“Have you ever wondered

why some people make beautiful songs

and poems and tales,

and some of us do not?”

Neil Gaiman, Norse Mythology

 

 

Lee Donghae was raised in the most peaceful part of Asgard. Although he is considered as the highest-ranking God there, his fathers served as the present rulers of the East. Their notions and philosophies revolved around concord, amity, and harmony, just like how each Baldur’s descendants ruled during their respective generations.

 

Unlike the other Gods, when he was a child up until the moment he had reached adolescence, Donghae was not taught how to fight, how to survive in battles nor how to use his powers to dominate someone. Instead, he was taught how to fuel his compassion and sympathy towards the people and Gods not just from Asgard and Midgard, but also to the creatures living in the remaining seven realms. He was also taught how to always see the best in Gods, civilians, and creatures, no matter what his relationship with them was. And despite not being in the books, Donghae’s favorite topic that he had learned from his parents was friendship.

 

Since the moment he had arrived at the academy and had the chance to interact with all the other Special Gods, he had noticed something off. It seemed to him that even though the other Gods were close to each other, he felt that their closeness was not enough. It appeared like they were close but not that close. Confusing indeed but it looked to him as if everyone were not really friends with each other. And that thought alone saddened Donghae to no end.

 

It was funny to him now when he realized that the things and incidents he had noticed during his first week of staying there were not just mere suspicions. It all started during one of their physical training sessions. After each class, it was normal for him to immediately go to his Heechul hyung and Hangeng hyung and get hugs, compliments, and assurance from them that he did well. That’s what friends do, right? They got each other’s backs no matter what, no matter where, and no matter when.

 

 

But what saddened him was that the three of them seemed to be the only ones who had shared the same thoughts. The others acted normal and casual to each other but Donghae felt like they still had their guards up. Even Heechul and Hangeng seemed to still be indifferent with their other classmates.

 

That was not the only incident, however. Donghae was not sure what happened that day but Kyuhyun just suddenly initiated a physical fight between him and Kangin in the middle of a class. Donghae was alerted when he noticed that it was not their usual playful squabbles but something more serious; something definitely dangerous. He was about to ask them to stop it but he was immediately held back by Leeteuk and Heechul. He saw the worry and sadness written all over the faces of Leeteuk, Ryeowook, and Sungmin, but Donghae was unsure and dismayed why they did not do anything.

 

 

“Hyungs, what’s happening? Why are they fighting?” Anxiety was evident in his voice as he tried to see what was going on in the center of their classroom. He was in the tight embrace of Leeteuk, the kindest God, while Heechul, Hangeng, and Ryeowook were standing in front of them, trying to block his view.

 

“Shh! Just close your eyes, dear. This will be over soon,” the God of Fertility whispered gently in his ears and as much as he wanted to snuggle closer to the warmth, the current situation was not appropriate for that.

 

He grimaced and whimpered each time he heard groans of pain coming from the fighting duo. What made his heart hurt even more were the sounds of fists hitting the bodies of the God of War and the God of Strength.

 

“Why do they need to fight? Please tell them to stop, Leeteuk hyung,” he pleaded desperately. Donghae really wanted to take a peek of the fight but he had no courage and heart to do so. He knew he would really lose it if ever he saw his Kangin hyung and Kyuhyun drenched in their own blood and sweat. Donghae shook his head in despair to get rid of the thoughts.

 

Just then, Ryeowook turned to look at him and offered him a small smile. “They need this, Donghae hyung. Don’t worry! This will all be over soon.”

 

Donghae was confused, baffled, and hurt. Why will they need to fight? What logic was even behind that? What’s in the line? What’s at stake? It was ridiculous and Donghae just wanted to get out of there.

 

“Hurry up, stupid Gods. Wrap it up before that lazy instructor gets back here.”

 

He heard the voice of his Heechul hyung. He wanted to get warmth and assurance from the latter’s voice but the vengeful God’s words were not exactly what he needed at the moment. His words sounded cold and apathetic.

 

From the corner of his eye, he saw a movement and after his vision had refocused from all the tears that were threatening to fall, he saw that it was Hyukjae, Loki’s descendant. The black-haired God had been standing behind them all this time and he had failed to notice. Donghae did not miss the amusement and pleasure in the eyes of the mischievous God as he looked at the fight. It did not take long for him to remember what his Sungmin hyung had been telling him that Hyukjae was always involved in all of the fights happening. And as he looked at the black-haired God again, he knew that the other was so close to joining the fight. Hyukjae stretched his arms and cracked his knuckles, clear indications that he was more than ready to step in and join. The moment Hyukjae was about to walk forward and step in, their eyes met and Donghae gulped.

