Chương 21: Eljudnir

"Eljudnir…" Anadis echoed.

"Or Misery. Don't forget that," Hel pointed out. Then, with her tone carefully restrained in spite of the obvious interest creeping into it, she added, "It has been millennia since I've been here. This place has surely seen better days." Anadis stood in awe at the sight before him. A waft of cold wind moved through the ruined hall, carrying an ethereal chill, as if the place itself was letting him know he wasn't supposed to be there.

Then the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as something imperceptible caressed his cheek. He shivered and wrapped his arms around himself, partly from the cold, but mostly from fear.

"W-what was that?" he stammered. Hel let out a jubilant little laugh, her tiny fingers covering her mouth.

"That was just one of the many souls residing here."" Souls?!"

"Yes. Remember? Goddess of Helheim, souls and all that." She flitted quickly toward the ruined temple, white hair billowing like a cape behind her.

"There are souls bound here that have been waiting for centuries for their judgment and rest. Judgment that I won't be able to give them." She stopped for a moment, as if digesting the gravity of her own words, then sighed and shrugged.

"Oh well… It's just so nostalgic."

"So, does that mean this place is the actual Helheim?" Anadis asked, still glancing around, this time with more caution than awe. I don't want any evil spirits touching me ever again.

"It is Helheim but not fully," Hel replied.

"This is just a part of it bleeding through Gaelora."

"How does that work exactly?"

"Helheim isn't just a place. It's an entire realm where the souls of the dishonest, the oath-breakers, and the evildoers end up. This is Eljudnir," she gestured around them, "well, a small part of Eljudnir, and the continent of Igindor still lingers outside." Mortals knew little about Helheim, aside from the fact that it was under the dominion of the Thirteenth Goddess Helphrena. For that matter, not much was known about her either, since she was the only god said to have "died" during their descent.

Of course, she hadn't actually died back then. That was a whole other topic he had yet to understand.

"Obviously this realm isn't nearly as vast as Elandris, Axis Mundi, and much less the entire planet of Gaelora," Hel continued.

"But it is still large enough to be divided into different sections. Like the beach of Nastrond, where my little pet Nidhogg still waits for me, her master."

"Pet?! You have a—what?"

"Yes, you'll love her once you meet her," Hel said, her voice brimming with more excitement and delight than Anadis had ever heard from her before.

"She's such a good, obedient little girl." Hel has a pet? What does it look like? Knowing her, her pet is probably the monstrous carcass of an Archfiend Grull. He stifled an uneasy laugh at the thought. Hel zipped up in front of him, hovering backward with her tiny legs, making the motion of walking on air as Anadis walked forward. Her wings barely fluttered to keep her suspended in midair.

Then she bobbed erratically around him, eyes squeezed shut, puffing small breaths through her nose as she spun in playful circles inside the eerie cave. As he looked at her, Anadis couldn't help but think how this place had really brought out a jovial facet of the goddess, one he didn't know how to feel about. Even gods had moments where their usual composure could crack, showing their real personality, it seemed, despite their ethereal existence. Hel went quiet mid-spin and let out a tired breath.

"Enough reminiscing. I apologize for that shameful display."

"No worries, it wasn't shameful at all," Anadis said softly.

"It made you look more… human, I think." She went still at that, white eyebrows lifting in surprise." Human? You say that like you are the only race capable of being cheerful."

"Well, no, t-that is not what I meant—""I suppose witnessing a goddess in such an exposed state would be quite the experience for any mortal," she quickly said, not letting him finish, and composed herself with a dismissive flick of her hand.

"Come. We have more important matters to attend to." With a sigh, he walked after her. In the center of the ruined temple stood an old, cracked stone slab that looked almost like a platform. It was perfectly circular, far too precise not to have been built. Elaborate runes were etched across its weathered surface, with long, flowing lines carved between them, and it clearly once served as a podium or throne, though it lacked a grand chair.

"I dreamt of seeing it again for so long," Hel said, her voice carrying a hint of ancient sorrow as her eyes lingered on the empty stone.

"Is this where the key is supposed to be? I don't see anything," Anadis said, doubtful. With a huff escaping her nose, Hel pointed one tiny finger at her own eyes. Oh. Right. Soul Sight. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. It was getting easier to use it each time, and as the world turned into outlines of empty matter, only then could he see it. A crown with an antlered design that made it look regal and sovereign.

