Deep Breaths

2/8/975 AD

"W-woah, you really are strong Asger," I muttered as I my head slammed back onto my neck, sewing itself into place.

"And, you're weak.  So, pick up your sword for round 2," Asger responded in a monotone voice, still in his battle pose.

"Sure," I bent down and wrapped my hand around my sword's handle.  Lifting my sword up, I took a step towards Asger, bringing my sword down upon him.  A loud clang resounded throughout the clearing as our swords collided.  The terrible screeching of metal sliding against metal filled my ears as we pressed our swords together in a fight for dominance.  "Weak," Asger sighed as his leg swung out, knocking me off balance.

"Hey' that's not fa-" I was cut off as Asger's sword sunk into my heart.

"It is fair.  The strong kill the weak," Asger responded as he flicked his blade out of my chest.  "I would've thought a god like you would be stronger than this," Asger murmured, evidently disappointed by my poor display of swordsmanship.

"I-I am strong!" I roared, swinging my sword blindly at him the moment my heart had reformed itself.

"You really aren't getting anywhere with this," Asger sighed as he calmly sliced his sword through my wrist, cutting my hand right off my arm.  "You're too blinded by anger, Aslerta.  If your vision is always hidden beneath a veil of hatred and anger, you'll never win.  You've got to have a clear vision; stay calm," Asger explained as his sword tore down through my torso, slicing my lungs right in half, killing me instantly. 

I thought about Asger's words deeply as my mind was transported to the death realm.  I looked around and yet again, my eyes were met with almost pure darkness.  Only, this time, I could see two white dots glistening far out in the distance.  "W-what are those?" I asked curiously as I tried floating towards them.  But no matter how much I tried to move, I didn't seem to be getting anywhere.  Then, just as fast as they'd appeared, their lights dimmed, snuffed out of existence.  And, once again, the realm was nought but black.  "What were those?" I muttered as I felt the warm golden light flood over me from above.  Colour seeped back into my vision as the darkness cleared, revealing Asger, already poised to fight.  "Here's your sword," Asger gently tossed my blade, handle first at me.  "Now, again!" Asger commanded, taking a step towards me.

"Mhm," I muttered absent-mindedly.  Asger took a swing but stopped the moment it grazed my neck "What's on your mind?"

"What?  Oh, it's nothing!" pulled from my thoughts, flustered, I responded.

"It isn't nothing.  Tell me," Asger allowed his curiosity to take the reins of his mind, but his sword was still held firmly against my neck, ready for any movements.

"You wouldn't get it," my eyes narrowed as my neck squirmed around uncomfortably in this awkward position.

"So, this has to do with that 'death realm', doesn't it?" Asger asked, once again knowing the correct answer.  It was like he was mind reading or something.

"Yes, yes it is," I sighed, still amazed by Asger's intuition.

"So, what did you see?" Asger smiled as he asked eagerly, like a young child.

"I saw white in the darkness," I responded, my mind tinkering in the background.

"You saw white?  What's so interesting about that?" Asger asked curiously, his eyes shining with curiosity.

"Well, normally, it is just a pure black expanse that stretches infinitely in every direction.  But, this time, two white dots appeared before disappearing just as fast," I explained, stroking my chin thoughtfully - I had grown a bit more of a beard now; it was a light layer of hair.

"I see.  Then, perhaps there's more to that realm than you realise.  Maybe it's more than just 'death', or perhaps, it's less." Asger spoke wisely.

"Hmm," my eyes widened as I realised something, "These white dots only started appearing after my parents died.  Before then, I had never seen such a phenomenon.  C-could that be it?"

"Are you sure?  Your parents died over a month ago, so how come the white dots didn't appear back then?" Asger countered, his gaze still fixed on me, prepared for any sneak attacks.

