Asgard

I open my eyes and get out of bed, looking around me. It's a royal chamber with a large bed made of unicorn fur, an armoire filled with the most majestic clothes crafted from the finest fabrics and materials from the nine realms, and a window that gives the impression of an unreal landscape, a view that doesn't belong anywhere on Earth—I am on Asgard.

Not only have I left my planet, but I have also left my world. I am now in the Marvel universe, and I am not alone.

I remember when I first woke up in this world. I was confused, and my vision was blurry. I believe I was knocked out by the explosion and have just regained consciousness. I immediately try to leave, as the people who attacked the base might still be around, even if they have left.

An explosion and the collapse of a mountain would certainly not go unnoticed. As my vision clears, I see a gigantic hall resembling medieval castles but much more splendid and grand. It took me a few seconds of futile attempts to move and introspection to realize that I am in a strange situation, and it took even more reflection to come to the conclusion that I am now a baby, most likely reincarnated.

Seth remained calm and tried to understand what was happening. He had many unanswered questions, and it was something he absolutely did not expect that provided me with those answers...

[< Greetings, I am Imagny. >]

I sigh, get up, and dress myself. I leave my room and see two guards in golden armor standing guard outside.

"Good morning, Your Highness," they greet me twice.

"Hmmm..." I start walking towards the royal kitchen, ignoring the servants or guards who greet me.

Accustomed to the scene, I don't even look around to see the luxurious furniture made of rare materials, the golden decorations, the paintings depicting my new father in great battles, showcasing his strength and power, accomplishing all sorts of heroic deeds. Or paintings about the history of Asgard or the Nine Realms. I simply walk slowly with my arms behind my head, an indifferent look on my face, my eyes lost in thought. No one is surprised by his behavior. The palace employees know that the prince is solitary and silent.

Anyway, he cares little about what they think. At one point, he was even considered a monster or a demon, but that is in the past.

And for some strange reason, his indifferent and distant attitude only reinforces the admiration the Asgardians have for him. They consider him a genius—he could speak at one and walk at two. They call me the promised prince, the chosen one from heaven, blessed by the stars, hence my name, Astral.

I arrive at the kitchen, greeted by a dozen salutations and some responses in the form of a grunt from me. A servant brings me my food.

It's a special bread that I requested to be created a year ago, with the highest concentration of nutrients and vitamins mixed with blood and flesh of magical creatures. It strengthens my blood, skin, nerves, and muscles. I put it in my mouth and swallow this miracle bread with a horrible taste. I named it M-B+, short for Miracle Bread+.

The servants initially tried to dissuade me from eating it, but a single glance of indifferent coldness, the same look he had when he watched his targets die by his hands, silenced their words.

So they obeyed and followed his orders in silence. With Seth's research in the library and the knowledge of the servant and the cook, they selected pieces of Fire Dragon Heart from Muspelheim, Pegasus hair powders, and various types of magical materials.

They served it to him with an ageusia rune to eliminate the taste and a hint of aroma to give it some flavor. But Seth doesn't want something as useless as good flavor to compromise the efficiency of the food. So they gave it to him as it was originally, and he ate it without flinching three times a day, as he has done since the beginning of the year.

I finish eating the bread and head to the training grounds, arriving there in five minutes. I see three elite guards waiting for me. They salute, and I nod in acknowledgement. These guys have been training me for a year, spending several hours a day together on the training grounds. They have earned my minimal respect.

I grab my daggers, one for each hand, my weapon of choice.

After a few minutes of warming up my muscles, we begin training. They attack me with real weapons but without enchantments. Under my orders, they attack to cause serious injuries.

And even though this body didn't have the worn-out and numb pain nerves and synapses like mine used to be, my mind was the same. It was difficult to fight well since my body had no muscle memory, and I struggled to move my small, unaccustomed body. But that doesn't mean this body is weak; it is five times more powerful than I was at my peak.

My instinct was still there, albeit weaker. I managed to dodge at the last second most of the time, and I was able to surprise them and inflict a few scratches. Seth had learned and mastered most of the martial arts from his world. He developed his own fighting style and martial art, incorporating elements from the best martial arts and his own imagination and intellect.

