Explaining, Training and More Explaining

Lifting a hand, I placed a few light knocks on the door to the somewhat old-looking house before taking a step back. With my newly enhanced hearing, I heard someone quickly make their way from the kitchen before undoing a few latches on the door.

I can't blame them - this neighborhood is pretty bloody rough. Pretty sure I saw a junkie trying to break into someone's house on my way here.

A quick tap to the back of the head knocked him out soon enough.

Super strength is pretty wild to have. Basic hits and taps are more than enough to knock a normal human out now and anything higher...well, let's just not go there. Too many images of exploding watermelons were appearing in my head when I thought of what would happen.

The door opened to reveal Turid, my also newly discovered aunt, and for a second she didn't seem to recognize me before she smiled widely and spoke up in her cheery voice, "Alex! How nice to see you...I wasn't expecting you, did you need something?" she asked, tilting her head to the side, confusion showing in her eyes.

"Yes, I was wondering if I could come in and have a chat with Magne. I know he has some problems in school because of his dyslexia, so I thought I'd come over and see if he needed any help. Family's gotta look out for each other, right?" I smiled, telling a white lie - I would help Magne in school if he needed it but that wasn't the exact reason I'd come to meet him today. But I couldn't exactly tell Turid that her son and I were the reincarnations of Norse Gods, could I?

...Well, I could but she'd no doubt either think I was insane and call mom to get me into a mental hospital or on the off chance she believed me, she'd freak out and probably wouldn't handle the news very well.

So, I wasn't going to tell her. She didn't need to know right now, anyway.

Hearing what I said, Turid smiled and put a hand on my upper arm, "Thank you, Alex, that mean's a lot. I...I know I haven't known you for very long and I haven't been very involved in your life but I'm your aunt regardless of that. You can come to me whenever you need help, okay?" she seemed genuinely touched by what I said and I felt a spark of guilt shoot up my gut but suppressed it and smiled while she continued, "And of course you can come in! Think of this place as your second home, Alex. Come in, come in," she ushered me in and so I did.

As I entered, I wiped my boots on the floor before taking them off and putting them to the side of the door. Didn't want to track the snow and mud that I couldn't wipe off into Turid's house.

Looking up the stairs, I pointed and spoke, "Which room is Magne's?" I asked and Turid gave a rapid answer, gesturing with her hands as she explained it to me.

"As you get to the top of the stairs, Magne's room is the one on the left," she explained and then looked curiously over at me, "Are you staying over for dinner?"

"Oh, I wouldn't want to intrude, Turid--" I tried to deny her invite but she shook her head.

"No, no, no, you wouldn't be intruding at all, Alex!" she smiled up at me as she continued, "I get to spend an afternoon getting to know my nephew! You'll have to tell me all you can about what you did back in the UK! I'm sure it was quite exciting. Anna told me about some of those tournaments you entered for sports and I wouldn't mind knowing some more about them!" she said, with actual enthusiasm.

I found myself sincerely smiling at this aunt of mine. She didn't know me until yesterday. Hadn't spoke a word to me until yesterday. Hadn't even seen me until yesterday. And despite all that, she was showing such a genuine interest in me and showing sincere platonic affection.

She's a nice woman.

Relenting, I nodded, still smiling, "Okay, okay, I'll stay for something to eat. But don't feel like you need to give me a full portion - I still need to eat when I get back home!" I informed her and she nodded her understanding before walking back into the kitchen.

With that done and out of the way, I walked up the stairs and following Turid's instructions, knocked on Magne's door after I stepped toward it.

He'd heard me coming into the house because he'd been pacing back and forth ever since I stepped through the door. He was obviously nervous - anxious about whatever was happening to him. Anxious for answers, about whatever was happening to him. I couldn't blame the guy because if I were in his shoes, I'd be just as anxious. Probably more frustrated than anything, though.

Soon enough after I knocked on his door, Magne opened the door and looked at me with serious eyes. Nothing was said, but he backed away and allowed for me to come in, so I entered and sat at his desk before gesturing for him to take a seat on his bed.

