Lead-gray clouds obscured the daylight, rolling slowly from the north, enveloping Asgard in a dim haze, and the faint roar of thunder echoed faintly like the low roar of a giant beast.

On the empty street, the two maids held flower baskets and looked up at the oppressive clouds in the sky, their expressions a little solemn.

"Thunderclouds are coming from the north...... Looks like Lord Thor is coming back soon. One of the maids muttered to herself.

"Lord Thor doesn't seem to be in a good mood, didn't he catch the assassin?"

"It seems that yes, it took two days to run back and forth, and if the assassin is not caught, Lord Thor must be in a terrible mood, this is not a rare meeting......"

The other maid sighed.

"Let's hurry back, Lord Sif asked us to pick these flowers, we must be trying to surprise Lord Thor, if he comes back and sees Lord Sif standing in the midst of so many blooming scales to pick him up, maybe he will be in a good mood." A maid sniffed the rich fragrance of flowers in her arms, and a look of yearning appeared in her eyes,

"The flower language of the scale chrysanthemum seems to be eternal love, right? I don't know if Lord Thor will be able to appreciate Lord Shyph's good intentions. ”

"Let's not worry about the affairs between the gods, we really won't be able to catch up if we slow down!"

The two maids walked quickly along the cloudy streets.

At this moment, a golden rainbow light swept across the sky, as if it had discovered something, circled half a circle in the air, and flew straight towards them.

Dressed in an elegant dark gold gown, Blaki stepped out of the light, his eyes fixed on the pale yellow flowers blooming in the hands of the two maids, and a look of joy appeared on his face:

"Scales? That's a good implication...... Sorry, I'll borrow it first! ”

Blaki didn't say a word, his palm flipped over, and the scale chrysanthemum in the maid's hand flew directly into his hand, and then his body turned into a streamer and flew into the distance again.

"This flower is owed to you, come to the Eternal Garden in a while, you can pick the flowers in the garden!"

As Blaki's voice faded away, the two maids stood blankly in their arms with empty flower baskets.

"Sister...... Sister, our flowers have been snatched away! One of the maids finally came to her senses, and was about to cry in a hurry.

The other maid didn't respond, staring blankly in the direction of Blaki's departure, standing in place like a stone sculpture.

"He's ...... No, it can't be? Hasn't that adult been missing for a long time? And the Eternal Garden ......" her brow furrowed, her face full of puzzlement.

"Sister, what are you talking about?"

“…… Quick, go back! Go back to Lord Sif and Master Thor! The maid's expression was so anxious that she lifted her skirt and ran quickly to the end of the road.

"Blaki is back!!"

……

【Dear Blaki】

[Do you remember the winding gravel path at the entrance of the garden? Is it the one we made together with stones from the holy river? 】

[The stone in the holy river is indeed the hardest and closest to eternal thing in the world, and it has not changed at all in the hundred years since you left. Every time Verdante came to me to borrow a flower seed, she would try to put her foot on it with all her might, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't step on a single crack. 】

[Whenever I see her stubborn and distressed expression, I think it's so cute......]

[I believe that the love between us will be closer to eternity than that stone path, and even if death dances on it, it will not be possible to separate us......]

……

Under the dim thunderclouds,

Blaki looked at the familiar gravel path in his memory and remembered the letter Eden had written to him not long ago.

The pale yellow chrysanthemum swayed in the wind, and a few petals fell, swirling gently on the gravel path, and then drifted towards the end of the path...... The corners of his mouth rose slightly.

Holding a bouquet of flowers in his left hand and straightening his collar with his right hand, he looked like a high-spirited young general who had just returned from the battlefield, smiling, ready to welcome the bride who had been waiting for him for a hundred years.

Blaki took a step and walked slowly down the gravel path.

……

[Asgard in spring is always so charming. 】

[I sat on the swing at the entrance of the garden, surrounded by blooming golden buds, and the fragrance of the flowers almost overwhelmed me when the warm spring breeze blew...... Do you remember the sea of gold we saw at the summit of the Giantlands? The petals of the golden buds sweep through the garden in the spring breeze, almost exactly like the waves of the Sea of Gold. 】

[Thanks to your reminder, I asked Sif to help solve the problem of the overflow of wild brocade fruits, and now the garden has been cleaned by me, and it is as beautiful as when we first got married.] 】

【If you come back, you will definitely like it very much......】

……

On the dim stone path, the wind blowing from nowhere brought a hint of coolness.

Blaki climbed the stairs among the flying dead leaves, his bright dark gold gown seemed to be the only color in this dead world, and the whimpering wind seemed to have countless muffled wind instruments hidden in the forest, playing a happy chapter for his return.

Blaki stepped up the last step of the stairs with the scales in his hand, and when he saw the scene in front of him, he suddenly froze in place.

The cold wind blew through the gray-white garden, and on top of the parched soil, only fragments of broken roots and stumps stood alone in the wind.

There is no warm wind, no floral fragrance, no golden wave after the golden buds she planted with her own hands bloom......

Beneath the thundering sky, only a dilapidated wooden house remained, perched atop a ruined garden in the distance.

With his crisp collar and the wind-blown hunting sound, Blaki stood dumbfounded in front of the ruined garden, motionless like a dead sculpture.

His eyes were full of confusion and incomprehension...... Everything was different from what he imagined.

It shouldn't be like this......

It shouldn't be like this here!?

Blaky's pupils trembled uncontrollably, even though he kept denying in his heart that this was his and hers' home, but the traces clearly engraved in his memory were like someone holding a horn in his ear, constantly roaring and roaring, shaking his brain blank.

"Impossible...... That's impossible. Blachi's eyes dilated, and he kept shaking his head,

"Eden! Eden! Where are you?! I am back...... I am back! Eden!! ”

He pulled out his stiff legs, and as if he had gone mad, he ran along the path in the courtyard that was almost submerged in dust and soil.