Episode 67/Chapter 2: Ancient Dragon (2)

TL: Tsubak

ED:

“Ratatoskr!”

“You bitch! Trash like bastard that repays grace into turning me into an enemy!”

When Nidhogg greeted him while smiling brightly, Ratatoskr cursed out while being chained up tightly.

The scene of a huge monster glaring at you and cursing out roughly was really overwhelming so Nidhogg felt a bit comfortable.

She was a bit surprised as she heard curses in a long time but for Nidhogg, Ratatoskr’s curses was something as obvious as water flowing down from a high place.

“Uh, it’s still nice to see you as i’m hearing your voice in a long time.”

Ratatoskr put a dumbfounded expression as Nidhogg spoke while smiling but then started to curse again.

“Crazy bitch! You masochist!”

“Wh, what’s a masochist?”

Ratatoskr put an evil smile as Nidhogg blinked and asked. But an overwhelming killing intent pressed down on him before he could start explaining to him.

“Why don’t you stop? Huh?”

It was Adenmaha. Her presence wasn’t to be compared from when she was a sea serpent now that she had turned into a real dragon.

But Ratatoskr had already become really spiteful. He also glared back at Adenmaha and opened his mouth.

“It’s fu…hiik?!”

He couldn’t finish his words. It was because a pressure that was comparable to the person he feared the most in this world, Odin’s- no, a pressure bigger than that covered his entire body.

“Apologize to Nidhogg.”

Tae Ho said and Ratatoskr couldn’t endure it. He lied down on the floor and spoke hurriedly.

“I, i’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry Nidhogg.”

“Ye, yes.”

Nidhogg accepted the apologize while smacking her lips and then fell back. She was glad to see Ratatoskr in a long while but it felt like it would be difficult to hold a conversation.

“Looking at how energetic he is, it seems like it turned out well.”

Freya, that was observing at the back, said and Heda looked below the place Ratatoskr was tied down at, a place filled with fog and gulped dry saliva.

“Beyond the fog is the roots of the World tree…”

She couldn’t see anything. The expression Sea of fog wasn’t an exaggeration at all.

Freya stepped forward and said.

“Well, the plan is simple. We will place Ratatoskr at the center and then Idun, Tae Ho and I will insert strength into it and activate a strong great magic that splits the fog and the restraints of the roots. So it means that the original body of Nidhogg is going to be able to get out of the opening created like that.”

“Uh, wait unnie. Who is going to control Nidhogg’s original body then?”

“Huh? Of course Nidhogg. You can do it right?”

Freya spoke while looking at Nidhogg and Nidhogg blinked.

“W, wait. Wait.”

She stuttered unconsciously and turned to look at Adenmaha and Tae Ho and then faced Freya lastly and asked.

“Ni, Nidhogg has to return to the roots?”

“Who else is able to control your body then?”

Nidhogg became dumbfounded at Freya’s remark and couldn’t say anything else. Tae Ho and Adenmaha grabbed Nidhogg’s hands and said.

“It will be fine. If something turns out wrong I will go to bring you.”

“It’s fine, Nidhogg. I will go with you.”

Nidhogg turned to look at the two people and tried to make a forced smile but it wasn’t easy. She ended up panting heavily and expressed her fear in the end.

“B, but. But….”

“Retarded bitch! Do you believe their words? They are trying to trap you in the roots….kyak!”

Ratatoskr didn’t miss the opportunity and said some nasty words. His words got cut off in the middle thanks to Tae Ho but it was enough to make Nidhogg scared.

Nidhogg rembled. SHe looked like she was about to burst crying at any moment. Adenmaha embraced her from behind hurriedly.

“Don’t believe him. You believe in me and Tae Ho master more than that squirrel, right?”

“I do. I do but…”

“It’s fine Nidhogg. Everything will turn out well. It will certainly. I already told you this but if somethings turns out wrong I will certainly go to bring you.”

