Disclaimer: Turning Red and it's characters are the property of (c) Walt Disney Pictures/Pixar Animation Studios.
Elements are borrowed from God of War (2018) and Ragnarök, owned by (c) Santa Monica Studio/Sony Interactive Entertainment.
IÐAVÖLLR (Old Norse: Iðavǫllr)
The Meeting Hall of the Gods
It's been mostly a safe trip along the way through the city with Rudolf trying not to geek out and bombard Michael with questions about Nörthfölk, because who can blame the guy. For familiarity, Michael had introduced the boys to a few passing figures that he came to know here in Asgard such as a Midgardian named Skjold (Old Norse: Skjöldr) and one of Odin's sons who used to be a King of the Danes, there was Hoenir (Old Norse: Hœnir), also known as Hǿnir, the Norse God of Mystery, Silence, Honor, Indecision, Avoidance and Prophecy and an old travel companion of Odin and Loki, Ítreksjóð, an Æsir god and another one of Odin's sons and another son named Meili, the Norse God of Travel - he certainly wasn't called the 'All-Father' for nothing. After some time later, Björn a.k.a. Michael Bengtsson, the bear demigod of Midgard, had at last escorted the four boys inside the halls of Iðavöllr that was situated meters away from where Valhalla was, where most, if not all, of the Asgardian gods and goddesses come meet together and discuss things over amongst themselves. From afar as they all walked in, Kris and the boys took note of several familiar faces, such as the likes of Thor, Odin, Frigg, Týr, Skaði, Baldur, Heimdall, Freya, the head of Mímir, Vidar and Loki all standing together and chatting in a serious and worried manner while the God of Mischief lingered next to them with a sour look on his face. With them are new faces they've never met before.
One of them was a bushy-haired man with an equally-bushy beard, milky-white eyes with cataracts, a furry cape, an arrow fashioned and worn as a necklace which has mistletoe attached to the tip and walking with a wooden staff, most likely used as a walking cane for both mobility and navigation due to his apparent blindness. This would happen to be Höðr (Old Norse: Hǫðr, Nordic: ᚺᛟᛞᚱ), also known as Hod, Hodur or Hoder, the blind Norse God of the Night, Winter, Cold, Warriors and Darkness, another one of Odin's sons who was tricked by Loki into killing Baldur with a mistletoe arrow and was, in turn, murdered by Vidar as revenge.
Another man had bright brown hair fashioned into a single brain that draped down his back and growing a beard, Nordic tattoos on his face, a hooded cape over his shoulders, a runic shirt with an armored vest, leather pants, bags strapped to the belts on his waist, a horn tethered to his belt and viking boots. This was the man who shall be addressed as Hermod (Old Norse: Hermóðr, Nordic: ᚼᛅᚱᛘᚢᛏᚱ), also known as Hermodr, the Norse God of Communication, Morality and Courage and the Messenger of the Gods; another one of Odin's sons.
A third man kinda stood out from the rest of his fellow gods and looked sharply-dressed to be honest, almost like a Nordic version of a royal lawyer of sorts with something of a goatee on his face that was done in braids at the chin. This was the diplomatic Forseti (Old Norse: Forsite), the Norse God of Justice, Law, Integrity, Reconciliation, Testaments, Council and Confinement and the son of Baldur and Nanna.
Finally, there was a man sitting with a mug of mead in his hands and appeared nearly as old as Odin in some respects. The man had a thick beard covered in barnacles, two braids on the sides of his face and his mustache had braids as well. He was shirtless, but had leather arm guards, silver shoulder armor with chainmail underneath, hands with sharp talon-like fingernails, a bunch of necklaces with seashells and coral, a viking helmet on his head, leather skirts around his hips with metal-covered belts, loincloth made of golden coins, trinkets and medallions and he was barefoot. On his large, exposed beer belly was the vegvísir symbol on it. Let's let it be known that this man was, by reputation, known to be Ægir (Nordic: ᚬᚴᛁᛦ), also known as Aegir, Hlér or Gymir; the Norse Jötunn God of the Sea, Fishermen, Sailors, Merriment, Grand Feasts, Longships, Fog, Ale and Brewing, the Personification of the Ocean, the husband of Rán and the father of the Nine Mothers of Heimdall, making him his grandfather.
"Honestly, I don't even need Odin's ravens or the Bifröst to get into Asgard. I can pretty much get to anywhere I want in the Nine Realms in, like, two seconds. Well, everywhere, except the real world outside the realms." Michael explained to them before looking sorrowful.
"Is that why you never came to visit us?" deplored Kris.
"Yeah." His father nodded regretfully. "I'm not allowed outside the Realms. I'm just a demigod. Only the gods can come and go wherever and whenever they want. I need a god's blessing if I ever wish to see the real world."
"About time you showed up with your boy, Bear-King." Thor remarked, approaching him with Thjalfi and Röskva.
"I like to take my time." Michael retorted, who still can't believe his son is related to this person.
