"Do you need to view them again," asked a soft feminine voice, the speaker pulling her fingers from Fyr's temples and leaning back in her chair.
The two were seated across from each other in Fyr's study, surrounded by various open books and unfurled scrolls that had been scattered across the nearby tables.
Fyr closed his eyes and went over the new influx of information that now resided within his mind. Learning this way would've shocked the world of his previous life. Decades of education, acquired through weekly hourlong sessions, all over the course of just roughly five years. It was quite simply, a cheat.
Sure you had to review and organize the knowledge in order to properly retain it all, but that was hardly worth mentioning in comparison. Fyr had opted for an additional two years of 'schooling,' simply due to the fact he was sure his past self would've crucified him had he not taken advantage of it.
"No, thank you Lady Frigga," he answered his tutor of over six years. It was quite the surprise when Fyr first learned that his future stepmother was to be his instructor for all his required primary and magical education. Not only because of her destined role in his family, but mainly due to her present reputation.
Frigga is easily the most powerful and learned witch of Asgard at this time. She had almost single-handedly taken Alfheim from the Light Elves and was even rumored to have departed from the main army, simply because they were 'slowing her down.'
For her contributions, she was granted full access to Asgard's best archives and offered a position as the prince's tutor. Honestly, if Fyr hadn't known the real reason Odin had brought her away from the front lines, he might have been touched.
"Good," replied the future Queen of Asgard with a kind smile. "Then let's confirm whether you comprehended it. Give me a brief synopsis of, let's say… the geography of the Nine Realms on a galactic level."
Fyr paused for a moment, formulating his response before speaking, "The galaxy known as the Nine Realms currently consists of eight main inhabited systems, with the last of the nine having been glassed by Bor Burison and his Einherjar thousands of years ago during the final war with the Dark Elves.
When observing the Nine Realms from above within a two dimensional point of view, in the galactic center sits Asgard, with Vanaheim to the west and Svartalfheim the east. Directly to the south lies Midgard, with Jotunheim in the east and Alfheim to the west. And lastly, due north of Asgard sits Niflheim, with Nidavellir in the west and Muspelheim the east.
If you looked at the galaxy from the side however, you would notice that the systems occupy three separate planes, all stacked atop one another.
In the cur-"
"Okay," Frigga interrupted while waving her hand, "that's good enough. I believe that should be your last batch on the primary subjects, all that we have left is your practical next week on Futhark inscriptions and our time together should come to an end."
As Frigga looked down and recorded some final notes on her datapad, Fyr shifted his gaze toward the windows that overlooked the shimmering sea below. While he watched the last few rays of sunlight falling under the cliffs on the horizon, his mind once again wandered to the biggest disappointment in his education.
"It still irritates me to no end that mind transference can't be utilized for magical knowledge beyond the most basic of theories," he said with a sigh. "It would be so convenient if you could just learn it the same way as everything else."
Frigga laughed at the complaint she'd heard from her student at the end of almost every session. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary, just about every young Aesir would grumble about said issue at this point in their lives. It was actually the second greatest contributing factor in the common Asgardian's disregard of magic, they were all just too lazy to learn it manually.
"As you well know, in magic, more than any other field of study, knowledge directly correlates to power," she said chidingly. "If you we're to just wildly pump power directly into your brain.. well you know the rest."
"Yes, yes. I know," Fyr grumbled. The recordings of those incidents were shown to him after his very first lesson on magic. His excitement and wonder at the time had swiftly faded after the gruesome video. Seeing a grown man's brain leak out his eyes and a teenage girl's head violently exploding outwards had the young Fyr successfully scared straight on that day.
"You shouldn't be complaining about that anyways," Frigga remarked. "You've almost completed all your required learning material and have yet to even reach thirty. Honestly, if it wasn't for the war I would've slowed you down after the first year."
That was another of Fyr's main issues with his new life, compared to humanity, Asgardians take their sweet time in pretty much everything they do. Fyr had yet to adapt to the mindset of a species possessing an infinite lifespan and the near constant boredom was killing him. He didn't know how he would survive after this war came to an end, it was essentially the only thing these people paid any sense of urgency at all.
Now, this was actually a serious problem for Fyr. There was a reason why so many tales spoke of immortality as a curse, if your mind isn't able to cope with it, than it truly is. Losing the memories about his previous lifestyle had helped quite a bit, but this was something Fyr would have to work on for many more years if he didn't want his psyche to collapse under the weight of countless millennia.
Shaking away the depressing thoughts, Fyr effortlessly cast a telekinetic spell to close the drapes and flicked multiple small runes towards the various enchanted sconces that lined his room. Frigga looked up from her notes and nodded in approval at his actions.
This was sadly about the height of his magical prowess at the moment. It was one of the downsides to being born powerful, his divine power was unfocused and wild. Until he went through the domain awakening ceremony, it was incredibly difficult to tame.
Thinking about that nearing day, Fyr smirked and glanced over at his teacher.
