??? POV
A giant figure loomed in the void of reality, in that not-a-place absent of matter and rules. That of a being which could very easily be called a God. It seemed to scratch at the nothingness in front of it… what would have been millennia meant nothing, time itself a mere suggestion in this not-a-here…
Yet after what would have been a thousand lifetimes or the blink of an eye spent pawing nothing… it yielded a result. A microscopic tear opening in front of it, a sight which would drive near any being insane was seen through the rip- places and beings so far above what it knew as reality that all before them was nothing more than fiction… the being did not care.
Using its tremendous power, a black and green orb was shoved through the wall of reality… having used its power to defy the natural order and having seen that which no eyes (mortal or otherwise) should of, the being then began fading from existence, only muttering a few words in a ghastly voice before its end; “Keep… Simon… Safe…”
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@!#* POV
Did… did I die? It was just a dream right?
A flash of green had come from my front… before a golden hand had filled my sight? There's no way it was real… it couldn’t be… right?
I’d just gotten my life on track… I’d gotten in shape, quit smoking and gotten a raise at… where? Why… Why can’t I remember? Wait… who am I? I- I can’t remember!?
My head hurt just thinking about the finer details and it felt as if a fog had obscured much of my memory. I knew so much and yet anything personal was just out of reach. I knew I’d quit smoking, yet I couldn’t remember the brand. I could remember my bed, but not where I lived. I could remember having great parents… but not what they looked like.
I couldn’t properly remember, but I still felt the longing and pain of being without them… of the prospect of being so agonizingly alone.
It got worse when I thought about my current situation. Was this the afterlife? A dull void of nothingness? I could hear (or feel?) a distant rhythmic thumping in the background. Everything felt muted and dull and I didn’t know if I even had eyes, as all I saw was blackness.
I didn’t feel like I was able to move, the space I was in felt empty and alien. I would have been hyperventilating and sobbing were I able, yet I couldn’t feel a body to move or mouth to scream.
All I felt… was so incredibly tired… Would giving in to the tiredness be the end of me? Were these to be my last thoughts before fading into oblivion? Could I stave it off?
…Did I want to?
The choice was taken from me as the darkness invaded my mind before I could answer.
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??? POV
I stepped out from a massive cloud of dust; blood and gore dripping from every inch of my armor.
I emerged before a sea of enemies, not a single one moving as they dumbly witnessed me holding up the severed head of their greatest champion. Their fear was strong enough that I could already smell it from where I stood.
I flashed a bloodthirsty grin towards them- and despite outnumbering me 10000 to 1, they still collectively recoiled.
As they should.
I plunged back into the enemy formation to continue the slaughter, to show them why defying us was such an incredibly stupid idea.
Afterall I was the blade of Asgard, the daughter of Odin and the Goddess of Death. If anything they should be thankful that father was too preoccupied to attend to their destruction himself.
I fell into the routine slaughter as my mind drifted towards a recent recurring subject…
I was pregnant.
With… Twins? No… 2 souls bound as one? Whatever the case, 1 child or 2, I could feel their souls and budding domain resonate with my own.
Seems their potential was outstanding… as expected from a child of mine.
I hoped to become pregnant anyhow, especially since their father was the only being to have matched me in battle… ah, it made my heart throb just thinking about how he so easily tore one of my arms off.
*Splitch*
It’d gotten my blood really pumping just reimagining the battle and so I got a tad too excited and ‘accidentally’ kicked a dark elf into a chunky mist.
His allies had horrified looks across their faces as they were all suddenly covered in gore. I let out a small chuckle as I cut them down too. Sadly (for my foes) I was more focused on my musings about the name of my child than their plight… Thor perhaps? Sounds too weak. Hmmm…
I wonder what I should name my child if it’s a girl?
*Elf screams*
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Seers POV
All throughout space, a pull was felt. An urge taking hold of every seer and teller- the strength of which could not be resisted. Those who were weaker blacked out before they could understand what was happening. Those slightly stronger shivered in fear… and the best of them all despaired.
There had been many prophecies of death or destruction… of entire worlds or realities being torn asunder. Yet what they saw now made it all seem insignificant in retrospect, for in their haunted sight they witnessed true horror; tendrils of black spreading throughout reality, not to destroy anything, yet perhaps even worse, as everything it touched turned gray and lifeless- entire worlds left empty of vitality, trillions of souls snuffed out… the mightiest powers in the universe rallied against the tide- so catastrophic was the threat that even Angels and Demons came together to resist it terrible might!