 

He matched Hyukjae’s eyes which were full of anticipation and slyness with that of worry and sincerity. It was already bad enough that Kyuhyun and Kangin were hurt. One more hurt individual would really destroy Donghae inside.

 

“Please don’t,” Donghae mouthed and he saw how Hyukjae glared at him but did not say anything. “You’ll get hurt. Please don’t join the fight. I don’t want you to get hurt as well,” he added.

 

He did not know whether Hyukjae understood his words but it still shocked him when the other God just sighed and went back to his original position, leaning on the wall with a face showing boredom.

 

Donghae sighed in relief.

 

 

His suspicions that the others were not exactly friends were unfortunately proven right. Donghae opened up about the topic a couple of nights ago when he and his roommate, Sungmin, were about to call it a day.

 

 

“Sungmin hyung! Can I ask you something?” Donghae muttered, volume just enough for the other God to hear him.

 

“What is it, Hae?” He heard an answer and he fought the urge to tear up as he pondered about the reason for the talk.

 

“What’s going on, hyung? I really don’t understand anymore—”

 

“If this is still about Kangin hyung and Kyuhyun’s fight the other day, just let it go. Things like that are normal in this academy and trust me when I say that they really need it. That will not be the first time you would witness something like that but I’ll ask them to tone it down a bit or do it somewhere where you can’t see them.”

 

“This is not just about that fight, hyung. I thought we are all friends here. I thought we would help each other out and be the best versions of ourselves. I just—it’s really confusing me.”

 

He heard a soft laughter from the other side of the room and he squinted in the dark trying to make out his hyung’s figure. Sungmin was laying down still, staring at the ceiling.

 

“That’s—that’s really nice of you to think like that, Hae.” Sungmin’s voice was soft and gentle that brought comfort to him. “But let me remind you, sweetie, that this academy is our own personal battlefield. Yes, all Special Gods are civil with each other but that’s where the relationship ends. Friendship could only take you so far, Donghae. In the end, we are on our own. That’s how cruel this world works.”

 

“But friends can also help you in the battle and life, right, Sungmin hyung? Just like how Heechul hyung and Geng hyung to me, and you also. They can be our greatest alliances and they have our backs when things go wrong.”

 

Sungmin chuckled, “Yeah. Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

 

“I have your back, Minnie hyung. Do you have mine as well?” To ask something like that to someone who did not really believe in friendship was a hopeful thought, but Donghae was willing to take the risk. He knew he got Sungmin’s back. He always had.

 

When silence surfaced inside their shared bedroom, although it hurt on his part, Donghae was more than ready to drop the subject. But before he could do that, he heard the God of Nature’s soft voice.

 

“I have, Donghae. Nature, the sea, and the wind will always have your back.”

 

 

 

Donghae threw a stone on the small lake and watched in fascination as it created a ripple effect on the water. The administrators cancelled their afternoon classes in preparation for the upcoming event that he had yet to know. Donghae was thankful for his Sungmin hyung for showing him this lake some time ago which was just a few walk away from the academy’s oval. He decided to come alone since he knew the others had their own businesses to do and also because he was still upset.

 

How can the hyungs and the dongsaengs not be friends with each other when friendship is the best thing in the world aside from love?

 

Donghae pouted at the thought and threw a handful of rocks this time.

 

“What is a lonely God doing in this lake all alone? And why are you so sad, dear?” A small voice from somewhere had said and Donghae clutched his chest in shock. He tried to find the owner of the voice but he was unsuccessful.

 

“Who are you? Can you come out? I won’t hurt you, I promise,” Donghae said, roaming his eyes everywhere in the lake.

 

Laughter soon followed his statement but the owner of the small voice was still nowhere to be found. “I know you won’t hurt me. You’re the famous progeny of the dearest God, Baldur.”

 

“Can you come out now? I don’t want to be alone anymore.”

 

“Look below you.”

 

And Donghae did. Hiding behind a medium-sized rock was a small creature—a dwarf to be specific and Donghae was amused and ecstatic at the same time. He reached out for the dwarf and offered his palm and the dwarf seemed to get what he was aiming for. The little creature climbed up and sat down on his left palm as he neared it to his own face.

 

The little dwarf was truly adorable and cute. He seemed to be in the middle-aged bracket in the standards of dwarves.

