Ai had never been more comfortable in her life. Ever since she started living on her own, a single mattress with a thin blanket was the only thing which sheltered her during the night in her tiny apartment complex. She did not know how long she had been sleeping, but for now, if her alarm was not ringing, then there was no need for her to get up. Curled up with her knees tucked in, Ai slept like she was in a king-sized bed with sheets made of the finest material she never knew of before. Although her eyes were still shut, it was comforting to know the sheets covered her in darkness. Unfurling her limbs, the tension in her arms and legs tensed up as she stretched them across the smooth coverings.

'Ahh~~~ I must've been extra tired yesterday… My bed is sooooo comfy… What did I do yesterday? Hmm… It was my day off… but I don't remember much… Was I playing Yggdrasil? I feel like I did, but the servers should be off by now… I remember fighting a new raid boss… What did I do yesterday…?'

She continued to ruffle around in the darkness of the sheets, but her ears pricked to the sound of voices in her room. Her heartbeat boomed inside of her ears, as she forced herself to stop her breathing to listen in better.

"...happening. Heimdall should have foreseen this! Have you gone blind, old man?!" A slick voice Ai had not heard before said.

'I guess I wasn't dreaming last night… The game did become real… But is that so bad? Did Frigga carry me to bed? Ahh… I wish I had a better recollection of it.'

"The Allfather has put his faith in my vision above everyone else's. My recount was clear! It was by his will that Asgard be safeguard first. He valued the lives of his sons before his own! YET! You have decided your judgement is bett-"

"Enough! All of you!" A feminine voice interrupted, which was quite familiar to Ai. "We are still in the presence of the Allfather. Odin must recover his strength before another threat to Asgard presents itself. In that time, we must see to it the Odin Sleep is not interrupted."

"Of course, Mother! I completely agree with you wholeheartedly about this matter. However, I am more corned about the immediate lack of leadership. Who will be in command while the Allfather sleeps?"

"You are walking a thin line, Loki," Heimdall immediately retorted, almost growling with his low voice.

'That was Loki? Like, the God of Mischief, Loki? Ahh… This could be troublesome…'

"Had Odin appointed someone to be in command during his Odin Sleep, I would not bring up this issue! The noble houses will look to another leader if the Allfather could not rise up to protect Asgard."

- Shink.

The air cracked with a metallic hum, before the sound of metal striking stone echoed within the bedchamber. "Thin line," interjected Heimdall.

'Am I listening to a soap opera? They sound so dysfunctional… I guess the devs did write their backstories… I should reread their bios later.'

"No, Heimdall, I agree with Loki on this matter," spoke a new voice. His tone was confident and powerful, like a proud warrior. The voice was not quite as low or aged like Heimdall, but still carried the same amount of status the vanguard had.

"Thank you, dear brother! We must consider the greater good of Asgard!"

'Ugg… Thor… You are not helping the situation… And you! Loki! Are you always going to act up? This isn't my funeral and this isn't my deathbed! Is this what relatives do when you're getting old? We're in the same room! At least talk about this in some other room… Should I speak up? Why does Thor get the Odinson title? Favorite son my ass!'

"This is a discussion for when Odin has recovered his strength. If he deems the matter important enough, he will appoint someone, but if not, then both of you shall drop this matter."

'At least there is one voice of reason… Ahh, I can feel my affection meter for Frigga filling up.'

A small silence filled the room, in which Ai could only hear her breathing and her heartbeat in her ear. She was fully awake by now, but did not have any idea how long she had been sleeping. Had it been a day? A week? With no HUD, the only reliable time frame were her cooldowns. The buffs had their effects weakened by now, but their cooldowns were far from being back up functional again. At most, she estimated she had slept for a single day.

"I concur," said Heimdall, "If the Odinson wishes for this matter to be settled, then I will respect your decision. However, to decide anything now would be disrespectful to our Allfather."

"Are we all just going to wait around until the Odin Sleep ends? Should I hold you accountable then if a threat presents itself to Asgard and there is a lack of leadership?"

"Patience, Brother. I think-"

Ai had already lost interest in the conversation, not because it was boring, but because she felt rumbling in her imaginary stomach. Her actual body, which did not need air or subsistence, felt at the peak of any immortal being, despite having sunbathed on the surface of a star. However, with the mind of a human, she was still stuck with human needs. The last time she ate was well over 2 days ago, if she kept track correctly.

