Tlnote: Since this is a chapter about gods, please expect many tlnotes regarding the mythology.
In the Northern region of Europe's Divine Realm, there are three goddesses who manage fate.
Each of the three sister goddesses are responsible for one part of fate. One is responsible for the past, one is responsible for the present, and one is responsible for the future. As a whole, they are one of the supreme deities in the world and can be said to be independent gods that do not rely on the others.
Their duties are to record the past and present and use those to predict the future.
They are three goddesses with a major influence on the world and are very popular among the humans who have created countless stories and books with them either being the forefront of the plot or driving the plot. They are very difficult goddesses to meet and attempting to do so would take months, if not years to even get just an appointment date.
"It sounds like a loud dispute."(Urd)
The person who looks outside because of the noise, even though this is a very rare action for her, is the goddess who records the past, Urd*.
Tlnote: One of the sisters of Norn, Urd. The author put the name as Elta. I do not know how he got that name, but since the actual name is Urd, I will be using that name.
She has taken an interest in the disturbance that has interrupted her daily life and wants to talk to the gods that have come to the World Tree*.
Tlnote: The World Tree is Yggdrasil. This is Norse Mythology as some of you may know from the name Urd, one of the 3 sisters of Norn.
"They were very rowdy on their way here. I believe three gods that have come here, Onee-sama." (Verdandi)
One of the two women who are at the entrance of Urd's room responds to her. The one who called Urd, Onee-sama, is the middle goddess Verdandi*, the goddess that records the present.
"We have evacuated all the other personnel. Right now, it is just Onee-sama's friends and us."(Skuld)
The voice that follows Verdandi comes from the woman standing beside her, Skuld. She is the youngest sister of Norn, and the goddess the predicts the future. Though they are goddesses of fate, they do not actually have much power to do battle with other gods. The only who can fight is Skuld*.
Tlnote: Many lores and poems also have Skuld as one of the Valkyries of Odin. This is why the author says Skuld is the only who can fight among the three sisters.
"Hmm, they are not very calm and are coming quite fast. Would you like it if I helped, Urd?"(Queen Mother of the West)
"I am very thankful for your offer, but please do not worry and quickly evacuate Queen Mother of the West*. There are no longer any gods that would challenge us to a fight. There is no merit in it at all. The person who is coming is a little foolish and seems to be in a hurry."(Urd)
Tlnote: She is a Chinese goddess worshipped in Taoism, but the her earliest incarnation pre-dates the formation of Taoism.
"Very well, I shall take my leave. Please do not hesitate to call."(Queen Mother of the West)
"I thank you for your words."(Urd)
The figure of the woman named Queen Mother of the West disappears in an instant. She has left the place known as the World Tree. It is exactly as Urd said, there is no meaning in fighting the three sisters of Norn. They are just the Observers and Recorders of fate. They do not have the ability to distort or change fate itself. Moreover, the three sisters of Norn have immense defensive power when they reside in the World Tree*. There is absolutely no meaning in having a battle in this place.
Tlnote: They are also the protectors of Yggdrasil in Norse mythology. They use the water from the Well of Urd to keep the tree alive and healthy.
"Oh, I'm sorry for barging in here like this, Norn Sisters. I am kind of in a hurry. Just send the complaints to me later, okay? "(Susanoo)
"Coming out after such a long absence really is hard on these old bones. I am sorry as well."(Daikokuten)
". . . I wonder if there is even a need to come here in the first place."(Athena)
Verdandi and Skuld both move to the side of Urd. From the entrance of the room, three people rowdily enter the room with any prior notice.
"Oh my, if it is not Susanoo-dono, Daikokuten-dono, and Athena-dono. This is a very unusual combination of people."(Urd)
The elder sister, who usually does not have any interest in things or move around the celestial realm, is surprised by the combination of gods that has appeared before her.
"Susanoo-dono, how is Tsukiyomi-dono? Has his health improved? I have visited before, but has there been a change in his condition?"(Verdandi)
After seeing Susanoo, the situation no longer causes Verdandi any concern, and she becomes entirely relaxed and proceeds to ask about Tsukiyomi. She has always been like this.
