The Arena grew silent as disbelief overpowered everyone who was watching. A pin could drop and be heard by everyone due to how quiet the audience had become. They were confused. 'Wasn't Dyrroth about to finish the riddle?' 'Why did he suddenly attack Anubis, the only God helping him in this impossible battle?' 'Has he gone mad? How would the goddess react because of this transgression?' 'How dare he harm the spouse of their queen?' 'His soul would surely be sent to the deepest and darkest corners of Niflheim.' These were the general thoughts that circulated in the masses but none of them dared to speak. 

Silence reigned for a torturous moment. Each creature held its breath waiting for what would happen next. 

"Ha... Hahaha... Hahahahahahahahah!" Hela broke the silence as she roared with laughter. The crowd grew even more confused because of this as well as her friends sitting beside her. 

"What in Hel's name just happened?" mumbled Ereshkigal. 

"Well, it seems that Dyrroth actually won the riddle." At her confirmation, the crowd immediately erupted into cheers and plaudits. Dyrroth smirked and raised his weapon above his head claiming his victory. 

"Care to elaborate?" Persephone inquired, still puzzled about the events that transpired. 

"It was simple really. Since Anubis and Jormungand are always getting under each other's skins, I thought why not make them switch skins. By that, I mean switch identities. It was the greatest torture of all for both of them given how much they hate each other. It was their punishment for bringing in Fenrir's little maiden in my realm."

"And how does that relate to Dyrroth's challenge?"

"Any idiot could figure out the path to the Ragnarok riddle and given Dyrroth's prowess it was obvious that executing it was a piece of cake. Even if Jormungand stretched for thousands of meters. Now, how do I spice things up? Well, we don't make things appear as they are. Hide a riddle within a riddle. The clues were already there on my introduction and how I interacted with my two idiots."

"Aww, I'm also your idiot." Jormungand said as he reformed beside her. He was still in Anubis's body which made him very uncomfortable. 

"What would have happened if Dyrroth continued cutting through Anubis posing as Jormungand?" Ereshkigal asked in curiosity. 

"Once he finished cutting through Anubis in Jorm's form, Jorm would reveal himself and Dyrroth would be completely devastated after wasting all that time and effort for nothing. I would be here to take his soul and claim him as my citizen. But he figured out everything at the last minute. Quite literally. I've never felt this exhilarated in my entire existence. What a shame. I thought I would finally have him today."

"By the way, may we ask how you pieced together Hela's schemes? Even we, her friends, didn't manage to guess it. How did you?" Persephone asked, looking at Dyrroth with disbelief. 

"I guess I already had an initial gut feeling about something not being right when Hela struck Anubis with a blast of thunderbolt. I knew that Hela was sadistic but she also wouldn't do that to Anubis. Sure, she would maltreat him verbally but something as painful as a lightning bolt was mostly for Fenrir or Jormungand."

"That was a bit inaccurate. I also do some bondage with Anubis but that thing is typically done privately." corrected Hela. 

"Also when I landed, I thought I smelled something like embalming oils and rotting flesh on Jormungand which made me pause for a bit. I recognize the scent from when I first met him and thought that he wasn't supposed to smell like that. He was supposed to smell like the sea."

"How did you know that?" inquired Hela in curiosity. 

"Ruby came to my room after being guided by Jormungand. Her clothes carried his scent and I had to wash it away from her skin with my... Anyway, I would have stupidly gone on with cutting Anubis and wasting my time if I didn't trip and broke my foot. I had to use my Lifesteal on him where I figured who he really was due to the somehow blessed quality of his power. A banished snake wouldn't have such a trait."

"You figured all of that just from his scent and his blood?" mused Ereshkigal, obviously impressed. 

"Well, that and all the other little details on their conversation and how they acted. Also, will Anubis be alright? I think I really did a number on him. That was Fenrir's scythe I used."

"Don't worry. Anubis is a God of Death. It would take something more to kill him. He usually receives much worse wounds on our bondage bedtime. He'll be fine though, my best sages are working to help him heal."

"Well, that's a relief. I personally don't care about him but I do owe him one for helping my Ruby."

"You may take your rest now, prince. You've performed well today."

Dyrroth bowed and left smiling wickedly after another well-earned victory. 

"You're pretty cheerful for someone who is almost losing a precious bet. I can see that you're growing fond of the demon boy." commented Ereshkigal after noticing Hela's excited smile. 

"How can I not be happy when something exciting is finally happening in my realm? Plus, we all know that he will die soon enough so even if he wins, he won't leave my realm for far too long. His mortal body is getting weaker due to a curse and if his little wife doesn't break that holy spell, then I'll get to have him for eternity."

"I fear that you are repeating history. I've never seen you this happy since Althreya was here and we all know how that ended." reminded Persephone making Hela scoff. 

"It will be different this time because I won't fall in love with him."

"He seems loyal to his human wife and demons mate for life. You cannot change destiny."

"It doesn't matter. As long as Anubis is beside me, no one will be able to hurt me because he is the true owner of my heart."

"I'm so glad that you two met. But before you, didn't he have a wife and offspring?"

