"I know, you'd just open a portal and drag me over," Mavuika replied with a smile. "Just like when we were kids."
Hela seemed to smile as well; at least, Mavuika felt a sense of amusement in her consciousness. "As long as you remember."
The sisters chatted casually for a few more moments before Mavuika finally cut the connection.
The light from the Bifrost Bridge shard on the hilt of the sun-blaze thousand suns gradually faded, and the link to Helheim was severed.
Mavuika opened her eyes and slowly stood up.
The Sun was fully leaping out from the sea level, casting golden sunlight across the vast ocean and over her body.
Mavuika stretched her arms, taking a long, lazy stretch against the morning breeze.
Her white and gold robes clung to her body, outlining the powerful curves tempered by a thousand years of battle and divinity.
Sunlight danced on the tips of her hair, each strand seemingly imbued with a faint inner glow.
"Alright..." she murmured to herself, her voice carrying a newfound vitality.
"It's time I truly got to know this World."
She drew the sun-blaze thousand suns, shouldered it casually, turned away from the cliff, and headed inland.
Earth was currently in the Middle Ages.
Compared to the eternal glory and orderly life of the divine realm like Asgard, this World appeared coarse, vivid, and full of unpredictability.
Mavuika transformed into an ordinary traveler, wearing a simple linen dress and carrying a basic pack, beginning her aimless journey.
She first walked south along the coastline.
A few days later, she encountered her first human village: dozens of crude wooden huts where villagers in rough hemp clothes worked the fields and fished by the river.
Mavuika did not disturb them, choosing instead to observe from a distance.
She saw mothers teaching children to weave nets in front of their houses, elders sitting under trees telling stories passed down through generations, and young men competing in lifting stones for the girls they loved.
These scenes were simple and mundane, yet they possessed a blazing vitality belonging to short-lived beings that Asgard lacked.
Mavuika continued her journey.
She crossed mountains, traversed forests, and waded through rivers.
She passed through kingdom after kingdom: Vikings in the north conquering the seas in longships, knights in the west waging endless wars between castles, merchant caravans in the east exchanging goods and ideas along the Silk Road, and empires in the south building magnificent cities on the edge of the desert.
She did not interfere much.
As the sun goddess of Asgard, she knew well that every civilization had its own growth trajectory; the intervention of external divine power often did more harm than good.
But occasionally, when she encountered something truly intolerable, Mavuika would not hesitate to act.
These interventions were subtle and hidden; Mavuika performed no miracles and claimed no faith, simply giving a gentle nudge when she deemed it necessary.
Even so, her footsteps left legends in every land.
Among the fishermen of the North Sea, stories circulated of a "Blonde Valkyrie" who would guide ships home through the most dangerous storms.
On the Silk Road of the East, caravans spoke of a "Flame Traveler" who could spot counterfeit goods at a glance and punished the deceitful.
In the poems of southern desert tribes, they praised the "Sun Daughter" for bringing sweet springs during the driest seasons.
Even in the secret manuscripts of Western monasteries, there were records of a "Light Walker" who debated philosophy with monks, her words revealing a profound understanding of life and death.
Mavuika heard these legends, merely smiled, and continued her journey.
A hundred years of time, while several generations to mortals, was but a short walk for Mavuika.
She traveled across nearly every continent on Earth.
She stood atop snowy peaks overlooking glaciers, dove into deep-sea trenches to explore ancient ruins, crossed scorching deserts to feel the shape of the wind, and wandered through the depths of rainforests to listen to the symphony of life.
She witnessed the rise and fall of countless dynasties: the glory of empires collapsing in the flames of war, the iron hooves of barbarians trampling the edges of civilization, waves of religion sweeping across continents, and sparks of knowledge flickering stubbornly in the darkness.
She saw humans build awe-inspiring structures: soaring cathedrals, walls winding for thousands of miles, and observatories that precisely tracked the stars.
She also saw them make foolish mistakes: slaughtering one another over differing faiths, betraying compatriots for fleeting power, and burning knowledge and wisdom in their fear.
It was a contradictory World where beauty and ugliness coexisted, and greatness and insignificance intertwined.
And within it, Mavuika saw something familiar—something that appeared in Natlan, in Asgard, and in every place where intelligent life existed: the thirst for survival, the quest for meaning, and the yearning for beauty.
In the later stages of this century-long journey, Mavuika discovered a special place.
It was a secluded nation on the vast African savannah.
From the outside, it was shrouded by a special energy field that distorted vision; mortals would never even realize a country existed there.
But Mavuika was different; her perception could pierce that barrier and "see" the scenes within.
The technological and civilizational level of this nation was at least decades ahead of the outside World.
Mavuika observed from outside the barrier for several months with great interest.
She saw scholars in this country using sophisticated instruments in observatories to watch the stars, recording data more accurately than any civilization outside.
She saw craftsmen creating various precise mechanical inventions to help them complete all kinds of work.
She saw healers using a complete theoretical system to diagnose diseases with an astonishing success rate.
She also saw the attitude of this nation: they knew they were ahead of the World, so they chose to hide, isolate, and not interfere.
"We won't disturb you, and you don't disturb us."
Mavuika respected this choice; she did not attempt to intrude or make contact with anyone.
Mavuika observed the perimeter of the energy field for several days with interest, but in the end, she simply made a mental note of the place and turned to continue her journey.
Besides traveling the World, Mavuika also kept her promise, traveling to Helheim at least once a week.
Every time she crossed the Bifrost Bridge to reach the Eternal Hall, Hela was almost always already waiting by the teleportation point, her black sword already formed, her face wearing an impatient expression.
"Too slow." This was Hela's most common opening line, even though Mavuika arrived on time every single time.
Then came the battle.
No rules, no limits, only an unreserved contest between sisters.
Hela's Death Divine Power and Mavuika's Eternal Flame collided in the empty reaches of Helheim; the black sword and sun-blaze thousand suns clashed with Earth-shattering roars, phantoms and flames weaving into a dance of destruction and rebirth.
Sometimes they fought within the Eternal Hall, cracking the walls and causing the throne to crumble.
Sometimes they went to the Void Wastes deeper within Helheim, where they could let loose without worrying about destroying anything.
Once, they even fought to the source of a River of Souls, nearly changing its course, which left Hela grumbling as she adjusted it for several days.
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