"I-I'm not sure.  Well, then, I believe that's enough of that," I muttered, staring darkly at Asger's blade on my neck.  "I think I have figured out what you meant earlier," I began taking deep breaths before turning my serious gaze upon Asger.  Asger smiled, taking a step back, bringing his sword up into a guard pose.  I dashed at him, my mind completely focused on Asger.  I brought my blade down upon Asger, who quickly deflected with his sword.  Asger followed the deflection with an upwards arc of his blade, that sliced through the upper layers of my chest, leaving a thin cut.  Blood slowly trickled down my chest, staining my body red.  Ignoring the pain, I dashed to the left, then back to the right, then to the left.  I dashed from side to side as fast as I could.  Asger's eyes darted everywhere, trying to figure out where I would attack from.  Then, I noticed a victorious smirk spread across Asger's lips.  'Does he really think he can beat this?' I thought confidently as I darted from side to side in front of him.  My eyes quickly picked up his movement as he stuck his sword out in front of him.  'Pfft, how is that even an attack?' I thought cockily until I dashed back to the right.  As my body moved to the side, it met with the blade, moving cleanly through my torso.  My body was split in two by Asger's steady, unmoving blade.  "It's not just calm that you need.  You need strategy too," Asger smiled as my consciousness faded away.

I watched the world around me get pulled apart viciously by an unseen force as my mind whirled around through the air.  My mind came to a stop as I fell back down into a pit of pure black.  I looked around desperately, searching for something.  It wasn't long before my eyes fell upon what I was looking for.  I saw the two bright white dots, far out in the distance, shining with a beautiful calm.  I just wanted to reach out and touch them, but they were too far away.  They were out of reach...  "Reach?  Is that it?  If I can't move then, shouldn't I just expand my reach?" I muttered aloud excitedly, but there was one thing, how would I expand my reach?  I sighed as I felt the gentle, calming warmth of the revival light shine down upon me.  The darkness faded away, replaced by the colourful world of Earth as my mind was placed back in my self repairing body.

3/8/975 AD

For the rest of yesterday, Asger and I battled and battled.  Out of 100 bouts, I won 0 times, Asger won 100.  That shows great lengths of how far behind I am in terms of combat skill.

I awoke at the crack of dawn, inside of a small tent along the shoreline of the village we had raided the day before.  We were to stay here for another day or so, to get some rest before our next raid.  Asger, hearing my stir, got out of his tent and walked over to mine, peaking his head inside.  He was still my guard so, he couldn't be too far away from me, else, I could escape; not that I was planning to.  "Well, good morning young fledgling," Asger nodded at me before pulling his head back out of my tent.

"Good morning, Asger," I responded as I took a step out of my tent into the cold sea breeze.  I could taste the salt in the air as a gentle wind blew across the sea, towards us.  I turned to face Asger.  He was tall enough that I had to look up to see his face.  His face was rigid as his deep green eyes stared off into the distance.  His light brown hair that reached down to his shoulders waved about in the breeze as looked out across the ocean.  "Well, then, Aslerta.  Shall we go for a morning stroll?" Asger asked calmly, his green eyes locked onto me.  Nodding, I stepped into a light walk.  We walked quietly through the tents of sleeping Viking men.  As we walked, my mind tinkered away at what I'd realised about the death realm yesterday.  'How could I expand my reach?  How do I reach out to those white orbs?' I thought, raking my mind for any possible answers.  'Is it power?  Is it the years I've lived?  What expands my reach in that realm?  Does anything?' my mind asked question after question, but provided no answers as I walked in silence beside Asger.  "You're thinking rather hard there, Aslerta," Asger observed in a cool voice.

"Hmm, yes.  How could you tell?" I asked as my mind was pulled back to the present.

"Well, it's quite obvious when your thinking.  Your face shrivels up and your hand instinctively moves to your chin," Asger nodded at my hand.  My face flushed as I quickly pulled my hand away and looked back up.  "You were thinking about those white orbs in your death realm weren't you?" I nodded in response to his question.  "I don't think you'll find your answer in your mind.  Eventually, perhaps, but not now," Asger shook his head before continuing, "For now, you should be focusing on bettering your combat skills,"

"Right," I murmured as Asger and I went silent again.  The further we walked, the less and less tents there were around us until eventually, we had entered the ruins of the once thriving village we raided.  The place wreaked of blood and rotting bodies.  There was also the faint scent of smoke as light flames continued to burn amongst the rubble.  Corpses of the village's residents were strewn all across the streets, their bodies sliced in half.  It was a horrific scene but it was all apart of the daily Viking life.  I'd be seeing much more horrors like this in the near future.  "Where exactly are we going, Asger?" I asked quietly as I looked around in disgust at the village ruins.  I could feel my hatred for the Vikings slowly seeping back into my thoughts.  "To the top," Asger pointed to the top of a hill in the distance.  Atop the hill stood a massive house, which was probably where the rich people of this village used to live.  "Why the top?" I kept myself talking so my mind could be taken off my anger for the Vikings that was slowly creeping back into my brain.  "To get a view of our surroundings of course," Asger responded with a tone that said 'why else?'.

