Zarin stared at the glowing rune on her palm. It pulsed slowly, like a heartbeat.
"Why is this happening to me…?"
Helious stood silently beside her. Even he didn't have the answers — but deep within him, memories stirred. Not of war, but of prophecy.
In the hidden corners of Asgard, there was once a forbidden tale — of a Mortal Vessel born without divine blood, who could still awaken the Key of Realms. A human girl who could open or seal the borders between the Nine Worlds.
The prophecy was erased from the scrolls.
Zarin was never meant to exist.
Meanwhile, in Helheim...
The King of Hell stood in front of a shattered mirror made of dragonbone.
"The girl lives.""And the dog protects her…"
He summoned a figure cloaked in raven feathers — the Shadowcaller, a sorcerer once banished from Asgard.
"Awaken the Gatebound," the king said."Bring me the girl… and kill the dog if you must."
Back on Earth, Zarin's dreams were filled with fire and stars collapsing. She saw Odin's eye. She heard names she couldn't pronounce.
And then she heard one that chilled her to the bone:
"Ragnarok."