"He did, but they don't matter anymore."

"And why is that?"

"Because he chose me."

🌹

Ruby was... bored to say the least. She thought that reading in the library could relieve some of her boredom but it didn't. The silence only made her listen to her inner thoughts and worries which made her anxious and frustrated. She groaned as she leaned against Hrod's fluffy stomach. 

She had read to him the story "little red riding hood" earlier and he instantly fell asleep afterwards. It was weird how he fell asleep after hearing that the wolf got eviscerated considering that he's also a wolf. Ruby also couldn't brush off the mean remarks he said about the hooded girl being too gullible and stupid. Like, how can you not differentiate your grandmother from a wolf? Or what kind of parents would send their child to a wolf-infested forest? She must be hated so much, was what he said. He also babbled on about why fairytales are too morbid and dark. Completely unfit for their target audience. 

Ruby explained that the story was more symbolic rather than realistic. Even she found the girl quite clueless but it was her favorite story during her childhood bedtime so she defended it nevertheless. She said that it was a story about the end of one's innocence and shows why you should not trust strangers so easily. After their inconclusive debate, Hrod finally fell asleep leaving her with no one to speak to. 

 She huffed before closing her current book and returning it to its proper shelf. She began browsing for something much more interesting to read and noticed a blue book with golden lettering. 

'Beast, Monsters, and Mystical Creatures of Indra by Agni Ashura'

The title alone piqued her interest and she began flipping through the pages to see what knowledge the book holds. The book was written in the scriptures of Indra so it was a bit difficult for her to discern the meaning of each word. She's still in the middle of her studies regarding their language and texts but she could already identify a few words like the places she's already been through. 

After a few minutes of frowning at the symbols, Ruby decided to use a little bit of translation spells the ministers taught her. The texts began arranging themselves into the alphabet she could understand. She smiled and began reading the passages with more ease. The book was rather enthralling and it reminded her of her adventures in the Land of Dawn. 

She was a professional huntress in the Dark Forest and she traveled a lot to destroy evil monsters throughout the continent. She could proudly say that killing monsters is her greatest skill. Her experience and knowledge regarding the behavior of monsters are vast which was the reason why she was chosen to help the Lightborn Squad to exterminate the Nevermores on the ruins of old Solaria. The same day she was abducted by the mama bird before falling into the Abyss and meeting Dyrroth. 

She had lost track of how long it's been since that happened. She was sure that it was only less than a year since their fateful encounter but it felt like years since she last saw her friends and her home. She still couldn't process the magnitude of the things that happened and how they completely changed her life forever. But, despite all of the pain and hardships she experienced, she would never change a thing about her life right now. Well, besides making Dyrroth live unscathed through his injury. 

Anyway, back to her book. She was absolutely entranced by the information on the pages. They have beautifully drawn illustrations and vibrant descriptions of monsters, places, and mystical creatures. The writer must have been very passionate about studying all of these creatures and sharing his knowledge with the reader. Every single word is well-written and the details are very thorough. It is formal and friendly at the same time. Reading it makes her feel happy and excited. Before she even knew it, she was already in the middle of the book. 

She paused. 

"In the woods of Arinna, a lion can be found. If you manage to come face to face with this majestic beast you can ask him a question about something that greatly troubles your heart and he will surely help you find the answer. But be warned, he is an untamed lion."

"Arinna is quite near Raizenhal. Shera said that it's a forest of mythical creatures so this book must be telling the truth. It's only a few leagues away but if I take Lyubim I can go there in under 30 minutes. It will be a fun adventure for a change."

"What are you mumbling about, mother?" Hrod asked with a groggy voice as he awoke from his slumber. 

"I was just thinking about going to Arinna and looking for a magical lion that can answer my questions. He might have the answers on how I can break the death curse on Dyrroth or if the ibong Adarna is going to be helpful. Would you like to come?"

"An all-knowing lion in a magical forest? Sounds stupid. I'm in. When are we going?"

"Right now seems like a great time since today is quite uneventful. I'm planning on going on Lyubim's back. Could you keep up?"

"Isn't he part of a diplomatic mission to distribute invitations about your coronation to build more ties? He's probably going around the continent with your delegation. Also, I'm offended that you think that he's way faster than me. For your information, I could also fly and run really fast. That's why I was appointed to chase the moon"

"I believe you but shouldn't we first tell someone before we head out? Sorca will be worried. I don't want to stress her out like last time."

"Tell her and we won't be able to leave. I'm so bored right now some adventures would be better than facing the wrath of your demoness supervisor."

"Okay, but we should at least leave a note about where we're going. Better yet, let's tell Runa so that she could vouch for our whereabouts."

"Yeah, sure, let's do that. I can't wait to find that lion. I'm surely going to bite his face off."

"No, you're not! At least not until we get all the answers that we need if he's going to be uncooperative."

"Fiiiiine."

🌹

Hrod ran across the sky as if he was threading on solid land while Ruby held tightly on his back. The two of them had informed Runa of their plans so she could tell Sorca where she went in case the demoness looked for her. 

