Yggdrasil Prologue

Dawn breaks over a secluded cedar valley nestled within the Blue Mountains of Ontario. Morning mist swirls around an enormous white ash tree that stands as an ancient sentinel at the valley's heart. The tree—impossibly old and thriving in a region where such specimens are rare—towers above the surrounding forest. Water trickles beneath the earth, flowing from Metcalfe Rock, its sound perceptible only in the profound silence of early morning.

A raven circles the ash tree three times before landing on a particular branch that seems to have grown specifically to accommodate the bird. The raven—Huginn—tilts her head as though listening to something only she can hear. In the nearby four-generation farmhouse, each member of the Snjougla family simultaneously pauses in their morning routine, experiencing a moment of connection that defies modern understanding.