The beginning

The young boy named loki eyes fluttered open as he sat up slowly. It took him a moment to remember where he was; then everything came rushing back at once. The smell of smoke hung heavy in the air, along with the scent of charred flesh and blood. As he looked down at his body, he saw that there were no visible wounds. But he could feel pain throughout every inch of his skin.

His mind flashed through images of fire and destruction—the faces of people he knew and loved. They screamed in agony before they died. Then Loki remembered why he felt so much pain. A large part of his family had just perished. And now, he must move forward without their support.

As he rose unsteadily to his feet, he noticed something odd. There was another figure standing nearby staring directly into his eyes, but he couldn't quite make out its features or gender. All Loki could see were two bright blue orbs.

"Hello," said the voice coming from behind the mask. "My name is Loki."

There was silence between them for a long time until finally Loki spoke again.

"…Who are you?"

No response followed. Instead, Loki heard footsteps approaching quickly. Before he knew it, he found himself surrounded by four armored warriors wielding spears and swords. Their armor appeared to be made entirely of metal scales. Each warrior wore a different color set of scale-armor. One was black, one red, another green, and lastly yellow.

One of the men stepped forward and removed his helmet. Underneath, Loki recognized the face of someone very familiar.

<Father!>

He hadn't seen his father since he left home when he turned fourteen years old. Now here he stood looking exactly like Loki did during his childhood. This wasn't possible… Was it?

"I'm sorry my son…"

It took Loki a second to process what his father had just said.

"What do you mean 'sorry'? I don't understand."

A sad smile crossed his lips.

"You're going to have to forgive me for saying this, but we've never really gotten off to a great start. You can call me Odin. Your mother has told me so much about you over the past few days."

Odin's expression grew serious as he continued speaking.

"But let us not dwell upon such unpleasant things. We should focus on the present instead. What brings you here, my son?"

For the first time in his life, Loki truly appreciated how beautiful his father was. From his shining white beard to his piercing golden eyes, his appearance seemed almost divine. He had always admired his father for being so wise and strong, yet humble too. Yet he still managed to look regal despite wearing simple clothes.

And now that he thought about it, his clothing matched perfectly with the rest of his group. He was dressed in leather pants and boots, which contrasted nicely against the shiny silver scale armor covering most of his upper body.

In addition, his hair was cut short and styled neatly, and he sported a full head of thick blond curls. In fact, Loki realized that he had never seen his father without any kind of hairstyle.

Even though he was older than Loki, his physique looked similar to his own. Both were tall and muscular with broad shoulders. However, unlike Loki's lean frame, his father had more muscle definition due to spending hours training daily.

Finally, Loki noticed that Odin was holding a sword in his hand and pointed towards the direction of their campfire. As soon as he did, the flames burst into a ball of orange flame shooting upwards toward the sky.

"That's impressive," said Loki.

Odin smiled. "Thank you. That means a lot coming from your father."

Loki nodded. "Yes, well, I suppose it does. So, what happened here? Where am I right now?"

"Ah yes, I forgot to introduce myself earlier. My friends call me Odin. Forgive me for forgetting. Anyway, we met on our way to find the Great Tree, where you will learn all sorts of interesting things."

Loki frowned. "Why are we going to the Great Tree? Why not go straight to the palace to meet the king?"

Odin shook his head. "We cannot speak of such matters outside of the palace walls. If word got out, we'd likely end up dead. Besides, there may be spies among us already. No doubt some of the guards overheard the conversation taking place within these woods. And trust me, I wouldn't put anything past those fools."

Loki rolled his eyes and sighed heavily.

"Very well, Father. Please continue telling me about the Great Tree."

Odin grinned widely and waved his arm across the trees surrounding them. "Oh, come on! Don't tell me you haven't noticed!"

After a moment of silence, Loki replied. "Of course, I noticed. These forests are far larger than normal. Even after traveling for nearly three weeks, we have barely covered half of the distance. How is that possible?"

Odin chuckled. "Don't worry about it. Let's save the science lessons for later. Right now, we need to talk strategy. Do you know what a battle plan is?"

Loki shrugged. "Sure, everyone knows about war plans. After all, I watched countless battles take place on television growing up."

