44 Chapter 44 – The Journey Continues! Next stop: the land of the 'young master'!

Here's the new chapter!

Sorry for the delay!

*Any images in this chapter do not belong to me! It belongs to their respective artists/creators!

Attention: Remember, the *Auxiliary chapter* is reserved for the design characters chosen by ME. But if you don't like it, feel free to choose the design you like for the characters.

Without further ado, enjoy the chapter!

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Pov. Unknown.

Darkness.

Dust.

Those were the two things that followed me the most after my death... But then again, I expected nothing less from Queen Erishkigal's kingdom.

But I do not understand.

I've always known what awaits mortals in the afterlife.

After all, I was a priest, before I was a king of the great city of Eridu. I was the first king of mankind, I did my best for my people, I always praised the gods, especially my father Enki, every day, whether in the scorching heat of the day under the sun or the icy cold of the night under the moon.

I loved and respected the gods.

But then... Why?

Why did they abandon me?

Why did my father abandon me?

Did I not do what he asked me to do? He even commended me for standing my ground before the great king Anu and for refusing to eat and drink the food of immortality...

Perhaps... Didn't he love me?

Before I could even think of an answer, I saw and heard something after quite a while.

The first thing was something that replaced my dark vision.

A bright light.

A bright light appeared through my darkness and blinded me for a brief moment.

And at that moment I could 'feel' it again.

Feel the chill of rocks and the heat of a nearby flame, in addition to the stuffy environment.

The other thing that surprised me was something simple.

One voice.

"Hey, you're finally awake..."

It was then that I looked towards the voice and noticed another person sitting in a chair nearby...

A rather tall man, with long blood-colored hair, but what stood out the most was the golden 'metallic lines' on his face and eyes with black scleras and golden pupils.

... Who is this man?

"Hey, I know it can be a little disorienting, after all, you're alive again, but it will pass... I suggest you stay calm because your new life is a little... 'complicated" said the blood-colored-haired man.

I don't understand, what is he talking about?

"Um... I suppose an introduction is appropriate, don't you agree?" asked the man.

I could only nod, I had to know what was going on.

"I am... Adapa, the priest-king of the city of Eridu and the first king of men by the will of Anu," I said.

My throat was as dry as the dust I'd eaten for years.

"Nice to meet you Adapa... I am Thor, Norse god of thunder, most of all..." said the man, before getting up from his chair.

The man, now identified as Thor, approached me until he was only a few steps away.

"...I'm your FATHER!...or something close," said Thor, shrugging his shoulders.

... What?

"No... My father is Enki, the god of wisdom," I said.

Thor seemed to think I was saying something funny because he smiled right away.

"Well, as I said, your situation is unique... What you have from your past life at the moment are two things, your soul and your skeleton," said Thor.

Say What?

"Your flesh...is the flesh of a dragon king," said Thor, smiling.

WHAT?!

"And your blood... Well, it's actually MY blood," said Thor.

For Anu's sake... I just closed my eyes for a few years and then suddenly this happens?!

"What did you do to me?!" I asked.

This can't be happening, no, no, no, it must be an illusion of the Kur, Queen Erishkigal must be playing with my soul again!

Yes! Should be it!

"Oh? Denial? I did what I did to give you something your father never gave you… A second chance," Thor said, smiling.

Thor then reached for me, but I just got up off the ground and ignored it.

I admit I'm a little irritated.

"My father would never allow such sacrilege on me! Also, my father will ALWAYS cherish the cycle of life, so of course, he won't bring me up from the dead! A 'second chance' is sacrilegious and disrespectful to my father!" I said.

It was then that I saw that Thor stopped smiling.

"Oh really? So, was it out of that respect that he deceived you when you were offered immortality? Was it out of this respect that he, your own father, accepted your first wife, Lilitu, as his lover? Was it out of that respect that your father also slept with your second wife, Titi-Eve, who ended up pregnant with his child? And it was out of that respect that you forgave Titi-Eve and raised this child generated by infidelity as your own and when the child grew up ended up killing your FIRSTBORN?" asked Thor.