But here in Asgard, a nation filled with a long lineage of warriors who honor the strong, new resources were at his disposal to develop and improve his style. So he spent his time reading many books on combat styles and martial arts. He would spend entire days watching the guards train, analyzing them, reviewing the images in his mind, trying out most of the movements he had seen or read about, and imagining and testing the compatibility between combinations of moves. He realized that he couldn't improve his old fighting style since it no longer matched most of Asgard's martial arts, so he's in the process of creating a new one, step by step.

Seth needed intensive training and constant pressure. That's why he wanted the guards to be serious and increase their numbers gradually. After each session, he emerged soaked in sweat and blood, with some muscle fractures, but always wearing his usual indifferent face.

While he could push himself so much as a child, and thanks to his physique, the Asgardians have an enhanced physique. The comparison with humans is not even possible. The weakest among them are as strong as a human with the Super Soldier serum.

And being of royal lineage and a son of Odin, he is even higher in potential and ability.

After a moment of rest in the healing chambers, he immerses himself in his thoughts and replays the fight in his mind, arranging the mistakes to avoid and things to improve. Day after day, the same routine: intense training in the morning for 4-5 hours, followed by a one-hour rest in a healing chamber. When he regains some energy, he watches the guards fight and train, or he goes to the library, looking at manuals on different combat styles, or sometimes both. He does it for 1-2 hours, and then he experiments. He tries out movements and combinations in the royal gardens, enjoying the calm and peace there.

Astral is advancing rapidly, and soon one guard is no longer enough to put pressure on him. So he asked my father to send a second guard. He continues to grow, and now there are three guards. With the guards talking about how he is a prodigy in combat, it further reinforces the myth of the promised prince. Promised to what? He has a small idea... They also talk about how the prince pushes himself, makes no sounds of supplication, and continues to fight with the worst injuries. And with the Miracle B+, I earn a new title: Astral the Unstoppable.

Being the firstborn of Odin, born before Thor and before Odin found Loki, and considering the great conquest of Asgard just finished this century, Astral has an idea of what year it is.

After his training, Seth first goes to the kitchen to get his Miracle B+, and then he heads to the healing chamber, leaving drops of blood and sweat in his path, his hand brushing through his blond hair. After five minutes of the usual routine—respectful looks and whispers—I reach the Healing Hall. I enter and see a nurse and injured soldiers.

"Hello, Your Highness," says a mature woman.

"Hey, Lady Eir," the best physician in Asgard. She is one of the few who deserves me remembering her name.

I look to my right and see the Soul Forge, resembling a mix between a stretcher and a ritual table. I walk past it and go to a secluded corner of the room, a specially prepared place for me—a healing bed that also removes dirt, blood, and bad smells.

I lie down and replay the fight in my mind.

My style was starting to take shape; I just needed to experiment more. Gradually, my thoughts wandered, and I found myself trying to understand why I was here, if all of this is just a long dream?

I remember the conversation I had with Imagny, especially her last word. It was the day I was reincarnated.

[...]

["And what Marvel Universe are we in?" »] I tell her by sending my thoughts towards a presence that I feel in my head, luckily she cannot read my thoughts, I can speak with her as a mental bridge.

[< In a universe almost similar to the MCU but with some differences; some detail, and with more danger. >] answers an electronic voice with a feminine tone.

I sigh with relief at these words, I see a lot of movies and know Marvel well, and the Marvel world is full of completely crazy universes, there may be a change of story but it's better than another universe, let's not even talk about Earth -616 which is a nameless mess.

And Seth asked the question that's been on his mind since he opened his eyes here.

["Is this world real?" »]

[<... >]

And after a few seconds;

[< If you like someone, you can develop feelings. If you have unprotected intimate relationships, you are at risk of childbearing. If you are seriously injured and do not receive immediate treatment, you could die. This World is as real as the previous one. >]

'hmmmm...'

["So my previous world was real?" »]

[<... >]

But no matter how long I waited, I never got my answer.

***************

I sighed for the second time today and set that aside for now, returning to work on my combat style. I enjoy being in the healing hall; the bed emits a soothing red magic that heals tense muscles and revitalizes the body.

But all good things come to an end, and after 45 minutes, a guard approached me.

"Your Highness, His Majesty summons you."

"Hmmm." I stand up and follow him to the throne room.

'Tssss.' I smile inwardly while maintaining my indifferent expression as we approach the throne room, where paintings glorifying Odin multiply.

Finally, I arrive in front of a massive door surrounded by numerous guards. The guard accompanying me opens the door, bows, and leaves the room upon Odin's nod.

