Akane no Mai

by Kanius

A man from the world of Vein drops into a world of Thieves. He meets a pragmatic woman. She greets him with a calm smile. "My name is Togo Hifumi." Following the fateful encounter, a host of monsters arrive, disrupting the peace. The Thieves return to confront these entities outside their realm and ultimately cross paths with the Revenant man.

59. Yggdrasil Dreamscape

Book III: Fictional Edification

Chapter IV: Yggdrasil Dreamscape

---

Hirahata Clinic/Shibuya, Tokyo (渋谷区, 東京)/January 17, 2020 (2020年1月17日)/(Reality: January 17, 2022)/10:26 PM (JST)

Half a month into 2020, the Thieves and Revenants enjoyed moderate life. There hasn't been any supernatural activity. Yami Matter activity has been nonexistent. Mido has yet to resurface.

The peacetime allowed for the birth of a new life.

Grasping his wife's right hand, Ren watched the sweaty Ann in the middle of labor. Taking deep breaths, Ann gnashed her teeth hard and let out a pained cry. The family doctor and two nurses gathered next to Ann. One nurse replaced a sweat-dampened towel covering Ann's forehead with another. The other nurse crouched in front of Ann, waiting to deliver the baby.

"Push, Mrs. Takamaki! Push harder!" The doctor encouraged Ann, who closed her eyes and clenched her teeth.

"Oh. Oh. OH GOD! MAKE IT STOP!" Ann let out a pained scream, which caused everyone but the doctor to cover their ears.

As he covered his ears, Ren lost grip of his wife's hands. Ann quickly snatched his hand and growled like a lioness.

"Don't you fucking dare, Ren! I need you to get me through this!" She yelled out as she felt another contraction, causing her to curse and wail out loud. "OH FUCK!" She suddenly lost control of her renewed strength, causing her to crush Ren's hand.

Feeling the bones in his fingers give an audible pop, Ren cringed and gritted his teeth. He hadn't anticipated and underestimated the strength of a woman in labor. He recalled this happening to his father when his mother gave birth to him. Now dealing with a woman in labor, he didn't envy his father for holding his mother's hand. He can imagine the pain etched on his father's face.

Staying strong for Ann, Ren took a deep breath and firmly grasped her hand.

The crouching nurse shouted. "I see a head! You're almost there!"

"I CAN FEEL IT! OH FUCK, JUST POP OUT ALREADY!"

As Ann gave another push, the child came halfway out.

The doctor verbally pushed for her. "You're almost there, Mrs. Takamaki!"

"I'm here, sweetie. You've got this!" Ren's verbal encouragement gave Ann the final push she needed.

"OH FUCK! IT'S COMING OUT! IT'S FINALLY COMING OUT!"

Then, a child's cries came out, causing Ann to let out a deep relieved sigh. The back of her head plopped on a propped-up pillow. The second nurse held a crying infant, covered in placenta gelatin. Using a towel, the other nurse helped wipe down the baby.

Relinquishing her hold of Ren's hand, Ann kissed his hand.

"Thanks, sweetie. I hope I didn't break anything." Ann apologetically said with a radiant smile smeared over her face.

Shaking his throbbing hand, Ren cringed and looked around for bandages. "Heh, no. You didn't break anything." Eyeing his beet-red hand, he whimpered under his breath. After asking one of the nurses to bandage his hand, he glanced over to his wife handling their son.

Holding their infant son, Ann's radiant smile didn't leave her. When she tapped the baby's nose, the newborn's cries ceased. Ren walked over to his wife's side and leaned over to get a closer view of the infant's face.

"He's beautiful, isn't he?" Ann asked him.

"Yeah, the most beautiful…" Ren said as a tear fell from the tear duct of his left eyelid. Ann noticed her husband's tear. "I'm so happy. I thought after all we went through…" He covered his eyes, trying to conceal his tears from his wife, who just smiled.

"Your daddy is being silly, isn't he?" Ann whispered to the infant, giggling incessantly. "C'mon, dad. Come closer." She invited Ren to lean closer.

As Ren came closer, he grasped the infant's tiny right hand. A proud smile adorned the Phantom Thief's face.

"Hey, how about we show the others?" Ann suggested.

Hearing this, Ren nodded. "Yeah, let's go and show them."

---

10:58 PM (JST)

With that, Ren walked out of the emergency ward with a nurse rolling Ann into a wheelchair. The Thieves and Revenants rose to meet them. They were audible awwws from the females. With a beaming smile on her face, Ann showed off her newborn.

"Oh my gosh! He's so cute!" Haru gleamed delightfully. She patted the newborn's pudgy face.

"He is adorable," Makoto smiled and rubbed the baby's left cheek.

"Remember, Mako-chan. We called babysitting privileges first," Haru reminded her with a wink.

"Yeah, I remember."

"Is there room for one more babysitter?" Leonard chuckled as he stepped in between Makoto and Haru. He greeted the infant by shaking its finger.

"Congratulations, you two," Skyler acknowledged Ren and Ann as Hifumi and Io leaned over to greet the infant.

"He has your face, Ren," Hifumi blushed happily, caressing the infant's face.

"And he has your eyes, Lady Ann!" Morgana chimed in as Rachel carried him over to meet the infant. He landed on Ann's lap to get a better look at the infant.

"Dudes, I'm so happy for you!" Ryuji hugged Ren and Ann, crying proudly for them. He looked down at the baby. "Hey, your uncle Ryuji is here!" A goofy grin smeared over the young man's face, trying to garner a reaction from the infant.

As Io lowered her face over the baby, the infant reached out to her to everyone's surprise. Io wasn't sure what to do, but Ann allowed her to touch her child. Gently smiling, Io grasped the infant's tiny hands, eliciting a baby giggle from the child.

"I think he likes you, Io," Skyler added, patting Io's back.

"He senses you have a good nature," Hifumi stated.

"Next to animals, I heard that human babies are the best judges of character. Based on his positive reaction, he really likes Io's presence," Yusuke explained.

"Can I hold him?" Futaba asked Ren.

"Sure. Hold on," Ren said as he asked Ann to give him their child. He then passed the child over to be held by Futaba, who rubbed his nose.

"Hi! I'm your aunt Futaba!" She made a silly face, eliciting a giggle from the infant.

Just then, Jacob and Madeline approached Ren and Ann. Madeline carried with her a baby in her right arm.

"We wanted to come here to send our congratulations and see your newborn," Jacob openly stated, shaking Ren's hand.

"Thanks."

Madeline turned toward Futaba holding Ren and Ann's son. "He's a beautiful child, Ann."

Smiling, Ann concurred. "Yeah, same as yours. I'm glad you came."

"I wanted to. Since you and Ren came to see our newborn."

"Have you considered a name yet?" Skyler queried Ren and Ann.

The couple exchanged smiles and nodded together. "Yeah."

As the conversation carried on, the doctor walked out of the emergency ward and approached Ann's side.

"Mrs. Takamaki, we'd like you to stay overnight and perhaps for the next few days so you can allow your body to recover."

"Yes, of course, thank you so much, doctor," Ann replied.

"And I'll be checking in on you both," Ren affirmed as he kissed Ann's hand and watched Futaba cradling their child. "This is one of the happiest days of my life."

"I'm glad we can make that happen. We deserve that much," she said, holding Ren's hand.

---

Skyler and Hifumi's Apartment/Hamamatsuchō (浜松町)/Minato, Tokyo (港区, 東京)/12:45 AM (JST)

Late that same evening, Skyler, Hifumi, and Io returned to their apartment. They planned another visit with Ren and Ann in the afternoon.

"Before we go, I have a question about Aslaug, Io," Hifumi asked the pale Vein Remnant.

"You want to know if we've been forged mental links lately? Yes, we've communicated in our sleep," Io verified much to Hifumi and Skyler's shock.

"In your sleep? You two have been talking in your sleep?" Skyler asked in befuddlement.

"That would explain why you've been sleep-talking lately," Hifumi chuckled.

"Yes, we've been discussing how we can link everyone's minds together in their sleep?"

"Link all of us cognitively?" Skyler queried.

Io nodded. "Yes, but you all have to be asleep. For anyone who's still awake, Aslaug and I can use our mental links to put that individual to sleep."

"We're all awake now, but we'll know if it works once we fall asleep," Skyler said.

"I'm ready to whenever you are, Io," Hifumi nodded.

"All right, I'm contacting Aslaug now," Io said while cognitively linking her mind with Aslaug. Aslaug, they're ready. Are Tori and Hiroshi on board?

After a delayed response, Io, Hifumi, and Skyler heard Aslaug's voice telepathically reaching them.

'Hello? It's Aslaug here! Tori and Hiroshi are ready to join us!' The Valkyrie's cheery tone filled their headspaces.

Smiling, Skyler added. "I see. Then, there's no room for delay."

"We're ready, Io," Hifumi said.

"Let's do this, Aslaug," Io said as she and Aslaug linked their minds together.

"Wait, what are we going to see?" Skyler curiously asked.

Closing her eyes, Io focused her energies and successfully forged a mental link with every Phantom Thief and Vein Remnant member. Before Io can answer Skyler, they became drowsy and collapsed on Io's bed.

"You'll know soon, Skyler Jones," Io genuinely smiled, folding her arms around Skyler and Hifumi. She closed her eyes and joined them in the dreamscape.

---

Mysterious Dreamscape

Upon opening his eyes, Skyler found himself in a blank white space, devoid of any color. It was as white as a blank canvas board. His senses recognized the space as he remembered being summoned here with Hifumi.

"This is…!" Sion turned over to his left side where he saw Hifumi beside him, but no Io to be sighted. "Hifumi, where's Io?"

"I don't know. She was with me here just a moment ago!"

They then heard a familiar group of voices interject and yell out in disarray.

"Hey, what's going on here?" Makoto was heard yelling out.

"Man, I had a nice dream!" Ryuji shouted.

"One minute I'm resting in the hospital and now I'm here with you, guys?!" Ann cried out.

"Skyler, Hifumi! You're here, too?!" Leonard called out to them.

As Skyler and Hifumi walked up to the Phantom Thieves and the Vein Remnants, they discussed why they'd been transported into this mysterious space. They weren't the only ones with them. Aslaug appeared with Tori, Hiroshi, Lance, Cammy, Marty, Andrea, Huey, and Samantha.

"Hey, guys! Over here!" Tori called out to the Thieves and the Revenants.

"Did any of you suddenly collapse while standing around?" Lance asked the Thieves and the Revenants.

"Well, thankfully we were not out in public," Cammy said.

"Andrea and I were already in bed, so no issues for us," Marty added.

Andrea keenly scanned the white space environment. "Where are we?"

"Hopefully not dead," Huey said.

"No, I don't think we are," Samantha replied.

Aslaug addressed the Advent Eight. "No, you're all just deep asleep, but don't worry you'll all wake up!"

"You brought us here because you and Io wanted to show us something, Aslaug?" Hiroshi asked the Valkyrie.

"Yeah, it's going to be a lot to tell, so we're going to show you instead," Aslaug answered.

"I concur it's better to show us than tell," Akechi interjected.

"Oh, you're here, too, Akechi?" Sumire asked.

"Yes, I brought him here, too. I wanted everyone who's fought alongside us to be here," Io stated.

"What is so important you want to show us?" Ren queried.

"We hope to get some answers," Hifumi addressed Io.

"And answers you shall get," the voice of Io interjected, causing the Thieves and Revenants to face the front where Io appeared with Anastasia and Nadia.