I never had the opportunity to answer every question. How could I?

It was then that Thor one last sentence.

"Wake up to reality, Adapa... You were used as a fool and then discarded when you served your purpose," said Thor.

It was the purest truth...

Aba-El.

My son.

My firstborn.

My first star of the night.

He was taken from me…

Ka-En did that.

"… How much do you know?" I asked.

It was then that I saw Thor go silent for a brief moment before answering.

"... I admit not everything, or rather not everything according to your point of view," said Thor.

So that's it huh...

"I always loved and respected my father... He was always hopelessly weak when it came to women, so I shouldn't have been surprised, but..." I said, before stopping.

A son should never hate his parents.

This was almost an absolute law my father taught me when I was growing up. My father used to say another saying...

'Only the good men can be able to forgive someone and leave the past in the past, so there is a future that you will always look forward to'.

It was for this teaching that I forgave my second wife Titi-Eve and we had a great marriage, with 30 sons and 30 daughters, but the price...

I lost my firstborn because of this.

"…But you hate them, don't you?" asked Thor.

I denied.

"No! I'm just… disappointed," I said.

But it looked like Thor wasn't convinced.

"You don't have to lie, I even admit that hate is not 'productive', but it's very easy for you to 'hate' someone who has hurt you, and you know as well as I do that betrayal hurts because it never comes from the enemies, but from the people, we love the most," said Thor.

He was right.

I loved Lilitu, and she hurt me.

I loved Titi-Eve and she hurt me.

My father, Enki, someone I loved the most... Hurt me.

I still raised and loved Ka-En as my own son... And he killed my true firstborn son.

And I still had to make my firstborn's murderer my heir, not my son Seti.

"…What can I do now?" I asked.

I couldn't live again like before...

I don't want to get hurt again.

"If you want a fresh start then live for me, I will be fair to you, that I will promise," said Thor.

It was then that I looked at Thor and saw him holding out his hand to me.

Fair.

... I like that word.

I then didn't take the outstretched hand... I knelt.

"I will do my best to be worthy of this new chance at life, Master Thor," I said.

I want a second chance.

I NEED a second chance.

I now know this.

A new life, far from injustice, impunity, betrayal, and intrigue.

That's my biggest wish right now.

"No need to call me master, technically you are part of my family now, you may not have 'my flesh' but you have my blood," said Thor.

That... It was a surprise. After all, I had to call Enki a 'master' for quite some time before I was allowed by him to call him father.

Wait... Does that mean Thor is my father now? After all, I don't have the blood of Enki according to Thor's words.

I suppose I'll find out only in the future.

First I had to know one thing.

"What do you want from me? That I serve him as a priest?" I asked.

After all, being a priest was what I did, even before I was a king.

It was then that I saw Thor smiling.

"Priest? With the flesh of a dragon king and the blood of a Norse war clan god? No, that would be a waste of potential... You will be a 'hunter', and I will train you myself" said Thor smiling.

Um... Hunter?

It makes no sense.

"…What am I going to hunt?" I asked confused.

Definitely, this 'hunter' wouldn't be able to hunt any animal, after all, he said that I would be trained by him, and he also said that he is part of a war clan.

So I suppose I'll be some kind of warrior.

But then does that mean that I will be subordinate to him? Will I be subordinate to another god?

"You won't have something specific to hunt, because it can vary a lot. You will have your free will; however, you will have only two duties as my only orders…" said Thor.

Two duties?

"The first duty is to remain in the territory I will designate you, which is also the territory where I live," said Thor.

That was fair because if I didn't follow that rule, I could be accused of trespassing... Just like my son Aba-El.

"Your second duty is to protect the territory you will live in from any threat, capture or kill whoever tries to harm you... Preferably capture" said Thor.

That was...

Strange.

If I'm just going to follow these two rules then...

I don't need to honor the gods?

I don't need to bow my head when greeting someone higher up?

I don't need to obey the gods?

Do I not need to accept any decision imposed on me by the gods? Like marriage?

I don't need to serve?

Is this... freedom?

Pov. Third-person.

