A towering, boundless iron gate cut off the world inside the temple from the one outside. Soldiers riding skeletal leopards and black horses stood in orderly ranks, patrolling in circles—the stark contrast between white bone and black fur striking to the eye. On the platform above the temple, a skeletal dragon glowing with a faint green light lazily swayed its tail. At the very top, Odin’s black dragon spread its wings in the rain, gliding through the sky and exhaling white mist.Whenever it rained, the sky here felt oppressively low, as though dark clouds and lightning were merging with the earth itself. Yet when night fell, the lights bestowed upon the imperial capital a brilliance of utmost luxury.Above the twelve principal godly palaces appeared the statues of the awakened deities: Odin, Hodr, Freyr, Balder, Loki, Thor, Heimdall, Freyja, and Bragi. Among them, the statues of Balder, Loki, and Freyr were golden, while the rest were silver. Gold belonged to the Vanir; silver to the
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