Norn 

Somewhere far away.

A place far, far away, where there’s nothing but a vast snowfield.

In this snowy land, the rescue team “Fjord” is responsible for saving those in distress.

Norn is the only counselor on Fjord.

It’s her job to heal you, whether you’re lost or frozen.

She is a counselor, after all.

Perhaps she can heal others’ pain because she knows the pain of being hurt better than anyone else.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, next one please

Don’t be afraid; take a seat here, please”

Today is another day when Norn is waiting for you in a mountain cabin in the White Country.

Just as he did for her…

The fur wrapped around her waist is Fenrir.

It may look like just a piece of fur, but to Norn, he’s a dear friend.

He’s very cynical and always tells Norn sad things, but that’s surely because he’s worried about her.

Fenrir’s words come through her headphones.

“Humans are foolish creatures”

“It’s no use trying so hard.”

“They’ll betray you anyway.”

“They’ll forget you anyway.”

Every time that happens, Norn murmurs as if speaking to herself.

“As long as everyone gets better, that’s enough for me.”

Norn believes it.

She believes that if she keeps giving them warmth, eventually people will warm up to her.

These are memories from Norn’s childhood.

She was alone on the snowy mountains.

In these memories, she was scorned, mistreated, and lonely.

She ran away from that house as if fleeing, took refuge in a cave deep in the forest, and spent her days suffering from cold and hunger.

Even so, that place was heaven for Norn.

After all, she was free from the people who only ever hurt her…

“I won’t trust anyone anymore.”

She muttered this, as if trying to convince herself.

Meanwhile, sadness and loneliness overflowed within her.

“Nobody needs someone like me.”

Norn was all alone on the snowy mountains.

In the cave where Norn had taken refuge, there was already an occupant long before she made it her home.

It was Fenrir, the legendary, mythical beast of the snowy lands.

Its silvery-white fur exuded elegance, and it possessed the endurance to withstand any blizzard; its sharp, white fangs could tear through even the toughest hide with a single bite.

To Fenrir, Norn was nothing more than a trivial meal.

…Or so it should have been.

“If you want to eat me, just go ahead and do it.”

All Norn sought was a “fleeting moment” of warmth.

She clung fearlessly to Fenrir’s fur.

Fenrir looked somewhat troubled, but instead of eating her, he decided to protect the girl.

And so, with Fenrir’s protection, Norn managed to survive.

The rescue team Fjord had arrived there in response to a report from a nearby village.

“A girl is being attacked by a ferocious beast.”

Upon hearing this, the team finally tracked down the beast’s lair and had just stepped into the cave… or so it should have been.

Something was off.

The child they had come to rescue wasn’t afraid of the beast, but of the humans who had come to save her.

“Stop! Don’t come any closer!”

The girl, wrapped in the beast’s silvery fur, was afraid not of the beast, but of humans.

The Fjord team decided to call for him.

The person the Fjord team called for was their sole counselor.

His job was to heal the “hearts” of those injured in the snowy mountains.

He gently embraced Norn, who feared and hated people, and even when she bit or scratched him, he simply kept smiling at her…

…And finally, Norn was able to hear his words.

“It’s okay. As long as you get better, that’s enough for me.”

He kept telling Norn nothing but that.

And she was able to return from a beast to a human.

But one day, Norn realized something…

The majestic figure of Fenrir was no longer there.

As if his duty had been fulfilled.

Leaving behind only his warm fur to keep Norn cozy…

Today is the Dried Meat Festival, held once a year in the village.

The members of Fjord are freed from their demanding work and enjoy a brief respite.

Of course, the main dish is dried meat.

They enjoy what they’ve stored up over the past year with aromatic wine, praying for next year’s harvest.

Even Norn forgets about counseling just for this one day and tucks into the meat served.

“Give me some, too…”

Ignoring Fenrir’s voice coming through her headphones, she just keeps eating.

“I’m so happy!”

That said, this year’s deer and wild boar harvests were poor, so there was less meat than usual.

“It was a bad harvest this year…”

Voices of discontent can be heard from the village.

Unnoticed by Norn and the others, black clouds from far away were quietly beginning to blanket the village…

One day, a fierce blizzard raged.

Suddenly, deep within the forest, there was a soft knock on Norn’s cabin door.

Any visitor arriving this late at night must surely be lost.

When Norn opened the door, there stood a middle-aged man with an unfamiliar face and equipment she’d never seen before, standing motionless with a frozen expression.

“You must be cold. Please come in and warm up.”

Norn led him inside.

The frozen man was exhausted, but after drinking the warm milk Norn had prepared, he seemed to be on the path to recovery.

Fenrir muttered through her headphones.

“Norn, that man is dangerous.”

Norn thought it was just his usual grumbling and ignored him.

But looking back now, Fenrir’s behavior had been a little strange.

The next morning, the man left, though he was still not fully recovered. He said he was heading for the great tree deep in the mountains.

It was the beginning of that incident.

The next time Norn heard about that man was from the forest elder.

“There is one who ravages the forest. The Sacred Tree is in danger.”

In a grave tone, the elder gathered the Fjord rescue team and ordered them to collect homemade weapons.

“What’s going on? What happened?”

Norn pressed the elder for answers.

It seemed a group of people intent on cutting down the Sacred Tree deep within the forest had suddenly appeared.

When Norn, the elder, and the members of Fjord headed toward the forest, they found massive machines they’d never seen before, along with a large number of people in modern attire surrounding the Sacred Tree and about to make their move.

Among them was the man she had saved on that cold night.

“What are you doing? Why are you hurting the forest!?”

The man looked slightly surprised at first, but then a smile crept across his lips as he spoke.

“What are you saying? This place is a treasure trove!”

With bloodshot eyes, the man looked somewhat vacant and out of his mind.

*rumbling*

The ominous sound of machinery starting up. That was the signal.

The Fjord team, led by the village chief, and the group of modern-looking men began fighting head-on, each wielding their own weapons.

“Stop fighting!”

Norn desperately tried to stop them, but her voice didn’t reach the ears of the men who had already begun fighting.

The Fjord team fought by taking advantage of the terrain, while the men fought by making full use of their modern weapons.

Amid the chaos, the axe of a Fjord man was finally about to come crashing down on that man’s forehead…

…or so it should have been. At the last possible moment, Norn shielded the man and took the blow to her back…

…Seeing Norn’s action, the battlefield fell silent all at once…

“Why… why would you shield someone like me…”

“My job is to be a counselor… To heal you is my job…”

As if summoning every ounce of strength, Norn muttered more words.

“Come home with me. …From this moment on, it’s just the two of us. This is a world of hope for the timid…”

Regardless, the conflict came to an end thanks to Norn.

After his business venture failed, the man had pinned his last shred of hope on excavating the rare earth minerals buried beneath the Sacred Tree, and it seemed he was about to set out to clear the forest.

Driven to the brink to support his family, and having lost his sense of self, what this man needed was neither money nor assets, but a counselor.

Just as he had done for Norn, Norn extended a helping hand to this man.

Today is another day when Norn waits in her cabin deep in the mountains for those in need of healing.

Your sadness
Your pain

Anything is fine, even a ‘no’ is fine
I’m here to accept them all

I’m here to embrace them all

If applicable