"Stop, Sleipnir! Whoa, hold on!"
Loki clutched the beast's mane, his stomach turning a violent somersault. Sleipnir’s incredible speed and sharp turns left him deeply dizzy. For the first time in his life, Loki wished this fantasy world of Myst had speed limits and strict laws against reckless riding.
Instead of slowing down, the stubborn horse seemed to take his complaints as a challenge. The stone buildings of the city blurred into streaks of grey and brown. Over the next few days, Loki would learn that Sleipnir possessed a high, human-like intelligence. The creature could understand the Western human language perfectly. However, their relationship was doomed from the start. Sleipnir was a demonic beast driven by the element of death, and he found Loki’s vibrant life aura incredibly annoying.
As they raced across the massive capital, Loki kept his mind busy by thinking about the geography of his new home. The Balder Kingdom was divided into three massive territories. Their home, the Northern Sky Duchy, stretched roughly 3,000 miles across. It was a massive piece of land, about the size of the United States in his past life, covering nearly three million square miles. Far to the south lay the Cross Duchy, which matched their own land in size. If you imagined these two duchies as the top and bottom buns of a burger, the royal capital sat right in the juicy center. To the east and west of the capital lay two principalities, each ruled by one of the King’s oldest sons.
The borders of the kingdom were just as grand. To the far north rose the frozen peaks of the Infinite Sky Mountains. To the south lay the grim Undead Lands—a terrible place for a vacation unless you happened to be a necromancer or a death-knight. The volcanic Kingdom of the Dwarves guarded the western border against the Abyss Ocean. Finally, to the east lay the mysterious Great Demonic Beast Forest. Deep within that eastern sea sat two isolated island nations: the Elven Kingdom, home to the mythic World Tree, and the legendary Amazon Isles. Loki decided to completely ignore the Eastern Human Wastelands for now; they were simply too far away to matter.
Eventually, Sleipnir leaped into Sky City, the capital of the duchy. It was a sprawling metropolis home to nearly half a million people. While it didn't feel cramped, walking from one side to the other took hours. The city was split into five separate districts, each divided by massive stone walls to keep out invaders. Loki and his mother lived in the central core, an exclusive district reserved for the Duchess's estate, noble manors, and knight families.
The other four sectors of the city were managed by their own city lords, making the capital feel like five smaller towns stitched together. Two fresh rivers flowed down from the northern mountains, cutting right through the lower districts. Because the central core sat on an elevated plateau, Loki could look down and see across all four quarters of the city.
Loki’s mother owned land near the western wall of the inner city. The soil there was perfect for small farms and orchards. Thanks to the Duchess employing skilled female mages, the inner city was completely clean and free of the pollution that plagued modern Earth. Even the outer sectors were beautiful by comparison. Thanks to his late father's status, Loki and his mother owned a prime piece of property that housed both a thriving apple orchard and their main store.
Sleipnir finally slowed his frantic pace as a familiar building came into view. The horse knew the route perfectly. As it turned out, Shade frequently used the beast to run official errands for the Duchess in this very neighborhood.
The tidy stone streets and two-story buildings looked exactly like a classic European fantasy town, only far cleaner. Loki’s shop, the Otherworldly Sky Delights Bakery, sat in a golden location. It was flanked by a bustling inn on one side and the local Adventurers' Guild on the other. Years ago, Loki had begged his mother to buy this specific plot of land, knowing the surrounding businesses would guarantee a steady stream of customers. He had been entirely right. Rowdy adventurers and mercenaries regularly flooded the bakery for his special brews, and the inn bought their bread, honey, and apple wine in bulk.
Loki guided Sleipnir down the wide side alley toward the rear stables. Thanks to his unique Animal Husbandry skill—one of the few talents he had truly earned in this life rather than bringing from Earth—he knew exactly how to soothe, feed, and care for all sorts of beasts and insects. He gave the dark horse a gentle pat on the flank, filled its trough, and slipped through the back door.
The bakery was a grand, three-story building. The chilly basement cellar served as Loki’s personal distillery, where he crafted all the shop's famous liquors and wines. The second floor held the main office, inventory storage, and a cozy break room for his mother. The ground floor housed the bustling kitchen and a small dining area. Their family home and the apple orchard sat just a hundred feet behind the building, nestled safely against the inner city wall.
The delicious aroma of fresh-baked bread filled the air as the brunch rush began. Because the business was so successful, they employed seven married women and widows from the neighborhood to manage the orchard and the counter, keeping Loki and his mother from being completely overwhelmed.
"Loki! You're back," a bright voice called out.
Emma Rose smiled warmly from behind the counter. She stood at a graceful five feet, nine inches tall, with her vibrant red hair tied up in a neat bun and green eyes that perfectly matched Loki's. She looked no older than twenty-five, but she was actually sixty-two years old. While she possessed no magical power or combat aura, she carried a powerful secret: Emma was a Half-Amazon.
When Loki first discovered he was a quarter Amazon as a child, he had nearly thrown a tantrum out of shock. He only calmed down after learning that males were almost never born to Amazon women, and that his fiery red hair was a direct trait of that powerful bloodline. Amazons, much like dwarves, enjoyed incredibly long lifespans—living about half as long as elves. Loki pushed those thoughts aside as his mother took off her apron and pulled him into a tight, loving hug.
