📖 Scene — The Flower
Far from the giants' gathering, deep within the ocean…
Odin had already finished taking control of the horse's mind using his power, but he had not yet finished feeding it with his energy to make it stronger.
He stood before it, looking at it with a calm yet firm gaze, then said: "Stay here… I will come to you every day and feed you my energy."
The horse nodded obediently, then stood still inside the cave, like a lifeless statue.
Odin watched it for a moment, then nodded in satisfaction when he saw its complete submission.
In the next instant—
He disappeared.
After a few moments…
Odin appeared in front of the child's house without making a sound, then entered quietly.
The moment he stepped inside—
he heard Forn's voice, loud and filled with frustration:
"Why aren't you obedient like your siblings, you fool?! Do you know how worried I am about you?!"
She paused for a moment, then continued more sharply: "You don't know your father well… he doesn't like reckless children, he prefers calm and intelligent ones! And you… have none of those qualities!"
The child was sitting on a chair, head lowered, while Forn stood in front of him, scolding him endlessly.
Odin looked at the scene and could only shake his head slightly before saying calmly:
"I've arrived."
In an instant—
the child jumped from his place, as if those words were his salvation.
He ran toward Odin quickly, his eyes shining with excitement, as if he had found someone to save him.
Odin looked at him with a hint of sympathy, sighed softly, and patted his head to calm him, then addressed Forn:
"Why are you so harsh on him? He's still a child."
Then he added more seriously: "He's stronger than most children his age… and can defeat them using only his physical strength."
The child nodded quickly, seizing the chance: "Yes! I'm strong!"
Forn sighed lightly and said: "We need to teach him how to think, Odin. You know he's reckless… he does many things without thinking."
She stepped closer and continued: "How do you expect him to become a strong warrior like this?"
Odin looked at the child for a moment, as if considering her words.
Then he said calmly: "You're right… you understand children better than I do. You raised him, not me."
The moment he said that—
the child's expression changed.
He looked at Odin as if seeing a traitor… not the father he was used to.
Odin looked back at him and shook his head with a faint smirk, as if saying: "I'm not getting into an argument with her for your sake."
Then he moved immediately.
He grabbed the child's hand firmly, pulled him up, and began leaving the house, saying:
"Oh… I forgot something. Goodbye."
He paused briefly at the door, then left without waiting for a reply.
Forn stood in her place, watching him leave with a faint smile…
Then slowly—
that smile changed.
She looked at the child still in front of her, reached out, and grabbed him by the ear.
She leaned closer, a frightening smile forming on her face, and said:
"Did you see? Even your father agrees with me…"
She paused, then whispered with clear threat:
"Now… what will you do? And who will protect you?"
The child realized this might be his end…
He lowered his head, forcing a weak smile despite the pain, and said quickly: "I—I'm sorry, Mom! I won't do it again, please forgive me!"
But his attempt was useless.
Forn was not someone who softened easily.
Elsewhere…
Odin was walking aimlessly through the village, then quietly left it, as if something weighed more heavily on his mind than anything else.
He looked up at the sky…
at the shining moon.
And said to himself in a low voice: "We must move… or the world may think we are weak… hiding behind the giants."
He paused, then began walking calmly toward the cave of the three seeresses… his daughters.
After some time…
he arrived.
He entered the cave without asking permission—he instinctively knew… they were waiting for him.
And indeed—
as soon as he entered…
he saw the three twins standing before him in eerie calmness, as if they already knew everything.
Odin looked at them seriously and said: "Is it time for us to act? Or are we still not ready?"
The three spoke at the same time, in one voice:
"When your son from Forn grows… then we will move, and tell the entire world that we exist."
Silence followed.
Odin nodded—he understood.
He turned quietly…
and left the cave without another word.
Elsewhere…
Far from Odin, and far from Asgard…
the demi-human kingdom was holding secret meetings.
Meetings… with the dark side.
Inside a hidden chamber in the palace, the king of the demi-humans sat before a dark elf priestess—their leader—speaking with urgency:
"We must act quickly and strike, if we want to benefit from what you said. If it spreads to other races… it will be a disaster, and we won't get even a single piece of it."
The priestess shook her head, laughed softly, and said confidently: "No… we will not move now."
She paused, then continued: "We will wait for the elves to act first… then they will become the scapegoats."
She leaned closer, adding coldly: "And we will advance… over their bodies."
Then she continued, her eyes gleaming: "You know… a treasure this rare must have a powerful guardian."
She lowered her voice: "This flower… hasn't bloomed for hundreds of years. And whenever it blooms… wars always erupt around it."
The king shook his head in disagreement: "But if we don't act now… the dragons might move first."
He paused, then added: "Haven't you heard? It is said the Dragon King summoned an elf priestess… to heal his son."
He leaned forward, his tone more dangerous: "And if that rumor is true… and they discover that the flower which can heal anyone—and turn an ordinary person into a powerful warrior—has appeared…"
He fell silent for a moment…
then finished: "They may move immediately to find it."
At that moment…
the priestess thought coldly:
"This fool… is right."
But she didn't show it.
Instead, she continued thinking:
"I need to find a way… to let the demons know about the flower."
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
"If the legends are true… and this flower can heal anyone… it might even heal the Demon King."
Her smile widened slightly.
"And then… he may elevate our race… perhaps even make us his followers."
Meanwhile, the king of the demi-humans…
had no idea…
that the priestess before him saw him as nothing more than another scapegoat.
And if he had known the truth…
he would have never told her about the flower… in the first place.
(Author's Note):
Hello everyone! Thank you for your continuous support of this novel; your comments and interactions mean the world to me.
Stepping away from our story here for a moment, I wanted to share another project I've been working on with great passion. I have started publishing a webtoon (comic) on the Webtoon platform titled "Me and the Wolf."
It is a [Comedy / Fantasy] story about a miserable young man and a cunning wolf who is constantly getting him into trouble! If you enjoy my writing style and the way I build scenarios, I promise you're going to love this comic.
I would be so grateful if you could go check it out, subscribe to the series, and let me know what you think in the comments there!
🔍 Search on the Webtoon app for: [Me and the Wolf]