"Io!" Hifumi called out as she ran over to greet Io and the elven women. "We're here as you've asked us."

"Where have you brought us? This isn't any place I've seen before," Ren queried, scanning the unidentifiable environment surrounding them. To him and the other Thieves, it was refreshing to be in Mementos again. Unlike the hostile and dangerous world Mementos gave off, the vibe from this realm was calm and relaxing.

The Persona Vein remarked with a demure look. "Learning a new language can be quite a challenge, but none as difficult as the language of the Æsir."

"Language of the Æsir?" Yusuke was confounded by Io's statement.

"Æsir is translated as a member of the pantheon from the old Norse mythology," Leonard answered.

"Remember those Vamkyries we fought?" Skyler then brought their previous engagement with the vampiric maidens to their attention. "They're the warrior maidens and grim reapers from Norse Mythology."

"Yep, and I'm supposed to be just like them!" Aslaug pointed out.

"Yes, except you're the first good Valkyrie we've ever encountered," Nadia commented.

"You're like an outlier compared to these psychos we've faced so far," Futaba pointed out.

"I'm sorry," Aslaug apologetically replied.

"You have nothing to apologize for. You've done no wrong, Aslaug," Anastasia replied.

"We're grateful we have a good Valkyrie on our side," Leonard said.

"Thanks, I'm glad to hear this!" Aslaug said, happily tearing up while feeling welcomed by her friends.

"I do wonder if we'll find out which Valkyrie gave you life, Aslaug," Tori speculated about the young Valkyrie's origins.

"Even Aslaug doesn't remember. Maybe we'll learn something from being here," Hiroshi said.

Yusuke elaborated. "I must remind you that some Personas are based on deities from various mythologies. Norse Mythology is no exception."

"Yeah, now that you mention it some of my Personas are directly based on some of those figures," Ren pointed out. "Thor and Odin being among them."

"And then there's Loki. Gee, why does that sound familiar?" Makoto said while meticulously eyeing Akechi's direction.

"Let's keep calm now, Makoto," Leonard said.

"I'm perfectly fine, Leonard."

"Anyway, so you're here with us in this realm… whatever it is," Ren then turned to Io and the elven women. "Where have you brought us?"

Io logically answered. "Yggdrasil's realm."

"Yggdrasil? The Word Tree?" Leonard queried the pale-skinned Revenant.

"Indeed, and we're about to meet its surviving inhabitants."

"So, are you going to take us to Yggdrasil now?" Makoto asked Io.

"Yes, now. Everyone stays close together," Io then closed her eyes as a white light formed and enveloped her, which then filled out the entire space and transported everyone to another realm completely new to them.

---

Yggdrasil

When the group awoke and came to, they found themselves floating in a makeshift bubble created by Io. Upon opening their eyes, the Thieves and Revenants were mesmerized by the presence of Yggdrasil. Nothing they've seen matched its sheer size. Towering over Tokyo's tallest buildings, it stood an astounding 2,000 feet in height. Nearly its entire base and its branches were surrounded by walls of mist. These walls of mist were seemingly so thick no light could penetrate them. The surface of the World Tree was bioluminescent, creating an otherworldly atmosphere.

"Incredible, this is the World Tree?!" Yusuke was awestruck by the sheer magnificence of the Word Tree's divine stature.

"It's so beautiful," Haru whispered in awe.

"This is still just a dream, right?" Kaito asked everyone.

"Yes, but what you see is the real Yggdrasil," Io informed the Thieves and Revenants.

"This is truly a sight to behold," Leonard muttered, admiring the World Tree's beautiful view.

"And it's so huge! Like superduper huge!" Futaba raised her hands overhead, describing Yggdrasil's sheer size.

"Io, have you been here before?" Hifumi queried to the Persona Vein.

"Indeed, I have. In my sleep, I've been in contact with the sage and the natives of this realm," Io spoke up. "The natives of the World Tree are known as the Homo Yggr."

Ann curiously asked. "Homo Yggr?"

"The name translates to 'Terrible Man', but these people are anything but horrible," the pale-skinned Revenant clarified.

"I learned these Homo Yggr are linked with nature," Aslaug stated.

"They must've been labeled that due to the misconception of them being savages. It's no different from the natives of our world when European explorers interacted with them," Skyler explained the parallels between the Homo Yggr and Earth's native tribes.

"And you mentioned a sage? How long have you been in contact with this individual?" Ren asked Io.

"Quite recently. She reached out to me in my dreams and we've since communicated. I do apologize for keeping this a secret from everyone here. The sage requested I don't reveal the existence of this realm until the time was right." Io monologued as she admired Yggdrasil's presence. "And she taught me to create these two and learn the Language of the Æsir."

"So, that makes things easier when we communicate with these people," Skyler said. "Io, you're our official translator."

Nodding, Io smiled and tapped her head. "I've processed their entire language, culture, and history in my mind. You needn't worry about language barriers."

"And I've only learned some new details from Io, but she can tell you more," Aslaug added with a bright smile.

"Well, that's a relief!" Rachel replied.

"No problem. You four can answer our questions if we want," Cammy said, referring to Io, Aslaug, and the Elven Princesses to guide them.

Morgana scanned the forest and spotted a creature that caught his eye. A small red squirrel with a white cream underbelly climbed one of Yggdrasil's many branches. Turning its head, the squirrel's onyx eyes meet Morgana.

"Huh?" Morgana blinked as the squirrel momentarily stared at him and quickly scurried up the branch.

"Mona? What are you looking at?" Ann blinked as she noticed the cat staring off into space.

"Nothing, Lady Ann. Just admiring the tree like y'all."

Just then, Makoto caught wind and pointed to a flock of small birds in a variety of colors bluish-green, red, and yellow. These multi-colored birds have long black and yellow tail feathers. Some have red-headed crests. Others among the flock have duller green, gray, and blue feathers. The colors likely distinguished the sexes of the birds.

"How beautiful," Samantha muttered, admiring the array of multiple colored birds gliding near them.

"They're so pretty! I've never seen such birds!" Haru admired the flock flying over them.

"They look like sparrows," Makoto observed.

"You don't get to see these types back home," Tori observed these multi-colored sparrows.

"Unless you're in some deeply forested or exotic region," Sumire stressed.

"Yes, they're called Nordic Spǫrr. Right now they are set to forage and mate," Io stated.

"It's mating season, eh?" Futaba smirked.

"They're also one of only a few birds in this realm to use tools and have been domesticated by the natives," Anastasia added.

"And they can utter words like the natives. Think of them as a cross between a sparrow and a parrot. Pretty neat, huh?" Nadia stated.

"They talk like parrots? Now this I've got to see," Ryuji grinned enthusiastically.

"But, you already have a talking cat, why would you be impressed with a talking bird?" Hiroshi asked Ryuji.

"Hey, I heard that. Allow me to remind you kindly that I'm not a cat!" Mona spat out in annoyance.

"I mean, I have a talking owl for a partner," Samantha added.

"Talking animals sure are becoming a dime a dozen these days, huh?" Jacob chuckled.

"Whoa, check out those big lizards! They look like dragons!" Futaba pointed to a group of 16-foot-long greenish-blue lizards resting on a cliff face situated near a cascading waterfall.

One of the lizards jumped off a ledge and seemingly dove into the water. Then, it opened its front limbs, exposing colored golden-scaled membranes, enabling it to glide through the air currents.

"They're like the flying lizards from our world," Akechi noted.

"These are Hræzla Lizards. While they are not true dragons, they're revered as spiritual animals by the Homo Yggr." Io revealed, showing them more of Yggdrasil's magnificent environment and biodiversity. "The fauna that you see here are called Fylgjur."

"And fauna would be?" Ryuji was confounded with Io's scientific word tongue.

"It's term biologists identify animals with," answered Leonard.

"Oh, right. I knew that."

Morgana muttered sardonically. "Yeah, sure you did."

"The plants here are so beautiful. Some I've never even seen," Haru admired the variety of plant life, some were completely alien to her and the others. Some of them resembled glowing jellyfish as they floated through the alien forest as if they were swimming in an ocean. They also floated like they were dandelion seeds.

"Are we sure these are plants?" Rachel wondered as one of those jellyfish-like seedlings floated past her.

"That one is a plant, too, right?" Kaito pointed to a massive red jellyfish-like lifeform with vine-like stems firmly planted in the ground.

"Indeed, these are flora lifeforms. They are every bit as sentient as Yggdrasil," Io explained.

"Yggdrasil is a living lifeform then. This thing has to be ancient if it's grown this big!" Ann exclaimed.

"That's because it is. The World Tree is one of the oldest entities in this universe." Anastasia stated.

"And old enough to contain the Nine Realms!" Nadia added. "Pretty fucking neat, huh?"

"It's true. I learned this World Tree connects these Nine Realms!" Aslaug said enthusiastically.

"So, the Norse legends really do exist? Fascinating," Leonard muttered.

As they bypassed the 150-meter-tall redwood-like trees, they spotted tens of many long-tailed brown and gray-fur-bodied monkeys. Their yellow eyes resembled those of lemurs and tarsiers. They have white undersides and dark brown tails. These native primates are seen eating fruits, seeds, insects, and eggs. They also shared the canopies with small lime-green tree frogs with red eyes and yellow webbed feet.

"There's monkeys in this world?" Haru queried, keenly watching the primates.

"Hmm, they look like lemurs to me," Lance observed these native primates.

"Those are Hlaup Saimiri, a beneficial species among others that help spread the seeds of life wherever it forages," Io explained.

"So, they're like pollinators," Skyler said.

"And they also feed on and share the trees with other neighbors like the Trewą Frogs you see," Anastasia pointed to the native tree frogs.

"But, even the monkeys and frogs have to look out for predators," Nadia smirked as a bird swiftly dove in and snatched up one of the smaller monkeys.

"Damn! That thing came in fast!" Ryuji shouted.

"Was that a hawk?!" Futaba exclaimed.

"It sure moved like a peregrine falcon," Jacob added.

"Indeed," Io answered as a brown and gray feathered hawk with a black and white spectacled underbelly flew off carrying a monkey. The bird of prey let out a high-pitched screech as the alarmed monkeys angrily howled. "The Veðrfölnir picks off anything it can find in the trees and is regarded as a sacred animal by the Homo Yggr."

"Wow, that bird came in so fast it scared me," Ann took a deep breath.

"That's nothing. You haven't seen anything yet," Nadia replied.

As the group bypassed through a canopy, a swarm of various insects came flying out. Among them were 6-inch long black and blue Rhinoceros beetles. In response to the immediate disturbance, the beetles' bodies exuded electrical sparks that blasted the bubble. Still, luckily the bubbles' defensive barrier protected the group from getting electrocuted by the beetle swarm.

"Holy moly! Electric beetles?!" Morgana cried out.

"They're using my element, too!" Ryuji pointed out the electrical blasts hitting the protective bubble around them.

"What are those things called?" Tori asked.

"This is the Donar Beetle. It's a beetle species unique throughout the Nine Realms," Io explained. "It is often regarded as the animal representative for the Thunder God Thor."

"And it's often utilized as a source of electricity for the Homo Yggr. The beetles have enough energy to light up an entire village," Anastasia plainly stated.

"Pretty neat, huh?" Aslaug nodded.

"Yes, they'd come in handy if one of us lost power in our homes," Akechi added.

Besides the Donar Beetles, the group sighted yellow, black, and brown-bodied bees. The 15mm-long bees also have black-striped abdomens.

