Magnus Raunak felt the cold of the winter season, even from within his apartment. Not that he actually turned on the heater. He barely felt the cold. The place wasn't anything special, but big enough to be comfortable for a twenty-something in the middle of a major city.

"So, Champion is battling an alien invasion, again, and we're sitting pretty getting drunk," Avery switched off the screen, gulping down the last of his whiskey. "Where do you think the Iron Phoen-X, is?"

He didn't respond. Superheroes had been a thing of the modern world for the last ten years, ever since the Champion appeared that day. He saved people, regardless of who, or what they were. Then, like some cosmic joke, villains decided to appear. Aliens, demons, wizards, monsters, and everything in between, soon followed.

And then, almost everyone started getting powers. It was a whole new era, of innovation and opportunity. A new beginning.

Not that he should complain, knowing what he was.

"Ugh, I'm just bored," This had been the third alien invasion in the last four years. Economies go up and down, the rich are getting richer, and superheroes and villains fight against each other every Tuesday, or team up against something worse. "Come on, let's go to the bar."

The circle of runic light appeared beneath them in an instant, and before Magnus or Avery could react, they were blinded by a white light.

"What the fuck?!" His friend's cursing didn't help from the sudden headache.

Magnus opened his eyes, feeling the soft grains of sand beneath his bare feet. And before them, the blue-green glittering ocean expanded onto the horizon. A roar interrupted their musings, and Magnus and Avery whipped around to eye the mountainous regions in the distance.

"That... looks like a dragon," The distance was great, but the beast must be enormous to make out even the wings as it flapped around the mountains.

Avery looked contemplative. "Huh. Didn't a dragon attack London or something, a year ago?"

"Err... I think that was a wyrm." Magnus scratched his nose in thought.

"What's the bloody difference?"

Magnus shrugged. "So, what are we gonna do?"

"Stay put and wait for rescue?"

Avery and Magnus eyed each other, then snorted in laughter for a good minute. People have been going missing and dying for years, and the heroes and government could only do so much to help. Alien invasions, villain fights, or just magic weirdness. Heck, wasn't there a sorcerer who sacrificed an entire town to summon some minor eldritch abomination? Of course, the wizard ended up getting eaten, and the shoggoth just went back to its reality and slept.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

After a moment, they calmed down and looked around. The place was beautiful, idyllic, even. Magnus was never the traveling type, finding comfort in the solitary existence of his apartment. Travelling was just... too much trouble, and expensive. Besides, the last thing he wanted was a plane to crash in the middle of the ocean, because some douchebag supervillain wanted to get a hero's attention.

"We gotta find civilization," Magnus replied, grimacing. They had no idea where they were, or where to go. And, he was starting to get hungry.

Avery crossed his arms and thought for a moment, then said, "Why not stay put? We could build a house here until civilization finds us?"

"You're kidding, right?" Magnus looked at his friend like he sprouted several heads. "I don't even know the first thing about surviving in the wilds."

"Don't worry about it. My dad took me to camp almost every week when I was a kid," Avery shrugged, playing with his hair. "I know all about surviving in the wild. I'll teach you some things."

Magnus imagined skinning fishes or rabbits. He nearly gagged. He hated eating fish, and the thought of killing a cute little rabbit felt wrong.

"Bro, do you even have superpowers?" Magnus asked.

Avery looked offended, scowling at him. "I told you this a long time ago! I have micro and macro gravity control! How the hell did you even not remember? It's an awesome power!"

He remembered a little over five years ago, something about gravity. Magnus hadn't really paid any attention, focusing on the pretty girl at the bar. "Right..."

"Do you have powers?" Avery sarcastically asked.

"Oh, yeah. Not really powers, but more like a heritage thing."

His friend rolled his eyes. "What, are you the son of a wizard, or some God?"

"Err, sorta? My mum kinda fell in love with my dad, Magni."

Avery looked at him blankly. "Who?"

"Right...," Not many people know about Thor's sons. Sure, everyone knew about the major Norse Gods of mythology, but there were only a few lines about his children. "Magni is the son of Thor, but after Ragnarock, Magni sorta settled down to sleep in Scandinavia until my mum awakened my dad by accident twenty-seven years ago."

His friend looked disappointed. "Huh. Not much of a cool origin story..."

Magnus rolled his eyes.

"So, I'm guessing your mom and dad fell in love. What happened, then?"

"He just... went back to sleep," Magnus didn't really know all that transpired after they had him, unfortunately. His mom was vague about it. "Well, my dad did wake up to visit me when I was ten. He sorta just appeared out of nowhere, etched some magic language into my bones, handed me his inheritance, and went back to sleep, I guess?"

"Wait, so he graffitied you bones?!"

"Yep."

"Didn't it hurt like hell?"

"I think I died several times."

"Okay. So, no fighting ancient Viking zombies or dragons to prove your strength?"

"No?"

"Sheesh. Your origin story really was boring."

Magnus glared at his friend. "Piss off."

"So, what did he give you?"

"Just my grandfather's hammer, Mjolnir. A few magic apples, and skidbladnir, a massive ship that could hold pretty anything and everything, and folded small enough to look like a small toy ship."

Avery looked out into the ocean. "The ship could be useful, here."

"Well, the ship is in the washroom. I didn't bring it."

Avery sighed. "Please tell me you don't play with an ancient Godship in the tub."

Magnus squinted at his friend. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You suck at lying. Can you at least summon your Mljorer?"

"Mjolnir."

"Whatever... the hammer. Can you summon it?"

"Sure. I feel the connection."

"So, are you worthy?" Avery smirked.

"Yeah, why don't you try lifting it, then?"

"Nah, I'm good," Avery then looked at the forests below the mountainous regions. "I can build a shelter big enough for the both of us. It shouldn't take long."

His friend, Avery, manipulated the gravitational force to lift himself up and blasted off to the closest mountain.

"He could fly?" Magnus' brows raised. He then looked at the ocean before him. "Ugh. I hate fish."