A few minutes later, they sat in the quiet second-floor office. Loki explained everything that had happened at the palace and shared his conversation with the Duchess.
"Loki, I am so sorry for keeping my meetings with Shade a secret from you," Emma said, gently patting his hands with her calloused fingers. "You always seemed so against being with her, and I was terribly worried."
"Don't worry about it, Mom," Loki replied with a warm smile. "I think I just misunderstood her. Honestly, I'm glad she kept her distance until I was mature enough to appreciate her."
Emma’s green eyes sparkled with joy. "Wonderful! Then marry that beautiful woman and give me a grandchild to spoil, haha!"
Loki could only chuckle and shake his head at his mother's sudden enthusiasm.
When they returned downstairs to the shop, an annoying, booming voice shattered the peaceful atmosphere.
"Well, damn! Look who got out of the dungeon early!"
Thorin leaned heavily against the front counter, openly flirting with one of the widowed employees.
"Thorin," Loki countered, leaning against the doorway with a smirk. "I'm honestly surprised you can even walk today after last night."
The customers and staff paused, looking confused. Thorin blinked, raising an eyebrow. "Trouble walking? Why?"
Loki's smile widened. "Well, after watching you eat that entire map last night, I figured you'd be passing paper cuts today!"
A few half-drunk mercenaries chuckled, but the joke mostly fell flat. Seeing Thorin’s jaw tighten in irritation, Emma quickly stepped between the two young men.
"Little Thor, what can we do for you today?" she asked cheerfully.
Thorin absolutely detested being called "Little Thor." Emma also highly disapproved of his womanizing ways, especially since he had recently gotten one of their former bakery girls pregnant, forcing her to quit and marry him.
"Auntie, I'm here for a keg of Apple Mead," Thorin said, clearing his throat. "Do you have any left in stock?"
Loki's Apple Mead was a brilliant blend of fermented apple juice and rich honey. It was incredibly potent and a favorite among the local mercenaries and knights.
"We have some," Loki spoke up, crossing his arms. "But if you're going to ask to put it on your tab, you can forget it. You're deploying in two months and you still haven't paid off your old debt."
Seeing the widow he was flirting with look at him with sudden disappointment, Thorin quickly reached into his pocket. With a smug grin, he pulled a handful of gold coins out of a sleek silver ring on his finger. It was a Space Ring given to him by Duchess Sky, but Loki immediately noticed it looked very different from his own. Thorin’s ring was a plain, polished silver, while Loki’s was a brilliant gold inlaid with small, glowing blue gems.
"Hey Thorin, how much storage space does that ring actually have?" Loki asked curiously.
Thorin rubbed the silver band against his shirt, practically glowing with pride. "It holds a ton. Three whole cubic feet! Impressive, right?"
Space Rings were incredibly rare and expensive symbols of high noble status. The magic used to create them had been brought over from the mystical Immortal Cultivators in the Eastern Wastelands centuries ago.
Loki's breath caught in his throat. He had to force his face to remain completely blank. His own gold ring held ten cubic feet of items.
Noticing Loki's stunned silence, Thorin mistook it for pure jealousy. He patted Loki's shoulder patronizingly. "Hey, don't worry about it, little brother.
When I rank up and get a better one, I'll make sure to give you this one."
Loki simply nodded, keeping his hands tucked away so Thorin wouldn't catch a glimpse of the luxurious artifact on his own finger.
As Loki helped Thorin tie the heavy mead keg to his horse in the alley, a calm, steady voice echoed right behind them.
"Loki. I hope I am not interrupting by coming without warning?"
Neither of them had heard her approach. She had simply teleported directly into the alley.
Loki’s heart did a strange flutter. Looking at her striking features, a warm smile naturally formed on his face. "Shade. You are always welcome here. Let me just finish up with this idiot, and we can talk, okay?"
Shade gave a serious, firm nod. Meanwhile, Thorin was silently cursing Loki's incredible luck. He couldn't understand how a guy who never even tried to flirt had managed to secure a stunning, incredibly powerful high-ranking fiancée.
Loki felt a sudden wave of complicated emotions. He felt a strange guilt because he was suddenly developing genuine feelings for a woman he had barely known a few hours ago. He realized he needed to treat her much better. He didn't know that Shade had actually rushed over out of pure insecurity, terrified that the Duchess might have ordered Loki to break off their engagement. Even the strongest, most successful women could feel deeply vulnerable when it came to love. If Loki had known just how anxious she truly was, he would have hugged her right then and there.
Instead, Loki finished tightening the ropes, turned back to Shade, and pointed toward the house in the orchard.
"I'm all done with my brother," Loki said softly, his eyes locking onto hers. "Let's go home, Shade."
Thorin nearly tripped over his own boots in shock. Shade's pale cheeks flushed a beautiful, rare shade of pink. Loki realized a second too late that his words sounded incredibly intimate, but Shade didn't mind at all. She stepped forward, eagerly wrapping both of her hands around his left arm.
"Let us go home, then," she said, her voice flat but her eyes shining. "After all, I know the way quite well."
With a slightly nervous but happy smile, Loki led Shade toward the back gates, leaving a completely stunned, stone-faced Thorin standing alone in the dirt. As they walked side by side, Shade Winter's icy, elegant charm sent a powerful thrill straight through his heart.
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