"And those are the Honeydew bees," Anastasia shifted over to the bees. "They're the most crucial pollinators. Much like the honeybees of your world, they carry pollen from one flower to another. The Homo Yggr also depend on them for honey production."

"So like how we collect honey in our world," Ren stated.

"That is correct," Io nodded.

Just then, a swarm of bat-like creatures swooped in to catch and devour the insects. One such native bat that immediately caught the group's eye was a hybrid creature. From a glance, it looked like a cross between a bat and an owl. It has an auburn feathered body with a black and white spectacled chest and underside feathers. Tufts of gray fur-like filaments made up the sides of its head. More of such hybrids came flying out. Their orange eyes scanned and followed the flying insects.

"I see you've gotten a look at one of this realm's most unique fauna," Nadia said.

"What the heck is that thing?!" Rachel pointed at a hybrid.

"That's the Nathbakkæ," Nadia answered. "You thought every animal here bears a resemblance to the fauna of your Earth? In your dreams! What do you get when you cross an owl with a bat? You get this thing."

"A hybrid of a bat and an owl? That makes it quite an efficient nocturnal predator," Yusuke observed.

"Yikes, my owl Cassiel would freak out at that thing!" Samantha yelped. "Hmm, then again my culture would revere this creature as sacred."

"Ugh, screw that! I wouldn't want to wake up to that thing staring me dead in the eyes," Futaba shuddered.

As the bubble descended from the tree canopies, they headed straight into the nearest large body of water. Initially, the group worried they'd drown, but the bubble doubled like a submarine and pressed forward without issue. If the rainforest wasn't a sight to behold, Yggdrasil's underwater world provided another biodiverse world.

The group watched as schools of Yggdrasil fish swam past them. There were various fishes of many shapes, sizes, and colors. A swarm of bluish-gray, neon green, and red-scaled fish grabbed their attention.

Upon seeing the fish swimming around, Morgana's eyes lit up. He licked chops and smacked his mouth.

"Did I just die and go to heaven? Look at all these fish!" The cat meowed loudly.

"I sure could go for some fish or sushi now," Ryuji shared Morgana's sudden urge for fish.

"I'm sure you two would, but c'mon let's get our heads in the game here," Makoto advised them to inhibit their urges.

"I don't know I could go for some sushi, too," Tori remarked.

"I tried sushi and it was yummy," Aslaug concurred with her newfound love for the delectable Japanese dish.

The native fish were seen swimming and even diving out of the water like flying fish.

"Neat! There's flying fish here!" Futaba was taken in by the marine life.

"There exist over a hundred fish species in Yggdrasil, but only the Fliegend Fish group are capable of diving out of the water and capable of brief aerial flight," Io stated.

"Oh my god! Guys look at this!" Ann exclaimed as she pointed to a behemoth ten times larger than the bubble carrying them all.

"Yes, it's another sacred animal revered by the Homo Yggr," Anastasia said.

"It's a whale!" Makoto was taken aback by its immense size.

"Wow, check out the size of this thing!" Cammy cried out awestruck by the massive marine creature.

"Not just any whale. It's the Lyngbakr," Io said as the 82-foot-long bluish-gray whale swam passed by without concern. Its large brown eye scanned over the group, discerning them as non-threats. "This magnificent creature is equivalent to your world's largest living animal, the blue whale."

"I hope this big guy doesn't have a taste for us. I don't like the look he's giving us," Kaito remarked.

"You needn't worry. Like the blue whale, the Lyngbakr prefers plankton and krill," the Persona Vein reassured him and the others.

"Well, that's good, but I can't believe such big animals feed on the smallest prey items," Rachel said.

"If this Yggdrasil's gentle giant, I'd hate to meet its largest feared predator," Hifumi commented.

As the Lyngbakr opened its mouth, its filtered baleen teeth absorbed the krill. Just then, a pack of sharks swam by the large whale and headed straight for the school of fish. They have varying lengths of 10-15 inches long.

"I knew there had to be sharks here! If there's whales, then sharks would be close by!" Ryuji exclaimed.

"But, I thought sharks were solitary predators?" Haru was bedazzled by these sharks' hunting strategy.

"They are for the most part," Jacob noted.

"There's quite a few sharks that hunt in groups in our world. They do so to herd and lure prey away," Akechi replied.

"Yes, and the Lightning Hákarl are pack predators and one of the few Yggdrasil shark species," Anastasia added to the discussion.

The steel blue-bodied, gray under-bellied Lightning Hákarl did exactly how their Earth counterparts utilized their hunting strategies: herding away fish from the schools and killing them with lightning-fast speeds. The waters became tainted with the blood of devoured fish.

"They're so freaking fast!" Futaba was mesmerized by the speed at which the sharks killed and devoured their prey.

"Have they been known to attack the natives?" Makoto asked the Elven ladies.

"You bet, but if anything their attacks on humans are as common as those from your world's great whites, makos, and tiger sharks," Nadia said. "But, the Lightning Hákarl are not stone-cold killers. They attack if the natives encroach on their territory and mistake them as their prey items. But, when they attack, you better kiss your ass goodbye."

"The Lyngbakr don't have much to fear due to their gargantuan sizes," Anastasia said.

"Heh, and if you thought the Lyngbakr was big. Want to see one of Yggdrasil's largest ocean predators?" Nadia grinned evilly as the bubble transport descended further into the ocean's depths.

"What could be scarier than a pack of sharks?" Tori wondered.

As the light from the surface faded, the ocean depths became disturbingly darker. The darkness augmented the quiet and creepy atmosphere. The group grew restless, waiting for whatever monstrosity was waiting for them. No one said a word. Then, they heard a loud dent smack the back side of the bubble. Everyone turned as an over 10-foot-long tentacle grabbed the back of the bubble transport.

"Don't tell me. This world has its own giant squid?" Ryuji gulped as his face paled at the large tentacle.

"Ok, I think I've lost my appetite now!" Morgana yelled out.

"All it takes is you two getting scared at your wits to lose your appetite?!" Ann snapped at the two.

"I mean, you would too in the face of death," Ren added.

As the tentacle smacked the bubble, everyone inside shifted inside the bubble. When Io and the Elven princesses steered the bubble away, the space inside stabilized, allowing the passengers to freely stand. When a beam of light came out of the bubble, it cleared the darkness and revealed the face of their attacker: an over 60-foot long purplish red blob creature with ten 10-15-foot long tentacles. Blinded by the beams of light, its large golden yellow eyes shifted back. Then, its entire body gave off a bright translucent rainbow color, a threatening gesture to scare off the group.

"I don't know much about squids, but I think any animal that changes its colors in this manner means we better stay away," Ann said.

"You're right. Looks like the lights are bothering it," Leonard observed.

"Can we get out of the ocean already?" Asked Rachel.

"So, what do you call this giant?" Skyler asked the Elven ladies.

"The Hafgufa and their choice prey are fish. However, they'll attack anything that encroaches on its territory," Anastasia stated.

"It's getting royally pissed at us now. We better get the hell out of here!" Nadia exclaimed.

"Get us out of there, Io!" Aslaug pleaded.

With that, Io steered the bubble transport from the ocean depths and headed straight up back to the surface. When the group grabbed a hold of something to cling to, the group shot out of the water and went through another remote area of a rainforest. As they bypassed another canopy, they saw a swarm of ants crawling on a tree. Several shrew-like animals grabbed and ate a few ants.

"Check it out. Those little guys are having themselves a feast!" Rachel pointed to the beige and dark brown, white spectacled shrews eating a bunch of red and black ants.

"They're so cute," Haru blushed at the shrews.

"The Ygg-Myrmex ants are a primary food source for many of the forest species, including the elusive Hlaup Shrew," Io stated.

"Hey, Morgana. Would you eat something like that?" Rachel asked the cat.

"Nah, I'm pretty particular in what I eat, Lady Rachel. You, Lady Ann, and Ren spoiled me rotten with all you give me."

"Your owl Cassiel would probably love to eat those, right, Sam?" Huey turned over to Samantha.

"Yeah, I think so," the Navajo woman replied.

The group observed a few of the shrews climb down the tree and land on the forest floor. The shrews are seen sharing the forest space with a group of rodents. These particular rodents have varying colored coats, between brown, and beige with white undersides, and gray with yellow undersides. The rodents resembled Earth's hamsters, marmots, and lemmings.

"Oh my gosh, look at them! So cute!" Ann squeed at the sight of the forest creatures.

"I wouldn't mind taking one home. If that's ok with you, Mako-chan," Haru said, playfully teasing her girlfriend.

"As long as we both care for it," Makoto humored her.

"They're adorable!" Cammy squeed with delight over the furry critters.

"I wish I could take one with me," Aslaug said.

"Man, this reminds me of the time I had a hamster when I was a kid," Tori smirked.

"The Nagetiere are docile animals. So, they could be reasonably domesticated," Io said. "The natives have for a long time, so it shouldn't be hard."

Also sharing the space with the Nagetiere and the Hlaup Shrew are beige-bodied, spectacled brown-feathered quails. Another set of these quails has dark brown and black feathers.

"Turkeys?" Kaito asked in befuddlement.

"Not quite. These are the Meleagris Quail," Anastasia replied. "Though, they are often hunted and eaten like your world's turkeys. The Homo Yggr often have Meleagris Quail for feasts."

"And they're not the only ones who enjoy themselves a good quail meal," Nadia smirked.

Suddenly, an ambush predator popped out from a bush, startling half of the group watching. A ferocious roar came when a light brown and black badger-like beast emerged. It sported 10-inch saber-like teeth, giving it a Smilodon appearance. It lunged so quickly, that the first victim it caught didn't see it coming. The victim was a Nagetiere, which upset most of the girls watching.

"No!" Aslaug screamed.

"No! Not that one!" Haru cried out.

"Why couldn't have gone after one of the quails?!" Ann whined.

"Oh god, it was just a big rat," Ren muttered.

"Rachel, why aren't you bothered by it?" Futaba asked her.

"Why? It's survival of the fittest," Rachel shrugged.

"Sad but true," Tori added while patting a crying Aslaug's shoulders.

"Indeed, the Saber-toothed badger primarily hunts the Nagetiere, the quails, and the shrews," Io replied.

"Yes, I can see why it'd go after the rodents," Hifumi observed the badger stabbing its saber teeth into the rodent's neck, which sparked a few images of Skyler biting her neck. She clasped a hand on her neck.

"Are you ok, Hifumi?" Skyler asked his girlfriend.

"Just thinking of you, my love."

"But, the Saber-toothed badger is hardly the largest land predator," Anastasia said.

"What? There's things bigger than that thing?" Ryuji curiously wondered.

When Ann glanced over her shoulder, she spotted a web belonging to some species of spider. Then, upon seeing a black and white striped spider near her sight, she shrieked.

"OH MY GOD! SPIDER!" Ann screamed as she tackled Ren into her arms. "GET IT AWAY!"

"Ok, you can let go!" Ren yelled and flailed his arms around as he tried to pry his wife off him.

"Where is it?" Makoto asked as she and Haru spotted the exact spider.

"Check out the spots of them. They look like eyes!" Futaba pointed to the spider's spectacled yellow dots on its solid black abdomen.

"Yikes, imagining a spider with eyes all over its body is creepy enough!" Cammy shrieked.

"I just hope it doesn't decide to jump aboard with us," Tori remarked as she and some others keenly eyed the yellow-spectacled spider.

"Wow, such a fascinating-looking design," Leonard observed the colorful arachnid.

