Jörmungandr,
the serpent that encircles the world in Norse mythology, belongs to the race of giants. It is the strongest among them, earning the title of "World Serpent."
It is the sibling of Fenrir, the God-Slaying Wolf, and Hel, the Norse goddess of death, whose body is half gentle and beautiful, while the other half is as rotten and grotesque as a demon.
In fact, they are all children of the Loki, the god of trickery.
Fenrir, the God-Slaying Wolf, resides in Asgard, kept in captivity by the gods, bound by a magical chain called Gleipnir.
However, Jörmungandr, the World Serpent, was feared by the gods for the terrifying power it displayed from a young age.
As a result, it was cast away and sealed in the bottomless depths of the human world.
And the youngest, the goddess of death, Hel, was exiled to Helheim from a young age, where she was left to dwell in eternal night, cold, and death.
Before the establishment of Asgard, Loki had actually formed a blood oath with Odin, the All-Father.
The two swore an oath to each other, vowing to help and support one another like family, and to never harm each other. If one were to be harmed, the other would seek vengeance!
Looking at the entirety of Norse mythology, it was quite clear that Ragnarok, the Twilight of the Gods—was largely orchestrated by Loki.
His children played pivotal roles in this cataclysmic event.
- Fenrir, the God-Slaying Wolf, devoured Odin, the All-Father of the Norse gods.
- Jörmungandr, the World Serpent, fought and killed Thor, the God of Thunder.
- Hel, the goddess of death, led an army of the dead from Helheim to bring death and suffering to the gods across the nine realms.
As a transmigrator, Promise was well aware of these myths and legends.
And now, he stood in front of the bottomless abyss, gazing up at the terrifying monster that even the gods feared.
The dark waters churned violently, and a massive serpent with pale, crimson eyes poked his head our from the depths, having caught the scent of its father, Loki.
Even thought it was just a very small portion of its body, it was enough to inspire awe.
Because it taller than mountains, deeper than the abyss itself, and large enough to encircle the entire world.
At this moment, Jörmungandr lowered its head slightly, its gaze falling upon the tiny human who dared to look directly at it.
As for Loki, the moment Jörmungandr appeared, he turned and ran away without hesitation.
The truth was, even though he was their father, neither Jörmungandr, the god-killing wild Fenrir, nor Hel, the goddess of death, held even the slightest respect for him.
Well ..their feelings were justified after all, the suffering they endured and the immense hatred they harbored toward Asgard were directly tied to Loki's actions.
When Jörmungandr emerged and turned its attention to Promise, an overwhelming sense of suffocation washed over him.
He quickly pulled out a golden apple and took a bite, which helped him recover slightly.
The faint breeze carried with it the serpent's venomous breath, potent enough to kill even a god, mixed with the rotting stench of the abyss that seemed to decay the very world.
Ah, this is Jörmungandr... To see such a legendary creature, even death would be worth it!
Oh, wait, I can't die yet. I still haven't dealt with the mess between Sigurd and Brynhildr yet.
With that thought in his mind, Promise ate two more golden apples.
The rich essence of life and youth dispelled the aura of death carried by the breeze...of course, this was only because Jörmungandr paid little attention to the insignificant human before it.
Had the serpent truly wished to kill Promise, a single spray of its venom would have been to send him back home and he wouldn't even be able to do anything.
No amount of golden apples could save him from that.
After a brief glance, Jörmungandr lost interest in Promise and no longer paid any attention to the boy.
Instead, it raised its massive head, flicking its forked tongue as its crimson eyes scanned the surroundings, searching for Loki, who was hiding nearby.
It had only one purpose for appearing: to devour Loki, its father!
"Jörmungandr... Jörmungandr, the World Serpent!"
Promise called out to Jörmungandr several times, raising his voice as much as he could, but it had no effect at all.
Seeing that the serpent completely ignored him, he also gave up and decided not to waste his energy anymore.
Instead, he sat down on a higher part of the coastline, watching the legendary creature that had left such a profound mark in all mythological tales.
A smile crept onto Promise's lips as he took out the canvas made from the leaves of Yggdrasil and the blue brush crafted from its branches.
As soon as the brush touched the canvas, the colors he envisioned in his mind began to appear.
And the moment Promise started painting, the churning waves that seemed ready to swallow the entire world and the deadly venomous aura that could even erase the gods no longer had any effect on him.
At that moment, his eyes were solely focused on Jörmungandr.
Jörmungandr, who had been ignoring Promise and searching for Loki, suddenly turned its massive head at the moment , its crimson eyes locking onto Promise.
In that instant, it sensed his gaze.
But what puzzled the serpent was that it didn't feel fear, panic, or disgust from Promise. Instead, it sensed something it had almost forgotten—kindness.
And that was the long-lost "inspiration" that had been absent for so long.
Promise wasn't surprised by this.
A wolf, a serpent, and a tree—these were the subjects he had mentioned to the Norns, the goddesses of fate, not long after arriving here.
He did not lie that he had wanted to paint them.
In fact, the reason why he came to this world was partly because of that.
Even back then, Promise had understood that when he began to depict them, this rare "inspiration" would come.
And so, Jörmungandr's colossal form, which encircled the world itself, appeared before his eyes.
Not only that, but it was as if he had crossed the river of time, witnessing everything about Jörmungandr.
As Promise lost himself in the painting, forgetting time and place, he wandered back to the moment when Jörmungandr was born.
He saw Fenrir, the God-Slaying Wolf, as a pup, and he saw the quiet goddess of death—Hel.
And the moment he laid eyes on the young goddess Hel, Promise was struck by two conflicting emotions: awe and amazement.
Despite having seen many goddesses, Promise was still amazed when he saw her face.
Her snow-white hair, her eerie crimson eyes, and her dark divine attire exuded an icy aura of death. The shock, however, came from the other half of her—the rotting and grotesque side that was part of the legends.
This was Hel, the goddess of death—half divine, half demonic.
As Promise couldn't help but gaze at her for a while, something that truly astonished him happened.
The sister, who should have existed only in Jörmungandr's memories, suddenly raised her head. Her crimson eyes locked directly onto Promise.
Then, her lips moved slightly, and her voice, a haunting blend of a gentle goddess's melody and the piercing wail of the undead echoed in his ear.
"Who... are you?"
She stared coldly at Promise and asked.
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