As the both of us sat, we looked over at the other and I could tell Magne was dying to ask something, so I spoke up, "Ask what you wanna ask and I'll see if I can answer it."

That really opened the floodgates.

"What's happening to me? I don't need my glasses anymore, why is that? That old woman, who is she?" he didn't stop asking his questions on his own accord but only because I lifted a hand to motion for him to calm down.

Sighing, I looked at him with a wry smile as I answered him, "Jeez, Magne, ask 'em one at a time," I joked and he looked away, embarrassed, yet I continued nonetheless, "You, like me, are the reincarnation of a God. Norse Gods, to be specific. The reason you're so strong, so full of energy, the reason you don't need your glasses anymore - it's all because you're the reincarnation of a God and Wenche, that old lady, was the person who awoke the power inside of you."

"But..." he uttered before going silent and seeming to go deep into thought. It was a minute later when he finally looked up at me again and spoke, "But why me?"

Smiling at him, I cocked up an eyebrow, "You're not going to question what I just said? I just said you were the reincarnation of a Norse God and the first thing you say isn't 'You're crazy' but you instead ask about why you were picked?"

Magne averted his gaze for a few more seconds before looking back to me, "I...I'm not that clever but I can tell when someone's being sincere. Besides, what else could explain what's happening to me? I can somehow tell the weather - I predicted heavy rain yesterday and seconds later it started pouring down. I can feel the wind when it gets violent before it even reaches me. Either I'm what you say I am or I've gained superpowers out of nowhere...I'd rather believe in what you say just for clarities sake."

"Hmm," I scratched at my chin, going over his logic in my head. He wasn't that far off - What else could explain what's happening to him? Besides, what's he got to lose by believing me? At worst, he finds out his cousin is insane. At best, I'm right and know how to guide him. "Fair enough," I agreed with him, nodding, "And you asked 'why me'? Because you're the reincarnation of a God, Magne. Wenche can't just give people godly abilities. Or at least I don't think she can," I scrunched up my brows, thinking about it for a moment or two before shaking my head and keeping focus on what was in front of me, "We have these powers because they were already inside us. Wenche just awakened them. We clear?"

Magne nodded, "Yes...well, sort of. I get that we're reincarnated Gods but why have we been awakened? Are we supposed to become fully fledged Gods or something?" his eyes widened at his own words, a silent fear pervading them. He obviously wasn't very keen on the idea.

Shrugging, I shook my head soon after before I answered, "No, I don't think so. We've been given these powers to fight a group of people but we don't need to go to Asgard or prowl the halls of Valhalla, okay? We just have to protect Edda. Or at least, that's what I plan to do from now on, anyway."

Magne went quiet at this, so I stayed quiet as well, letting him digest all of what I'd told him.

It wasn't until a few moments later that his gaze refocused on me and he asked a question I'd already expected the moment I walked into this house.

"How do you know all of this?"

Scratching along my chin, an unwanted tick I'd picked up when it came to lying, I smiled wryly over at Magne, "When Wenche awakened these powers in me, I had visions. I saw you, and I knew you were like me. I saw the Gods we're both descended from. Then Wenche warned me that I would need to fight, so I guessed that our mission is to protect Edda from something."

"You saw what God's we are?" Magne's eyes widened and he leaned in closer to me, asking in a voice a little more than a whisper, "What God am I?" he asked, the curiosity obviously eating through him.

"You're Thor, the mightiest of all the Norse Gods and the God who killed the World Serpent," I answered simply before gesturing to myself, "And I'm Vidar, Thor's half-brother and the God who killed Fenrir, Loki's Giant Wolf son, during Ragnarok avenging Odin's death."

I decided to not bring up how I was also Ares, for now. Mainly because I don't know if one day he'd let it slip and I'd be seen as some sort of abomination by the supernatural community. After all, a human having the power of a single God is already quite ridiculous - a human with the power of two Gods would be feared and I'd no doubt be hunted for the sake of it. Who wouldn't want to get rid of a potential threat like that before it could threaten them?