"Are you looking forward to next month," he teasingly asked. "Father is returning to Asgard for the first time in over two decades."
The slight blush that colored the tips of his tutor's ears was enough to let him know that she was, most likely more so than himself. As she looked up and met Fyr's gaze, she played it off well enough that, had he not spent the last six years getting to know her, he might've missed the signs.
"What about you," Frigga asked, her voice as composed as ever. "Awakening your domain will solidify your place within Asgard, for good or ill."
She elegantly got up from her seat and began to pack her few teaching materials as she continued, "In the past, those who awoke less than desirable domains were often treated as outcasts and scorned. While unlikely to share in their misery due to your lineage, are you not even partially nervous at the possibility of meeting the same fate as them?"
Fyr rolled his eyes at the multiple thousand years old woman acting coy. He was not, in fact, nervous whatsoever. He couldn't care less what his domain was and even if he awoke something terrible, it wouldn't bother him in the least. Besides, the worst he could see himself getting would be Psionic and that's only because it would make people uncomfortable around him. Nobody liked knowing someone who could read their thoughts like an open book after all.
"Nope," Fyr replied carelessly, deliberately popping the 'p' to further emphasize his nonchalance. "I've got the possibilities narrowed down to four."
Frigga raised an eyebrow in interest and motioned for him to continue.
"Psionic," Fyr said as he counted them out on his fingers. "Life, Fire, or Destruction."
"Hmm.." Frigga hummed to herself, "that does sound about right. The king would be beyond pleased if it turned out to be Life."
She laughed to herself as the scene of Odin shamelessly bragging to the other pantheons about his children possessing both Life and Death domains played out in her mind. Fyr saw all this and sighed at her state.
He didn't know by what means, but somehow Odin had already conquered the heart of another incredibly powerful woman. First Angerboda, then Firehair, and now Frigga. He wondered when his little brother will be making his appearance, from what Fyr was seeing, Thor was likely to be conceived sometime over the next two months.
If Fyr didn't know Thor would be Odin's last child, he would've thought his father was the most verile man on Asgard. Three kids, all within a thousand years, was already practically unheard of. Any more and he might as well be slapping the face of every man in the realm with his- no, this wasn't Olympus.
Shivering at the reminder of that group of degenerates, Fyr thought over his tutor's previous statement.
"We both know that's unlikely," he remarked. "I'm barely above average when it comes to healing. Same with Psionic, while I can grasp the spells and use them with ease, it's nowhere near the realm of prodigious."
"As for Destruction well, if all it required was being able to break stuff easily then Asgard would be filled to the brim with destroyer gods," he said flippantly. "It requires a certain finesse that I seem to lack at the moment."
"So you believe Fire will become your domain then," Frigga asked as she headed towards the door. "Surtr and Laufey will probably come for your head should that be the case."
Fyr shrugged as he walked across the room towards his closet and started taking out his training clothes, "It's not like they wouldn't have otherwise. I could care less what those old bastards do."
Frigga turned around in the doorway and glanced back at his words. Slowly, a predatory smirk grew on her lips and seeing this out the corner of his eye, Fyr was once again reminded of the countless bodies that had been trampled beneath the feet of his seemingly gentle tutor.
She caught his gaze and her smirk grew. As she turned back around to leave, she threw a final statement over her shoulder, "That's the right mindset for the Prince of Asgard to have."
_______________________________
*BANG*
*Clatter-*
The sound of rough, labored breathing could be heard as it echoed off the walls. A heavy, musky scent lingered in the air, spreading out from a shirtless figure shrouded in a faint azure glow at the center of the room.
Fyr was currently keeled over in one of the few practice areas on Asgard reserved for more strenuous magical pursuits. The blue light coming off his runic tattoos faded as he stood upright and caught his breath, wiping the sweat from his brow.
Like any sane person who found themselves in a new world, magic was something that Fyr just couldn't resist. It had become an addiction, not in a way that had him chasing after the next high, but like a video game you just can't put down until after you've beaten every hidden boss and mastered all the various play styles.
To Fyr, mastering magic was what kept his fragile human psyche sane whilst in the company of immortals. It gave his mind a clear goal to obsess over at the end of the week. When his physical body was exhausted from training, he would then work on improving his 'magical muscles.'
Fyr walked over to the small metal sphere and large plate he had been using to practice his telekinesis. The spells were simple, but they became increasingly strenuous the more an object's weight and velocity were increased. After orbiting the 10lb ball around the plate for over six hours, he was just about ready to pass out.
His body felt empty. It wasn't like hunger, it was as if there was nothing beneath his skin, just a hollowed out husk. He could still move around like normal, but something vital was missing, you could sense it.
The Aesir magic system utilizes an inborn, personal energy reserve commonly referred to as 'divine power.' Within their bodies, Asgardians have evolved to both store and utilize divine power through a series of 'divine veins.' They were nurtured like muscles however, getting stronger, more efficient, and increasing durability with regular exercise. Fyr likened the concept to common cultivation novel tropes such as meridians or spiritual roots.
