THE SILENT SECRET
He cried—not with the pride or certainty of a god, but with the raw vulnerability of a boy torn from one life and thrust into another. Thalior Veonys knelt on unfamiliar, glowing earth beneath a swirling sky of gold and violet. His hands trembled, pressing into soil alive with ancient power that pulsed beneath his skin like a second heartbeat. The world around him was beautiful and strange, but no comfort could still the storm raging inside.
Can they see? The thought clawed at him. Can the gods know I'm not the original? Can they hear my mind? He swallowed hard, eyes darting nervously to the shadows between trees that pulsed with old magic. The voices of gods and spirits whispered on the wind, but none spoke his name. None knew his secret. Not Odin. Not Poseidon. Not even Gaea, who raised his mother.
He was the son of Poseidon, lord of oceans, and the grandson of Odin through the war god Tyr—bloodlines carved into legend. But he was not them. He was Tino, a Zimbabwean-born street racer who died in fire and steel, now reborn in divine flesh. The weight of that secret crushed him.
Tears burned his cheeks. No one must know. Not yet. His hands sparked faintly, the crackle of power trembling at his fingertips—ocean storms mingling with the fury of Asgard's war. He was more than mortal now, but less than the gods he descended from.
The air around him pulsed with silent eyes—watchers in the mist—but none dared meet him. Or so he hoped. His heart pounded like thunder, breath shallow. If they read my mind… if they see the truth… what then?
He clenched his fists, trying to force control over the wild flood of doubt and fear. His mother, half-Kryptonian, half-Czarnian, had always been a mystery. Raised by Gaea, she carried the stars and the earth in her blood. But even she didn't know this soul—the boy reborn as Thalior Veonys—walked beneath her name.
He pressed his back against an ancient root, the runes etched into its bark glowing softly beneath his palm. The forest whispered secrets older than gods, but it did not betray him.
Not yet.
Thalior's muscles twitched, his body humming with power that was still raw, untested. The knowledge that no one could know his truth was both a shield and a prison. He was alone in this new world, carrying a secret heavier than any crown.
And it burned brighter than the stars
The weight of his secret twisted inside him like a venomous snake. Every shadow seemed to hide unseen eyes, every whisper carried a threat. If they know… if the gods or spirits learn I am not who I appear to be…
His breath hitched. He would never be weak again. Never vulnerable. Not after the fire that took his mortal life, the crash that tore him away from everything he loved.
Clenching his fists, Thalior's veins flared with energy, the power of Poseidon's storms surging alongside the relentless war spirit of Odin's bloodline. His body shimmered with alien strength, his skin tingling as if the very cosmos pulsed through him.
"I won't die again," he whispered, voice raw but steady. "If they come for me… they'll find a god."
No mind-reader, no seer, no vengeful deity would strip away his life a second time. He would grow stronger, faster, more relentless. He would be untouchable.
His eyes burned bright with determination as he stared into the swirling mist around him. This world was dangerous, full of gods and monsters, but Thalior would be something else entirely: a force beyond reckoning.
His secret was a curse, yes—but also a weapon. And he would wield it with unbreakable will
He rose, muscles taut and ready, and took a hesitant step forward. The forest seemed to hold its breath as he moved, ancient magic sensing the storm rising within him. But still, no voice called him by name. No god challenged his claim. Yet that silence felt like a warning, not peace.
Every moment alone sharpened his senses. Every thought was a test: Can I hide the truth? Can I control this power?
The more he learned to quiet his mind, the less the fear consumed him. But the paranoia lingered, a shadow behind every breath. If they see, if they know— he clenched his jaw—then I will be ready.
For now, he was alone. But soon, the world would learn the name