Hello there,
If you enjoy my stories, you can read up to 15 chapters in advance per story on my Patreon page / patreon.com/Samael61.
—
Svartalfheim
The world of the Dark Elves was dark. The only source of light was a black hole of all celestial objects.
His first target for investigation was the battlefield where the air fleet of the Dokkalfar had destroyed itself, inflicting grievous casualties on Asgard. It was also supposed to have exterminated their entire race.
The remains of the fallen Asgardians have been recovered after the battle. Everything else has been left to rot.
Including the ships.
There wasn't much left of the vessels in the first place, but samples, no matter how small, were better than nothing.
Because there was one glaring lack of information regarding the Dokkalfar. They had ships capable of traversing the stars, black hole grenades, and advanced energy weapons. Yet, the location where they had produced any of these in the first place was unknown.
The Dark Elves must have a city somewhere.
Either King Bor had not ordered any searches, or he had, but nothing was discovered.
Sending several shades, he began to comb the battlefield in an organized manner. He, on the other hand, sat down in a comfortable position. Laying his hands on the soil, he sent out pulses of seidr.
It went straight through for several seconds. He tilted his head, not because he found something, but rather a nothingness among the soil.
An object caused his seidr to morph around it, creating a glaring emptiness in the otherwise perfect scan.
He conjured the scans in a cubic form. The dark spot was almost as tall as him and had a triangular, jagged shape.
Pushing a higher amount of seidr into the soil, he raised his hands. The ground rumbled, and the area he had scanned began to float. He launched the cube at the rock hill behind him.
There was a distinctive sound of metal hitting stone. Summoning fierce winds, he blew the dust away, clearing the area.
He found nothing.
Another seidr pulse revealed that the object was in front of him. He crouched, touching the invisible object to get a feel of it.
It was smooth and metallic, with no difference in temperature. The seidr covering the metal plate turned it invisible, but not through the usual methods. The source of this seidr created a field that blended the ships with the fabric of space.
Similar to painting something black and then releasing it to space.
When Malekith sacrificed his people, this piece of the ship must have been exposed to a concentration of Aether, which turned it invisible in this manner.
It also confirmed his theories that there might be Dark Elves waiting out there in hiding. In fact, they might even be hiding in Svartalfheim.
A seidr pulse massive enough to cover the entire planet could, in theory, reveal every dark spot and lead him to any possible hidden settlements.
He did not have enough seidr for that purpose. In fact, no one except his father could possibly do it. Preparations would be necessary.
Summoning his shades, he took the plate and left the planet with other samples.
He would definitely return.
—
Asgard
1200 A.D.
"Explain to me again. What will this machine of yours do?" Thor asked for the third time, and he had had enough.
Better to show than explain.
"Simulate Thor, hundred percent power," he ordered to the consciousness of the room.
In the sterile white room they were in, the lines between the panels glowed golden. Right next to Loki and Thor, a figure began to emerge. Starting from the head, a perfect replica of his brother was created in seconds.
"I'll admit, you caught my handsomeness well," his brother said, thinking it was just another conjuration.
"That's not all," the simulated Thor replied and threw a haymaker at the real one.
"What the?" Thor exclaimed, his voice rising an octave. That punch was almost as fast as his.
The copy grinned, stretching his arms.
His brother realized that this was not a mere projection. Walking around his copy, Thor began to inspect it with parted lips.
"He is as durable and strong as you," Loki said.
Simulating an Asgardian god like himself, Thor, or their father was impossible without a sufficient energy source. Even then, giving seidr to the projections could be problematic, so he had left that out.
The trick was to concentrate that energy into an extremely dense form, one that could be interacted with. The rest was just making it look and act like the original.
"So I can fight him all I want," his brother said, grinning.
"Indeed you can," the simulated Thor replied, raising his arms in a fighting stance.
His brother grinned and dropped Mjolnir before launching himself at his replica with a hearty laugh.
—
"Thor," Frigga called out. She knew her sons were testing something out again, and she wished to ensure it was nothing dangerous.
"Thor, there you are." She saw her eldest fighting with himself?
"What is happening here?" she raised her voice. Which seidr had her youngest cast to create this mirage image?
"Mother, come in," Thor, the tired one that just sat down on the ground, invited. She did not remember the last time her son was so exhausted.
"Thor Odinson, explain yourself," she demanded. The mirage was full of energy compared to the real one and waved at her.