"And glad you could make it, Kris." The God of Thunder turned to the boy in question next. "And on short notice. My grandfather's been expecting you boys."
"So I've noticed." Stig whinged tiredly.
"Good to have you back." Thjalfi patted Kris on the back in a friendly manner. "I kinda missed having you around."
"Nice to see you both, too." Kris mustered a smile to the siblings, since he admittedly loved their company as much as the brothers'.
"So you're really Kris's ancestor, huh? Never would've expected that." Michael remarked with some light sarcasm.
"You should've seen him when he found out." The hammer-flourishing Asgardian prince explained. "He actually looked like he tried to kill me, but he didn't though."
"Well, I have heard snippets of your…..atrocious history." Michael pulled a face when he said this, so he was by far not the biggest fan of the mythical God of Thunder. "I'm surprised that he hadn't. But I'm glad that boy didn't turn out to be a serial killer."
"That's not me anymore!" Thor argued.
"I get that, okay?" Michael shouted back. "But I am not about to force my child to accept the kind of fucked-up family he comes from. Perhaps he's the example."
"Example?" scoffed Thor with a hog-like snort.
"Our next generation becoming a better version of ourselves. My mama used to tell me that."
Meanwhile over at the group circle at the center of the hall, everyone in a current state of disarray, trying desperately hard to grasp the gravity of this conundrum on their hands and how worse it may eventually get. To make long story short, Hermod received word from the frightened He-Witch back in Niflheim about letting Surtr through the Gates of Hel and the messenger made quick word to ride with his father's steed, Sleipnir, back to Asgard post haste to warn the other gods of this hair-raising news and appraise them of the grim situation at hand. No time at all following that, it's been widely hectic.
"The He-Witch certainly was devastated himself when he came to me." Hermod commented while he paced around nervously.
"Have we not informed the other Realms yet?" asked Týr, eyes scanning to all faces in a militant manner like a general.
"We're getting around to that, but needless to say, the others may not be as willing to cooperate with us." replied Skaði with a shake of her head dejectedly. "The light elves of Alfheim, the dark elves of Svartalfheim, especially the giants."
"What about the Vanir?" Vidar asked.
"They're more than willing to offer a helping hand if needed." Freya, a Vanir goddess herself, spoke like a wise sage. "Provided, of course, we all learn to work together as a whole in combining our skills."
"I've already spoken with the dwarf king of Niðavellir." replied Baldur, holding his hands together. "Preparations for war are already underway."
"War?" Týr's eyebrows furrowed inquisitively.
"I'm getting more mead." Ægir randomly stated in a slurred tone, getting up and walking away for another refill.
"I think you've had enough for today, grandfather." Heimdall came in to steer his ocean god grandfather back to the group. "I'd like you to have an unblurred mind."
"Such is needed if necessary, when it will be once the dreaded hour arrives." The God of Light exclaimed, answering his half-brother.
"Wit' luck, the dwarves themselves should be a-fixin' more arms th'n conventionally. To tellin' how much evry'one will need fer themselves by the time th' shadow of th' end obnubilates us all." declared the head of the Mímir with superficially his own shred of confidence as Baldur.
"Why must everything escalate into war?" Ironic coming from the God of War himself. However, he was more about putting an end to wars rather than fighting or even starting them.
"We are dealing with the likes of Surtr, mind you." Frigg spoke to him in her regal stance. "For we all know of the part he had to play centuries ago. If he and the Queen of Helheim are in cahoots, anything must be necessary. We were given our second chance for a reason and we will work properly this time around if we wish to keep our homes."
"Who's Surtr?" asked Roar when he and the others finally joined them while the bespectacled boy came further until he was standing within the small group.
"Finally, you boys are here! At last!" Odin resounded, rushing over to Kris and his friends. "We've been worried you wouldn't get here at all. I was afraid Fafnir had gotten to you already."
"Fafnir?" asked Rudolf, pulling the face while the other gods were horrified to hear of this, knowing full well of the aforementioned dragon's tale of greed and merciless murder.
"You mean the dragon?" Kris spoke, putting the dots together.
"Dragon?!" Michael cried.
"For you guys don't warn us about a giant guard dog in Helheim and now there's dragons?!" Rudolf was really freaking out now. "WHY DOES NOBODY EVER TELL US ANYTHING?!"
"We helped ye provide yerselves wit' indomitable weapons before ye laddies entered th' city of th' dead." Mímir attested.
"Guard dog?" mumbled Kris to himself.
"You need to relax." Vidar stepped forward before his fellow deities could, placing a strict head on the frantic, panicking boy's head to chill him out. "It's all more about preparedness that matters. What matters is that you're even still alive."
"Oh, so you can talk." snarked Stig, not remembering the God of Vengeance ever speaking a word last thing.
"He speaks when and if he chooses to." Thor answered for his brother.
"So what is this all about, huh?" Kris demanded of all gods and goddesses in the room, impatiently anxious. "Why did you guys bring me back here? What's important for you guys to interrupt my summer break?"