Nidhogg gulped dry saliva several times after Tae Ho spoke again. She inhaled some air and then looked at Adenmaha.

“Will Adenmaha accompany me?”

“I will. I will never leave you alone.”

In the first place, that was the reason Adenmaha came all the way here. She had freedom in mobility compared to Tae Ho or Heda that had to maintain the magic circle.

“I will do it then. Yes. I will do my best.”

Nidhogg made a smile again and Tae Ho let out a sigh of relief. Freya, that was looking at her with a pitiful face, shrugged her shoulders and said.

“Good, let’s start right now if it’s been decided.”

“Wait, she needs some time to regain stability.”

“It’s fine now. I can do it.”

Nidhogg shook her head and then smiled while grabbing the hands of Adenmaha. She was really scared but she was able to do it if she was with Adenmaha.

“Nidhogg.”

“Yes, Adenmaha.”

Nidhogg smiled brightly and then turned to look at Tae Ho. Tae Ho understood what her gaze meant and so nodded to her.

“Let’s start.”

&

Tae Ho, Heda and Freya stood in their designated places and inserted power.

When the fog opened up due to that, Adenmaha transformed into a white dragon and threw herself beyond the fog. Nidhogg was riding on her back.

“The roots are filled with fog. It’s so full of it that we can’t see far away. That’s why I thought. Won’t someone be beyond that fog? Isn’t there someone I don’t know of sleeping over there? That’s why I always yelled in case someone heard me. In case that someone woke up from their sleep.”

The fog was really dense so it made the roots dark and moist. Nidhogg kept mumbling as if trying to forget her fear.

“The roots aren’t tasty. I doesn’t have any flavor. But that was the only thing I had so I chewed it at times. It hurt if I bit my tail.”

Nidhogg smiled like a fool and then stuck closer to Adenmaha’s back. She looked at the huge existence covered in poison that they could see from afar.

“Nidhogg.”

Ancient dragon.

The black venomous dragon that could bring destruction to a world.

“It’s pretty. Cool.”

Adenmaha said. It wasn’t actually pretty but it was really cool as it was a really grand sight.

“Thank you.”

Nidhogg looked at her own body with eyes filled with mixed emotions as her original body got complimented for the first time since she was born.

And after a while, Adenmaha landed on the body of Nidhogg after enduring the poison with magic and then transformed into her human shape and entered the insides with Nidhogg.

“It’s the heart room. I met Tae Ho master first in this room. It hurt but it was nice.”

“Huh?”

It hurt but it was nice?

Nidhogg nodded at Adenmaha’s doubtful eyes and continued speaking.

“At first, Tae Ho master hit Nidhogg a lot. It was really scary.”

“He did that because he didn’t know you back then.”

“Yes yes, it’s fine. That’s all in the past. And thanks to that I was able to meet Tae Ho master.”

Nidhogg smiled brightly as if reminiscing a happy memory. Adenmaha hugged that Nidhogg tightly. She felt like she had to do that.

After the moment of huggin ended, Nidhogg went to the center of the heart room and lied down. When she placed herself in the long chair Tae Ho made for her, she inhaled some air for the last time and then looked up at Adenmaha that was next to her.

“I will do it then.”

“I’m cheering for you Nidhogg.”

“Yes.”

Nidhogg closed her eyes and connected her consciousness with her soul and body once again.

“I’m going Adenmaha. I’m going Tae Ho master.”

She opened her eyes after speaking in a low voice. The scene that flashed in her eyes wasn’t the insides of the heart room anymore. It was the world being seen through the eyes of the huge dragon.

Let’s fly.

Outside the roots.

Outside the World tree that she had already experienced before.

The black dragon spread its wings. It stood up with its two legs and then looked up the sky. She observed the place beyond the split fog and surged up.

A huge flutter of its wing.

Strong wind arose and hit the ground. It shook the entire roots and the ground.

The black dragon flew up and then reached the fog.

It was at that moment.

“Kyak!”

“Nidhogg?!”

