Chapter 19: The cursed girl

Sometimes a god’s greatest enemy is not war, nor chaos, nor death. It is fear.
The fear of losing what one has not yet lost.
The fear of a prophecy that has not yet come true.
The fear of seeing destiny remain unbroken despite all efforts.

Odin had lived for centuries, commanded armies, confronted catastrophes, sealed pacts with beings of light and shadow. Yet arrogance no longer lived in his gaze as the eternal ruler’s; instead there dwelled the desperation of a father.
A father clinging to the impossible to avoid the inevitable.

While the gears of fate slowly turned toward Ragnarök, elsewhere a boy with a heart split between light and darkness took the hand of a girl ostracized by the world.
He, cursed by nature.
She, condemned by superstition.
Both bound by a truth only the outcast know: sometimes you need not be guilty… to be punished.

And so, while the gods forged oaths to save one of their own, a nameless demon without lineage or honor dared to challenge the legends, one by one… simply by placing his trust in another human.

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The voices were grave, taut. The air around Asgard’s great hall seemed heavier than usual. Frigg sat upright, hands folded on her lap. Tyr, arms crossed, cast stern looks into the void. Thor tapped his knee with his knuckles, impatient. And Odin… Odin had not blinked since they entered.

“What will we do about this situation?” Tyr finally asked, breaking the silence.

Odin did not answer immediately. He seemed to be conversing with memories. When he spoke, his voice was steady, as if speaking from the depths of time.
“We have only one option,” he said. “We will force every being to swear that they will not harm Balder.”

Thor raised a brow, confused.
“A promise? Will that be enough?”

“It will not be a common promise,” Odin clarified. “If we seal each vow with ancient magic, it will become an absolute bond. Nothing—beast or god—will be able to break it.”

Tyr nodded, accepting that in desperation even the improbable becomes reasonable.
“The idea is not so crazy after all.”

Thor, however, hesitated.
“Father… that will take time. Listing everything that could harm him—arms, diseases, people, objects—could take weeks, perhaps months.”

“Let it take whatever time it must,” Odin interrupted. “We cannot allow anything to happen to him. Understood?”

Thor and Tyr exchanged looks, realizing it was pointless to argue with a father willing to confront fate itself.
“Yes, Father,” they answered in unison.

Odin then turned to Frigg, who watched him with a serene but sorrowful expression.
“My dear,” she said gently, “you seem more troubled than usual. Since Balder began having those nightmares, you have not rested. What is it you fear exactly?”

Odin was silent for a few seconds, then lowered his gaze.
“There is an ancient prophecy,” he said. “One we have always sought to forget. It speaks of the day the gods will cease to rule, when all we have built collapses… not by an enemy, but by the death of one of our own.”

Thor frowned. Tyr remained silent.
“That legend speaks of an endless winter,” Odin continued. “Where crops and beasts will die. Brothers will slay brothers, and the horn that links the nine worlds will herald the end of our age. The beginning of Ragnarök.”

Frigg stepped closer and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“And do you think that day has come?”

“I don’t know,” Odin confessed. “But Balder’s dreams… his visions, his fear… everything points to us being closer than ever. And if he dies… the world will be damned.”

“Then we will not let it happen,” Frigg whispered tenderly. “We will find a way. We always do.”

Odin nodded, but his expression did not change. Within him, the All-Father fought not only against destiny—he fought against the crushing weight of knowing that, for the first time, he might lose.

The streets of Asgard still shimmered with that wintry glow that made them look as though they had been plucked from a fairy tale. Eden walked calmly, a cloth bag dangling from his arm, while his thoughts wandered in silence.
Even if that place was dreadful… he reflected inwardly, I can’t deny that Hela was far worse. Her gaze… it only spoke of death.

He was so lost in thought that he didn’t notice the figure crossing his path. The collision was light, but enough to make them both stumble.
“Sorry,” Eden said quickly. “Are you alright?”