My thoughts aside, Magne looked shocked numb for a second as he sat there, staring into empty space.

This continued for a little while longer until I forcibly snapped him out of it, "Do you wanna go out and get some fresh air, Magne?" I asked and he looked to me suddenly, his head snapping in my direction before he let out a sigh and nodded at my question. "Good, we can test out our powers while we're out there. I know just the place to go," I gave a smile before standing up from my seat, Magne doing the same.

Well, it'll be fun to see how I measure up against Thor's Embodiment.

. . .

After we'd left his house, telling Turid we'd be back in an hour, we walked toward the area where I'd first met Wenche - the cliff that overlooked Edda. We walked and talked, Magne curious about what I'd felt change about myself.

I informed him I'd experienced an overall upgrade physically and that I'd show him what else I could do when we were in the forest next to the cliff.

When we finally arrived, Magne looked impatiently to me, "So? Are you going to show me or what?" he asked, somewhat impolitely but I chalked that up to him just being a bit too restless to see what I could do.

"First, I have a question," I intoned as I cracked my neck, "Do you know how to fight?" Magne looked confused at my question for a moment before he shook his head. I gave a grin and outstretched my hand to a nearby tree, the nearest branch stretching and thickening as it stretched toward me, "We'll have to remedy that, cousin."

As I said this, the branch came within reach and I grabbed it as it split off from the tree. The branch split into two sticks, perfectly the same in length at around 1.5m. Give or take a centimeter - I wasn't perfect at manipulating stuff with the powers I'd gained from Vidar just yet.

A quick rundown of what I can do with Vidar's powers is that I can control plant life. Which includes trees and their branches.

The two sticks in my hands became pointed at both ends, though only dully.

I tossed one to Magne after using my powers to harden and reinforce the wood as much as I could, "Catch," I said, the blond stumbling to catch the stick as I continued, "For now, we need to train a little. Both physically and combat-wise. As Thor's Embodiment, you're a warrior whether you like it or not and you need to know the basics of combat."

"Why?" Magne asked, having secured his wooden spear with both hands, looking confusedly over at me, "Why do I need to know how to fight?"

I sighed, "Because the Gods have enemies, Magne," I informed him before settling into a stance, the pointed end of my spear facing toward Magne, "But enough of that, I need to instill some instincts into you. I'll tell you about our enemies after this."

Before he could reply, I burst forward and sent a thrust right at his center mass.

Magne's eyes widened and he fumbled to dodge but he wasn't fast enough and my wooden spear sunk into his stomach, knocking the wind out of him. He gave a silent cry of pain which quickly turned into a shout as he swung his spear at me more like a club than an actual spear. Pulling my spear back from being thrust into Magne's stomach and to the side where I held it vertically with both hands, blocking the wild swing with the body of the spear and bringing my leg up to land a kick on the same place my spear had just thrust into: his stomach.

I put a decent level of force into the kick and it sent Magne flying backward until his back hit a tree with loud thud and further crack from the tree snapping in half from the force.

"You can't go swinging wildly like that, Magne," I settled back into a more neutral stance, holding my spear back in front of me and pointing the tip at Magne as I slowly advanced, "You need to keep a calm mind and figure out your opponent before goin all in."

Magne was coughing up, both the kick and the impact with the tree seeming to have knocked some fear into him. He looked up at me with fearful eyes but nevertheless stood up straight and gave a pale imitation of my current stance. I smiled and dashed toward him, and this time, Magne actually seemed ready for my attack.

I couldn't help but smile wider at that.

Time went by - about twenty minutes - and I found that the both of us were improving at a rapid pace. I guess it's to be expected as both of us embody Gods that were known for their battle prowess. Especially me who has a literal God of War who I embody.

As such, Magne made impressive progress throughout those twenty minutes. He was still getting battered by me and everything but he was taking it much better than before.

