The soothing sound of a harp flowed like a clear spring, washing over the body and soul.
As the melody played, carried by the gentle breeze and echoing in the ears, it was as if the dark night had been illuminated by the dawn, and all the fatigue and bitterness accumulated in the heart were cleansed by the beautiful music.
The young man playing the harp wore a hat, a robe, and a cloak, with a beautiful emerald bird perched on his shoulder.
He smiled, strolling through the golden wheat fields, bringing the cleansing melody to the people harvesting their crops and rejoicing in their bounty.
People followed the sound of the harp, their eyes drawn to the boy.
They were surprised by his youthful appearance.
Dressed like a wandering bard, the young man seemed to naturally embody the aura of a poet and painter, as if it were an innate part of him.
And in a place unseen by the people, the Valkyrie with golden hair followed quietly by his side.
The young man played for the people,
and when the beautiful melody ended, he did not ask for any payment in gold or silver.
He only asked for a single golden stalk of wheat and a word of praise for the goddess of harvest, Sif.
This was how Promise sought the materials to weave the golden mane for the goddess.
Since bidding farewell to Mime and arriving in Midgard with the Valkyrie Thrud and the little bird Shini, more than a week had passed in the blink of an eye.
This afternoon, as the bright sunlight fell, Promise stopped playing the harp. After asking an elderly man for a stalk of wheat and a word of praise, he walked to a tree by a nearby stream and began munching on a bright red fruit.
By the way, he also shared some dried rations with the little bird on his shoulder.
"Even now, I find it hard to believe. You don't seem like a craftsman at all."
There was no one around at this time, so the little birdie Shini, no longer hid her ability to speak, and spoke to Promise in human language: "When did you learn to play the harp like that? When you play, it feels as if even the light itself is drawn to you.
Especially the last time I went to fetch the golden apple from Lady Idunn, she practically glowed with excitement and begged me to ask you to play for her the next time you meet."
Even the Valkyrie Thrud, who rarely spoke, couldn't help but speak at the moment, nodding gently and speaking. "It's truly remarkable music. I think it is fully qualified to appear at the banquet of the gods, even the great God of Light Baldr (Balder) would take notice of you because of this."
This was perhaps the highest praise one could receive.
After all, Baldr, the god of light, was one of the twelve major gods of Norse mythology.
At the same time he was also the child of the king of gods, Odin.
The god of light, spring, and joy, he was also seen as the personification of light itself.
In the myths and legends, he was the darling of all creation in the Norse world, beloved by every living being.
So much so that all things swore oaths that they would not, and could not, cause any harm to him.
More importantly, he symbolized the light of Asgard.
In the myths, the Norns of Fate themselves prophesied that as long as he was alive, the end of all things—Ragnarok—would not come.
But the threads of fate could not be altered, and so Baldr was slain by his twin brother, (Höðr) Hodr.
Baldr symbolized light and the love of all creation.
While Höðr symbolized endless darkness.
Promise smiled, not showing too much joy at Thrud's praise.
He just nodded and thanked the Valkyrie for her kind words.
Then he tilted his head to look at the birdie Shini and replied, "I understand. The next time we meet, I will play for the Goddess of Youth, Idunn, and... Shini, could you ask her if, when I forge my brush, I would have the honor of painting her portrait?"
As a gesture of gratitude for the golden apples she had sent him thus far.
A painting.
This wasn't the first time Shini had heard this word.
Whether from Promise's mouth or from the Norn of Fate herself.
The forging demonstrated by Promise allowed the starlight of the holy sword to illuminate the dark night of the dwarf kingdom. Now, his music skill that was inadvertently displayed had reached the level of being worthy of appearing at the feast of the gods.
In this way, even if Shini were the dullest of creatures, she would have realized by now that something was amiss..except she was not.
She blinked, looking at the young man in front of her.
And began to seriously consider just how precious his paintings must be.
At the same time, the little birdie once again, deeply understood that even after years of being by his side, she had never truly seen him for who he was.
But then again, after thinking about it , she thought, this was only natural.
If he weren't special, how could the Norn of Fate, who watched the world with such detachment, have her gaze fixed so intently on him now?
Thrud, however, didn't think too much about it.
Whether it was forging, harp playing, or painting, none of it mattered to her.
She was a Valkyrie, and after so many years, seeking out heroes and guiding them had become second nature to her.
So if you asked her what she truly cared about, it was the same as all Valkyries.
She only cared about heroes.
As for Promise...well since he was too delicate, he had never even crossed her mind in that regard at all...
"Alright, next time we meet, I'll pass your message to Goddess Idunn... By the way, Promise, could you paint me too?"
Driven by curiosity, Shini naturally made this request.
