Warmth and cold enveloped her at the same time as Luisia slowly opened her eyes. Exhaustion weighed heavily on her body, making it difficult even to lift her eyelids. The comforting warmth surrounding her seemed determined to lull her back into unconsciousness.
Yet something cold brushed against her fingertips. And that alone was enough to clear her mind. As though forcing open an enormous stone door, she slowly pried her eyes apart.
A world of pure white greeted her.
A vast snowfield. Snow stretched as far as the eye could see, blanketing the earth all the way to the distant horizon. Here and there, black rock formations and wind-carved hills broke through the endless white.
Instinctively, Luisia pulled the collar of her priestess robes tighter around herself.
It should be freezing, but strangely… she barely felt the cold. Only the hard, icy ground beneath her fingertips reminded her where she was.
Then she noticed it.
A soft emerald radiance enveloped her entire body.
“…Freyja-sama?”
A voice answered from deep within her heart.
『—You’ve awakened, I see.』
Luisia gave a small nod.
There was no sign of her brother. Nor of any of her companions. She stood utterly alone, gazing across the endless expanse of snow.
Looking around more carefully, she realized this place wasn’t merely a frozen wasteland. She is inside part of a colossal temple. A broad staircase stretched straight ahead, descending toward the snowy plain.
Judging by the height, she was standing roughly three stories above the ground. Behind her, enormous pillars, as thick as ancient trees, supported the towering ceiling. Farther inside, Ymir rested against the wall. Beside him lay a gigantic wolf. And nearby, a woman dressed in black robes leaned silently against a pillar, her eyes closed.
『—Ymir has taken you captive.』
Freyja’s quiet voice explained the situation.
Oddly enough… Luisia wasn’t shaken.
She simply thought, “I figured as much.”
Then… From somewhere to her left, came the sound of footsteps crunching over snow and stone.
“You’ve finally woken up.”
Luisia turned toward the voice.
A familiar young man stood there.
His blond hair was matted and disheveled. Countless wounds marred his face, and his once-fine garments hung from him in tatters. There was barely a trace left of the beautiful god she remembered.
“…Freyr-san?”
He didn’t answer her question.
Instead, he walked over and stood beside her.
“This place lies far to the north of where you were.”
“…The north?”
Luisia searched her memory. North of the Kingdom of Asgard lay an unexplored tundra, a frozen wilderness no one had ever crossed.
The snowy landscape around them was dim. Dawn had not yet broken. The full moon bathed the endless snowfields in pale silver light, making the white expanse glow all the brighter. The sun should already have risen over the royal capital. But apparently sunrise came at different times depending on where you were.
Her father, Rutger, had once explained it to her.
At certain times of the year, the farther north you traveled, the later the sun would rise. At other times… the opposite was true.
“If this place truly lay far beyond the capital… then dawn had yet to reach it.” She thought.
“…You’re remarkably calm.”
Freyr spoke without warning. The corner of his mouth twisted into a provocative smile.
“Aren’t you afraid? This…”
He swept his right hand across the frozen landscape.
“…is the place Ymir and the other giants once called home during the Age of Myth.”
“Long ago, the Kingdom of the Gods stood where the royal capital now lies. During that same age… there was also a kingdom here. The kingdom of the titans… and the monsters.”
“…A kingdom of giants and monsters huh…”
Strangely… Luisia found herself unnaturally calm.
If their stronghold had always been hidden in these far northern reaches, it made perfect sense why no one had ever found the monsters’ main force. After breaking the seal on the dungeons, Ymir must have gathered his army somewhere near this place.
Luisia looked up at Freyr.
“My brother… He’s alive, isn’t he?”
“He should be.”
A quiet sigh of relief escaped her lips.
“…I see.”
In those final moments within the Celestial Realm, Luisia had come to understand the Power of Creation more deeply than ever before. Drawing upon Freyja’s memories and divine power… she had imagined—and recreated—the Heart of Frost and Flame, a relic known even to very few among the gods.
She herself had been captured. But the thing the enemy truly sought… the Power of Creation…and Ymir’s heart… should still be in her brother’s hands.
“…Oniichan.”
She could feel Freyja’s presence quietly stirring within her heart. Freyr narrowed his eyes and stepped closer. He bent down, reaching as though to place a hand on Luisia’s shoulder…
But after a brief hesitation, he lowered his arm instead.
Gathering her courage, Luisia finally asked,
“…Are you still going to fight?”
Freyr’s eyes widened.
The faint smile on his face stiffened.
“…Yes.”
“I-”
Luisia lowered her eyes.
“Freyja-sama…doesn’t want you to fight anymore.”
“What are you talking about?”
Freyr straightened, his expression hardening.
“You’ve already absorbed a considerable portion of Freyja’s power. Even if the gods were to win now…Freyja could never return to being a goddess.”
“…What will happen to her?”
“…She would become part of you.”
His answer was immediate.
“The relationship between you and Freyja is fundamentally one-sided. You are the dominant one. For a time, you’ll still be able to hear her voice…to sense her thoughts. But eventually… even those will disappear.”