'If all of Asgard became real, then does that mean the food in the kitchen also became real? Ugg, it feels like I haven't eaten in a week. Do they have instant ramen…? Wait… I'm in Asgard… Maybe eating ramen everyday ruined my taste in good food… What was my last cooked meal… Oh… It was at Christmas with Mom…'

Some part of her being was excited to explore and experience new adventures in the unknown world she was transported to, but at the same time, her heartstrings felt like they were being pulled on. Still, a stray thought peaked itself into her mind.

'Did I just inherit a family? Huh… A loving wife… A couple of kids… A big house with a front yard… I think… Am I the average suburban dad? Wait… Do they see me as me, or… as an image of Odin…?'

Ai marked the thought down in her increasingly long laundry list of things to do in the new world. Muffled voices could still be heard from just outside her sleeping capsule, likely discussing more things to do about her absence. Now that the game was real, there were several more pressing matters Ai wanted to confirm about the castle before confronting the now-alive NPCs. Although her imaginary stomach derailed her thoughts, Toreii's keen ears picked up the ongoing conversation.

"...but it's not just my Father we should be worried about. We could not find you, Mother, when the Bifrost was activated. Your handmaid claim you were still within the castle, but neither I nor Loki could find you."

"Indeed, a good question for the Queen of Asgard. The Allfather teleported everyone and the city away, but I lost vision of you when it happened. Yet, the next time I felt your presence was when you rushed back into the castle, carrying Odin into this chamber," questioned Heimdall.

"Please, Brother, our mother has been through enough. After seeing the Allfather in this condition, I do not believe pushing Mother for answers is treating her right."

'Ahh~ Loki was always a mama's boy. I guess that makes sense if Thor is Odin's favorite. Still… For a favorite son, he sure wanted to take the throne fairly quickly… Loki being Loki is one thing… But I thought Thor would at least wait for me to name him Allfather… What do I do with that boy…?'

"The Allfather, returning to Asgard and going straight to Odin Sleep after activating the Bifrost, despite a legion of dragons flying just outside of the city, is more than enough ground to question the whereabouts of our Queen. If, at any point, your decisions lead to Odin's life being at risk, then I will hold you accountable," spoke the vanguard.

Once again, a pregnant pause filled the room. Ai had wanted to listen more to the normal conversation of the NPCs to figure out how each of them interacted, but a gnawing gut feeling told her an interjection on her part was going to be required soon. Having never been invited to any social circles, Ai did not have the courage to speak up at the moment.

"Do you know who you-"

"Do not fret, my son. Heimdall's concerns are perfectly reasonable, albeit frank. As Queen of Asgard and wife to Odin, I have my own responsibilities to the Allfather. If need be, I would lay down my life without hesitation for my beloved."

'Why does she continue to call me that…? This isn't really love, though… She was just programmed by the devs to be like that… right? If I go by movie experience, an AI who gains the ability to think for itself is always bad… but the ones who learn about emotions and learn to love have a good ending… Is Frigga a killer AI who is in love with me…? I'm more worried about Thor and Loki though…'

"We shouldn't be bickering in the Allfather's presence. Come, we should let him rest," spoke Frigga sweetly, "The nobles will have questions for us. I do think it is best we quell their questions until Odin can personally address them."

With the boom of heavy stone doors opening, Ai surmised there were no objections from the other NPCs. Once again, she felt her affection meter for Frigga filling up, like she was the heroine being conquered by the MC. She was glad she did not have to handle the flurry of questions by a large group of people. Large crowds were never her thing, which was why she was glad her students never showed up in office hours in the first place. Having heard the creaking of the doors closing, Ai breathed out a long sigh of relief.

'What am I even doing? I'm not a father figure… Parenting Thor and Loki…'

Ai's imagination ran wild with countless ways the brothers would go about ascending to the throne. Thor would be honest about it, either openly challenging her for the throne or asking Ai to step down as the Allfather. Loki, on the other hand, would undoubtedly plot something sinister to frame some poor innocent soul who'd secure him the throne after her mysterious death, which would of course be unconnected to him.