Neither of the gods of the Norse pantheon could blame Kris for being so stressed out right now, considering that they did bring him (and by extension, his friends) back to the Time of Legends out of nowhere forthwith and without a forewarning or explanation beforehand. Each and every one of them struggled to speak up before his ancestor took the chance.
"It's Hel." He said.
"Hel?" asked Stig. "As in that half-dead woman?"
"She's called upon Surtr, guardian of Muspelheim and they're planning something together that could bring about the end of the realms." explained Forseti with a blanched-white face.
"Well, can you really blame her?" snarked Loki, finally uttering a word after his prolonged silence. "I mean, if you were dragged down into the underworld over irrational fear because of some treacherous vision of the future, why wouldn't you want all your oppressors to face terror?"
"Loki!" shouted the visually-impaired Höðr angrily and he swung his cane to aim it right at the direction where he knew the voice came from, accidentally knocking down Roar in the process. "I know that's you! I recognize that smarmy, disingenuous tongue anywhere! How dare you show your face here in our presence!"
"Nice to see you too, my unseeing friend." The perfidious God of Mischief rolled his eyes at him, unfazed by his umbrage.
"You're the reason I wear this arrow around my neck!" Höðr shouted with hateful wrath, holding up the mistletoe arrow. "You've brought me great shame and pain!"
"Settle down, brother." Hermod sat the blind God of Darkness down gently with a guiding hand on his shoulder.
"Why are you even here anyway?" reprimanded the all-seeing Heimdall, since the hawk-eyed Bifröst guardian and the God of Mischief have unseemly history together. "I'd rather you slither down a dark hole in the ground."
"How thoughtful of you, but I suppose your gift of foresight eludes you, because I'd rather see your face contorted in agony." Loki seethed back at him.
"Unlucky for you, I don't see that happening." Heimdall sneered, glowering at him menacingly.
"Gentlemen..." Freya groaned in annoyance.
"...I'd tell you what'll really happen next, but I'd hate to be the one to spoil it for you." continued Heimdall, not finished ripping into the shapeshifting trickster. "Since evidently, you'd ruin the surprise before it even occurred."
"How do I put this?" Loki sarcastically thought to himself, then tauntingly vexed, "~My ears are burning.~"
That really did it and when it did, tempers flared like a sparkling fuse. The circumspect Watchman of the Æsir had had enough of listening to the trickster's quips directed his way so he furiously began throwing white-knuckled punches at him, aiming for his smug face. However, sly and clever Loki telepathically casted a magic spell that allowed him to move more inherently faster, even for the foresighted guardian, moving out of the way and landing rapid-fast punches at Heimdallr stomach and face before he could even lift a finger to stop when he saw it coming. However, the fight had to end as quickly as it started since their fellow gods rushed over to break the two up before things could get any worse. Thor lifted Loki up by the back of his shirt and yanked him away while Hermod and Baldur pulled their brother away. Yes, it was easy for Kris and his friends to see that Loki was not on the best of terms with his fellow gods.
"Enough of this!" Odin shouted furiously, slamming the butt of Gungnir against the ground, silencing all chatter with the resounding thump. "Surtr's wrath will be upon us all and we must learn to get along if we don't wish to see our worlds go up in flames a second time!"
"So what are we supposed to do about that?" asked Roar, rising his hand briefly like he was in a classroom. "And what about the…others?"
"Yeah." Rudolf nodded.
The zealous air that littered about the halls of Iðavöllr had died down and curtailed to a volitional cohesion like they were all hoping when this obtrusive question would come up soon. Without answering, Odin, the All-Father, King of the Æsir and Ruler of Asgard, dropped his amicable aplomb like a coin to the floor and wordlessly extended his arms out, calling forth his trusty, mystical ravens and surrounding both himself, Kris, Stig, Roar, Rudolf, Thor and Michael in a circle of black feathers before any could say a word about it and teleport them all out of Asgard and in seconds flat, inside a new location elsewhere that Stig recognizes instantaneously the moment he saw the rippling and flowing wall of lake water and the giant clump golden threads.
"Why…..the Norn's lair?" queried Stig, eyes squinted.
"You've been here too before?" Kris asked his brother while he and the others followed the elders.
"Odin sent us down here to meet the Norns in order to find out where you were in the Realms last we were here." His gothic brother explained. "And that's how we found out about your…relation to Thor."
"Did he tell you about how he handled it?" asked the God of Thunder himself in person.
"No." Kris emotionlessly replied.
"In a nutshell, not well. That's what they said." Stig explained.
"Let's just hope that they won't either." Thor replied as they neared the home of the three Sisters of Fate. "Shit's already gotten real as it is."
"The intrepid Odin, the dauntless Thor and the ever-audacious Bear-King bring the four boys inside the hidden home of the Norns…" Roar recited in a half-consciously mesmerized state as if he were narrating an imperceptible novel out loud against his own will, which made his friends look at him funny.
"Excuse me?" asked Kris.
"What's he talking about?" The boy's father said, confused as well.
