Legend of the North

Chapter 5: Fenrir

Cristian thought he was hearing things. Did Fenrir, the wolf summon who had been by his side for many years, say it was actually the Fenrir of the apocalypse? No, he had to be hearing things. It was impossible. That Fenrir was just a myth that had been passed down for generations. There had never been real proof that the wolf existed.

[What insolence. I’m right here.]

“You really want me to believe that you’re the great beast of the end? Do you know how ridiculous it sounds?” Cristian said as he stared into the wolf’s eyes.

[Who else could send you back in time to live life again? Tell me. What other beast has that kind of power?]

He opened his mouth to answer, but no words escaped his lips because Fenrir was right. If not the beast of legends, what beast could have the power to give Cristian a second chance?

Even so, it was hard to believe that he of all people could summon such a legendary beast. People throughout history have summoned all manner of beasts, from sea serpents to dragons. However, Fenrir was in a completely different class of its own. Despite having never been summoned before, there were all kinds of stories about the legendary wolf. Very few beasts could compare to him, and they have also never been summoned.

Fenrir suddenly pressed a paw to his forehead, distracting him from his thoughts. The wolf gave what it probably thought was a ferocious glare, which only looked like a cute grumpy expression.

[Don’t look down on yourself. You managed to summon me, which proves you are a class above the other humans. If you can’t see any of your good qualities, what does that make me?]

The wolf was right. Even if he had doubts, the fact that Fenrir was there meant he had the qualifications to be the wolf’s partner.

“I still can’t believe you’re the real Fenrir. What were the chances I named you correctly?” Cristian said, thinking about the day he named Fenrir.

Truthfully, he only named the wolf Fenrir because he wanted to prove himself to everyone who looked down on him. With such a powerful name, he had hoped to show that they were wrong about Fenrir being a weak summon. Ironically, it turned out that Fenrir was possibly the most powerful summon in history.

[I admit I would have been furious if you dared to name me Snowy or Furball.]

“Yeah, there’s no way I would name anything like that,” he said.

[In any case, what are your plans now?]

Cristian grimaced at the reminder. “I’ve been officially kicked out of the house, so I only have what’s on me.”

Even then, it was actually less than that. By now, his family must have cut him off from everything like the phone plan, bank accounts, and several other things. He literally had no money to his name or anything of monetary worth. If he wanted to prepare and survive the apocalypse, he would need to find a way to make money fast. Unfortunately, there were only shady options, and even those were limited. His reputation for summoning a useless beast would have spread by now.

Fenrir growled, and he quickly placated the wolf. “I know you’re not useless, but no one else knows, and we’re keeping it that way.”

[I’m surprised you didn’t try to leverage the fact that I’m Fenrir.]

“I’m not dumb. Maybe if it was my past self, I would have done that, but it would only do me more harm than good,” he said.

In the past, it would have been slightly easier to say the wolf was Fenrir given his appearance. Everyone knew the Fenrir from the myth was a giant white wolf, but Fenrir hadn’t shown any abilities that made him different from an ordinary wolf. Besides, no one would automatically think the wolf was really Fenrir. Now that Fenrir was stuck as a small wolf, no one would believe the claim. They would think he was crazy. Even if someone did, they would take advantage of the fact that Fenrir had been weakened. It just wasn’t worth it to tell anyone. At least not at the moment.

[You have a point. The other humans would most likely want to kill you when they realize the apocalypse will start in a week because of me.]

He froze. “Excuse me?”

Fenrir stared innocently at him like it hadn’t just dropped critical information. What did the wolf mean the apocalypse was starting because of it?

Trying to keep his voice calm, Cristian said, “Fenrir, please explain.”

[Have you forgotten I’m the great beast of the end? My existence basically means the coming of the apocalypse. My arrival here is the reason why the apocalypse is starting in a week.]

Cristian stared at Fenrir for several moments before he couldn’t take it anymore and placed the wolf down on the ground. Then he proceeded to pace back and forth while rubbing his hands against his cheeks.

“This can’t be happening. This can’t be happening. I can’t be the reason the apocalypse is happening,” he muttered to himself.

However, no matter how hard he tried to deceive himself, the apocalypse was undoubtedly his fault. If he hadn’t summoned Fenrir, the apocalypse would never happen. He literally caused the end of the world.

[I think you’re giving yourself too much credit. While it’s true that the apocalypse is starting early because you summoned me, it would have happened eventually. A couple years down the line, the apocalypse would have started anyway.]

He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to feel better after hearing that and decided that it was best he didn’t think about it at all. In fact, he was going to pretend he didn’t hear any of it and act like the apocalypse had nothing to do with him.

Bending down in front of Fenrir, he said, “I know you said that you have become weakened after sending me into the past, but is there anything you can do to help me now?”