"I think this is it. The trees have changed and the land feels like it's radiating with magic." Ruby said after observing the landscape. 

"You're right. Every inch of this place is brimming with something magical. Plus the trees are extremely big. I think this place is a primordial forest." Hrod added. 

"Can you take us down? I think it would be better if we could look for traces of the lion on the ground."

"Yes, I could also sniff him better there."

The white wolf landed perfectly on the grassy ground and lowered his body to help her get down. Ruby hopped off his back and pulled up her hood since it always made her feel safer. She began analyzing her surroundings and saw that it wasn't much different from anything she had seen before. 

The trees were extra taller and larger. They seemed rather intimidating but not completely unfriendly. The air smelled mildly of earth and woods but a whiff of sweet fruits or aromatic flowers would occasionally reach their sense of smell. The atmosphere was rather serene and calming yet something feels rather foreboding. 

"Were you saying something?" Ruby asked Hrod , who was busy sniffing the ground before taking a leak. 

"I wasn't saying anything... Are you hearing things?"

"No, I definitely heard you mumbling. Or were you singing? I couldn't really tell it was very hushed."

"Mom, why would I sing in a creepy forest?" Hrod pointed out making her purse her lips in a thin line. He's right, it was weird but Ruby had always had very good senses and they've never failed her before to alert her of any danger. 

"I think I hear someone singing."

"There might be a dryad nearby or some other forest spirit. But then again I do hear flowing water so it's probably a river or a stream you were hearing. Water tends to attract animals and it might also attract our target. Do you wish to check it out?"

"I suppose it's worth the effort. Lead the way." They were beginning to cross through the undergrowth when a tiny little thing suddenly popped out of the foliage. It was a wild bunny that agitated the wolf and triggered his beastly nature to devour creatures smaller than him. 

"Hrod, no." she tried to reprimand but the wolf was already poised to hunt. 

"Wait, is that a bunny? And it's looking at me smugly. Oh, you puny little thing dare to gaze upon my mighty face! I'll eat you!" Hrod growled before darting towards the bunny leaving her to stand still and wait for him to finish hunting. Ruby knew better than to interfere with a predator hunting its prey so she merely sighed and tapped her boots on the ground. 

She waited for at least ten minutes before going after him. She was about to enter the shrubbery where he vanished when it suddenly shook making her tense. She immediately calmed down when Hrod's furry face suddenly popped out of the leaves. 

"Did you finally catch your bunny?"

"Yes." was all he replied before stepping out of the bushes. 

Ruby had the impression that he didn't because his mouth was not bloody. He was a messy eater and he took delight in savoring his prey leisurely. He was indeed too prideful to admit failure and she wasn't one to rub it on other people's faces, so she didn't point out her observations and instead focused on getting to the river. 

"Can we go to the river now?"

"Of course." Hrod silently led the way while she followed him without a thought. He was rather quiet now. Perhaps not catching the bunny made him a little disappointed. Anyway, Ruby didn't bother him about it because comforting him would only tarnish his pride so she busied herself with looking at the wildflowers blooming around her and naming them to pass the time. 

It didn't take them long to find the stream and it flowed with pristine waters.

"Don't try to drink the water. Unlike the things in the book, it's actually not very safe for your immune system. It has what you call tiny animalcules which are unhealthy for humans."

(Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek first observed bacteria in the year 1676, and called them 'animalcules' (from Latin 'animalculum' meaning tiny animal) 

"I am aware. That's why I brought a tin bottle. Also, I could just heat up some water with fire runes. That will be enough to sanitize it."

"Of course, just a reminder." Hrod began sniffing the ground for any trails of their target but only found a dead rabbit half-eaten by a fox who immediately ran away when it saw him. 

"Aww, nice. Free treats." said the wolf as he gobbled the rest of the rabbit. Ruby couldn't help but grimace in disgust at his beastly behavior. She kept forgetting how nasty he could get because of how civilized he was with her. 

"Ewww."

"Don't be too judgmental. At least I didn't kiss my enemy and fall in love with him because of Stockholm syndrome. Eating a rabbit seems much more tame than pretending to be a good person and then having your morals twisted after spending some time with a sadistic demon."

"Okay, that is a low blow. How dare you? All I said was ewww." Ruby frowned at him feeling offended. She doesn't get why he's attacking her this blatantly just because of a simple exclamation. It seems petty to be this insensitive just because he was in a bad mood. 

"How dare I? How dare you desecrate the land and the subjects of my goddess? You are nothing but an insolent and insignificant girl that a hideous monster favors. And without him, you are nothing." Ruby took a cautious step back, her eyes glued on the beast as it approached her. 

"Let's see how far you'll go without your god protecting you." He snarled, his voice turning deeper and much more malicious. There was a hungry humanish grin upon his face which made the hair on her skin stand with alarm. His vicious face reminded her of Fenrir and yet Fenrir never looked at her like that. 

"What the hell are you talking about?" Her heartbeat was rapid, refusing to be calmed. The words he spoke and the tone he used on her, this beast in front of her was obviously not Hródvitnisson.