Niflheim was once a land only inhabited by the monsters which spawned there and the few animals that could survive the harsh winters. That is until the gods and goddesses descended upon the lower world. Several of these deity's saw the northern country as a perfect replica of their territories. Those gods that so wanted to continue their traditions and share them with the mortals of the lower world began gathering their familia's and those that wanted a quiet life.

Three hundred years ago these deity's made the long awaited journey to their chosen land. This land was named Niflheim in a tribute to the frozen wasteland that they would now claim as their own.

Niflheim was divided between the deity's each claiming the territory ideal for the continuation of their traditions. In the North the goddess of death and the underworld Hel claimed the barren wastelands. What this land lacked in abundant resources it made up for with difficult monsters. Something the goddess had reveled in. She desired a familia of warriors the likes of which would make countries such as Rakia shiver when they sounded the horns of battle. This territory became known simply as The Barrens. Through the years Hel found her ideal land was far from being able to grant her wishes. It was for this reason she began trying to expand leading to several conflicts with the other territories.

To the West laid mountains that contained ores and other rare metal that the god Brokkr claimed as his own. He led his people and familia to carve out the mountains as their dwellings where they resided. It was here they continued the practice of their god and leader. They became well known craftsman and metal workers many of which rivaled the smiths of other countries. The majority of people who followed Brokkr to these mountains were dwarves who developed the main characteristics of being stronger than ordinary dwarves after decades of mining and metal working. They as well became well known by the rest of Niflheim for their near impenetrable defenses during the attempts by Hel to expand and claim the mountains for their ability to produce weapons and armor of great quality. It was for these abilities and craftsmanship that the mountains became known around the world as The Mountains of Uru.

To the east laid a land full of lush evergreen forests that seemed as endless as the night sky. It was here the goddess of the hunt Ullr settled. She sought to hand down the elegance of her perfected craft to the mortals of the lower world. To this end she chose a very select people to enter her forest with her. These people became known as the ice elves. They were a people driven from their homes in the Alf forest by the elven king. The adapted to their new home as if they were born to be there. The ice elves had skin that was much paler than that of an ordinary elf. Their hair color was what earned them their name of ice elves as they had ice blue hair and golden eyes that made them seem far more regal than their former brethren. They did as their goddess wished and mastered the art of hunting and archery as well as the art of magic which they had brought with them from the Alf forest. They named their home the Álfheimr forest.

In the center of the country laid the mountain of Vili. It was here that the gods and goddesses designated their scared ground. It was here their children would be tested. The mountain on an isle that was separated from the rest of the country by a massive body of water that encircled it. It was impossible to see the main shore of the isle as there was an ever impenetrable fog that surrounded it. It was deemed a testing ground as it was here that the monsters know as dragur spawned. They were described as walking corpses and undead soldiers that wielded weapons lost by those that perished during their trials. Further deep with the mountain it was said that there was a boss that spawned known as a frost giant. A large humanoid monster made entirely of ice though it was only unconfirmed rumors.

Finally to the south was the most varied in resources. Unlike all others the god Baldur didn't just want to have a place for his traditions to flourish. Unlike others he developed a village of traditional Norse huts and long houses. The small village eventually developed into a small bustling city. The city was named Næma or by his translation the city of beginnings. It was named so as this city was the main entrance to the country. As such it also had the most varied in population and trade. His familia became one of the largest in Niflheim second only to Brokkr.

It was here in the city of Næma that we find a young boy just hitting the ground. He was inside a small training arena the walls made of stone with a wooden fence on top of it. The boy stood up holding a wooden practice sword in his right hand. He had short black hair and sky blue eyes. He was only a seven year old boy however the look in his eyes could have fooled anyone into thinking he was a veteran warrior. This young boy was none other than Ethan Varg. Across from him stood his father Eivor Varg and just outside the arena was his Mother Ceris Varg.

Ethan stood up gripping the practice sword he ran at his father raising the sword slightly and bringing it down in a slashing motion in an attempt to catch his fathers chest. The wooden blade was easily parried by the older man who swept his sons leg in a blur of speed. Ethan went with his fathers movement as he was knocked into the air he spun in the air bringing his sword in a spinning motion. Their wooden blades made a clacking sound as his father pivoted blocking his sons attack. Eivor thrust the side of his blade that was locked with his sons throwing Ethan to the other side of the small arena. The young boy spun backwards landing on his feet. He was about to try and attack again before he felt the tip of his fathers blade against his neck. He let out a sigh as they both lowered their practice swords.

