Crystal-clear water that held incredible power and knowledge surrounded it.
The Salmon didn’t know how it appeared in this place, but it was fine with that.
Every day, it would simply swim around this small space, unaware that there was a bigger world outside of the Well of Mimir.
The Salmon never felt hungry, but from time to time, there was a handsome young man, who would come to visit it and throw insects down for it to eat.
This person’s name was Mimir, and he told the Salmon that he was the one who placed it inside the well that held all the wisdom in the world.
The Salmon, who soaked up the magical waters that held all the knowledge of the world, was able to speak every language in existence.
Because of this, it didn’t have any problems conversing with the young man who insisted that he was the Salmon’s Master.
“Little Salmon, listen well,” Mimir said in a teasing tone. “If anyone asks who you are, tell them that you are the Salmon of Mimir.”
“I don’t want to,” the Salmon replied. “There’s no way I’ll introduce myself like that to other people.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Yes.”
“Then should I barbecue you right now and eat you?”
The Salmon shuddered and quickly swam to the deepest part of the well. However, as if pulled by a powerful force, it found itself rising towards the surface, meeting the handsome young man face to face.
“Who are you, Little Salmon?” Mimir asked with a devilish smile on his face.
Since it was a very intelligent Salmon, it immediately knew what Mimir wanted. Left with no other choice, the Salmon said the thing that the handsome young man wanted to hear.
“I am Mimir’s Salmon,” the Salmon replied.
“Very good,” Mimir nodded his head in satisfaction before returning the salmon back to the water. “I will be leaving for a while, so you will be in charge of protecting this well. Of course, I don’t expect much from you. But, at the very least, you must make sure that whoever drinks from this well has to pay a price. Do I make myself clear?”
The Salmon of Mimir nodded, and with that, the handsome young man disappeared without a trace.
Days turned into months.
And months turned into years.
Even so, the Salmon never bothered to wonder why Mimir hadn’t returned since the day he left.
It just spent its days swimming inside the well and dreamt of many things in its sleep.
It dreamt of people and places.
Of Heroes and Lords.
Of Beasts and Monsters.
And several tales of Old.
But, one day, an old man appeared at the Well and asked the Salmon a question.
“May I have a drink on this Well so that I can become wiser?”
The Salmon felt offended that someone would dare to even ask to drink the water it was swimming in.
“No, you may not drink this water,” the Salmon replied. “My Master is not here, so you should wait for him to return.”
“Then, who are you?” the old man asked. “Also, do you know when he will return?”
“I am Mimir’s Salmon,” the Salmon answered, even though it didn’t want to be referred to in this manner. “And no. I don’t know when my Master will return. It has been a decade since I last saw him, so I don’t know when he will return.”
The Old Man sighed. “How unfortunate.”
The old man left, and the Salmon thought that it had successfully driven away the Old Coot from its territory.
However, the next day, the Old Man returned and asked the same question.
Naturally, the Salmon replied the same way that it did yesterday.
However, this time, the old man didn’t leave.
It continued to pester the Salmon, over and over again.
If fishes could experience aneurysm, then the Salmon would have already experienced it due to the stubbornness of the old man who refused to take no for an answer.
Reaching its limit, the Salmon finally gave up and entertained the Old Coot who wished to gain the knowledge that would allow him to know the hidden secrets of the world.
“If you wish to drink from this water, then you have to pay the price,” the Little Salmon stated.
“And what price must I pay?” the Old man inquired.
“Your eye,” the Little Salmon replied out of annoyance. “Give me your eye, and I will allow you to drink.”
Thinking that this would deter the old man, the Salmon praised itself for being smart.
How could someone possibly agree to its demand and pluck out their own eye?
Only crazy people would do that.
Unfortunately, the old man whom the Salmon met was one of those crazy people.
Taking a deep breath, the old man plucked one of his eyes and tossed it inside the well.
A moment later, he scooped up the water from the well with both hands and drank it greedily, not caring about the blood that was flowing from his eye socket.
After he finished drinking the water, the wound on his eye healed at a rapid pace, and a smile of understanding appeared on his face.
“Salmon of Mimir, one day, you will be part of the dreams that you see in your sleep,” the Old Man said with a smile on his face. “You will be surrounded by Heroes and Lords.
“Of Beasts and Monsters.”
“And be part of several tales of Old.”
The old man chuckled as he winked at the Salmon with his remaining eye.
“Perhaps, one day, we will meet again, and I will return this favor that you have given me.” the Old Man smiled. “Until then, continue to dream, Salmon of Mimir, and see the world through the eyes of others.”
After saying those words, the old man finally left.
He might have lost an eye, but he finally got what he wanted.
After the old man had left, the Salmon dived down on the bottom of the well and looked at the eye that the old man had tossed inside its domain.
It didn’t feel right letting such a thing remain inside its territory, so the Salmon decided to eat it.
The eye didn’t taste good, but it was no longer around.
Because of this, the Salmon was able to breathe easily and returned to its normal routine of swimming and sleeping.
As the Salmon of Mimir closed its eyes for the final time, it felt something soft press against its lips.
Something warm spread inside its body, making it feel strong and able to do amazing things.
As the waves of warmth and happiness spread inside every fiber of its being, it felt the strong urge to open its eyes.
There, he found a beautiful young lady with light brown hair, with her eyes closed, kissing his lips.
The moment the young lady pulled back, Ethan looked at her with his mind still half-conscious.
“Chloe?” Ethan looked at his cousin, who had kissed him while he was sleeping.
“Good morning, sleepy head,” Chloe replied with a smile.
Without another word, the young lady kissed Ethan’s lips again, filling his body with her magical power.
She had missed him so much, and the moment she saw his sleeping face, she felt the strong urge to kiss him.
Ethan returned her kiss, and the two kissed for a while before the young lady pulled back and sat on the bed beside him.
Lilith, who had sensed Chloe’s presence, had hidden herself inside Ethan’s shadow and watched the scene with envy.
“Are you still not awake?” Chloe asked in a teasing tone as she lightly poked Ethan’s cheek.
“I am awake,” Ethan replied. “But I had this weird dream.”
“What dream?” Chloe inquired, curiosity written on her face.
Just as Ethan was about to reply, the dream that was still fresh in his mind a while ago disappeared like a fleeting breeze.
No matter how hard he tried to recall, he was unable to retrieve the memories that disappeared without a trace.
“… I forgot.” Ethan blinked.
“You forgot?” Chloe smiled.
“Yes.” Ethan scratched his head.
“Don’t worry. You know, our brains have this special function. Even if you have forgotten something, it will work hard to remember it,” Chloe said as if this was common sense. “Of course, that doesn’t mean that you will remember it right away. However, it’s possible that you will dream that same dream one of these days.”
After Chloe finished her explanation, Ethan felt that what she said might be true, so he no longer thought about the dream that he had forgotten.
Perhaps, one of these days, he would have the same dream.
And once that happened, he hoped that he would not forget it again.