They didn’t last long… the tide merely left their gray corpses in its wake. Mephisto himself being the last among them to fall… screaming.
This wasn’t just death or destruction… but oblivion! And as the greatest among them peered deeper to try and see what monstrosity had caused such a calamity? Their crazed screams echoed to their peers, for those who had dared take a closer look were driven to insanity- the only piece of information that could be gleaned before they ended their life was that of glowing green eyes… that had noticed them!
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Death POV
[In a field of black flowers]
!?
‘What the?!’
A woman with ivory skin and beauty that would make a goddess jealous… Death, raised her head. She had felt… a new Avatar of hers manifest?
It had been a while since a new Avatar of hers had been born, but this one in particular…
Every being of any aspect always started out weakly connected to their concept, they needed experience and time to deepen that connection… something this new Avatar had apparently skipped!
They were so in tune with the aspect of death that it wouldn’t surprise her if they were (paradoxically) her own child, let alone that of one of her lesser Avatars!
Their soul (2 of them?!), or souls? Regardless, 1 of their souls at least was absolutely steeped in death, to a degree which would require the snuffing out of thousands of worlds worth of life… BY HAND!
They were an anomaly, a strange force of immense necrotic potential…… but above all, a threat… or opportunity.
A threat due to their sheer compatibility with the aspect of death… something which would slowly get stronger as they matured… perhaps enough to one day in the future supplant her.
And an opportunity since she would gain an Avatar of incredibly high potential with which she could strengthen her influence and exert her control more readily… perhaps they could even be a greater agent of her will than that purple fool would eventually become? but was it worth it?
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She looked again at this new soul. Some instinct of hers was urging her to snuff it out, to remove it before it was too late.
Death she may be, yet life she still knew the importance of… without life there is no death, without death there is no life. The reason she felt the urge to remove this soul was due to how perfect they felt as a fit to her domain… she was apprehensive of their potential to spread her influence, apprehensive if they were too successful.
Perhaps it would be best to visit them for a chat in the near future, she’d be able to get a proper read on them at that time while still being overwhelmingly stronger than them in case they were on the wrong path.
“Hmmm…. Their mother has been an exemplary Avatar… So how bad could they be?”
Death turned her sight from the new soul- content with her choice… but having no idea that she was being watched in turn by another, who grinned upon seeing her choice before disappearing.
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@!#* POV
It's been a while in this void… well maybe not void… I’m just unsure if what I think this place is, is true. I was never religious, I never believed in a higher power- or I guess I never stopped to think too deeply about it?
But unless I’m mistaken… have I been reincarnated? I forgot which group believed in that, but I'm pretty sure what you’re reborn as is karma based.
Good… I guess? I’ve never committed any (serious) crimes, but I’ve also never given any serious prayers or adhered to any strict religious guidelines… I won’t get in trouble for eating pork right?
I could also be overthinking my situation… or if I really am in the process of rebirth it could just as easily be due to some random powerful being doing it out of boredom- The memory of a golden hand reaching for me certainly lent it some credence.
If it is for entertainments sake then the however-the-hell long I’ve spent in here ignorant of my situation ought to have made it pretty damn boring, I mean the only reason I figured it out was because of my own plus my mothers heartbeat… on that note I really hope I’m human, it’d be a real kick in the whatever-I-now-have if I became a sloth.
Whatever I was, I’m pretty sure I’d be popping out soon. The bouts of unconsciousness that had once scared the crap out of me had grown infrequent before stopping altogether, the slowness of my thoughts had ceased and I could actually feel and move my body!
From what I could glean I at least felt human, not that I could feel much… or that humans were the only species with thumbs.
Speaking of not feeling much… I felt a pull.
Well… moment of truth.
If I’m an ape, at least let it be a gorilla!
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Hela POV
If this takes much longer I swear I’ll grab my blade and get the child out myself.
I’ve taken many an arrow or sword through… well everywhere really, but never has pain felt this damn uncomfortable! And it was taking forever!
I haven’t even been able to enter the battlefield in any meaningful way ever since my father found out either, making the last few months incredibly boring being relegated to command posts and… vacation.
*shudder*
I wouldn’t have to wait too much longer however as after an hour filled with me glaring at the nervous doctor, my son was finally out!