"I see," I nodded as we reached the base of the hill.  I could feel the heat of the morning sun on my back as it slowly lit everything up with it's golden light.  Long shadows stretched out ahead of Asger and I as we trekked up the steep hill.  My boots grew more damp with each step into the due covered grass of the hill.  "We're nearly there," I huffed as the peak gradually came more and more into view, the humongous mansion growing larger and larger.  It took only a few more steps before our feet landed on the grass that lay atop the hill.  I stared wide-eyed ahead of me.  "This house really is massive!" I exclaimed as I looked left and right.  The house took up almost the entirety of the hill top.  "It is quite big, isn't it," Asger agreed as he admired the house and its design.

"Let's go inside!" I beamed eagerly as I ran up to the house.  I looked up in awe; the house way above me, I could barely see the roof from where I was.  Just how rich were these people?  I burst through the door, into the house.  My jaw dropped as I looked up, there was a second floor!  "This house has a second floor?!" I exclaimed as I ran to the stairs that led up from the first floor.

"You seem so surprised.  Have you never seen a house with more than one floor?" Asger asked curiously as he followed me up the stairs.

"Never," I replied as I reached the top of the stairwell.  I looked around in awe at the second floor.  "Just one room is bigger than my old house!" I beamed as I ran in and out of rooms like an overly hyper three year old.  "So, why wasn't this house burnt to the floor?" I asked as I continued looking around each of the rooms.

"I don't know.  Perhaps Guttorm wishes to sell this land to some desperate farmer?  There's a lot of land here," Asger replied as he looked out the empty hole in the wall which was used as a window.  They had fields of crops spreading out as far as the eye could see.  "No wonder they could afford such a great house," I murmured as I stared enviously out at the fields.

***

After darting in and out of rooms for hours, I finally got bored and leapt onto one of the beds.  The bed was very lovely, much much better than any bed I'd ever had.  It was nice and soft, very comfortable indeed.  "I believe we have been here for too long, Aslerta.  The others must have begun to stir by now," Asger stated, standing by the window of the room.

"Aww, man.  I really wanted to enjoy this amazing bed some more!" I exclaimed as I rolled around comfortably in the soft bed.

"We're going.  We can't waste our day lazing around.  You have training to partake in," Asger's eyes narrowed as he pivoted on his right foot, striding out of the room.  With a grunt, I got out of the bed and followed after him.  We walked back down the stairs and out the front of the house.  Giving the glorious building one last look, I followed quickly after Asger.  "Today, we'll be testing your abilities against the others.  Let's see how much you grew yesterday," Asger explained as he moved briskly along the grass, down towards the Viking encampment.  Before long, we were passing through the dilapidated village once more.  This time, however, we were moving too fast to truly take in the sights of the poor village.  "You're walking quite fast there, Asger," I observed out loud as I followed just as quickly behind him.

"We have things to do.  You've already wasted half the day in that house.  Have you forgotten what you really wanted?" Asger asked, looking at me thoughtfully.

"Power..." I murmured, my mind slowly refocusing on the goal.

"That's right, and, until you have that, we won't be able to defeat Guttorm and free ourselves," Asger spoke with a sense of urgency.

"Why are you so determined to help me Asger?  Do you really hate Guttorm that much or is there something else?" I asked, intrigued by his strong desire to assist in my growth.

Asger's eyes looked down for a while as though he were remembering something before responding with a cold "No,"

"Are you sure?" I asked, sure that wasn't the whole story.

"Yes, now, it's training time for you.  Look, there's already some sparring going on," Asger pointed through the trees at a circle of men cheering on people fighting.  "You will join them," Asger commanded, pushing me along.

"Sure, I'd love to," I responded, grinning as I walked up to the group.  I tapped one of the men on the shoulder, "Hey, is there any way I could become a contestant?"

  "Oho?  Our own little god wants to spar?  I'm sure everyone would love to see that," the man smiled mockingly before turning back to the group and raising his voice, "Boys!  Who wants to see a god fight!"

