Meanwhile...
On a deserted island...
Not far from where Odin was fighting...
Medusa had released her serpents in every direction, searching for the mysterious aura described to her by the Ruler of Fear.
Thousands of snakes spread across the land, beneath the ocean, and through every crack and crevice, silently carrying out their mistress's command.
Suddenly...
Medusa stopped issuing orders.
Instead...
She canceled the command she had given the rest of the serpents to continue searching.
One of them had already found the trail of that mysterious aura.
A broad smile spread across her face.
She issued a new command.
"Return."
At that very moment...
The serpents she had sent out began returning from every direction.
A few moments later...
Tens of thousands of snakes emerged from the depths of the ocean.
Some were enormous.
Some were small.
Some were venomous.
Others were monstrous in size.
All of them slithered toward Medusa.
Then, with astonishing speed...
They merged back into her body.
Within moments...
Not a single serpent remained outside her.
Medusa chuckled softly.
Thinking to herself, she said,
"Finding you was easier than I expected..."
"...stranger."
Her smile widened.
She had expected that person to hide.
After all...
He had trespassed upon Treasure Island.
He had clashed with the Demon Race.
And he had stolen priceless treasures.
It would have been only natural for him to disappear without a trace.
But...
The exact opposite had happened.
He was openly releasing his aura into the heavens without making the slightest attempt to conceal it.
As though he were declaring to the entire world,
"I'm here."
"And I'm afraid of no one."
Medusa laughed once again.
Then thought,
"Either you're powerful enough to act this boldly..."
"Or you're simply a fool who has no idea what you've done."
Without another moment's hesitation...
She shot toward Odin's location at tremendous speed.
She wanted to see him with her own eyes.
To discover for herself...
Whether he truly possessed the strength to justify such fearless confidence...
Or whether he was merely a reckless adventurer rushing toward his own doom.
Meanwhile...
In Asgard...
Deep within the Cave of the Three Seers...
The Three Seers opened their eyes at the exact same moment.
Their expressions turned solemn.
One of them spoke quietly,
"The time has come."
Another continued,
"Odin and Medusa..."
"Will finally meet."
"Just as we foresaw in our prophecy."
Silence filled the cave for several moments.
Then one of the sisters asked,
"Should we tell him what is about to happen?"
Her sister quickly shook her head.
"No."
"We must not."
"Their meeting is a destiny that was written long ago."
She paused before continuing softly,
"Long before that..."
"It began when Forn came to Asgard..."
"Carrying the spear."
The third sister nodded.
Then she said,
"We warned him back then."
"We told him that Forn's arrival would be both..."
"...a blessing..."
"...and a curse."
"And we urged him to beware of those searching for her."
She sighed quietly before continuing,
"At that time..."
"Medusa was searching for Forn."
"She had sent her serpents throughout the world to find her."
"Had we not intervened..."
"And used the power of fate to conceal Asgard from the eyes of intruders..."
"Medusa would have found this place long ago."
Silence once again filled the cave.
The third sister remained quiet.
She spoke not a single word.
The other two sisters let out quiet sighs.
Then...
The Three Seers closed their eyes together.
In one unified voice, they declared,
"This is Odin's trial."
"If he succeeds..."
"He shall receive a magnificent gift."
"A gift that will allow him to see the world more clearly than ever before."
Several seconds passed in silence.
Then the Three Seers spoke again, their voices filled with both sorrow and solemnity.
"But..."
"Every gift comes with a price."
Their voices faded for a brief moment.
Then they finished in a quiet tone,
"If he fails..."
"He will lose his sight."
"And he will never behold this world again."
(Author's Note):
Hello everyone! Thank you for your continuous support of this novel; your comments and interactions mean the world to me.
Stepping away from our story here for a moment, I wanted to share another project I've been working on with great passion. I have started publishing a webtoon (comic) on the Webtoon platform titled "Me and the Wolf."
It is a [Comedy / Fantasy] story about a miserable young man and a cunning wolf who is constantly getting him into trouble! If you enjoy my writing style and the way I build scenarios, I promise you're going to love this comic.
I would be so grateful if you could go check it out, subscribe to the series, and let me know what you think in the comments there!
🔍 Search on the Webtoon app for: [Me and the Wolf]