The rustling wind through the canopy seemed to fade beneath the weight of the discovery. Lior, his breath still ragged after the mental battle, clutched his ash-blackened bow tightly. Shards of a shattered mirror lay scattered at his feet. Beside him stood Moji, resembling a small mound of living stone, his rocky eyes locked on the horizon, ready to leap into action.
At the center of the clearing, an ancient stone altar—hidden until now beneath roots and dead ivy—glimmered with a silvery light. Strange runes glowed faintly, carved into the stone like living letters: it was the Asgard Codex, the millennia-old inscription no one had ever deciphered.
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1. The Living Script
Lior stepped forward, his blindfold catching on a root. He placed his fingers against the glowing runes, and instantly, a tingling sensation of ancient magic awakened beneath his skin:
> [Telluric Condition – Level 3]
Analysis: Strong magical resonance. Prophecies partially readable.
Golden reflections surged from the engravings. With each word unveiled, a crystalline musical note vibrated in the air. Lior realized this was no mere text: it was a chant—an ancient prophetic hymn.
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2. The First Verse
The opening lines revealed themselves:
> "When the last tree weeps its ashes,
The Bearer of Odin shall raise his hand,
And the World Tree shall offer the key,
But the king's heart will make the heavens tremble."
Lior closed his eyes and let the words echo through his mind.
"Last tree weeps its ashes" hinted at the cataclysmic merging of continents.
"Bearer of Odin" clearly referred to the wielder of Asgard's heart—himself.
"The king's heart" implied that his blood, his sacrifices, would awaken a cosmic force capable of either preventing or causing a celestial disaster.
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3. Moji Reacts
For the first time, Moji emitted a gravelly clack—a sign of unease. Lior smiled and gently ran a hand over the golem's head.
— "Looks like this is our fate, huh? To save... or destroy."
He traced the next set of runes:
> "Beneath the cold eclipse, the Blood Dawn shall rise,
When the Stone Spear and the Spirit Golem unite,
To seal or awaken the Soul of the World."
Lior stepped back, thinking deeply.
Cold eclipse—the next eclipse would reactivate the portal.
Blood Dawn—a reference to the ultimate sacrifice.
Stone Spear—could this be a mythical Asgardian weapon?
Spirit Golem... Moji?
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4. The Third Verse
The third verse remained partially veiled, as if time had eroded its message:
> "When Odin's shadow is lost to the light,
The Sacred Word shall resound,
And the Nine Realms shall intertwine."
Lior placed a hand on his chest, feeling his heart pound like a war drum.
— "The Nine Realms… Asgard, Jötunheim, Midgard… It all connects. If I fail, everything collapses."
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5. Resonance
He turned to Moji.
— "We need the rest translated, my friend. Make the runes resonate. Use your regeneration."
Moji nodded, placing his stone hands against the altar. The runes ignited, casting a glowing circle across the clearing.
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6. A Divine Vision
Suddenly, a vision seized Lior.
He saw the Gates of Asgard open in a storm of golden spheres, divine silhouettes descending to judge mortals.
He saw Dean, crowned as a King of Shadows, ruling over a fractured empire.
He saw YU, seated on a throne of crystal, weeping in the absence of her father.
All of it unfolded within the beat of a heart.
When Lior opened his eyes, the altar had gone still. Fragments of runes floated in the air, like stone butterflies.
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7. A Fragment
Lior reached for one of the fragments:
> [Decoded Fragment: "Crown of Shadow – Key to the Gate."]
He whispered:
— "The Crown of Shadow… I'll have to forge it in the night of the eclipse… and use it to either seal or open the Gate."
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8. The Whisper of the Codex
A frigid breeze whispered through the trees:
— "Dare, Bearer of Odin, and the world shall tremble."
But Lior stood tall, his resolve unshaken.
— "The world may tremble… but it will not die. Not while I still breathe."
Around him, the clearing came alive again: the fire-beast approached, the Chaman loomed on the horizon, and Moji was slowly regaining his glow.
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9. Into the Next Battle
Lior raised his eyes to the sky:
— "We've seen the signs. The Spirit Peasant… the Spear Bearer… the Crown of Shadow… Soon, I will forge my fate among these runes… and write the next chapter of this legend."
A distant roar echoed. Zurr'Gha, a burning silhouette, now stood at the edge of the ruins.
Lior brought his hands together:
— "Come, Shaman… this Codex calls to you as well."
And as fire and shadow swirled on the horizon, the dying star of Asgard shone above their impending clash.