Even sending back a few counter attacks every now and then.

By the time we were done, Magne was a panting mess on the floor and covered in bruises, sweat and a few cuts where I'd hit him a little too sharply with my spear. Still, said injuries were healing at a speed noticeable to the human eyes, so I knew if we waited here for another half an hour, they'd be gone. One thing that had become apparent, however, is that Magne held very little talent for fighting with a spear.

He was too clumsy. In the end, he used it more like a club and just swung for the fences. I have half a mind to just give him a baseball bat. But I guess he wouldn't have talent with a weapon outside of the one Thor used.

...I'd have to think about making him a wooden hammer. I could probably mess with the weight so that only he could lift it as well. The durability and density will be easy enough to do with my powers but is it possible for wood to withstand lightning strikes? I guess I'll need to do a little experimentation to figure out what to do.

The only thing that improved throughout our little spar is Magne's combat instincts. At the beginning he couldn't defend or dodge for shit but toward the end he was getting a bit of a feel for it. Same goes for when to attack and when to block.

I picked up his discarded spear and reattached it to my own before letting it re-merged with the tree I'd taken it from.

Sitting down, I let Magne catch his breath for a little bit before speaking up, "The Gods - Norse Gods, to be specific - have one main enemy. The Giants," I said, getting Magne's attention as he looked up from the ground and at me. Seeing I had his attention, I continued, "The Giants have been around for a long time, Magne, and they have the advantage on us in terms of both numbers and combat experience. So, we need to play it safe and not let them know we're Gods unless we want them to know. I'm handling the Giant situation, so you can focus on getting used to your powers. I've been told by Wenche that more enemies will arrive which leaves us with two options."

"What? What options?" he breathlessly asked, his eyes filling with both fear for the Giants and for our limited number of options, I'd guess.

"We can either stage a surprise attack on the Giants and wipe them out before the other enemies come," I said and Magne blanched at what I meant, making me sigh, "And from how you reacted to me mentioning that, I guess you wouldn't help me kill them. Meaning we only have option two - make a non-aggression pact with the Giants while we fight off and defeat the other enemies we will gain."

Magne let out a nigh-silent sigh of relief before an unsure look clouded his face, "But...if they're our enemies, will they accept such a non-aggression thingy?"

I chuckled weakly, shaking my head, "Under normal circumstances? No," I leaned back, looking up at the sky above, "But if I can get close enough to the Giants without them knowing what I am, I should be able to sway at least one of them into the non-aggression pact. And if I lie, saying that our enemies are their enemies, the others will be much more willing to accept the pact."

I let out a sigh, closing my eyes. This is becoming pretty complicated. I'd rush off and wipe out Ran and Vidar Jutul if I could. Saxa and Fjor are much less set in their ways as hardcore Human/God haters, and I could convince them to join this pact of mine without the older Giants being in the way.

...Yet, I'm sure I don't have the strength to do that. Not now. Right now, the four of them are usually around one another and fighting them on my own - or even with Magne - would lead to us losing. Which leaves me to play the long/political game.

I hold myself back from groaning - I'm not the embodiment of Loki or Hera or even Harmonia. I'm not suited for things that don't include fighting.

Vidar is called the Silent God and Ares is the God of War. Not even the part of war that requires surrender or diplomacy. No, I'm the embodiment of bloodlust and slaughter. Not exactly something suited for brokering a deal with some warrior Giants, is it?

Shaking my head, I wipe at my eyes and massage the bridge of my nose before standing up, "Come on then, Magne, we need to get back to your house. You can ask some more of your questions on the way back," I said and he nodded, standing up himself before the two of us went back the way we came. Just thinking about what I had to do in the near future was mind-bogglingly annoying.

Not to mention I have to go on that date-thing with Saxa tomorrow.

...Haah~ At least now I get to eat something nice and warm and homemade. Should help soothe my mood a little. Let's just hope my aunt is a good cook.