"Is this thing venomous?" Kaito asked Io.

"Yes, the Locke Spider's venom is highly toxic to its prey. There aren't many Homo Yggr deaths from this spider's venom due to the anti-venom medicines they've concocted."

"But, as long as we're inside this bubble, you needn't worry about it biting anyone," Anastasia said.

"Hear that, Lady Ann? It'll be ok," Morgana tried calming her.

"That's beside the point! Get me away from it!" Ann cried out.

"Let's get moving before my eardrums explode!" Ryuji covered his ears.

"Yes, moving along," Io said as the bubble transport floated through the forest. They finally stumbled into an open plain with less dense forests.

Suddenly, they heard loud footsteps shake the ground. They quickly looked around to find whatever it was causing the loud footsteps.

"What the hell's making these sounds?!" Kaito exclaimed.

"Surely nothing that could eat us?" Akechi wondered.

"Don't even try and scare us, man," Ryuji scoffed.

"Nah, we're safe inside this bubble. Remember?" Aslaug reminded them.

"Io, what kind of animal could be large enough to walk these lands?" Skyler queried to the pale-skinned Revenant.

"There," Io beckoned him and the others toward something straight out of a science fiction movie.

All eyes faced and became unglued at the sight of a 40-foot tall long-necked behemoth. However, as most expected a dinosaur, they instead saw a large tortoise with a long sauropod-like neck and tree trunks for legs. It has dark brown scales and lush green shells covered with the plants of its environment. Its shell made up most of its body with actual trees fully grown out the top of their shells. The giant tree tortoise is 63 feet in body length. Unlike a sauropod, it lacked a long tail.

The giant tree tortoise lumbered near a tall tree and munched on several branches full of lush leaves.

Hifumi gaped in disbelief. "Incredible!"

Ren added with bewilderment. "Is this Yggdrasil's giant tortoise?"

Io nodded. "This is the Irminsultoise, Yggdrasil's largest native land animal. They're also another sacred animal to the Homo Yggr. As you can surmise, trees grow out of its shell. That's because these giants have long life expectancies. Some are known to live up to 250-350 years."

"That long?!" Morgana was bedazzled.

"But, you've got nine lives. So, you'd be able to live for a long time," Rachel remarked.

"I guess so?"

"It's like I'm looking at a dinosaur," Samantha said in awe of the majestic giant.

"If it wasn't wearing a shell, for sure," Huey added.

"Hey, I see those monkeys, sparrows, and tree frogs on the trees on its shell!" Haru pointed out.

"Fascinating, so the Irminsultoise can carry its own ecosystem on its back," Leonard pointed out.

"That's why the Homo Yggr refers to them as 'walking forests'," Nadia said.

"And these giants in their adulthoods have no natural predators," Anastasia added. "The Homo Yggr don't even hunt it."

"It's too big to even bother with," Aslaug said.

"That makes me wish humans were that respectful to the wildlife in our world," Makoto said.

More loud footsteps came. Three other adult Irminsultoises and a young one lumbered toward the one feeding. Loud and haunting bellows filled the landscape. The group was then moved away toward another spacious field with a variety of herds. The scene reminded the group of a scene straight out of a Serengeti, but much greener and drier.

The fauna that occupied the dense tropical grasslands consisted of native horses, large hairy oxen-like beasts, antelope-like grazers, golden wild boars, and wild horned goats.

"Look at all these animals! It's like a paradise!" Haru exclaimed.

"More like we stepped into a safari," Makoto added with her intrigue of the tropical grassland scenery.

"Like an African safari, right?" Hiroshi added.

"Oh, I remember you showed me that on the internet thing," Aslaug recalled being shown African safari videos by Tori and Hiroshi.

The wild horses consisted of colored variations: some with light brown and beige skin. Others with gray, black, and white. There were a few fully brown and black ones. They came in various shapes and sizes based on their age and sex. All of them have the same dark brown manes and tails.

"These are the native horses of Yggdrasil: Vangr Hross," Io informed everyone.

"And they're one of the few native animals that have been successfully domesticated," Anastasia stated. "Not much different than your world's horses."

Large 13-foot tall oxen with dark brown and black hairy coats grazed the grasslands alongside their Vangr Hross neighbors.

"Get a load of these big oxen!" Futaba pointed to the oxen.

"Ah, yes. That's the Gefjun's Oxen, or Gefjun Bison. Whichever you prefer. The name Gefjun is derived from the Norse goddess of agriculture, fertility, and prosperity." Anastasia informed them.

"And those over there are the Heorot's Cervine," Nadia beckoned the Thieves and Revenants toward a herd of 6'5 foot tall bluish gray, black and white-striped deer. "So, they're the Yggdrasil equivalent of your world's antelope and deer."

Io motioned the group toward the golden boars. "And those are the Slíðrugtanni." She showed them the 4'1 foot tall golden boars grazing and forging.

"Wow, it's really like we're experiencing a safari!" Andrea excitedly cried out.

"Just like the safari you showed me," Aslaug reminded Tori and Hiroshi.

"They have beautiful golden fur," Madeline eyed the golden boars.

"Indeed, but Io, care to tell me why their coats are gold?" Jacob turned to the Persona Vein, who gave a vague smile.

"Well, I do not have the answer to everything. Perhaps that's just the way their species are."

"Over here. We have the Læraðr's Capra," Anastasia pointed to wild goats grazing and walking on the grassy plains. Their fur is faded brown and tan. Their horns are recurved much like an ibex.

"Are these primarily the central herbivores colonizing these plains?" Leonard asked Io.

"There are others, but these are examples we'll show you."

Nadia shrugged. "And when there's herbivores, the predators are sure to be close by. Why don't we just show you an example of one?"

The Elven princesses, Io, and Aslaug showed the group a massive dark brown bear sitting on the foot of a hill looking down at the native herbivores grazing and drinking from waterholes. The bear brown was joined by an auburn-furred variant and a black-furred one. Standing up, the dark brown bear showed off its intimidation tactic.

"Well, those bears sure don't seem to be in the mood to hunt," Rachel observed.

"Bears generally are omnivores. Seems these otherworldly bears are no different from our own," Akechi inferred based on the bears' lack of interest in hunting the herbivores.

"He's right. These Grizzly Bjǫrn will eat plants, fruits, and honey made from the Honeydew bees. They're also opportunistic hunters. They have many options to choose from," Io informed them of the Grizzly Bjǫrn's adaptive nature.

"However, there are hunters who primarily require meat to survive," Anastasia said as a pack of gray, dark brown, and black wolf-like beasts stalked the grasslands, eyeing their potential prey items. "Take for example these pack hunters, the Eitr Wargs."

"They're the equivalent of your world's wolves and hyenas," Io stated. "However, there's a feature unique to the Eitr Warg that sets it apart from these Earth beasts: venomous fangs."

"That's unheard of in our world. The only venomous mammals I know are the platypus and a few species of shrews," Marty noted their lack of venomous carnivorous mammals.

"So, on top of being pack hunters, they inject venom into their prey with venomous bites? Quite the deadly combination," Leonard added.

"Indeed. It sounds like something seen in Komodo dragons. Their bite is potent enough to take down water buffalo," Makoto said.

"Then, a pack of them should easily take down one of those oxen," Haru stated. "Am I right?"

"That sounds about right," nodded Ren.

"On top of pack hunters, we also have solitary hunters," Io then motioned the group toward two large tiger-like beasts sitting near a herd of Gefjun Oxen and Vangr Hross. When sitting up, the tigers showed off their intimidating sizes. They have features seen in modern-day Earth tigers: light orange fur with black stripes & white furred under bellies, snouts, and paws. However, the tiger standing on the left of its apparent mate has tufts of a mane like a lion.

"What have we here? Ligers?" Skyler queried Io, Aslaug, and the Elven princesses.

"Heck yeah. You guys have tigers… or, ligers I think?" Ryuji gleamed happily over the magnificent beasts.

"Well, one of them has a mane. That could make it a liger, or perhaps a tigon?" Yusuke noted the fur tufts around the male's neck.

"So, do we have another hybrid here?" Hifumi asked Io.

"Perhaps, but this is the most feared beast of the land: the Kuningaz tigris. They're also viewed as sacred animals by the Homo Yggr," Io said.

"And unlike your world's lions with their bullshit tagline, these feline apex predators are the kings of the jungle!" Nadia laughed heartily.

"Lions aren't real kings of the jungle, huh?" Aslaug blinked in confusion.

"No, not at all," Tori added.

"And as apex predators, they have many prey items to choose from. From the smaller Slíðrugtanni and Læraðr's Capra to prey as large as young Irminsultoises," Anastasia verified the tigris' main diet.

"So, just about any herbivore we've seen now?" Kaito said.

"They've also been domesticated by some Homo Yggr tribes as hunting partners," Io informed them.

"Who'd be crazy enough to tame these big cats?!" Ryuji exclaimed.

"It probably takes time and patience," Leonard said.

"Oh, but I imagine they were raised when they were cubs!" Haru said. "Imagine how adorable they are as cubs."

Just then, the two Kuningaz tigris growled in the opposite direction, as if something disturbed them. The other herbivores also sensed the approach of larger apex predators.

"What's bothering them?" Ann asked the Elven Princesses, Aslaug, and Io.

"Another predator?" Haru worryingly noticed the herbivores' wariness.

"The tigers seem a little spooked, too," Morgana observed the tigris pair.

"What could possibly scare these guys?" Lance asked worryingly.

"I have no earthly clue," Cammy shrugged.

"Surely, it can't be because of these guys there?" Futaba pointed to a pair of 8-foot tall bipedal birds with massive hooked beaks used for shearing flesh. The base of their bodies are covered in gray and pinkish feathers. They have black tail feathers and sharp claws at the tips of their flightless wings. On top of their heads are red, yellow, blue, and pink feathers. Their red eyes scanned the foot of the hills behind them as a massive figure appeared before them.

"Those are the Vangr Terrorbeak. As intimidating as their names are, they are merely the apex avian hunters," Io informed them.

"Yeah, I mean they're territorial birds and can run up to 50 miles per hour, but they're hardly the top predators of the land," Nadia said.

"They're also known to hunt solitarily and in packs," Anastasia added with a sigh. "But, there's one predator that's above even them."

"I mean, what is the top predator of the land?" Kaito queried.

"I don't like the sound of what we might see," Sumire gulped at the terrifying truth.

The Elven Princesses, Aslaug, and Io beckoned the group toward the large shadow that roared behind the Vangr Terrorbeak, scaring the large flightless birds off. Everyone watched as the shadow came closer, revealing itself for all to see. The group almost couldn't believe the feared predator they were looking at.

"No freaking way…" Ryuji muttered in disbelief.

"How?!" Futaba gaped, her mouth nearly dropping.

"Am I the only one who remembers us getting chased to death by Rexy on those go-karts over a year ago?!" Ryuji quickly reminded them of their past time in Osaka.

"I will never forget that," Hifumi replied.

"Thankfully that was just a cognition," Yusuke reminded them of that fact.

"That was too real!" Ann remarked.

"I also can't forget the Scampuss that accompanied us," Sumire fondly recalled the adorable cat-like Yokai.

"Even though you already told us about that before, we sure missed out on quite an adventure," Leonard chuckled, hearing their story.

"Tell me about it, man," Jacob said.

"Yeah, I'll skip out being chased by a ravenous dinosaur," Rachel scoffed.

"Man, that sounds like you guys had a hell of an experience!" Tori exclaimed.

