[PoV Fenrir]
I slowly opened my eyes, feeling as if they were weighed down by memories that refused to fade. In the pitch-black darkness, the image of my childhood self appeared once more, stumbling through a corridor that seemed to swallow everything.
Ah... this dream again.
As I walked through the dark path, every step I took, every breath I inhaled, made the air grow heavier and the shadows darker. I could feel the piercing stares and hear the hateful whispers directed at me.
"The wolf that will devour everything..."
"A cursed beast that will slaughter our kind..."
"The cursed wolf..."
"You're only still here because Tyr and Loki protect you..."
"Why doesn't Odin just end its life? What is the Allfather thinking?"
The voices echoed over and over, haunting every dream I had. They were always the same voices, the voices of the gods filled with hatred and rejection. Deep in my heart, I always wondered why they could never see me as anything other than a threat.
Until one day, I accidentally learned the reason.
A foolish prophecy that came from Odin's lips. A prophecy that had yet to come true, yet it was enough to make the gods despise me—even from the moment I was first dragged to Asgard.
I never wanted this.
I never chose this fate, but no matter how much I denied it, no matter how much I defended myself, my words always fell on deaf ears. The gods of Asgard only looked at me with fear hidden behind their masks of honor.
They always spoke of justice, destiny, and righteousness, yet whenever their eyes landed on me, all I saw was fear and hatred. There was never any warmth.
The darkness surrounding me suddenly shattered like a cracked mirror. Now, I was standing in the grand hall of the gods.
Taunts and insults spilled from their lips, echoing in my furred ears. Their gazes were filled with loathing, looking at me as if I were the most dangerous creature in existence.
I remembered it clearly. I was only seven years old then, but my rapid growth made me look like a young Valkyrie of seventeen.
Before me, Odin sat on his throne, his face carved in stone, as if my very presence was nothing more than a grim prophecy that needed to be dealt with.
"Fenrir," his voice echoed through the hall, heavy and cold. "I have received a prophecy—that you will bring destruction upon us. That you will slaughter us, the gods."
"No! I would never—"
I wanted to defend myself, to explain that I was not the monster they foresaw. But my words caught in my throat the moment I realized the sharp stares of the gods would never allow me to plead my case.
Forget it. This is just a dream... a dream of my dark past.
Among the gods surrounding me, Thor stood gripping Mjolnir in his right hand while his left held a bottle of beer. His face was flushed, his breath reeking of alcohol.
"He's drunk again," I thought bitterly.
Not far from him, Freya, the goddess of love and beauty, looked at me with disgust, as if I was an abomination unfit to exist in their world.
And Loki? My cunning father? He wasn't even here to defend me. From the beginning, he had never truly cared. That bastard never once sought me out while I was exiled in Asgard.
I knew he didn't care about his daughter—about me.
Meanwhile, my uncle Tyr, the only one who ever defended me, the only one who protected and cared for me, remained silent. Though his face was expressionless, I could see the sadness and despair flickering in his eyes.
When I glanced at him, he immediately lowered his head, hiding his face beneath his hood. I couldn't blame him. He couldn't defy the gods alone. If anything, I felt grateful that he had cared for me for so many years.
"She must be killed!"
"Yes, kill her before she kills us!"
"No!" Odin's voice boomed through the hall, silencing everyone. "This wolf is destined to live until the end of time. We will face punishment if we defy Yggdrasil's will."
For a moment, the room was quiet. No one dared to object, knowing Odin's words were absolute. Until finally, a voice filled with provocation shattered the brief silence.
"Then seal her away in some remote place!"
"That's right," another agreed. "Seal her away!"
"Seal her! Seal her! Seal her!"
The chants grew louder, filling Odin's throne room. They poured all their hatred, all their fear, onto a mere child—one who had never even committed a single crime.
I could only surrender. I shut my eyes, covered my ears, trying to block out their cruel words that cut so deep I unknowingly clutched my hair to ease the pain.
This is just a dream. This is just a dream. This is just a dream.
But the gods had already decided. They did not see me as a child—they saw only the shadow of the prophecy that would end them. They ignored the wounds I carried, seeing only the destruction they believed would follow me.
"Do it now," Odin commanded, his voice devoid of hesitation.
At once, a golden thread of magic appeared—a dwarven-made creation that would bind me for years to come, the very thing that would strip me of the freedom that should have been mine.
Gleipnir.
The thread was so fine and thin, even more delicate than silk. Slowly, it coiled around me like a serpent. Then, it transformed into golden chains—stronger than anything I had ever faced.
I didn't resist. I didn't struggle. I knew this was just a dream.
"Asgard will never be your home, Fenrir," Thor sneered, his voice dripping with scorn. "You were born to destroy. And we won't let you."
I remembered how they left me there, bound in the heart of Lyngvi, far from the sight of the world, far from the sunlight I once knew. Alone, with no one by my side.
After that, all I did was wait.
I waited for the day I could run freely. The day someone would see me not as the wolf of destruction but as an ordinary girl who wanted nothing more than freedom and peace. The day I would have a happy family.
But slowly, I began to lose hope. I stopped fighting and chose to accept my fate. I always wanted to cry, always wanted to scream, exhausted from it all.
Every night, I spent my time gazing at the sky, howling endlessly in sorrow. Hoping—just hoping—that someday, I would have what I longed for.
But as time passed, hatred began to burn in my heart. My desire for freedom was slowly replaced by a yearning for vengeance—to destroy the gods who had wronged me.
Then, my life changed when a small black bird flapped its wings toward me. That tiny creature showed no fear of me. Even when I tried to chase it away, it returned—with an apple clutched in its beak.
Fragments of our time together surfaced in my dream, forming a puzzle that floated in the darkness.
The dream shifted once again.
I saw Yata in his human form, standing before me with that warm smile always gracing his handsome face. His eyes were as dark as the night that swallowed everything. And yet, within them, I found a warmth that calmed me.
I reached out for him, but just as my fingers were about to touch his, his figure faded into the quiet darkness.
"Yata, please! Don't leave me alone!"
When his figure disappeared, I was alone again in the darkness. My body felt weak. I fell to my knees on the cold floor. I covered my face, hiding my broken sobs.
"Why? Why did everyone leave me alone? Even you too..."
Suddenly, I felt a gentle touch on my cheek—warm, comforting, silencing all my fears and loneliness.
"Don't be sad, Fenrir. I'm here," he whispered.
I turned to look. He was standing there, his hand extended, his face wearing a soft smile. Without thinking, I pulled him into a tight embrace. His warmth was the only thing that ever brought me peace.
"Fenrir, can you let go now?" he murmured, sounding slightly awkward.
"No. This is just a dream. At least let me enjoy this moment."
"But—"
He tried to protest, but I cut him off. "Didn't you promise you'd always stay with me? For life and death?"
He leaned in, whispering into my ear with that gentle voice of his. Then, he wrapped his arms around me in return.
For the first time, I wasn't afraid of being alone. Because I knew—Yata would never leave me.
I closed my eyes, letting the dream continue, no matter how fleeting it was. As long as Yata was here, I knew I could endure anything.
*****
The warm sunlight filtered into the room, gently brushing against my eyelids, slowly pulling me away from the beautiful dream.
I straightened my back, my gaze falling upon the scene outside the window just as I awakened from my sleep.
Without realizing it, my eyes felt damp. Last night's dream still lingered in my mind. Yet, a faint, genuine smile curved on my lips.
"Ah... so this is what I truly want."