In a daze, her consciousness became blurry, not knowing anything, not even knowing where she was. And so, who knows how long had passed, when suddenly, she seemed to vaguely hear a faint voice beside her ear.
"…"
The voice was too faint, to the point of being inaudible. But that voice never stopped calling, calling out again and again.
"Sol… Sol…"
That name seemed vaguely familiar, as if she had heard it somewhere before. But she felt as if a fog shrouded her mind, unable to recall it no matter what. A familiar name was stuck in her throat, but she just couldn't spit it out.
"…Sol?"
In her mind, this name kept echoing. Then, as if a dusty mirror was gradually polished, revealing its true appearance, her consciousness slowly began to clear.
"I am… Sol!"
…
"Sol!"
Suddenly opening her eyes, the darkness before her eyes was instantly replaced by light, illuminating the anxious face of the handsome man in front of her who was urgently calling her name.
"Lo…ki."
Long-lost memories were restored. She rasped out the other party's name, wanting to use her hands to push herself up, but immediately realized that her whole body was completely drained of energy at the moment, without even the strength to sit up.
Her heart, still reeling from the shock and weakness, was beating rapidly, her breathing also quite hurried. Dizzy and light-headed, she felt that her condition was exceptionally terrible all over. And seeing her awaken, the handsome man before her showed a look of joy, turning his head and shouting to the other side.
"Thor! She's awake!"
Paying no heed to the two gods' reactions, Sol stroked her still drowsy forehead with her hand, lifting her head and looking around at the flesh and blood vessels surrounding her, as well as the chariot beside her and the burning sun. She muttered in a daze:
"Where is this…"
…
"So you're saying this world hasn't seen the sun for nearly a year?"
The sun goddess Sol, her body gradually recovering, stroked her forehead, quietly listening to Loki amusingly and wittily recount all that had happened during this time. Then she spoke softly.
"Yes."
Loki nodded.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go."
Unexpectedly, Sol's answer was surprisingly direct. Without even saying another word of courtesy, she fought to stand up, ignoring her body on the brink of collapse, preparing to go drive her sun chariot again.
"Don't you want to rest a bit more?"
Loki followed up.
"No need."
Although she couldn't even stand steadily, the armored sun goddess Sol still stubbornly spoke while striving to board her chariot.
And beside her, the originally floating sun also seemed to receive a summons, drifting towards the back of the sun chariot, towards that base originally used to hold the sun.
She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, then slowly opened her eyes. The weariness on her originally somewhat tired face was now completely swept away, the confidence as radiant as the sun restored in her eyes.
"The sky is the sun's domain. How can there be no ruler in a domain?"
Her voice was firm and confident, her eyes exceptionally bright. The hand gripping the reins burned with raging flames, spreading along the reins all the way forward, forming two huge flaming fires burning at the ends of the reins.
"Neigh~"
Then in the two fires, accompanied by the horses' high-spirited neighs, two extraordinary flaming horses appeared in the dissipating flames. Their necks were fitted with the reins of the sun chariot. They looked full of vim and vigor, stomping their hooves and snorting, ready to sprint forward at any moment.
Sol looked at Loki and Thor in front of her, nodding her head in indication.
"Come on up, you two gods. It's time to let the sun's radiance illuminate the earth once more."
…
"Clip-clop, clip-clop…"
The spirited flaming horses, pulling the pure gold sun chariot, carrying the three gods and the sun, galloped in the impossibly long, hard to estimate intestines of the giant serpent. The burning horse hooves raced in the flesh-like intestines, their speed astonishingly fast, flashing by like lightning, only leaving behind a string of flames that couldn't be extinguished for a long time.
"Ahhhh!!!"
Sitting on the sun chariot, feeling the intense gale blowing on his face, Loki excitedly shouted, clearly very satisfied with such a fast speed. The distance the two gods had walked for several days before could now be easily flown across in the blink of an eye.
Undoubtedly, the speed of the sun chariot almost far surpassed all humans and gods. Apart from a very few deities, no living being's speed could be faster than the sun chariot that galloped across the dome of the sky year-round.
And hearing Loki's complete lack of regard for his image as he cheered behind her, the sun goddess Sol, who was holding the reins, showed a look of surprise, as if marveling at this god who always seemed unfettered, as if he would never feel any negative emotions, always so passionate, cheerful, and lively. Then it turned into a faint smile.
Although he was a being that had existed since before the birth of heaven and earth, Loki was clearly different from other beings who were gradually becoming mature and old. He was always so full of vitality. Even Odin, his sworn brother, was showing a strong sense of fading due to his aging mentality, but he always maintained a youthful spirit, his appearance always that of a handsome young man, always grinning, without any worries.
Even when drinking and fighting with the younger generation like Thor, he didn't seem incongruous at all.
"He's really quite an intriguing god."
The sun goddess Sol, who patrolled the sky year-round and rarely interacted with the gods and Loki, glanced back at him and couldn't help but sigh with feeling.
But to this, Thor had an expression of utter disdain, scoffing at it.
"Inane behavior."
The thunder god leaned against a corner of the sun chariot, side-eyeing Loki beside him who was freely cheering, sneering while also rolling his eyes at him.
But just then, a sudden violent shaking rang out, making it hard for people to stand steady.
"Neigh~"
Faced with the shaking of the ground of flesh and blood beneath them, the two flaming horses were not flustered. Slightly adjusting their galloping pace, they easily stabilized the sun chariot, gradually slowing down and stopping.
"What's going on!"
Thor supported himself against the side of the chariot, then couldn't help but shout in surprise.
But his confusion at the moment could not be answered by anyone.
Neither Loki nor Sol could explain his doubts, and could only look in astonishment at the walls of the giant serpent's intestines around them, at the flesh and blood and pulsing blood vessels that were beginning to slowly writhe.
…
Outside, on the seafloor.
A deep rumbling sound like muffled thunder rang out, spreading in the dark deep sea, accompanied by the subconscious movements of the colossal being that triggered all this.
And in the deepest part of this dark seafloor, a pair of incomparably huge serpentine eyes were slowly opening.
The giant serpent, having fallen into slumber, was startled awake.