IBHJ Chapter 783

Skadi turned and looked him straight in the eye. "Eternal King, are you sure you've drunk from the Well of Mimir?"

Shirou paused for a moment. "Actually, I'm not entirely sure," he said. "I still have some doubts, and I need to confirm something."

She frowned. "You're saying this now? Don't tell me you've been lying to us."

"Miss Skadi, please calm down," Illya interjected. "Shirou-niisan is not a liar, so I'm sure he has his reasons."

Chloe chimed in, "Well, according to the legend, didn't the Eternal King's territory encompass Northern Europe and Central Asia? So maybe he had the opportunity to drink from the well when he was alive?"

Illya blinked in surprise. "That's... a good point. Just because he hasn't had contact with it now doesn't mean he didn't in the past. I'm impressed, Chloe. I guess even you can say something insightful sometimes."

Chloe pouted and raised her hands. "What's that supposed to mean? I'm always insightful!"

Skadi sighed. "Either way, it's better for you to jump in. It should be clear then whether you've drunk from the Well of Mimir or not."

Shirou's mind flashed back to what Odin had told him about the reset, but he remained somewhat skeptical. In fact, he found it too unbelievable. It wasn't that he didn't believe in the existence of past lives or the idea of his life being reset over and over. Rather, he found it too far-fetched. Given his luck, it seemed more believable that the dream was a tool someone had used to scheme against him. In the dream, something had been staring at him from the darkness the entire time, observing him... and maybe even plotting against him.

He sighed, then jumped into Mímisbrunnr, but nothing special seemed to happen, leaving Skadi, who had been watching with anticipation, feeling a bit disappointed.

"Well, that settles it," she calmly stated. "This means that Eternal King has never drunk from the Well of Mimir."

Skadi had seen this coming and hadn't raised her expectations, but still, a pang of disappointment tugged at her. After all, this was reality. How could a heroic spirit from a different place and time possibly have drunk from the Well of Mimir?

And let's not forget about the Norse gods who kept a close eye on the well and Asgard. Even if he had somehow managed to get close to it, which was impossible, there's no way the Norse gods would have let an outsider drink from it. It was simply inconceivable.

Skadi felt like she was watching a farce. She had already known the outcome and was about to turn and leave when she suddenly noticed Mímisbrunnr emitting a glow.

She was taken aback. What was going on? Why was the well suddenly lit up like a beacon after Shirou jumped in? Skadi couldn't believe what she was seeing. Shirou was clearly a modern-day Japanese man, a human from the end of the Age of Gods. None of this made any sense! And yet, there it was, right in front of her face.

Suddenly, Shirou let out a cry of pain. His face contorted in agony, as if he was enduring great suffering.

"Eternal King, are you okay?" everyone present asked, concern etched on their faces.

Shirou's face was drenched in sweat. He gritted his teeth and managed to say, "It feels like my brain's on fire and my head's about to split open."

He clenched his teeth, seemingly enduring immense pain. But when he raised his right hand, everyone present was stunned. The Command Spells representing his status as a Master were now emitting a blood-red glow, as if they were burning. Just what was going on?

It wasn't just them who were surprised, but Skadi herself as well. Why was there this feeling of being summoned? This feeling of a connection with a contractor, as if calling to her, as if saying, "I have summoned and formed a contract with you. Now you're my Servant."

She was completely at a loss about the situation.

The command seal on the back of his right hand glowed a deep, blood-red, making the already dim and decaying world seem even more foreboding. The sudden, searing pain made Shirou clutch his hand, his face contorted in agony. It felt like he had stuck his hand directly into a furnace, with an unbearable burning sensation. Cold sweat trickled down his forehead and along his face.

Skadi, who had been standing by the well, frowned and leaped down from the edge to his side. She reached out and enveloped his hand with both of hers. Her eyes flashed, and a chilling, snowy divinity surrounded his hand, encasing it in a block of ice.

"How's that? Any better?" Skadi asked.

"No," Shirou said through gritted teeth, shaking his head as cold sweat continued to pour down his face. "I can't feel my hand at all now, but there's still a burning sensation on the back of it."

"Then there's nothing more I can do. This must be something that affects the soul and spirit, not the physical body."

"What's going on?" He asked, his voice tight with worry as he cradled his frozen hand.

Skadi turned to face him, her expression troubled. "That's what I'd like to know," she then frowned, her gaze searching his. "Why did my contract with Ymir end up with you instead?"

Shirou met her eyes steadily, despite the pain in his hand. "You never had a contract with Ymir. You've always been in a contract with me."

Skadi's frown deepened, confusion etched onto her face as she struggled to comprehend his words. Just as she was about to ask for clarification, she found herself stunned into silence.

Shirou's eyes, already as bright as fire, suddenly intensified, flames dancing within them. It was no longer a mere metaphor; actual flames burned in his eyes, spreading upward along his eye sockets, forming an intricate and magical pattern on his forehead that resembled ancient text. The arcane symbols glowed with an otherworldly light, pulsing in time with the flickering flames in his eyes.

Skadi stared at the pattern, her own concerns forgotten. "The Runes of Wisdom!?" she exclaimed.

"The Runes of Wisdom?" Shirou asked, holding his head in frustration. Not only was the command seal on the back of his right hand burning fiercely, but his head also felt like it was splitting from the pain.

"Being able to obtain the runes of wisdom means you truly drank from Well of Mimir," her voice filled with disbelief. "But how is that possible?"

Under the influence of the Well of Mimir, the runic symbol on Shirou's forehead flashed with light. In an instant, a flood of information poured out, manifesting as a myriad of illusions that danced and shimmered on either side of him. It was as if the ancient gods had chosen to reveal a glimpse of their secrets to Shirou. The illusions twinkled like stars in the night sky, their light and shadows weaving together to tell the tales of a forgotten past.

Shirou's gaze was drawn to one particular illusion, its mottled light and shadows flickering before him. In it, he saw an immense, towering tree standing tall upon the earth, its branches entangled with the withered corpses of life, painting a bleak and lifeless scene.

"It's Ymir," Skadi whispered.