After the Bifrost brought me back to Midgard, I opened the map that Richard had previously given me. There was only one mark left. There is a problem, though. A big one.
The mark was all over Earth's seas, with no specific point to locate the shard. I frowned and murmured, "Well, that complicates things… Richard?"
"Find the Heart of the Sea and the shard shall show itself," he replied, skipping formalities and going straight to the point.
"The Heart of the Sea?" My frown deepened, but Richard had gone completely silent.
I suppose this is part of the test. First things first, because this apparently is connected to the sea, I immediately left the Bifrost Temple and flew towards the nearest seashore, before entering the waters.
The rune of Water on my left wrist started glowing, and I focused on thinking about this heart. Suddenly, I found myself floating outside a sunken city that is preserved through some sort of magic.
I swam through the city buildings, looking for a clue. Alas, I found nothing in most of the alleys. However, in what I perceived to be the northern part, I sensed a call. I followed it, and it got stronger as I neared the area.
The call originated from a small house that consisted of two rooms, and its walls were made out of wooden rods. Compared with the other houses made of the finest stones and marbles, this one stood out as peculiar.
Just as I was starting to wonder as to why it would call to me, Pangu said, "It's calling to me, in case you wanted to ask."
"How do you know that?" I asked, although I think I guessed the answer.
"This place is not strange to me; I was here once."
I raised my eyebrows even though I wasn't exactly surprised by this revelation. I swam towards the house and asked him, "When was that?"
"I don't know…" he replied, and I could sense him trying hard to remember. "I suppose whatever's left of my memories is in the remaining shard."
I nodded as I opened the door of the shed. The room was small and completely empty except for a glowing ball of light hovering in the center. There was no water in there, as there seemed to be a barrier blocking it from entering.
The call I was sensing came from the ball of light. The final shard must be there. I raised my arm and my finger touched it. My vision blurred, and the scenery changed.
I was looking through someone's eyes. The scene was in the same city, except it wasn't sunken. A thought came to my mind. I was in the imperial palace at the center of the city. I was looking at a woman lying on a bed, giving birth.
Another woman was helping with the process, and soon a baby girl was born. However, her mother showed immediate signs of extreme weakness and passed away soon after. I felt a wave of sadness overwhelm my heart, and I knelt beside the bed and cried silently.
The scene changed.
The baby was now a child. She was playing in a hall with some maids. I was in the same room with them, and was talking about lots of affairs with an official. The child suddenly coughed heavily, and I interrupted my talks and knelt beside her and patted her back. Blood slipped from the corners of her mouth.
I was concerned and decided to start looking for a solution for this matter as it was getting worse with the passing of each day. Yet, despite the pain, the girl looked at me and reassured, "I am okay, Daddy."
The scene changed again. It was similar to the first one. The child grew up and was a young woman now. She was sitting beside the bed of an old, dying woman. Her mentor.
"Don't leave me," the young woman pleaded with tears streaming down her face.
"All of us will die one day, child," the old woman replied weakly. She slowly moved her head and looked at me. "Take good care of her."
I sighed when she took her final breath and stilled before leaving the room.
The final scene arrived.
I was sitting in my throne as my daughter, a mature woman now, opened the gates of the hall and entered. She greeted me and waited for me to start speaking, "Komera, come close, my dear."
She obliged and sat at the foot of the throne. I leaned forward and said, "I have been working for many years to find a cure for your borne sickness. I tried many things, and even changed your body composition to that of undying and ever-healing. Yet still, you remain sick."
She clasped my hand with both of hers and said, "Father-"
"Let me finish, please." I could feel my body getting weaker with each passing second. I took a deep breath and continued, "This problem is hereditary and will be passed down with each generation. Not every descendant will be sick, but most will be. So, I managed to partially make a technique that will also be passed on by blood.
"Yet, no matter what I do, there is still a part of the technique that I can't finish. I can't grasp what's missing!"
The final words were sharp, expressing my deep frustration. Komera was confused and asked, "What do you mean, Father? You are immortal, and I won't die anytime soon, so you will have lots of time to finish it."
I shook my head and replied, "Alas, that's not the case."
When I saw her confusion deepen, I sighed and explained, "Something has been wrong lately. My infinite lifespan seems to have expired in an instant. I only have minutes left to live. I cannot complete the technique, the Divine Eye, in time and make it a permanent solution for you and your children. I have failed you all. I am so very sorry, my dear daughter, but now you will have to complete it on your own, and each person has to finish it by themselves.
"I hoped it would be a blessing… But it is a curse. A curse to my bloodline."
Horror filled my daughter's being as she comprehended what was being said, "I will just not get any children then!"
I smiled weakly at her, knowing full well the instinctual desire for procreation that is lodged deep into our very existence. She will one day have children, and they will have this curse. She also did not know that I have fathered lots of children, and some of them will be afflicted as well.
My whole body and soul trembled. I took a deep breath and looked one final time at Komera's eyes that were the exact same as her mother's. With all the strength that I had left, I murmured my final words to her, "I leave the universe to you now. Forgive me, Komera."
I heard her voice for the last time, crying, "Don't leave me. Not you too! Please don't leave, Dad! Dad!"
My eyes were closed. My soul shattered to pieces. My axe, lodged beside the throne, exploded into ten pieces, each piece hosting a piece of my soul.
Komera did not know that. And it would be years until she would know that I was still considered alive.
The visions ended there.
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Updated on 14/5/2026