Dyrroth told them about the baby Nefer which made Hela roll her eyes. She said it was Anubis' adopted pet before she returned it to where it came from. Afterward, Dyrroth told them about the interaction between Anubis his half brother and how he warned the jackal God about Anput. Finally, he narrated to them what Anput did to transform Anubis and how horrendous her methods were.

Hela was furious and seething by the time he finished his story. The ground below her feet began to freeze and the sky darken into a pale grey. Spears of ice burst from the ground as she cursed the name of her enemies.

"She... She defiled my husband!!!" Hela screamed making the thunder roar with her voice.

"She will pay for this. I will drop her from the highest obelisk and watch as her ribs  break, puncturing her lungs, and let her drown in her own blood while I keep her halfway from the brink of death!!!"

It took some time and effort for the three to calm Hela down. She said multiple profanities in different Scandinavian languages and thankfully they couldn't understand most of them. Hrod managed to pick up a few details which made him shiver in his place.

"That bitch is going down hard. No one messes with the God of Death except for me..." Hela declared with great determination.

"That's the spirit!" Ruby cheered.

Hela turned to the Fossegrim. "Regn, you are free to join us if you please but tell the dwarves that I have a mission for them. I need to know what happened to Mordgud. No one enters my realm without facing her first and if they came in here without Mordgud warning me, then those desert-dwelling swine probably did something to her. Tell the dwarves to investigate the gate and find Mordgud. I need to know how my gatekeeper is doing."

"Most certainly, my goddess."

Dyrroth called for her attention and told her that there is someone who could help them (probably). "Who could help us in this situation?"

"I saw it in my vision—a way to contact Anubis' brother."

Hela rolled her eyes and flipped her raven hair over her shoulder. "Horus is not really my kind of person and no way in Hel am I ever going to invite a pompous royal blood here."

Dyrroth shook his head. He mentioned Wepwawet which Hela had to correct due to his terrible pronunciation. The goddess seemed less disproving of his suggestion and figured that she probably doesn't hate the Egyptian White Wolf as much as this Horus fellow.

"I suppose so. Among my husband's colleagues and relatives, Ophis (Greek name of Wepwawet) is the only one I do not despise."

Dyrroth nodded. He didn't miss the way Ruby frowned slightly when he took hold of the staff. Aww, his tiny wife is worried about him. How cute. He would tease her later about that.

He tapped the staff on the ground 3 times and uttered the name of the white wolf. Almost instantaneous, a small tornado of golden sand appeared revealing Wepwawet looking more tired than he was in the vision. It seems that because of Anubis' literal change of heart, the God of Lykopolis has been doing both his job and Anubis'. Regn grimaced at his lack of self-care while Hela's brow slightly twitched in her own version of sympathy.

"I was expecting to find Anubis. What is the meaning of this Goddess of Helheim and where is my brother? Anubis has been very negligent in his job. He is never like this." Wepwapet growled not amused by their interruption.

Hela stepped forward and it seems that his face softened up a bit. His frown became less tense when the goddess entered his vision. "Well, it is as you said: he is not as he is."

"What do you mean by that?"

Hela filled him in on the events that happened and after telling her story, the white wolf cursed in a foreign language. "I always knew that Anput was unsatisfied after being dethroned as the queen of Duat then you came and ruined her perfect marriage as well. I understand where all of this is coming from but this is taking things too far. She disrupted not only the order and balance of Duat but also that of Helheim. If left unattended, evil entities might escape both our Realms and destroy the living. You, as well as I, wouldn't want the lazy gods of heaven to criticize our work." The wolf god paused and muttered something to himself.

"I will aid you in your quest to retake your throne and find a way to help my brother as well. However I cannot come with you to your crusade, I shall ask a friend of mine to assist you. I believe that she would be of great help to you, after all, she is the goddess of protection."

Hela groaned. "Oh, sweet blizzards, please don't tell me it's her."

"I don't see why you dislike Bastet. She seems quite fond of you."

"I don't particularly dislike her but I simply do not adore her energy."

Wepwawet smiled in mild amusement. "In any case, she shall join you soon enough. The goddess of cats has been a long-time friend of the gods of the Underworld."

"What about Anubis? What can we do to return him to his old self?"

"The rituals Anput performed are difficult to counter but as long as his original organs are still intact then perhaps there is something I could do to help him. However, if I remove the parts that she changed and return his original organs there is no guarantee that he would fully recover. After all, Anput did not merely transform him, she completely recreated my brother."