"God?" almost every head spun around, their eyes locking on me.

"That's right!  Our Aslerta here wants to do some sparring!" his voice roared as he pushed me through the group, into the circle.  "So, who wants to fight him?!" his loud voice seared through the sound of chattering, filling everyone's ears.

"I will!" a voice from behind me boomed.  I spun around and took a look at the man.  He was definitely above average in height, his head loomed at least a head higher than the average man.  He had short black hair that covered his head and carried two massive axes.  He looked very dangerous.  "Alright!  Place your bets, boys!  Who will win?  Aslerta or Bjorn?" the commentator's voice boomed, uplifting a chorus of voices.

"I bet a gold coin on Aslerta!"

"Half a pound of silver on Bjorn!"

"A pound of silver on Aslerta!"

"Two gold coins on Aslerta!"

"Two pounds of silver on Bjorn!"

"Half a pound of silver on Aslerta!"

"Okay!  The bets are in!  Let me explain the rules of this bout first!" the voice exploded throughout the clearing, heard by all.  "So, considering this fledgling god, Aslerta, here is immortal, we will be limiting him to ONE life.  If he dies once, he loses!  So, let the fight begin!" the man waved his hand in a downwards motion, signalling for the fight to begin.  I took a few deep breaths, slowly calming my mind, remembering what Asger had told me 'Calm mind, strategic mind,'.  The man in front of me, Bjorn, grinned manically as we cautiously circled each other.  "I get to fight a god straight from Valhalla!  Let's see how strong you gods really are!" Bjorn roared as he dashed towards me, lifting one axe into the air.  I knew I couldn't block the swing, so I dashed to the side as the axe came crashing down.  The axe slammed into the floor, uplifting a storm of a dirt around us.  My mind ticked quickly, thinking of a way to defeat Bjorn when I realised he still hadn't lifted his axe yet.  I darted for the axe and shot up the handle.  But, at the end of the handle, there was no Bjorn, he was gone.  I heard a grunt from behind me and spun around.  Bjorn was there, his axe already moving towards my neck.  'He must've used the dust to get behind me!' I thought rapidly, disappointed I didn't realise sooner.

"I can't lose here," I muttered before leaping into the air right before the axe reached me.  I heard a cracking sound as his axe crashed into the handle of his old axe, snapping it in half.  "Won't be able to use that axe anymore, will ya?" I yelled mockingly as I landed quietly back on the ground.  "Shut yer trap!" Bjorn roared, swinging his axe at me blindly.

"You've gotta keep a calm mind, Bjorn.  What are you doing?" I cackled as I ducked below one of his swings.  I shot beneath the axe, getting close to him.  My sword sliced upwards, tearing a long thin gash along his stomach.  Blood dripped down slowly, staining him and his clothes red.  "What?!  How did you reach me so quickly?" Bjorn roared in confusion, as he swung his axe with even more rage.

"Too much rage.  It's so easy to read your attacks," I shot back away from his stomach, deciding to have some fun with this Bjorn.

"Shut up!" his voice boomed, swinging his axe at me, well, at where I was.  I moved swiftly all around Bjorn.  At one moment, I was in front of him, then I was behind him.  "How are you so fast?!" his voice emitted even more rage as he slowly descended into the rage filled state I was so familiar with.

"Shall I end this?" I asked coldly, tapping him on the shoulder.

"What?  How are you there?!" Bjorn spun around, giving me the perfect opportunity.  I darted around behind him, bringing my sword up along his back with great speed and precision.  He howled in pain as my blade tore through his back, unleashing a river of blood.  He fell to his knees with a loud thud before faceplanting, unconscious.  "I win," I turned to Asger, shooting him a proud grin.  Asger watched with a thoughtful expression before his lips broke into a slight smile.  "You learn fast, boy.  It was only yesterday that you would've been defeated by even the weakest Viking.  Are you sure you aren't a god?" Asger asked in a serious tone as he walked towards me.

"Aslerta has won!  Everyone who bet for Bjorn, please hand over your money!" the commentator looked around the group with a wide grin.  A flood of irritated grunts filled the air as slowly, one by one, the Bjorn followers handed over there money.  "Well now!  Who wants to fight Aslerta here next?" the man asked the crowd.  Getting no contestants, the man's voice roared mockingly "You people are so cowardly you wouldn't even fight a kid!"