"You're nuts. I was glad we weren't there getting chased by a dinosaur," Hiroshi said.

"I could recall all of that based on the previous Sion's memories," Skyler added.

"Now, it's the second Rex we've ever seen, but this, too, is just another cognition," Ren said.

"A dangerous cognition and thankfully we're safe inside this bubble. So, it can't see us," Morgana reassured them.

"So, a Yggdrasil dinosaur," Skyler gritted as a 20-foot tall tyrannosaur-like dinosaur emerged. Steel blue scales covered most of its body. It has a head & body structure and two claws on each hand akin to a Tyrannosaurus rex. It has a light gray feathered fur coat over its back like a Yutyrannus. It has a dark red and yellow head crest shaped like a Cryolophosaurus. As it rushed into the plains, the group got a better view of its 42-foot-long body's length.

"Not just any dinosaur. This is the Scandic rex," Anastasia revealed.

"You'll have to explain how a dinosaur is even here," Jacob said. "In our world, non-avian dinosaurs went extinct 65 million years ago."

"It should be no surprise. The other Nine Realms are parallel to our Earth," Io referenced. "Yggdrasil is no different and has animals that are equivalent to Earth's native fauna. Yggdrasil and the other realms would have their own dinosaurs. In regards to Yggdrasil's realm, there was no catastrophe similar to the K-T event that wiped out Earth's dinosaurs. Yggdrasil's dinosaurs continued their reign for a few million years until climates grew colder and entered an Ice Age period, driving most of Yggdrasil's dinosaurs to extinction. With most of the niches left open, mammals and birds took over the lands. However, a few dinosaurs, including the Scandic rex, survived."

"This is the apex predator of the land and one the Homo Yggr fear most. They avoid contact with this beast at all costs," Anastasia said as the Scandic rex's roars scared off all of the herbivores. Even the other predators ran away.

The Scandic rex charged at a Gefjun Oxen. The large ox stood its ground and attacked the dinosaur with its horns. The Yggdrasil theropod swung its tail, knocking the Gefjun Oxen on its left side. When the beast tried getting up, the Scandic rex planted its left leg on top of the beast's head and bit down on its neck, inflicting a crushing bite that ruptured its windpipe and delivered the killing blow. Upon killing its choice prey item, the Scandic rex roared victoriously.

Gazing from afar, a purple 24-foot-long snake crawled away, making off with a Heorot's Cervine it had killed with its venomous bite.

"Unbelievable," Skyler muttered in awe over the Scandic rex's victory kill.

"Ain't no way that cat was messing with a Rex," Ryuji said.

"Wow, I can see its blood," Aslaug was taken in by the Scandic rex graphic feast.

"Ok, I think some of us have seen enough," Hiroshi said.

"So, what's that snake we just saw?" Ren asked, pointing to the large snake preparing to swallow the deer whole.

"That's the Hlaup Hooded Viper. Outside the World Snake, it is among the most feared serpents," Anastasia said. "The young will feed on animals as small as the shrews, but the adults. As you can see, this Heorot's Cervine wasn't so lucky."

"Homo Yggr have had life or death experiences with this venomous serpent. Some died from the potent venom of these serpents," Io informed the Thieves and Revenants.

"Am I glad we're protected inside this bubble," Ann sighed with relief.

"Well, we could go out there and interact with the wildlife?" Akechi suggested, prompting Rachel to cover his mouth.

"Yeah, we're doing no such thing. You keep quiet," Rachel hissed at him.

"But, we'd happily dump you out," Kaito threatened.

"We're not dumping anyone out!" Aslaug yelled out.

Just then, the Scandic rex's meal was interrupted when the two Kuningaz tigris confronted and roared at the dinosaur. The Scandic rex instinctively protected its kill and snapped its jaws at the tigris duo.

"No offense, but those tigers aren't taking that dino's kill," Futaba remarked.

"You'd be surprised just how desperate the hungry can get," Yusuke said

"These two animals compete for the same prey items, especially the oxen," Io stated. "As main rivals, they fight over the rightful title of king of the jungle."

"So, like the rivalry between the tiger and the dragon in Chinese legend," Skyler observed the tigris and Scandic rex stand-off. "Only this is the Norse version of it."

"But, surely dragons exist in the Nine Realms?" Hifumi turned to Io.

"We shall see. Why don't we meet the natives?" Io suggested as the bubble transport teleported them to another location.

---

Yggdrasil/Homo Yggr settlement

Upon arriving outside a village, the group saw the huts, tents, and shrines set up in one location. There are infrastructures, including settlements within trees. The native Homo Yggr is seen wearing animal hides, leaf wear, and some sporting armor fashioned from the metals borrowed from Asgardians. The Homo Yggr resembled natives from the Americas. Their characteristic dark skin complexion consisted of a mixed variety of copper red to dark brown. Despite their varying complexion, the natives appeared to be a homogeneous society.

"And I take it these are the Homo Yggr people," Leonard keenly observed the natives' activities.

"Indeed, these are the natives of the land. The men are referred to as Lífþrasir and the women are called Líf." Io said. "Here, we will meet with their mediator, the one whom I forged a mental link with."

"Right, so where is the mediator?" Skyler asked her.

Aslaug answered him. "Looks like we will meet her soon."

"These clans people didn't start their civilization in Yggdrasil's realm. They're far from the natives of this realm. They were the original inhabitants of Asgard," Anastasia said.

"Yeah until that tyrannical and petty Odin drove them out," Nadia scoffed, conveying her disdain for the aforementioned Asgardian king.

Upon hearing this, Skyler frowned. "This Odin's a tyrant?"

Leonard turned to Skyler. "The gods in Norse Mythology were described to be inherently flawed, peevish, and some even quite petty to hilarious degrees. I'm not surprised Odin's a tyrannical king."

"I recall reading some historical books and documents while I was in America," Skyler delved into their discussion. "This sounds parallel to the European explorers arriving in the New World and driving the Native Americans out of their native lands. The Europeans and later Americans claimed nearly every piece of land that the natives once called home, shrinking them to reservations."

"That's exactly what happened with the Homo Yggr people," Anastasia interjected, supplementing their discussion. "Social-class and racist conflicts escalated between Asgard's Æsir upper class and the natives' lower class. Enacting his tyrannical power, Odin banished all of the natives to Yggdrasil where they've since settled, populated, and bonded with the World Tree's natural spirits. The few natives grew from a handful to large populations that established supplementary and eventually permanent housing. They've established various networks living within Yggdrasil's realm as you can see here. This is the Homo Yggr capital and here their mediator, Lady Sága resides."

Upon hearing this, Samantha formed a parallel connection with Indigenous Americans and the Homo Yggr. "No matter what realm, there'll always be cultural clashes."

Huey hugged Samantha. "No doubt about it."

"You want to talk about a complete blowhard? The Allfather was the one who classified them as Homo Yggr, to begin with," Nadia then asserted. "However, much to his surprise, this became an identity the natives embraced both as a blessing and a curse. More so it's a blessing because the natives embraced nature and fit in quite nicely into Yggdrasil. The curse comes more from the fact the 'Yggr' part of the name means 'terrible' and the fact Odin gave them a demeaning name."

Io then interjected. "That's why Lady Sága, who was one of those survivors banished to Yggdrasil, took on the role of mediator and bonded with her native people. Taking a pledge to seek fair justice, she spoke on behalf of her people and personally communicated with the Æsir upper class, including Odin." With a snap of her fingers, the bubble transport they'd been riding on disappeared.

The Thieves, the Revenants, the Elven Princesses, Aslaug, and the Advent Eight arrived in the center of the Homo Yggr settlement. A few Homo Yggr guards, armed with spears, swords, and shields, quickly stormed to confront them.

"Looks like they weren't expecting our company," Jacob grunted as he and the others prepared to fight.

"Io, doesn't this Lady Sága already know we're here to see her?" Queried Ren.

"Yes, she should know I'd bring you all here."

"These guards sure didn't get the message clear," Skyler's eyes turned red as a Homo Yggr threatened him with a spear. "Don't mess with me!" As he prepared to attack, Hifumi urged him to stop.

"Guards, stand down!" A woman harshly called out, causing the guards to withdraw.

"Well, that was a close one," Makoto muttered, getting out of her fighting stance.

"That voice. Surely that has to be the mediator?" Madeline said.

"Seems we're about to find out," Ren said as he and the others faced the direction where a woman accompanied by a chief followed her.

"Greetings. We hast been expecting thee all," a woman addressed in a sagely tone.

"This is?" Skyler asked Io.

"This is Lady Sága, the Homo Yggr's librarian, historical record keeper, and central protector of Yggdrasil," the Persona Vein introduced him, the Thieves, the other Revenants, Aslaug, and the Advent Eight to the Homo Yggr woman.

When everyone faced the approaching mediator, they saw Sága, an age-old Homo Yggr who despite her long lifespan managed to retain most of her youthful appearance. Standing 5'8 feet tall, the Homo Yggr woman has a copper-brown complexion. Sága has long, back-length midnight blue hair and dim gray eyes. The natural dimness in her eyes matched her somber and depressed mood. She wore a dark gray gown with Læraðr's Capra fur pelt covering her shoulders and going down her backside. Her legs and feet were inside black heeled ankle-length shoes. She also wore an ornately-designed necklace, golden earrings, and a headband with tufts of feathers on the sides. She had a pouch on a strap belt worn around her waist. In her right hand, Sága held a magical wooden staff forged from Yggdrasil's roots and bark.

"On behalf of myself the chief, we humbly apologize for not letting the guards know about thy arrival," Sága stated. Her stern expression softened when she turned toward Io, who translated on her behalf to the group. "Yes, Miss Io. I am glad thou hast brought thy friends here to discuss matters about Asgard's hist'ry."

"No, thank you," Io bowed as she turned to address the Thieves, the Revenants, and the others. "It's thanks to Lady Sága I've accumulated a wealth of knowledge about Yggdrasil, Asgard, and the Nine Realms."

"I was hesitant to incorporate the entire Nine Realms histories into Miss Io's mind. I feared her mind wouldst not be able to handle it," Sága stated. "But, Miss Io reassured me she wouldst."

"That's our Io," Hifumi smiled proudly, resting her hands on Io's shoulders.

"I took the endeavor for the team and risked my own sake to know all of this realm's history," Io stated, a smile adorning her soft and pale features.

"You're truly amazing, Io," Skyler chuckled.

Sága motioned over to the chief, a fair-skinned man with wavy neck-length dark brown hair, light brown eyes, and silver body armor and boots. "Harald, these guests are with me. I hast already arranged to meet with them today, chief. Tell thy men from the Úlfhéðnar Clan may return to their posts."

"As thou request, milady," Harald honored the sage's request.

"But, thou can accompany me with the guests, Harald."

"Yes, as thy wish."

"Harald? Mother? Is everything ok?" A voice belonging to a youthful woman came out behind them.

"Skuld? Yes, we art fine. Our guests hast arrived," Sága addressed her daughter, who came out of tree infrastructure. "Everyone this is my daughter and one of the three Norns."

The group turned to face a young woman with a light brown skin complexion with some copper tone. She has long, shoulder-length black hair and purple eyes. She wore a dark blue sleeveless top, a knee-length white dress, and yellow slip-on shoes. Concerning her father, she previously removed her ragged black cloak and hood to show her face. She was shorter than her mother.

"Harald, art these the guests?" Skuld approached her husband, who took her hands lovingly and kissed her.

"Yes, they art the ones as thy mother sayeth."

