The child walked for a long distance until he reached an ancient place within Asgard.
The trees there were enormous and incredibly tall, their branches intertwining until they almost covered the sky.
The sounds of birds echoed between the branches, while the roars of predatory creatures spread throughout the area, filling the place with an indescribable sense of mystery and awe.
But strangely...
He did not feel fear.
Nor did he feel the need to be cautious.
Instead, he continued walking with an unusual calmness, as if something unseen was guiding him toward his destination.
Until he finally reached a peaceful lake surrounded by trees on every side, its clear waters reflecting the light of the sky.
And the strangest thing of all...
The predators did not attack him.
They passed by him as if they could not see him at all, or as though his existence was beyond their perception.
When he reached the shore of the lake...
He saw before him a brown deer.
It was beautiful, enormous, and radiated a feeling of warmth and safety that was difficult to describe.
The boy's eyes widened in shock as he stared at the majestic creature.
But at that moment...
He felt as though the voice he had heard earlier had returned, whispering deep within his soul:
"Protect this deer."
The moment he heard those words...
The deer suddenly dashed away at incredible speed, as if it had sensed a strange presence nearby.
The boy immediately ran after it.
He did not know why he was doing this.
He did not understand why he was chasing the deer.
But he could not ignore that voice.
He felt a strange and deep connection to it, as though that command was a part of his very soul.
He continued running for a long time, crossing forests and mountains, until he saw the deer enter the entrance of an ancient cave located within one of Asgard's mountains.
Without hesitation, the boy followed it inside.
But...
The moment he entered...
He stopped in place.
The giant deer he had been chasing was nowhere to be seen.
Instead...
Before him was a small deer, crying and struggling to stand up from the ground but unable to do so.
The boy was confused by what he saw.
He had witnessed with his own eyes how enormous the deer had been only moments ago.
So how had it suddenly transformed into a small creature that could barely even stand or move?
However, despite his confusion...
He quickly rushed toward it.
But before he could touch it...
The entire cave suddenly shook violently.
Rocks began falling from the ceiling.
The ground trembled beneath his feet.
And the entire cave started collapsing.
The child did not know what to do.
He tried to escape quickly before the entrance became blocked.
But then he remembered the voice he had heard.
He stopped.
Then immediately turned back toward the deer, trying to grab it and carry it outside before the cave collapsed completely.
But...
No matter how hard he tried to move it or lift it...
He could not.
It was as if the deer's body was far heavier than it should have been, in a way that made no sense.
Before he could even express his confusion...
The cave collapsed completely.
Huge rocks blocked the entrance entirely.
And in the next moment...
A massive boulder fell from above directly toward them.
The boy quickly threw away the club he was carrying.
Then raised both hands toward the falling rock, trying to stop it with all the strength he possessed.
But he could not.
The boulder was simply too massive and too heavy for a child his age.
It nearly crushed him instantly.
The overwhelming weight forced him down onto his knees.
Yet...
He was not crushed.
Instead, he resisted with everything he had.
He endured the terrifying weight and struggled to maintain his position no matter the cost.
The pressure of the boulder slowly began breaking his body.
His hands, fingers, and nails became covered in blood from the unbearable strain.
Sweat covered his forehead as every muscle in his body trembled violently beneath the enormous weight.
But...
He did not scream.
He did not cry.
He simply remained on his knees, carrying the weight of the boulder with his back and hands, preventing it from crushing him and the small deer beneath him.
He knew...
That he could escape the cave if he let go of the boulder.
But he also knew...
That the deer would be crushed instantly if he did.
And so...
He gritted his teeth and endured the terrible pain with all his courage, while looking down at the small deer beneath him.
Then...
Despite the blood, sweat, and agony tearing through his body...
He smiled gently.
And said in a tired voice filled with reassurance:
"It's alright... it's alright, little one..."
"Everything is going to be okay..."
"I will definitely get you out of here."
The boy did not know why he had said those words to a mere deer.
He also did not know why he had not escaped the cave when he had the chance.
But he felt...
That he had to do it.
As though it was not a choice he made himself...
But a destiny that had been written for him long ago.
The boy gritted his teeth with all his strength, while his muscles trembled beneath the enormous weight.
