Tyr spit out water as consciousness began to return to him. He had no idea how he was still alive, only that he was. Rolling on to his back, Tyr tried to check himself for wounds but found only new holes in his garments and some scrapped skin.

Better late than never I suppose. Still, this healing factor is problematic.

Tyr sat up and looked around him. He was washed up on shore with reeds all around him. Beyond the reeds were sand dunes in every direction around the river.

“Where on earth am I?”

“Somewhere you should not be.”

Tyr jumped to his feet and looked around but saw no one.

“If you wish to see who I am, turn your back to the river and walk straight. Upon cresting the third dune, you will see my abode. Enter, and I will speak with you. What have you got to lose?”

“How do I know I can trust you?” Tyr asked, only to realize that whoever it was had already answered before he even spoke. Deciding that the voice was ultimately right, Tyr turned his back to the river and walked. As the voice had said, Tyr found something after cresting the third dune.

It looked like a large thick tree, only it was as though someone turned it upside down and the roots were running in the air. Furthermore, the tip of the roots would occasionally glow. Tyr stared in wonder for a moment before looking for a way to enter.

Finding an opening, Tyr squeezed himself through. Once inside, darkness enveloped Tyr for a moment, before he saw what looked like a light in the distance. Walking towards it, Tyr found the light grow brighter until he saw an unusual sight. The outside may have looked like a tree, but the inside looked as though it was made of metal and lights.

Blinking light, strange metal and something that is neither wood nor metal products. Could these be… machines? But they look like nothing I heard of from the old stories.

Tyr was so enamored by the bizarre interior that he nearly missed the man who was sitting in the middle of it. At least, the body was that of a man, but the head was that of some bird, one with a thin beak that was as curved downward like some sort of crescent moon.

His attire, is it… Egyptian? Ah hah, now I know who he is.

The birdman was continuously tapping his fingers up and down what appeared to be a slate of some sort when, without looking up, he suddenly pointed to a plate with a haunch of venison and a mug on it that were resting on a small table.

“That is for you. I will be with you in a moment. You’re welcome. And don’t trouble me with questions and comment while I’m working on this.”

Tyr had opened his mouth to speak, then closed it and walked to the plate to eat. The venison was tender and bursting with flavor to the point that Tyr struggled to keep himself from crying. This was the first real meal he had since he was first welcomed into Castor’s home, and the first meat he could remember having. Once the meat was devoured, Tyr drank from the mug, but was puzzled by what he was drinking.

Sweetened water? Oh well, it is still cool and delicious.

Finishing the drink, Tyr looked down at the plate to find that while he was not looking, another haunch of venison appeared. Looking back into the mug, Tyr saw it refilling itself with the liquid. Seeing that his host was still working, Tyr continued to eat and drink his fill until the birdman put the slate down and looked at Tyr with what appeared to be bored eyes.

“I suppose I should say welcome to you, Tyr, god of war and justice, most honorable warrior in all the realms. I am the son of Mimir, and I will aid you in returning to your realms. And to show good faith I will answer one question you are ready to ask before you go on your way.”

“Why are you lying to me?”

“I have…”

“You are not a son of Mimir, in fact you have no parents at all Thoth, you merely willed yourself into existence.”

The birdman, Thoth, cocked his head.

“You know who I am?”

“Yes, though you do not seem to know me. You said that I was a god, but I am not one. I am a Valar, Eru Illuvatar is the only true God.”

“Valar? Illuvatar? Those are from the works of Tolkien.”

“You are familiar with the Scribe-sage’s teaching?”

“The what?”

“The Scribe-sage, a scholar who brings wisdom and truth through writing.”

“What by my binary… it appears that I will need to ask you questions first: Who was the original head of the Egyptian pantheon?”

“Ra.”

“How many Kami are there?”

“Over eight million.”

“What is the name of the daughter of Athena?”

“Athena is a virgin and has no children. Well, no children by blood, though there was a boy she raised at one point I believe.”

“Who are the two greatest warriors in Chinese mythology?”

“Erlang Shen and Sun Wukong.”

“What was the name of our ship?”

