Lord Shadow

The night is shrouded in an eerie silence as the wind carried the cold mountain air through the ancient forest. 

The once-echoing howls of wolves and the distant roars of the Minotaur had faded into the background, leaving only the rustling of leaves and the occasional hoot of an owl.𝔬𝒱𝐿𝐞xt.𝚌𝑜𝔪

In this stillness, a meeting of is taking place—an encounter between a God and a mortal. 

A sigh of regret seems to come out from the mouth of that God. Erika on the other hand was surprised.

  Knowledge, who would not want it? 

Truth, who would not want it?

  Odin sacrifice his eyes and he sees these two things and because of that he is the strongest and because of that he is one of the powerhouses in the Universe

But today, he spoke his thought and he spoke his heart and the answer to her question is that, he regrets

For a moment there is silence between them. Erika for a moment do not know what to ask. 

And then the question that came out from her mouth is only this

“Why?”

Odin smiles and shook his head. 

“My answer might be different from yours. After all, the time you have is not as much as me. It took me thousands of years before I felt such feeling. In the end, the feeling you might feel might be different from what I feel” 

As Odin spoke, the atmosphere around him grew increasingly charged with energy. 

The air itself seemed to hum with tension, and his words carried a weight that resonated deep within the very fabric of the world.

Above the temple of Delphi, dark clouds gathered ominously, as if responding to Odin declaration. 

These clouds swirled and coalesced, forming a stormy barrier that blotted out the moon and stars. 

It is as though the heavens themselves is bearing witness to the impending clash of wills.

Erika, the Great Oracle, felt the pressure mounting. 

Her temple, protected by ancient formations and wards, began to quiver under the oppressive force of the gathering storm. 

It was a test of wills, a confrontation between a God and the Will of this World, and it threatened to shatter the protective barriers she had meticulously maintained.

But like Odin, she also did not care much about the Heavenly Will. Instead, she look toward Odin and sighed

“Why now? The last time, you did not meddle in this muddy affair? Why meddle now?” 

And she sighed again, long and hard. 

This is because she is slowly discovering that more and more things did not go according to plans and fate and destiny is now truly messed up right now. 

The future that she knows is slowly turning into a blurry image. The possibilities of some future is disappearing. 

And that is not a good thing for her. Of course, she is excited that things are changing but it also makes her feel anxious and uncertain. 

Odin smiles and said

“That is before. Now it is different. There is now a big enough deviation”

“It could still lead to the same conclusion”

Odin however chuckles

“I don’t know. I think I feel a little bit…” and he paused for a second before chuckling again, like he had remembered a joke only he knows and added “hopeful”

There is another moment of silence between them and Erika then ask 

“Why are you here? I doubt Your Excellency just wanted to chat with me?”

Odin waves his hand and then said

“There is no need to be so formal” Odin walk along the step

“Walk with me” he said and Erika could only follow. He walk together with Erika as they enter the temple

Odin look around the temple and he smiles

“All kinds of herbs, all kinds of magic. It seems you pay attention to this kind of thing. I even sense a trace of a few ancient magic. It is really enviable that even the full revert of time and space could still retain a bit of your memories from a non-existent timeline. Is it Borgan blessing? It must be” Odin seems to be talking to himself but his voice is loud enough so that Erika could hear him

Odin wanted to hear. 

Clairvoyants, true clairvoyant that truly possess the Gift are all connected by a force. This force comes from Borgan, and it is this force that allows them to see past, prese and future. 

Borgan is a big part of that. In other, Borgan is the manifestation of that force 

Odin however still did not explain why he is here and what he is doing. 

“Do not be too alarmed, little Oracle. I just wanted to see you. I see the shadows of the Three Fates behind you. Those three sisters also wanted to manipulate you. Their magic could not touch the fate and destiny of the people of this world”

She nodded

Odin smiles and then said

“Did you know, those three sisters sent an agent of them to this world?”

Hearing this Erika eyes narrowed.