Right now, Fyr's divine veins had run dry. The once robust and flowing channels were currently little more than shriveled raisins.
It hasn't been for naught however, his control of divine power was increasing by the day. Every time his reserves were refilled his veins would expand, causing his magic to both flow slightly more efficiently and last a little bit longer. Needless to say, Fyr had been doing this exercise since his first delve into the arcane a little over ten years ago.
At first he could hold up a small rock for around thirty minutes before tiring, with about 95% of his magic being wasted. Over the years, as he began to last longer and gradually increased the weight lifted, Fyr was able to get his efficiency up to his current best of roughly 43%, a 38% improvement. He could've gotten it higher in all that time, but as you increase in performance it gets harder and harder to get further results, eventually ceasing in growth all together. In this last year, Fyr had only achieved a 3% gain.
This is where the overwhelming value of a domain comes in and why, despite all the Aesir having their own 'divine' power, only those who possess them are considered gods. It's how Frigga is so powerful in magic and why Hela is so feared on the battlefield, it's at the point where whole armies simply cannot compete with them.
On top of various other benefits, those possessing a domain are able to freely grow any and all related abilities without limits, directly bypassing any bodily restrictions.
"Just two more weeks," Fyr murmured under his breath as he slumped down against the wall. He picked up the metal ball and idly rolled it around in his hand while his mind drifted towards his own domain awakening ceremony.
'I've got everything prepared and my body is more than ready to handle the strain,' he thought. 'Nothing should go wrong.'
Despite thinking as such, Fyr still couldn't help but be nervous. Regardless of his casual dismissal of the matter during his talk with Frigga two weeks ago, now that her words had time to linger in his head, what she said was true. This will determine his standing in Asgard for eons to come and it all depends on what he awakens.
Fyr sighed as he grabbed his white silk shirt and pulled it on over his sweat drenched torso. He tossed the ball and plate into the box of random weights he kept shoved in the corner of the room, before pushing off the ground and rising to his feet.
He walked across the room to the bench that held the rest of his things and removed the capped drinking horn from his pouch. This was one of the first items Fyr had asked Frigga to make for him and as the ice cold honeyed alcohol slid down his throat, he knew it was the right choice. It was inspired by a myth related to Thor where the king of the frost giants had challenged him to drink from a horn connected to the sea. This one however, was connected to a large pool that Fyr had built and enchanted with frost runes, filled to the brim with chilled mead.
Fyr wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and slung his pack over his shoulder as he walked out the door of the training room. His face flushed and heat flooded his tired body with every additional gulp he took from his favorite horn.
As he walked the long road back to his room at the palace, he waved to the various passerby's heading home for the night. The more he drank, the more his previous worries left him and were replaced by random new ideas of what he could invent to pass the time in this incredibly boring world.
He eyed his drinking horn as one particularly intriguing project stuck to the forefront of his mind, the lack of variety when it came to one's choice of alcohol on this planet. As the number one recreational activity among the Aesir by far, it was simply criminal how small the selection was.
With Earth presently in the middle of the Pleistocene Epoch, there was no one to complain if he borrowed some of their future achievements for himself. The pervert pantheon already has a monopoly on wine, so he was thinking about introducing whiskey to the universe. Maybe after the war he could even present some vodka to his Jotunn comrades.
Fyr stumbled as he laughed at the image of giant blue men and women fighting with hammers and sickles over an absolutely massive bottle of Goose.
The possibilities for creating some truly divine booze with all the different godly fruits and grains from the various pantheons were endless!
"Hehe," He attracted many strange gazes of the townsfolk with his chuckles as he walked down the road, drink horn in hand. He didn't pay their attention any head though, the thought of drinking whiskey distilled with the grain of Elysium and aged in barrels made from the trunk of Yggdrasil had his addled mind off in its own world. He couldn't help licking his lips at the completely reasonable possibility of drinking it in the near future.
"Hic-"
Well, maybe not too soon. He hadn't quite gotten used to the kick of this Asgardian mead yet.
*************************************
Author Note:
Kind of an info dump this chapter, I know. But! This is all important stuff that will play a major role in the story going forward and I tried my best to make it as 'show' as possible.
The Asgardian magic system is all me. The MCU wiki doesn't have anything more than "personal magic" for an explanation, so I had to make it from the ground up. It's not all that complicated though.
Same goes for the layout of the Nine Realms. In my fic, the NR is the Milky Way and the MW is the territory of Asgard, similar to how the Nova Empire rules over the Andromeda galaxy and Kree Empire rules over the Large Magellanic Cloud.
Next chapter have should see some action and I'm pretty nervous about it as it's my first time writing an action scene.
If you like my story then please drop reviews and stones, they help motivate me to write more.
Thanks for reading and Happy Boxing Day!