The confession broke him.

Reinhard felt it all, Odin's anger at the universe's cruel mechanics, his self-loathing for his own naivete, his despair at the cost, and the crushing weight of regret.

He clenched his fists, his bronze nails piercing his own pale skin, drawing droplets of his own blood to mingle with hers on the ice. "There has to be… There has to be another way! Maybe we can-"

Adumala shook her head, a final, definitive gesture. "Once you went into the River, there was no way back. Unless you devour me, my protection will fade. The blessing and power inside you will burst your body, and erase you from existence. It is the final catalyst."

Odin's eyes widened before trembling as he said. "You… You did it on purpose. To make sure I had no choice."

"It is no time to hesitate, Odin." She breathed, her eyes beginning to dim. "Come, and devour me. Rise up and accomplish your dream, and make the beautiful world you talked about… It is that world I want to wake up to and see."

Reinhard felt it, Odin's emotions rushing through him, and then images began to appear.

The scent of blood and ice vanished, replaced by a silent, rushing stream of pure memory. Reinhard was no longer an observer, but he was a ghost in the gallery of Odin's soul.

An image appeared before him, it was a vast, snowy plain.

A baby with a shock of wild hair and eyes too old for his face blinked up at the colossal, gentle form of Adumala. The infant's small, chubby hand reached out, not in fear, but in curious wonder.

Adumala lowered her massive head, and a tongue, large enough to envelop him, swept over the tiny form. Instead of a cry, the air was filled with a sound utterly alien to this primordial world.

A child's pure, unfettered giggle.

The image shifted with the baby, who was now a young boy, his face set in a determined grin. In his hands, he held a shard of ice like a sword. Opposite him, Adumala, using a sliver of her immense will, levitated a fallen tree trunk the size of a small hill.

The boy charged, his tiny weapon clashing against the impossible "sword" with a comical thwack. Then, two more boys, Vili and Ve, tumbled into the frame, grabbing their own icy shards.

The scene erupted into a chaotic, joyful melee of small figures clashing against the patient, unmoving mountain of their bovine friend.

The air, once silent, was filled with their laughter, a bright, sharp counterpoint to the groaning ice.

A sudden lurch, and then the perspective changed.

A much older Odin now lay broken at the base of a towering, razor-sharp spire of black ice. Pale-blue blood seeped from a gash on his forehead, staining the snow. His limbs were twisted at unnatural angles. Tears of pain and frustration traced clean lines through the grime on his cheeks.

He tried to push himself up, but his body only trembled, a puppet with cut strings. A hint of fear filled his eyes, that no one would come find him for a long while. He closed his eyes, accepting the silence and the pain that would torture him for a long while.

Then, the sound of an earth-shaking sound rang out. The footsteps grew louder, and they were frantic before then the massive familiar head of Adumala burst through a ridge of snow, her eyes wide, scanning.

Adumala's eyes locked on Odin before in an instant, she was there, her warm rough tongue bathing his broken form. The blood ceased to flow before rushing back into his body while the twisted limbs straightened with soft, cracking sounds.

"I have been looking for you all day!" Adumala's voice was scolding with hints of fear. The now healed Odin didn't speak, and he simply laughed, a sound of pure.

Then with relief, Odin threw his small arms around the immense, fur-covered bridge of her nose, holding on as if he were clinging to the world itself.

The memories swept on, a stream of bonding and affection passed as Odin saw it all. Countless images passed by before it stopped on Odin sleeping, curled into a small ball between the roots of Adumala's horns as she slowly walked.

Odin, with a serious expression, pointed at a patch of rare, vibrant blue ice and told her. "Not this one, Adumala. It's too beautiful to eat." Odin, with his hand directed a group of lesser spirits as they carved out a vast, sheltered cave, which was a gift for her.

They were currently journeying to other realms, the shimmering and golden light of Alfheim. He was lying on her back, pointing at everything with excited shouts, such as the deep forests of another world or magnificent creatures.

The stream of images slowed, settling on one final scene. Odin, now a young man, lay on his back across the back of Adumala as she moved at her slow pace.

"I can't wait to show it, Adumala." Odin said softly with a faint smile. "The beautiful world that I am trying to create… I want you to be the first one to see it."

Adumala's laughter was a warm, deep tremor that vibrated through his entire body. "I can't wait. I promise that no matter how long has passed, I will be there to see your new world."

Odin laughed before he sighed in content and his eyes drifted shut, his mutterings barely audible as he fell asleep. "I can't wait…"

The images shattered.

Reinhard blinked, finding himself floating once more in the present, a spectral witness. He was above the scene, looking down at Odin standing before the broken and bleeding form of his oldest friend.

Reinhard paused as he saw the tremors wracking Odin's frame. He saw his head bow, and his shoulders shaking. Then, as Odin lifted his head to begin the horrific act, Reinhard's eyes widened.

From Odin's eyes streamed tears not of water, but golden blood was flowing down. They fell like molten sunlight onto the stained ice.

The world lost all its color.

Everything turned to monochrome, a stark etching of black and white. The only color, the only light, was the streaming brilliant white of Odin's golden tears as he leaned forward.

The act of devouring was silent, a terrible, intimate consumption. And through it all, Adumala's single, visible eye did not flinch. It remained soft, filled with a love that transcended pain and annihilation.

Everything froze.

The black-and-white world, the streaming tears, the moment of horrific transfiguration.

It hung in the air like a stained-glass window of despair.

Then, it shattered.

And Adumala's voice rang out, not from her broken body, but from the very fabric of the dissolving reality.

Truthfully, you were my first companion, Odin… None of the other giants wished to get to know me.

They only saw me as nourishment, even Ymir did not wish to close the gap between us, content in his solitary existence…

But it was you, Odin.

You who kept coming back to talk with me.

You who kept asking for advice, wanting to learn.

You who rode on my back without fear, only with curiosity.

It is you, Odin, who brought the concept of 'friend' into all of creation, and for that, I am eternally grateful…

Goodbye, my one and only friend.

And I am sorry… I lied to you.

I will not be returning, because once you devour me, you will become me, and I will be no more…

But it is worth it.

Somewhere along the way, your wish, your dream… It became my own.

So go ahead, Odin.

Fulfill our dream, and keep marching forward, my dearest friend.

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