"That visit was truly unexpected. As a visit from one of the sisters of Norn, it made a big scene from the top to the very bottom. My Aniki is fine. He is currently sleeping and recovering."(Susanoo)
"Well, that is good news. We met each other during a god gathering, and he helped me greatly during that time. I would very much like you to thank him for me."(Verdandi)
Every single word that comes from her mouth relaxes the atmosphere in the room. They had just barged into the World Tree, but from the conversation now, it does not look like that at all.
"No, no, actually the reason I am here concerns that meeting. You had said to my brother at that time, that if he was ever in trouble, you would help. I will be using that favor right now."(Susanoo)
"Verd Onee-sama, did you really say such a thing?"(Skuld)
"Yes, Skuld. He really did help me a lot there."(Verdandi)
"You always do things so freely . . . Even though that day you went to that meeting, Skuld and I almost died from overwork . . . But it is fine, I understand that this is just a rowdy visit and not a raid on us."(Urd)
The elder sister Urd is amazed that Verdandi made such a promise and she accepts the visit of three gods. Well, Urd actually has no choice because even though Urd is the older one, the amount of work Verdandi does far surpasses both her and Skuld combined. Thus, she is more lenient towards her little sister Verdandi.
"To come all the way over here to the World Tree . . . Susanoo, you really do not have any tact."(Athena)
"Athena, this is just preparations and nothing more. Do not worry, I will take you there as well."(Susanoo)
"I do appreciate that, but I understand that I am still lacking in-terms of you two people. I understand there are still things we must do before we depart."(Athena)
"What is the matter you want to speak about? We will hear it and then decide. I believe Susanoo would like to continue on with the discussion?"(Skuld)
Skuld interrupts the conversation between the gods and then sighs from them going off topic.
"Oh, this little one still has big mouth but knows how to get to the point nicely."(Susanoo)
". . . Stupid father* acting stupidly great."(Skuld)
Tlnote: This is Skuld insulting Susanoo, they are no way related.
"Hmm?"(Susanoo)
"Nothing."(Skuld)
"Okay then . . . I want to ask Urd about a certain boy. I would like as much information about him as possible please."(Susanoo)
"What is the boy's name?"(Urd)
"Misumi Makoto. He is a human child that is somewhat related to the reason why my brother is in his current predicament."(Susanoo)
The moment Susanoo mentions the name, the expressions of the three sister changes. This surprises Susanoo since they shouldn't care or be knowledgeable about any humans in particular.
"What, do you already know the boy? If there are children that interest you in another culture, you must follow the proper procedures when asking to observe them."(Susanoo)
"It is as Susanoo says . . . In fact, I did not hear of that name until I heard it from Susanoo. Who is this boy to make your faces change like that?"(Daikokuten)
"No, it is not like that. He is a unusual child that had a peculiar upbringing, and Skuld was interested in this child, thus, I wanted to check on him as well."(Urd)
"Yes, I did not think I would hear the name Misumi Makoto from you."(Skuld)
Skuld is honestly surprised when hearing this name from them. Her eyes spread out a little more, and they can tell she is not lying either.
Verdandi also seems to be aware of the name and heard about him from her sister.
"That boy is from another world though. Did my brother tell you about him, little Skuld?"(Susanoo)
"Do not say little. Even if he is from another world, his fate thread was given to us when he was born in this world, and he was able to grab hold of his true talent forcibly . . ."(Skuld)
Skuld struggles to explain the situation of Misumi Makoto.
"Why are you tongue tied Skuld? I remember you saying this cheat boy was truly funny?"(Verdandi)
"Verd Onee-sama . . . I was trying to explain without using that word."(Skuld)
"Cheat boy . . . Did he defy the physical boundaries of fate?"(Susanoo)
Susanoo picks up on the word Verdandi says and then urges Skuld to explain.
"Well, it is a bit different than a cheat really."(Verdandi)
"Yes . . . first of all, he was actually supposed to die after his little sister was born, but this was evaded when he met a healer that had helped him. He did not notice the power of that person though."(Skuld)
"A healer? To meet such a person is very rare, especially in the human world . . . This is too much of a coincidence."(Athena)
"Isn't that right! As expected from the Goddess of War, Athena! I also thought that someone had been guiding his fate, thus, I followed his thread of fate. But it truly was just a coincidence, there was no trickery by anyone. He had escaped the fate of death by pure coincidence. This was worth the luck of at least five lifetimes! Thus, his thread of fate begin to spin itself again, and when I followed it to the future, it had transitioned into his former world. This is the reason I took an interest in this boy."(Skuld)
"But to call this a cheat is slightly a bit too much. It is just pure luck, is it not?"(Daikokuten)
The god called Daikokuten doubts the words of Skuld and Verdandi when they describe the boy as a cheat. Even though he is taking the form of Daikokuten, he is actually the God of War in Hinduism. It is as he says, to say something is a cheat refers to obtaining unjust power that would defy the very laws of the world. It is a little too much to use that word to describe just avoiding the destiny of death by fortune.
