At the very moment Thor, Ran, and Sol were flying through the sky at tremendous speed, heading to intercept the dragon making its way toward Asgard...
The winds howled around them as the clouds parted before their incredible speed.
None of them spoke a single word until Ran, the Ruler of Rivers, finally broke the silence.
She turned to Thor, who carried his massive hammer and wore a suit of armor that completely covered his body, then asked,
"Are we going to fight it head-on... or should we ambush it from the ocean to catch it by surprise?"
Thor remained silent for a few moments, carefully considering the question.
Then he slowly shook his head.
"No."
He continued in a serious voice,
"Dragons are extremely powerful, and their instincts are terrifying. We won't be able to ambush it unless Odin is with us... or Loki, the Ruler of Deception... or Nótt, the Ruler of Shadows. Otherwise... the dragon will sense any trap we try to set."
Sol nodded in agreement before saying,
"You're right... but wouldn't it have been better to bring Nótt with us on this mission?"
Thor shook his head firmly.
"No... we can't do that."
He continued,
"Most of the rulers must remain in Asgard to protect it from any danger. We cannot all leave unless the situation is absolutely necessary."
Sol looked at him, then nodded in acceptance.
"You're right... some of us must stay behind in Asgard in case of a surprise attack."
A faint smile appeared on Thor's face.
"Then let's hurry and deal with that dragon... so we won't be away from Asgard for long."
The moment he finished speaking...
A white light, resembling lightning itself, enveloped his body.
In the next instant...
He shot across the sky with blinding speed.
Sol and Ran did the same.
A blazing crimson aura, as radiant as the sun, surrounded Sol, while a deep blue aura resembling the flowing waters of mighty rivers enveloped Ran.
The two of them then sped after Thor at tremendous speed, heading toward the coming battle.
Meanwhile...
On the continent of Mira...
Within the deep caverns hidden beneath the continent...
The Black Stag sat beside the Saintess of the Dark Elves after the two of them had returned to their homeland in the Underworld.
The Saintess of the Dark Elves looked at him expectantly and asked,
"Did you do it?... Did you bring it?"
The Black Stag calmly nodded.
Suddenly...
A tiny green seed emerged from the center of his forehead.
Yet despite its size, it radiated an ancient and mysterious aura.
Simply looking at it was enough to realize that it was no ordinary seed.
The moment the Saintess of the Dark Elves saw it...
Her eyes widened with overwhelming joy.
"You did it!... You actually did it!"
She clapped her hands excitedly.
Then she carefully extended both hands.
She accepted the seed as though she were receiving the greatest treasure in the world.
But...
Her smile soon faded slightly, as a dangerous thought crossed her mind.
She looked at the Black Stag and asked seriously,
"You didn't leave behind any evidence of what we did... did you?"
Then she lowered her voice.
"If the Saintess of the Elves discovers that we consumed the power of their Sacred Tree to force it into creating a seed possessing the same power and the same potential... they'll destroy everything in their path and hunt us to the ends of the world to reclaim it."
The Black Stag calmly shook his head.
"No... I left nothing behind."
He continued,
"After forcing the Sacred Tree to create this seed, I released my aura and erased every trace of its existence. I also inflicted severe damage upon the tree."
Then he looked at the seed and said,
"I'm certain that even if the tree recovers someday... it will never remember this seed."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"My aura possesses... the power of oblivion."
The moment the Saintess of the Dark Elves heard those words...
The anxiety that had filled her heart disappeared.
Her smile returned.
Then she burst into joyous laughter.
Immediately afterward...
She ordered a grand celebration to be held throughout the Kingdom of the Dark Elves.
At long last...
They had obtained a seed with the potential to one day grow into a Sacred Tree, just like the one possessed by the Elves.
For countless years, the Dark Elves had envied their Elven cousins for possessing that blessed tree.
But now...
They finally had hope of obtaining a Sacred Tree of their own.
A hope...
That might change the future of their kingdom forever.
(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]