Pleasant-Featured Lady

[Serin]

I'm sorry,

but you're not

the person I'm

looking for. No...

Kind adventurer...

You're the one I'm looking

for, the one who's been on

a long journey to prove

his courage.

her courage.

Even in the darkness of

Niflheim, I can recognize

you. You shine out to me like

a star! I beg of you, please

listen to my story...

I know I can't stop

you from pursing your

path to glory. But if you

should change your mind...!

Thank you...

Now, if you've heard

from the others and as

you can tell by my appearance,

I clearly don't belong here.

I might not have

the luck to be selected

by Valkyrie, but I need

your help to get out of

here as soon as I can~

I know I'm asking too much

of you, but if you'd also help

the other unfortunate souls in

this place, I'd be truly grateful. Somehow, I think solving their problems will help me get back.

I knew you'd understand!

You really are a kind person.

Now, in order to help the other

misfortunate in Niflheim, you've got to remember to gain their trust first and get close to them, okay?

I... I understand.

Although I asked too much in asking you to help the other people here, I was hoping you'd realize that

would be the best way to learn clues for a way to escape for now.

Hmm...?

You don't know which

people you need to help

here in Niflheim? Mmm,

let me think about it...

In this doomed place,

there isn't too much trust

amongst some of the people

here, but some will share their

problems if you approach them

closely, face to face. Okay?

In this way, if they talk

to you first, they might

be more willing to accept

help or tell you what you

really need to know.

I hope this helps...

Thank you so much for

your help. This is all I have,

and it means a lot to me, but

I want you to have this ring. It's the only way I can properly express my gratitude for your aid so far.

To the dead,

living people

are either good

prey or good marks.

Hello, adventurer.

How have you been doing?

I'm surprised to still see you

around this dangerous town.

If you wander around

Niflheim, you'll find that

some of the deceased here are

different than most of the others in this town. Please talk to them and see if you can be of any help.

There's a Bard in

Niflheim with a very

sweet, yet melancholy voice.

He sings for strangers just

like you, adventurer.

I think he might know

some useful information,

so it might be a good

idea to speak with him.

Hello,

I'm surprised that

you've managed to survive

here all this time. It's no small feat for a mortal to be able to remain alive in Niflheim...

Ah,

How is everything?

Once again, I want to

thank you for helping the

poor souls in this place.

What's with that

look on your face?

Do you have something

you want to ask me?

Well, if you ever

need my help, please

don't hesitate to ask.

The Queen of the Dead?

Why, she's the ruler of Niflheim.

As Loki and Angrboda's last child, she was given complete control of this realm by Odin.

She usually rules from her

castle, Hell, but sometimes she goes out to tour Niflheim. That's all I really know about her.

Oh that...?

Sometimes it's called

the Voucher of the Dead.

Odin gave it to the Queen

of the Dead to signify her

authority over Niflheim.

There are many rumors

floating around about that

symbol and its abilities, but

all we know for sure is that it can be used to command the dead...

Angrboda...?

She's the mother of the

Queen of Hell, as well as

some of the most powerful

monsters in this universe.

The gods feared her monstrous

children so much that they bound

them and sealed Angrboda away.

Nothing has been heard

of her since...

Oh, the Witch was

talking about me? I'm

aware that she doesn't

think very highly of me.

Then again, it's not like

I can trust her either.

Well, it can't be helped.

At least we both agree that

somehow I don't really belong

here in Niflheim.

I'm sorry that I sort of

rambled on and on that last

time we spoke. Now that I think

about it, I didn't really give you any information that might have been very useful to you.

But lately I've heard that the

Queen of the Dead is seeking her

mother, Angrboda. It's strange that even the queen, with all of her

power, is unable to find her.

I have no idea how,

but it seems like Angrboda

has been sealed away in the

world of Midgard...

I've told you

everything I know.

But if you want to learn more

about Angrboda, you probably need to talk to someone who actually communicates with the gods.

Perhaps Valkyrie

or someone who actually

lived in Asgard may know

more about where Angrboda

is sealed away.

Also, why would you want

the Symbol of the Nine Realms?

It's a very dangerous object that could cause a lot of trouble if it fell into the wrong hands...

There are plenty of dead

people in Niflheim that are

driven by regret and despair.

The rage of being dead may result in some of them performing horrific deeds if they had the symbol.