“I sense nothing”

“And there lies the brilliance of the Three Sisters of Fates”

“You know the agent?”

“I could even tell you”

“What’s the price?” Erika ask. 

Erika could feel like Odin is saying this precisely because he wanted her to be curious of the agent of fate. 

But, she also knows that the moment Odin tells her this, she must know. Or she would not be at ease in doing any of her plans. 

It is a bait. 

But it is a good bait. 

But Odin did not immediately pull the fishing rod. 

Instead, he then said

“that dragon like creature, do you know where he is right now?” Erika shook her head. 

She could guess who Odin is referring to 

But she is not that interested in Kaiju. 

Odin seems to be able to see what she is thinking and he said

“That is an anomaly. It is better to pay attention to it. This is cause and effect. And this is fate and destiny. And when you fight against such things, why do you think it would not fight back?”

Hearing this Erika ponder for a moment. Odin chuckles

Odin walk again to the center of the temple as he look at the open sky design of the chamber and then he look upwards

Once again, his eyes seems to shine like he is seeing something in the distance. He chuckles but did not say anything

And so, it is up to Erika

“What’s the price?”

“Memory. One particular memory. I want that, and I tell you the name of the agent”

Erika frowned. A memory could be simple or it could be complicated. 

“What kind of memory?”

Odin smiles. 

“I would not touch memories that would hinder you in your objective” he said. 

“Please give more details about this memory” 

Odin come closer to her, whisper a few words, and Erika sighed. 

Then she nodded

“This is a part of your plan?” she ask.

“It might play a part or it might not. Until the moment came, I would have no way of knowing. For now, I think of it, as one of my plans”

“The name” she said. 

Odin laughed

“You know this person.” He paused for a second before saying

“Fir Her Waz”

Hearing this she sighed.

“I understand” she said. 

Odin nodded and he was about to walk out from the temple. Erika follows him and there is silence as both of these people walk together

A few second of silence and Erika could not help but wanted to ask a question

“Will this be worth it?” she ask. 

Odin halted for a moment and laugh. 

He knows what she is referring to 

He is here to stop his own Ragnarök. And when Poseidon throws that trident of his, isn’t he also making a bet. 

Since he makes a bet, since the Jade Emperor made a bet, Wargod make a bet, Borgan make a bet…then why should he not also make a bet?

And since he makes a bet, why not bet all of it? 

Odin sighed and said

“I find worth in it. So, it is worth it” Hearing this Erika could only smile and then she ask again.

“Will I see you again?” 

“Let’s hope not” he said and Erika chuckles. For an ancient God, Odin could sometimes be very approachable. 

Maybe, the long passing of time had made him a little bit mellow. Or maybe he is just good at hiding his sharp edges. 

Erika did not ask what Odin is planning.

  It is rude to insult someone like that with a question like that

After all, Odin did not ask her about her plans. 

Why should she pry from Odin?

  And even if she wanted to pry, if Odin did not want to say it, why bother offending such a being? 

It is better to say little than to say too much

“Ah, the rings” Odin suddenly said when he arrived back at the entrance of the temple

“That is interesting” before Erika did not understand what Odin is talking about but the moment she heard Odin spoke about rings, she felt her eyes burning and she bows her head in pain. 

She could feel her veins on her face is throbbing. 

And then a vision came to her. 

Ten rings, a light and that’s it.

And she finally knows who Odin is looking at. 

She endures the feeling of pain, look up and look at Odin.

“You are looking  at him. It seems all of you are began to bet. How much would you bet?” she ask. 

But Odin did not show any sign of answering that question

Odin smiles and as he takes a step toward the stairs, he slowly filled out and then disappears like he is nothing but the figment of her imagination. 

The dark clouds that gathers over the temple slowly receded and the sound of thunder and the flashes of lightning quickly disappear.

Erika sighed.

“I don’t know what his plans are but at least now I know about Fir Her Waz” there is many plans that she had to change right now

But then she look toward a direction. 

It is the same direction that Odin was looking before and then she sighed

…