 

“What are you doing hiding behind a rock, little one? What if I had accidentally thrown you in the water?” Concern was evident in his voice as he truly meant what he had asked. What if he had accidentally flung the little guy in the water?

 

“I’m fast. I can run easily. Why are you sad?”

 

Donghae’s eyes turned downcast at the mention of that. He was suddenly reminded of the reason why he had been feeling down these past few days.

 

“The people I consider my friends don’t want to be friends with each other. And I always mess up in my classes. What should I do, Mr. Dwarf?”

 

“I’m Leif. What’s your name?”

 

“My name is Donghae and you are right. I am the descendant of Baldur.”

 

The dwarf—Leif—chuckled and his small voice proved to be enough to cheer Donghae up a bit. “I know. I’ve been watching you from afar since the moment you came here and it’s pretty obvious from how you behave to know what your bloodline is. Only the progenies of Baldur would be fascinated by a simple ripple effect on the water.”

 

“You’ve been here since then? You know my other predecessors?”

 

“Not really, since you’re the one who really heard my tiny voice. But you’re right on the part that I’ve been here since then. Your batch is already the eighteenth batch I have witnessed.”

 

“Woah! Does that mean you don’t really age, Leif-ssi? You don’t look that old to me.”

 

“You can say that. We only die of natural causes but not because of our old age.”

 

“That’s awesome. What are you doing here in the borders of Asgard and Midgard though? Aren’t you supposed to be in your own realm? Staying here might put you in danger.”

 

The little dwarf chuckled, “Don’t you attend your History classes, Donghae-ssi? After Hreidmar, our king, was slaughtered, almost every one of us in Svartalfheim had to escape before they could kill us too. I was among the lucky ones who had found a safer place to stay. Not everyone shared the same fate as I am.”

 

Because of Leif’s narration, Donghae’s heart hurt more. He could only imagine what happened to the other dwarves, but he was glad that he had met Leif.

 

Svartalfheim or the Nidavellir is the Home of the Dwarves. It was a bit far from Asgard and Midgard and was located near Helheim or the Home of Hel and the Dishonorable Dead.

 

“That’s unfortunate. I’m happy that you found a new home here in the academy. Were the other Gods treating you well?”

 

Leif nodded, “Most of them treat me well while some don’t even acknowledge the existence of the other creatures. It’s actually just my second time talking this civilly with a Special God.”

 

“Oh, you met one other Special God? May I ask who?”

 

“Two others actually, but I was talking about a civil conversation. I met Sungmin-ssi, Njoror’s current progeny. He’s really kind and I appreciate how he always makes sure that this lake, my home, is always in pristine condition.”

 

“Who’s the other one then?”

 

Leif’s face morphed into that of disgust and annoyance, and Donghae chuckled at the adorable creature.

 

“I also met Loki’s carbon copy progeny. A very mischievous and the most problematic God I have ever met in my entire existence.”

 

“You met Hyukjae?”

 

“Yeah. Hyukjae’s his name,” Leif’s nose scrunched. “He often comes here just to annoy me and the other creatures living in the lake. He does not really hurt us which is a relief but he is annoying at the highest level possible. He always tries to throw our food in the water and he puts bothersome spells in the lake. He’s the worst.”

 

Donghae laughed, softly ruffling the dwarf’s hair with his index finger. “Hyukjae’s not that bad, Leif-ssi. I’ll tell him to stop doing that now that I consider you my friend already.”

 

Leif smiled at him from ear to ear. “You are truly kind, innocent, and your heart is pure. One of the few kind souls that this messed up world has to protect. You said earlier that you’ve been messing up during your classes?”

 

“Yeah. Those physical activities are not my thing and I know I’ve been bringing down the standards of our class. I don’t know what to do.”

 

“Hard work always pays off, Donghae-ssi. Even if you start later than the others, you just have to sharpen your weapons, your heart, and your mind. Attitude makes a difference. Remember that.”

 

Donghae nodded, “I will. But I’ve been away for a while now. I think my Heechul hyung and Hangeng hyung are looking for me. Will I see you again, Leif-ssi?” Donghae gently placed his palm near the ground and the little dwarf jumped off.

 

“You know where to find me, Donghae-ssi.”

 

 

After a gruesome sword fight with Kangin and Kyuhyun, Hyukjae headed back to the special locker room designed specifically for the Special Gods. The room was located just a bit far away from the other locker rooms and it was also tightened with strictest security using the combined powers of the ten Gods.