"I do that sometimes. But I don't exactly know why." Roar shrugged.
"Well, you're about to find out." The All-Father stated.
They were at the sun-kissed follicle-like strands and all moseying themselves through, brushing against the curtains until it was inside the sacred, magic-protected lair of the all-knowing sisters themselves where all come to seek their infinite, beatific perspicuity and acute acumen that no other Norse god, not even Heimdall, could ever possess. Kris felt a chilly unease maundering into the same spot where he learned everything about his family heritage dating generations back to Ancient Scandinavia and how much of an overreaction came thereupon. As well, Stig felt it himself and when he did, the memories of meeting the Norns and learning everything came tumbling back with an unbridled affect. And then the voices all around came, bringing unintended nostalgia to Stig.
"The intrepid Odin, the dauntless Thor and the ever-audacious Bear-King bring the four boys inside the hidden home of the Norns." said the voice that Stig made out to the one belonging to Urð.
And as an anticipated and unsurprising result, the boys and Michael turned to give Roar a look of bamboozlement since the boy clearly predicted those words to be said. After that, only two of the three Norns merges from the yellow curtain of bristles in front of them, joined by someone else, much to their instant surprise. None of the boys, however, could have ever expected this to occur the millisecond they entered.
"KRIS! STIG! GUYS!" Kris certainly was surprised when he found Stacy Frick - with a healed ankle - making a mad dash for him and nearly throwing herself at him as she brought him into an fortuitous hug, freezing him right in place upon impact. All the other boys were baffled without a doubt. What on earth was Stacy doing here in the Nine Realms?
"Stacy?!" Kris exclaimed.
"Oh, I'm so glad you guys are here!" Stacy shrilled with tears in her eyes, staining her cheeks as she hugged Kris tighter. "I don't know how you're even here, but I'm glad you are anyway! You have no fucking idea what I've been through!"
"What the hell are you doing here?!" Stig demanded as the poor girl released Kris to wipe her eyes.
"Hel sent her mares to abduct her from her home." Urð stated as he made her presence known, veering out from the golden bristles. "Has been torturing the poor girl for hours."
"I was able to drag her out of Helheim before anything else could happen to her." Michael explained.
"Wait, what?" asked Stacy, looking at the man strangely. "I don't remember seeing you before. Who are you again?"
"Why was I not informed about this before?" Kris demanded of the Norns, gesturing to his father.
"You were not ready to know." Verðandi announced her presence just like her sister did.
"What? That my dad was reborn as a giant black bear?" Kris fired at them.
"Hold on. That man is your father?" Stacy was even more confused than before, looking between Kris and Michael with gaping eyes. "I don't see…."
"I'm biracial." Kris muttered. "40%."
"And you're that bear that saved me?!" The blonde girl turned to Michael, her bewilderment blasting through the roof at cosmic proportions before she finally settled down when she realized she was no stranger to people transforming into animals in the past. "...well, I guess that checks out. I mean, you're wearing a bearskin that…looks similar. So thanks for saving me…..I guess."
"You're welcome." He said to her gratefully.
"The others are just back through here. Follow us if you will. I'm sure they'll be pleasantly surprised to see you boys."
The two present Norns slunk through the curtain of golden threads like a couple of water puddles seeping through cracks in the concrete ground, which unnerved Stacy. Nonetheless, the five teens obediently did as they were told, joined by the elders with them, drew forward and as done before, pushed themselves through the giant bristles and it continued on for about twelve feet ahead before the youngsters were all seized by the shock of their lives to be present before an enormous, mystical representation of the World Tree right in front of their very own curious eyes with a magic hologram-style projection of the vast and beautifully-expansive cosmos all around, all of these placed inside of this new cavernous room where droplets of water from tiny rivulets on the ground were hovering upwards as if they were all on the ceiling upside down or like the gravity in the room was nonexistent.
But what greatly transcended the immediate whammy of the Yggdrasil delineation was the presence of four other children they knew all too well and were unable to comprehend how and why they were here as well. In the new section of the Nornir's lair were Willow, Carter Murphy-Mayhew, Toshio and Moose and believe it or not, they were equally taken aback to be privy to the four boys inside the Realms with them.
"Kris? Stig? Holy shit!" Willow jumped up and rushed over along with Moose, showing a wave of emotions that was usually unlike a girl like her. "What are you guys doing here?!"
"What are we doing here?! What are you guys doing here?!" Stig spat with this whole situation weighing down on his psyche with one crazy twist after another. "AND YOU, TOO, MOOSE?! WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!"
"We needed their help as well." Odin answered while approaching the World Tree at the base of the room.
"Help with what?" Toshio stepped up, trying to make sense of the ordeal himself. "I'm supposed to be getting ready for a swim meet right now!"
"Well, I was working on my horror novel idea until these ravens appeared in my room." Carter bleated. "And I think it was a nice looking novel to be honest. I was just getting to the epilogue."
"What about you?" Rudolf pointed at the boy who used to bully him and his friends.
