In the pic, from left to right - Mikki Þríkungr - Ash, the Ash-Walker Album : https://suno.com/playlist/d3b85d17-41e5-4f6c-bfbc-4086191ed19e 💙🤍💙🤍💙🤍💙🤍💙🤍💙🤍💙🤍 The minutes had stretched until they became hours, and the hours had lost all meaning in Muspellheim. Time itself seemed to have been swallowed by that land of eternal fire, where the red glow of the sky never faded and the darkness never truly came. The group had remained silent for a long while after Harald’s death, each of them carrying the weight of what had just happened in their own way. Skörta had stayed close to him. She had discovered, in the space of a few moments, that she had once had a husband and a son, yet neither memory belonged to her anymore. Harald had loved her. He had called her his darling. He had spoken of their son, Erik, and had asked her to take care of him. But she remembered none of it. And that frightened her more than she wanted to admit. What had Yggdrasil taken from her when it had altered her memories? How much of her life had been erased, and how much of the woman she had once been was still buried somewhere inside her? And above all, what kind of mother would Erik one day discover if they ever found him? Mikell finally approached her. “My queen... we must move forward. This sacrifice must not have been in vain. We must leave this place and find a path to Niflheim.” Skörta remained silent for a few seconds, her eyes fixed on Harald. “I know, Mikell... Yes. I know.” She looked at him one last time. For the briefest moment, a fragile smile crossed her face, almost as if she were saying goodbye to someone she could not remember loving, yet somehow already mourned. “Let us continue, my friends. We must leave this cursed place.” The group began moving again. A little farther away, Mikki and Ash walked together, their voices low enough that the others could not immediately hear them. “So, let me understand this correctly,” Ash said, raising an eyebrow. “Our queen’s father was killed by Sköll. Sköll is now standing right there in the form of Johannes, who is still alive because Min happens to be beside him. Then Skörta’s husband was tortured and killed by Hati, Sköll’s brother. And now we are asking Yggdrasil to show us the road to Niflheim.” Mikki glanced at her. “Yes. When you put it like that, it does sound slightly unfortunate.” “Slightly?” Ash gave him a dry look. “What could possibly go wrong?” Mikki sighed. “Our queen truly is cursed.” Ash looked toward Johannes. “It is not just her, though. Her family seems to have some unfinished business with Fenrir and his children. And now we have met Hati as well. I am beginning to wonder why Harald was even in Muspellheim in the first place.” Neither of them had an answer. Ahead of them, the path finally opened onto the immense structure of Surtssmiðja. The forge rose from the broken mountain like something that had not been built, but forced its way out of the earth. Black basalt formed enormous arches around a vast chasm where primordial fire burned without consuming anything. The flames were not merely red or orange; they seemed to contain every shade of fire at once, from a deep crimson to a white so bright that it hurt to look at it directly. At the heart of the forge stood a colossal anvil. Its surface was ancient and dark, but enormous cracks ran through it like glowing veins, carrying the same primordial fire that burned beneath the mountain. There was no smith. No figure stood beside the anvil. And yet the sound of a hammer striking metal echoed through the forge. A deep, distant blow. Then another. Each strike seemed to come from somewhere beyond the world, as if an ancient hand were still working there long after its owner had died. Mikell stopped before the anvil. He raised one hand toward his face and slowly removed the eyepatch covering his strange eye. The eye of Loki opened. Runes appeared across the black stone, invisible until that moment, their shapes moving beneath the surface like living things. Helena watched him carefully. “Are you sure this will work?” Mikell did not look at her. “My other eye cannot understand runes or magic. This one can.” Bruno looked toward Helena. “There is something I wanted to ask you.” She turned toward him. “How did you know it was Hati inside Harald?” Helena hesitated. “I did not know. Not exactly.” She lowered her eyes for a moment. “I felt it. Every being carries another presence beneath its thoughts. Something older than the human mind, something that existed before words and names. Sometimes it feels like an animal. Sometimes like an older memory. And sometimes... I can hear it.” Bruno stared at her thoughtfully. “So you can hear what is beneath someone?” “Sometimes.” “Then perhaps you should try with Johannes.” Helena looked at him. “With Johannes?” “Yes. With Min helping you, perhaps. If what you felt in Harald was connected to Hati, maybe you can understand what is inside Johannes as well.” Johannes remained silent, but he did not seem opposed to the idea. Helena reached toward him, then stopped. Bruno gently lowered her hand. 💙🤍 𝐄𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 : >>> https://suno.com/song/4f047a10-9ba6-45d7-8ce6-57fde35113e9 <<< 💙🤍 💙🤍💙🤍💙🤍💙🤍💙🤍💙🤍💙🤍 [MIKKI] Another door. [ASH] Another price. [MIKKI] Another god [ASH] Rolling the dice. [MIKKI] Her husband came back. She did not know him. [ASH] Hati wore his flesh. She set him free. [MIKKI] A son was left behind. [ASH] Erik... [MIKKI] A name she never knew. [MIKKI] Her father died by Sköll. [ASH] And Sköll walks here with us. [MIKKI] Min keeps the wolf asleep. [ASH] For now. [ASH] The tree takes what it wants. [MIKKI] Then let us pay the toll. [ASH & MIKKI] We are still here Somehow, somehow. No map. No mercy. No turning back now. [ASH] Mmmhhh... still breathing. [MIKKI] Still breathing, still laughing, [ASH] Still making our way [ASH & MIKKI] While the roots of the old world Remember our names. [MIKKI] If this is wisdom, [ASH] I'd rather be a fool. [MIKKI] If this is fate [ASH] I want a refund. [MIKKI] Why was he here? [ASH] Ask the roots below. [MIKKI] Why did Yggdrasil [ASH] Erase her life? [MIKKI] Because memories have teeth. [ASH] Then let us find Niflheim. [MIKKI] Before they bite again!! [MIKKI] Let the mountain roar! [ASH] Let Muspell burn! [MIKKI] We have lost enough! [ASH] We will not lose more! [MIKKI] Open the way! [ASH] Or break the door! [ASH] Still laughing? [MIKKI] Still alive. (laughting...) [ASH] Still laughing? (heeyy!) ALIVE! [MIKKI] Still alive. (laughting...) (Still...) [MIKKI] Still! ... [ASH & MIKKI] We are still here Somehow, somehow. No map. No mercy. No turning back now. [ASH] Mmmhhh... still breathing. [MIKKI] Still breathing.... [ASH] Still breathing, still laughing, Still making our way [ASH & MIKKI] While the roots of the old world Remember our names. [MIKKI] If this is wisdom, [ASH] I'd rather be a fool. [MIKKI] If this is fate [ASH] I want a refund. [MIKKI] Do you trust this plan? [ASH] Absolutely not. [MIKKI] Good. [ASH] Why good? [MIKKI] Because neither do I.