And I could now see what made things so complicated… he was a big boy, that and he had stubby ram horns starting above his ears and curling behind his head. A quick look at one of the contraptions nearby showed him to be 9.5Kg/21 pounds… perhaps a new record- one which the hospital staff were quick to cheer for.
I ignored their congratulations and snatched him into my arms.
My body had already healed by then, and I began looking him over. I was happy to see he’d gotten the same blue eyes as his father, and incredibly surprised when analyzing him that he seemed to have awakened the heritage of the giants from his grandmother!
I smiled while petting his head (It occurs to me now that I have no idea how to act around children… a problem for later perhaps).
He would need a strong name, something that would be memorable, unique and powerful… I’d had a lot of time to think about what I would choose, yet was hesitating on my final choice. I began muttering to myself while thinking upon my options.
“Dominicus? Mm, powerful for sure, but perhaps too on the nose…
Halvor? Unique yet not strong enough…
Asmund? Strong yet not enough…
Magnus? Fiery yet common.”
I kept going back and forth through multiple names, all while my son had yet to make a noise and just stared up at me.
I was so engrossed that I momentarily didn’t notice my domain activated and whispered to me a suggestion, the activation showing a name fit for a king… no… for a conqueror!
I could feel death herself smile upon me as I knew what name he was to be bestowed with. I thanked my glorious patron before focusing back on my son.
I lifted him up to eye level with myself- “My son, my powerful boy, armies shall fall before you and many shall fear your name… You. Are. Ausar!”.
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Ausar POV (Pronounced Ow-sar)
“…Ausar!”
…
I swear I’ve seen this woman before… a feeling in the back of my mind was telling me I know more about her…
Well… at least I’m human? …And born during the middle ages to royalty? In a fantasy world? Did I get isekai’d?
At least I got a badass name. Once the light had become a bit less blinding and my vision had cleared I began to take a look around.
Everyones wearing some type of ancient garb or armor, there's no complex machines or appliances… Helluva lot of gold though.
Also I’m pretty sure that the… nurse? Is operating a contraption using glowing runes.
Ok, so definitely an isekai magic world scenario.
“Not a single cry… as expected of my son!” I heard my mother proudly say to the medical staff. She even did the ‘point your nose at the ceiling’ trope.
Gonna take me a while to get used to having new parents… but I can tell my mothers gonna be a riot. The lady just gave birth and is lively enough you’d think she’d only been for a leisurely walk.
Speaking of my mother… is she wearing armor? Was she wearing that during birth?
Oi oi, don’t tell me I was born during a siege on the castle!?
*Clunk*
As I started wondering if I was about to receive the ‘protagonist special’ where I saw my parents get murdered, the door was opened and a man in golden… everything, showed up.
The guy looked like Santa crossed with a pirate, what with his age, gray beard and golden eyepatch. I was half expecting him to tell me the One Piece was real or ask what I want for Christmas.
Well old one-eye did neither of those and instead started talking to my mother, congratulating her and saying how proud he is yada yada. But there were a few parts that did grab my attention, and damn did it make me panic a bit.
Did he just call her Hela? Did he just mention Surtur, the dark elves and the frost giants? Did he also just say something about the Bifrost?
My mind whirred as I frantically pieced together some of the info he was spouting… the pieces of the puzzle quickly putting themself together.
I looked at my mother again… now recognizing her… the goddess of war and death. I looked at the old man… Odin. But these weren’t your average mythical versions… if i’m right… Am I in the Marvel universe?!
I started internally panicking a little, I’d have to stop my own mother? And the Dark elf invasion? And Surtur? And Thanos?! I didn’t notice as my eyes started glowing green and a cold and dark aura began manifesting around me… but my mother did.
As a goddess of death she instantly felt the wave of necrotic energy coming from me and halted the conversation with her father midway.
She quickly grabbed my chubby arms and absorbed the power before I could harm myself, this also snapped me back into the moment as I looked up into her eyes- pride and happiness all I could discern.
“See father? His potential exceeds my own, who cares what those old fools say? Besides… isn’t he just adorable?”
Hela presented me before Odin while pinching my cheek with one hand. I gotta say that her attitude did wonders to calm my rampant emotions, though I still felt fear at Asgard potentially being invaded and eventually destroyed… not to mention my mothers ambition outstripping Odin leading to her imprisonment.
But they seem to still be on good terms at the moment… which means I have time. And with time… I can prepare and train… I think? I really hope it doesn’t happen in a couple days or else I’m screwed.
