The shock of Freyr's rejection, intertwined with this new 'hope', plunged Hödr into an even more complex emotional vortex.
She approached Baldr with a certain resolve to break the cauldron and the unrealistic expectations after Freyr had 'encouraged' her.
At that time, Baldr was in the garden of the Golden Palace, surrounded by a group of minor gods and elves who admired him.
His long blonde hair flowed with a honey-like luster in the sun, and his laughter was pure and infectious.
Hödr felt her way through the slightly subsiding laughter and approached Baldr.
"Brother..." Her voice was even weaker than when she faced Freyr, carrying a heartbreaking timidity.
When Baldr saw his sister, he immediately waved away the surrounding gods, and a warm smile blossomed on his face.
He naturally took Hödr's hand, his movements soft and protective.
"Hödr, why are you here? Is something the matter?"
His voice was like the warm spring sun, enough to melt any ice and snow.
Feeling the warmth of her brother's hand and listening to his concerned voice, Hödr's accumulated courage and morbid desire flared up again.
She lifted her face, trying to 'stare' in Baldr's direction, though she saw nothing.
"I... I love you. Not the love of a sister for a brother... It's... the kind of love that wants to be yours alone and by your side forever."
In an instant, silence fell over the garden. Even the wind stopped blowing.
The smile on Baldr's face froze.
His blue eyes were full of shock, disbelief, and deep sorrow.
He looked at his pale, blind sister, who exuded anxiety and despair before him, and his heart was a mix of emotions.
There was concern over his sister's clearly abnormal emotions, worry for her situation, and a sense of guilt—perhaps it was his light that made her darkness so unbearable?
His silence was as long as a century for Hödr.
Every second amplified her fear and low self-esteem.
Finally, Baldr spoke, his voice remaining gentle, but with undeniable firmness and tact:
"Hödr, my dear sister."
He held her hand tighter, as if trying to convey strength.
"I love you too. You are my most important sister; we are bound by blood. This bond is unique and cannot be replaced by anyone. I care for you and protect you; that is my responsibility and love as your brother. But... as a wife? No, that is wrong; it goes against nature and law. You deserve healthy, pure love from a man who truly understands you and appreciates everything about you, not me."
He tried to comfort her and gently embraced her; the hug was warm and brief, like alms.
"You will find your happiness, I promise. I will always be your brother, always protect you."
However, this gentleman's refusal, this euphemistic comfort, was harsher than the cruelest curse in Hödr's ears.
It completely shattered her last illusions and dignity.
"Unique bond... Always protect..."
She repeated softly, her body beginning to tremble uncontrollably.
A cold and piercing chill spread from her heart to her limbs.
The light she longed for had once again mercilessly left her.
Twice she confessed, twice she was rejected, and the reasons were so 'right', so 'for her own good'.
Why? Was it because she was dark? Was it because she was blind? Was it because she was unworthy?
A simple longing, like a seedling trampled repeatedly, began to rot and decay in the mud of despair and humiliation.
She no longer trembled; her body tensed, her empty eyes growing deeper.
She did not cry, did not question, simply said quietly in an unusually calm, eerie tone: "I understand, brother."
Then, step by step, she slowly retreated into the familiar shadows, as if she had never appeared.
But from this moment on, the goddess of darkness, Hödr, who had humbly yearned for the light, was dead.
...
After these two devastating rejections, Hödr completely drowned in the shadows of her own heart.
The outside world became increasingly blurred to her, and only one paranoid thought grew brighter and hotter:
Since we cannot live together, let us die together!
Only in the eternal realm of death can light and darkness truly mingle and never be parted.
This idea was mad and resolute, with a trembling poetry, and became the only pillar supporting her existence.
However, the reality before her was like a cold wall—Baldr was protected by the oath of all the world and was nearly immortal.
Swords, fire, disease, poison... No known harm could touch him.
Her darkness could never truly engulf that dazzling light.
Just as she was repeatedly suffering this dilemma in despair, the voice that always 'inadvertently' touched her at critical moments sounded again at the right time.
Loki, like a prompter hidden behind the curtain of fate, used his seemingly careless but actually malicious tone to 'just happen' for Hödr to overhear key information while communicating with others.
"...By the way, it's truly ironic," Loki might have been playing with a certain golden cup, his voice carrying his usual mockery.
"Our God of Light is now the safest being in the Nine Realms. Everything has taken an oath, and even the tiniest mistletoe dares not touch him. Oh, except... well, those who weren't there at the time? For example, our 'brother of justice' in Vanaheimr, Týr? He didn't even take the oath. Just think, if even Týr, the most just and caring for the weak, misses something and acts with anger... That scene must be very interesting."
Týr! That brother renowned for his justice and oath!
He didn't swear!
Moreover, he was always known for protecting the weak and strictly opposing injustice.
What if... what if he thought Baldr was 'bullying' his poor, blind sister?
How could the god of justice tolerate his brother mistreating his sister?
A poisonous plan quickly formed in her heart.
She needed to convince Týr that Baldr had done something extremely excessive and unforgivable to her.
And what could directly provoke a god who valued honor and justice?
Nothing less than the mockery and betrayal of pure emotions.
She needed to send a message to Týr.
But she couldn't leave Ásgarðr herself, and couldn't trust any of the Æsir.
At this moment, Hermes, who always smiled harmlessly, appeared in her field of vision...
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