"I would take the risk. So, after heading to Fenrir's temple our main objective is to retrieve Anubis's organs from his Cynopolis."

"Yes, that would the best course of action. Now then before I go, you who summoned me, demon. I sense the magic of my brother from you. The fact that you could summon me is proof of that. It seems that he lent you his powers before he was transformed. If he trusted you that much then so shall I." The wolf God spread his hand where a papyrus scroll was levitating on his palm.

Dyrroth took it and gave a silent thanks. He usually doesn't thank people but Ruby elbowed him hard. "This scroll shall educate you regarding Hieroglyphic magic especially those associated with necromancy which is my brother's specialty."

"I'm afraid that I must cut our meeting short. My duty calls persistently and while my brother is away I must take up his responsibilities until we restore him to his self."

"I understand."

"Be well, Queen Hela. I shall fastidiously root for your victory and you as well little Nefer." The wolf God nodded to Ruby before vanishing to dust soon after.

🌷🌷🌷

"Excuse me, Queen Hela." Ruby went near the goddess who raised a cynical brow at her. She knew that they looked almost the same but how can she be so terrifying? Even Alice wouldn't be able to compete with how Hela perfectly embodied the "Queen of Darkness" motif. Compared to Hela's elegant apathy, she looked like a tamed puppy.

"What is it?" asked the goddess.

"I just wanted to know if... My grandparents are here? Rose and Oscar of Vanargand."

"Why would you think that they're here?"

Ruby paused and gathered her thoughts. Hela stared at her with impatience. Her eyes were keen and observant, seeking every possible information from the way her face moved down to the littlest gesture she made. The goddess is a veteran at scrutiny and a master of passing judgment.

"My grandparents died fighting to protect me... but, the scythe they used to fight off the wolves... I kinda took it from them and fought the wolf king myself. I figured that without the weapon to prove their bravery then they belong to you, your majesty." summarized Ruby while fiddling her thumbs.

"I cannot disclose to a mortal how we operate things in this realm. Giving you that information would violate the laws regarding the privacy of my people. Unless you are one of Ran's daughters or a valkyrie of Odin, then I cannot tell you anything about the matters of the dead. But if you happen to meet them here then I suppose you will have your answer. Should that happen, I will not interfere nor forbid you in any way as long as you respect my people."

Hela did not wait for her response; quickly, she turned and left. Ruby watched as the goddess left like a ghostly apparition moving through the forest path.

Her response was cryptic and hard to understand but Ruby feels that the goddess was telling her that they were here. The last part especially was so telling. If they were here, she would really like to meet them and hug them again. Even if the possibility of that happening is very low, she would still be glad knowing that they are in the care of a wise and compassionate goddess. Well, compassionate to dead people at least.

Dyrroth suddenly appeared out of nowhere and asked if she was okay. He said that he "was just passing by" and happened to hear a couple of things going on between them. Ruby, of course, refused to believe his excuse and figured that he knew everything. He is quite the nosy demon.

She looked at him, pretending to be surprised. "Wow, you're so considerate. Are you even Dyrroth? Usually, Dyrroth challenges me to a fight or to do the other F thing without considering my feelings. Are you sure you're okay?" she said trying to lighten the mood.

"I learned Good Husbandry 101 from Anubis. We hang out sometimes but he's mostly keeping an eye on me thinking that I'd cheat with Hela the moment he takes his eyes off me. But I'm actually planning on stealing his dating ideas, not his wife. Especially that saucy boat ride they had since I have my own cute edgy wife and you're more than enough to keep me happy, healthy, and hor—"

Ruby covered his mouth and scowled at him. "You need remedial classes because you still sound so gross."

The demon removed her hand and grinned. It was one of his signature smiles that meant he was up to no good. "You look like you need a hug."

"Is that an excuse to touch my butt?"

"Maybe."

"Then no." Ruby walked away getting tired of his antics. Dyrroth was quick to follow after her, his tail swishing side to side. It reminded her of a cat observing its prey. In this case, she seems to be his entertaining prey. His tail is always a dead giveaway whenever he is planning something mischievous. Plus, he has that stupid grin on his face.

"So your grandparents might be here." he began, pausing a bit to observe her reaction. Ruby's blank expression betrayed no emotion and he took this as a sign to continue. "That sounds great. Hela throws the best parties there are so much food and mead for everybody."

"Maybe we could use the opportunity to tell them that we're married."