Although Adapa is wondering if what he will feel would be a kind of freedom. Thor had calculated every word he would say to Adapa for good reason.

Thor wanted Adapa as an 'ally', not a servant.

Thor was offering Adapa a sense of freedom and free will so that Adapa would be more devoted to Thor's orders.

After Thor found out about the devils invading Midgard, he knew he should be as practical as possible in solving the problem.

Because Fenrir is the watchdog of Thor's house, the Norse god needs another being to guard the remainder of Midgard's vast territory.

Thor found Adapa as a solution.

The first king of mankind.

And the first human was graced by the gods for dedication.

Thor took advantage of Adapa's history and his relationship with the Sumerian gods.

Adapa was a son of Enki who devoted himself to the gods all his life.

In addition to being the first king, he was a priest.

A dedicated priest.

Anu, the leader of the Anunnaki at the time, knowing Adapa's dedication to praising the gods, invited him to a celebration.

Initially, when a human was invited by the Anunnaki, they would eat and drink the food of death, as the humans somehow ended up disrespecting the Anunnaqui, who only saw them as mere sources of entertainment.

However... Enki advised Adapa never to accept any food given, and due to the law of the guest Adapa would be safe from any affront.

What Enki did not count on was that Adapa was very polite and respected all the gods.

By this act of respect, Adapa became the only mortal to be protected by the strongest of the Sumerian pantheon...

Enlil himself.

Even though Enlil was not very fond of Adapa, due to Adapa's existence served as a reminder that Enki betrayed Ninki and had Adapa with a mortal.

To Enlil, this was a desecration of the Anunnaki's race...

But contrary to what many thought would happen, Enlil ended up leaving Adapa alone and turned his anger at the 'desecration of the Anunnaqui race' on Enki.

For Enlil, the relationship between the brothers ended that day.

And the strongest Sumerian god proceeded to deny his own brother.

Adapa's actions by the gods also changed Anu's opinion of humans.

And for these reasons, Anu did not offer the 'food of death' as ​​planned, but the 'food of eternal youth'.

But Adapa thought it was the 'food of death' being offered to him by Anu, and trusting his father, Enki, he turned down the offer...

And Enki didn't stop it, but not because he didn't know about the exchange of the 'food of death' for the 'food of eternal youth', on the contrary...

Enki knew of the exchange.

The god Enki only believed that half-blood humans and the rest of humans should forever be mortal. Enki asked Anu to let Adapa remain 'mortal' so that Adapa would identify more with humans than with the Anunnaqui, even though he was technically a demigod.

Enki did not want the longevity of the gods to be given to humans.

When Adapa refused the offer of the 'food' offered to him, King Anu was not only perplexed, he was ashamed.

To Anu, Adapa's actions were very strange.

In the end, Adapa left as a mortal and returned as a mortal.

As Adapa was chosen by Anu as the first king, and the dissent between Enki and Enlil, Adapa decided to appease the strongest 'twin gods' and ended up marrying Lilitu, sister of Erishkigal and granddaughter of Enlil, and Titi-Eve, half-sister of Adapa and daughter of Enki with another mortal.

Enki and Enlil approved marriages only for peace.

However, no one thought about the key factor...

Enki's hopelessly lust.

Lilitu did not like the marriage proposal, because for her, a 'pureblood' Anunnaqui, it was humiliating to marry a demigod.

Titi-Eve, on the other hand, was paranoid about the right of succession. Adapa's half-sister had ambition, she wanted her children to inherit the throne, but she had something that stopped her...

Lilitu.

Lilitu had pure Anunnaki blood, being the sister of Erishkigal and the daughter of Nannar.

Titi-Eve was a demigod, daughter of Enki, and a mortal.

It was then that Titi-Eve had a plan, while Lilitu had no son or daughter, due to the heartbreak of having to marry Adapa, Titi-Eve seduced an Anunnaqui that could change the game.

The Anunnaki was Enki, her own father, and father-in-law by marriage.

And then Titi-Eve slept with Enki and Adapa successively until she was pregnant.

And pregnant Titi-Eve was.

Pregnant with twins.

