Chapter 2151: Frigid
Though the inscribed Gea.s.s Roll mentioned completing trials, the Cavern of Reflection was more of a formality than anything else. So long as the partic.i.p.ants didn"t harbor evil or malicious intentions, it was actually a rather beautiful and scenic detour filled with jadeite frescos, mossy ruins, and lakes that glowed with a radiance reminiscent of starlight.
Simply put, the Cavern of Reflection was more of a tourist attraction meant to mesmerize visitors rather than deter them from entering. After all, the Jade Palace wasn"t exactly wanting for powerful experts. If someone were to invade, they would have to contend against dozens of G.o.ds and one of the most powerful forces comprising the East Side"s Divine Army.
Unfortunately, while the Cavern of Reflection was an attraction for most, it was an obstaince for a certain type of person...
"State your purpose..."
Staring up at the twin jade statues, each resembling an amalgamation between a lion and a dragon, Fenrir took a moment to consider her response before confidently declaring, "I exist to support and provide comfort for my Master."
Though the two beasts resembled statues, both leaned forward to get a better look at Fenrir before asking, "If your Master were to order you to kill a member of the Jade Palace, what would you do?"
Without any hesitation whatsoever, Fenrir answered, "I would kill them. My Master is a good man. If he deems someone deserving of death, they have brought it upon themselves."
"Hmmm...." x2
Detecting no falsehoods in Fenrir"s words, the two statues, colloquially known as Guardian Lions, briefly exchanged glances. They could appreciate Fenrir"s loyalty, but, at the same time, their duty prevented them from letting her pa.s.s freely.
After a moment of silent deliberation, the statue on the left looked towards Fenrir and said, "Your loyalty is commendable, young one. However, blind faith is rarely a good thing. Even the G.o.ds are not infallible. If your Master commanded you to kill an innocent, it would weigh upon your soul for the rest of your days."
Radiating an aura of confidence, Fenrir raised her head to meet the Guardian Lion"s gaze as she stated, "I am well aware of that. It doesn"t change the fact that my Master is a good man. There are times when both of us make mistakes. Whenever that happens, we support one another and do our best to ensure a repeat incident never occurs."
Playing off Fenrir"s words, the Guardian Lion on the right raised one of its brows before muttering, "Your statement indicates that both you and your Master have wronged the innocent. Can you tell us how many...or, perhaps, has the number increased beyond your means to recount?"
Furrowing her brows, Fenrir paused for a brief moment before answering, "My Master is a G.o.d, an Emperor, and a Dragon. His actions have an impact on the entire Order of Creation. The number of innocents he has allowed to die is beyond even the G.o.d of Wisdom"s ability to recount. However, it was never malicious intent that drove his actions. He has always acted in the interest of the world as a whole..."
Detecting numerous falsehoods in Fenrir"s statement, both Guardian Lions stated, "You"re lying." in a firm, rebuking tone. At the same time, their eyes began to blaze like fiery orbs as the runic pattern lining their bodies began to illuminate.
Though she was unable to prevent the fur covering her head, ears, paws, and tail from becoming noticeably more rigid, Fenrir managed to appear relatively calm in the face of the duo"s accusations. She wasn"t lying to them, or, more specifically, it hadn"t been her intent to lie to them. Thus, instead of immediately attacking, she took a moment to reconsider her statement before muttering, "Ah....I think I understand where I erred..."
Finding the faults in her argument, Fenrir ignored the increasing auras of the duo as she raised her head and appended, "My Master has always acted in the interest of those who long for a free and unfettered existence. He cares intensely for his family, friends, and loved ones, but, no matter how much he loves them, they will forever take a back seat to his desire to grant freedom to those who sincerely yearn for it..."
Having seen her Master fail, time and again, to mind his own business, Fenrir was confident that he would never abandon those who seek freedom. He might not go out of his way to save them in the beginning, but, after seeing the countless injustices that existed within the world, it was only ever a matter of time before he did something about it. This was one of the reason so many people loved and respected him. It didn"t matter how great the burden was. If he could help people and provide them with greater freedom, he would shoulder the weight of reality itself...
Hearing the conviction in Fenrir"s words, the two guardians began to calm down as they sat atop their perches. Then, after a moment of silence, the one of the left asked, "If your Master was to lose his life or succ.u.mb to corruption, what would you do...?"
After a moment of incredulity, Fenrir confidently a.s.serted, "There isn"t a force in Creation that can kill my Master..." before adopting a far more serious expression and stating, "If he were to succ.u.mb to corruption, I would remain at his side until he returned to his senses. It doesn"t matter how long it takes or how poorly he treats me. I will persist so that he does not lose himself to regret once his awareness has returned. That is my duty...my pride..."
Placing her paw over her chest, a phenomenal aura spontaneously erupted from Fenrir"s body. The two guardians, wholly unprepared for this, were effectively powerless to resist as a wave of icy cold energy washed over them. In its wake, the cavern was covered in a layer of pristine white ice as the hair atop Fenrir"s head gradually s.h.i.+fted from a midnight blue to a lighter, icier blue...
Exhaling a large plume of white mist, Fenrir opened her eyes to reveal icy blue irises that matched the color of her hair. When she saw the state of the cavern, a look of confusion briefly marred her face before quickly turning into an apologetic and slightly fretful look as she quickly dissipated the yin and ice elemental energy that had pervaded the statuesque creatures" bodies.