Although they were technically her sons now, an uneasiness loomed over Ai's heart. She did not want to spend the rest of her days looking over her shoulder, only to find a dagger in her heart. NPCs where supposed to be loyal to their creators, like the ones created in guilds to defend their bases. Ai heavily cursed the devs with her entire being, but at the same time, could not fault them for staying true to the characters of Thor and Loki.

Having lingered in bed long enough, Ai, gently pulled the sheets off of herself and stretched her tense, dainty arms. Tears formed at the corners of her eyes as a yawn forced itself out of her. Even though she had passed out after the fight with the hydra, she was still dressed in her PVP gear underneath her red and white robes. The golden capsule hissed open to reveal an empty room before her, only for her peripherals to catch something beside her.

'WAH! WHAT ARE YOU STILL DOING HERE?!'

Both Ai and Toreii reeled back in shock and surprise, with her heart pounding a full ensemble in her ears. Kneeling right beside her capsule bed was Frigga, genteel and patient. Had Ai not gotten out of bed now, she wondered how long the NPC would wait for her in that position. The fine line between 'stalker' and 'loyal companion' grew thinner and thinner, as Ai jotted the crimson red flag down in her mind.

"You have awakened, my love. How was your rest?"

'How can you say that with a straight face…? How long would you watch me sleep for…?'

"I'm glad you're fine after that battle with the hydra."

A gentle glow of admiration burned brightly in her emerald eyes as Frigga looked at Toreii. "Thank you for your concern! I am undeserving of your precious time and attention," she replied bashfully, a rosy blush on her checks.

'It's not like I have much of a choice… You were going to wait all day for me anyways… I need to set some bounds now… I don't want to lead her on… Can a husband lead his wife on? I know I'm Odin, but it's not like I'm… Odin…'

"Did my armor protect you well? How was it? Were you hurt at all?"

"Of course not! Something created by your own hands will always be of the highest caliber! Nothing in this world will ever compare to your craftsmanship."

'Please stop… It's embarrassing… At least I finally found a use for that armor. I should run some benchmarks with Frigga later.'

"What happened after we returned to Asgard?"

Frigga looked unsure of herself for the briefest of seconds, but gave the best answer she could, "Heimdall saw me carrying you as soon as we entered the castle grounds. Thor and Loki followed him down to this chamber very quickly after. I'm afraid your presence will be required for an audience with your sons and the nobles. My apologies, my King, this was the best I could do in such a short time."

'She wants me to speak in front of a large audience… I should have just jumped into the sun… or maybe let the hydra kill me… or just not get out of bed… Nobles? How do I talk in front of nobles? Do I need some special Class Perk to gain influence with them? Can I ever gain levels in Nobility? Can I go past Level 100 in this new world? I should test these things out soon…'

"Must I be the one to talk with them? Can you not deal with this in my stead? Is your word not as good as mine?"

"I am forever humbled to hear you speak such kind words, my love! To even be considered within the same authority as you is a great compliment. However, unless you say I have your authority in front of the nobles, there is very little that my title allows me."

'UGGGGGGG…! Can't I just send everyone an email or something? This seems like something which can be summed up in a 5-minute email instead of a 3-hour meeting… Letters? Do I send out letters? I don't think I can write that many letters… But I don't want to speak in front of so many people… Would Frigga write 1000 letters…? She probably would… Maybe I can just sit there and Frigga can do all the talking?'

"I've also done as you've instructed me and captured the dragonkin who dared attack you. To give your enemy mercy after going for your life is the highest form of kindness I have seen from a King. There hasn't been an opportune time to interrogate the prisoner for information, but with your permission, I'm sure I will live up to your expectations."

'Ahh… I kind of forgot about that, didn't I? What do I do with prisoners? I've never had prisoners before… Are they only good for information? Do I need to play good cop/bad cop? Who would be good cop? I don't think I'll make a very good bad cop… What am I thinking…?! I'm not some dictator about to torture a group of resistance fighters! That's something… Odin… would do… Huh…'

"Has she spoken yet? You haven't harmed her, have you?"

"The prisoner has not spoken since being captured. I have kept her hands and legs magically bounded, as well as secured her in a holding cell which can't be accessed by anyone else besides us."