At this, Tyr became silent and looked at Thoth, who nodded and then said: “Very well, if you are not the god Tyr, who are you really?”

“I… I do not know. My first memories are that of waking up in a cave that was not unlike this place, though perhaps in a ruined state by comparison. I have been calling myself Tyr because of this scar.”

Tyr lifted his right arm to show Thoth the mark, upon which Thoth got up from his chair, standing even shorter than Castor had been, and stared at it.

“Yes, fascinating. You are, and yet in the same way you are clearly not. Never was a quirk like this. Interesting side effects too… Why Tolkien though? Perhaps it had to do with former beliefs?

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

“I am not babbling Tyr but speculating. Yes, there is a difference. How am I answering your questions and responding to your comments before you speak? It is because I am the smartest being all the realms. Not wisest, just smartest, to the point I can predict almost everything and everyone around me with a 97% accuracy, congratulations on pulling off that 3% by the way. You’re welcome. Very well, I will stop doing the predictions so you can get a word in.”

Tyr stared at Thoth for a moment before saying “It is appreciated.”

“Well, normally when a new god… oh excuse me you don’t believe that any of those I am referencing are gods, but they do, and I only answer one question to entertain myself. Yet you are the first person in… well, shall we say a while, who has caused me some surprise. Therefore, I will answer three questions for you, one for my entertainment, one for surprising me, and the third for being the first “Valar” I have had the pleasure of meeting. Oh, and before you waste a question on the farmer and his family, they are safe. Ares was so distracted by you that the combination of your disappearance and his wounds will cause him to forget their location much less their involvement.”

“Thank you for that. For my first question I would like to know, in two parts, where we are and what is happening. And on the large scale, not that we are in your home talking.”

“Cheeky, though I must admit it is an even split as to which of us that comment suites best. Very well, but to answer that will require a story of unusual proportions.

“Know then, that nearly every form of life came from one large ship. Not the kind that travels the seas, but one that moved through the stars. It was a massive ship meant for colonization with a crew of 10,000 and a passenger manifest of nine million, plus livestock and pets. While traveling, it came across this planet, an inhospitable world with strange energy readings. Something happened, I in truth do not know what, and the ship was damaged and crashed here. Then, by some unknown means, the energy from the planet interacted with the terraforming equipment, uh that is equipment necessary to make land more habitable for humans if you were curious, as well as the ship data… er, that is, its library. The results were that when the survivors of the crash opened their doors, they found themselves in not one world, but rather scattered along several realities. Furthermore, though I was the only one who knew this, their minds, and for a few even their bodies, had been altered. They had no memory of being a star-faring race but believed that they were on their home world and proceed to utilize preindustrial… excuse me, I mean that they were several thousand years behind in the advancements they once had, like as if a swift runner suddenly forgot how to stand. Some were mutated, becoming creatures that resembled creatures from ancient human fiction, while other had the powers of the deities of various pantheons. In essence, each of the realities that the humans found themselves in, was based off the various beliefs of their pre-star traveling ancestors.

“Now not all the beliefs were turned into a world, in fact none of the monotheistic beliefs were used. It appears that all those beliefs that became realities, or realms if you prefer, were those that most of the survivors believed were not a recognized belief. Only those deemed mythology.”

“Ah, so any knowledge I have about beings from the Hindu or that Buddha fellow are irrelevant.” said Tyr, but Thoth shook his head.

“In their purity yes, though a few aspects may have snuck in as hybridizations in other mythologies.

“One thing to note, and what you may have witnessed with your own encounter, is that since the various pantheons are not the original characters but reinterpretations, they do not always have the same traits and powers as the original. Our Ares shares the love of violence, but also enjoys murder nearly as much as war. I am similarly knowledgeable but act much different to the Thoth of myth. Likewise, you are similar yet different to the original Tyr.”

Tyr stared at Thoth when he said this then rubbed the stumped limb.

“Then I really am Tyr.”

“You have been since the crash anyway, though who you were before I cannot say, as the only way to recognize the original group is with an ID chip imbedded in the right hand. All other identifications such as ethnicity, facial features, occupation, for a few even sexes, have all been altered by the planet’s energies. In fact, before the crash I was not even alive, just the ship’s onboard computer used for navigation and information archiving.”

