Chapter 1044: Awakening in Asgard

Three days had passed since the ocean went mad around Asgard.

Throughout all that time, the woman found in the waters had remained practically motionless in the medical wing. Her external injuries had already begun healing naturally, the bruises were gradually fading and her mana channels were slowly recovering their ability to conduct energy, although Frieren still avoided any invasive treatment while there was no sign of consciousness.

That morning, that sign finally appeared.

The mermaid’s fingers moved.

It was a small, almost imperceptible movement, followed by an involuntary contraction of her long tail beneath the sheets. Her breathing changed a few seconds later, becoming deeper as her eyebrows contracted slightly.

Then her eyes opened.

The first thing she saw was a completely unfamiliar ceiling.

She blinked a few times, bothered by the soft brightness passing through the nearby window. Her vision remained blurred for a few seconds, and a heavy pain began to emerge at the back of her head as soon as she tried to understand where she was.

That definitely was not the ocean.

She did not recognize the smell of that place either.

There were medicines, clean fabrics, wood and several other things that simply did not belong in the environment where she was supposed to be.

The mermaid breathed slowly.

She tried to remember.

Water.

She remembered the water.

Then an enormous pressure crossing the ocean.

Something bright.

A shock.

Her body being thrown away.

Pain.

Then...

Nothing.

The mermaid widened her eyes.

She immediately tried to get up.

Her body barely left the bed before something held her wrists and waist.

"What...?" The mermaid murmured as she quickly looked down and finally noticed the padded straps keeping parts of her body secured to the bed.

She pulled one of her arms.

The strap did not give.

She tried to move her tail and found another restraint near its base, wide enough not to hurt her scales, but firm enough to prevent sudden movements.

Her heart accelerated.

"Let me go!" The mermaid demanded as she tried to pull her arms again, but the weakness still dominating her body turned the effort into little more than a desperate movement.

The attempt immediately caused a violent stab of pain in her head.

She closed her eyes and fell back onto the pillow.

"Relax, we were taking care of you." A female voice came from the other side of the room as calm footsteps approached the bed.

The mermaid immediately opened her eyes.

A woman had just entered.

For a moment, she did not know exactly how to classify her.

She had obvious elven features, but also possessed demonic horns that eliminated any possibility of her being an ordinary elf. A white coat covered most of her clothes, and several documents were tucked beneath one of her arms.

Frieren closed the door behind her and calmly walked toward the bed.

"Don’t try to get up so quickly. Your body is still recovering and you spent too long unconscious." Frieren explained as she placed the documents on a small table and approached enough to check the patient’s eyes.

The mermaid instinctively pulled her head back.

"Where am I?" She asked while watching Frieren with obvious distrust, at the same time trying to analyze everything around her for some clue.

Frieren did not seem bothered by the reaction.

"You’re in Asgard, a city near the coast where you were found." Frieren replied as she pulled a small chair closer to the bed and sat in front of her.

The mermaid frowned.

"Asgard...?" She repeated while searching her memories for that name, but the pain in her head made it difficult to organize any more complex thought.

Frieren carefully observed her reaction.

"Do you know who you are?" Frieren asked as she picked up a small magical light and began carefully checking the woman’s pupil response.

The mermaid remained silent for a few seconds.

She did.

At least that was intact.

Her identity remained inside her head, along with several memories from before the accident. The problem seemed to begin exactly with the events that had brought her to that place.

"Yes. I remember myself." The mermaid replied as she relaxed slightly upon realizing that her memory had not disappeared completely.

Frieren nodded in satisfaction.

"Good. And do you remember what happened before you lost consciousness?" Frieren asked as she moved the small light away and checked the patient’s forehead temperature with the back of her fingers.

The mermaid closed her eyes.

The images returned in fragments.

"Not much. I was in the water when I felt something... it was like a very strong shock." She replied as her eyebrows contracted, trying to force a memory that seemed to slip away whenever she got too close.

Frieren remained quiet.

"Then there was an explosion of energy. I think I was hit and thrown away." The mermaid continued as one of her hands involuntarily closed inside the restraint.

She took a deep breath.

"I remember hitting something. Coral, maybe. After that, I don’t remember anything else." The mermaid concluded as she opened her eyes again and found Frieren watching her with an analytical expression.

That matched exactly what Strax had understood from the squid.

"Then your memory seems to be working properly up until the moment of the trauma." Frieren commented as she made a quick note on one of the documents left on the table.

The mermaid looked at the straps again.

"Why am I restrained?" She questioned as she moved one of her wrists, clearly uncomfortable with the idea of remaining immobilized in unfamiliar territory.

Frieren followed the movement.

"Precaution. You spent three days in a coma after suffering head trauma and extensive damage to your mana channels. We didn’t know how you would react when you woke up." Frieren explained as she stood and began releasing one of the restraints, now that the patient was conscious and apparently lucid.

The mermaid immediately pulled her arm close to her body.

Frieren released the second wrist shortly afterward.

"There was also the possibility that you would wake up disoriented, try to use magic and worsen your own injuries. Considering that I knew absolutely nothing about your species, I preferred not to take the risk." Frieren added as she released the restraint around her waist and, lastly, the one keeping her tail protected against sudden movements.