'What does she mean by 'can't be accessed'? Heimdall should have access to practically every place… except for 1 room… But she couldn't put the dragon girl into that room. Only Odin should know about its existence. I don't think I've ever been to that room once, so even if she followed me, she wouldn't have known… Why am I talking like its normal for me to be followed everywhere…?'

"Would you kindly take me to her now? I will deal with the matter of Thor and Loki later. I will require your assistance with them and the nobles."

"Nothing would make me happier than to carry out your will, my love! The nobles will surely accept your words as they accept the fact that the sun will rise tomorrow." Slowly rising from her kneel, Frigga extended out her hand to help Toreii off of the bed like a prince offering his assistance to a newly awoken princess.

Not wanting to be rude or to make Frigga feel awkward, Ai accepted the gesture. Having been one to never moisturize or take care of her own skin, she was really surprised to feel how gentle and soft Frigga's cream-colored hand was. She had never once held hands with anyone else beside her mom, but even then it did not cause her heart to flutter in such a manner. Ai's heart was quietly pounding away inside of her, each thump louder than the last, as it echoed through her body and loudly in her ears. Memories of her first confession resurfaced once again, except this time, she was the one being asked out. Ai was lost, she did not know how to continue. To her, holding hands was the furthest she had ever gotten.

"Please lead the way."

Although her sleeping chamber was within the basement of the castle, even lower than the armory, Frigga had managed to lead Ai down even lower until they reached a hallway which split into two deadends. Ai became very cautious as soon as she learned of the path Frigga had led her on. No NPC should take the path they were on, nor should any of them know what lies at the end of the deadends. As they slowly stepped off the stairway, the stone corridor was nothing of note. At each end was a grey brick wall which closed off any further progress for the duo.

Ai was internally sweating, waiting patiently for Frigga to decide which wall they would proceed to. She was partly nervous because she had never held hands with someone else before, and also because of the secrets she kept behind each wall. Her heart had been racing ever since leaving the bedroom, but now the palpitations were borderline becoming an oncoming heart attack. Each second felt infinitely longer, dragging on for what felt like years in Ai's mind.

The short pause at the end of the stairway was nothing more than a second long, yet Ai felt like she aged years inside her psyche already. She thanked her lucky stars as Frigga lead them down the left hallway. Had she followed the Queen of Asgard to the right hallway, Ai would have been very hard-pressed on what to do with Frigga. Calming down from the near heart attack, Ai gladly followed the NPC to the stone wall.

With perfect precision, like she had done it hundreds of times before, Ai watch as Frigga pressed specific bricks on the wall. The Asgardian touched the bricks to draw the constellation of Libra, Virgo, and finally Ophiuchus, each time going in a specific order of star position. Ai, whose second worst enemy is her own memory, watched with envy as a clicking of gears started to work themselves behind the wall. Each brick sprung to life as they withdrew themselves back further into the wall, before sliding away to form a new entrance.

Having thought herself clever for devising such a complicated doorway to a hidden area, Ai was crushed to see another person access it so easily. Behind the wall was a rocky tunnel with a lone torch left at the entrance. Grabbing the torch, Frigga continued on with Toreii in hand. Had Ai not had her [Allfather] skill, it would have looked more akin to a mother leading a small child through a dark cave. Although the dev team created and designed everything in Asgard, Ai put everything beyond the stone wall herself.

Asgard was considered a fortress-sized dungeon, which meant Ai could form a guild base from it. Given that almost the entirety of the city's data was already used by the dev team, Ai had very little to work with, even with cash items to increase the data limit. Asgard was already pushing the upper limit in terms of data capacity a dungeon could hold, with most of it going towards the construction of Odin's castle. The tunnel she and Frigga was traveling through also cost her what precious little data was left.

Reaching the end of the not-so-long rock tunnel, a turquoise glow was overwhelming the orange flames of the torch. Opening up to a small chamber, Frigga left the torch on a stand mounted on a side wall. The chamber was domed in shape, with a flat floor but natural walls. Dead center was a small pond which was the source of the overpowering light, glowing a fluorescent hue, lighting up the ceiling as well as the prisoners whom Frigga had brought here.