The older twin was named Ka-En, and it was apparent to Adapa that he was not the father, Ninhursag had confirmed Adapa's assumption.

The younger twin was named Aba-El, and he was Adapa's firstborn son.

Titi-Eve claimed to Adapa that the betrayal was for political reasons and Adapa forgave her after some time.

However...

Unlike Ka-En, Aba-El turned out to be a favorite of the gods.

Titi-Eve's plan didn't go exactly as planned.

And everything indicated that Aba-El would inherit the throne after Adapa's death.

But then the tragedy.

Ka-En killed Aba-El for the throne, as Ka-En felt threatened, even though he had a more 'prestigious' lineage than Aba-El.

While this fight for the throne on the part of Titi-Eve took place, Lilitu, angry at having married a 'mere' demigod, ended up 'finding comfort' in someone's arms...

Or to be more exact... In someone's BED.

That someone was Enki.

And then Lilitu forsook Adapa and became Enki's lover, having with the god of wisdom two daughters: Luluwa, who became the wife of Ka-En, and Alimath.

Unfortunately, as much as Adapa ended up having 30 more sons and 30 daughters, none of them ended up being the future heir for the simple fact that none of them came to the attention of the gods like Aba-El.

And so the throne of the 'first king' ended up being given to Ka-En after he had returned from the exile given to him by Enlil for committing fratricide.

Adapa had to kneel before the murderer of his own firstborn, and the result of the betrayal of who he considered the 'love of his life' with his own father.

After Aba-El's death and the story that followed, Thor could be sure of one thing about Adapa...

It was almost certain that Adapa was no longer so 'submissive' to the gods.

Quite the opposite...

It was quite likely that the 'first king of civilized men' had a repressed hatred...

Thor explored the truth and what to say so that Adapa would willingly follow him.

And it worked.

"You can rise up Adapa, no need to kneel… Although I can make something symbolic of it," said Thor, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

Adapa, who remains kneeling towards Thor, was confused.

"Symbolic in what way?" I asked.

Thor then smiled.

"Well, you knelt before the 'court of 7' of the Anunnaki as Adapa the priest, and you stood up as Alulim, the first king of humans, until your dying day; let's do something like that, before me you're kneeling, after having lived as 'Adapa' and 'Alulim', so I'll give you another name," said Thor, explaining.

Adapa nodded, understanding the logic behind Thor's explanation.

To have a 'new life' it is necessary to have a 'new name'.

"Stand up… Igris, my first 'son,'" said Thor, with a small smile.

Adapa, now called Igris, stood up and looked around him and realized something... He was in a kind of forge, or more specifically, he was in the forge of the kingdom of Erishkigal.

*(N/A: I will be referring to Adapa as Igris from now on).

"Are we still on Kur...?" asked Igris, confused.

Thor started walking towards a spot in the forge as he answered Adapa's question.

"Yes, we are here because next time I leave, I will no longer be welcomed to this land by decree of Enlil, I will go east, so I asked Erishkigal another favor in exchange for a better security system to replace the 7 gates of her realm and Nergal I would be allowed to use the forge of her realm," said Thor, scouring the area.

This news surprised Igris.

"Nergal… Replaced? I thought he would never stop being the Kur's guard so he could have a chance with Miss Erishkigal," said Igris.

Thor paused for a moment, before picking up a chest and walking back to Igris.

"He will retire due to… an accident at work, but that doesn't matter anymore, I promised Erishkigal a replacement for the gates and guard him in exchange for the underworld forge to bring you back to life and forge some 'toys' '" said Thor, placing the chest in front of Igris.

Thor then gestured.

"Wear it, it will help you on our journey to the east, you will accompany me so that you will receive teachings not only from me but also from other important gods and goddesses. I'll meet Erishkigal to sort out the problem with the gates, meet me at the exit, see you soon… Igris," said Thor.

The Norse god then left the place and left Igris lost in thought before opening the chest given to him by Thor.

It was then that Igris saw what was inside the chest...

A kind of armor.