In response, Promise, with a faint smile, simply flicked her head lightly.
Then he stood up once more, playing his harp as he strolled through Midgard once again with the sulking Shini and the quietly accompanying Valkyrie.
Time passed once more, and before they knew it, over half a month had gone by.
On this Monday morning, Shini, as usual, travelled back and forth between the golden apple orchard and the mortal realm.
But this time, when she returned to Promise's side, her expression was anxious.
And then, she told Promise some "unfortunate" news.
The trickster god Loki had brought back a replacement mane for Lady Sif, crafted from golden threads. Through the dwarves' exquisite forging, it was as soft, light, and natural as real hair, capable of growing on its own.
Thus, it was a treasure acknowledged by the gods.
"Nor, what do we do? If this is the case, your branch of Yggdrasil and your brush will be out of reach!"
Shini spoke urgently.
What she really wanted to say was that if this happened, the disappointed Norn of Fate, Skuld, might grow angry and mete out punishment.
After all, they had spent so many years together, and from her daily conversations with Primise, it was clear that this little bird, who often complained about the hassle of traveling between Asgard and Midgard, actually didn't dislike Promise at all.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have chattered away with him all day.
Hearing Shini's detailed account, Thrud instinctively looked at Promise, raising an eyebrow slightly.
But Promise, upon learning all this, simply smiled and continued his journey through Midgard.
Walking along a forest path.
"Aren't you worried?"
Seeing this, Shini couldn't help but ask in confusion.
"Yes," Promise replied, not hiding anything. "Because I already knew all of this. In fact, this trial... only truly begins now."
Hearing this, Shini was stunned.
"What do you mean?"
"What the Norn of Fate wants to see is me offering a treasure more precious than God Loki's and defeating him.
If it weren't for this, she wouldn't have specifically told me about the branch of Yggdrasil in Goddess Sif's possession, the one that could be forged into a brush."
When Promise said this in his calm, casual tone,
Not to mention, the little birdie being dumbfounded, and even Thrud stopped in her tracks, turning to look at Promise in surprise.
"...Are you saying that the honorable Norn of Fate has already shown you the future, and that your true goal here is to forge a treasure more precious than Lord Loki's and offer it to Goddess Sif?"
This line of thought wasn't hard to follow, so Shini quickly came to this conclusion.
But because of this, her eyes widened even more as she looked at Promise.
Even Thrud, who was merely listening on the sidelines, understood how precious the materials Loki had used to forge his treasure were.
Yet, in contrast, Promise's materials seemed to be nothing more than ordinary wheat stalks, common throughout Midgard.
Of course, that wasn't the real point. The real point was...
"Are you saying you plan to compete with Lord Loki?!"
Shini exclaimed in disbelief...however.
"No, that's not what I mean."
Promise's voice remained calm as he smiled. "I'm just completing the task given to me by the Goddess of Youth and the Norn of Fate, and responding to their expectations.
Besides, if the branch of Yggdrasil can be forged into my brush, then I naturally have to put in the effort to obtain it."
"...But isn't that just another way of saying the same thing?!" Shini raised her voice slightly, speaking loudly.
And almost at that very moment,
"Pfft..."
A laugh that could no longer be suppressed reached the ears of the two of them and the bird.
As Thrud sharply turned her head, her expression immediately shifted from alertness to surprise.
Because standing under a green tree in the forest was a handsome yet mischievous man.
He was dressed in lavish and noble attire, and at this moment, he was clutching his stomach as he leaned against the tree, laughing heartily without a care for his appearance.
As Promise looked at this man who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, he was also surprised.
"Lo... Lord Loki?!"
Shini suddenly raised her voice sharply, even flapping her wings in fright, ready to flee.
After all, over the years, she had spoken quite a bit of ill about him in Promise's ear.
The god of trickery and lies, the mischief-maker despised by all the gods, one of the creators of Asgard, the mastermind behind the arrival of Ragnarok, the most unpredictable and thus terrifying god in Norse mythology—Loki!
He had appeared just like that, and as Promise came to his senses, he couldn't help but look at the god with some surprise.
Because, although Odin had sternly warned that Promise had to stay away from Loki,
But Promise's "wisdom" reminded him all the time that they would eventually meet each other, and that their threads of fate were likely tightly intertwined.
To put it simply,
if in the Age of Greek Gods, the deities tied to Promise's fate were the Goddess of Wisdom, Athena, Goddess of Justice, Themis, Queen of Heaven, Hera, and the Goddess of Fate, Clotho,
Then in the Age of Norse Gods, Promise's "wisdom" reminded him more than once that the deity whose fate was intertwined with his was none other than the one before him.
Loki, the god of mischief and Trickery!
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