Thor laughed, throwing his head back, "You won't believe what Loki has built."
"I am listening."
"This room can simulate almost anything, including living beings," her youngest's voice came from the door. "This Thor has the physical capabilities of the real one, but not his affinity for thunder. Or seidr in general."
Frigga slowly turned to appraise the mirage. It looked exactly like Thor and, true to Loki's words, did not possess any seidr.
Still, replicating the physical capabilities of an Aesir like Thor through seidr was…
"Incredible."
"Thor was always complaining about lacking a good fight. Now, he can fight himself to his heart's content," Loki said.
She smiled. Beneath his aloof and uncaring exterior, she knew her son still loved his brother. Enough to create something as wonderful as this room.
Of course he had also intended to use it for his studies, she was sure.
"I am sure your father would also like to try this. And every other warrior in Asgard," she added as an afterthought.
The chance to fight oneself without the consequences of battle? Her husband preached that to fight for the sake of it was wrong, but even he would be willing to give this contraption a try.
"There is still work to be done." Her youngest dispersed the mirage and shooed them out of the room. Thor had to go and bathe, while she would consider this development.
The stress test for the simulation room revealed the need for a sturdier construction. Both Thors had thrown the other to several of the plates hard enough to damage the rune arrays behind them.
A force field that could absorb energy to maintain itself could save him a lot of repair time.
He had also gathered a trove of data on how to improve the system. Once ready, the simulation room would make the perfect place to continue his studies.
—
When the idea to create this simulator came to him, it was to listen as his brother complained about the lack of a proper opponent.
Who could be a worthier opponent to Thor than himself?
The force field was simple to create, and he dove into his first task, a device to store enormous amounts of seidr.
He would take those devices to Svartalfheim, placing them in certain locations to trigger a staggered pulse release. It would create a constructive wave interference, amplifying the power of each pulse, and map most of the planet.
Storing seidr was more difficult than it sounded. Asgard itself was a conduit of Yggdrasil, the cosmic phenomenon that bound the Nine Realms together. Through that force, they powered everything.
Yet, there has never been a need to store it.
Certain materials possessed seidr, such as the Uru metal. Not only was it rare, but it was also impossible for anyone except the dwarves to process.
He required a large enough source of seidr, and a field capable of holding it.
—
"Brother, it has been weeks. Aren't you done with the room?" Thor complained as soon as he was through the door.
"What?" Loki said, the words registering slowly as he was too focused, "Oh, that. No, I am not. Come back later."
"Why is this taking so long?" his brother asked.
It had taken him years to create the simulation room; he should be allowed to use it without any interruptions.
Alas, Thor was too battle-hungry.
"Thor, do you have any idea how difficult it is to create a device that could simulate existences such as ours?" Replicating the finer details was the work of future Loki, but the system worked excellently for the purposes it was built for.
"Too difficult?" Thor said, his voice wavering.
"Yes."
"I understand. Do let me know if there is anything I can assist with."
"Thank you."
He did feel bad for Thor, but his work was nearing completion. The prototype of his Seidr Pulse device was ready and only required a source of seidr to charge it.
—
"Heimdall," he greeted the gatekeeper.
Bifrost required immense energy to work, and he figured siphoning some of it would not be an issue for anyone.
"My prince," Heimdall greeted back with a small nod.
"Could I implore you to activate the Bifrost for a short while?" he requested. As long as it did not bring any harm to Asgard, Heimdall was rather liberal in who he allowed through.
"Just activate it? Do you not require passage, my prince?" Heimdall asked. The prince's words
"No, just testing a new device. I have created something monumental, but I need to see if it will work. You and everyone else will be free to use it once it's ready," he explained without giving anything away.
The simulation room was ready for use, but he could easily pass this seidr battery off as his attempt to create a force field to absorb the impact from battle.
Heimdall watched him, the orange eyes boring into his very soul, and pushed Hofund down. The gears of Bifrost began to turn, processing the seidr into a gate that could cross thousands of light-years in the blink of an eye.
Loki activated the device close to the edge of the portal. Instead of shooting out to the cosmos, the energy was drawn inside as the front of the cube slid open.
He monitored the energy levels so the battery would not be overloaded.
Once the battery reached one hundred percent, he nodded to Heimdall. The Gatekeeper shut the Bifrost, and he took the device away with a quick word of gratitude.