While Igris remained at the forge, Thor made his way towards meeting the queen of the Sumerian underworld, Erishkigal, at the seventh gate of the underworld.

Thor found Erishkigal waiting for him.

"So Asgardian, what's your idea of ​​fixing this?" asked Erishkigal, displeased, gesturing to the 7th collapsed gate.

Erishkigal was unhappy with what had happened to her kingdom... All seven gates were destroyed and the only guard at all gates was left unconscious and traumatized after waking up.

Nergal abandoned Kur as soon as he woke up.

Thor remained calm in the face of Erishkigal's displeasure, before summoning the 'storage space' and pulling out a small, bluish-colored cube.

"This is something that I came up with recently, in theory, it will create barriers according to the power and will of the user, as well as create energy constructs, not so resistant of course, but can work perfectly as guards for all seven gates, or in that case barriers, in your realm. I shaped this artifact with my energy and was hoping to use it in Thrúðvangr, my home in Asgard after my journey, but due to the trouble I've caused you can keep it," said Thor, holding the artifact towards Erishkigal.

Erishkigal hesitated for a moment before accepting the artifact.

Thor delivered such an artifact for one simple reason...

You can always forge a new and better one, so it doesn't make much difference to give an experimental prototype.

"…So… How does it work?" asks Erishkigal, assessing the artifact.

Thor responded promptly.

"You will pour your divine energy into the cube and place it next to you, keep in mind that within the area demarcated for use, the amount of 'guards' will be inversely proportional to the quality, and the number of barriers created it will be according to the energy you will power the artifact. Keep the artifact close at hand in case you want to change something or if the artifact needs more divine energy from you," explained Thor.

Erishkigal seemed to understand most of the explanation…but not all of it.

"…Errr…What do you mean by 'the number of guards will be inversely proportional to their quality', I don't… understand," said Erishkigal, with a shy smile.

Thor just shrugged.

"Well, that's what it means… A good example is you, if you end up creating 700 guards each will have the strength and power of an angel with three pairs of wings, if you only create 7 guards? Each of these 7 guards can probably kill a 'Low Class' dragon, and give a 'High Class' dragon a little warm-up" said Thor.

This surprised Erishkigal.

The guards may not be as strong as Nergal individually... but they're still promising.

However, Thor explained only one possible probability, after all the artifact has not yet been tested on a large scale.

In addition, you need to know the 'cost' of everything.

From the area that will be demarcated by the artifact, the production of barriers, and the creation of a certain number of guards.

"So… If I feed my energy to the artifact now and set up seven barriers, seven guards for each gate and let the 'use area' occupy from my throne room to the entrance of the first gate… How long will it take for the artifact consumes the energy until I need to feed it with my energy again?" asked Erishkigal.

Thor hummed thoughtfully before answering confidently.

"One lunar cycle," said Thor.

Erishkigal reacted quickly.

"I accept the artifact! It was nice doing business with you Nordic – I mean – Thor! You are more than welcome in my house!" said Erishkigal quickly, the goddess then took Thor's hand and shook it quickly, sealing the deal.

While Erishkigal's reserves of divine power are not the greatest among the Sumerian gods, Erishkigal's divine power 'is endless' while in Kur, because the realm will constantly 'supply' Erishkigal's power.

So the goddess doesn't have to worry about being helpless right after feeding the artifact with divine energy.

It was then that a figure fully clothed in armor walked towards the gods.

The presence of the fully armored figure was quickly noticed by the gods.

"Oh? Igris, it's about time, I thought you were having a hard time putting on the armor," said Thor.

For a moment Erishkigal looked confused.

After all, she didn't know who 'Igris' was but suspected it was Adapa due to Thor's action towards the figure, as Thor didn't know anyone in the Kur.

Igris did not answer and just bowed his head in respect to Erishkigal.

For Igris, Erishkigal was one of the few beings he could still respect in his second life.

"Well, I think that's it, Erishkigal. I will retire from your lands... It was a pleasure to meet you" Thor said smiling and nodding in respect.

Erishkigal looked embarrassed as she blushed.

"Farewell Thor, may your journey echo through the times," said Erishkigal.