I really think that you

should bring that symbol

to me before you show it to anybody else. Then, I want you to know why I really need its power.

I can't explain myself

now, but I want to use the

power of the symbol to do

something really helpful

for you. You'll just need

to trust me on this.

Then I will

wait for you here.

Alright...

It's your decision.

Ah...

Alright, I suppose

that if you're worthy

of obtaining the symbol,

you should also be able

to protect it from abuse.

If you obtain the

Symbol of Nine Realms,

please bring it to me

right away,

Yes...

This is the Symbol of the

Nine Realms. It only has enough

power for one use, but it's still not easy to get this. Now, what were you planning to use this for?

Ah, so you're here

in Niflheim to overcome

the ordeals of the gods and

prove your courage to Valkyrie.

So wait...

You've obtained that symbol

just for that witch? This may

seem rude, but I want to tell

you exactly how I feel about her.

Isn't it suspicious that she

hasn't explained her intentions to you? The Symbol of Nine Realms

is one of the most powerful objects in Niflheim. Whatever she's planning has to be large scale.

Then, there's that Metz Brayde.

Do you really believe that after he completes his research, he'll just give it back to you? You can't just trust someone to hold an object of enormous power and give it back!

Well, I can't really tell

you what to do, but I don't think it's a good idea to let that witch have the Symbol of Nine Realms. There's no telling what she'll

use its power for.

Actually...

There is this rumor

going around, but I don't

know if you want to hear it...

I'm sorry if you were offended.

I know I can't really convince you to believe anything, but please understand that I just don't want anyone to take advantage of you. Forgive my rudeness.

This is only

a lingering trace

of Serin, a manifestation

of her definitive memory.

...

......

..........

.............

....

I don't want to forget you.

I can forget my obsession with

life and all my other memories,

But if I can keep just one memory, I want it to be of your kindness.

Even now, you're still

so very kind to me. Thank

you for giving back my ring,

my most precious possession.

Thank you, thank you...

The sound of Serin's voice

softened and when it grew silent, her eyes blankly stared ahead as

if she were in a trance. It looks like she has already forgotten

everything...

But Serin has also been able

to forget her sadness. The tears streaked across her cheeks and

the faint smile on her lips tell you that her memories of you

will always remain in her heart.

...........

........

Well, I've heard that the witch has been hiding deep in Niflheim and will only speak to those who pass her test. Apparently, she's been preparing some sort of ritual

to gain more power...

It's almost too horrible

to believe, but I think that

she's preparing the ritual to

summon Dark Lord, ruler of

the Realm of Fiends.

Well, most people don't

know this, but Dark Lord

comes from the Realm of Fiends.

In his own domain, he's so powerful that even the gods fear his might.

Now, sometimes Dark Lord can

enter the world of Midgard, but only in a manifestation that represents just a small portion

of his full power.

You see, it takes too much energy to travel from the Realm of Fiends to Midgard. And since the life force in Midgard conflicts with his powers, Dark Lord can't reach your world directly.

Well, Dark Lord only wants

Midgard, so the Queen of the Dead doesn't feel threatened about her control of Niflheim.

In fact, I'm sure she's aware

that Dark Lord will cause thousands of deaths in Midgard, meaning that there would be thousands more souls for her to rule over. So it's not to her advantage to stop him.

No matter what the cost,

we've got to stop her from

summoning Dark Lord in order

to protect Midgard from

total annihiliation.

I used to be a pretty

skilled Wizard, so I know

that she needs to draw a really huge magic circle in Niflheim if she wants to summon Dark Lord.

Well, there are certain rules

and conditions to perform the summoning. There aren't any spaces wide enough in the Valley of Gyoll, and Niflheim's entrance is watched by too many people...

Now, if I were to summon

Dark Lord, I would probably

do it somewhere inside town

to avoid attention. Hmmm...

I'll send you there once I figure out where the circle might be.

I need to finish

my preparations to send

you to the magic circle,

so I need a little more time...

So are you

ready to leave?

Okay~

Let's go...

My preparations

are taking longer

than I thought. Would

you wait a little while?

This is just a lingering

trace of Serin, an impression

of her soul and memories that

you can still sense somehow.

W-who...

Who are you?

What could have happened to her?

FSuddenly, Serin's

gold ring sparkled

with a soft glow and

faded away.

You returned

Serin's gold ring.