His father had a bright smile as he lowered his wooden sword. "Great job Ethan. You're a natural with a sword just like your old man." He told his son while pointing a thumb at himself.

"He sure his honey though his moves remind me more of a far eastern swordsman." His mother stated as she entered the small practice arena.

"Thanks, though I still can't seem to get my speed right." Ethan stated returning his parents smiles. He had began training with his father over a year ago and had breezed through basics. Ethan was considered by many to be a natural talent though he knew that was false. He had a secret that he had only told his parents and Lord Baldur about. That was that he could remember the life he lived in the past. He remembered being a warrior of near unparalleled skill and a wise king. When he started the basics with his father it was easy as he had the knowledge of his former teacher Kensei and a literal lifetime of experience. The hardest part however was adjusting. He stumbled and made mistakes in footing simply because he was uncomfortable in his own body. The period he spent adjusting was a learning curve in itself but nonetheless the knowledge of knowing when and where to strike made up for some of his mistakes. The process of convincing his parents he was telling the truth was a much more tiring endeavor in his opinion. Eventually he was forced to actually involve his fathers deity to confirm he was in fact telling the truth. It was then that his parents forced him to tell the three of them his entire previous life's story. After he had finished Baldur had made theorized the goddess he had met in death was responsible for allowing his memories to remain in tact. The god had also made it very clear to keep this information a secret. After Baldur had left that night his parents made it clear that despite his advanced mind and past he was still their little boy. It was something that brought Ethan to tears. Parents were one of the things he never had so he would be sure to cherish the time he had with them.

His father put a hand on his shoulder encouragingly "That's alright your still unblessed. After tonight's trial I think you'll feel a lot better with your self."

"Oh what makes you so sure he'll pass the trial?" His mother asked in mock surprise. Father and son looked at her dryly before she spoke again "okay, okay when you pass. I don't doubt it for a second." She stated ruffling his hair.

"Alright." His father stated clapping his hands. "I have some preparations to finish. Why don't you go play with the other kids sport. It won't be long until your doing some work outside the city so you should enjoy being a kid for a little longer." Eivor told his son.

"Right, I'm off then." Ethan stated as he started off down the path from the arena.

He ran for almost ten minutes weaving through the busy streets. Vendors and businesses were all preparing for the trial tonight. That made Ethan stop a moment he had been looking forward to this ever since he had begun training. The trial of beginnings, it was a test held every three years. It was designed so that candidates for each territory could show the strength of their territories familia. Those who passed the trial from each territory were awarded their respective deity's blessing or falna. The location shifted each time it was held as did the actual event. However there were always several rules set in stone.

The first was that there were to be no battles or hostilities allowed between territories during the trial. Those who broke this rule had their territory targeted by the other three and would be banned from competing the next time the trial came around. The second was that there was to be killing between candidates within the trial. The only exception was when another candidate killed first. The consequences for breaking the second rule would result in the candidate being exiled. If it was found to have been planned by the candidates territory then the same consequences as the first rule applied as well. The third was more of a deterrent to prevent the second rule from being broken. It was that if a candidate or group of candidates began killing then they were fair game. That meant that the second rule no longer applied to those who interfered.

Ethan shook himself from his thoughts as he neared his friends favorite hangout. It was a small clearing in a nearby park that had a stream running through it. He arrived to find al three of his friends present. There weren't many kids his age around however those that were he had become fast friends with.

The first was was Reiner Braun. He was a tall boy that was rather muscular for a kid their age. He had short blonde hair and gold eyes. The thing that was most notable about him to others was his strong sense of loyalty. He had an unwavering will as well that fuels him in his own training sessions. He, like Ethan was a candidate that was going to be representing his territory in the upcoming trial.

The second sitting off to the side was Rico Brzenska. She was the shortest out of the group wearing a brown pants, black boots, and blue shirt. She had platinum blonde hair that came down to her cheeks. She was also wearing a pair of small framed glasses that she currently had on just in front of her silver eyes. She was a sort of mixed bag of emotions. She was a candidate as well and had been dedicated to her training. During that time she was as serious as any adult within the city. However outside of training she was one of the first to cut loose and relax.

