This was a birthday celebration Shiomi had never experienced before. He wasn't fond of large gatherings; his birthdays were always spent quietly with family. During his time at the London Clock Tower, he had received both personal gifts and many business-related birthday presents.
Shiomi was undoubtedly grateful that everyone had traveled from all over the world to celebrate him. Even if this was merely a dream, he knew that if such an ordinary yet precious day of peace ever truly existed, his home would be as lively as it was now.
"Why did you lie?" Morgan asked from behind him.
The living room was still bustling, but Shiomi stood in the courtyard, watching everyone from afar through the open sliding doors and floor-to-ceiling windows, like a guardian who didn't belong here.
"Is that unforgivable?" Shiomi smiled silently. What an extraordinary illusion—it even perfectly replicated Morgan's fairy eyes. Morgan had seen through his lie the moment before.
"No," Morgan said. "I'm more concerned that something's troubling you."
"More than that, I wish you'd answer me, Morgan." Shiomi paused. "Suppose the peaceful everyday life you once had to endure great hardship to reclaim suddenly appeared before you without any effort—how would you feel?"
Morgan flashed a sly smile. "I'd doubt its authenticity. After all, depending on the recipient, the 'Garden of Lost Will' brings similar things."
"That's exactly how I feel right now," Shiomi replied with a smile. "Even if something rightfully belongs to me, I can't accept it with a clear conscience when I've gained it without any effort."
"...Maybe you've forgotten many things? After all, you've endured so much hardship along this journey." Morgan's eyebrows dipped slightly, her expression filled with heartache.
"Speaking of hardship, haven't you endured just as much, standing by my side and fighting alongside me? And what about Master and the others?" Shiomi shook his head. "I'm not the only one who's suffered."
"So you're saying everything before us is an illusion—including me—just a fabricated beautiful dream designed to deceive you?" Morgan asked.
Shiomi looked surprised. "How astonishing. I thought at this moment, you would appear as my wife—the embodiment of this beautiful dream—and urge me to stay."
"That's the problem with illusions like this," Morgan murmured, gazing at her hands with a lazy smile. "They replicate the original too perfectly, making it impossible to act contrary to that original."
"Because I'm lost in the mountain itself," Shiomi frowned, letting out a faintly sorrowful laugh. Had he known the answer would be this, he might have lingered longer in this beautiful dream instead of rushing to awaken.
Once the illusion's essence was exposed, this warm, spring-breeze-filled courtyard, along with the surrounding world, began to crack like shattered glass. The surroundings gradually darkened, and all the scenery faded away, leaving only the courtyard centered on him and Morgan. Even the ground beneath their feet began to vanish.
"As far as I recall, aside from that time in the Queen's Calendar, I've never seen you off before." Morgan showed no emotion at the disappearing surroundings. Even she would vanish.
In the pitch-black void where heaven and earth blurred, only Morgan and he remained—along with... someone.
It was only then that Shiomi realized Skadi, like him, had been swept into this second trial. Skadi sat on the ground, her head bowed, as if her consciousness had been stripped away.
"Looks like it's time for me to leave." Shiomi walked past Morgan and toward Skadi.
"Where are you headed?" Morgan asked.
"That's obvious—toward the path leading to this bright future, of course." Shiomi smiled resolutely.
"Good."
After a soft reply, Morgan vanished as well.
Shiomi crouched before Skadi, reaching a hand toward her shoulder. The moment his touch connected, the surrounding darkness vanished like a camera cut. Skadi sat curled against the temple entrance wall.
"...?!"
Skadi snapped awake, staring at Shiomi in shock.
"Thank goodness, you seem to have regained consciousness." He breathed a sigh of relief.
"Just now... what exactly happened?" Skadi still felt a bit dizzy, though she did recall the events that had unfolded. That dream, so beautiful she never wanted to wake from it, had drawn even her in unconsciously, accepting the peace and tranquility before her.
"A test to see if we possess 'wisdom'—if we can resist being deceived by false beauty."
Shiomi extended his hand to her. Skadi stared at the offered hand, dazed, before finally taking it and rising from the ground.
"Was that your dream, or..."
"Surely not yours," Shiomi teased, half-jokingly. "If it were, I'd be a bit concerned. Truthfully, my second trial hasn't even begun yet."
These words made Skadi's cheeks flush slightly. She was certain it wasn't her dream. Everything felt unfamiliar, yet filled with peaceful acceptance. Just like this man himself.
"If that's the case, it's truly strange. Why do I exist within your beautiful dreams of the future?" Skadi feigned calmness, mocking the content of this trial.
"Because you're the bride the great god has betrothed to me, so I subconsciously accepted that fact," Shiomi stated plainly. "Of course, it's your freedom if you don't wish to heed Odin's prophecy."
"What an utterly speechless man. You already have a wife, so many companions, yet you still know no satisfaction." Skadi seemed displeased, reproaching his words and actions.
At this moment, she should have shaken off Shiomi's hand, displaying the dignity befitting a goddess and queen, which would have been far more convincing. Yet when Shiomi took her hand and led her into the unexplored depths of the temple, through its narrow corridors toward its inner sanctum, Skadi still failed to pull away. This rendered her earlier words utterly toothless.
Her mind was in turmoil—the most fitting description for her current state. Regarding Odin's arranged marriage, Skadi felt less resistance than outright disbelief, especially after waiting three millennia. She had begun to doubt the prophecy's authenticity when everything suddenly materialized before her. And then this man, without a moment's hesitation, accepted what she herself still pondered and doubted. He even envisioned a future where he had made room for her.
All was joy and laughter. Not as a goddess, not as a queen, but simply as herself.
"Will there be a third trial? After testing 'strength' and 'wisdom,' what comes next?" he asked without turning his head.
"Perhaps 'character.'"
"Then I'd better turn back now."
"...So you have self-awareness after all?"
Skadi felt both exasperated and amused, yet she couldn't shake off the hand reaching out to her.
...
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