The prosperity and order of Vanaheimr reached unprecedented heights under the rule of 'Narcissus'.
Njörðr's reliance on him and the support of the clans pushed him to the very core of power.
However, the goal of Hades and Metis had never been to settle down and become the uncrowned king of the Vanir.
Their sights were always fixed on the position of the supreme God-King of the Nine Realms, and the source of infinite knowledge and power that supported the entire world—the World Tree (Yggdrasil).
Odin was still struggling on his path to Mímisbrunnr; this was a unique opportunity.
"Odin's path is one of conquest and sacrifice. He slew the primordial giant Ymir and created the world from his corpse, and his reign was stained from its very root with the primordial sins of 'kinslaying' and 'violence'."
Metis's consciousness calmly analyzed, the light of wisdom shining beneath 'Narcissus's' eyes.
"Therefore, he needs to endure the near-fatal agony of nine days and nine nights, to 'exchange' for the World Tree's approval through a great sacrifice, to tame its fierce power and create a fragile bond."
"And we," said 'Narcissus' with absolute reason,
"our essence is 'plant', life force, and cycles. We are not 'killers' of this world, and we do not bear this primordial sin. Our connection with the World Tree was, from the very beginning, based on 'symbiosis' and 'affinity'."
Yes, unlike Odin, who needed to 'tame' the fierce giant of the World Tree, for 'Narcissus', the World Tree was more like an immense and unsurpassed mother plant.
Grafting is a method of asexual reproduction in botany, where a branch or bud from one plant is joined to the stem or root of another plant so that the two joined parts grow into a whole plant.
The branches or buds that are grafted are called scions, and the plant bodies that are grafted upon are called rootstocks.
At this moment, the great World Tree, supporting the Nine Realms, was the ancient and powerful 'rootstock'.
And 'Narcissus', carrying the essence of Hades and Metis, was the carefully cultivated 'scion'.
They did not need the painful and dangerous 'sacrificial' ritual like Odin.
They needed to perform a more subtle, deeper, and more... hidden 'parasitic graft'.
'Narcissus' left the bustle of Vanaheimr and returned to the quiet lake where he had originally 'awakened', isolated and silent.
The energy here was pure, and the connection to an important root system of the World Tree was also most direct.
He stepped into the very heart of the lake, as if returning to his roots.
His dark green hair stretched out like a living thing, reaching into the lake and gently touching the roots of the World Tree at the bottom.
His body began to glow softly and firmly.
"Let's begin." The fused will of Hades and Metis moved this avatar and embarked on an unprecedented attempt.
In the center of the lake, 'Narcissus's' body seemed to transform into translucent glass, its internal veins clearly visible, filled with pure life energy.
His roots, those dark green strands of hair, were no longer simply in contact, but acted like the finest and strongest mycelial networks, softly and firmly penetrating the epidermis of the World Tree's roots, going deeper.
This was not plunder, not conquest, but a demonstration, an exchange, an invitation.
Through 'Narcissus', Hades and Metis unconditionally transmitted the 'life force' and 'affinity' from 'Narcissus' himself to the World Tree:
This was the instinct of plants to embrace the earth towards the sun and roots, the primitive impulse of life to strive for coexistence and prosperity.
This was a kind of 'affinity' that fundamentally eliminated the alienation and exclusion from the World Tree.
What they showed the World Tree was not a foreign ruler needing 'recognition', but a 'symbiotic organ' capable of perfectly integrating and compensating for its shortcomings.
The World Tree, this great being supporting the Nine Realms, possessed a vast and nebulous consciousness, more attuned to growth and maintenance, subject to instinct.
This was a completely different touch—not the sharp sting of Odin's blood and will to conquer, but a gentle, nourishing, comfortable, and fulfilling feeling, like spring rain nourishing dry land.
Its context began to respond to this 'communication'.
A majestic and primordial life force, with eternal memories and information about the laws, flowed back along 'Narcissus's' root system.
This was not a gift of power, but an exchange of origin, a process of acceptance.
On the first day, 'Narcissus's' form grew increasingly blurred, almost merging with the lake and the roots of the World Tree.
On the third day, the plants in Vanaheimr swayed without wind, emitting joyful waves, and the animals around the lake sang.
On the fifth day, light pierced the thick mist of Niflheim, and the giants of Jötunheimr felt a steady pulse from the earth.
On the seventh day, when the last trace of alienation was eliminated, when the essence of 'Narcissus' and the veins of the World Tree completed the final 'graft' and synchronization—
A silent roar, one that did not sound in the sky but exploded directly in the depths of the spiritual consciousness of all living souls!