"Ah was just doin' mah own thing." Moose mumbled. "But then these ravens circled around me an' then…ah was here."
"This is nuts. Plain nuts." Kris pressed his fingers against his head, feeling a headache coming on.
"Nuts? I was snatched up from my home and attacked by a….this monster that tried to eat me and now I'm in….whatever this place is!" Stacy ranted and raved on. "So when do we get to the explanations!?"
"Children, please. Settle yourselves." The All-Father raised his hands up to calm them down. "We're going to get to that and why you're all here. But first, there's something important about you kids that you need to know first. Something about your family heritage."
"Our what?" Willow snorted in disbelief.
"You're kidding right?" Toshio snarked, hands on hips. "I got kidnapped for this?"
"Whatevah joke yah playin', old man, ah'm not interested, okay?!" Moose shouted at the elderly king with irritation. "Ah've got bettah things to do right now and ah'd rather not waste them here!"
"Calm yourself, boy!" Thor erupted with a forceful tone, coming closer and almost scaring the rotund boy back aways. "This is far more serious than it seems!"
"Too true, it is." Urð finally said, now standing before all of her sisters, including Skuld. "For we are in a dire situation that requires all the attention, you children especially. For starters, you all are in a void known as the 'Time of Legends'."
"We're inside of a parallel dimension similar to earth, except it's stuck in ancient times where all the mythical gods of old exist." Kris readily explained to them, since he's heard this story before, which made few of the teens look at him shocked. "They told me all this the last time I was here. Along with a few other things."
"Correct." Skuld giddy chirped, now standing with the teens all of the sudden. "And to that end, the first reason you're all here is that your ancestry begins here in the Nine Realms of Norse cosmology."
"What is she talking about?" Toshio anxiously asked, looking at everyone.
"It means that….." Kris sighed heavily, getting a good idea of where this was going. "...I think the rest of you are related to the gods."
"WHAT?!" came the expected cry of disturbed astonishment from them all. And nobody could blame them for feeling this way. It was summer break and everyone was trying to enjoy their break off of school and now they're being told that they were descended from mythical deities.
"It's true." Thor backed his descendant up, holding up Mjölnir, which was now sparkling with volts of lightning. "I am Thor, the God of Thunder and Kris, here, is my living descendant."
To prove it to them and taking a hesitant breath inside and out, Kris lifted his hands up and created powerful lightning bolts with his bare palms, which took them all, except his friends, by surprise, leaving most of them speechless and flabbergasted. His friend on the other hand were smiling knowingly since they were the only ones who knew of this personally by far up until this point.
"Holy shit!" Moose exhaled, now understanding how Kris was able to injure him that way years ago. "So this explains so friggin' much!"
"So you were the one causing that storm at the SkyDome!?" Stacy sputtered, heart pounding against her chest.
"Let's not steer back to that, girlie." Thor informed her strictly. "Too many painful memories."
"Apparently, it comes from his mother's side of the family." Michael vacillated.
"So you're related to a thunder god." Toshio commented. "But what does this have to do with the rest of us?"
"I'm glad you asked, young man." Urð beamed with a mischievous smile, then gestured everyone, sans Kris, towards the magic tree. "Step forward here, children. What you see here before you is a representation of the World Tree known as Yggdrasil. This is the tree that connects all of the Nine Realms together as one. It breathes life into our part of the world and holds it all in one piece. However, embrace the tree you see here and you will see glimpses of your lineage, which god or goddess your heritage originates from if you will. The time is now for you all to know."
"So you abducted all of us to touch a tree to learn about our families." Willow retorted, still in disbelief and folded her arms stubbornly. "Yeah, no thanks."
"You must. Because each of you carries a special gene in your family bloodline that no other human has and it's time you all saw for yourselves." Odin raged them, nigh pleadingly.
"What's a magic tree gonna show us anyway?" demanded Carter. "I kinda already know where my family comes from. My grandparents already told me stories about that when I visit them."
"Not all of it, apparently." declared Verðandi very strongly.
"Well, actually, I'm now curious to see for myself." Stig concurred, already approaching the tree. "I've been able to shapeshift and perform magic, so it's fair for me to see where that comes from."
"Me too." Roar joined him.
"I can't get hurt for some reason." Rudolf simply told everything before joining his two friends.
"I don't see why not." Toshio sighed with a shrug of acceptance. "It's not like I have a choice."
The other four took a second to ponder over this peculiar decision placed in their hands and after a moment, they all reluctantly relented and joined the boys, staggering around the World Tree as per the Norn's instructions. And as Kris, his father and the two Asgardian gods with them watched eagerly, everyone's vision became clouded thanks to the teens placing a palm against the mystical bark of Yggdrasil and all their minds merged as one with all of their thoughts and emotions coming together as one, massive singularity. But by now, each of the teens saw themselves being forcefully thrusted backwards through flashbacks of each of their families' pasts, via their ancestors that came before them and each had their own reactions when seeing where they came from and every single one of their lineages dates back to the Nine Realms of ancient times in a pre-Ragnarök era. Each one of them coming from a certain god of Old Norse/Germanic mythology, religion and folklore and you can bet your bottom dollar that words would never be enough to describe the indistinguishable consternation that clung onto them when they saw and felt it.