 

As he walked down the corridor, he glared intensely at all those other Gods who had dared to even glance his way. He was so pissed off as Kyuhyun and Kangin managed to tag-team against him and his annoyance was pretty apparent. The God of Strength succeeded to tear a part of his cloak and now he had to replace it with a new one.

 

When he entered their locker room, he was a bit surprised to see Ryeowook inside. The shorter God was just watching the duel earlier, so how come he had managed to arrive here before him?

 

The raven-haired God seemed to be looking for something in his own locker and he coughed to announce his presence. Ryeowook turned to look at the newcomer and gave Hyukjae a brief smile.

 

“Oh hi, Hyukjae hyung! The duel had ended already? Who won?” The God of Wisdom asked, closing his locker to face him.

 

Hyukjae headed and opened his locker with an extra force he had unintentionally generated. “No one. As usual.” He rolled his eyes at that realization. Even though he alongside most of the Gods in their academy believed he was the most formidable God, Kangin’s strength and Kyuhyun’s skills were close second. Their fights always resulted in the same thing: draw.

 

Ryeowook chuckled, “Of course it’s a draw. Just accept the fact that the three of you are basically on the same level, hyung.”

 

Without even looking at the other, he knew the shorter God was cackling. Hyukjae’s fists clenched. “Never.”

 

Admitting that he was not the best in their batch or that he shared the same spot with another God was like failing his ancestry. Hyukjae would die first before admitting to himself and to the world that he was not the best.

 

As he grabbed his spare cloak, his eyes caught something. It was a black envelope with an unfamiliar silver wax seal. His curiosity got the best of him and he immediately tore the paper open.

 

Roses are red

Violets are blue

The untainted will meet his doom

And only the red can save the blue

 

Hyukjae’s eyes squinted at the vague message. The riddle was written in a very cryptic manner and if his deduction was correct, it was written in blood. In his stay here in the academy, there was only one person (or God) who loves to mess with his head using ambiguous and cryptic riddles.

 

He turned around with a deep frown, “Kim Ryeowook, this is not funny—”

 

Hyukjae slightly froze on his position.

 

The God of Wisdom was nowhere to be found.

 

 

 

It did not take that long for Hyukjae to find the God of Wisdom. In fact, he had already found him the moment he stepped foot inside the cafeteria. The shorter God was alone which meant that he could take his damn time questioning—more like tormenting—the other as much as he pleased.

 

With an irritated mind, he plopped down in front of Ryeowook, intentionally placing the puzzling piece of paper in front of the latter with a loud bang.

 

“What the?!” The God of Wisdom looked genuinely taken aback as he faced the God of Mischief, hands clutching his chest. “Were you trying to kill me, Lee Hyukjae?”

 

Hyukjae glared, “I would seriously kill you if you don’t stop with your ridiculous riddles. I don’t have time for your s, Kvasir’s descendant.”

 

The God in front of him seemed truly taken aback by his words but Hyukjae knew better than to be fooled by the other Gods’ acting skills.

 

“What are you talking about, hyung?” Ryeowook’s eyes then noticed the paper on the table. “And what’s this? What? Did you get a confession or something?”

 

Now it was his turn to look confused. “Didn’t you place that letter inside my locker? Wasn’t that why you were in the locker room earlier?”

 

The God of Wisdom laughed out loud, eyes gazing over the message on the paper. “No offense, hyung, but as much as I want to admit that you don’t look bad, you’re not really my type. I prefer someone quiet and mysterious, not someone rambunctious like you—wait! What in Odin’s name is this?” Ryeowook’s expression changed abruptly from playful to that of confusion.

 

“You’re telling me that letter didn’t come from you? You’re the only one in this academy who love these stupid riddles.”

 

The raven-haired God shook his head, re-reading the message again and again.

 

Hyukjae’s head started to hurt not just from the earlier swordfight but also from the current predicament he is in. “And what’s with the seal? Does that look familiar to you?”

 

The symbol that did not just serve as a seal but was also stamped in the letter itself was a silver roof with gold pillars. It did not look the least bit familiar to Hyukjae at all and so he just let the other God analyzed whatever he can.

 

“Silver roof. Gold pillars. This insignia looks familiar to me but I can’t quite pinpoint where I saw it. I need my books. Can I borrow this paper for the meantime, hyung?” Ryeowook asked and he nodded his head. “I’ll return this to you tomorrow if I ever find the answers. I still have no clue what the answer to the riddle is but maybe my books can help.”

 

Hyukjae let his eyes wander on the message for the last time.

 

Roses are red

Violets are blue

The untainted will meet his doom

And only the red can save the blue

 

What in Hel’s name does that even mean?