Heimdall watched the prince leave, wondering what he had in store for Asgard.
—
"Is it finally ready?" his brother asked, voice giddy through the comms.
"Yes, come in."
"Wait, I shall bring Lady Sif and the Warrior's Three."
"Hurry up; Father and Mother are already here."
"Your mother would not tell me of your latest creation, claiming it was a surprise. Hearing how excited your brother sounds, I wager you have outdone yourself again."
"When was the last time you crossed weapons for real with an opponent as strong as you, physically?"
"I believe it was Laufey," Odin replied.
Using his own life force to keep Hela imprisoned had consequences. One that had cost him an eye.
"Well, I don't have scans of Laufey, but I can do this." Loki snapped his fingers, and a perfect replica of his father appeared. Armored and armed, the simulated Allfather was ready for battle.
His father stroked his beard, gazing at the clone.
"Shall we test to see if your arms have grown weak?" The simulation replied, his tone matching the original, and lowered Gungnir. The weapon was simulated to be extremely durable, without the advantages of the real one.
His father raised a singular eyebrow as he was challenged to a fight by himself.
"It is a fight where you don't have to worry about consequences," Loki added.
Frigga gave her husband a nod, and he huffed in amusement. Tapping the ground with his spear, Odin manifested his armor.
Loki and Frigga moved back while he stretched to relax his aging joints.
Both spears struck each other faster than most Aesir could follow. The shockwave was absorbed by the force field, though the spectators still felt the displaced air.
Odin broke the deadlock by pulling Gungnir back and going for the feet of his doppelganger. Uploaded with all the fighting knowledge he had on his father, the simulant lowered his spear to block the attack.
His father grinned, and both Odins pulled their spears back. The following clash was a blur. Both spears were everywhere, trying to get past the guard of the other, only to be blocked.
Thor, followed by his friends, entered the room. Freezing in his steps, he watched the battle unfold.
Lady Sif and the Warrior's Three were stunned silent. The Allfather was the greatest living warrior of Asgard. To see him fight himself?
It was the stuff of legends.
His father brought Gungnir down on his simulant, sending out a shock wave that the other one dodged by rolling to the side. Dragging the spear forward with sparks flaring, the simulant brought his own down.
The clang of the weapons released another shockwave.
Both Odins spun around and stabbed the spears forward. The tips of the weapons touched for a mere moment before going through.
His father managed to stab the simulant through, while the security measures stopped the holographic creation's spear before it could find its mark.
The clone gave a small nod and disappeared.
His father's breath was slightly elevated, but he was smiling.
"Hah!" He laughed from the belly. Dispersing his armor, Odin clapped his youngest on the shoulder. "My son, it appears I was correct when I believed you had outdone yourself."
"Thank you, Father," Loki smiled. It was rare to see his father so delighted.
"If we can make more of these, the whole of Asgard will be grateful to you." Perhaps the idea of fighting without any repercussions had awakened something in his father.
"Honestly, this is just another step for something greater, but very well," he agreed. There was no harm in constructing more simulation rooms.
"Something greater?" His father chuckled, "Will you give your father a clue, or is it another surprise?"
The idea was nothing more than a stray thought at this point, and he didn't have any concrete information to share.
"It will take a long time to finish. Let's just count it as another surprise for now."
"Very well. We all will be waiting to see it." His father squeezed his shoulder before looping his arm around his wife's.
His mother smiled, pinching his cheek before following her husband out.
Thor and his friends swarmed him without waiting.
---
Notes: Another time skip, and another wonderful invention of Loki. We will be returning to Svartalfheim soon, and seeing as its lore is lacking, I'll have to get creative.
—
In the next chapter:
"Brother, you seem down in spirits," he said to Thor. His brother was lounging on a chair with a mug of mead.
At noon.
"The simulation room is occupied for the next month, and the new ones will take time," Thor drawled. He wasn't vain enough to use his princely privileges to get ahead of the queue, even though he wanted to.
"How would you like to go on an adventure?" he offered.
Thor swung his legs down and put his mug on the table, "To where?"
"Svartalfheim," Loki said, his lips curling upwards. Thor's eyes widened, and he looked around for any eavesdroppers.
Curious about the next chapter? Please consider supporting me on Patreon.
In addition, if you enjoy the premise of a genius protagonist, you can check Arrival : Ruptures, my original story for much of the same in sci-fi, action, technological wonders and romance.