Levi opened his eyes and all around him he saw... darkness? He realized with shock that he was completely enveloped in darkness to the point he was not even able to distinguish the direction he was facing, was it the top or was it the bottom. He was not able to touch or feel anything, it was almost as if he was floating through space. The darkness was endless and stretched to infinity and beyond and he realized with a start that he was naked as well.
"What happened? Am I dea- Huh?" Levi tried to speak but he was alarmed that no sound was coming out, it seemed like his vocal cords were sealed shut. Suddenly the darkness was pierced with a tremendous light, Levi tried to cover his eyes, but he was unable to do so, he simply closed them and waited for the flash of red to pass. Just as suddenly the light had shone, it completely vanished. Levi found himself completely enveloped in darkness yet again.
"Hey Levi", a female voice rang out, Levi knew that voice but he was not able to place it, "Mother?" , he tried. He found that this time his voice was clearly projected, somehow he was able to speak again.
"Fat chance asshole", the voice again rang, "I am really offended you didn't recognize my voice even after repeated meetings", although the woman appeared to be annoyed, a tinge of amusement was mixed with that voice.
"Freya... Why am I not surprised?" Levi sighed. It was like every single crazy happening in his life was linked with the goddess. She grinned and then glanced at him, her grin turned sly and she whistled. Levi felt himself blush profusely, he had forgotten that he was naked.
"Boy...", she started and shrugged, but something was wrong, it was almost as if Levi could see through her.
"Hey Freya, are... are you a ghost?" He asked tentatively.
Freya clapped her hands and smiled, the sound rang through the never-ending darkness, "Ooo, clever aren't you, your guess was almost on point but sadly I am not a guest, its my soul signature, or rather what you humans call Core, since I am a literal goddess I can use the energy readings to create astral projections of myself, its also the method I used to appear to you last night", she said.
Levi was not sure he had understood anything but he nodded his head ( tried to anyway ) and asked, "So where am I right now and what was that weird energy that surged through me just before I reached... wherever I am right now?"
Freya's face turned serious, she looked at Levi with a grave expression, "You have asked two excellent questions, I will answer the first one. You are currently in the Ginnunugagap, or simply The Gap", she said.
The confused look Levi threw her irritated her, "Damn kid, have you never read our great tales of bravery and valour?" She asked him.
Levi shook his head and said, "Not really, the only Norse gods I knew before this were Odin, Thor and Loki",
Freya scoffed, "Of course, all you would know were names of those filthy Aesir", she said.
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"Ass - hair?" Levi asked, he was genuinely confused as to what Freya was rambling on about. His question caused Freya to crack up, her laughter was even more beautiful than she was and Levi felt something stir within him, some emotion he had never felt before. Something deep and powerful and it was not something stupid like Love.
"No stupid, the Aesir", she said it like ey - seer.
"Oh, alright", Levi said.
"Now about the Ginnunugagap, it is basically speaking, an endless and primordial place, filled with everything and at the same time nothing. It is the place from where the Nine Worlds stemmed and it is said to be the place into which the Nine Worlds would dissolve after the Ragnarok, the Twilight of Gods", she said. Levi took a second to absorb the information, it was too much to take in at once. Nine Worlds? Ragnarok? The ginnunugapaa- or whatever the hell that was. He really needed to hit the library after getting out of here.
"And that brings us to your second question and how you got here", Freya took a deep breath, "You remember the symbol on your wrist?" she asked
"Can't seem to forget it, especially because it is smack right in front of my eye for most of the day", Levi cheekily replied.
"Boy, I can literally smell the sarcasm in that sentence but time is of essence an I can't waste it anymore on your stupid shenanigans I will be willing to forget it this time", as Freya said this Levi noticed her growing even fainter.
"That symbol carries a part of mine and my brother's soul", she said, Levi looked up at her in surprise, "And that portion has just integrated with your soul", she said.
"What... what do you mean?" Levi stammered.
"It means, you Levi Phoenix, are part - Frey and part - Freya, the gods of fertility, war, kingship, summer and many more such things", she said, "You will someday become the strongest among your brothers, a warrior with enough power over the Nine Worlds, a source of wonder and terror alike, this has been already written by the Fates and not even Gods can change the Fate, but this power will not be without any payment, this power will come at a cost you will have to eventually pay and that cost will be something you will not even be able to fathom, but for the time being you can freely use it but be careful if you lose control or use it beyond your capabilities, you will be forever lost in the wideness of this very Ginnunugagap", Freya proclaimed. Her face was clouded by a variety of expressions but a slightly twisted and crazy grin peeked out. Levi did not notice it. He was lost in his own thoughts.
Her solemn speech had left Levi feeling a mix of emotions. Hope, fear, pride, panic but above all elation. A power exclusive to him and him alone. This could finally be the chance to break out of his brothers' shadow.
"But my time is almost up and I think you would also want to go back", She said and disappeared yet again. Levi wanted to call her back, so many questions were flooding his mind, but there will always be another chance. For now it was time to go back. He felt himself once again slipping into unconsciousness.
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This time when he woke up, he was in a completely contrasting environment from before, the lights almost blinded him when he woke up. He sat up straight, and blinked. He was back into his own bed. Besides his bed sat a breathtaking human specimen, flowing black hair, brilliant golden eyes, perfect jawline and cheekbones. It was what Freya would have called a masterpiece, thought Levi before coming to his senses.
"So brother dear, I heard you had just awakened and already caused a war, way to top your big brother", the man smiled, he was slowly sipping a cup of tea, an elegant bow sat besides him.
"Xavier..." that was all Levi could manage before slumping back into his bed.