Far away from the raging war across the Fallen Islands...
On the island where Odin, his brothers, and their father Zeus had grown up long ago...
The ships of Asgard finally came to rest upon its peaceful shores.
The island remained as silent as time had left it, as though it had been waiting for the return of its true owners.
As soon as the ships settled, Odin and his brothers disembarked, followed by all the rulers and warriors.
Odin stood on the shore for a few moments before suddenly raising his hand.
At that very instant...
The air trembled violently, and every ship anchored along the coast rose from the water. They flew onto the land and came to rest far from the shoreline.
No one present questioned Odin's actions.
They all knew the reason.
He did not want the ships to remain exposed to any danger or surprise attack, nor did he want them to interfere with the transportation of the island later on.
Afterward, Odin turned his gaze toward the island before him.
His eyes wandered across its forests, mountains, and coastlines.
Memories of the past began flooding his mind.
Here, he had played with his brothers as children.
Here, he had fought his first battles.
And from this very island, they had once fled with nothing but their dreams and ambitions.
But today...
They had returned as the rulers of the greatest power in the world.
The thought brought a faint smile to Odin's face.
His brothers were experiencing the same emotions, each silently gazing upon the place where their lives had begun.
However, Odin quickly broke the silence. He looked at the rulers accompanying him and said in a firm voice,
"Go."
"Surround the island from every direction."
The moment he gave the order, Hela, Apollo, and the other rulers shot away at incredible speed, scattering across the island until they had completely encircled it.
Then Odin turned to the warriors and commanded,
"Protect the island."
"Do not allow any intruder to come near it."
As soon as they heard the order, the warriors rushed into the forests, mountains, and beaches, spreading throughout the island until every region was under Asgard's protection.
After that, Odin looked once more at his brothers and said,
"Use your power."
"You, along with the other rulers."
"We will move this island to Asgard."
"And we will merge it with the kingdom."
The moment he finished speaking, everyone frowned with determination.
Athena, however, frowned slightly and asked,
"Aren't you going to help us with this?"
Odin calmly shook his head and replied,
"No."
"I have another task that I must complete."
After saying those words, he mounted his winged warhorse.
In a single instant, the steed soared into the sky at astonishing speed, and within seconds, Odin vanished from everyone's sight.
Hades stared at the place where his brother had disappeared.
He realized that Odin was leaving to carry out a mission of immense importance.
Yet he felt no worry.
He trusted Odin completely.
So he turned to his brothers and said,
"Let's finish our work quickly."
"We must complete this task so that we can join the coming war with our full strength."
Poseidon nodded in agreement and motioned for Athena to join them.
Athena let out a quiet sigh.
She understood that continuing to worry would change nothing. It would only bring her anxiety and perhaps cause her to make a mistake.
So she calmed herself and joined her brothers.
Everyone gathered at the center of the island.
Then they closed their eyes and focused their immense power.
At that same moment, the rulers stationed around the island did the same.
Their auras and powers erupted from every direction, enveloping the entire island.
Suddenly...
The island, which had remained unmoving for thousands of years, began to shake violently.
The trees trembled.
The rocks cracked.
The earth quivered.
Then the tremors grew into powerful earthquakes that shook the entire island.
Moments later...
A thunderous sound rose from the depths of the sea.
And the island began to move.
Very slowly...
But with unwavering determination.
It glided across the surface of the water as though an invisible force were pushing it, heading directly toward Asgard.
Meanwhile...
Asgard itself, which had remained dormant and silent for many long years, sensed what was happening.
From its depths emerged an ancient voice filled with both joy and longing.
Then a hidden smile appeared, and that ancient entity spoke eagerly,
"It seems that I will soon become even stronger."
Then it chuckled softly and said,
"I expected this..."
"My descendants never disappoint me."
"Ha... ha... ha..."
And when its laughter finally faded...
Silence once again enveloped Asgard.
The kingdom sank back into its deep slumber, waiting for the arrival of that ancient island so that it could merge with it and grant it a new power unlike anything the world had ever witnessed.
