Devouring World Dragon

Chapter 93 Prisoners of Fate

His face was filled with deep weariness and confusion, but looking at the new god-king before him, the wise giant calmly put down the parchment in his hand and then looked at him slowly and said.

"Everything is fate."

"Ragnarok is destiny, your becoming the King of Gods is destiny, Odin's death is destiny, everything in the universe has long been arranged by fate. Gods and mortals alike cannot break free from the shackles of this predetermined destiny."

“Before Ragnarok, Odin asked me if what he wanted could be accomplished. I knew he wanted to know if a new world could be rebuilt after the destruction of the old one. At that time, I said I couldn’t say, and he thought it was because it was possible, but in reality… it was because the future new god-king wouldn’t allow me to say it out loud, to reveal the ending of the universe’s destruction.”

He spoke softly.

Before this wise giant who knows all possibilities, the past, future, and present are all one, without distinction.

But Loki's expression gradually darkened in his presence.

Why do you think I'm not allowing you to say it?

"Because I have already seen it, I have seen that destined future."

"What if I allow you to speak?"

Loki said, word by word.

"You can't do it."

However, Mimir shook his head, his tone incredibly certain, and he looked up at the new god-king before him.

"Just like Ragnarok, you and Odin tried your best to stop Ragnarok from coming, but it still came in the end, because that is fate... Loki, tell me, do you really allow me to say it?"

Looking at the intelligent giant before him, Loki's face turned grim. He slowly clenched his fists, his long nails digging into his flesh without him even realizing it.

"Then what was the reason for my initial encounter with Odin?"

"Because of fate."

"And what caused Ymir's death?"

"Because of fate."

What caused Ragnarok?

"Because of fate."

"..."

"Then why am I asking you this question?"

"You are asking me questions here because of fate."

No matter what Loki asked, Mimir would simply close her eyes and answer calmly, like a mechanical puppet.

Clearly, Mimir's answer did not satisfy Loki at all; his fists clenched tightly, and an unspeakable rage filled his heart.

“Fate…fate? Ha…hahahaha…”

He laughed in exasperation. The new god-king was furious as he looked at the wise giant before him.

"Mimi, then why don't you just tell me that I'm nothing more than a puppet in the hands of fate?"

Upon hearing this, the aged, wise giant slowly opened his eyes, then looked at the god-king before him, his aged eyes as calm as a lake, and spoke word by word.

"Loki... what makes you think you're not a prisoner of fate?" The giant's words weren't loud, but they immediately made Loki pause.

Looking at Loki before him, the wise giant spoke quietly.

"You tried to interfere with fate with a soul from outside the realm, but... didn't you ever consider that your act of trying to defy fate was itself predetermined?"

"Birth is fate, death is fate, going with the flow is fate, going against the flow is fate, everything is fate, and everything has already been predetermined in the dark."

"Your struggles are far more than just this one. In all the past and future, you have been trying your best to resist fate. I see that you personally facilitated the reconciliation with Odin and extended that golden age for millions of years, but one day, the Tree of Youth withered, the gods grew old and died, and the world could not escape the arrival of Ragnarok."

"I saw you become the God-King, trying your best to lead the remaining gods to open a new world, to stabilize the World Tree and create a new world. But after only ten thousand years, the new young gods also fell into depravity and decay. This time, your offspring and giants are also stirring in the world of death. The great serpent has once again crawled out of the abyss of death, and the demon wolf is majestic, wanting to devour the gods completely... All of this is just a delay of ten thousand years."

"You are destined to rebel against fate, destined to overthrow the fate imposed upon you, Loki. You are a prisoner, just like Odin, just like this world, a prisoner imprisoned by fate."

"A traveler who sets out, no matter what roads he travels or what scenery he sees along the way, his destination is ultimately certain... This destination is his predetermined fate."

Mimir looked at Loki, whose fists were clenched tightly, and sighed. Then, he gently picked up the parchment scroll beside him and said.

"This is what I wrote before you came. Take a look."

After speaking, he threw the parchment in his hand to Loki.

Loki reached out and caught it, then lowered his head, and at just the first glance... the king of gods' pupils contracted.

Loki: 'Mimi'.

Me: 'Your Majesty the King of Gods...you have betrayed Odin's trust.'

Loki: 'Mimiel, tell me, what is destiny?'

"..."

On the light parchment scroll, every single line of his conversation with Mimir was clearly written, without a single omission. As Loki looked at these lines, he bit his lip tightly, and the hand holding the parchment scroll trembled unnaturally.

He seemed to see an invisible, enormous thing surging forth from the parchment in his hand...

That absolute being that governs all things, called "fate".

"This...this is just a spell you cast."

Although Loki tried his best to cover it up, his seemingly calm voice still betrayed the trembling tone and the bewildered look in his heart.

Mimir shook his head and said softly.

“Loki, you are also skilled in magic. You should be able to see that I did not use any magic to deceive you.”

A complex look flashed in Loki's eyes as he listened to Mimir's words.

He understood that Mimir had not used any magic to deceive him, but that was precisely why he found it all the more unacceptable.

"I don't believe in fate..."

After a long silence, he took a deep breath and spoke slowly and deliberately. Then, he resolutely put down the parchment in his hand, no longer looking at the parchment that recorded his destiny. Gazing at the wise giant sitting quietly by the Fountain of Wisdom before him, his eyes held a strange complexity, as if the person sitting there was not an old man, but destiny itself…

Then, he slowly extended his fist toward Mimir, as if holding something in his fist.

"Mimi, answer me a question. I have a baby bird in my hand. Tell me, is it dead or alive?"

(End of this chapter)