"The cheat part comes from the talent he forcibly grabbed hold of."(Skuld)
"Oh, you mean that."(Susanoo)
"Everyone in this world is born with one or more talents at least. Misumi Makoto is no exception to this rule. He had been born with one talent, but it was a terrible frightening talent. He was not supposed to be able to awaken to that talent because of his premature death."(Skuld)
"I heard about his talent from my brother. It is the ability to always hit a target. This will eventually become a physical law or a concept level ability. There is no level of accuracy that ability cannot reach. It was awoken when he took up archery."(Susanoo)
Susanoo heard about Misumi Makoto's ability from Tsukiyomi. The ability to concentrate, to concentrate and hit whatever you desire. According to his brother, this ability will eventually surpass the physical boundaries of the world itself. It is an excellent ability that is quite useful in a harsh world like this where human powers are difficult to manifest.
"No, it is a different talent than that. Him obtaining that talent is the reason I call him a cheat. He has one talent, meaning there is only one road he can take to awaken his talent. People actually do not always notice their talent and sometimes never awaken it either, but he is different. Misumi Makoto realized his talent. He became aware that he had this talent but then turned his eyes away from it. I do not know whether it was an intentional or unconscious decision. Maybe it was because that is not the talent he wanted."(Verdandi)
"Why would one deny their talent while understanding it is their talent? What is this boy?"(Athena)
"Yes, exactly Athena. It was at a really young age, thus I doubt he remembers anymore. However, later on he encountered archery and became fond of it, but he does not have talent for archery at all. Misumi Makoto has no talent other than the talent he turned his eyes away from, but he is still pursuing archery and is walking on that path . . . He is walking a road that has no end or direction."(Skuld)
"To deny the single talent you are born with. Humans are truly pitiful beings."(Susanoo)
Susanoo sympathizes with Misumi Makoto. He fell in love with archery, but sadly that love will never return to him. Of course, this is the talent he forcibly grasped.
"Well . . . I do not have any right to sympathize with him. I was laughing at the little boy, but his talent was truly wonderful. Despite this, he still chose to go through the hardships of the other roads . . . It is like a person with the talent having a red carpet in front of him, but Misumi Makoto chose to ignore that carpet, go to thick wall in front of him, and keep hitting that wall with his bare hands. "(SKuld)
"What an awful example." (Athena)
Athena disliked the example Skuld gave to exemplify her point.
What is the talent being described in such a fashion? Athena originally did not have much interest in Misumi Makoto, but after hearing this, her interest towards his talents peaked.
"For people with multiple talents, they have many paths they may proceed down, and they can also return to the start and start a new path. However, this boy is very stubborn and would not go down that other path."(Skuld)
"I am not trying to defend my sister's example, but it is true. If only that child's stubbornness to look away from his talent hadn't been so steadfast. He would have left his name in the annals of history had he actually taken the time to cultivate it."(Urd)
Urd helps explain what Skuld is trying to say. Verdandi agrees with this point and nods.
"So the reason you had said cheat is because this boy defied this rule and obtained another talent through some unfair means."(Daikokuten)
Daikokuten looks convinced.
"Daikokuten-sama, as I said before, the word cheat is not the correct term."(Skuld)
"Oh, then how did Misumi Makoto obtained the talent he wanted?"(Daikokuten)
"This will not be written on the document I will give later but . . . that boy . . . just kept hitting it . . . forever . . . that thick wall . . . forever and ever . . . non-stop."(Urd)
". . ."(Susanoo/Daikokuten/Athena)
"This is an absolutely pointless action and will never create any results, but that boy did not give up. Rather, I am sure he did not even have the conscious choice to give up. I believe this concept does not exist in him. That is the reason he could keep doing archery so happily. Maybe he did not even have time to think about giving up because he was trying to so hard with his weak body. Eventually, his fate thread spun and created the talent for him. That big wall was broken down."(Urd)
"To create a talent, can such a thing be even done!"(Daikokuten)
"It is impossible . . . but there have been outliers in the past."(Urd)
"There is a precedent?"(Daikokuten)
"There was Alexander the Great* in the past. In recent years it would be Hans Ulrich Rudel*. Both of these men were born with different talents and destinies as was this boy, and compared to this boy, their scale of destiny was also different. However, in those cases, they had rewritten their talents and avoided their original times of death. This is most likely the first time anyone has added a talent to himself."(Urd)
TLnote: Alexander the Great, the great Greek Ruler of Macedon, Iskander from Fate/zero if you need another thing to remember by. Han Ulrich Rudel, a german Nazi pilot who was credited with eight victories in battles by himself, destroying 519 tanks and 800 other vehicles.