And so they parted.

Thor and his new ally, Igris, departed towards the surface, while Erishkigal headed for the throne room.

After a while, Erishkigal was in the throne room, where she placed the artifact on a stone pillar, created next to the throne. As soon as Erishkigal placed the artifact, she fed it with divine energy from her, and the artifact, which was once a blue cube, became a cyan-colored cube.

In the first few days after Thor left the land of the Anunnaki, the artifact worked flawlessly. However, on the seventh day...

"What is this?" asked Erishkigal, confused.

What Erishkigal was looking at that moment it was a kind of stone, the color was black with cyan accents.

The 'stone' had appeared over the artifact that Erishkigal had received from Thor. This 'stone' also had a strange shape...

The 'stone' was shaped like an egg.

The artifact Thor gave to Erishkigal still had some of Thor's divine energy... And then, when Erishkigal fed the artifact with her divine energy, the artifact changed color.

This means that within the artifact the divine energies of Thor and Erishkigal were 'fighting', the fusion of the element 'lightning' with 'death' taking place.

And both energies ended up forming a great mass of energy.

When you have a large mass of unstable energy, it ends up being the perfect condition for the creation of a specific being...

A dragon.

Pov. Third-person.

It had been about seven days since Thor left the lands of Erishkigal.

The thunder god returned to Uruk, where he bid farewell to Gilgamesh and Enkidu and notified the small 'Nordic party' of his departure to the east.

In addition to introducing the only being that will accompany Thor on his journey to the east.

Igris.

When the others saw Igris, they were automatically curious, for the presence of this armored being was a cross between dragon and divinity.

Unfortunately for the curious, as soon as Igris left the lands of Erishkigal he took a vow of silence.

At that moment, Thor and Igris were leaving the Sumerian territory and approaching the Elamite territory.

However, neither Thor nor Igris realized they were being watched from a distance by someone.

It was a man, who had bronze skin and dark brown hair, and his eyes were such a deep blue that would resemble the sea.

This was Enki, the god of water and wisdom.

As well as Thor's travel companion's former father

Enki was about to take the first step toward Thor and Igris, but he was stopped by someone...

"Don't you dare little brother, or I'll break both of your legs," said a voice, with a tone of authority.

It was Enlil.

The threat seemed to have its effect, for Enki dared not go forward, but Enki's face showed no fear.

"Brother... It's been a while," said Enki, with a small smile.

Enki's carefree attitude was definitely not contagious, for Enlil had a serious expression on his face.

"Adapa 'was dead', neither you nor anyone else can interfere in anything after his death," said Enlil.

Enki frowned.

"He is still my son - " said Enki, before being interrupted.

"He WAS your son. Adapa died and came back to life, because of Thor and Erishkigal, but neither of them had violated the law of the Anunnaki, so I suggest you stay where you are and don't interfere Enki... Or I will be forced to act against you brother" said Enlil.

Enki had a sarcastic smile.

"As if you weren't eager to kill me. I understand my limits, without the 'sword of rupture' I am weaker than you as you would still remain in the top 10, my talent is in the runes; so I am not crazy to fight you, brother," said Enki, raising his hands in a posture of surrender.

Enki then turned away from Enlil, but not before speaking...

"You know... You can't hate me forever, I know I made mistakes, but I assure you I never had bad intentions" said Enki.

Enki then felt a strong pressure.

Enlil was furious.

The winds began to grow stronger, as Enlil's eyes shone with power as they faced Enki.

"You admit that you made mistakes... But the problem is that you never tried to correct those 'mistakes', you shame our Enki race, I should have killed you millennia ago" said Enlil.

Enki seemed unperturbed.

"Maybe... But I'm still here, so there must be some part of you that forgives me," said Enki, with a smile.

Enlil, however, did not smile.

"You are right, and that 'part' is called our mother, so do not push your luck Enki," said Enlil.

Enlil then disappeared along with the wind.

Enki still remained at that place before looking towards where Thor and Igris were.

"Perhaps I can speak with you again in the future... Adapa" said Enki, with a melancholy look, before forming a teleportation circle and disappearing.