I mean from what I can gather they’re currently fighting a war while planning more for the future, which means their period of expansion and conquering hasn’t ended yet… should be enough time to either change Hela’s mind or become strong enough for it not to matter.
…
Why am I accepting this so quickly? I’m pretty sure a regular person would still be in shock or disbelief. It felt like every thought I have was analyzed from multiple angles, and every bit of info since I was born could be reacquired and remembered at will?
Even the conversation I thought I wasn’t paying much attention to was capable of being recalled with perfect clarity, and this entire train of thought… took a single moment.
Is this an eidetic memory? …No, this is way stronger than what an eidetic memory is described as… for that matter I could literally recall an obscure page of a book I had briefly flipped through where its description was witnessed in my old life… still no personal memories though.
I could recall the entirety of the memory as if it were filmed… no blurry edges or backgrounds, I was immersed in it for a moment, both because of how interesting it was… and how strange certain parts felt…
I could see that I had been holding a book… yet I couldn't tell what color my skin was… I saw reflections containing myself… yet couldn’t pin down any features, the same happened with any descriptors of the location I had been in… Hell if it wasn’t for bathroom memories I’d be having doubts about whether I was even originally male or not.
Yet every piece of info that wasn’t related to locations or me personally… all of it I could remember! So much of it I didn’t fully comprehend… but it was there and waiting! And I felt like I could take it apart and figure it all out given enough time.
I felt like a damn machine! It’s like my old thought process was an abacus and this new one was a top of the line computer from NASA!?
Good? I guess?
Also… are babies usually able to see with such clarity directly after birth?
I’ll just chalk the sight up to Asgardians being OP as fuck. As for the computer brain? No idea, Thor was a dumbass so far as I remember… and if he had even 1/10th of what I’m experiencing he’d not have ended up the way he did.
This entire thought process from my panic up until my thoughts on Thor took about 2 seconds, I then focused back on my surroundings.
Oh, I was being handed to the pirate santa, also known as the King of Asgard, my grandfather and one scary motherfucker… For now let's just play the cute grandchild card… I can pull some prodigy bullshit later.
Also just gonna skip over whatever power I just used… and the fact this is a fictional world… and the fact I remember being born in excruciating detail, yep, totally not hard coping.
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Odin POV
I’m… conflicted. On the one hand his potential is outstanding- meaning a surefire powerhouse in future to defend Asgard, plus the sheer joy of having a grandchild.
On the other hand he’s absolutely terrifying… that unbelievably high affinity for death, the vision I and many other seers felt before his birth, plus the fact he’s half midgardian.
As a ruler I should strangle him in the crib, yet as a grandfather I should protect him. Hela knows of what the seers saw, she simply doesn’t care, and told me in no uncertain terms that she’d destroy Asgard herself if they dared to accuse him.
I held the child in my arms, searching his eyes and soul for any sign of malice or destruction. He stared back at my singular eye with bubbling curiosity, he seemed to study me as I did with him.
He reached out a single tubby arm and grabbed my beard- “Ga?” it almost seemed like he asked me a question?
“I am your Grandfather and King- Odin Borson! You, my boy, are Ausar Helason… and I hope you will grow up to be a happy and powerful son of Asgard!” I noticed Hela roll her eyes in the background at my speech.
“Oba!” While my grandson enthusiastically responded with determined eyes. My apprehension about the child allayed slightly at the cute display.
I couldn’t help letting out a laugh. He is yet to grow, and perhaps our actions will determine his path.
I will watch him closely as a ruler, yet fondly as family…
*sigh*
When did I become so soft?
*Chuckle*
“Make me proud boy!” I rubbed his head before handing him back to my daughter.
Making my way back to the throne room with my guards saw me contemplating the child's potential… his future and ours.
The ruthless conqueror in me was ecstatic at having access to a new weapon, while the smaller, humane part was disgusted at my own callousness.
I wish I could say that leaving him be was due solely to my compassion, due to caring about him… but it wasn’t… Was it? Asgard had many enemies, the frost giants, Surtur and his kin, the dark elves… and a thousand more who had died to build these golden halls…
Should I or Hela fall… Asgard would need the strength to persist… whether that strength be from a powerful combatant… or a monster.
The happy face I had shown to my daughter and grandson faded, before turning hard as stone.
‘Asgard will survive… no matter what!’.