Game of the World Tree

▪️YOU’RE HERE, YGGDRASILL

To Eve’s surprise, the Hela’s Shrine was unusually quiet today.

Although religious institutions like these have always exuded a solemn atmosphere, they should still have their fair share of believers visiting and praying, as well as clerics bustling about.

Yet, today the shrine is almost empty…

Even the rows of seats for believers in the shrine have been removed, leaving the entire hall empty and barren.

What caught her eye was only the statue of the Goddess of Death and a petite figure standing in front of it. This individual was wearing what appeared to be a black ceremonial robe similar to that of the Death Goddess, with her back facing Evé as she gazed at the gemstone nestled in the right hand of Hela’s statue.

It was the female priestess often referred to by the Dark-Dwarves as their Shrinelord.

Eve’s heart skipped a beat, prompting her to voluntarily dispel the high-level concealment spell she had cast upon herself.

In the vacant hall of the shrine, the only audible sound was the echo of Evé’s footsteps as she entered the premises, with her shoes gracefully treading along the black stone tiles…

Upon hearing the sound of Evé’s footsteps, the Shrinelord, with her hands positioned behind her back, gradually turned around and locked eyes directly with Evé.

“You’re here, Yggdrasill.”

Her voice exuded a calm and gentle tone, without a hint of surprise, as if she had known Evé for a long time, and her manner of speech resembled that of someone meeting an old friend they hadn’t seen in a very long time.

Upon hearing how the dwarven priestess addressed her, Evé sensed an intense surge of energy within her, as if her very essence was on the brink of eruption.

The dormant divine power within her body awakened involuntarily, and she could hardly resist the urge to unleash her power and cast a spell, tearing the person who had boldly spoken her name into smithereens…

However, after realizing where she currently was, Evé reluctantly suppressed her impulse and redirected her gaze towards the face of the priestess.

However, she was slightly taken aback when she clearly saw the current appearance of the dwarven priestess.

Dark Dwarves typically have dark skin tones, as well as grayish-black hair and eyes. The impression Evé had while observing this priestess through the players’ perspective was similar to that of a typical female dwarf…

However, the Shrinelord’s appearance now was significantly different from what Evé had seen before.

Her usual grayish-black hair has now turned completely black, and her originally dark skintone has become fairer, resembling that of a human. Furthermore, her pair of dark ashen eyes have transformed into a pair of crimson pupils, resembling the unfathomable depths of the sea.

Although she still somewhat possessed the dwarven priestess facial features, her overall appearance and demeanor now gave the impression of an entirely different individual.

Standing there by herself, the petite priestess exudes an indescribable aura of majesty and mystery, involuntarily evoking a sense of reverence to anyone who happens to lay their eyes upon her…

Divine possession!

Eve’s pupils partly contracted.

However, she reacted quickly, and her mind immediately made an educated guess, with about eighty to ninety percent certainty, regarding the true identity of the person possessing the priestess.

Evé then gracefully executed a standard elven greeting gesture before stating,

“When I discovered that the divine energy within this shrine had been exhausted, my initial assumption was that the worshippers had summoned an Envoy from the Netherworld. However, it turned out to be Your Majesty, the Goddess of Death herself, who had manifested…”

Upon hearing Eve’s words, the dwarven ‘priestess’ showed no signs of surprise. She merely stretched out her hands and shook her head before releasing a soft sigh.

“I’ve merely borrowed the body and power of a believer of mine to manifest a temporal possession. It can’t compare to Your Excellency directly shaping an avatar as your physical incarnation.”

After speaking, the ‘priestess’ gently waved her hand, and suddenly numerous bones appeared out of thin air on the ground of the temple, forming an imposing skeletal throne, upon which she lightly sat.

However, the grand and imposing throne appeared out of place in contrast to the small stature of the Dwarves. When the other party sat upon it, her legs ended up dangling in the air, creating a slightly amusing sight resembling a child sitting on an oversized adult’s chair…

Upon seeing this scene, something stirred within Eve’s heart.

At the same time, several plants emerged from the ground behind her, transforming into a vibrant throne made of vines, upon which she also sat down.

Observing the unmistakable divine power of Nature surrounding Evé, the ‘priestess’ raised an eyebrow ever so slightly.

She then glanced at Evé, wearing a half-smile upon her lips, with her cold voice carrying a subtle hint of amusement.