Under normal circ.u.mstances, the twin lions, Fu and Fuu, would have immediately retaliated if the person undergoing the trial dared to attack them. When they sensed the pure, unblemished, and divine aura exuding from Fenrir"s body, however, they hesitated. This ended up being the correct decision, as, the moment Fenrir experimentally flexed her paw, now covered in bluish-white fur, the medium supporting the sub-dimension began to crack as if the void had suddenly become frozen solid and on the verge of shattering.
Fortunately, all of the negative emotions Fenrir ordinarily had to keep in check had vanished along with her change. She felt more in control in this one moment than she had throughout the entirety of her life, so, after noticing the strange phenomena, she quickly got it under control. Then, as if to emphasize the significance of her change, particles of golden light began to appear from the void before promptly coalescing into a luminous golden Gift Card.
"Fragment of Origin...!" x2
Recognizing the phrase, Fenrir promptly s.n.a.t.c.hed the card before placing it against her chest. She could always check it later. It was far more important to prevent others from doing the same. After all, while there were innumerable benefits to having your ident.i.ty more clearly defined, it also made your weaknesses easier to exploit. A notable example of this was how the Norse G.o.d of Light, Baldr, was imperverious to harm. However, the moment he was exposed to mistletoe, he became as weak and vulnerable as a normal human male. (A/N: Fun fact. Many have speculated that this is the origin of Superman"s weakness to kryptonite.)
Seeing Fenrir place away the golden card before they could get a good look at its features, the Guardian Lions adopted remarkably humanoid expressions of discontent. Unfortunately, while it was well within their right to question Fenrir"s ident.i.ty, they couldn"t force her to reveal personal secrets. Their duty revolved around exposing a person"s purpose and ascertaining whether or not they could be trusted to enter the Jade Palace. Prying too deeply into a person"s secrets was more than enough justification for a war between Communities and the factions backing them.
As that thought crossed their minds, the Guardian Lions were prepared to proceed with the next phase of the trial when Fenrir"s ears suddenly perked up. Then, before either of them could utter so much as a single additional syllable, she vanished into thin air...
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Having pa.s.sed through the Cavern of Reflection with considerable ease, Vahn was waiting outside the entrance to the Jade Palace with Mikoto, Erlang Shen, and the Howling Celestial Dog. They were just making small conversation until Vahn sensed a subtle s.h.i.+ft in the connection between him and Fenrir. When he focused his attention on it, he felt an unbelievable chill, but, at the same time, there was a sensation akin to "serenity" that compelled him to remain calm.
Surprising the increasingly friendly G.o.d and his animal companion, Vahn spontaneously raised his hand to interrupt the former, stating, "One second..." before promptly linking his senses with Fenrir. He could feel her excitement the moment the connection was established, but, unlike the times he had linked with her previously, it was comparably subtle. Instead, the moment prominent emotion she was currently experiencing could best be described as contentedness.
Just as Vahn was contemplating sending her a message, Fenrir"s Fragment of Origin manifested into existence. This was more than enough reason to extract her from the trial, so, the moment she drew the Gift Card into herself, he pulled up her Status in his Unit Management tab and teleported her to his side. Then, before anything else, he pulled her into his embrace, a ma.s.sive grin on his face as he squeezed her tight and said, "Congratulations on becoming a G.o.d..."
Hearing her Master"s praise, Fenrir"s tail began to waggle as she nuzzled her face against his chest. This caused Vahn"s smile to turn notably more affectionate, but, feeling his hand freeze the moment he grazed Fenrir"s tail, his brows immediately perked up as he looked down to see a subtle, icy glow radiating from the interior of each individual bristle. He could also feel a frigid chill seeping into his body from Fenrir"s paws. The most surprising thing about this was the fact his body wasn"t breaking it down like it would other foreign energies. Instead, it seemed to absorb the icy energy, almost as if it was happy to have it...
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[Status]
Name: Fenrir Mason
Age: 108, Ageless
Race: Vanargandr, Primordial Ice Spirit, Pure-Blooded Dragon
Parameters: [Transcendental Path to Heaven]
Strength: 304,292B
Agility: 711,419A
Dexterity: 118,567B
Intelligence: 39,873C
Luck: 77,003A
Spirit: 504,108A
Wisdom: 6,228D
Charisma: 1,004,617S
Divinity: Primoridial Ice(S), Wolf(B), Moon(C), Hunt(C), Severing(C)
Authority: Sage Dragon Emperor"s Most Trusted Companion(???)
Soul Tier: 4
Karma: (-)
Innate(s): [Insatiable Hunger(Innate):(-)], [Heaven Devouring Wolf(Innate): SS], [Queen of the Pack(Innate):S], [Fenrir Mason: SSS]
Gift(s): [Sage Dragon Emperor"s Most Trusted Companion: ???], [Unchained: ???], [Queen of the Frozen Abysss: S], [Primoridial Ice Spirit: S], [Apex Predator: S], [Lunar Cry: A], [Freezing Roar: A], [Huntress: S], [Severing Claws: B], [Gleipnir: A], [Blessing of the Moon: C]
Talent(s): [Ice Elemental Manipulation: S], [Archmage: S], [Mimicry: B], [Singing: B], [Dancing: C], [Etiquette: C], [Spearmans.h.i.+p: C], [Archery: B], [Flexibility: B], and many more~
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(A/N: Alternate t.i.tles: "Fenrir is the goodest girl","Fenrir is the goodest girl","Fenrir is the goodest girl")(A/N: Important things should be said thrice.)