Stacy Frick, the blonde, kawaii-obsessed girly girl of Polish, German and Swedish descent who has just discovered that she can create ice and snow with the single thrust and flick of her wrist, then she saw her great-grandparents - who were big-game hunters - on her father's side who opened up a hunting supplies & equipment store when they migrated to Canada from Sweden, then her distant relatives from older times when her ancestors then were apart of the Birkarls (Pirkkalaiset), then we go further aways back to when her ancestors then were ewe farmers in medieval Sweden; her entire family history reaches all the way back to the Norse Jötunn Goddess of Mountains, Winter, Bowhunting and Skiing - Skaði.
Renata "Willow" Wrenley, the pink-haired goth girl of British, Celtic and French descent who has just recently found out about the magical prowess she never knew she had before, in a flash, there her great-great grandmother, Anais was opening up her family's mortuary by the local cemetery, a little further back during the French Revolution when her ancestors then lived in squalor due to the ongoing war raping their countryside and then going further back, she saw her own Nordic ancestors, who were inhabitants of Gothic regions that secretly practiced witchcraft to assist others and themselves; she was born in a family whose genealogy stems right from the Norse Vanir Goddess of Love, Magic, War, Beauty, Death and Fertility - Freya.
Carter Murphy-Mayhew, the dark-haired emo goth and close friend to Stig and Willow of Austrian and Norwegian descent who had surprisingly possessed a great inhuman margin of heightened intelligence like no other and it was then that he saw glimpses of his family's past such back during the Great Depression when his grandfather around that time was a mathematical genius and one time during the Victorian Era in Wales, when his ancestor then was a brilliant detective and scientist and further back his distant grandmother of that era married a strange magical with horns; the ancestry of his family history comes from the Norse Jötunn God of Wisdom, Unity and Solace before he had his head chopped off - Mímir.
Melvin "Moose" Monroe, the large, obese, tough kid from a complicated home life of Icelandic, German, Irish and English descent whose serious traumatic lifestyle at home gifted him with boundless supernatural strength like Kris's, it was then he he saw his great-great-great grandparents who were Icelandic immigrants that moved to Canada after losing their farmland to the bank, then further ways back during the Middle Ages when his ancestors came from a tribe of Pict warriors and a little further, his ancestor - a Norwegian warrior by the name of Örvar-Oddr (Old Norse: Ǫrvar-Oddr); the origins of his family bloodline dates back to the progenitor, the Norse Æsir God of War, Law, Justice, Authority, Honor and Trial - Týr.
Toshio Sato, the dexterous and outstanding swimming athlete of Japanese descent who is able to spend prolonged hours underwater without air needed and has a strange connection with marine life, but then his mind was transported backwards in time to when his grandparents were lighthouse keepers back in their homeland of Japan, further back to when their ancestors were seafarers, fishermen, deep-sea divers during WWII, and then back to the Heian period of Japan when her distant grandmother then, Manahimeko Egawa was an ama (海女) diver who one day fell in love with a foreigner man who revealed himself as Snær (Old Norse: Snærr), the personification of snow; the derivation that his family holds takes on a surprisingly Scandinavian undercurrent that comes straight from the Norse Jötunn God of the Sea, Brewing, Ale, Merriment and Seafaring - Ægir.
Rudolf Stein, the silly, childish and naïve boy of Inuit descent with the odd capability of being absolutely and virtually resistant to every single physical harm and damage, then was shown his family history from his father's side of the family to see his Swedish immigrant grandparents, then straight back to the mid-to-late 14th century when his ancestors lived in the woods Trollehallar when they participated in a Swedish tradition called Årsgång, also known as the "year walk", when they encountered folklores creatures like the huldra, the church grim by their local church, mylings, the Nachtkrapp, a gjenganger, trolls and the Bergsrå; the powers passed onto him by his family dynasty are from the Norse Æsir God of Light, Peace, Forgiveness and Beauty - Baldur.
Roar Wagner, the smart, logical and levelheaded boy of German descent found himself capable of predicting things right before they happen and able to hear and see all no matter where he's standing before being shown visions of his family's past such as his oma back during the harsh times of WWII then she was younger and married to Generalleutnant Ulrich Wagner of the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) in the Bundeswehr, a fighter pilot for the Nazi Party before deflecting after being fed up with the tragedies of war and returned home to his pregnant wife before the Nazis hunted him down and shot him for desertion; the family background goes all the way back to the Norse Æsir God of Foresight, Foreknowledge, Guardianship and Order - Heimdall.
