The Mergence: Book 1

Prepare The Senses

I didn't see Layla or Amelia until the morning, they were both up early. I didn't even know if they had slept. According to what Wulf had asked them, Layla and Amelia had been talking out a strategy, they new the arrival of monsters and beasts was inevitable, so instead of running we should create a fortress, one strong enough to hold back the beasts for as long as we needed until we could strike back.

Layla had called us all to the campfire, which had become a mutual meeting point for important discussions such as this one
"There are beasts heading this way" she said, Amelia followed "they've triggered the traps I laid on my journey to find you, we need to reinforce the defences around this camp, if we want to survive"
Codrin, Wulf and I all looked at each other with a confused and scared expression.
"What do you suggests?" Codrin asked after a moment of silence
"Noah! Son of Odin!" Amelia then shouted. I stared at her with a confused expression, why did she mention me by name, what would I know, or how could I even help.
"Layla told me you were made aware of the first attack due to a vision" she continued
I thought b back to that moment, it all felt too real yet still like a dream all at the same time. I didn't know how the vision came about, only that I knew danger was afoot
"Yes. But I didn't know how it happened... it just, did" I answered
Amelia pondered my answer then sent a look towards Layla. Layla seem to understand the silent message and spoke for Amelia
"Odin has a strong connection to you, and you to him. He sent you the vision, he wanted to warn you. Try and reach out to him again"
I didn't understand, a strong connection to Odin, I'd never met him. I only need of him from old mythology books and the few times he seemed to have appeared in my dreams. On the contrary, the idea made sense, the idea of having a close connection with a god such as Odin could answer a lot of questions, the visions being one. And the random strength I had acquired to be another.
"Even if that's true... how would I even do that?" I asked
Before Layla could answer Codrin spoke "you could give them an offering of sorts, something that the gods would be pleased by, it's either that or you pray to them in the Gods hut" he pointed to the same hit I was in prior, and the previous camp.
When I thought of the last time I was in there and called out to Odin, that was when I saw the vision, I was woken up by Wulf making me drink water.
"I'll give it a go" I shrugged heading towards the hut
"Wait! I'll come with you... you might need to assistance with the whole praying thing" Layla said, stepping in front of me, I smiled and allowed her to follow me to the hut however she was stopped in her tracks by Amelia
"You can't help him worship, Odin will not be present if there is another with his child"
Layla let out a deep sigh "but the Gods aren't always faithful to their children so they may need extra worshippers" she argued
"And is it Odin you intend to worship to?" Amelia questioned, Layla didn't fight back. She looked to her feet and mumbled a quick 'fine' before leaving to go to her own hut.

Just before I entered Amelia put her hand on my shoulder and stared sternly into my eyes "if you receive a vision, try and remember every detail. No matter how gruesome they may be. We need to know what we're fighting so we can prepare, whilst you're in there the rest of us will set up the basics" she stated and gave me a smile of what I assumed was assurance and I nodded and stepped inside.

It was exactly the same although maybe a bit brighter due to the more sun that was shone through the open window
I kneeled down within the circle and the candlesticks light themselves, I was slightly taken aback by it but it wasn't the strangest thing I'd seen this week. I once again closed my eyes and put my hands together
"Odin?" I said, there was no response, no feeling. So I continued "my friends think there's an attack coming, and I was hoping you could help me out with how to protect them" I felt so stupid. I probably looked ridiculous but there was a sudden gush of wind that blew into my hair then I felt something touch the top of my head.
My eyes widened and as I opened my eyes, stood before me was the same man I'd seen in my dreams. Odin.

"Why hello there my boy" He smiled, his voice was deep. Yet so warm.
"Odin?" I asked
He nodded "don't recognise you're dear Ol' dad?"
"Why is this happening?" I practically cried, I felt tears I didn't know were building up fall down my cheeks
"The evil titans and giants of the ancient times are heartless and cruel things, they are jealous of the power and privilege us Gods have. But they don't have the strength to take us on" he sighed then placed a hand on my shoulder "so he goes after our kids instead" I could hear a small amount of rage in his voice and it immediately made me petrified, I couldn't imagine angering a god.
"But today... there are creatures coming. Ho-How to I stop them? What are they? How can I hel-" although Odin cut me off by laughing
"My boy... you have the power to defeat them, you're mother saw mother to that" he winked then vanished, although stood in his place was a single feather, that was slightly burning.

I left the hut soon after and was immediately greeted by Layla. "How was it? Did you get a vision? What are we up against? Did you speak to Odin!" She asked her questions becoming progressively louder and exaggerated by her hand expressions.

"I went fine, I didn't get a vision I simply just... spoke to Odin himself" I smiled at the idea that he came to talk to me, calling me 'his boy' sent a wave of warmth all across my body

"You spoke to you're dad! She exasperated
"Yeah" I answered
"Did he tell you what we were up against" Layla asked, her tone became slightly more frustrated
"He didn't tell me, but he left this" I told her and handed her the feather which seemed to be more on fire than it was when inside the hut
"We'll need to show Wulf, he's the nature guy" Layla muttered then rushed off to find him, I could barely keep up with her but my legs stayed strong.

When we reached Wulf and told him what happened, he instantly took the lead and sniffed at it, careful not to set fire to himself "it's a feather of Bennu" he stated, I looked at him in confusion. "It's often seen as an Egyptian god similar to a phoenix, constantly raging with fire and life, everlasting til the end of time"

We stared at Wulf for a moment "what else happened in the hut?" He asked
"He said I already had the power to beat it, because of my mother" I replied. Both Wulf and Layla stared at me, stating completely still
"Well?" Layla shouted
"Well what?" I replied
"Whose your mother!" Wulf yelled, at the same level as Layla
"I don't know, he didn't say" I answered. They both have a grunt of annoyance.

The  annoyance quickly dissipated when Amelia came to us, she had multiple shields and swords, and handed a shield to me and a shield with a sword to Wulf.
"I understand you have your own battle sword, claimed fro m the spoils of victory" she smiled, I nodded feeling the blade next to my leg within its hilt.
"We're coming up against Bennu" Wulf told her
Amelia pondered her options
"A difficult foe, it will be a tasty victory, how did Odin tell you to defeat it?" Amelia asked
"He didn't" I stated plainly
Amelia once again contemplated her thoughts
"A challenge this is then. A way to prove to the Gods and our parents we are worthy of their gifts" she beamed.

However any smile anyone had would've vanished when we saw the shadow of a beast on the ground, and the fire of a God in the sky.