The final member of their little group was the only one among them who was a non-candidate, she was Olga Marie Animusphere. She wore a black dress that had some streaks of orange running through it with white sleeves. She also wore a red necktie. She wore black dress boots and had long white hair that in combination with her amber gold eyes made her beautiful. Her hair came down to her mid back and she wore part of it in a braid that was tied with an orange ribbon off to her left side. She came from a family of successful merchants. She had a tendency to be somewhat overbearing to others however Ethan knew where she was coming from. She was a brilliant young girl and everyone expected her to eventually take over for her parents something that caused her to overwork herself sometimes. Being the son of the familia's captain himself he knew about having expectations of others dropped on him. Though he made it a point to help her relax every now and then. Out of the three of his friends she was probably the one he was closest with. Since she didn't train physically they helped each other keep their minds sharp.

"Hey guys." Ethan greeted entering their meeting spot.

The others turned to him smiling "Hey about time Ethan. We were just about to go looking for you." Reiner stated slapping his friend on the back.

"Yes, do tell what kept you?" Olga asked.

"Dad I and we're sparring and I lost track of time. I'm trying to make sure I'm ready for tonight." Ethan replied sheepishly.

"Seriously? If not for the lack of falna you could give most level ones a run for their money. Hell you'll probably give all the candidates more than enough trouble." Rico stated while sitting on a nearby rock.

"I'm not that great." Ethan stated dismissively "Besides we have no idea how good the other candidates are."

Reiner nodded in agreement "yeah it also depends on what event we hold. If it's a type of hunt then the ice elves will have an advantage. Though i suppose it's entirely possible that we would have a tournament after all you know how gods like excitement."

"It doesn't matter. I'm sure you'll all do fine." Olga stated standing up. "Well we have a little bit what should we do before the trial?" She asked

She was smiling but for some reason Ethan could see she was sad. It made him slightly concerned however he decided to leave it until later.

As the children were deciding what to do elsewhere in the city a special guest was arriving. He was exiting a carriage in front of the long house where Baldur and the captain and vice captain of his Familia were standing. The man that exited was wearing a gray cloak that he flipped the hood back on revealing an older man with thick white hair and facial hair. He wore a black eyepatch over his right eye.

Exiting behind him was a woman wearing a set of light battle armor. She had black hair and green eyes. She also wore a headpiece that had wings on the sides.

Baldur stepped forward to greet his guests "Odin a pleasure to see you and you as well lady Sigrún." The younger god greeted his fellow deity and his bodyguard.

Odin looked at Baldur before answering "yes too you as well Baldur. So where is this lad you've been talking about. I hope he's as good as you say."

Eivor stepped forward "He's not here right now Lord Odin. We were expecting to let you see his skills tonight at the trial. Afterall it's the first time we've ever held such a trial."

The woman now named Sigúrn spoke up "That seems wise. We wouldn't want anyone to assume he was receiving special treatment."

"Of course lady Sigúrn. Besides I have the utmost confidence in my sons abilities."

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Two hours had passed since Ethan had joined his friends. They had mostly sat around and talked sharing their nerves about the night to come.He and Olga had left the others and were walking to Olgas home.

He looked at his friend seeing her still saddened. He decided to speak to her.

"So what has you down?" He asked making her look at him in surprise.

"You noticed?" She asked in surprise

"You're my best friend of course I noticed.is there anything I can do to help?" He asked in worry.

"I'm worried about tonight. It's selfish but I don't want you to pass the trial." She admitted feeling guilt swell up in her chest.

"You think if I pass I won't have enough time for you." He stated more rathe than asked making her nod guiltily. He stopped and pulled the girl who was close to tears into a hug. "I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. When I pass the trial I will always have time for you." He whispered while holds her close.

Olga had stopped from nearly crying and was not blushing from the close contact though Ethan couldn't see it. "What about your plans?" She was referring to the fact he wanted to leave Niflheim at some point and explore the world maybe even going to Orario.

Ethan released the hug before laughing lightly and they resumed their walk before he spoke again. "I'm only seven Olga. I'm not going to start traveling until I'm at least sixteen. We have plenty of time together." He stated happily wiping a stray tear from her cheek before getting close to her ear. "Besides if we get married you can come with me." He whispered to her making her face slowly heat up.

"Up this is my stop sorrygottagobye." She stated so quickly he couldn't make it out before she was gone and had entered her house.

Ethan stood there for a minute before he started laughing. "Well tonight's going to be interesting."

Thank you for supporting this new story I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Reiner Braun-attack on titan

Rico Brzenska- attack on titan

Olga Marie Animusphere- Fate/GO