"This night, it is not me who is looking for you."
Sensing Promise's confused gaze, Skuld, the Goddess of Fate in Norse mythology, lowered her head slightly, her voice remained as ethereal and calm as ever as she said, "Idunn seeks you... regarding the matter of Goddess Sif, the wife of Thor, the God of thunder."
Goddess Sif... the goddess whose golden hair was cut off by Loki?
As Promise looked at the Goddess of Youth approach, he couldn't help but recall the Asgardian gossip he had heard from the little bird Nini a few mornings ago.
Now, he began to piece things together.
Sure enough, the unfolding events were more or less what Promise had guessed.
Three years ago, through the blessing and gaze placed on Nini, the goddess of Youth, Idunn had witnessed the scene of Promise reforging the holy sword.
She had been captivated by the starlight he had created, finding the brilliance of his forging utterly dazzling.
Thus, she sought the help of the Fate Goddess Skuld on this night to summon Promise here, hoping to entrust him with a new forging task.
"Goddess Sif loves her hair dearly, and her long, flowing locks, reaching from her head to her feet, are indeed as beautiful as golden wheat in autumn or the gold found in the earth."
The gentlest of the Norse goddesses, Idunn, spoke softly to Promise in the sacred realm of Asgard under the night sky. "She is the goddess of earth and harvest, so her beautiful golden hair also symbolizes the bounty of autumn.
Because of this, ever since that day, Sif has locked herself away at home, refusing to see anyone.
Even now, she remains in seclusion. I fear that if this continues, it may have some impact on Midgard... And beyond that—she is my friend. I do not wish to see her weep any longer."
As Idunn spoke, her words revealed her concern for the mortal world and her deep heartache for her friend.
Yet, even so, she never once uttered a single word of blame against Loki, the true culprit behind all of this.
"If this is your wish, goddess, though I cannot guarantee that I will be able to forge something capable of replacing Goddess Sif's original hair, I am still willing to offer my humble strength for this cause."
Promise replied quickly.
As soon as Idunn explained her purpose for summoning him tonight, he gave his answer without hesitation.
His swift reply left Idunn slightly surprised as she looked at Promise with a hint of hesitation for a moment before continuing, "I know this may not be the best time, given that you have just parted ways with your brother..."
"That is of no concern."
Promise smiled and replied, "I reforged the broken holy sword and gave it to him. Thus, I have only blessings for his journey ahead, no sorrow. Moreover..."
As he spoke, he glanced to the side, toward someone who had been sitting quietly at the roots of the World Tree, Yggdrasil all along, not uttering a word. "We have made a promise. We will meet again very soon."
Hearing this, Skuld slightly lowered her gaze.
And through Shini, Idunn, who was also aware of the vow, couldn't help but glance at Skuld sitting beside them.
In fact, when Skuld first sought the golden apple from the Youthful Goddess Idunn, she had not concealed the fact that she intended to give it to a certain child.
Naturally, Idunn was quiet curious about it so, she asked why Promise was deserving of such a gift.
Skuld's answer was quiet simple: she said Promise was special...not only that, she even stated outright that he would become the most unique individual in this world.
After all, with her ability to peer into fate, Promise's past was no secret to Skuld.
Thus, though she had not crafted a crystal sphere of destiny for him, cradling it in her hands like the Greek Fate Goddess Clotho might, she had nonetheless engraved his fate upon the World Tree itself.
And she had concealed it with mysterious runes.
Later, when Promise had actually plucked a golden apple from the golden apple tree, Idunn's astonishment and curiosity about Promise naturally reached their peak.
It was then that she bestowed a small blessing upon Shini and used her as a medium to observe Promise
"Child, thank you."
Coming back to the present, Idunn no longer asked about the agreement between Promise and Sigurd, nor did she dwell on the so-called "humiliation" of the Norn of Fate.
Instead, she just placing a hand over her chest, smiled warmly, expressing her gratitude from the heart.
"There's no need to thank me."
Promise shook his head, smiling as he explained, "After all, if it weren't for the golden apples you've given me every Monday for the past three years, delivered by Shini, I probably would have been blown away to Helheim by a single gust of wind by now "
"So, it is my honor."
Promise conveyed the gratitude he had always held in his heart to the goddess in front of him.
As a goddess, Idunn could naturally discern lies, and she clearly felt the sincerity in Promise's words.
Only the little bird Shini, perched on her own goddess of fate, quietly pouted at his words.
After all, she was the one, who had flown back to the golden apple orchard every weekend, carrying the golden apple in her beak, and then flew back at dawn the next day to deliver it to Promise.
Yet, she had never received a word of thanks from him!
Just as Idunn, moved by Promise's explanation and finally understanding why he had agreed so readily, was about to speak,
"When you offer a heartfelt tribute to the Goddess of Harvest, you may ask her for a blessing."
Skuld, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke.
