"Hah… Hah…"
In the forest, a blurry figure was bent over in exhaustion, leaning against a tree, gasping for breath.
In his ears, he could vaguely hear the thundering footsteps of the giants driven by the gods, searching all over the mountains and fields for his whereabouts. Although these obedient giants were powerful, they were clearly not very bright. Just now, a tree-like giant had passed right by him, completely unaware that the target it was searching for was hiding in a clump of grass less than half an arm's length away.
However, even if these giants were slow-witted, having to hide for seven days and seven nights without rest was enough to leave Loki utterly drained.
Before his eyes, countless future scenes were flashing, and most of these uncertain futures pointed towards a tragic end…
"Bound to a rock? Heh… Gefjun, is this your handiwork?"
Covering his aching head with one hand, he laughed coldly to himself.
In his premonitions, he had already realized that he would likely be bound to a rock, just as Gefjun had cursed him.
Although Gefjun didn't have the power to determine the future, she was quite adept at influencing it through curses, which was precisely why the gods were wary of offending her.
Ever since drinking from the Well of Wisdom, Loki had gained the ability to see these future scenes. Visions of various uncertain futures would often suddenly appear before him. These futures were usually in flux and could be altered.
For example, if Loki drunkenly woke up and foresaw that he might break one of Thor's treasures and then get caught and beaten up by Thor, he could easily anticipate this and avoid touching that treasure. Both futures existed simultaneously, depending on Loki's subsequent choice.
However, among the countless uncertain futures, there was only one future that was so clear and certain that there were no other possibilities…
The doom of the gods.
The divine king Odin knew of this future, which was why he had become a man of few words; Queen Frigg was one of the Norns, and she also knew of this future through her own foresight, which was why she was equally consumed with unease.
The wise giants also knew of this future, but they did nothing, simply waiting calmly for their own demise; the Norns knew of this future as well, but their very birth signified that the uncertain fate had already been set in stone, unchangeable, which was why the Norns were born to maintain the workings of destiny.
The unknowing gods and giants continued to battle each other in ignorance, completely unaware that their doomsday was approaching.
But Loki refused to accept this.
He would not so easily submit to fate.
Loki had tried to use his foresight to change this future. He had foreseen that his three unruly children would one day bring ruin to the entire world tree, so he acquiesced to Odin's handling of his three children in an attempt to stave off the coming of Ragnarok.
However, fate proved to be far more wondrous than he had imagined.
It was precisely because he had agreed to Odin's handling of his three children that the monstrous wolf became untameable and ambitious, intending to devour the gods; the great serpent, unable to bear its hunger, swallowed the sun and was sealed at the bottom of the sea by the combined might of the gods; Hel, resenting the gods for banishing her to the desolate realm of the dead, held a grudge that was hard to quell.
He had once thought, what if he had not agreed with Odin's approach and had instead chosen to keep the three siblings in check himself? Would it have made a difference?
But probably… it would have been futile too.
Fate was truly so vexing. The more he strived to evade it, the more he ended up having to actively bring it about.
He could not possibly accept his children being sealed away forever, forced to clash with Odin over it. But Odin, already convinced that these three monsters would bring calamity to the universe, would never see eye to eye with him no matter what.
In the undersea palace, his mockery, his wantonness - were they not the final showdown between him and Odin…
"You're so afraid of fate that you don't even dare to confront it head-on once?!"
Faced with his unspoken derision, Odin didn't directly respond, but he already grasped Odin's choice…
He leaned against the tree, tilting his head back, panting slightly. Evading the pursuit of the gods was no simple task, and using magic also took a hefty toll on his energy. Seven days and seven nights of fleeing without rest had already sapped him dry.
He knew that he probably couldn't escape.
In those future visions, a net, vast beyond description, had already been shown suddenly descending from the sky and ensnaring him. At this moment, the gods had pinpointed his location.
But now, he was utterly powerless to resist.
However, as he raised his head to look at the boundless net falling over his head, his somewhat dull eyes carried an inexplicable mockery as he muttered under his breath,
"Heh… Odin… You're such a coward…"
Then, the falling net completely enveloped this god of fire and evil, who was already thoroughly spent.
…
When the net loosened, a powerful foot suddenly kicked him in the back. The unsteady Loki fell to the ground in a sorry state, splashing filthy water all over this former god.
Then, that foot heavily stepped on his back, preventing him from standing up.
"Loki, it's time for you to reap what you've sown."
Above him, the familiar voice of the thunder god entered his ears, but the voice was no longer as righteous as before, instead carrying a hint of frostiness.
Loki understood that Thor had come to despise him to the extreme.
He couldn't stand up, only able to lie on the ground, barely lifting his head to look around. He saw that in this underground cave, all the gods had already arrived, forming a circle around Loki, looking at his wretched state being stepped on by Thor, their expressions impassive.
They had all come to witness the death of this evil god.
Loki raised his head, slowly looking around. All he received were the gods' contempt and animosity.
Looking at those gods, he couldn't help but laugh…
"Hehe… Hehehehe… Hahahahahaha…"
His laughter carried a tinge of bleakness and self-mockery.
At this point, what was he still hoping to see?
Did he still think that any of the gods would have a shred of mercy for him?
In the eyes of these gods, he was nothing more than an evil god trampled in the mud…
And at this moment, the frosty voice behind him sounded again.
"I'm going to smash your skull in… Loki."
Accompanied by the sound of a heavy object being dragged, the weight on his back began to increase. Without turning his head, Loki knew that Thor was raising his hammer high, preparing to crush his skull.
But Loki did not resist, simply lying still in the muddy water, waiting for his fate to arrive.
Perhaps death would allow him to escape this world that made him so weary…
At least it wouldn't be as he had seen, being bound to a rock. Although it was just one uncertain future, it could be considered his small act of defiance against fate.
But after a long time, what Loki waited for was the thunder god's startled voice behind him.
"How can this be…"
Then, a female voice spoke up.
"I told you, Hel will not accept Loki's soul into the underworld."
Loki turned to look and saw the goddess Gefjun standing among the gods, frowning at him.
"Hel will not let her father enter the realm of the dead. Unless Hel agrees, Loki cannot die. Just bind him and leave him in this underground cave, never to see the light of day, forever."
Helheim, ruled by Hel, was the final destination of all living beings. Even if gods died, they could only be subject to Hel's jurisdiction. With Hel's power, any soul she was unwilling to accept could indeed be barred from death.
However, the land of the living had its order, just as the realm of the dead had its rules. For Hel to forcibly refuse to accept Loki's soul to ensure he wouldn't die, she likely had to pay a steep price.
"This fellow… is getting more and more out of hand."
Among the gods, one deity said in anger.
As Hel's control over Helheim grew deeper, she showed more and more signs of defying the rule of the Aesir gods. She had previously outright refused to return the soul of Balder, the god of light, and now she was refusing to accept Loki's soul into the underworld.
These signs were enough to enrage the gods against Hel.
"Hel?"
Loki thought to himself, then said self-deprecatingly,
"It seems I can only be bound to a rock after all… Fulfilling Gefjun's curse."
And among the gods, the divine king Odin silently watched him. No one could guess what this king of the gods was thinking.
Then, he suddenly spoke.
"Hermod, go bring Loki's two children - Narfi and Vali."