I see Odin seated on his throne, looking at me attentively. He is a blond man with a slight white beard, staring fixedly at me with his one eye, his famous spear Gungnir in hand. He exudes a sense of strength and authority.

My mother, Frigga, is not present. It's just me and my father, if you don't count the two ravens, Hugin and Munin, perched on either side of Odin's throne. They are Odin's eyes and ears. I see them spying on me during my training sessions. Even the guards don't realize they're there. It's moments like these where my assassin past comes in handy.

"You summoned me, Father?" Seth looked at him with my usual indifferent face.

He stared into my eyes for a few seconds before speaking.

"Son, you are now five years old. I will send you to a battlefield, nothing major, just the usual skirmishes with the Jotuns and hunts in the Elven woods for some practical experience. You will be sent with a group of combat school students. Nobody apart from the adults will know that you are the prince. Try to make friends. It will be too late when you become king," Odin said in a deep, authoritative voice, leaving no room for discussion, at least for others.

"Firstly: it's a good idea. Secondly: I don't need friends. Thirdly: I won't be king," I replied in a bored voice.

"Firstly: Of course, a good king seldom errs."

I countered him.

"Really? I know a girl in a frozen hell who wouldn't agree," I said sarcastically.

A wave of energy emanated from him, exerting pressure that made me kneel slightly. Odin looks at me with his left eye as if he wants to pierce me with his cold gaze.

"How adorable..."

"Be careful with your words, I don't know how you know it is, I'll just put it on your list of quirks." Said Odin before pausing for a few minutes, the pressure rising slightly.

'Is he waiting in the hope that I'll confess my secret? ' 10 minutes had passed, 'Looks like this is really it...' the pressure is starting to get really hard.

'Pfff I've come to a wonderful year but also with some price to pay, I have plenty of time to prepare myself to become strong before the universe goes crazy, but besides that I'm dealing with one of the worse Odin, he has not yet created his 'Divinity' of Wisdom, he is still the same idiot as he was with Hela but a little less.' I say to myself in my head.

'Hmphhh, Divinity...' What a joke, they are no humans with a better physiques and lifespans which can be linked to certain concepts of existence and life: storm, wisdom, lightning, war, magic and other

And after 15 minutes had passed with in an eerie silence, Seth had his head 10 centimeters off the ground, his hands behind his back, he was only using his leg to straighten up as best he could, then Odin took the speech :

"Second: Making a friend will soften your sour personality. »

"Hmph..." Seth rolled his eyes at the obvious irnie.

"And third" the pressure is gone

"You want to be king but you still don't know you want it, you're young and there's a long time before I abdicate, you're leaving Asgard in three moons." Odin spoke ignoring my response.

He looks at me for a while with a sweetness in his eyes and says;

"Make me proud son." and he waved his hand to tell me to leave.

I freeze for a second before doing a curtsey and leaving, it's early afternoon but I don't want to work on my fighting style.

I walked for 10 minutes thinking how to plan how to maximize combat experience gains from my future adventure, I will absolutely not waste time making friends... I was in my thoughts when I arrived at destination, I am in front of the door I knock a few seconds before my mother Queen Frigga also called Freyja, opens the door.

She smiles at me and hugs me, I hug her with a certain discomfort gently in return and I enter.

"Hello my darling" she said in a soft voice

"Hi Mom." I replied with a rare weak smile.

She doesn't talk to me much, she knows I don't like discussion.

My mother takes care of the royal garden, she is the greatest witch in Asgard. his room is one of the entrances to the palace garden, the place is magnificent, flowers undulating in the wind, calm, peaceful and solitary, I really appreciate this place. I entered the garden by passing through the Great Gate which overlooks this peaceful place.

I walked about 5 meters and sat up against a tree, relaxed and looking at my mother, she was in her room which I could easily see through the large door that leads to the garden, in front of her desk full of things to sew, she was making what looked like a scarf, she was humming music, one of the songs she sang to me when I was Baby.

I remember how I tried so hard to reject her a few years ago, I don't want to be emotionally attached to anyone, feelings can be weaknesses, but no matter how many times I avoid it or I don't know, she always had the same smile when she looked at me. It had become more and more difficult to put up barriers, especially when you are a baby and you cannot move.

I look at her, she was beautiful, not in her attractive looks, but beautiful in her way, her personality sublimates her person.

I see her doing this child size scarf, I smile Yeah... She penetrated the armor without me even realizing it.