The mermaid ran her fingers over her own wrist.

There was no mark at all.

The straps really had not been placed there to hurt her.

"How did I get here?" She asked as she looked at Frieren again, now with slightly less distrust.

Frieren sat down again.

"A giant squid brought you." Frieren replied so naturally that the mermaid remained motionless for a few seconds.

Her eyes widened.

"A squid?" She asked as her expression changed completely.

Frieren nodded.

"An absurdly large squid, from what I was told. It appeared after the sea started going crazy and crossed kilometers of ice while carrying you." Frieren explained as she crossed one leg over the other.

The mermaid seemed to completely forget her own situation.

"Frank?" She asked as she leaned forward despite the pain she still felt.

Frieren blinked.

"Frank?" Frieren repeated as she tried to understand why a colossal squid would apparently be called that.

The mermaid quickly nodded.

"He’s a giant squid. Very large, dark eyes, enormous tentacles." She explained while making a gesture with her hands, although she quickly realized that description probably applied to practically any gigantic squid.

Frieren shrugged.

"I didn’t ask the squid’s name." Frieren replied as she picked up her documents again and searched for the notes made when Xyn had warned them about the creature’s arrival.

The mermaid continued looking at her.

"But if there are several giant squids capable of easily breaking through the Black Ice created by a dragon, maybe it would be better for you to confirm it yourself later." Frieren added while imagining that discovering the existence of an entire population of those creatures would not exactly be good news for the coastal defenses.

The mermaid visibly relaxed.

"Then it was probably Frank." She murmured as she rested her head against the pillow again, seeming much calmer upon discovering that a familiar creature had been responsible for bringing her to that place.

Frieren observed the reaction.

At least that indicated that the squid really was some kind of protector or companion of that woman, exactly as Strax had interpreted.

"The sea started going crazy?" The mermaid asked a few seconds later as she finally processed another part of the explanation.

Frieren nodded.

"Gigantic waves, tidal waves, tremors and water advancing onto the continent. Asgard was almost hit before we managed to freeze the coast." Frieren explained while avoiding unnecessary details until she knew whether the woman was truly in condition to maintain a long conversation.

The mermaid became serious.

"I don’t remember that." She replied as she tried once again to search for any memory between the shock and the moment she had lost consciousness.

Nothing appeared.

Only energy.

A lot of energy.

And then pain.

"Don’t force it." Frieren advised as she noticed the expression of discomfort appearing on the patient’s face again.

The mermaid opened her eyes.

Frieren approached the bed.

"Your brain has only just returned to functioning consciously after three days. Forcing memories now won’t help anything." Frieren explained as she placed two fingers on the woman’s wrist and began checking her signs again.

The mermaid did not resist.

"Three days?" She asked almost immediately as she turned her face toward Frieren.

Frieren confirmed with a small movement of her head.

"Three days since you arrived in Asgard." Frieren replied as she felt the patient’s pulse and noticed that, despite the surprise, it remained within acceptable levels.

The mermaid became completely still.

Three days.

To her, practically no time had passed between the shock and that moment.

"I was unconscious for three entire days?" She asked while looking at her own hands as if expecting to find some physical evidence of that lost period.

Frieren released her wrist.

"Yes, and you probably would have remained that way for some time longer if your body had been recovering on its own. Your mana channels were seriously damaged and you suffered a considerable blow to the head." Frieren explained as she returned to the chair.

The mermaid slowly raised one hand toward the painful area.

"That explains the pain." She murmured as she carefully touched the spot and immediately pulled her fingers away when she felt an unpleasant stab.

Frieren almost smiled.

"Don’t touch there." Frieren recommended as she watched the woman obey without arguing.

The mermaid let her hand fall onto the mattress.

"Did you treat me?" She asked as she once again examined the white coat Frieren wore and finally understood her role in that place a little better.

"Me and other people. Your body did most of the work, but we took care of the external injuries and made sure you didn’t get worse while you were unconscious." Frieren replied as she closed the documents and placed them under her arm.

The mermaid remained quiet for a few seconds.

"Thank you." She finally said as her expression lost much of the tension it had carried since she woke up.

Frieren nodded.

"You can thank me by resting and not trying to get up by yourself for the next few minutes." Frieren replied as she stood from the chair and walked toward the door.

The mermaid looked at her own tail.

She still felt weak enough to realize that trying to leave that bed would probably end with her on the floor.

Frieren placed her hand on the doorknob.

"I’m going to ask them to bring you some food and let the others know that you’re awake. I also need to run some examinations now that you’re conscious." Frieren explained as she partially opened the door.

"Wait." The mermaid called before she could walk through it, making Frieren stop and look back again.

The woman hesitated.

There were still dozens of questions.

Where exactly was Asgard?

Who ruled that place?

What had happened to the ocean?

Where was Frank?

Why had someone needed to freeze the coast?

But, at that moment, there was one simple question that seemed more important.

"You said it has been three days since I arrived here, right?" She asked as she tried to mentally organize the last clear memory she possessed before the accident.

Frieren nodded.

"Exactly three days." Frieren confirmed as she remained standing by the door, waiting to know whether the patient needed anything else before she left.