The young woman lifted her face, surprised. Her clear eyes met his for only a second before darting downward nervously. Eden recognized her at once.
Wait a minute… she’s the girl who was beside Odin… Sara, right?

Before he could say anything else, the girl turned and ran into the crowd. Eden watched her go, intrigued.
“What’s wrong with her?”

A vendor who had seen the scene shook his head and approached at a slow pace.
“You’d better stay away from her, boy.”

Eden blinked, puzzled.
“Why do you say that?”

“They say that girl is cursed. That anyone who gets close to her ends up dragging along a destiny filled with misfortune. They call her the bearer of ill fate.”

The young man frowned, his eyes still fixed on the street where the girl had fled.
A curse? he thought skeptically. I didn’t feel anything dark about her. No cursed energy… What’s really going on?

“Thank you for the warning, sir,” he said politely. Then his gaze dropped to the merchant’s stall. “By the way, how much for those fine fabrics?”

Hours slipped by in streets, colors, and errands. At last, Eden stepped out of the final shop with a sigh of relief.
“Finally done with shopping,” he murmured as he walked. “Didn’t think it would take so long… I wonder what’s for dinner tonight?”

Turning a corner in the market, he saw her. Sitting at the edge of a fountain, Sara watched a stray cat approach her curiously. At first glance, the scene seemed gentle… but the tension in her face made it uneasy.

The cat took a few more steps. Sara immediately recoiled.
“Shoo, shoo… don’t come closer,” she whispered, almost trembling.

The cat tilted its head, insistent.
Are they… playing? Eden wondered for a moment, though he soon realized it wasn’t the case.

He walked over calmly and, without thinking, scooped the cat into his arms.
“What are you doing?” he asked the young woman. “Are you afraid of cats?”

Sara lowered her head. She didn’t answer.
“Come on, pet him. He won’t hurt you,” Eden encouraged gently.

“Stop!” she shouted suddenly, stepping back.

The cat startled and bolted, vanishing into the shadows.
“Sorry…” Eden apologized. “I just wanted to help.”

Sara trembled slightly. Her voice came low, almost a whisper weighted with guilt.
“I don’t want to curse anyone… I just want everyone to be safe.”

Then he understood. It wasn’t fear. It was resignation. Sara wasn’t afraid of others. She was afraid of herself.
So that’s it… Eden murmured. You’ve completely isolated yourself, following everyone else’s opinion. Whether you believe in that curse or not, you’ve chosen to carry it so no one gets hurt. And that, absurd as it may sound, is something noble.

Sara looked at him with half-lidded eyes, confused.
“Would you give me your hand?” Eden asked.

“What…? If I touch you, you could—”

“Trust me,” he interrupted with a smile.

Sara hesitated for a few seconds, but finally stretched out her hand with a trembling gesture.

The instant her fingers brushed Eden’s, the world shattered like a broken mirror.
The sky vanished. The ground turned to fire. Shadows took shape.
A dark, burning place engulfed their senses.

A demon emerged from the ruins, eyes glowing red like burning coals.
“What the hell are you doing here?” it roared. “More importantly… how were you able to enter?”

Before Eden could reply, the place dissolved as if it had never existed.

He collapsed to his knees, gasping. A thread of blood dripped from his mouth.
“What was that?!” Sara exclaimed in terror. “Whose… whose place was that?”

Eden spat another mouthful of blood but forced himself upright.
“No… it wasn’t you. This… this is what it means to be cursed.”

Sara fell silent. For the first time, she understood she wasn’t the only one carrying a burden on her shoulders.

Minutes later, the two of them sat against a market wall, sharing an unexpected peace.
“How did you know I wasn’t cursed?” she asked softly.

“Because I didn’t sense any dark energy in you,” Eden answered without hesitation. “The cursed radiate a kind of force that can’t be hidden. I… I’ve met two like that already. And you… you’re not one of them.”

Sara smiled. A timid smile, almost broken. But sincere.
“Thank you. It’s the first time in so long I can speak to someone without them looking at me in fear.”