Once again, Luisia realized just how terrifying the skill Miko truly was.
Freyja had willingly entered the body of a human, fully aware of the danger. She had done it for humanity’s sake. She is the benefactor of all mankind.
“But…”
A shadowed smile crossed Freyr’s face.
“If Ymir devours your skill…you’ll become an empty shell. When that happens… your mind will vanish. And Freyja will survive within your body.”
A sudden chill pierced Luisia to the bone.
She shivered.
“Then…why hasn’t he done it already?”
“You should thank the gods.”
Freyr’s voice remained calm.
“My sister intends to protect you. If Ymir devours your skill… Freyja will perish along with it.”
“Could that really be possible?” Luisia wondered. “Even while being gradually absorbed… Could Freyja-sama truly continue protecting her heart?”
“…The manipulation of the mind belongs to the domain of Seiðr.”
Freyr looked out over the frozen wilderness.
“It was…the specialty of my sister and me.”
Freyr shook his head, a lonely look crossing his face.
“…For Ymir, in his current state, selectively devouring only the Miko skill without destroying Freyja in the process… is beyond his ability. He must first reclaim his strength through his heart.”
Luisia took a slow, deep breath.
Perhaps because Freyja’s thoughts continued to flow into her own, her mind was unusually clear, cool as fresh snowmelt.
“…Besides… if you kill me, my brother might destroy Ymir’s heart.”
Frey clicked his tongue.
“So you understand.”
The situation hung in a delicate balance.
Ymir’s side held Luisia… and Freyja.
Meanwhile, Rion and the others possessed the Heart of Frost and Flame—the very thing Ymir desired above all else.
Each side held something precious to the other. Neither could make the first move. There was, however, one crucial difference. Ymir had already devoured part of the Power of Creation that had floated above the Mirror Lake.
The amount had been enormous. Moreover, that power had already begun taking physical form. Even for Ymir, it would take time to completely absorb it and make it his own.
But… once he finished doing so… once the Power of Creation truly became his, no one would likely be able to defeat him. In that sense… time itself was on Ymir’s side.
“Even now, Luisia… you still possess a considerable amount of magical power.”
“That’s the only reason Ymir hasn’t devoured you yet.”
Freyr’s gaze drifted into the distance.
“He believes your brother may come here carrying the Heart of Frost and Flame. To rescue you… and to defeat him.”
He fell silent.
The unspoken words were obvious.
“But if your brother never comes…”
Luisia answered before he could finish.
“He’ll come.”
She smiled with quiet certainty.
“My brother… he’ll absolutely come for me.”
Freyr lowered his eyes.
Once again, he reached out as though to place a hand on her shoulder… only to stop himself and pull it back.
Stop running.”
Luisia stood and gently took his hand. Then she pressed it against her own shoulder.
“If you’re her brother… then talk to Freyja-sama.”
Freyr jerked his hand away.
“…I can’t.”
A sharp pain pierced Luisia’s chest, as though a needle had been driven into her heart.
“Whose feelings are these? Mine…? Or Freyja-sama’s…?”
Then she heard it—
Freyja’s desperate cry echoing within her heart.
『—Brother!』
Luisia raised her voice.
“Why?”
“Because there’s no turning back. Once it’s all over, there will be plenty of time—tell my sister that.”
Freyr turned on his heel and walked towards the back of the temple.
Ahead of him was an altar, with candlesticks burning a dark red flame. Ymir’s massive back was faintly illuminated by the light and the moonlight streaming in.
◆◆◆
Freyr walked deeper into the temple.
At the altar dedicated to the primordial giant, Ymir sat with her back to him.
Two monsters stood to his left and right. Fenrir lay on the right, his wounded body slumped. To his left was Jor, the Serpentbone.
Jörmungandr, the World Serpent, had returned to her female form and leaned against the wall. Everyone, including Freyr, was wounded. The cold wind stung their wounds. The temple, after 1000 years, was eroded and decaying in places, and snow and wind blew in.
Ymir spoke.
“Humans are coming here.”
A low voice continued.
“The heart is moving. It’s heading here. It will be here soon.”
On Ymir’s back, his fine garments, now tattered like cloth, fluttered like a cape.
“We’ll meet it.”
Ymir bared his fangs and clunked them together in mid-air.
A crack about 10 meters wide ran through the air. The primordial titan tore through space. Inside the rift that opened up vertically, an army of monsters gleamed with countless eyes.
Fenrir, the wolfbone, and Jor, the serpentbone, both let out cries of joy.
Only Freyr lowered his chin, his heart cold.
The image of Luisia, who believed in her brother, crossed his mind repeatedly. From his pocket, he took out his sister’s necklace—the necklace of the divine artifact Brisingamen. It had been given to him along with a message while she was asleep in her seal.
Freyr clutched the necklace tightly. The sacred artifacts I had inherited, the scene before my eyes, and the feelings in my heart—everything felt terribly cold.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
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