"No.  I will fight him," a low voice from the back rose above the rest.  I spun around and my eyes widened when I saw who it was.  "Hey, Asger.  You think I can beat Guttorm yet?" I whispered to Asger who was beside me.

"No," he responded bluntly.  "But, I suppose you could use this opportunity to learn more about him,"

"G-Guttorm sir!  You wish to fight Aslerta?" the man asked curiously.

"Yes, and I'm sure he wants to fight me too," Guttorm nodded at my face, which was slowly shrivelling up into an expression filled with rage.  There was a strong aura of anger about me as I stared deep into Guttorm's eyes with a piercing gaze.  "Remember what I told you, Aslerta.  Stay calm," Asger gave me a pat on the shoulder, noticing my anger, before moving to join the crowd again.  I heard Asger and wanted, really wanted, to stay calm but I just couldn't.  My mind wouldn't calm down.  Memories of the Irene incident, my home village, everything, surfaced in my mind.  All of these terrible events were the outcome of this man's orders.  He was the real villain here.  "Ok, well.  Let the fight begin!" the commentator's voice boomed.

The moment I heard the voice, my body instinctively darted forward.  I ran as fast as I could, straight at Guttorm, my blade in hand.  "A bit angry there, aren't ya!" Guttorm laughed as he swung his hand out in front of him.  I felt my cheekbones crack and shatter beneath his palm as his fist slammed into my face.  I cried out in pain as I was sent face first into the floor.  "I-I can't lose!" I howled, bouncing right back onto my feet.  Blood poured down the side of my face as the bone shards dug holes in my cheek.  Ignoring the pain, I launched myself at the hunk of a man, Guttorm.  "Haha!  You think those obvious attacks are going to defeat me!" Guttorm hollered, his eyes following my every movement.  "Y-you monster!  I will kill you here and now!" my voice, full of anger and rage, exploded throughout the clearing.

"I'd like to see you try," Guttorm cackled as he sank into a defensive pose.  Like a cobra, the moment I entered his attack range, his arm shot out, his hand covering my face.  His fingers gripped the side of my head with great strength.  I could feel my bones creaking as his grip slowly tightened.  "You will die by my hand, Guttorm!  One day!" my voice, muffled by his hand screamed.

"I can't wait," Guttorm smiled, digging his fingers deeper into my head.  I felt blood spurt from my head as his fingers burrowed through the flesh.  My bones cracked and creaked beneath the pressure until eventually, they gave out.  I felt my skull implode, the bones piercing my brain, ending my life instantly.  "I win!" Guttorm roared victoriously, releasing my lifeless body.  "That's what you get for taking my hand," Guttorm waved the stub of the hand I crushed over a month ago.

I saw the world around me grow darker and darker until eventually, I'd left Earth and was in an infinite expanse of darkness.  "I love this place," I sighed in relief as I got to take a break from battle, even if it was only for a few seconds.  "Right, I wonder if the orbs are here this time," I looked around in all directions, searching for the orbs.  It wasn't long until my gaze landed upon two small white dots far, far away.  It was like looking at the night sky, only there were two stars.  "How do I get to them," I muttered as I stared longingly at the orbs.  As I stared, I felt a comforting warmth rain down on me from above.  My vision filled with a bright golden light before fading away into a great mixture of colours.  Green, brown, blue, red - all the colours filled my vision as my mind reinhabited my body.  I heard gasps of surprised men coming from all around me.  I suppose they still haven't gotten used to this ability of mine.  My gaze darted around the clearing, searching for the man who just killed me.  They swiftly found him.  Guttorm was already making his way through the throng of Vikings.  It seemed he didn't wish to stay for long.  "Hey, Guttorm!" my voice erupted from my throat, filling the ears of everyone present with my clear voice.  "Just you wait!  It won't be long before I'm strong enough to defeat you!" I yelled, my voice pure with confidence.

"Really, now?  I was barely even trying just now!  You've got a long way to go, boy," Guttorm returned, his voice just as loud, with a slight cackle before continuing on his way.