And last, but not least, Alexander "Stig" Falkenberg, the sarcastic, snarky and hot-headed goth boy of Danish descent with the ability to shapeshift, communicate with animals and cast magic, now what he's been shown is parts of his family history going far back to the ancient times of old when his ancestors were Danish tribesmen who hunted down Vikings after a band of them attacked their village and took away their homes and before that, an ancestor of his names Unferth(or Hunferth), a thegn of King Hrothgar whose mead hall, Heorot, was being attacked by Grendel before the Geatish warrior prince, Beowulf, killed him and his mother; the one single person that his family roots have all started from since the times of old is nobody other than the Norse Jötunn God of Mischief, Lies, Deception, Storytelling, Fire, Chaos, Destruction and Violence - Loki.
With everything spelled out for them inside of their heads from the powerful hindsight magic of the Norns' power over the illusionary Yggdrasil, everyone jumped away, gobsmacked and given the revelation of their young lives with their minds barely able to apprehend what they had been shown. Everything through their long-begone family members that came before them, through the omnipotent and omniscient roots of the Tree of Life. It was outstandingly groundbreaking that it nearly broke their minds into tiny pieces. Kris awaited for their reactions after the vision was done and over with. Stacy was the first to break the ice.
"O.M.G.!" She screeched, heart racing and skin tingling, her strong emotions creating a chilly breeze inside the room, causing all inside to shutter and shiver from the sudden cold. "I'm related to a winter goddess?! No fucking wonder that snow came out of nowhere! So that…..that was me?! I actually did that?!"
"Stacy!" Kris shouted, grabbing her and getting her to settle down and when she did, the air temperature became warm again.
"That was me..." The girl's eyes widened upon realizing when she just did, looking down at her hands with shock to think that she had magical powers stemming from a familial relation to an ancient goddess.
"Sick…..." Willow's reaction was her version of thunderstruck with no other words to express it. So she was related to the Goddess of Magic and Fertility? The mystery of how she's been so magical as of late had been solved.
"So my family comes from a sea god? Why am I not surprised by that?" spoke Toshio, the one who loves swimming and fishes.
"What about you guys?" Kris asked his three friends.
"I'm Loki's descendant." Stig gasped.
"Huh, I can really make a connection there." retorted Thor. "You do have every bit of that snake in you."
"I'm taking that as a compliment." The goth boy said back, unfazed by those words.
"So my son is related to Thor and my adopted son is related to Loki? Hmm." hummed the admonished Michael. "What are the weird odds of that?"
"We're all half-gods!?' Rudolf screamed with big, enlarged eyes teeming with excitement. "This is so cool!"
"God of War? Ah dunno 'bout that." Moose was still trying to get the gist of it and was beginning to sound ambivalent. "But we're all related t' gods. So what?"
"Well, that brings us all to the next reason you're all here." Michael answered, snorting air through his nose. "But I don't feel like saying it."
"I will then." Odin took over, coming over to the confounded group of teens. "You see, Hel, the Goddess of Death, is launching an assault on the Nine Realms that will affect your world at a catastrophic measure. She's planning to initiate Ragnarök."
"Ranga-what?" Toshio sputtered.
"Ragnarök." Thor corrected. "The Twilight of the Gods. The event that will usher in the end of the world as we all know it. This has actually happened once before and after that, everything became undone just like that."
"WHAT!? YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!" Willow shrieked, gripping her hair and dropping her moody persona at an instant.
"The world is ending soon!?" Stacy panicked. "But I haven't even gone on my ski vacation yet! There's so much I wanna live for!"
"And that is why you're all here." Odin explained. "We've searched and called upon the descendants of the gods in these lands who have just awakened their innate powers to aid us."
"But why can't you guys take care of it?" Kris complained.
"Because we are not enough!" resounded the All-Father. "There's not enough of us to stop Hel from ushering in the end of all life before it's too late. We need all hands on deck. All the help we need right now because the fate of our world is depending on it. And our worlds are both linked. Once Ragnarök comes, the entire globe will burn and everyone in it. And when this one goes, so will yours."
The stunning and heart-stopping of the apocalypse being nigh upon them was unsettling to say the least and it scared all teens to death to think that their world was ending soon and without giving them a second to enjoy their summer break. And while they were all unwilling to help fight against this, they now know that if they didn't, everything they've ever known will be gone in a heartbeat.
"How will we know if Ragnarök is coming closer?" asked Toshio, grimly accepting.
"The first sign of Ragnarök is Fimbulwinter." Thor answered, putting Mjölnir away. "The harsh winter that lasts about three-years. Hel was already able to unleash Fimbulwinter on Midgard, the home of the humans, by forcefully unlocking the blonde girl's power."
"Me?!" Stacy yelped at that. "Wait, I caused a winter to happen? Just like that?"
"Oh, yes." Skuld nodded. "And there's so much more for you to accomplish with your powers, little girl."
"But I don't want these powers!" balked Stacy, stroking her blonde hair like a security blanket. "And I'm not some mighty warrior! I'm just Stacy Frick, average teenager!"
"We will help you kids learn to use your powers and how to fight when Ragnarök comes, but you're just gonna have to trust us. This concerns the fate of all living things and our time will run short soon." Michael reassured the girl.
