As Rio's warning to Skuld concluded, he felt a sudden shift in the atmosphere around him. The lush surroundings of his room vanished, replaced by a breathtaking garden that seed to stretch on for eternity. It was much fancier and many tis more beautiful than the ones he saw as system space. The air was filled with the sweet fragrance of flowers, and vibrant colors painted the landscape in hues of green, red, and gold.
In the center of the garden stood an imnse tree, its towering branches reaching high into the sky, seemingly bridging the gap between the mortal realm and the divine. Rio recognized it instantly as Yggdrasil, the World Tree, a tree that held all 9 realms together, holding different worlds in its branches..
Near the base of the tree, there was a serene pond, its surface shimring with an ethereal glow, the water in it looked the purest shade of blue. Rio sensed its significance and knew it to be Urd's Well, the well of destiny(also called the well of mory) , where the Norns would gather to weave the threads of fate.
As he observed, he noticed tiny fairies flitting about the tree's branches, their delicate wings sparkling in the soft light. They danced and laughed, carrying small vials filled with water from Urd's Well, gently sprinkling it upon the tree's roots and branches, as if nurturing its life force.
Rio's gaze shifted towards the surroundings, and he noticed a circular wall of mountains enclosing the entire garden. He realized that this was probably Urd's Wall, the dwelling place of the Norns, the sisters who controlled the fate and destiny of all beings. The wall stood as a boundary between the eternal tree of wisdom and outer space, it was like a part of the world was cut off and left there hanging.
After Rio who enjoyed the new scenery around him to the fullest, he commanded his system-
'System, rember to copy paste it on our space.'
[Obviously host. What's theirs is ours.]
'Hahaha of course.'
Both the villain and his villainous system were busy planning out the finer details of their new system space, obviously Rio removed the dancing mosquito like fairies, they were just extra baggage, system also suggested changing the mountain wall into a transparent glass wall, and instead of showing nothing outside the wall, they agreed to fix the the of outer space or galaxies outside the glass do, which system suggested from one of the scenes from a movie Shiva watched on earth.
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Both were busy talking when they were interrupted by a sudden outburst of an angry voice. It was the voice of a little girl, filled with frustration and indignation, shouting at Rio with righteous fury.
"Who do you think you are, mortal? How dare you lie about and use my na without permission!" the voice exclaid, echoing through the divine garden. Her voice carried a hint of anger and disbelief.
Skuld's anger was palpable as she confronted Rio. She had been watching this mortal ever since Kali returned one day, and asked about his fate one day. Even though due to limitations from the world system she couldn't see his whole future, she could see so visions and parts of it, which made her interested in him.
At first she was confused when she heard his words today, about her giving him a blessing. Her confusion turned into anger when he said she, a goddess, asked him for a favor. And after listening to his prayers and praises when she was just about to give him a chance to explain himself, he shifted his mood and straight out threatened her.
A puny puppet threatening the goddess who has seen and controlled even the fate of allfather Odin. This was an insult to her Godhood. Her divine pride was wounded, and she sought retribution.
Startled, Rio turned around to find the source of the voice. Standing before him was a young girl with fiery red hair, her eyes burning with anger and power. Her fierce expression clearly indicated how mad she was, her hands were planted firmly on her hips, and her eyes blazed with indignation. It was Skuld, the Norn goddess of future fate, her presence radiating authority and intensity. She looked exactly the sa as she was described in the novel.
"You dare threaten , mortal!! You have crossed a line," Skuld declared, her tone filled with a mix of anger and disappointnt.
"That's not what I wanted to do, Goddess. You should _ " Rio started saying sothing trying to explain what he ant, but was interrupted mid sentence as Skuld stopped him, thinking he was going to apologize and beg for rcy soon.
"You threaten a goddess and then expect forgiveness so easily?" Skuld replied, her tone stern. Skuld's voice reverberated through the garden as she unleashed her wrath upon Rio. She berated him for daring to lie about her, to use her na without her consent. Her anger was palpable, and Rio couldn't help but feel a mixture of apprehension and defiance.
He watched as Skuld's frustration intensified, her voice growing louder and more impassioned. She couldn't understand how a re mortal would have the audacity to manipulate her na for his own purposes.
Yet, as Skuld continued her shouting, Rio's expression remained surprisingly calm. His eyes flickered with a hint of amusent, a confident smile playing at the corners of his lips. He listened attentively, his eyes fixed on her as she vented her frustrations. Though her anger was apparent, he couldn't help but detect a hint of uncertainty beneath her fiery exterior.
"Your words hold weight, mortal, and your actions have consequences. You should prepare yourself for divine punishnt." Her words cut through the air like a sharp blade, and Rio could sense the power and authority behind them. Skuld's anger stemd from her sacred position as the guardian of fate, and any manipulation or disrespect towards her was t with fierce resistance.
Skuld's voice laced with frustration and indignation. She shouted at Rio, her petite form trembling with fury. But Rio remained unfazed, knowing that her divine power held no sway over him. The system now protected his mind so she couldn't harm him ntally, and she couldn't harm his physical body while he was here as Nyx was watching that.*¹ Skuld, who had a small number of followers on Arcadia, would only send them to their death if she asked anyone to co after him or the Blake family. Skuld knew this as well, which was why she resorted to shouting rather than using her divinity to pressure him.
This was the benefit of having strong Gods supporting you, as those with little power didn't dare to harm their chosen followers. Even though war of Gods was stopped and they were banned from fighting between themselves, there were many other ways to remove a Gods existence than simply killing them. If Nyx ever declared that all of Skuld's followers are her enemies and to be killed, probably half of Arcadia would be out hunting them, just for the off chance that they can get her favor or any blessing.
Hearing her rant, Rio felt a twinge of amusent. He could see the futility of her anger. He understood the power dynamics at play, recognizing that he held the upper hand. Even though she was the goddess of fate, he had knowledge far surpassing her about the future, and it only strengthened his resolve to take control of the situation.
As she took a brief pause, he seized the opportunity to interject. -"Skuld, there's no need for all this anger," Rio said, his tone steady and assured. "I understand your frustration, but there's sothing more important that you should know about. It's beneficial for you."
Skuld's anger seed to simr slightly as she listened to Rio's words. Her anger began to waver, curiosity taking its place. A thought that he might have sothing which gave him all this confidence, maybe Nyx helped him sohow started taking root in her head.
Reluctantly, she allowed Rio to continue speaking, her expression still guarded but slightly less hostile. Rio seized the opportunity, knowing that he had to tread carefully if he wanted to finish what he started. -"Listen, Skuld. I may have used your na in a misguided attempt, but that's only because I needed your attention, so we can talk."
Skuld's eyes narrowed as she heard Rio's words. "What do you an, mortal?"
"I an what I said. There was sothing I needed to talk to you about, and this was the fastest thod to get your attention. And see I was right, you're here." Rio sincerely explained his point.
'No matter which world, it always works. Gods and their ego's, are they really Gods if they can't even handle their own emotions properly. So words of insults to make them angry, and so words of praise or offerings to make them calm again. How are they any different from normal humans?'
Skuld regarded him with a mixture of skepticism and apprehension. Her anger began to subside, as her expression softened slightly as she considered Rio's words. She was not easily swayed, but she could sense the truth in his voice. That's when Rio continued his play and announced -
"I know about your sister. I've seen her. And I can help you get her back."
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*¹ — When soone has a conversation with a God, oftentis Gods pull that person's consciousness out instead of talking normally to his physical form, so no one else, not even other Gods watching him could listen to their conversation.
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A/N - so what're your opinions? Which sister of hers is missing? Will she trust him? How will Rio make her believe him?
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