[new version]
"Something happened?"
Ina smiled gently but lost her composure when she felt the light touch on her cheek.
Hela touched Ina's reddened cheek with one hand and spoke softly.
"It's not as if miracles can't blossom from our union."
Ina remained silent, seeming to ponder the possibility. She wasn't quite sure it would happen, but it seemed beautiful to believe it could.
"Do you think it's possible?"
Hela wasn't good at consoling people or saying supportive words; she simply spoke what felt right in her heart.
Normally pessimistic, with little hope in the ways of fate, she thought assuming defeat would be unfair to Ina—and she wouldn't accept that.
"I don't think it's impossible."
Ina heard that and felt her heart racing. Hela was really an interesting person.
"I understand."
Hela even tried to withdraw her hand but felt Ina stop her from pulling away.
"Hela?"
"Yea?"
She remained kneeling next to Ina and watched as she held Hela's hand tightly.
Ina felt curious about the world beyond what she knew.
She only vaguely knew the place she had lived, which boiled down to miles and miles of land full of peach trees.
There were no people or purpose; Ina spent her days ensuring the peaches grew healthy. But what was the world beyond paradise like?
"What's it like in Niflheim?"
Hela smiled at Ina's shy curiosity and walked over, lacing her fingers with hers.
"Well… it's not much different from here… the days go by slowly, it's dark, and not even three suns can light the vastness of empty space. It snows every day, so we crawl in the soft white snow… the sky is gray, filled with souls that roam for eternity…"
"… It's not a place full of happiness, but there's intrinsic beauty in its purpose… Many times life is not fair, but death is! At least that's how I see Niflheim—there are only people who died in dishonor."
Ina vaguely imagined it, but had no clear picture.
"Dishonor seems too strong a term…"
Hela nodded. She didn't think there was dishonor in dying of old age. Life was so complicated in so many ways—why couldn't it also be considered a struggle?
"In our culture, only honorable warriors can go to Asgard and live for eternity enjoying their victories and conquests. The stigma was that men who lived long were cowards, lacking courage to expose themselves to danger. But I think that's an outdated conception…"
Hela stared at Ina, and a brief feeling of comfort passed between them. She was soft and caring; there wasn't a trace of judgment in her gestures.
"… We no longer live in times of war. People fight their own struggles to survive amid hardship and misery. Honor and dishonor have become less literal. You don't need to be on a battlefield to live honorably, though Odin still can't take that into account."
Hela felt Ina tighten her grip and subtly pulled her hand closer, as if trying to hug her.
Hela took a small step, allowing it to happen. The two of them were so close they could feel each other's warmth.
Only water separated them.
Hela sat on the floor, leaning with one arm next to Ina, who remained calm in the bathtub full of foam.
Hela felt comforted in Ina's presence, sensing that everything would be fine as long as this person was near.
Hela had already felt wronged—first, by having part of her body killed, and then by being sent against her will to Niflheim.
But mainly because she realized that even though she had performed her duties efficiently for so long, the gods neither took her seriously nor spared her from punishment.
Hela had a serious perspective on the human world. She felt humans were immersed in their own difficulties to the point of unsatisfactory living—and much of it was owed to the gods themselves.
She was trapped simply by her beliefs.
Ina, sensing Hela's complicated feelings, tried to comfort her by lightly stroking her skin.
From the first moment they met, there had been physical contact or comforting words. There was an understanding that they could be free, as long as they were together.
They really were predestined.
Ina's voice softly resonated.
"What happens to the souls that go there?"
A gray sky amidst darkness didn't look beautiful, but it was Hela's home; there should be some beauty.
"They get lost in the darkness, looking for the honor they didn't receive in life. Over the centuries, souls began to accumulate, as if waiting for something."
Ina struggled to understand what Niflheim was like, but mostly wanted to know if it could be a home for them.
"Do you think it would be a good place for us to live?"
Hela, hearing the question, couldn't hide her surprise.
Niflheim was not a heavenly place. It was dark and snowy, but living there didn't inspire shame or revulsion.
Only Hela could see its true nature.
Niflheim wasn't as literal as Hades; it wasn't brutal, nor filled with flames and suffering.
It wasn't sad, and it wasn't vulgar.
But it was very different from the place where Ina had lived for centuries. It wouldn't be beautiful or have peaches; there would be no sunsets or sunrises.
"Do you want to go there?"
Ina smiled. She couldn't return to the peach fields someday… or could she? She believed not.
"I will go where you go."
Ina had received Hela in her arms as a beautiful gift; she would live happily as long as she was close to her future wife.
Hela smiled. Maybe they could live in Niflheim… but some things needed to be resolved first.
"Well… we can light a fire and roast some marshmallows… but maybe we should start a life somewhere else first. What do you think?"
Ina didn't know many places beyond her small village and the peach fields she had tended for so long.
The wastelands didn't exist back then, and the village had disappeared. As for heaven, she wasn't a goddess anymore, so she couldn't go there without someone taking her—it wasn't an option.
The world had grown and evolved away from her, so she hadn't had the chance to observe humans. It seemed their only option was among humans.
Even a goddess like Hela had limits.
Divine lands had their own rules and guardians; each deity had its own cultures and beliefs.
A god appeared the moment humans imagined it, but despite their abstract nature, they existed as concepts, as personifications, and were realized through human need.
Gods fed on what humans believed, growing into their greatness to exist.
Only this way could so many gods coexist and dominate similar environments, sharing or not sharing concerns and similarities.
This was how Odin and Zeus controlled their domains, but many others didn't mingle or chose not to intervene.
Ina understood that the place where they could live peacefully would be among humans, but she couldn't choose a location. She wouldn't make a difference.
"Any idea?"
Hela had no idea where they might go, but they had plenty of time to decide.
She smiled, feeling happy, and calmly got up to check the food, probably boiling in the pot.
"Well, we can think about it when you're ready… want to eat?"
"Yea…"
In a few minutes, Hela not only checked the food—it was finally ready—but also helped Ina finish her bath and get dressed.
Hela carried Ina effortlessly, even though Ina insisted on not letting her exert too much effort.
When clean clothes were finally on, it took less than ten seconds for Hela to bring her to the kitchen. Ina was immediately enveloped by the sweet smell of the soup.
She smelled mushrooms and meat; the aroma was so fragrant that she gradually felt a hunger she hadn't experienced in a long time.
After placing Ina in a chair at the table, Hela quickly set the pot beside her.
"Dinner is ready. I'll serve it for you."
Ina nodded and waited eagerly.
"The smell is amazing…"
She smiled in her heart. Living a life like this didn't seem like a bad idea.