AllFreeNovel
Share Us
As we approached, I saw grotesque, rotting creatures lurking nearby. Their once-human bodies were now twisted and decayed, with gaping wounds revealing putrid innards. Thestench of death hung heavy in the air as they noticed us and attacked.
Before I could react, the raven swooped down and carried me up into the safety of the trees where another waited. From there, I watched in awe as the titan woman gracefully fought off the zombies and some malignant spirits that had joined the fray. She moved like a hurricane, her sword slicing through flesh and bone with ease, each swing accompanied by a symphony of screams and gurgles.
"Wow," I said to the ravens, "she's amazing." I then laughed at myself for talking to two birds.
When the fight was over, the ravens let me down and I met up with the titan woman, who seemed unfazed by the battle she'd just won but pointed at the flying ravens circling me wide eyed. “See! Just wait until I show you!” She gestured for me to follow her and led me back to the crumbling wall, pointing out a painting of short, stout men and women adorned in gold and precious gems. They held up a large gem to a towering titan king.
"This is what dwarves look like," she explained.
"Wow," I muttered, taking in their appearance. "I guess I really ain't a dwarf then, huh?"
"No," she confirmed, leading me deeper into the crumbling structure of stone buildings. Above us, the ceiling depicted a feast of beings from many different races. She pointed out the ones that resembled humans and explained, "Midgardians and the Aesir look the same." She then pointed to the figureI had seen before, a dark-haired older man with the two ravens perched on his shoulder and stretched arm. “See the resemblance.”
"Ridiculous!" I scoffed. "I'm not old, and I’m hardly a god. I don't have any powers. I wish I had magic, though. Where I'm from, there are plenty of humans. Wait! That means that humans are Midgardians!" Almost wanting to kick myself for not really connecting this connection. Was Earth really Midgard?
"Don’t worry, I don’t think you’re Odin, but those ravens and your missing eye…come on! You can’t blame me for thinking you were some illusion of him. Some of his power still lingers here. And it’s known among us Sages that those birds are Huginn and Muninn, creatures that once belonged to him. Maybe they are helping you because you remind them of him.” She shrugged, "Are you sure you have no magic? Not even a little?"
"Positive," I replied, rolling my eyes. "There ain't a magical bone in my body."
"Ah, but don't sell yourself so short," she said with a laugh. "You made a certain Titan fall in love. That's a magic power."
"Wait, what?" I stammered, surprised by her words. "What do you mean?"
"I'll tell you once we reach our destination," she promised cryptically, leading me back onto the forest path.
"Odin's ravens…?" I asked, squinting up at the birds circling overhead. "Why would they be here in Innangard?" I tried toremember what little I'd learned about Norse mythology from the scattered books and film vids I'd found over the years.
"Odin was searching for a way to stop Ragnarok. He could have sent his ravens to spy for knowledge here when Ragnarok happened." She shrugged, her broad shoulders rippling with power. "I've seen them before, always watching when titans come here. They never intervene, not for anyone. But here they are, helping you, Little Odin."
"Sounds crazy," I scoffed. "I'm just a human, trust me, a Midgardian, but nothing more."
"You don’t have to keep telling me,” she replied, but I didn’t know if she meant it. After walking for a few hours, we came across a small temple choked with vines so powerful we couldn't get in. "Where the hell are we?" I asked, eyeing the structure warily.
"Mimir's Well," she answered. "You have to find a way inside so you can drink from it. That might be enough to get you kicked out of here."
"Wait, what? The world will kick me out?" I sputtered in shock.
"Yes," she said, her gaze fixed on mine. "This place wants to reject you, but if you birthed half-titan children, then you contain the worm and I can smell your mate’s semen inside of you." My face flushed red as she continued, "This place knows you're no titan, but there's enough titan in you to keep you tethered here."
"Alright," I muttered, my cheeks still burning. "So I drink the water from the well, it spits me outta here, and then what?"
"Whether Midgardian or Aesir, it doesn't matter. The Well will cleanse you," she said, her voice taking on a grave tone. "Now go, Little Odin."
"Fine," I agreed reluctantly. She tried to pry the vines away from the door but couldn't. "The branches are from Yggdrasil itself…damned things," she sighed.
As if sensing our dilemma, the two ravens swooped down, picking me up and dropping me inside the temple through the roof. I heard her call out, worried, "Kal, are you okay?"
"Y-yeah," I stammered, brushing myself off. "I'm fine."
"What do you see?" she asked anxiously.
"More carvings on the wall," I replied, squinting at the images. There was a one-eyed man with another man, gouging out his eye and drinking from the well. "What is all of this? What does it mean?"
"Odin lost his right eye in exchange for divine wisdom," she explained. "He plucked out his eye and dropped it into Mimir's well. It was the price Mimir asked for a drink from the well of knowledge."
"Then why is this here?" I inquired, feeling more confused than ever.
"Mimir is a friend to titans, even though he's an Aesir," she answered. "It's natural they'd keep his well of knowledge in a safe place. No place is safer than Innangard."