“Al…alright then. Second question: Why do I know what I know?”

“That is probably your tick. Every member of every pantheon on this planet has some sort of oddity, an echo of the life before the crash that comes out as combined blessing and curse. Hephaestus, for example, was a mechanical engineer before the crash, and now continues has all the practical knowledge of mechanics on this planet but bases it off the planet’s natural energies instead of the original power sources, so none of his creations can be used to find a way off this world. I, for example, am trapped in this refurbished data terminal, the body you see before you is but a hologram, an illusion created by controlling light. However, I alone in all the realms have any knowledge as to the whole truth of what was, is, and will be going on in this world, which I have shared a little with you.”

Little? Just how much does he know?

“In your case, you seem to be remembering pieces of things that are not part of the mythologies, albeit somewhat incorrectly, while containing an extensive knowledge of the various mythologies, which will undoubtedly help you out if used right.”

“So, you do not believe that there is a God?”

“Well to be frank: I do not know. I know that my pre-crash self and those responsible for my programming would have said no, but the energy produce by this planet cannot be explained by any of the scientific knowledge in my possession. Furthermore, as a former machine, I am undeniably a created being, so for me to say there is no God or gods would be denying the various scientists and engineers that built me, to say nothing of their predecessors whose curiosity and genius furthered what many had falsely called ‘the technological evolution’, as they were in many ways gods to the me before. I am forced to keep my knowledge bound to this planet, and anything beyond it is just that.

“Well Tyr, you’ve used your three questions so best I send you back to the proper realms. Ah, but I am still in a good mood and there are still a few things you need. First, that clothing…”

Thoth pointed to Tyr’s rags, which then began to alter and transform to a woolen shirt and pants.

“I am assuming from your fight with Ares you were aware that the energies from the planet allowed for magic to exist. Clothes from the crash, you must have been out for 7,200 years. That or five days depending on when you ask me.”

“Now I will send you off with a piece of advice, two warnings, and some instructions. First to the advice: You have not yet learned what all your abilities are, though as of now you have shown supernatural strength, durability and speed, a rather impressive healing factor that activates after you are done fighting, the capability to grow even larger than you are, and oddly enough the ability to breath underwater. I encourage you to experiment to see what else you can do using any myths surrounding Tyr as a reference.

“Now for the warnings. Firstly, stay within the Norse realms. Most pantheons are unaware of the others existence and every one of them believes in their nigh total divinity, with the presence of those who are not of those myths are treated like a cancer, and a few really are. As such there is an uneasy peace, born from ignorance, that is best maintained for as long as possible.

“Secondly, is Ragnarök. It is real, and it will happen. But it will not be as the Norse thought it to be, nor will it be limited to the Norse realms here. It will encompass all the realms of this world, and they will all burn equally, mortal and immortal alike, with only the survivors of the Norse realms listed, though there will be others. Due to circumstances, I know that I will die at Ragnarök, besieged by enemies from all sides, though I will wipe out a fourth of their number before I am killed. My main point is, be ready for it when it comes.

“Now, I best give you those instructions to send you on your way. I will use my power to get you transported to a spot in the desert, from you will just need to walk straight for about four hours, upon which you will see a slanted metal tube. It is a maintenance hatch from the old ship, climb up it till you reach the top and that will be the first of the Norse realms where Heimdall will take over from there. Do not go through the side hatch while you are climbing as that will take you back to the Greek realm. Now, off you go.”

Thoth shooed Tyr along down a corridor and out into the daylight again. As Tyr turned around to say goodbye, he found himself staring open mouthed into the vast desert, then shrugged and walked the way he was facing before.

He reached the tube just as Thoth said. The thing stood a little smaller than Tyr pictured, as he could reach up and touched the top with the tips of his fingers. Furthermore, the top was damaged and exposed to open air.

This is supposed to lead me to the Norse realms? Well, Thoth’s transport was along similar lines as impossible by appearance.

With that thought, Tyr crawled into the tube, and began to climb up.