“The Divinity of Nature… should I address you as Your Excellency Yggdrasill or simply Evé?”

Even though she had mentally prepared herself, Eve’s nerves couldn’t help but twitch slightly.

However, she quickly regained her composure and smiled faintly as she responded, “Evé is fine. My current name is Evé Yggdrasill…Your Majesty Hela.”

After she spoke, a faint fluctuation of aura emanated from within her, and Eve’s entire appearance changed once again. She discarded her disguise and unveiled her true form, transitioning directly from the guise of Godwarden Zero into her original look!

The sight of Evé, with her unique platinum hair, purple eyes, and the divine robe embellished with symbols representing nature, life, and elves, along with the floral crown nestled upon her head, left the dwarven ‘priestess’ with a myriad of emotions.

“Yggdrasill, you have changed after all…Indeed, you’re still her, yet at the same time, you’re not ‘her’ anymore. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that you’re the successor of the World Tree…”

After speaking, the ‘priestess’ let out a rueful sigh, and a trace of divine power surged from within her petite body, causing the dwarven priestess’ appearance to change once again…

Suddenly, her height rapidly increased, transforming her from her previous petite form into a fully-sized humanoid woman with black hair and crimson eyes. She wore a black divine robe adorned with symbols of the Grim Reaper on her body…

Her new appearance was exactly the same as the statue of the Goddess of Death placed in the hall!

At this moment, there was no longer any doubt within Eve’s mind.

Its definitely Hela, the Goddess of Death and Ruler of the Underworld!

Despite outwardly displaying a calm demeanor, Eve’s mind was engulfed in turmoil, overwhelmed by a multitude of doubts and concerns…

Hela, the Goddess of Death, who usually resided in the Netherworld, unexpectedly borrowed the body of a believer to manifest her divine descent!

It was evident that the other party had been waiting for her and knew that she would eventually come to visit her shrine.

However… how did Hela know?

When did she discover Eve’s true identity, and how did she know that Evé would come to visit her?

No…to be more precise, Evé’s original plan was to pose as a Godwarden in order to establish communication with Hela’s followers and create a positive impression and goodwill beforehand. However, what she didn’t expect was to encounter Hela herself!

Moreover… it was clear that the other party had been here for a while, waiting for her arrival specifically!

Hela’s first sentence, “You’re here” upon meeting her had already expressed almost everything…

Fortunately, it seemed that Hela didn’t harbor any hostility towards her.

Observing Evé’s suddenly fall into awkward silence, the Goddess of Death released a faint sigh and spoke softly,

“Don’t worry, Yggdra—Your Majesty Evé… Currently, I am the only one who knows about your return, and I have no intention of revealing it to anyone. You should’ve also known that I am not on the same side as those gods in the heavenly realm.”

Upon hearing these words, Evé experienced a slight sense of relief, although some of her lingering apprehension still remained unresolved.

“…Your Majesty Hela, at what point did you become aware of my resurrection?” she asked.

Hela slightly raised an eyebrow and replied,

“Probably… when the mana levels in Saigües once again started to replenish. At that moment, I had a few doubts, but with the support of my followers, I encountered some of your elves. From that point onward, my certainty grew to about eighty to ninety percent.”

Hela begin to harbor doubts from the moment the mana within the mortal realm replenished?

Eve’s heart skipped a beat as she suddenly began to think of more of this matter…

Since the Goddess of Death began to doubt it, did the other gods perhaps think the same thing as well?

As if reading her mind Hela added, “However, the rest of the gods are probably still oblivious of it and I only became aware of it since…it was I who had secretly assisted in casting the self-preservation spell that the World Tree had used upon itself before its fall. I immediately noticed the changes in that spell as soon as they occurred. Hence, after observing your territory for a while, I eventually learned about your resurrection.”

The Goddess of Death secretly assisted in casting the self-preservation spell that protected the body of the World Tree?

Upon learning of this news, waves surged within Eve’s mind.

Wait… does this mean that Hela was already a secret ally of her predecessor!?

Seeing Eve’s astonished expression, Hela continued,

“Actually, even if you hadn’t come to find me and hadn’t dealt with Hodur’s group of unruly servants, I would have gone to the Elven Forest to find you myself. But now that you’re here, the situation has become even more favorable.”

Having said that, Hela then lifted her chin and playfully gazed at Evé, before asking,

“So how about it? Was my soul-storing gemstone useful to you?”

Evé: “……”