The heart room shook greatly. Nidhogg screamed and Adenmaha looked at Nidhogg with a flustered face after sitting down.

Nidhogg cried and yelled while the black dragon was struggling in the air.

“I got caught! It won’t let me go! The roots of the World tree… it’s not letting me go!”

It wasn’t only a matter of the fog.

The restraints of the roots was catching the black dragon. It restrained her with a power that seemed like it would never let her go.

“Master!”

Adenmaha looked at the sky and yelled but it couldn’t reach Tae Ho. No, even if it did reach him it wasn’t something Tae Ho could intervene in.

“Why, why?!”

Nidhogg yelled. It was a yell directed towards the roots.

But the roots didn’t listen to her words. The power of the restraints rather got stronger.

“No.”

Nidhogg said and at that moment the black dragon lost its strength. The huge body headed to the ground from the sky and Nidhogg closed her eyes.

&

It was a dark and black place.

It had nothing and nowhere in it.

Nidhogg opened her eyes. She tried to open her mouth and yell inside the breathtaking fear.

“Adenmaha! Tae Ho master!”

No answer returned. Even her voice disappeared in the darkness.

Nidhogg breathed roughly and then understood. This place was the roots. Nidhogg ended up becoming alone again.

“Why…”

“Why…”

There wasn’t only one crying voice. Nidhogg raised her head and yelled once again.

“Adenmaha!”

But she could know it even while yelling. That wasn’t the voice of Adenmaha. The voice that was heard behind her didn’t belong to Adenmaha looking at her with a resentful face but someone else.

Nidhogg turned around. She could see a small kid crouching in the darkness. Her black hair was so long that it covered all her body.

“Who are you? Have you been all the time with me?”

“I’m you, Nidhogg.”

The kid raised her head and said. Nidhogg blinked a few times but then smiled brightly and extended her hand towards the girl.

“Let’s go out together then. Let’s go to Tae Ho master.”

The kid grabbed Nidhogg’s hands but she didn’t stand up. Nidhogg didn’t rise her up by force and started to speak silently.

“There are many happy things going outside. You are not alone. Heda’s food is delicious and Adenmaha’s embrace is warm. Tae Ho master is cool. Cuchulainn oppa is funny and Scathach master is harsh but is actually gentle. And…. Don’t you resent them?”

Nidhogg opened her eyes roundly when she was about to speak about Siri and Bracky. The girl faced Nidhogg with an expressionless face and continued speaking.

“There was a place that good but you have been trapped in the roots for tens of thousands of years. That only you had to be like that?”

It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that Nidhogg’s memories started with Ratatoskr. She wasn’t even aware of time before he came to look for her.

But that time was miserably long. Nidhogg had to be pressed down by solitude for that long time.

“Why did it have to be like that? WHy only me? Why was I born like this?”

Grief showed up in the face of the girl. Sadness that she couldn’t hold back showed up.

“I wan’t to kill everyone. I will kill them all. I will make them disappear. I won’t allow a world like this.”

The girl started to cry and at the same time released an overwhelming power. It was the power that Odin spoke about which could bring an end to the world.

And at that moment Nidhogg realized something.

She understood.

Who she was.

How she was born.

Why she opened her eyes in the roots.

Audhumla.

The ancient God of Asgard.

The existence that appeared in the world before Ymir and even Buri.

Nidhogg was born from her. From the body and soul of Audhumla that got thrown away in the ancient hole Ginnungagap, the real ancient being.

The one that had been tying down Nidhogg in the roots was herself.

The ancient existence that got thrown in Ginnungagap, Audhumla that ended up resenting the world but didn’t want to bring an end to it, and the good will that rejected that was with Nidhogg.

Nidhogg thought of Adenmaha. She embraced the girl just like how she always did with her. She took care of the girl that was crying and said.

The misery made by the time that was so long you couldn’t even imagine and that miserable memory pressed down on Nidhogg but she still endured it. SHe didn’t lose her smile.