Her voice, as always, was ethereal and tranquil. As she lifted her gaze and met Promise's emerald eyes, speaking slowly. "She once obtained a freshly sprouted trunk from the highest reaches of Yggdrasil. It is a very precious treasure.
I believe it is worthy of becoming the new brush in your hand."
When it came to precious treasures in Norse mythology, seemingly omnipresent yet profoundly rare, there was no doubt that the most valuable was the wood from Yggdrasil, the tree that held the nine realms.
The eternal spear, Gungnir, in the hands of the God-king, Odin, was crafted from the wood of Yggdrasil.
Legend has it that when Odin hung himself from the tree for seven days and seven nights to gain the runes of wisdom, and sacrificed an eye to drink from the Well of Mimir, he also obtained this eternal spear at the same time.
And from that moment on, Odin became the king of the Norse gods.
"A brush?"
Hearing Skuld's words, Idunn couldn't help but blink her eyes in confusion.
Even the little bird Shini beside her tilted her head.
Of course, she still remembered what Promise had said to Goddess Skuld.
Promise had said he wanted to paint a wolf, a snake, and a tree.
Although Shini had always known about this but she had never paid it much mind.
Because, up until now, Promise had never truly shown his paintings.
Thus, apart from the Norn of Fate, Skuld and the King of Gods, Odin, who had been observing from the shadows and orchestrating this "script," naturally no one knew what Promise's paintings were truly like.
But even if they didn't know, it was enough to surprise the little bird Shini and the goddess of youth Eden at this moment.
After all, what kind of paintbrush was it,
Which needed to be made from the most precious tree branches of Yggdrasil?
Skuld paid no attention to the reactions of the bird and the goddess.
Under Promise's slightly surprised gaze, she continued, "The branch of Yggdrasil that Sif possesses is more than sufficient to become your brush. As for the canvas, you may seek the leaves of Yggdrasil."
Is this how you harvest from the tree... Oh, right, this is the Age of Norse Gods, the world of nine realms that was born from the World Tree, so never mind then.
Promise nodded lightly, indicating he understood.
Thus, the trial was set.
Offer the goddess Sif, who had lost her hair due to Loki's mischief, a new golden mane, so that's she would not longer be sad.
In return, receive the blessing of a newly grown branch from the highest reaches of Yggdrasil.
And with it, forge the brush of this world.
The moment the way was pointed out, both the little birdie Shini and the goddess of youth Idunn discovered very clearly that the young man before them seemed a little different.
It was a feeling that couldn't be easily put into words.
Though he appeared to be only thirteen or fourteen years old, the youthful innocence on his face couldn't mask the brilliance within. His emerald eyes shone like stars in the night sky.
"...What a delightful child. Skuld, where on earth did you find him?"
Speaking in such a manner, Iduun couldn't help but cast an envious glance at Skuld.
Because of the closeness between Promise and Skuld, she had mistakenly assumed that Promise was a beloved devotee of Skuld.
After all, even after saying something as bold as "humiliating the Norn of Fate," Skuld didn't show any anger and even acted as if it were perfectly normal...
Not only her, even the little bird Shini thought the same.
After all, she was Skuld's divine messenger, so she had been close to her goddess, not to mention, she had been delivering golden apples for Promise for three years now.
She had long sensed the aura of fate on Promise.
Not to mention, her mysterious and aloof goddess had shown clear interest only in Promise...however.
"It wasn't me. It was Brynhildr who found him," Skuld replied indifferently.
"...Brynhildr?" Hearing this unfamiliar yet familiar name, Idunn blinked in surprise at Skuld several times.
But the latter had no intention of explaining further.
At this moment, her other eye, normal and beautiful, was now entirely focused on Promise.
In her gaze, there was anticipation.
Is it finally beginning...
Skuld thought to herself.
She was looking forward to everything Promise would reveal, and that was the reason she cared so much about him.
She longed to see and witness futures that even she, the Norn of Fate, could not foresee!
Clearly sensing Skuld's gaze, Promise, who had been deep in thought, now looked up.
As their eyes met, he seemed to sense the anticipation in the Norn of Fate's gaze, so he smiled and nodded gently to her.
"Have you made up your mind?"
Seeing this, Skuld naturally pressed further.
"Yes, I've made up my mind... In fact, this trial isn't difficult."
Indeed, it wasn't difficult, and there was no danger involved.
After all, it was merely forging a new golden mane for the goddess who had lost her hair.
"But if I want to obtain that branch of Yggdrasil from Goddess Sif, then I think... it will be no less challenging than any trial I've faced so far."
As Promise spoke, a light smile remained on his face.
At that moment as soon as he spoke these words, Skuld's reaction made Shini's eyes widen as if she had witnessed a miracle, and even Idunn blinked in surprise.
Because, at this moment, the seemingly emotionless Norn of Fate actually smiled.