The hydra head Toreii had decapitated was muzzled with several layers of silver chains, covering the entirety of the head, all connected to a metal pole stuck into the ground. Just to the right, stripped of the black draconic armor Ai saw earlier, was the dragon girl who tried to strike her down. Now dressed in basic rags, her arms and legs had been bound with the same silver chains, tied to the same pole as her father. A cloth rag was stuck in her mouth to prevent anything from being said between the two prisoners, but Ai could clearly see the disdain in her amber eyes, the very same emotions her father had.

Ai was quite surprised Frigga had known about this room, let alone the combination to the secret entrance. First, she had found Ai's oh-so-secret stash she kept in their shared room, and now the NPC had not only uncovered this secret room, but also the combination to unlock it. Ai did not distinctly remember ever telling Frigga these things or showing her, but the fact remains these secrets were common knowledge to the NPC. Once again, her 'stalker' theory about Frigga was compounding evidence for itself, with Ai being slowly coerced into accepting a Stockholm Syndrome-type romance.

"As you've instructed, I've brought back the prisoners to Asgard without anyone finding out. I have yet to personally question them, but if need be, by your word I will produce something satisfactory of your high expectations. To attack Odin is to wage war against all of Asgard. No one survives a war against the Asgardians," declared Frigga earnestly.

'Okaaaaaaay… Maybe slowly down there with the threats of genocide… We're not that kind of hierarchy. Where does this side of her come from? She was so cute earlier…'

"No need for empty threats, Frigga. I'm sure we can all come to a non-violent understanding," Toreii spoke out, trying to quell the lioness from baring her fangs.

Taking a closer look at the dragon daughter, she was closer to a humanoid with dragon features. She had a normal feminine face with soft checks, but her shoulder-length hair was a glossy black. Her body was similar to Frigga, in that it was lean, but with signs of muscles underneath each arm and leg. The girl's hands had reptilian scales near the knuckles, which Ai guessed was to protect them. Instead of regular trimmed nails, long talons protruded at the ends of her fingertips. From the girl's back, Ai saw dragon wings chained down to keep them from unfurling fully. Having been with Frigga for so long, Ai could have developed a bias towards how to judge another female's beauty. She did not know if it was because of the dragon genes or the human side of the girl, but on a beauty scale of '1' to 'Frigga', the girl was probably a 4 – just below average.

The dragon girl stared daggers at Frigga and Toreii, but the Asgardian merely shrugged off the hateful gesture. As if seeing her captors invigorated her spirit, she struggled even harder against her restraints, rattling the chains holding her.

"MHMMA! HWMMUA!"

Frigga had already taken a defensive stance with a ready grip on the sword handle at her side. Wanting to de-escalate the hostility between the two women, Toreii gently tugged on Frigga hand to get her attention away from the girl.

"Let's use our words, Frigga. Would you kindly take off her gag?"

"If that is your will, my love," replied Frigga lovingly. Walking to the dragon girl, the Asgardian carefully untied the cloth gag stuffing her mouth.

"I WILL KI-"

- SLAP!

"Please choose your words very carefully around the presence of a King," Frigga warned in a stern voice. "I would start by introducing yourself in a more respectful manner." Without letting the girl recover in the slightest from the sudden slap, Frigga had already grabbed a handful of hair and slammed the girl's head down to the ground, forcing her into a bowing position.

'Okaaaaaaaaaaaay… Not remotely at all what I thought she would do… Do I stop her…? But Frigga is being kind of scary… Ahh… I'm sorry… Please bear with it… I don't want to confront a scary person right now! What do I do… Should I just introduce myself? Do I say I'm Odin or Toreii?'

"No need for s-such excessive force, Frigga! We are the invaders in this new land. Let's not start with further hostility," Toreii begged the Asgardian urgently, sensing even more anger from the girl.

"These inferior beings don't deserve your mercy, my King! Your benevolence knows no bounds! However, there is a bare minimum amount of respect which should be given to a king, however foreign. Useless beings such as these will never know their place unless we, their rightful rulers, show them their true worth!"

'I have to stop this kind of mentality now before it gets worse…'

"Stand down, Frigga. Only I decide the worth of others."

"I mean no disrespect, my King! Please forgive me!" Frigga frantically exclaimed, quickly letting go of the dragon girl and kneeling before Toreii.