Upon hearing this good news, Skuld gave a courteous bow to the guests. "Good day to thee all." She then motioned over to Harald. "And I am sure thou all hast met my husband Harald, the chief of the Úlfhéðnar Clan."

"It's an honor to meet you all," Ren, Skyler, and Hifumi kindly addressed the Homo Yggr.

"Hmm, but thou art an Asgardian?" Skuld approached Aslaug. "I sense an aura similar to the Valkyries from thee."

"Me? Oh, yeah I am a Valkyrie," Aslaug greeted Skuld with a cheerful smile. "My name is Aslaug."

"Thou face looks familiar but cannot quite know from where," Sága discerned Aslaug's physical features.

"Does she know who your parents could be?" Tori whispered to Aslaug.

"I don't know," the young Valkyrie shrugged.

"We could get our answers sooner than later," Hiroshi surmised.

"I see, thou hast brought elves from Alfheim?" Harald noticed Anastasia and Nadia.

"No, I'm afraid we're not from Alfheim," Anastasia humbly said.

"We aren't even natives from any part of the Nine Realms," Nadia scoffed as she pointed to Io. "All you need to know is she made us."

"Made thee? From what? Magic?" Skuld was confounded by this revelation.

"It matters not. We hast a meeting to attend to, do we?" Sága cleared her throat, garnering the group's attention. "Come this way. Before thy learn about the cause of Asgard's fall and the entity responsible for it, we must learn of our universe's beginnings." She escorted them toward towering infrastructure. With a wave of her staff, Sága beckoned its magic. "Gambanteinn, grant me and my guests entry into the sacred rooms."

With that, the security doors opened upon Sága's clearance where she, Harald, and Skuld escorted the Thieves, the Revenants, the Elven Princesses, Aslaug, and the Advent Eight.

---

Yggdrasil/Sökkvabekkr

With a wave from her staff, lights came on and unveiled a subterranean cavern full of lakes. The tranquil setting gave a relaxing vibe to those who entered. The Thieves, the Revenants, the Elven Princesses, and the others watched Sága walk into the lake.

"What do you call this place?" Hifumi queried to the mediator.

"This is Sökkvabekkr. It is where I meditate and decompress after taking arduous tasks." She then raised Gambanteinn overhead, producing a light that spread over the cavern. Then, a saddened look etched on her face. "And it was here where Odin and I once merrily drank to discuss and vent on personal matters."

"Does the name Sökkvabekkr have any meaning?" Ann asked.

"It translates to sunken bank," Leonard said. "Based on Norse Mythology, the goddess Sága resides in this place."

"That is correct. Thou hast quite a wealth of knowledge regarding Æsir culture and hist'ry."

"Your stories have been passed down as legendary tales and folklore in our world," Skyler replied.

"Though how faithful we've told your stories, your mileage may vary," Ren stated.

"Of course, I dost not expect thee to know about our entire culture and hist'ry, especially my people's."

"We know all about how your people had to suffer and be forced to move here," Kaito said.

Sága gripped her staff tightly, concealing the bridled emotions she'd kept locked away. She then faced Skuld and Harald's way. "Yes, our entire culture hast endured the best and darkest historical moments. The tragedies we hast endured made us stronger and we survived up until the end times."

"End times?" Rachel picked up on the mediator's vague words.

"She must mean Ragnarök," answered Leonard.

"Yes, but another force was responsible for the demise of Asgard and the other Realms," Sága said. "But, before I tell thee about the event that sealed our fates, thou must know about the beginnings." As the light pushed back the darkness that shrouded the cavern, the group saw ancient cave paintings covering the interior.

The group was awestruck by the elaborately drawn cave paintings. Various drawings of people, animals, places, and events described the history of the Homo Yggr clans.

"Amazing!" Yusuke exclaimed as the artist in him was enamored by the interior wall designs.

"You must be on cloud nine, Inari," Futaba grinned.

"It's so beautiful in here," Samantha admired the intricately designed interior wall art.

"Yeah, the art in here reminds me of those cave paintings," Cammy said.

The artist showed her around to observe the cave paintings. "Futaba, this is more than just art. This is recorded history. This is what they call Parietal art."

"Yes, Parietal art that tells the entire history of your people, Yggdrasil, and the Nine Realm. Are we correct to assume?" Skyler asked the Homo Yggr mediator.

Nodding, Sága answered with a smile. "Correct, thou art looking at the entire Nine Realms' recorded hist'ry throughout time and many generations." She then pointed toward paintings depicting fully nude men battling otherworldly monsters. "This depicts the beginnings of our universe."

"That seems to describe a war between gods and monsters," Leonard observed the paintings.

"Who are these figures?" Haru asked the Revenant.

"I can't say, but I'd like to think Odin was among these men."

"Once again, correct. Thou art an astute young man," Sága was impressed with Leonard's knowledge of the Norse legends.

"I'm quite curious to learn of your cosmology," Leonard addressed the mediator.

Sága smiled and faced the cave paintings. She beckoned Yusuke and Futaba back as she placed a hand over the painting with the men and the monsters. "In the beginning, the cosmos was created from an explosion, and in the beginning there existed monsters. These monsters wielded untold strength and created worlds from voids. Among these monsters were the ancient Jötnar. The most feared of them all was Ymir. Ymir was a creator of life. The parasites that feed on his body became the Dwarves."

With a wave of her staff, the artistic depictions of Ymir fleshed out his true appearance to everyone. Her staff forged a visual image of what would be a cosmic horror entity. The gigantic Ymir's body covered the vastness of space. The cosmic being had Alice blue eyes and azure white long, dirty curly, and shaggy hair, giving the group the impression he never bathed. To further prove this, many grotesque maggot-like creatures, roughly the size of an average human male, popped off the cosmic entity's hair and body. The ancient Jötunn was fully nude. He was depicted as a hermaphroditic being with feminine breasts & large masculine testicles and a member. For many in the group, this was not the ideal visual sight they wanted.

"I understand all of thee art not used to seeing this," Sága apologized.

"No, it's fine. Some of us are not even bothered," Skyler responded to her apologetic tone.

"We've seen worse," Leonard stated.

"We're not one to judge. We're just surprised is all," Ren added.

"As an artist myself, I don't pass harsh judgment on anything besides my own work," Yusuke said.

"Yeah, but just admit. That's a huge fucking dick!" Nadia shouted.

"You're the only one saying that, Nadia," Anastasia shook her head.

Hiroshi quickly covered Aslaug's eyes. "You shouldn't look."

"What? You mean that 'dick' thing Nadia mentioned?" Aslaug curiously asked.

"Easy, Mr. Mom. She can handle this kind of content," Tori said, jerking away Hiroshi's eyes.

The Homo Yggr mediator continued while Io helped translate for her. "Ymir's true form was the size of the universe. His whole body created the cosmos. His flesh created thy world known as Midgard along with the other Realms and Yggdrasil. Did thou know Odin's own throne, Hliðskjálf, was made from a piece of flesh from Ymir's penis?"

"What?!" Ann was flabbergasted to hear. "I… I don't think I needed to know that."

Makoto hid her disgust behind a cough. "Well, you learn something every day!"

Hifumi watched Io translate the last part. "Are you ok, Io?"

"Yes, why wouldn't I be?" The Persona Vein replied nonchalantly.

"Yeah, what's the big deal?" Aslaug asked.

Tori shuddered. "Well, maybe you shouldn't be looking, Aslaug."

With her staff, Sága produced a visual aid of Ymir drinking from a golden brown cow. The cow's black eyes widened when Ymir sucked the teats of its udder.

"Upon drinking the primordial milk from Auðumbla, Ymir then licked the salty rime rocks, revealing Búri, the grandfather of the Æsir race, and three divine brothers."

The next visual depiction showed three nude men opposing Ymir and his followers. Among them was a burly-built man with shoulder-length, lion-colored hair and blue eyes.

"Who is that?" Jacob asked the mediator.

"This is Odin in his youth."

"No way! That's the old guy with the eyepatch?!" Futaba screamed and her mouth nearly dropped.

"Wow, he's quite attractive, isn't he?" Haru remarked.

Leonard scoffed. "Yes, but he does eventually gain a beard, lose an eye, and become a grouchy old man."

For a moment, Sága's cheeks blushed. "Yes, young Odin was quite the handsome man then. Sadly, I was not born then to see his youthful days." She quickly became enamored seeing young Odin. Turning her head, she noticed Skuld sighing and nodding dismissively.

"Oh, Mother…" Skuld muttered.

"Hey, can you get your head in the game, lady?" Nadia crossed her arms.

Clearing her throat, Sága resumed her lecture. "Yes, anyway, Odin in his youth fought Ymir ages ago. The man was accompanied by his brothers."

On the right of Odin was a burly-built young man with shoulder-length, russet-colored hair and blue eyes.

"This is Vili."

On the left of Odin is a moderately built man with shoulder-length, taupe-colored hair and blue eyes.

"And this is Vé. Standing united, Odin, Vili, and Vé battled Ymir and his forces across the cosmic war. The war was waged for an undetermined time, but it was drawn out across the universe. In the end, Odin and his brothers defeated Ymir and his followers. Ymir's body was destroyed and his parts were split, leading to the birth of Yggdrasil and the Nine Realms." The next visual image displayed Ymir's body parts creating the worlds and the World Tree.

"And that's the creation of the Norse cosmology. Well, who'd thought that'd get vividly detailed," Leonard remarked.

"Well, I hope to never see a dick that big again or so help me," Nadia grumbled.

"Hey, there are aspects of mythologies that can be pretty messed up," Skyler said. "So, I doubt we've seen the last of some very bizarre stuff."

"Well, I never saw any of that coming!" Ann exclaimed.

"Relax. Looks like we're in for a very long history lesson," Ren calmed his wife down.

Sága then turned toward the wall painting depicting the Homo Yggr history and culture. "I'm sure Io hath already given you a brief hist'ry of our people?" She glanced over to Io, who nodded and translated for the mediator. "I see. Then, I shalt make this quick. The Homo Yggr culture began on Asgard. We were the original Æsir before Odin and the higher class arrived and took our home from us." Her staff produced visual images of the Native Æsir's prosperous civilization's rise and downfall. "We enjoyed prosperity for eons, but our paradise swiftly ended when Odin's campaign to take Asgard became realized."

Another visual image showed the natives being killed in war and others evicted from their homeland. A young Sága was shown being dragged away by Asgardian soldiers and placed in transports to be relocated to Yggdrasil.

Seeing these grisly images, Samantha grimaced with disgust while Huey comforted her.

"I was a child when Odin claimed our land," the sage muttered with sadness and subdued anger in her tone. "For some time, I hated Odin and his subjects for separating me from my family. That was the last time I remember seeing my mother and father. Emotional wounds art hard to heal. However, with time, I used that hatred I hadst and used it to better myself. I educated myself on civics and gained a wealth of knowledge on politics. I became Yggdrasil's head mediator and pushed to reform our civilization on our new land. I convinced my people to connect with the nature of Yggdrasil's realm. Rather than go into a senseless war against Asgard, which wouldst hast cost thousands of lives, I proposed to act as a mediator between our people and the upper-class Æsir. Though Odin labeled us as Homo Yggr, it didst not deter my people and me. We embraced the given name as a blessing and a curse."

Another visual image presented Sága negotiating with an older Odin, now sporting a beard and an eyepatch. After a seemingly long debate, the two settled with a handshake.

