Chapter 1 Blood in the snow

In the dead of night, mid-winter snowing heavily. There are tracks of a bear-like creature imprinted in the snow.

'Man, this storm is so cold I can feel my bones shivering. But I have to bring something for my family. My Father told me to look after the family while he went away to work. Since he left, it's been a summer, and now an unexpectedly strong winter made him unable to come home. Our food stock is not enough to survive this winter.'

The sudden sound of branches breaking brings a chill down his spine. The moonlight casts the shape of the creature.

'This is it! Clear your head and focus on the target.'

He quietly makes a hunting stance with his spear. Pulling all of his strength, he throws the spear. It enters the beast's torso, piercing some organs. Upon felling the spear, the beast goes on a rampage, running with all the strength it had left towards our amateur hunter.

' Shit!! Gotta find a tree!?'

He instinctively runs away. At high speed, the forest trees dissolve into a blur. The bear runs fiercely, gaining a lot of momentum. Ragnar looks back to see where the bear is when he crashes into a tree. With that, the bear catches up to him. The bear pushes up with its' arms now standing on two feet. Towering above Ragnar the bear swings his right arm with long claws aimed at Ragnar's face. Ragnar blocks it with his arm, leaving it with deep cuts. At that moment Ragnar loses control, the energy deep inside him bursts out letting thunder strike in every direction.

Then he hears a loud sound of bone-breaking against the wood. Instants later, he notices he's on the ground with the beast next to him, breathing heavily and covered in blood. The top half of a recently broken tree rests in front of them. He looks at his arms full of deep cuts spilling blood. He feels no pain at the moment. He struggles to get up, grabs the spear striking out of the beast's chest, violently twists it and pulls it out.

He grabs the beast's horns and drags the beast through the snow.

'I'm fine. I need to get home.'

After dragging the beast for a while, he collapses in front of the door of his house.

***

Ragnar Bjørnsøn is the name of this young man. One night during a storm, a man found a recently born baby on his doorstep. This baby had snow-white hair, bright red eyes with black markings and a robust body.

This man and his wife raised this child like their own. They had three children in total. This man is Bjørn, meaning bear. This name was given to him due to his strength and affection for loved ones. This man was one of the strongest Jomsvikings. His wife Hilda, meaning the fighter, was a warrior worthy of the title Valkyrie.

This family had a farm in an impoverished land with some dangers. The parents would alternate when going away to battle to look after the children and work on the farm. Things in their land had been getting worse, the fields weren't growing crops, and the beasts were becoming more robust.

The young man grew up being taught everything by his parents. They though him how to fight, hunt, work on the farm, read... Recently he's been developing dormant superhuman abilities.

***

One day had passed since Ragnar collapsed. Ragnar slowly regains consciousness:

"Hum? ... I'm starving!"

'Everything hurts. I haven't felt this miserable since I ate those weird mushrooms that old lady gave me.'

Ragnar slowly gets off his bed and looks out the window. It's a rare sunny day during winter, the sunlight worms up his face. In an instant, Ragnar's little brother Ødger barges into the room and hugs Ragnar tightly, passionately.

"... Are you ok?"

"I'm a bit banged up. It's no big deal."

Shortly after Ragnar's older sister Revna comes in almost as if she has been waiting for the right moment.

" How are you doing?" She asks.

"I'm fine, really."

"Ok. Then don't you ever do something that stupid again!"

Ragnar's father Bjørn walks in.

"Hey! Slugger I see you've been doing some beast wrestling."

"Pfff, Hahaha! Ouch, my belly. Well, it was even messier than you think."

" I know! Now lemme see those wounds."

While everyone was checking out Ragnar's wounds, his mother Hilda came in with a bowl of beast stew that smelled divine.

"I made one of your favourite dishes. How's my brave son doing?"

My dad answers

"It's nothing I've seen worse he'll be fine."

My mother gives me the bowl

"You stink! After eating, you need to go wash!"

Ragnar thinks, 'So much for a peaceful day.'

His mother directs herself to Bjørn.

"You go with your son after he's finished. Help him!"

Bjorn looks at Ragnar

"I'm proud of you, son."

Some minutes later, when Ragnar's finished eating.

"You ready, son? It'll start getting cold if we wait too long."

"I'm finished. Let's go."

They take a few minutes to get to the stream.

"Son, thanks for looking after the family like that. If things keep getting worse, we will have to sail."

"Sail where?"

"Your mother and I heard about this land on the South that's much safer and greener."

" We decided that if it comes to that, we will go there. What do you think, son?"

"Well, it's the best we have for now. I'll help any way I can."

They wash in silence, thinking and reflecting on their situation.

"How was your trip this time?"

"The beasts are getting more aggressive and active. It was harder but also more rewarding."

After another time in silence thinking, Bjorn asks:

"Have you been training as I told you?"

"Yes, mom also has been teaching me some techniques."

"Your mom's fighting style is very different but as strong as mine. It'll be good if you learn both creating your own style."

"Have your powers started growing yet?"

"Yes, I feel like they're still dormant but they've been developing more rapidly lately."

"That's good we can go on to the next stage of your training. You ready it's going to be many times harder than before, once you open your energy it'll be rigorous and painfully. But I know you will succeed."

"Well, I'm as ready as I'll ever be. Let's do it."

"That's the spirit!"