Susanoo, Daikokuten, Athena are silenced by the words said by Urd. They do not believe the Norn would lie in this situation. In other words, Misumi Makoto is someone who would greatly influence the world. They wonder why these three sisters did not inform the other gods about this person. Normally, if such a person exists, they would be closely watched by the gods.
"I understand your silence and thoughts. Why did we not share this information? Regardless of his future or his potential to influence the world and overturn his death, he is a normal person when all is said and done. He would not even an adult before he transfering back to his world. Thus, we did not feel the need to put him onto the list of closely observed humans."(Verdandi)
Verdandi's words answer their doubts. The information about this human was supposed to be shared among the gods if he was going to influence this world greatly, but they did not. It was not because of negligence, but a judgement these three sisters made about Misumi Makoto regarding his influence on this world. It was in their power and within their discretion to do this.
"So, may I ask what is the reason you need the information regarding Misumi Makoto? I believe he should have already transferred to the other world already."(Urd)
"Oh, yeah, that right? We are going to talk to that goddess over there. Me and my brother wants to know more about the child. Perhaps the destiny his thread is spinning has already been unraveled many times. Even though it is incredibly difficult to keep punching a wall that should not break and break it to grasp the talent behind it. From the point of view of people who govern fate, it is something close to a cheat. You may even say this is a foul, but now I am really interested in this kid. I do not hate stubborn kids who pursue something with all their might, hahaha."(Susanoo)
Susanoo tries to laugh moderately since the place they are in is not the most appropriate place to have a very big laugh, but in the end, it still leaks through.
"Oh, then are you all going to that world? Even Athena is going to that world?"(Verdandi)
"It is truly embarrassing. That goddess, the work she is doing is truly unsightly thing as a god. I will quickly finish my business over there."(Athena)
"Well, let us just leave it at that. I am curious though. What was Misumi Makoto's original talent?"(Susanoo)
Susanoo asks Skuld a question. They learned how the boy obtained another talent, but they had not yet heard what the other talent he looked away from is.
Urd handed a piece of paper to Susanoo with a smile.
They all stare at the gold colored piece of paper. However, none of them seem to be surprised. This ability is within their range of expectation. They all close their eyes for a moment to ponder something.
The three gods who have their eyes closed for a moment open them, and you can see their eyelids tremble slightly.
"This is definitely . . ."(Susanoo)
"Well, I can understand why a normal boy would divert his eyes from this."(Athena)
"Yep, it would be hard to not turn your eyes away from this ability."(Daikokuten)
The expressions on the three gods are complicated, and you could see that those words were filled with sympathy for Makoto.
"Do you understand the original talent Misumi Makoto had?"(Urd)
"Yeah, I am looking forward to the meeting. I am sorry for the rowdy arrival, as I said before, just make the complaint to me."(Susanoo)
"No, I heard a very nostalgic name. I will pass it off as a causal visit. Please give him my regards."(Skuld)
"Ok, let' go to meeting that boy."(Susanoo)
With Susanoo's words, the other two gods leave. Silence returns to the World Tree Temple.
"What bad luck for that goddess. To take a person who can influence even the origin world into her own world."(Verdandi)
"If you try to twist fate into your own hands, there will be a distortion somewhere along the way . If you keep doing this to accomplish misdeeds, even a god will fall from heaven."(Urd)
"But I wonder why that matter requires one of the highest Goddesses of War and two of the top Gods of Destruction. I really wonder if her punishment will just be a punishment in the end."(Skuld)
The subtle words of her sister make Skuld wonder what kind of punishment awaits that goddess. Those last words echo in the empty temple at the base of the World Tree.