Chapter 229 230: Accident?

"Literally, deep in the core of Earth, a Celestial embryo is sleeping. It is gestating on Earth's energy, and now, it is about to be born."

Sersi's face turned pale.

"You... how can you prove that?"

Mavuika sighed softly. "It seems you are unaware of all this. As expected, it would be better to find all of you first. Your leader should know a bit more."

He looked at Sersi, his tone gentle but firm.

"This young lady of the Eternal, please come with us."

Sersi took a step back, the energy at her fingertips lighting up.

She wanted to run; she needed to find Ajak, to ask her what on Earth was going on, rather than leaving with a few strangers.

But before she could take a step, someone appeared behind her.

Hela.

Black-green Death Energy swirled around Hela, like venomous snakes.

She stood there, blocking Sersi's retreat, arms crossed over her chest, a cold, gloating smile on her lips.

Sersi froze; she hadn't even seen Hela move.

Mavuika stepped forward, looking at Sersi, his tone as gentle as if coaxing a frightened child.

"Please rest assured, we won't do anything to you, and—" He paused, "Don't you want to know the truth about all this?"

Sersi paused.

Of course she did. What was the mission of the Eternal? What was the meaning of their existence? Why couldn't they have children? Why were their memories blurry? Why did Ajak never discuss the details of the God?

If what these people said was true, that there was a God embryo inside Earth, and she, as a member of the Eternal, had been kept in the dark, then she had to know the truth.

Furthermore, most importantly, given the oppressive aura these people exuded, she couldn't leave even if she wanted to.

Sersi took a deep breath, relaxed her body, and the light at her fingertips slowly faded.

"I can take you to find our leader," she said, "but you must promise me not to hurt her."

Mavuika smiled. "Of course, I am not here to kill anyone."

Hela gave a soft "huff" from the side, but did not refute it.

Mavuika asked: "I still don't know your name?"

"Sersi," Sersi said. "My name is Sersi."

Mavuika nodded. "Sersi, good name. Let's go."

The group walked out of the museum and into the afternoon Sun.

The place where Ajak lived in seclusion was not in London, not in New York, and not in any bustling city.

She chose the northernmost forests of Norway, a cliff near the coastline.

There were no roads, no villages, only endless forests, tundra, and mist that never dispersed throughout the year.

In winter, the aurora would dance in the night sky, green as flowing jade; in summer, the Sun never set, hanging above the horizon at midnight, dyeing the entire sky a pale gold.

Sersi led Mavuika and his group up a path almost covered by bushes; the ground was slippery, and the air was filled with the scent of moss and decaying leaves.

In the distance, the sound of waves crashing against the cliffs could be heard, low and powerful, like some ancient drumbeat that had lasted for millions of years.

Thor walked at the very back, carrying Mjolnir, leaving deep footprints in the mud with every step.

"This place is even more desolate than the mountains of Asgard," he muttered softly.

Loki walked in front of him, wearing a pair of newly bought black leather boots.

"It seems this leader does not like bustle, but prefers quiet."

Thor curled his lip. "What's so good about quiet? Bustle is interesting."

Loki did not respond.

Mavuika walked behind Sersi, and Hela walked beside Mavuika. Both of their steps were light, making almost no sound.

When they reached halfway up the mountain, Mavuika stopped.

Hela also stopped, and the two looked at each other, both seeing surprise in the other's eyes.

In the air, there was a burnt smell.

It was not the smoke of a campfire, nor the char of lightning striking a tree, but another, more concentrated, more violent trace of Fire.

That smell was all too familiar to Mavuika; it was the acrid stench left behind after high temperatures instantly scorched organic matter, mixed with the scent of melted metal and shattered rock.

Sersi did not notice; she was still walking forward, her pace urgent. She hadn't seen Ajak for many years; the last time they met was decades ago.

The Eternal's perception of time was different from humans; decades to them were just a snap of the fingers, but longing would not change because of the length of time.

"Sersi," Mavuika called out to her.

Sersi stopped and turned her head. "What is it?"

Mavuika did not answer, but just raised his hand and pointed forward. At the end of the path, the wooden cabin hidden in the pine forest had already appeared in their field of vision.

The cabin was not big, two stories, built with rough logs, the roof covered in moss, looking as if it had merged with the surrounding forest.

But on the outer walls of the cabin, there were large patches of char; the windows were broken, the door was crooked, and a section of the roof had collapsed.

Several surrounding pine trees had been snapped in half, with deep scratches left on the trunks, as if torn open by the claws of a giant beast. The ground was covered in pits, some half a meter deep, the edges consisting of re-solidified vitreous material after melting.

Sersi's face changed, and she rushed out.

Mavuika did not stop her, nor did Hela. The two stood in place, their gazes sweeping over those traces of battle: scorch marks, cracks, collapsed walls, broken trees.

Hela squatted down and touched a deep trench on the ground with her finger. It had been left by some kind of energy beam sweeping across, the edges as smooth as if cut by a laser.

"Not Fire," Hela said.

Mavuika nodded. "I know."

Thor leaned over, looking at those traces. "Who did that?"

Loki squatted beside another trench, his fingers hovering over the crack, feeling the residual energy fluctuations.

"Not magic, not divine power, but a purer, more directional energy."

Hela stood up and brushed the dust off her hands.

"It seems there is a problem within the Eternal."

Mavuika did not speak; he watched the damaged cabin, watched Sersi's figure disappear into the crooked door, his brows slightly furrowed.

Inside the cabin, it was even worse than outside.

The walls were full of scorch marks, and there were several large holes in the floor where the churned-up soil could be seen underneath.

Furniture was shattered everywhere, bookshelves had toppled, and book pages were scattered, burnt until only charred fragments remained.

The stone relief on the fireplace had been shattered, the fragments scattered in the ashes.

The air was filled with smoke and the smell of blood—a kind of more intense blood with a special aura.

That was the blood of the Eternal.

Sersi stood in the center of the room, her body frozen.

She looked at the sofa—no, that was what used to be a sofa. The fabric was scorched, the springs were exposed, and lying on the sofa was a person