As soon as Enki disappeared, Thor stopped walking, looked towards the place where Enlil and Enki were, and frowned.

Thor had felt the Enlil's power, as well as the strong winds.

The Norse god then looked at Igris, who was standing and waiting for Thor and spoke.

"Come on Igris, let's keep walking, when we get to the east, we'll still need to find someone who can help us...or to be more exact, convince them to help us," said Thor, sweating.

Thor had little misgivings about the deities of the east, and the reason was for their 'fame'.

One of them was one of the 'big three' of the Shinto pantheon.

Isanagi's 'right eye'.

Brother of Amaterasu and Susanoo.

Tsukuyomi.

The fame of this god could be described as something funny...

The story was simple, the goddess Amaterasu sent Tsukuyomi as her representative, to visit another Shinto goddess.

The goddess of food.

Ukemochi.

A feast was organized by the goddess of food, and everything was going well...

Until Tsukuyomi discovered HOW the 'food' for the feast was made.

Needless to say, the feast was remembered for Tsukuyomi's fury and Ukemochi's murder.

Of course, the Shinto pantheon shouldn't be the 'example' of the gods of the east, after all not everyone had Tsukuyomi's temperament.

Also, Thor's biggest problem is finding someone willing to teach him about Touki.

Thor had someone in mind, but he wasn't entirely sure...

Because Thor didn't know if this 'existence' had been born yet, as he hadn't heard rumors of anyone facing a divine army alone.

Thor would then have to be practical to discover the whereabouts of this existence.

First, Thor researched a weapon described as a golden staff that weighed 8.1 tons and could change size.

Thor found such an object.

Ruyi Jingu Bang.

Described as a treasure of Ao Guang, one of the four dragons, and 'King Class' dragon, the eastern sea dragon.

Thor's fate at the moment was clear...

He needs to meet Ao Guang first.

- Location: Vormir / center of the universe.

Pov. Third-person.

Vormir was the name of the planet that was located at the center of everything, where everything took place. On this planet, there were two twin towers, which respectively represented 'life' and 'inevitability'.

Vormir was where the 'current' everything of the universe originated.

And from the beginning, there was only one being.

Originated from the 'dream'...

The primordial of destiny.

Or as he was known to others...

'Fatum'.

And at this moment it was possible to find someone in the middle between the 'twin towers'. He was a man, with long blond hair, dressed in golden armor 'sitting' in the air with his legs crossed and with his eyes closed.

It was then that a woman, with bronze skin and emerald eyes, appeared next to the armored man.

"Fatum... Are you sure it was necessary to do what you did?" asked the woman uncertainly.

The man, identified as Fatum replied calmly.

"It was necessary, Samsara... When you came to me about someone who was not affected by the 'reincarnation cycle' I was silent until the future changed so much that I had to intervene myself," Fatum said.

Samsara still remained uncertain.

"How much of the future has changed?" asked Samsara.

Fatum then opened his eyes, which were a blurred steel color.

Fatum appeared to be blind.

"Before the future was altered several times due to this being not following the rules of the 'reincarnation cycle', a tall, six-eyed, golden-armored mechanical humanoid being nicknamed 'The Incarnate Devastation' and 'The Fierce God' would invade our house in the future, but now..." said Fatum, pausing before continuing.

Samsara looked worried by Fatum's hesitation.

"*sigh*... There will be no invasion from the 'Fierce God', but another will take his place..." said Fatum.

Samsara quickly questioned.

"Who will take his place, Fatum?" asked Samsara.

It was then that Fatum 'looked' towards Samsara and spoke the words that would haunt the dreams of the existence responsible for the cycle of reincarnation.

"The 'Absolute Despair' will come, and there's nothing we can do to stop him," Fatum said.

_________________________________________

Well... That's it, folks!

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Until next time, don't forget to leave a comment!

*Updates: Even after I've improved considerably and got back to work, having gone so long without writing, I'm lacking motivation... I really want to finish this fanfic so I'll try to continue in due course.

Title of the next chapter:

Chapter 45 – Hmm… Monkey!