"I was able to forge a peaceful alliance between Asgard and my people. Though some of my own still resent him for the horrible treatment of their predecessors, I chose to use that hatred to become an ambassador for peace."

With her staff, the Homo Yggr woman presented a visual image of herself and her family, including three men and several daughters.

"It was because of this peace I hadst several husbands and produced daughters, including Skuld," Sága said, facing Skuld's direction. "Didst thou know Skuld's father was an Asgardian? His name was Baldr."

The mention of Baldr's name brought a genuine smile to Skuld's face.

"So, Homo Yggr and Asgardians fell in love and had kids?" Ann was taken in by the mediator's story.

"Why yes, though there were still hostile race relations, there were plenty of Asgardian men and Homo Yggr women, and vice versa that produced hybrid race offspring," Anastasia pointed out.

"Yes, I am half-Homo Yggr and half-Asgardian," Skuld verified her heritage. "But, as thou can see, I take after my mother."

"Those Homo Yggr genes must be pretty strong," Leonard realized.

"Just wait until thou meet our children," Harald addressed the group while holding Skuld's hand.

"Wait, you two have kids?!" Rachel spat out.

"Why yes! Three of them!" Skuld quickly and proudly proclaimed.

"Geez, you and your husband got busy, didn't y'all?" Futaba said with a sly grin on her face.

"They're my beloved grandchildren," Sága smiled as she waved her staff, producing visual images from another cave painting. This one showed two nude fair-skinned humans. "Dost thou want to know about these two?"

"And who are they?" Ren asked, eyeing a young man with maize-colored, unkempt short hair and dark spring green eyes and a young woman with rufous-colored, long back-length hair and spring green eyes.

"Thou art looking at the first Midgardians of this universe. The man was named Ask. The woman was named Embla. Both were created by the gods." Sága verified.

"So, we're looking at the Norse versions of Adam and Eve," Makoto plainly stated.

"Well, they're nude just like Adam and Eve," Haru added. "I take it there was no deceiver to trick the woman?"

Skuld interjected. "No, Odin and his brothers gave them the essentials to life. One gave them the breath of life. One gave them intelligence and the ability to walk. The third gave them the senses, such as speech, hearing, and sight. Afterwards, the three gods gave them names and clothing."

"And after that?" Hifumi asked.

"Nothing else. They went on to become the progenitors of the entire human race and shaped their world of Midgard," Sága stated, scanning the Thieves and Revenants. "All of you wouldst hast been their descendants if thy lived in this universe." She then approached another cave painting depicting a few figures, including a man wielding a magic hammer, a man with an armored vest, a third man with a fiendish grin, and an older man with a white beard.

"Dost thou recognize these individuals?" Sága asked the group.

"Hell yeah! The guy with the hammer is Thor!" Ryuji pointed to the hammer wielder.

"Ah, I know about him!" Aslaug pointed to the famed thunder god. "He's one of Asgard's greatest warriors!"

"I wouldn't want to fight him," Hiroshi said.

"The guy with the white beard and eyepatch is obviously Odin," Leonard stated.

"And who'd forget the creep with the sneaky grin? That's so Loki!" Futaba identified the trickster.

"But, I can't seem to identify the man with the armored vest," Jacob eyed the fourth individual.

"That wouldst be Thor's brother, Víðarr," Sága revealed the god's name.

"You mean Thor's brother is someone else in the mythology?!" Ryuji exclaimed. "Dude, that's crazy!"

"The Marvel versions aren't the accurate versions. They're merely pop culture adaptations of the legends." Leonard sighed.

"If you want to know the real stuff, well we're getting the information here," Skyler said.

Futaba patted Ryuji's shoulder. "It's ok, my dude. Some of us didn't know either."

"Did you know, Futaba?" Yusuke inquired, eliciting an eye roll from the otaku.

"Duh. Of course, I did, Inari."

Turning away from the four figureheads, a group of women garbed in armor and wings appeared. The sage's staff produced a visual scene of the Valkyries starting with seven of them.

"Asgard was famous for its renowned warriors. Some included the Valkyries, the female figures tasked with determining who lives or dies in battles. Three generations served under Odin: the First Generation hailed during Asgard's golden period. They consisted of Frigg, Sváfa, Freyja, Hel, Vör, Skaði, and Jörð."

Five more appeared after them.

"The Second Generation art often hailed as Odin's best. They art known as the Valkyrie Fimm. They consisted of Sigrdrífa, Reginleif, Skalmöld, Herfjötur, and Róta."

Nine more appeared after the Valkyrie Fimm.

"And these art the Third Generation, the last ones to serve under Lord Odin before the end times. Quite possibly the most highfalutin, pettiest, and arrogant bunch. They consisted of Brynhildr, Sigrún, Eir, Thrúd, Göndul, Skögul, Mist, Ölrún, and Geirdriful. Outside of Sigrún, Eir, and Thrúd, the others have tainted with the malignant and detestable characters thou will ever find in Valkyries." Gripping her staff tightly, her teeth gnashed when Göndul and Skögul appeared on the visual screen. "But, none art more detestable than these two highfalutin cretins! I loathe no other Asgardian than these two for their blatant lack of respect for those they deem 'beneath them'. They even hast the nerve to disrespect Baldr during his own funeral!" Slamming her staff down, the sage unleashed furious sparks that startled the group.

Seeing the Valkyries before her, Aslaug became mesmerized by their renowned strength and beauty. When she turned toward Brynhildr, her eyes were taken in by her image.

"Whoa, she looks cool," Aslaug muttered, eyeing Brynhildr's image.

Haru muttered quietly to Makoto. "I didn't think she'd harbor this much anger. You'd think it'd be toward Odin."

Makoto nodded. "But, remember she mentioned those two Valkyries disrespecting her husband at his funeral. I can't say I blame her."

Ryuji shook his head. "Damn, that scared me!"

Io approached and comforted the sage. "It'll be ok."

"But, you guys do realize those nine are the same Valkyries we fought back home, right?!" Morgana reminded them.

"Yeah, we know," Ren replied. "And they're probably wherever Mido is if they are on the same page."

"But, how are they supposed to be alive? Aren't they supposed to be like these three? Spirits in some dreamscape?" Kaito wondered.

"Those nine were no spirits. I can tell you that," Morgana affirmed his statement.

"Because the nine thou fought art mere vessels for someone aligned with thy enemy," Sága openly confirmed, drawing confusion from the Thieves, the Revenants and their colleagues.

"What do you mean they're vessels? Is someone controlling them?" Skyler questioned the Homo Yggr woman.

"The perpetrator in question is the one responsible for unleashing the anomalous force that eradicated our physical universe," Sága vaguely stated.

"This individual used the Yami Matter to destroy your world then?" Hifumi asked.

"Yes, and the culprit controlling the nine Vamkyries is aligned with your enemy Mido," Anastasia replied.

"Sága, you certainly must know the identity behind this culprit," Ren demanded from the mediator.

Nodding, Sága complied. "And answers thou shalt receive, but not here. Thou all must witness the sequential events leading to Ragnarök." With a wave of her staff, Sága showed the last few paintings, including cave paintings of two large wolves and a fiery war depicting a forthcoming apocalyptic event. "And here art the pair of evil wolves who my people consider demons of their own right. Sköll and Hati hast been called the harbingers of Ragnarök and they brought great calamity to our homeland during the final moments."

Skuld sighed. "And they brought with them a primordial entity that tried to poison and destroy Yggdrasil."

Harald added. "We all fought to the bitter end, but…"

Sága interjected. "We can stop there, Harald. We shouldst just show how the events happened."

With a wave of her staff, Sága teleported herself, the Thieves, the Revenants, the Elven Princesses, Aslaug, the Advent Eight, Skuld, and Harald into another vicinity.

---

Yggdrasil/Urðarbrunnr

Upon arriving in a spacious room with a giant well, Sága escorted her family and the guests to meet with seven individuals awaiting them.

"Everyone, our guests hast arrived," Sága summoned for the seven individuals. "Let us start with my other two daughters. Thou hast met my daughter born from Baldr and I's love. Urðr, come forth."

Heeding her mother's request, a woman walked away from her husband. Urðr was a unique woman based on her outward facial and skin appearance as if coming from a 'far east' land from Midgard. She had a mix of a slightly tan and white complexion, granting her a uniquely exotic appearance. She has long back-length cyan hair and yellow eyes. She wore an attractive long-sleeveless cerulean dress and white slip-on shoes. She also wore a clear veil adorning her shoulders and neck coupled with a golden headpiece with a blue gem, golden oval-shaped earrings, and a golden necklace.

"This is my daughter born from my love with Mímir," Sága clarified, reminding the group about the other daughters and family members from the visions.

"Greetings, guests," Urðr politely addressed the Thieves and the Revenants. She turned toward her husband, a fair-skinned man with messy short blond hair and blue eyes. He wore his lavender body armor and armored boots. "And this is my husband Haakon."

"Yes, didst thou learn a great wealth of information about my wife's cultural hist'ry?" Haakon asked the guests.

"And lastly, this is my daughter born from my love with Bragi. Verðandi, wouldst thou come forth?"

"Of course," Verðandi responded to her mother's wish. Verðandi was very much like Urðr in regards to her fantastical beauty not commonly found in and near Asgard. Her facial and skin appearance was not much different. Verðandi has neck-length red hair and blue eyes. She wore a light sleeveless purple dress and black slip-on shoes. A black feathered veil was worn over her shoulders and neck. She wore a golden forehead headpiece with a purple gem centered, golden oval-shaped earrings, and a golden necklace. "I am Verðandi and this is my husband Eric."

Another fair-skinned man with rigid short black hair and reddish brown eyes walked next to his alluring wife. He was garbed in blue body armor and armored boots.

"It is good to meet thee all," Eric welcomed the guests.

Haru clasped her hands. "Wow, they're so beautiful."

Ann concurred. "Yeah, they have the exotic beauty going for them. They have the looks to be great models."

"The three of us make up the Norns," Skuld said as she stood next to Urðr and Verðandi.

"Ah, so that makes you three witches," Akechi spoke up.

"Witches? But they're not carrying those brooms to ride on?" Aslaug blinked.

"They're not Halloween witches, sweetie," Makoto said.

"Nonetheless, it's not a very nice thing to say," Madeline disproved Akechi's seemingly rude comment.

"Well, thou art technically right. We art like witches," Urðr earnestly replied.

"We hast cast plenty of curses on people we dost not like! Mostly as practical jokes though," Verðandi lightly snickered.

Skuld sighed in exasperation. "Sisters, we dost not use our spells to play games with people!"

The other Norns apologized. "We art sorry, Skuld."

"Mother! Father! Grandmother!" Three children's voices called out from behind the Thieves and the Revenants.

Three children ran passed the group as they nearly knocked Ryuji over.

"Yo! Hey, watch where you're going!" Ryuji shouted.

Sighing, Skuld approached the three children. "Now, Blue, Fang, and Cheza, what did I tell thee three about running around inside?"

The eldest of the three, Fang, scoffed, addressing the woman in a teenage male tone. He appeared roughly 14-15. "I was trying to get these two to stop running, Mother! But, they wouldst not listen to me!"

Fang is a teen male boy with a light coffee complexion. He has a hairstyle that could be shoulder-length but also back-length. His hair is dark brown with indigo streaks. His choice wardrobe consisted of a long-sleeved beige shirt, black pants, and brown moccasin-like footwear. Adorning his neck is a necklace full of saber-toothed badger and Eitri Warg teeth. The boy's most distinguishing features are his heterochromatic eyes; his left eye is yellow and his right eye is red.