Ruby continued walking, ignoring him. Staying still will only lead to nothing but overthinking. "I want to meet them but I also feel guilty." she began.

"Oh, why? Is it because you're the reason why they're dead."

So insensitive.

"I hate you so much, but yes. I was so powerless to protect them. I was so useless."

"Need I remind you that you were just a kid back then? No one expected you to save anybody."

"You made your first kill when you were six!"

"I know that I'm amazing but you don't need to be so insecure. You're awesome too Ruby."

"Yeah, I was the girl who killed the wolf king. But it doesn't matter because I was left all alone."

"Oh, Ruby. It seems like you still have an old bleeding wound that you never got to mend. Such an incredible Lifesteal but it could never heal your heart. I want to help you but I can't. You're the only one who can fix yourself while I can only stand by your side and hold your hand. This way you don't have to be alone any more. Plus now we have thousands of wolf children. I always knew we'd make many babies in such a short period of time."

"How did you get such a massive character development in such a short period of time?"

"Anubis said that if I don't fix my attitude with you he would send me into a different afterlife and I would never be with you once we die. I take his words seriously, you know. Forever is such a long time not to see your butt." Dyrroth hugged her, resting his head on her shoulder. Ruby patted his messy head, used to his weird and inappropriate behavior.

"Silly, demon."

🌹

A lonely tree stood isolated in the underground heart of Helheim. It was massive with its bulky trunk and a lush, healthy canopy. Its leaves were made of stars and its body was the purest white. Its branches swayed yet no wind blew. Shining and sparkling, it emitted an ethereal glow.

"So, that wicked bitch really managed to revive the tree of Yggdrasil. So this is why her desolate realm turned into a paradise. Well, a paradise for cockroaches at least." Anput commented.

"She made it take root in Hel and slowly fused the two together to sustain her queendom." Anubis said, approaching the tree.

"It is entirely different from the parent tree. This one was nourished with the energy of Severance and since it has not yet reached maturity it still needs more energy to keep it alive or else it will wither." Jörmungandr noted.

After clearing up all the traps and safety precautions Hela left behind, the three Gods finally managed to find the legendary tree of the Norse pantheon. Even as gods, the tree still intimidates and mesmerizes them with its splendor and enigma. It was as grand as they had expected it to be, but even more, it was powerful. The rivers that flow through its roots and travel through the length and breadth of the realm brought blessings of creation. It created pastures, forests, meadows, and all sorts of buildings and structures for Hel's tenants.

As they step closer, the branches of the tree groaned. It made a frightening sound acknowledging them as intruders. The tree seems to be conscious. Runes burned in the air and blasted them with a beam of silver light. Anubis raised his staff creating a shield that protected them.

"As unfriendly as the goddess who created it it seems." commented Jörmungandr. "Don't worry, I might not be as skilled as my sister in the Runic arts but I certainly know a thing or two about potions and poisons. Sedating a tree will not be a problem." The serpent God poured a strange liquid on its roots and its branches swayed violently reacting to the sedative with much distaste. The ground shook but it soon died down as the tree stopped swaying.

"It appears that her project is not yet complete, giving us the advantage to rewrite everything she's engraved within the Roots. I will begin converting the runes into hieroglyphs immediately."

"Yes, but the tree has imprinted on her. It will only follow her authority." Anput pointed out staring at the tree maliciously.

Everything that reminded her of Hela was an eyesore, especially something she spent so much time and effort cultivating. It will be the perfect target to make her experience the same thing she felt when she stole Anubis from her.

"That's why we have her eye."

Jörmungandr showed them a crystal where Hela's severed eye was contained in. The crystal was burning with a purple flame, the aura of Hela's authority. The relic would prove to be most useful for it could control everything in her domain.

Anput grinned. "We should begin pruning just to spite her."

"There is no need. It is already shedding." Just as the Jackal God said, several leaves began falling from the tree. Once the splendid leaves fall to the ground it instantly decays and turns to dust.

"Hela is the only deity who knows how to command and control Severance. Without the energy as sustenance for the tree, it will die and it will be useless to us."

"There is an abundant alternative for Severance." Anubis suggested.

"Oh, what might that be?"

"The souls of Hela's beloved people. Surely she wouldn't mind us harvesting some of them, don't you think?"

Anput smiled already imagining how infuriated Hela would be once she found out. It was a perfect plan. Spiting the goddess of Hel would certainly be a delightful treat.

"I know just where to begin."