Far from Asgard, and far from the island that was being transported at that very moment...
In the Fallen Islands, where the flames of war burned across every battlefield...
The Human Emperor stood atop the massive fortress wall built on one of the islands. A deep frown covered his face as he observed the battlefield below.
Then he spoke in a low voice,
"It is already time for us to make our move..."
"So why hasn't the Dragon King given the signal yet?"
His frown deepened as he shifted his gaze toward the battlefield before him.
The demons continued their relentless assault on the fortress, while the mages standing upon the walls unleashed countless forms of magic.
At one moment, bolts of lightning crashed into the enemy ranks.
The next, enormous flames erupted, incinerating anyone who dared approach.
Then violent storms swept across the battlefield, hurling the demons away from the walls.
Yet...
The Emperor paid almost no attention to the battle itself.
He had realized from the very beginning that this attack was nothing more than a test.
Not a single truly powerful demon had appeared among the enemy ranks.
So he turned toward the knights standing nearby and commanded in an authoritative tone,
"Conserve your strength."
"Do not move until the real assault begins."
The moment he finished speaking...
One of the demons was suddenly hurled toward the fortress wall after being accidentally blasted in that direction by the mages' spells.
The Emperor looked at it with complete indifference.
Then he casually waved his hand.
In the next instant, a gigantic golden flame burst from his palm, surging forward at tremendous speed. It did not merely destroy that single demon, but swept across all the demons gathered near the fortress walls until they vanished completely within a massive golden explosion.
Silence returned for a brief moment.
Then the Emperor turned to the mages standing upon the wall and said,
"Use the dark magic."
Silence spread among them.
Several exchanged anxious glances.
None of them truly wished to use that kind of magic because of the tremendous risks it carried.
But none dared disobey the Emperor's command.
So they all nodded respectfully.
The mages immediately began to move.
They formed a great circle atop the wall, sat upon the ground, closed their eyes, and started chanting mysterious incantations that no ordinary person could understand.
As the seconds passed...
Their magical energies gradually merged together.
Then they rose into the sky, forming a colossal magic circle that covered the entire island.
Suddenly...
From the center of that circle emerged a gigantic purple eye.
It was a strange and terrifying eye, as though it belonged to an ancient being watching the world from the heavens.
The eye slowly opened.
Then it gazed upon the demons scattered across the battlefield.
The instant its sight fell upon them...
Their behavior changed in a horrifying way.
The demons began roaring like mad.
Then they turned on one another with savage brutality.
They tore apart the bodies of their own comrades as though they were their true enemies.
The battlefield descended into complete chaos.
The Emperor laughed coldly as he watched the spectacle.
He thought to himself,
"These mages are truly useful."
A faint smile appeared on his face as he felt satisfied that he had not executed them after the betrayal of the former Chief Mage. Instead, he had spared their lives so that he could make use of their abilities.
He raised his head once more and looked at the enormous purple eye suspended in the sky.
He thought to himself,
"It seems there is no need for us to move just yet..."
But before he could finish his thoughts...
He suddenly sensed something flash across the sky at incredible speed.
He immediately looked upward.
First, he glanced toward the demons and saw that they were still slaughtering one another under the influence of the dark magic.
Then he focused all his senses on the mysterious presence he had detected moments earlier.
He tried with all his strength to trace it.
But it had vanished completely, as though it had never existed at all.
The Emperor furrowed his brows and said seriously,
"It disappeared..."
Then he turned toward the Captain of the Guard standing beside him and ordered,
"Take care of the fortress in my absence."
"I'll be gone for a while."
The moment he finished speaking...
He did not wait for the captain's reply, nor did he care whether the man wished to object or ask for an explanation.
Suddenly, golden flames erupted around his body, completely enveloping him.
In a single instant...
He pierced through the sky at astonishing speed and flew toward the direction where he had sensed that mysterious presence, determined to uncover the truth of what he had seen, no matter the cost.
(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]