"I wanted to look at his Hrotti, but he wouldst not let me!" Blue cried out.

Blue is a prepubescent male child with a similar complexion to his older brother. He has an unkempt, neck-length black hair with light blue streaks. His choice of clothing is a light blue shirt, cargo-style beige pants, and red shoes. The necklace adorning his neck collar is full of Eitri Warg's teeth. Like his brother, Blue has heterochromatic eyes; his left eye is brown and his right eye is green.

Fang angrily retorted to his younger brother. "Thou already hast Ridill! Why dost thou need my Hrotti? Only a great future warrior like me can use it since the great Sigurd once hadst it!"

Cheza is a girl with shoulder-length white hair with midnight blue streaks. Her choice of clothing is a sleeveless violet dress and white moccasin-style shoes. A flower halo adorned her head coupled with a white lily on the left side of her hair. She also has on a necklace full of seashells. Like her brothers, Cheza has heterochromatic eyes; her left eye is silver and her right eye is purple.

"Can thou two stop arguing?!" Cheza scolded her brothers, waving what appeared to be a wand made from the same roots and bark from Yggdrasil as her grandmother's staff. "My Liten-Gambanteinn puts thy weapons to shame!"

Suddenly Fang produced a spark of icy electricity in his right hand.

"Thou want to go, Blue?!"

Blue quickly responded with two fireballs in his hands. "I am ready! Let's go!"

Cheza pleaded. "Stop!"

Skuld quickly got between Fang and Blue. "That's enough! Thou two made thy point! But no fighting on sacred grounds!"

Upon realizing where they were, the brothers humbly apologized.

"Sayeth thy sorry to your grandmother," Skuld scolded her sons.

Fang and Blue turned over to Sága, bowing their heads apologetically. "We art sorry, grandmother."

Sága nodded. "Thou art forgiven."

"Mother, grandmother! I did try to stop them from fighting!" Cheza spoke up, grabbing Skuld and Sága's hands.

"We know, my love," Skuld smiled as she hugged her daughter.

"Fang, thou art usually the calmest and wisest," Sága addressed her eldest grandson. "Remember thou must be responsible. Thou art the one Cheza must look to."

"Yes, of course, grandmother."

"And me?" Blue whined to Sága.

"And thou be on thy best behavior and protect Cheza, too."

"Yes, grandmother. Sorry."

Upon seeing Skuld and Harald's children, the Thieves and the Revenants weren't surprised by a sibling rivalry between the three.

"Ren, let's hope our kid is more like that little girl," Ann whispered to Ren.

"Or, like the eldest son," Ren muttered.

"Doesn't seeing them remind you of any of your childhoods?" Kaito asked the others.

"No way. Nicola and I hardly fought," Rachel rebuked.

"And I was always a polite girl growing up. Sis treated me with nothing but kindness growing up," Makoto added.

Ryuji grinned. "Heh, before she grew up and became quite a hardass, huh?"

"She was only doing it for my own good and to make sure I kept my head out of the clouds."

Haru sighed. "I couldn't relate. I never had a sibling to grow up with."

Yusuke nodded. "Indeed, I believe most of us here are only children in our families."

Futaba grinned and elbowed Ren's side. "Well, we're kinda siblings, aren't we?"

Ren replied with his Joker-like grin. "I suppose we are and Boss was our best dad."

"I have a sister but we generally got along," Hiroshi stated.

"I don't have a sibling but I have my cousin. We're cool with each other," Tori said.

"I wouldn't know because I don't have siblings I don't think," Aslaug sighed before turning over to Tori and Hiroshi. "But, you two are like a big sis and brother. You're my family now."

"Aww, thanks," Tori and Hiroshi genuinely replied.

Jacob observed Blue vying for his family's attention. "That boy sure is starved for attention. Must suck to be the middle child."

"That Cheza girl is so adorable," Madeline remarked, watching the little girl beaming happily toward the guests. She gave one of the brightest and most wholesome smiles a child could ever give.

"Sorry for that. Children can be a handful," Skuld apologized to the guests.

"No problem, but just how do you manage with three kids?! I barely just gave birth to a son!" Ann said.

"Oh, thou hadst a child, miss? Congratulations," Skuld smiled to Ann.

"And I gave birth to a boy, too," Madeline interjected.

"My advice as a mother is to love thy children unconditionally and ensure they get the best love a mother can give them," the Norn advised Ann and Madeline.

Ann and Madeline genuinely responded. "Right! We will!"

"Thou all talk very strange," Fang picked up on the group's modern Earth language. "What is 'you'?

"Well, we could say the same about your manner of speech," Leonard said. "Thou is actually an old English way of saying 'you'."

"Art thou serious?!" Blue cried out.

Anastasia addressed the three children. "Why yes, me and Nadia are capable of speaking their language."

Nadia interjected. "Try this. Are you serious?"

Blue blinked in confusion and nodded. "Art-Are… thou-you… Are… you… serious?" He quickly repeated what he said. "Are you serious?! Hey, I said it!"

"Are you serious?" Fang repeated Blue. "Hmm, that dost not sound too different."

Aslaug added. "You'll get used to it. It's the Midgardian language."

Leonard smiled. "Ok, try saying doesn't instead of dost not."

Fang repeated. "Dos...Doesn't? Hey, that wasn't hard."

"Well, modern English can get rather complicated for foreigners, but you guys should have it down," Skyler stated.

"Are you serious? Doesn't! Yay, I said it!" Cheza cheered. "Did thou hear me, father and mother?"

Harald patted Cheza's head. "Indeed, thou art a fast learner, Cheza."

Slamming her staff, Sága garnered everyone's attention. "I believe it is time for us to watch the events of Asgard leading to the end and for thou to see who stole the bodies of the nine Valkyries." She motioned her daughters to cast a spell over the well.

Heeding their mother's request, the Norns cast a magical spell that forged a visual image of Asgard from the past. Sága conjured chairs for the Thieves, the Revenants, the Elven princesses, and the others to occupy.

"Oh, sweet! It's like we're about to watch a movie!" Ryuji giddily shouted.

"Except this movie is playing out real events. So, don't get too excited," Morgana said. "Things could get ugly."

"How ugly are we talking here?" Marty asked.

"I have a terrible feeling about what we're going to watch," Samantha dreaded the subject matter that was going to be presented. She felt Huey gently patting her hands.

"If you feel you need to walk out, then go for it. I'll even accompany you," Huey reassured his Indigenous American girlfriend.

"Thanks, Huey," she kissed his cheek.

"Whatever's going to be shown to us, we're prepared for the worst," Hiroshi firmly stated.

Ann turned to Skuld. "Is it ok for your daughter to watch this?"

Skuld nodded. "Cheza knows what happened, but if she gets scared I'll send her away."

"That would be best for children who can't handle sensitive subjects," Sumire said.

"I disagree, sometimes they need to know and confront the darkest elements of their culture's history. I never believed in covering up the dark events that shaped the foundation of a civilization" Akechi pressed on Skuld's decision. "However, that said, I won't lecture how you should care for your children."

Hearing Akechi speak his mind, Aslaug was taken in by his stance.

"Hey, Aslaug?" Tori asked the Valkyrie, who quickly faced her. "Will you be ok watching whatever this movie might show?"

"Yeah, I'll be ok. I want to learn more about these Valkyries. I want to know if any of them might be my mom," Aslaug resolved to learn about her possible origin.

Io sat next to Hifumi and Skyler.

"Skyler, Hifumi, what you're about to witness is what truly happened," the Persona Vein forewarned them. "And remember, these realms existed in an entirely separate universe from our own."

"So, like that Crimson dimension I entered to save Ren and his friends," Hifumi said.

"Yes."

"What's the name of this dimension we're in?" curiously asked Makoto.

"Wulf-Edda," answered the pale-skinned Revenant.

"Ok, I'm ready to get this started," Skyler said.

"We're all ready, Lady Sága," the Phantom Thief leader addressed the Homo Yggr woman.

With that, Sága beckoned the Norns to cast a spell to run the visual screen like a movie.

---

Chapter Soundtrack
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim OST - Under an Ancient Sun - The first song used.
03 Pandora - James Horner - AVATAR (Deluxe Edition) - Yggdrasil in the protagonists' dreams and their commentaries. Seeing the fauna and flora of Yggdrasil. Ratatoskr's cameo.
Walking with Dinosaurs - Benjamin Bartlett - Cruel Sea- Exploring Yggdrasil's seas.
Walking with Beasts - New Dawn - The rainforests of Yggdrasil such as the shrews, a Saber-toothed badger, and a Locke Spider.
Horizon Zero Dawn OST - Force Multiplication - The savannah plains of Yggdrasil such as encountering the Scandic rex.
Walking with Beasts - Next of Kin - Meeting the Homo Yggr. Meeting the spirit of Sága, alongside Harald and Skuld.
Fran Soto - Timeless Place- First half of the scene in Sökkvabekkr.
Final Fantasy IX OST - Wall of the Sacred Beasts ~ Eidolon Wall Theme- Second half of the scene in Sökkvabekkr.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Capsule Monsters Soundtrack 31 - Eternal Memory - Meeting the other Norns and their husbands alongside Skuld/Harald's children and Baldr II in Urðarbrunnr. Welcoming more of Yggdrasil as a passage to a fantasy world alongside the Wulf-Edda cast about to show the past visions/stories to the protagonists of the Valkyries' lives and Ragnarök in their destroyed dimension.

---

A/N: Ok, that's a good place to stop. Due to the length of this chapter, I'm going to split this Wulf-Edda story into parts. Trust me when I say, it's going to be a long tale. The entire Wulf-Edda story was fully written a few years ago and incorporated into the original draft of this fic. It was originally three long chapters. Within AnM, the decision to split these chapters into parts is to not exhaust readers who've been accustomed to 15-16K word count chapters up to now.

To give you insight into the Wulf-Edda production: The Wulf-Edda scenes were already pre-planned and written across segments from June to November 2019. It was originally conceived as a novel-length project to train me to write a full-length novel. This Wulf-Edda concept will be tied to the Vamkyries, Aslaug, Kriemhild, and Kraka's backstories.

The Wulf-Edda production was a pseudo-novel project I've worked on in 2019. I hope to one day convert the Wulf-Edda concept into an original novel (with tweaks to the story so I'm not just 'plagiarizing' (or is there another appropriate term for this) my own work), with it being a dark and twisted take on Norse Mythology. Writing Wulf-Edda was an interesting experience as I've been transitioning over into full original fictional writing.

Wulf-Edda, however, is not the basis of the first novel I've been working on. That's something else entirely.

The other non-Wulf-Edda scenes, while it wasn't much to write, it was a matter of new character introductions, lore content being revealed, some world-building, and writing the group's personal explorations through Yggdrasil taking a while longer than I planned.

On a closing note, congrats to Ren and Ann (and Jacob & Madeline) on their child's birth!

All There in the Manual
-Ren and Ann's son in Akane no Mai is named Amamiya Junichi.
-Jacob and Madeline's son in Akane no Mai is named Alfred Robertson. Officially confirms that Alfred (born on January 17, 2022) is also weeks older than Walter (Jacob and Madeline's son in Akane no Guilty Crown, who was born on January 30, 2022, from the AnGC Timeline) and completely different from him as well in terms of different appearance/voice while imagining him growing up.

Well, for my sake (and yours), I hope not to take long updating this Wulf-Edda arc.

Until the next chapter, send a review, and see you in the next part!