"We'll discuss more of this later, Frigga. Watch the entrance for any others who might come down. I will call for you when I need anything." Without waiting for the NPC to agree, Toreii walked past Frigga and next to the dragon girl. Being forced to bow on the stone ground had made her cheeks crimson red, likely from the impact. The earlier show of pride and bravado was silenced quickly by the Asgardian, which made it harder for Ai to approach the inhabitants.

"Are you hungry? Did she give you something to eat yet?" Toreii asked in a low and quiet whisper. She did not know how well Frigga's hearing worked, but a gentle conversation should steer their perception of her in a better direction.

'She played bad cop too well… How am I supposed to follow up on that…?'

"My father was right about your kind! You're nothing more than a harbinger of death," spat the dragon girl.

'Ahh… What a bad first impression… How many war crimes did we commit… Asgardians and war crimes…? What an iconic duo.'

"Was I the first of my kind you've seen before? Were there other Players? Why did we come to this world?"

"I don't know, and even if I did, why would I ever tell you? My father had killed your kind before, and he won't be stopped by something as small as you!"

'He killed a Player before? So I'm not the first to come here? How long ago was that? Can Players revive in this new world? Will I lose levels and resurrect, or will I just die? That's…'

"Can you at least tell me your father's name? I would like to know the name of the strongest being around. Surely as his daughter, you know of his true strength? Names have power."

The dragon girl opened her mouth for a quick answer, but nothing came out before she closed it again. There was a slight hesitation, but Ai was glad her gamble worked. Dragons were a prideful race, and playing to their pride was easy for anyone who knew about dragon lore.

"My father is the proud and strong Dragon Lord, Nyx Al-Shun, second only to the Dragon Emperor! You should know this name well. It is the highest honor you will ever receive before your death!"

"Nyx Al-Shun, the Dragon Lord… Does that sound familiar, Solomon?"

"Solomon…? Who are you talking to? What is a 'Solomon'?!"

"I have found 187 subjects with keywords involving 'dragon', 'lord', and 'nyx'. However, I don't have any record of 'Nyx Al-Shun' or 'Dragon Lord'. Would you like to start a new entry?" The scribe asked, appearing out of thin air like an apparition. He was still dressed in the worn-down garbs Ai last saw him in. Ai was glad Solomon only appeared for her, but at the same time, wondered if she looked crazy just talking to herself or an imaginary person.

"I've never heard the name before. This Dragon Emperor sounds more important than some Dragon Lord. Can you tell me about the Emperor? Does he rule all over a kingdom? Or just dragons? A kingdom of dragons? What's the difference between a Lord and Emperor?"

"You won't get the answers out of me! I see through your lies and deception! My father has been right all along about your kind, and how you will do anything to get what you want," she sneered back.

"I'm sorry you think that way about Players. Not all of us are as bad as you think."

'Most of the player base is pretty bad though… How many encounters with Players did it take for them to realize it? How many did it take me to realize that…? Only one? Then… was everyone transported? If Asgard and I were transported, then did everyone with a base teleported? But… it doesn't sound like everyone was transported at the same time…'

"Is your father a Player?"

'Maybe I should have phrase that differently…'

"WHAT?! Who are you to say such an atrocious thing?!"

"All the other dragonkin, wyverns, drakes, and tiamats, did not cast Tier Magic like your father did. Unless they were ordered not to, I'm guessing dragons of any race are not able to cast the same magic spells as Players can, which brings me to my next point. What race was the Player whom you claim your father killed?"

"And why is that important to you? Why do you need to know?"

Ai had her own theories about it, but she felt like a conspiracist connecting dots on a map which had no obvious connection to one another. For now, she wanted to gleam how much the girl knew, if she knew about Yggdrasil or how much her father knew.

"The armor you wore… It was not unfamiliar. You could say it belonged to a set."

"What about it? Why do you care about it? It belongs to me now!"

"I guess it does…"

'Niflheim… The World Champion of Niflheim came here too… What happened to you?'

AN: Sorry this took so long, I've been busy with exams and finals and haven't had much time to sit down and write. It's a bit of a slow chapter, but I did want to introduce the main NPCs that the protagonist will have to interact with. Hopefully the next chapter will be out faster than this one. Thank you for the patience!