“Let’s go together. And it’s fine. I don’t resent it. Yes, it was certainly bad. I want to resent someone. But I don’t want to do that. And it’s fine now. Because i’m able to go out now. I just have to start now. With Adenmaha, Tae Ho master and everyone else. I met everyone.”

She didn’t want to resent it. She disliked doing that. Someone would make fun of her saying that she looked like a fool but Nidhogg didn’t want to do that.

She wanted to be with her loved ones rather than resenting and destroying everything just like her self had said. She wanted to protect them.

“It’s hard to say it in words but you can know right? Because you are me.”

“You don’t resent them?”

“I don’t. I like them. That’s why I want to protect everyone. I want to be together with everyone.”

So that is your choice.

A voice was heard at that moment. Nidhogg raised her head and blinked.

“Who?”

An answer didn’t return but Nidhogg couldn’t mind that. It was because the voices of the two people she liked a lot was heard from afar.

“Nidhogg!”

“Adenmaha, Tae Ho master.”

Nidhogg smiled brightly. She turned to look at the girl and then stood up with her. She embraced the girl, Nidhogg, once again and looked at the sky.

“Let’s go together. Let’s fly.”

Nidhogg closed her eyes. WHen she opened them again she could find the faces of Adenmaha and Tae Ho looking at her flying out of the roots with strength and cheering.

&

The black dragon flew up.

The ancient dragon followed the World tree and surged up.

All the worlds inside of Asgard saw that. It didn’t miss the soaring of the black and beautiful dragon.

The dark fairies of SvartAlfheim admired that. The dwarves of Nidavelir raised their hammers and cheered at the wonder they had witnessed.

The fairies of Alfheim also saw that. The humans of Midgard didn’t feel fear at the huge dragon flying up to the sky. They felt the warmth of the darkness.

Hela and Galeon laughed together. The dead beings smiled at the real appearance of the black dragon that helped them before.

Nidhogg continued to fly. She finally arrived at the world of Gods, Asgard and everyone in Valhalla reacted like the warriors of Valhalla they were.

“Big!”

“Ohh! Black dragon! Ohh! Black dragon!”

“What’s that? Do you know something?”

“No, I don’t! But it’s still huge!”

Ragnar laughed. He hit his chest twice to express etiquette and then raised his sword to bless the soaring of the black dragon.

Drakon Ismenios couldn’t shut his mouth.

Echidna bit a cigarette while smiling brightly and Scathach looked at Nidhogg with warm eyes.

Siri and Bracky knew. Why Nidhogg wasn’t stopping and until where she was planning to fly.

“Did you see it! That is an equal of mine! The existence connected with the king of birds, Hraesvelgr!”

Hraesvelgr laughed and then flew up in his bird body to face Nidhogg. Vedrfolnir, that was sitting in his shoulder, got happy at the smile of her lord.

The black dragon passed the highest branch and then looked down at Asgard at the end of the world.

She checked how the world looked as the successor of the ancient God Audhumla.

The World of Gods Asgard. The mortal world Midgard.

And the worlds connected to them. Vanaheim, ALfheim, SvartAlvheim, Nidavelir, Niflheim, and also the land of giants Jotunheim.

Adenmaha embraced Nidhogg. Nidhogg looked at the ground while embracing Adenmaha. She sensed Tae Ho cheering from the roots and then got determined as the real ancient dragon that has succeeded the power of Audhumla. She hit her chest twice and said with a loud voice.

“For Asgard and the nine realms.”

SHe would protect this world as the existence that has existed since the beginning of the world.

SHe wouldn’t allow the Kingdom of Fire to bring destruction to the world.

That wasn’t only for Tae Ho and Adenmaha. SHe wasn’t copying the two of them.

A determination as Audhumla.

Nidhogg’s own will that decided to protect the world with her power that was able to destroy a world.

Nidhogg roared. She then fluttered once again and shocked the world.

< Episode 67 – Ancient Dragon (2) > End

TL note: Thanks for reading~

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