Whether in the Golden Palace in Ásgarðr, the forests in Vanaheimr, the wastelands in Jötunheimr, the people in Miðgarðr, or even the shades in the underworld—all beings of the Nine Realms felt something at that moment.
As if some fundamental rule supporting the world had changed, and a new, gentle, and vast will touched the core of the world.
They looked up (or sensed) towards the sky or leaned down to touch the earth, and a clear thought came to the minds of all living beings:
A God-King was born.
Not through violence and conquest, but through integration and symbiosis.
A new God-King, whose very existence had become one with the world.
At the same time that 'Narcissus' was establishing a deep connection with the World Tree, another mysterious root of the World Tree existed.
Odin, after many hardships, finally stood by Mímisbrunnr.
The spring water was clear, yet bottomless, as if it held all the secrets of the universe.
Mímir, the wise giant guarding the well, looked at the leader of the Æsir with a deep gaze.
"Let me have a sip of your spring, Uncle Mímir..." Odin pleaded, "I just need one sip."
Mímir shook his head. No one could drink from this spring except himself. He said nothing; the silent are rarely wrong.
"I am your nephew," Odin persisted, "my mother Bestla is your sister."
"That is also not permitted," Mímir replied.
"Just one sip. If I could have one sip of your spring, Mímir, I would become wise. Let's set a price."
"You must know the price of wisdom, Odin." Mímir's voice was old and hoarse.
He said only one phrase: "Give me the knife."
Odin did not hesitate and plucked out his own right eye.
The intense pain made him grunt, but he confidently threw his still-warm eyeball into the spring water.
In return, it looked back at him through the current.
Odin scooped up the water of Mímisbrunnr with the Gjallarhorn and brought it to his lips.
The water was cool. He drank it dry.
Wisdom flowed into his body.
He could see further and clearer, even with only one eye now.
He saw it! He saw the origin of the world, saw the threads of fate, and saw... the end destined to destroy everything—Ragnarök!
The flames of the fire giant Surtr engulfing Ásgarðr, the giant wolf Fenrir breaking free from its chains, the venomous dragon Níðhöggr gnawing at the roots... The gods fell, the world fell...
Despair and unwillingness were like icy water flooding over him.
But then he also saw a glimmer of hope—to become the true god, perhaps a way to change his fate—to establish the deepest connection with the World Tree and gain the recognition and power of its origin!
At that moment, through the turbulent current of wisdom, he clearly 'saw'—at another important root of the World Tree, 'Narcissus' from Vanaheimr was merging with the World Tree in a way he could not understand!
"No——!!!"
Odin let out a silent roar in his heart.
Anxiety, anger, and a strong fear of being beaten to it flooded over him!
He had sacrificed an eye for wisdom—was it only fair to watch another ascend the throne of his dreams?!
There was no time to hesitate! The connection must be forcibly established before the other was fully successful!
He made a quick decision, not even bothering to explain to Mímir. He grabbed his spear, dragged his weak and exhausted body from the eye sacrifice, and rushed like a madman towards the thick trunk of the nearest World Tree.
Finding a suitable branch, Odin roared, pierced his own ribs with Gungnir, and hung himself upside down on the World Tree!
This was the most primitive and brutal sacrifice!
Through his painful and near-death experience, he demonstrated his resolve and strength to the World Tree, trying to use this extreme method to forcibly 'open' a portal to the World Tree, establish a connection, and tame its power!
Intense pain pierced his body, and blood dripped down the bark of the World Tree.
His consciousness hovered on the edge of pain and emptiness, and Odin relied on his newly acquired wisdom and iron will to hold on, trying to communicate with the fierce and primitive consciousness of the World Tree and 'tame' it.
One day, two days...
On the seventh day, when the beings of the Nine Realms felt the moment of the new God-King's birth, Odin, hanging upside down on the tree, clearly felt that soft yet irresistible fluctuation of will covering the entire world!
It was not his! It was 'Narcissus's'!
Despair was like the deepest ice, freezing his heart.
But he did not give up, and could not give up! Once the sacrifice began, it could not be stopped, or all previous efforts would be lost!
He still needed two more days! He still needed to endure this intense pain and despair for another two days and two nights!
At this time, 'Narcissus'—or rather, the newly born God-King, living in symbiosis with the World Tree—slowly opened his eyes.
His gaze calmly pierced through the layers of space and rested on Odin, who was still hanging upside down on the tree, struggling through the final throes.