“There’s no need to thank me. But tell me something… where did that curse legend come from?”

Sara hesitated, then lowered her gaze.
“The truth is…”

A cold, arrogant voice cut into the conversation.
“I was the one who spread it. Is there a problem?”

Nai stood tall, his usual arrogant smile on his lips and his eyes gleaming with amusement.

The calm vanished instantly.

Nai’s words fell like a slap into the suddenly quiet air. Sara stiffened instantly, while Eden rose with an expression that gradually grew darker.
“So it was you…” Eden murmured, eyes locked on the blond youth. “You made her life a living hell.”

Nai tilted his head, savoring the tension he’d created.
“And what if I did? She deserved it. Everyone who gets close to her ends up dying. I only opened the town’s eyes so they could see the truth.”

“The truth?” Eden repeated dryly.

“Yes. That girl brings misfortune. Death. Bad luck. Haven’t you seen it? Or do you intend to become another corpse too?”

Sara dropped her gaze, unable to hold it. Eden, however, took a step forward, his fist clenched.
“You’re an idiot,” he said calmly, though his face burned with fury. “Not only did you spread a lie, you locked it inside a cell with no bars. You made her believe she was a monster… and for nothing.”

“Nothing?” Nai raised an eyebrow. “Death follows her — that’s a fact. Locking up something dangerous isn’t cruelty, it’s common sense.”

“Locking her up?” Eden took another step, standing right before him. “You didn’t lock up a threat. You locked up a person. A person who only wanted to live.”

Eden’s fist rose, fury barely contained, but just before it struck a figure stepped between them.
“Enough!” Shu shouted, blocking the blow with one hand.

Both froze. Eden lowered his arm in frustration.
“Shu… I’m sorry. But that idiot—”

“I know,” Shu said without looking at him. “I want to smash his face too. But if you touch him, they’ll disqualify us. It’s not worth it.”

Nai sneered, folding his arms triumphantly.
“How touching. The prodigy defending his demon.”

Shu’s expression changed completely. His fist tightened so hard his knuckles went white.
“You’d better shut up,” he murmured. “Because if you keep provoking, what happens in the match will be the least of your worries. I will humiliate you in front of everyone, Nai.”

“Oh, are you going to give me a championship beating?” Nai mocked.

“No,” Shu smiled coldly. “I’m going to give you a dance so grotesque even your ancestors won’t want to claim you. You’ll lose everything you think you are. And when I’m done, you won’t even know where you stand.”

For a moment, the silence was absolute.

Nai’s smile wavered for a beat. His eyes met Shu’s, and something inside him faltered. Then he took a step back.
“Well then, I’d better prepare,” he said, trying to sound defiant. “Although I doubt I’ll even face you — your little friend will lose before you can do anything.”

“You say that because you don’t really know Eden,” Shu replied firmly. “He’s not just a demon. He’s a monster that keeps evolving even when you don’t see it. So prepare yourself. Because tomorrow, Nai… you’re going to taste your own medicine.”

Thunder rumbled in the distance, and lightning briefly lit Nai’s face before he vanished in a flash of light.

They stood in silence for a few seconds. Sara breathed heavily, still processing what she had witnessed.
“I’m sorry… for causing so much trouble,” she whispered, voice heavy with sorrow.

Shu looked at her gently.
“You don’t have to apologize. You were the one who bore all that alone. I… I’m sorry I did nothing before.”

“Thank you…”

Eden, still frowning, exhaled.
“Shu… do you really think I can win?”

The green-haired youth regarded him silently for a moment.
“I don’t know.” He gave Eden a light pat on the shoulder. “What do you think?”

Eden lowered his head, thoughtful, then raised his gaze with resolve.
“I want to win.”

“Then do it,” Shu replied with a smile. “Because if you win… I promise I’ll crush him tomorrow.”

They shared a look of silent complicity.

Tomorrow would be a decisive day.