriors were palpable, as were those of the Masters, which, despite being pumped, could not hold back their doubts and fears, but tried not to pa.s.s them on to the entire crew, which depended on their choices.

Freydis, under Dag's advice, lay down on the bench where they had sat before, while he sat next to Thalos, who had never stood up after departure. 

He began to caress him on the back and as soon as the wolf felt physical contact with his master, he placed his head on his legs, relaxing and falling asleep, breathing deeply.

Dag laid his back to the mainmast and slowly closed his eyes, giving himself some well-deserved rest.

...

The sea breeze stroked his face and the sound of the sea made his awakening sweet and quiet, despite the uncomfortable position in which he had remained all night.

He opened his eyes and looked at the rowers, who had changed with the other soldiers so they could sleep.

Then he looked up, noting that the sky was clear and sunny, as the sunrise pa.s.sed by a few hours. 

He gently moved Thalos's head to the floor, managing not to wake him up and got up to stretch his bones and muscles.

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