As Taufik watched, a brilliant rainbow glow swallowed Thor and Loki whole, their figures dissolving into the cascading light until nothing remained but the fading shimmer of the Bifröst.

He took a slow, steady breath, then snapped his fingers. A ripple split the air, and the Void opened once more before him.

From within that darkness, Thalia and Elaria stepped out.

They glanced around cautiously, eyes scanning the area. When they saw no sign of the two gods, both exhaled in relief.

"…Are they gone already?" Elaria asked.

Taufik nodded, releasing another quiet sigh.

"...Fik, there," Thalia suddenly said, pointing toward the still-flickering Void, "I see three figures… who are they?"

Taufik followed her gaze. "Hmm? You know one of them, Lembu. The other two are his brother, Basukhi, and my subordinate, Kl'lara"

"Lembuswana? That doll?" Thalia asked in surprise.

Taufik nodded.

"What happened to them?" Elaria added, her voice soft yet curious. "...I can feel something wrong with their souls"

"That's because of our last battle," Taufik replied, his tone low. "Something happened that left them in that state. But there's nothing to worry about, they're slowly healing. They'll wake up soon"

"I see…" Elaria murmured, though her eyes lingered on the fading Void. She wanted to ask what kind of enemy could have done this, but she held her tongue.

Taufik broke the silence with a faint smile. "Let's leave the sad story behind," he said, turning toward the distant horizon. "We've arrived in Midgard... Let's begin our new journey"

--------

- Around the same time in Asgard

The Bifröst Bridge shimmered with, fading rainbow light as Loki appeared, his arms straining under the weight of Thor's unconscious body.

"HEIMDALL! SOMETHING'S WRONG WITH THOR! CALL ODIN, NOW!" Loki shouted, his voice echoing across the vast bridge.

Heimdall didn't waste a second. His golden eyes widened, but before he could even move, a surge of divine light split the air, and Odin had already appeared beside him, his presence heavy and commanding.

"…Loki," Odin's voice was calm, yet every word carried the weight of restrained fury. "What happened to my son?"

"I-I don't know," Loki stammered, his usually sharp tongue faltering. His mind flashed back to that moment, the being standing before them, motionless yet oppressive, his power twisting reality itself.

He swallowed hard. "…That man… he didn't even attack. He just moved his hand slightly, and Thor collapsed. No weapon, no magic, no visible force…"

Loki's gaze turned distant, unsettled. "…He's beyond our understanding, Brother. That being… is not of any realm we know"

Odin's one eye narrowed, a storm brewing behind it. The wind across the bridge fell still, as though Asgard itself was holding its breath.

He didn't speak at first. Slowly, Odin stepped toward his fallen son. His boots echoed faintly against the rainbow bridge as he crouched beside Thor, his gaze scanning him from head to toe.

Then, Odin's expression changed. His single eye widened in disbelief.

"…This… what kind of being could do something like this?" he muttered, his voice low and heavy.

There was nothing divine left within Thor, his godly aura, once bright and blazing, was utterly gone. Not sealed. Not suppressed. Simply… erased.

But then, something faint flickered beneath the surface, an unfamiliar essence woven deep inside Thor's body.

Odin focused, his brow furrowing.

"…This… energy," he whispered. "Shadow?"

At that word, both Heimdall and Loki stiffened, their eyes widening in shock.

The mere mention of it dragged a buried memory from the depths of their minds, something ancient, something they had sworn to forget.

"S-Shadow?" Loki repeated, his voice trembling. "The Shadow Realm that you and Baldur sealed, brother?"

Odin nodded grimly. "…Yes. But that should be impossible. Baldur sealed that realm with his Light, and there has been no movement from it for eons"

"All-Father," Heimdall said cautiously, "is there a possibility that he came from the Shadow Realm? We know little of that dimension-"

"No," Odin interrupted, his tone sharp, absolute. "The Shadow Realm is nothing but void and reflection. It is a realm of shadows, not for them. Even its inhabitants are mere echoes, hollow imitations of the real. No living being could emerge from there"

He straightened slowly, his gaze darkening. "…And yet, this presence within Thor; it is undeniably shadow. The same… and yet different"

A heavy silence settled over the bridge, broken only by the hum of the Bifröst beneath their feet.

--------

- Back to Midgard.

The forest parted with a whisper of wind as Taufik, Thalia, and Elaria walked side by side, their appearances concealed beneath simple cloaks.

With Taufik leading, the two women followed close behind. He moved with quiet purpose, eyes half-lidded as if sensing something far beyond the physical.