10/8/975

For the past week, Asger has been training me consistently, from dawn to dusk.  Even when were out at sea, sailing.  He seems really serious about this quest to slay Guttorm.  Well, anyway, today we are headed for a nearby village.  To raid, of course.  While my sword levels have grown, - to quite proficient levels, might I add - I still struggle with the meaningless slaughter of innocent villagers.  But, I suppose, if I think about it like this "end their suffering,", I could handle this slaughter.

***

Our ships left the beautiful, vast expanse of ocean, entering into a small bay.  Within this bay, along the shore, lay a small village.  The wind howled with encouragement as it pushed us deeper and deeper into the bay, closer and closer to the village.  I could see the doors opening and closing as people began to realise the presence of the two massive Viking ships approaching them.  Some ran, some hid.  But, none, would escape.  The Vikings roared with excitement as our boats came to a gentle halt, just off the shore.  "You ready, Aslerta?" Asger whispered from beside me as splashing noises of Vikings leaping into the water filled our ears.

"I'm ready," I declared, a confident expression covering my face.  I leapt over the side of the boat, into the icy waters of dawn.  I felt the instinctive desire to swim, but I ignored it and stormed up the beach, towards the village.  Asger swiftly following behind.  I'd learnt to regulate my speed so regular people could keep up with me.  My eyes focused on a small house along the outskirts of the village.  I pointed at the house, notifying Asger of my decision.  Asger, understanding, gave a slight nod. 

We broke out of a jog and entered a slight sprint as we neared the house.  The house grew bigger and bigger within my vision as we closed in on it.  For some reason, a wicked smile was stretching from lip to lip on my face.  I could feel a small sense of bloodlust deep within myself, quite different from my first raid.  I'd assume this bloodlust came from my time battling Vikings and Asger for the past week.  Regardless, the moment we stood before the door, my leg shot out, sending the door flying off its hinges.  I poked my head through the empty doorframe and took a look around the house.  There was a wooden table, surrounded by four chairs.  On either side of this table lay a sack, the size of a human, filled with most likely leaves of some sort.  These were probably their beds.  As my eyes fell upon the back of the house, I spotted them.  I felt my heart speed up as my bloodlust and morals clashed for dominance in my mind.  Would I kill them?  Would I not kill them?  'No.  I will 'end their suffering'' I thought to myself, as I slowly took on a calmer demeanour.  Taking a deep breath, I took my first step into the house.  Then another, and another, until I stood before the small family of four.  There was a father, a mother and two children; a young boy and a younger girl.  "Hello.  How are you three on this fine day?" my sword tore through the father's neck, his head landing in the lap of his wife.  I gently placed my free hand on the side of her face before whispering in her ear, "Don't worry, your husband is safe now,"  I pulled back and looked into her trembling, tearing eyes before I felt a rush of regret and depression overcome me.  'Is this w-what mother looked like,' I thought to myself despairingly, my eyes tearing up at the edges.  'No, I can't be seen like this,' I ordered my body to move and brought my sword cleanly through her neck.  Turning a blind eye to the children's expressions, I drove my sword through each of their hearts, ending them in mere moments.  I had successfully ended their suffering.  "That was...  An alright performance.  However, I saw you stop for a moment when you reached that woman.  You can't be stopping like that," Asger gave a rundown on what issues I had.  "But, that calm I sensed from you in the beginning...  That's what you should keep the whole way through.  If you can stay calm throughout everything you face, you will be an unstoppable force.  You must learn this skill before tackling that infinite life of yours," Asger spoke in a calm tone.

"Right.  But, how do I stay calm?  I always end up faltering when I have to kill them," I whispered regretfully.

"Just breathe deeply." he answered bluntly.

"That's it?  But, I do that," I retorted in frustration.

"Not all the time.  You cannot take a single shallow breath, you have to breathe deeply the ENTIRE time," he enunciated each word with emphasis, drilling it into my memory.

"Wha?  How?" I asked.

"It becomes a habit.  If you start now, I'm sure you'll hold onto that habit for the rest of your life," Asger answered before continuing, "Now, I challenge you to breathe deeply for the rest of the day.  If I notice you falter even ONCE, I will slay you 100 times.  Got that?"  I gave him a nervous nod which brought a bright smile out of him.  "Good!" Asger grinned as he pivoted on his left foot and made his way to the door.  "Well, then.  Next house!" he ordered as I followed him out into the open, still taking deep breaths. 