And suddenly...
He let out a powerful roar that shook the entire cave.
At that moment...
He saw before his eyes the memories of his harsh training, everything he had endured, and the burden he had carried upon his shoulders throughout his life.
He remembered every time he had fallen and stood back up.
He remembered the wounds that covered his body.
And he remembered how he had never been able to become strong enough to honor his family's name the way he wished.
But...
At that very moment...
He felt something strange awaken deep within him.
Something that had remained asleep his entire life.
He felt an overwhelming power begin flowing through his body, filling every part of him with energy unlike anything he had ever experienced before.
Suddenly...
His body began to change.
His thin frame expanded.
His weak limbs became filled with powerful muscles.
His short body rapidly grew taller at a frightening speed.
Within only a few seconds...
The small, skinny child became far stronger and taller than any of his peers by an overwhelming difference.
At the same time...
The old scars covering his body disappeared.
The new wounds on his back, arms, and hands began healing at an astonishing speed before his eyes.
Then...
He slowly began to rise.
Although he was still kneeling beneath the massive boulder...
He gradually managed to stand.
With incredible strength...
He lifted the enormous rock above his head.
Then he released another powerful roar and threw it toward the cave entrance with all his might.
The boulder shot forward at terrifying speed.
It collided with the rocks blocking the entrance.
A massive explosion echoed throughout the cave as stones scattered in every direction.
And indeed...
He succeeded in opening the cave entrance once again.
The boy smiled with overwhelming happiness.
Then he looked at his own body.
He touched his arms, his muscles, and his height, as if unable to believe what he was seeing.
His smile widened.
Then he burst into laughter from pure joy, saying:
"I awakened..."
"I finally awakened!"
The child continued laughing happily, unable to believe that this incredible power had become a part of him.
Then he looked downward...
But...
He did not see the deer.
He froze in place.
A look of shock appeared on his face.
He searched throughout the cave, looking for it.
But he found no trace of the creature.
As if it had vanished from existence itself.
The boy was deeply confused.
However...
Deep inside, he felt that he should not question it.
Nor should he search for the truth behind that deer.
As though something was telling him that everything was over...
And that he needed to move forward.
Therefore...
He bent down and picked up his club, which had become noticeably lighter in his hands.
Then he left the cave with steady steps.
He headed directly back toward the training grounds, wanting to tell everyone that he had awakened his power.
Meanwhile...
Inside the Cave of the Three Seers...
The Three Seers suddenly opened their eyes.
They looked at one another with clear surprise.
Then they spoke with one voice:
"The boy has succeeded in passing Asgard's trial."
After that...
The three sisters turned their gazes toward the boy, despite the enormous distance separating them.
Then they declared with solemn voices:
"From this day forward..."
"This boy shall be called Hercules..."
"By the command of Asgard."
After saying those words...
The Three Seers closed their eyes once again.
And now we understand...
The deer and the voice that the boy heard were not mere illusions or imagination.
They were created by the Three Seers under the command of Asgard, to test the young child and determine whether he possessed the qualities required to become something extraordinary in the future.
And the child succeeded in that trial...
With overwhelming brilliance.
For the boy could have escaped easily and saved himself from the collapsing cave.
But instead...
He chose to risk his own life for a weak deer.
He expected no reward.
After all...
It was only a deer.
Yet he did not hesitate for even a moment to sacrifice himself to protect a helpless creature with no ability to defend itself.
And because of that...
He deserved to pass the trial.
He deserved to awaken such a terrifying and extraordinary power.
A power that completely reshaped his body...
Transforming him into a perfect form.
(Author's Note):
Hello everyone! Thank you for your continuous support of this novel; your comments and interactions mean the world to me.
Stepping away from our story here for a moment, I wanted to share another project I've been working on with great passion. I have started publishing a webtoon (comic) on the Webtoon platform titled "Me and the Wolf."
It is a [Comedy / Fantasy] story about a miserable young man and a cunning wolf who is constantly getting him into trouble! If you enjoy my writing style and the way I build scenarios, I promise you're going to love this comic.
I would be so grateful if you could go check it out, subscribe to the series, and let me know what you think in the comments there!
🔍 Search on the Webtoon app for: [Me and the Wolf]