Odin raised an eyebrow. "Really? Well, good thing you weren't born ten thousand years ago. Back then, we didn't use technology. We relied solely on brute force and physical power to defeat our enemies. Our ancestors fought wars using weapons forged from steel, bronze, and iron. Those were the only materials available for making tools and weaponry back then. Oh, but that was ages ago."

Loki tilted his head curiously. "So, what changed?"

"Well, thousands of years passed and we discovered new technologies. First came gunpowder. Next came electricity. Finally, computers arrived in the twenty-first century. With the invention of these devices, warfare evolved dramatically."

Odin paused for a moment before continuing. "Nowadays, modern armies rely on sophisticated equipment, including tanks, drones, and fighter jets. Modern soldiers carry guns that shoot bullets, missiles, lasers, or plasma cannons. They also wear special suits called powered armor. And because of these advances in technology, conventional tactics are useless nowadays. Today, winning a war requires a combination of superior firepower, speed, and intelligence. Otherwise, you'll lose every single time."

Odin held out his hand and snapped his fingers. Suddenly, a small device flew out of thin air and landed on top of his palm. It was a handheld computer with a screen displaying a map of the forest. On the display, Loki could clearly see the location of his father and his companions.

"Do you see the path leading northward? That is our current position. See that big tree to the west? We're camping under it tonight. Tomorrow morning, we leave for the capital city of Uppsala. Once inside, we shall meet King Eirik and his advisors. Hopefully, we can convince them to grant us asylum."

Odin tapped the touchpad on his computer several times until a message popped up. When he read it aloud, Loki's jaw dropped in shock.

"'Welcome to the kingdom of Norway. Please report to the royal palace immediately.'"

"How is this possible?!" exclaimed Loki. "Didn't you say you needed permission from the king?"

"Not anymore," explained Odin. "These messages are sent directly from the king's office. Apparently, he doesn't want us wasting valuable time trying to obtain clearance. Which is fine by me. At least, it gives us a chance to prepare ourselves for whatever lies ahead. Plus, it shows that we're doing exactly what he wants."

"Okay," said Loki. "Let me guess. You have a plan for defeating the dragon."

"Indeed. But first, I think we should discuss something else important. Something you probably won't believe."

Odin pulled a book out of nowhere and placed it in front of Loki.

"Is this real?" asked Loki. "Where did you get this book?"

"This is actually the original copy of The Book of Runes," answered Odin proudly. "I bought it from a local bookstore in Oslo yesterday."

"Wow," muttered Loki. "Can you show me the cover?"

"Certainly," said Odin, opening the book and showing him the title page. "See this symbol here? It looks like a lightning bolt crossing with the letter M."

Loki stared at the symbols on the pages carefully. "Those letters spell out the words 'Norse Mythology.' Is that supposed to be Norse mythology?"

"Precisely," replied Odin. "This particular edition contains information about ancient gods and heroes who lived in Scandinavia thousands of years ago. Some even predate Christianity."

"Wait," said Loki, shaking his head in confusion. "Are you telling me that Thor, Freya, Odin, and the others are actual historical figures?"

"Exactly. Most of them are mentioned in other books besides The Book of Runes, but this one explains their stories in greater detail."

"Interesting…" mumbled Loki. "Tell me, Father… Did you ever read this book as a child?"

"Hmm? Of course, I did. I used to spend many nights reading it before bedtime. Although, I stopped after a while."

Loki cocked his head sideways. "Why would you stop reading if it meant so much to you?"

"Because I grew bored," answered Odin casually. "Besides, I wanted to try something new. So, I began learning about history instead. I studied everything from ancient Rome to Egypt to Mesopotamia. I learned how they conquered their neighbors, built empires, and ruled entire regions. Eventually, I became fascinated with the Romans' culture. I spent months researching Roman literature and art, which led me down a rabbit hole of research regarding the empire itself. Soon enough, I started studying Greek philosophy. Then, I moved onto medieval Europe. I immersed myself in every aspect of European civilization from its earliest beginnings to the dawn of modernity. To be honest, I still do."

"That sounds amazing," said Loki excitedly. "If you love knowledge so much, why didn't you study law like I did?"

"To answer your question: Because it bores me.