I could feel my heart rate slowing as I gave the oxygen time for it to enter my lungs and spread throughout my body.  For some odd reason, though, I felt like I could track the path of the oxygen as it entered my body.  I felt it flow from my lungs, into my heart and out through my bloodstream.  It put me in a sense of control.  Curious, I tried to push the oxygen off path.  With all my mind, I focused on my right arm.  I felt a prickly feeling on my arm.  "W-what?!" I exclaimed, looking down at my arm in a surprised sense of curiosity.  There was a slight bulge in my skin where I'd focused on.  I don't think I moved the oxygen, rather, I moved the skin!  "What was that?" Asger spun around to take a look at me with his piercing gaze.  "Did your deep breathing just falter?!  That's 100 deaths for you.  After this raid, I will be killing you 100 times, got that?" Asger declared ferociously.

"B-but, this is important!" flustered, I tried defending myself but I ended up losing the sense of control I just had as my deep breathing faded into shallow, untamed breathing.

"That's another and another and another shallow breath.  400 deaths for you." Asger spoke in an oddly calm voice.  I gulped nervously and forced myself to start taking deep breaths.  "Good, now let's see if you can keep breathing like that when facing poor innocent souls," Asger gave a manic grin as he pushed a door open, revealing the tiny, cramped interior of a peasant's house.  As I breathed in deeply, I could feel my mind and heart slow down.  I could feel my senses soar as I sank further and further into the state of pure calm.  Breathing deeply wasn't a habit yet, but I could tell what Asger said about the benefits of breathing deeply were true.

With this new sense of control over my body, I entered the house, a neutral expression taking helm of my face.  I found the inhabitants of this small house and marched over to them.  My breathing never faltering.  I could feel the handle of my sword with greater awareness now.  I could feel the rough surface of the grip rubbing against my hand as I held it tightly.  I could feel the muscles in my arms working hard as they held the sword up. I felt my leg muscles contract and expand as I walked towards the family of five.  I felt like I could truly sense every tiny little sensual element of the world around me.  My eyes easily spotted the father of the group lunge at me.  Just as he left the ground, my blade tore through the air with a howl, slicing him cleanly in half.  I darted to the right as my eyes caught one of the children moving.  My blade tore through his neck in mere moments, sending his head flipping around in the air.  Now there were three; one adult and two children.  I could feel my inner morals trying to distract me and pull me out of this state.  The morals just couldn't accept what I was doing.  But, if I just poured even more focus into the present, the morals would eventually be drowned out.  I felt my mind go blank as I focused entirely on the present; on what was in front of me.  My eyes glided over the three trembling humans in front of me, locking onto the two children.  The blade in my hand instinctively moved forward, soaring straight through the children's necks.  Blood spattered all over me as their heads flew up into the air.  The house stunk of the scent of human remains.  Now, there was one; the mother.  I looked at her calmly, my eyes analysing her each and every movement.  "P-please!  Spare me!  I'll do anything;  I-I'll give you anything!  I'll give you my body, my money; anything!  Just please don't kill me..." the woman's eyes teared up as she begged earnestly before me.

"Why would you want to stay in this world?  If I were to spare you, your life would only get worse.  But, if I kill you here, you get to join the rest of your family up there," I spoke wisely, just like Asger - I really was becoming more and more like him.  "So, what's your decision?" I crouched down in front of her, placing the tip of the blade right in front of her heart.  "D-do you promise I'll be able to join my family in death?" she murmured, tears flowing down her cheek in a long steady stream.

"Promise," I lied, knowing all to well what death was actually like.  But, maybe, I wasn't lying; maybe it was like Asger said, perhaps there's other death realms for normal people.  But, for now, it was a lie.

"O-ok.  I-I'll take that one," she stuttered as she struggled to accept her death.

"Rest in peace," I whispered in her ear as I sank my blade deep into her chest, piercing her heart.  She coughed up blood as her body slowly went pale.  In one last-ditch effort, her trembling lips spoke the words, "T-thank you,"  And, then, she was dead.

'Thank you?  I didn't expect I'd hear such words as a Viking,' I thought to myself curiously.

Still breathing deeply, I gently lowered the woman's body and stood up.  I turned around and looked at Asger, "How was I?"

"That was spectacular.  You really reminded me of myself just now," I could hear Asger breathe in and out, his chest rising and falling.  He was breathing deeply.