Chapter 12) Answers to some questions

Feeling frustrated with her predicament, Hela sought out the only living being who held the answers she sought.

"While that corpse may be dead, I suppose I can still consider him 'alive' when he answers my questions. Well, the semantics matter little as long as I receive the information I need..."

Hela pondered the possibility of threatening an undead individual, who had been living for an unknown duration of time. Torture might have yielded results, but she hesitated, unsure if he could choose to end his existence or if he would simply die again once she ceased channeling her divinity into him.

"No matter. I'm sure I'll think of something when the time comes. I have a knack for finding solutions to problems right in front of my face."

After some time and a brief journey, Hela found herself back at the same tree. Surveying the numerous corpses, she identified the one she sought and infused him with her divinity. She closely observed the process of his revival and how her divinity interacted with the lifeless body.

Within a moment, the corpse's eyes opened, and he turned to face Hela.

"I am pleased to see you in good health, my lady."

"If my current state, can be considered 'good health.'"

"Well, there are suitable words for that, such as 'house arrest.' Many have subjected themselves to it willingly. Some might argue it was for their salvation, while others, like me, prefer to view it as an escape from responsibilities. Although many may disagree, it matters not, for we shall all be dead, regardless of the method."

"Thank you for your profound insight, but I do not have time for philosophical discussions with you."

"I might respectfully disagree. In this realm, time stretches infinitely, until the cosmic luminaries fade away."

Hela was at a loss for words. Despite her sensitivity to the life force, she couldn't discern the remaining natural lifespan of a person. Thus, she couldn't determine if her time was running out or if it remained static.

"What has happened to my divinity?"

"I apologize, Queen, but I cannot know. The knowledge of such divinity lies within the purview of the gods. However, there are few gods left since those times, and the emergence of new luminaries ceased long ago. But that is a conversation for another time."

Hela grew even more frustrated. The corpse had become increasingly verbose and less responsive to her demands. Taking a deep breath, she exhaled, employing her divinity to suppress her emotions and calm herself. Although she rarely resorted to such a method of emotional suppression, as it effectively killed her capacity for feeling, she knew it was necessary to regain composure. It often took considerable time for her sanity to fully recover after employing her divinity in this manner.

"Tell me everything you know about me and this realm."

Hela commanded the corpse devoid of emotion. She noticed that her emotions were returning surprisingly quickly. It was not just her divinity that restored her mind; Helheim itself was aiding her return to her former state. That was a noteworthy observation.

The corpse remained silent for a couple of seconds before opening its mouth and speaking again.

"My Queen, you are Hela, the Goddess of Death, the Queen of the Dead. You rule over Helheim, one of the catalysts for Ragnarok. You are the keeper of the cycle, the mightiest warrior, and the firstborn of Odin. Although not in every iteration of the cycle, that is inconsequential. There are a few more titles, but I am not authorized to know or disclose them, my apologies."

"Helheim, continue."

"Helheim, the realm of the dead, is the abode of comfort for the deceased and the most significant repository of history. It holds the remnants of past cycles and marks the inception of the next. It is the domain of the Goddess of Death and her eternal home. I hope this satisfies you, madam."

Hela was dissatisfied with the answers as they only served to raise more questions. "What is this 'cycle,' and why am I one of the causes of Ragnarok?"

"My Queen, I am forbidden from answering that. You commanded me not to provide you with the answers so that you may discover them on your own."

Hela wanted to inquire how she could have ordered him not to answer her questions, but the corpse closed its eyes and fell silent. Hela attempted to manipulate her divinity to resurrect him again but to no avail.

"Great, now I can't revive him anymore. Even his last words only add to the confusion. It implies that I have already been trapped in this realm and have encountered this corpse before. Yet, I instructed him not to answer certain questions. I would love to know what those questions were. Furthermore, he simply perished and won't revive again, and I can't fathom the reason behind it. Damn it, I sought answers, not more questions."

Hela's emotions had fully returned, and she immediately noticed that her connection with Helheim had slightly intensified. This discovery raised even more questions. Could she endlessly regenerate within this realm? If there were limits, what were they? Why was this realm of the dead aiding in her recovery? So many questions, yet no one to provide answers.

As a precaution, she infused her divinity into every corpse on the tree in an attempt to resurrect them, but to no avail. They remained lifeless as they were before.

"Great, just great. This queen doesn't need these damn corpses to answer her questions. If I need answers, I'll find them myself. But for now, I need to focus on my escape plan."

Hela located a comfortable spot and began practicing her sword techniques. It had been quite some time since she last wielded a sword, although rust was not a concern due to her divinity. Her divine nature automatically retained all the improvements she had made as a goddess, ensuring she remained in a constant state of mastery.

Every god possessed this attribute, but it also made them incredibly complacent. Once they reached a certain level of skill, they could stagnate at that level for centuries, if not millennia. This hindered the progress of divine techniques and skills among the gods. With their extended lifespans and the absence of skill regression, there was no pressing need for constant training and self-improvement.

Hela had realized the foolishness of this approach even as a child. If skills did not regress, then they could always progress. That's why she became one of the mightiest warriors in Asgard and Odin's most skilled executioner. Every war, every battle bestowed her with experience and knowledge, which she relentlessly employed to enhance her swordsmanship and strengthen her physique.

However, she had reached a plateau after a certain point. There was nothing else substantial enough to challenge her and further enhance her strength. This frustrated her greatly. She knew that her father still possessed greater physical strength than her, not to mention his mastery of the spear, which he had honed for millennia.

"If I cannot defeat you through my efforts, then I will utilize the endeavors of mortals to further augment my divinity and swordsmanship. I will surpass you until you cease progressing in your pitiful world."