Chapter 340 - 340: A Little Taste
"My calculations were a little bit early. I thought you would be here last year…
...King Evans."
Van's eyes instantly grew wider as he heard Estrid's words. The people that call him Van are separated into only two groups-- the forest giants and the Olympians. And as soon as the young girl called him a king, Van quickly stood up from his seat and looked at her from head to toe.
He squinted his eyes, trying to dig deep down in his mind for Estrid, but no matter how much he tries to do so, not even a single memory of hers resurfaces.
"Wait, don't tell me you do not know who I am?" Estrid blinked a couple of times as she too, stood up from the sofa, using the wooden spear she was holding as support.
"..."
"I see. It seems that you are serious," Estrid then let out a sigh as she once again tapped the end of the spear on the floor 3 times, "Perhaps my form is a little too young for you to recognize?"
"Young… You!"
But finally, it was as if something was ignited inside Van, but he was able to finally realize who this little child was. Although it just passed by him like a glint, he remembered Estrid also tapping her spear 3 times earlier before she initiated the warcry that made the children go wild.
And now, she did it again; and there was only one person Van knew that did the same thing religiously--
"...Athena?"
"Correct, King Evans," Estrid whispered, "Come, let us talk in my room. Let the children go play by themselves. You don't need to worry about them. As you have already experienced yourself, they are very resilient…
...Also, please address me as Estrid from now on, even if we're alone."
"...Sure."
Seeing Athena, now Estrid, gesturing to him to follow her, the only thing that Van could do was to do so. Although he was still a bit suspicious if Estrid truly was Athena, there really was no way of knowing so.
However, as soon as they reached Estrid's room, Van's doubts were slightly alleviated as Estrid's body lit up in a golden glow; her body, slowly turning to that of an adult that completely painted Athena as to how Van remembers her.
"Does this relieve some of your doubts?" Estrid then said.
"A little."
"That's good," Estrid nodded as her body one again shrunk to that of a little child, "You must have a lot of questions, so let me answer one now-- I am not with the Aesir. Unlike Dionysus, my loyalty still lies in you, King Evans. You might ask for proof, but the only thing I could offer you is my life."
Estrid then kneeled on the ground, raising the wooden spear with both her hands and offering it to Van. Seeing this, Van could once again only let out a sigh.
"There's no need for that," he said, "But may I ask why?"
"Why?" Estrid blinked a couple of times as she looked up towards Van.
"Why are you still loyal to me? Based on all the stories I have heard, you should have been here for more than ten thousand years… I find it odd that your loyalty has never wavered," Van explained as he sat on the tiny desk sitting on the corner of the room, "Especially to a so-called King that you have only served for not even a blink of your existence."
"Who says it hasn't?" Estrid shook her head as she slowly stood up from the floor, "The only one whose loyalty never wavered was Artemis; mine was lost after a thousand years. But it was just a foolish moment driven by emotion. The simple fact that you weren't actually here to solve any of our problems was not your fault, and there was nothing you could do about it."
"...Okay?" Although Van was a bit confused by Estrid's statements, he still moved on to his next question, "Why are you here… how are you here?"
"Well, that is a very long story, but I will make it short," Estrid let out a sigh of her own as she sat on her bed, "I have been here for a thousand years, and have put on many disguises since I got here… all to wait for your arrival, King Evans."
"Wait… for me?"
"That's right," Estrid nodded, "In truth, I calculated your time of arrival to be last year, but that was already proven to be wrong. I roamed around the 9 Realms, getting information of when each of the Transported arrived-- and deduced the time it would take for you to arrive in this world. But still, your speed in avoiding the growing light was truly unpredictable and there were many other elements in play that would have made my calculations go astray, so do forgive me for getting this one wrong."
"...Not at all," Van muttered monotonously. If this wasn't the god of wisdom in front of him, then Van would quickly call out her bullshit. To be able to calculate to that point? What sort of god-like brain does one need to have to achieve that? Or maybe she was just lying?
"I see you have doubts," Estrid said, "But that is alright, I have been doubting myself as well the past few years."
"And why were you waiting for me?" Van asked, hoping to change the topic before Estrid's obvious boasting could continue.
"Because you're my King," Estrid blinked a couple of times as she looked Van straight in the eyes, "What other reason do I need but to welcome you? But of course, there are also other underlying reasons-- like having to be the one to tell you about this new world. But I assume you already know something?"
"Just that it's still my world, but far into the future."
"234,423 years, give or take," Estrid explained, "And perhaps it might be better not to think of it as the Earth you once knew, as the hundreds of thousands of years have already erased any inkling of the old world. Its physics, the rules of nature, its circle of life is already completely different-- by all means, this should be considered a whole new universe. The humans it once had have devolved, and evolved through the means of a new and tougher species-- the enhanced humans that were made by the organization called the Circle."
"That was sort of explained to me already."
"By who?"
"By an old friend."
"I see, a clever one, without a doubt," Estrid nodded agreeably, "One thing they will never know, however, is all of this was made for you."
"...What?"
"All the events that led up to this point was for you, King Evans," Estrid continued, "Right from the start, when Hermes's body exploded-- it was all for you. Your mother willed it so."
"You've met with Evangeline?"
"No, but I know enough that she planned all of this, once again pulling the strings. We were never meant to rescue Hermes's body, we were meant to be sent here… You were meant to be sent here."
"What… are you trying to say, Athena?"
"Do you remember the story about the humans of her universe?"
"Of course," Van nodded. How could he not? An entire civilization, each capable of overthrowing its Creator and even causing Azrael and the other Seraphs to escape to another universe-- they could be said to be the cause of everything.
"Well, they have probably already long conquered my universe by now," Estrid continued, "Expanding and eating away at my universe until no planet is left without their mark, and they are probably about to leave their last mark."
"You're saying… they will be coming here next?"
"It is plausible," Estrid nodded, "All of these are theoretical, but your existence makes them closer to the truth-- the Devourer of Gods."
"...I don't get it, Athena."
"Estrid," Estrid quickly waved her hand as she gestured to Van to not call her by that name, "Where are you, King Evans?"
"Am I supposed to answer that?"
"Please, just indulge me in this one."
"...Asgard?"
"Exactly," Estrid clapped her hands as she let out a hum, "The Devourer of the Gods, right in the place where all sorts of gods just freely roam around, minding their own business and waging their own meaningless wars...
...this place is basically a buffet for you."
"..." Although Van was starting to get where Estrid's explanation was leading to, he still could not help but furrow his eyebrows in confusion.
"This place was made for you, King Evans, to grow stronger. The mother has given her son an almost endless supply of worms to feast on," Estrid let out a small chuckle as she reached the climax of her revelation, "King Evans, your mother meant for you to grow stronger than any of us, in hopes that you may be able to eradicate the humans of her world from devouring any more worlds. It is a very morbid plan, but I would expect nothing less from the Angel of Death."
"..."
"The moment has finally come for you to decide the fate of the universe, King Evans," Estrid's tone then suddenly went soft as she once again looked Van straight in the eyes, "Would you devour the people of this world, so that you may save it? Or would you choose another path?"
"...Fuck," was the only word that was able to come out of Van's mouth. However, after a few seconds of silence, he shook his head with a sigh, "I hate moving according to Evangeline's plan, but this place really is pissing me off…
....so maybe a little taste?"