"There," he murmured. "I can feel the pulse of life ahead"

They walked for several minutes more, until the trees thinned and a sprawling stone wall came into view. A city gate stood in the distance, massive, ironbound, and guarded by armored soldiers.

A long line of travelers stretched before it, each waiting their turn to enter.

Taufik halted on a ridge overlooking the scene, his gaze sweeping over the medieval settlement beyond the gate, stone towers, timber rooftops, and the faint sound of a bell tolling somewhere within.

"Heh~ medieval era?" Taufik said with a faint grin. "I wonder what year this is... and what kingdom we've landed in"

He glanced over his shoulder at the two women following him, then smiled mischievously. "...Hear me out. From now on, you two are my wives"

"W-What!?" Thalia blurted out, her face flushing instantly.

Elaria tilted her head slightly, the corner of her lips curling beneath her blindfold. "Heh~ so you've had that kind of hobby, huh?" she teased.

Taufik sighed, rubbing his temple. "No, no. I mean for the disguise. We need identities to enter that city. I'll be a noble, and you two are my consorts. My name is Edmund D'Archy. Your first names stay the same, but you'll use my family name"

Elaria's smirk grew. "Hmm~ I'll play along," she said in a teasing tone.

"I-I'll do it too," Thalia mumbled, still flustered.

Taufik nodded approvingly. "Good. Now, one last detail… Elaria, are you unable to remove that blindfold?"

Elaria's tone turned serious for the first time. "No. This blindfold regulates my control. If I take it off… something bad might happen to me, or to others. So no"

"Alright," Taufik replied simply. Then he snapped his fingers.

A faint shimmer of light enveloped them. In an instant, their clothes transformed into elegant dresses, refined and dignified, perfectly suited for noble consorts.

Both women stared in surprise.

Taufik examined their new appearances and nodded in satisfaction. Then, with another casual snap of his fingers, the air before them rippled, and a carriage appeared, complete with two majestic horses pawing lightly at the ground.

"Th-This…" Elaria whispered, eyes wide in disbelief. Creating something from nothing was already unimaginable, but living beings? The more she learned about Taufik, the less she understood.

"What power is this exactly…?" she murmured aloud, barely realizing she'd spoken.

"Hm? This?" Taufik said casually, glancing at her. "Just a little Power of Creation. Nothing worth boasting about"

"A Power of Creation?" Thalia and Elaria echoed in unison, stunned.

"It's nothing," Taufik interrupted quickly, waving a hand as if brushing the question aside. "Now, get in the carriage"

Both women exchanged glances, half confused, half curious, but said nothing.

The horses neighed softly, and as the trio climbed aboard, the air around them shimmered faintly once more before settling into perfect normalcy.

The noble Edmund D'Archy and his two consorts set off toward the city gates, blending seamlessly into the flow of travelers bound for the heart of Midgard.

--------

Beneath the Roots of Yggdrasil

Far below the shining branches of the World Tree, where even the light of the gods could not reach, lay a solemn realm wrapped in cold silence.

The air was heavy, still, and timeless, neither living nor dead, but something in between. This was Helheim, the Realm of the Dead, where the souls of mortals who died without honor or glory found their eternal rest.

Pale mists drifted between colossal roots thicker than mountains, pulsing faintly with the life force of Yggdrasil itself. Beneath one such root stood a palace carved from obsidian and bone, Éljúðnir, the hall of Hel, daughter of Loki, ruler of this forgotten realm.

Inside its endless hallways, the silence was broken only by the distant weeping of the lost.

On a throne of cold stone and shadow, Hel sat unmoving. Half of her face was beautiful, pale as moonlight, the other half, lifeless and decayed. Her mismatched eyes opened slowly as a faint tremor rippled through the roots above.

"…This presence…" she whispered, her voice echoing like a forgotten prayer.

The air around her thickened; even the wandering souls froze mid-motion, as if the realm itself was holding its breath.

She closed her eyes, reaching beyond the borders of her kingdom, past Niflheim's fog, past the eternal frost, and felt it: a disturbance, ancient and vast.

It wasn't the stir of a mortal or a god. It was something older. Something that should not exist here.

"…The seal beneath Yggdrasil…" she murmured. "It's stirring"

Her cold hand brushed the armrest, and the shadows around her throne twisted violently. Beneath the lowest root of the World Tree lay a forgotten Realm, a realm of darkness long sealed by Baldur's divine light.

The Shadow Realm.

It had remained silent for ages, locked away from every god's sight. Until now.

Hel rose from her throne. The movement alone sent ripples of power through the realm; the mists recoiled, and the souls trembled.

....

...

..

.