Yet the sharp thorns jutting from each antler and along the band, which was also woven from intertwined thorny roots, gave it a harsh and almost sadistic touch. So this was what had been pulling at my mind since I entered the forest.

"This Boon has awaited my return," Hel declared, without taking her eyes off it.

"A Boon. I almost forgot that's what it was," Anadis muttered softly. Hel nodded solemnly.

"Yes, of course it is. Were you expecting a real key?"

"Not sure what I was expecting, honestly," Anadis said, shaking his head.

"Definitely not a thorny crown."

"A Boon," Hel replied, "but it is also one of the Keys I need. Without it, I cannot fully access Helheim. It was crafted, of course, only for me. That's why I'm not entirely sure you'll be able to bond with it and use it as though it were truly yours. But it should at least recognize my essence inside your soul." Swallowing the lump in his throat, Anadis asked, "It won't kill me, right?"

"Hmm…" She pressed two fingers to her chin, thinking.

"Nope. I'm out of here." Anadis knew this Boon had to be at least of the Exotic tier, maybe even Legendary. He yearned for the kind of power such a rare Boon could grant him, but not at the cost of his own life.

"Relax, you little coward. You'll be fine," she assured him. Then she glanced at the crown, something shifting in her expression.

"When you bond with it, the crown will do what it was made to do. It will clear your mind. It also possesses many more effects, but you won't be able to use them, as you are just a Blessen. But one thing it will remedy is those suppressed memories." She paused deliberately on those last two words, letting them land.

"Whatever has been locked away inside your little head, the crown won't leave it locked." After swishing her hair, she added, "Bonding with it will hurt, but you won't die. Even if I'd like to see you die a little for what you pulled that day, you won't. If you did, I would disappear too." She giggled, appearing amused by the prospect of his death. He did not find the prospect of his own death amusing at all. Forcing himself to spin around, Anadis faced the crown once more.

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and tried not to think about the thorns or the pain or the possibly Legendary-tier Boon about to bond with his soul. Gripping the crown between his hands, he grimaced as the thorny spines pressed sharply into his palms and then— Nothing happened.

"Huh?" Anadis turned the crown over in his hands and shook it.

"Is this broken?"

"Of course nothing happened," Hel said.

"You need to accept the bond." Her voice suddenly quickened.

"Wait, did you not hear the Divine Voice the moment you grabbed it?" He shook his head.

"No… that doesn't make sense," she furrowed her brows. Then, for reasons he couldn't explain, the idea simply came to him. He pressed one of the sharp thorns against his finger until it broke the skin, and a single drop of blood welled up and fell onto the crown, only to evaporate before it even touched the crown's thorn. And as if answering the call, the Divine Voice chimed in.

[Thorn Crown] ✧ Boon: A crown of black and silver thorns made to rest upon the brow of Helphrena, Goddess of Souls and Sovereign of Helheim. Though its thorns pierce flesh without fail, no blood has ever stained it. Type: Utility Rarity:??? Effect:??? This Boon is not bounded. Do you accept this bond?

"No, wait—I can hear it now," Anadis said.

"It called it Thorn Crown."

"It only happened after you drew your blood on it," Hel mused, considering what that meant.

"That must have been the only way for the Boon to realize you carry my essence in your blood." She paused briefly and looked at him, her expression darkening.

"Perhaps the bonding won't be as bad as I initially thought."

"Really? I don't want to get my hopes up," he shrugged, sighing wearily, already accustomed to things not going smoothly, though he couldn't stay distracted for long. Something else was calling for his attention, and he couldn't wait to discover exactly what kind of Boon he had gotten his hands on.

"Also, I can't see its rarity or effect. Why? Does that mean it's Exotic? Maybe… Legendary?" She made a flapping sound with her lips.

"Exotic? Don't make me laugh. Legendary is decent, for lesser beings. But for one of the Thirteen most powerful entities to have ever existed, only Divine would suffice."" Wha—!" The word died in Anadis's throat as he let the crown slip from his fingers. The Divine-tier Boon clattered loudly against the stone slab, the clatter ringing out sharply in the quiet hall.

"You ungrateful brat!" Hel snapped.

"Do you have any idea what you just dropped?" Oh, he knew exactly what it was. That was precisely why he had let go.

"D-Divine!" he stammered.

"Yes, it is," she said.

"Now pick it up and let's finish the bonding process. This is the best place to do it. No Grull can enter here and interrupt you here." Then, as if to directly contradict her words, a smooth, unfamiliar voice echoed through the hall.

"Did you just say… Divine?"