"I never would've imagined your dad becoming a bear." Roar whispered in Kris's ear.
"Next is when Fenrir's two sons chase after the sun and the moon..." Odin apprehensively proceeded with the next signs of the apocalyptic event that will soon be upon them evidently. "...and when they do, the world will become dark. Next, a gruesome ship will arise from Helheim, escorting undead soldiers to wreck havoc on the living. Then Hel will free her guard dog, Garm, who will then proceed to claw tears into our reality and finally, Surtr will assume his ultimate final form, rising from the fiery realm of Muspelheim to engulf the Nine Realms in flames, taking all of known life down with him. Ragnarök happened before many centuries ago and we weren't so lucky then."
Horrified and dumbfounded expressions were the expected result and they weren't wrong for pulling such aghast faces. The thought that their world had already ended years ago before being reborn from the ashes will certainly leaving a lingering chill up your spine for sure, but what if the world ended again and stayed that way? What if they fail and all of humanity suffers the fatal consequences? For that matter, this was serious and for damn good reason.
"How are we even gonna learn to fight like demons in time?" Toshio stated firmly. "We're just teens and none of us has any battle experience whatsoever."
"Relax, son." Thor assured him with his best calming voice. "Us gods will make sure you kids are prepared for the end of days. Perhaps, Kris, I can teach you how to wield Mjölnir."
"I have mixed feelings about that." He grumbled.
"Maybe I can, then." Rudolf beamed.
"Don't count on it, shorty." The God of Thunder frowned at the goofy teen, making him frown back at him.
"I would actually not have my boy swinging your hammer around." Michael protested, not liking the idea any more than Kris was.
"All things considered, you kids have just awakened your powers and it is of the essence that you learn to control and harness these powers if you ever wish to achieve normalcy once Ragnarök has been averted." claimed the All-Father with a hard, authoritative gaze as each of the teens. "For all we know, you'll need to understand how your powers even work to begin with."
"So we don't really have much of an option here now, do we?" asked Stig, dejectedly.
"I'm afraid not." Odin shook his head, sadly. "Be that as it may, when the time comes, everyone must be there and be ready to fight. In the meantime, we will help you kids get acquainted with your ancestors in the Nine Realms, but I want everyone to have a clear head about this and consider how dire things are and how much worse they will get. Hel will not relent in her quest for revenge."
"Revenge?" Moose repeated, a single eyebrow raised. "Revenge for what?"
"I…." Odin stared at the Norns with a concerned look, to which they stared back. "...I really can't say for sure. But for now, let's focus on how we're gonna keep our worlds from ending again. I don't want any of you to suffer such a grisly fate. I've come too far to let my second chance be wasted. You mortals deserved to live and you shouldn't have to suffer for our sins. So will you help us?"
The teens took a second to think about this and tried to examine their other options. None of them asked to be here right now and none of them even wanted to be here. But if this was the end of the world they were talking about, it's fair to say that if they wanted their world to thrive and continue to do so, then fight they shall.
"Yeah, okay." Willow shrugged.
"Ah guess so." said Moose.
"Why else are we here?" Stig replied sardonically.
"I don't want to fight, but I also don't want the world to end." admitted Stacy with total honesty.
"Kris?" Rudolf and his friends, plus the others, all looked toward the boy with longing expressions to see what his answer was. In all fairness to him, Kris wished he could be back in his home world trying to raise enough money for Deathfest. However, as of right now, this very second, Deathfest was now the least of his concerns of the fate of their world was at stake. He can't go and see Nörthfölk live on stage if the entire world and humanity is long gone.
"Yeah." He murmured reluctantly.
"Excellent." Odin stood proud and relieved with Gungnir tightly in his fist. "Let's get started."
Wow. Can you believe that? So it looks like Kris isn't the only one descended from a Norse god. All of his friends are related to them as well, including Stacy Frick, the goth girl and especially Moose of all people. Consider your noodle baked, my friends.
Now some of you will probably be wondering by now, since Kris, Roar, Rudolf and Moose all come from Sons of Odin, does this mean that they're family in a way? Not only that but, Ægir - Toshio's ancestor - is the father of the Nine Mothers of Heimdall - Roar's ancestor - making him his grandfather. How exactly does the familial connection work in that regard? Well, my suggestion on that to you would be to just not think to heavily on it too much. On another note, we now know where Stig, Roar and Rudolf's powers come from. Also, we've been introduced to other Norse gods like Hodr, Hermod and Forseti and we'll see plenty more mythical figures on the way.
All they need to do now is learn how to fight and use their powers, because what's cooler than a group of average teenagers with superpowers training to fight like warriors to stop the world from ending. May sound a bit banal and done-to-death at this point, not an unfamiliar story format, but I think it'll still work in newer, creative ways.
Next Chapter: Back at camp, Mei and the girls get into a prank war against the QRQ's. Meanwhile, Ming pays Elsa a visit to discuss Kris.
Next Update: July 14, 2023