The next day, without informing anyone or riding his eight-legged steed, Odin quietly followed the rainbow bridge, tracing the thick root of the world tree, all the way to the Well of Urd at the base of the world tree.
By this beautiful lake, the lush green grass was refreshing and delightful. Normally, the gods would often rest, gather, and drink here, and the Norns would also welcome the gods' arrival. But this time, only Odin came alone.
However, in Odin's sight, the three Norns had long been standing on the grass waiting for him, but Odin was not surprised.
The Norns, who could weave the fate of all mortals and discern the destiny of all gods, naturally knew of Odin's secret visit.
"King Odin, we pay our respects to you."
Urd, the eldest of the three sisters, stepped forward. Her features were beautiful, her figure graceful, and compared to her other two sisters, she had an extra air of composure and dignity. As she spoke, she slightly bowed to Odin in salute.
Although her tone was respectful, there was no trace of reverence on her face. The Norns, in essence, did not belong to the gods, nor were they colleagues of the gods. They were the weavers of fate, the supreme arbiters, known to the world as the "Norns".
The Norns, also known as the Volva, or prophetesses, often knew the events of the past and future, possessing the power to perceive destiny. And the three sisters of fate were the divine among the Norns, for they could not only perceive destiny but also weave it.
Even the gods had to submit to the judgments of fate they made. Their respectful address to Odin was merely out of respect for his status as the king of the gods who ruled over the nine worlds. Naturally, there was no question of any fear.
And Odin didn't mind this either, but asked.
"Is Mimir here?"
"Father has been waiting for a long time."
Urd calmly replied. As she spoke, she bowed and retreated, her body disappearing into the air along with the other two goddesses. And behind where they vanished, a serene path hidden in the bushes, which originally did not exist, was revealed.
Odin followed this serene path all the way forward. Before long, a clear spring came into view, and an aged old man with white hair and beard, leaning by the spring dozing off.
"Mimir."
Seeing him, Odin frowned and then called out.
According to legend, at the root of the world tree, there was a spring of wisdom. The spring water, whether drunk by gods, giants, dwarves, or elves, could make one become full of wisdom. However, an old giant named Mimir guarded this spring, not allowing others to drink the water of wisdom from it.
Only Odin, the king of the gods, after meeting with him and offering his right eye as a price, was allowed to drink a mouthful of the water from the Well of Wisdom, thus gaining supreme wisdom, able to know things that happened in the past, things that were happening now, and things that would happen in the future. Hence, he was regarded as the Wise One.
And the old man, who seemed to be asleep, only slowly woke up after a long while, gradually opening his eyes. His deep pupils carried a heavy sense of exhaustion, as if indifferent to everything that happened in this world.
"Ah, Odin, you've finally come."
He looked at Odin in front of him, speaking in a flat tone, while casually waving his hand, motioning for Odin to sit down, as if he was not facing a supremely powerful king of the gods, but a calm, old friend of many years.
Odin sat by the spring without saying a word. Their long-standing rapport let him know how to get along with this old man.
Mimir's cloudy eyes seemed half-open, half-closed, as if he had no strength, almost making one suspect he would directly fall asleep the next moment.
"I know what you want to ask… Loki is very dissatisfied. He sees you as a brother."
After a long silence, he said slowly in an aged voice.
Odin remained silent, then spoke solemnly.
"I also see him as a brother."
"But you imprisoned his two children."
Mimir shook his head.
"You know, Loki greatly values relationships. He respects his brothers and cares deeply for his beloved children. He doesn't wish to see this situation, so he can only choose to avoid it."
Odin opened his mouth, trying to refute something, but after much hesitation, he still gave up. A hint of dismay appeared on his face.
Mimir gazed at him, his cloudy pupils unfathomably deep, as if seeing through all the thoughts in the mind of the king of the gods before him. He said slowly.
"You are afraid, Odin…"
His tone was unusually certain.
The king of the gods, Odin, was actually afraid?
If anyone else heard this, they would probably laugh their heads off. But only Odin himself knew… Mimir was telling the truth.
"You fear the coming of Ragnarok. You have a premonition that Loki's three children will become a scourge to the entire universe, so you took the initiative to exile them, trying to obstruct the arrival of Ragnarok. But Loki is also dissatisfied with you because of this… You feel very troubled about it in your heart, but you have no choice but to harden your heart and be ruthless."
"You hung yourself from the world tree for nine days and nine nights, transcending the entire universe, sacrificing yourself to yourself, in order to glimpse the runic symbols that possess infinite magical power, hoping to use the nigh-omnipotent power of the runes to save this world."
"You gathered those fallen brave warriors, assembling them in Valhalla. For tens of thousands of years, you have honed their combat skills day and night, amassing a vast army of fifty million einherjar, all because you are trying to resist the coming of Ragnarok."
"For these tens of thousands of years, you have been silent and taciturn, worrying day and night, guarding this secret but not daring to speak it aloud…"
Mimir's words echoed in Odin's ears. His face, which remained silent, showed no fluctuations, but only his slightly quivering fingers seemed to be silently saying something.
Looking at the one-eyed king of the gods before him, he said.
"Tell me, Odin, what exactly are you thinking?"
After a long time, Odin finally spoke faintly.
"I… can see it, see that scene when Ragnarok arrives…"
His tone was calm, as if he was talking about something unrelated to himself.
"A great fire, an indescribable great fire burning the entire universe. The sky, the land, the ocean… everything is burning. The world tree supporting the nine worlds is also withering because of it. Gods, giants, all will perish. Everything the gods have painstakingly built up over thousands of years will also be consumed by flames in this great fire."
"When I learned about Loki's three children, I could already sense that they would become a scourge to the entire universe. I wanted to destroy them before they reached their full strength, but in the end, I hesitated and only expelled them. But that giant serpent and the monstrous wolf grew more and more savage by the day. I had no choice but to imprison them…"
"I'm trying to stop Ragnarok, but my actions seem to be hastening the arrival of Ragnarok…"
As he spoke, a hint of frustration appeared in the eyes of the king of the gods.
He turned his head and looked at Mimir, the wise giant, in front of him. His remaining eye carried an unprecedented gravity and solemnity. His tone was low, and he said word by word.
"Mimir, tell me… what exactly is Ragnarok?"