Chapter 1: 4000 years later
Year 4087 ADO
Sumar, Norheim, Midgard
What is the most important date in the history of midgard?
Is it the creation of men?
Nay!
Is the founding of the imperial empire ?
Nay!
Is it the golden age of gods and men?
Nay!
The important date in the history of Midgard is 4087, Why you might ask?
It was the year when the fate of all the nine realms changed forever.
Three beings destined to play a pivotal role in Ragnarök.
- One would seek to save it and become the savior of men
- One would seek to bring it forth and become a harbinger of war.
- One would become the catalyst for the entire war and become The Destroyer Of Gods.
Their stories would become legendary, their names carved into history for all to see .But legends do not begin with gods.
They begin with children.
And so, in the continent of Norheim, two children were born.
One was the son of a Jarl.
The other was the daughter of a blacksmith.
Neither knew what destiny had written for them.
Neither knew that the world would one day remember their names. And neither knew that the birth of these two children marked the beginning of the end.
With that,the mood has been set.
Brynhold
The wind howled like a nagging mistress, curling through the ancient trees of Brynhold's forests.
Branches creaked and groaned beneath the weight of an approaching storm, their dark silhouettes clawing at a sky swollen with rain yet refusing to release it.
The village, nestled in a narrow valley, seemed suspended in an uneasy calm, as though nature itself held its breath, waiting for something to unfold.
Brynhold was one of four main nations ruled by jarls(chieftains) under the konungr(king) Sven Lothbrok.
A settlement fortified by towering wooden walls lined with sharpened stakes, an impregnable stronghold against rival clans. And at its heart, casting long shadows over the village.
At the centre stood the great longhouse.
Torches lined the walls of the longhouse, casting flickering shadows that danced along the intricate carvings in the wooden beams above carvings that depicted the great battles of the gods, stories passed down through generations.
Among them is a painting of Thor, god of thunder and strength, standing tall with his hammer raised high against a backdrop that has a sea of blood filled by the Jotun's(giant beasts).
For the Mighty Thor was the patron God of Norheim. It was a tale the whole of Midgard had heard countless times.
The Jarl of such a great longhouse is Erik Stormbringer.
A man of imposing stature. His broad shoulders and square jaw marked him as a seasoned warrior, his skin weathered from years of battle under the harsh sun and freezing winters.
His hair, once golden, now showed streaks of silver, pulled back into a long braid that fell past his shoulders.
His beard thick and braided, and his blue eyes flickered with an unspoken fury that only warriors knew—the kind of rage that simmered beneath the surface, controlled but never extinguished.
He had fought in countless battles, taken the lives of more men than he could count, but now, as he paced before the hearth, his heart pounded in his chest with an unfamiliar anxiety.
His Iron Will wavered as he awaited the birth of his fifth child.
The weathered stones of the longhouse, blackened from years of hearth fires, whispered of age and endurance, a stark contrast to the new life that struggled to enter the world within its walls.
Erik's warriors, tall and muscular men, stood like silent statues in the shadowed corners of the longhouse, exchanging nervous glances as they waited.
Their Jarl paced in front of the great hearth, his boots thudding heavily against the wooden floor.
His wife, Sigrun, lay in the adjacent chamber, her cries piercing the silence of the longhouse as the midwives tended to her. With every cry, his hand unconsciously clenched into a fist.Then, as the cries faded, his fingers slowly loosened.
He exhaled.
Only to clench his fist again when another cry echoed through the longhouse.
He stopped his pacing for a moment and glanced toward the heavy wooden door that separated him from Sigrun's chamber.
The door creaked slightly, as though it too were burdened by the weight of the moment.
His sharp gaze flicked to the midwives who had been rushing in and out of the room. Their faces were pale, and they avoided his eyes, their silence speaking volumes.
Erik's hand moved instinctively to the hilt of his sword, a massive blade that hung at his side, its hilt gleaming in the firelight, it was not a gesture of threat but of habit—a warrior's instinct when faced with uncertainty. Yet this was a battle Erik could not fight with steel.
The cries of childbirth echoed once more, sharp and pained, before fading into an eerie silence.
He had stood on the brink of death many times, felt the cold grip of fear in his bones during battle, but this—this waiting—was different.
There were no enemies to cut down, no shields to raise, only the unbearable weight of anticipation.
He took a slow breath, trying to calm the rising storm within him, but his thoughts raced like the thunder that rolled across the distant sky.
What if something had gone wrong? What if Sigrun or the child…?
His fist clenched around the hilt of his sword, the leather wrapping creaking under the pressure. The warriors in the room remained silent, their eyes fixed on their chief, but even they could not disguise the unease in their expressions.
He knew what they were thinking. This was supposed to be a moment of celebration…Well it was…For it was the birth of his son, strong and powerful, destined to carry on the Stormbringer name.A burden he has cursed upon his children.
Finally, the door creaked open, and one of the midwives emerged, her face pale but composed.
She smiled and gave a small nod and gestured for him to enter.
He hesitated for a moment, his heart pounding in his chest, before he stepped into the room with long, purposeful steps.
The warriors bowed their heads as he passed, but he barely noticed. His eyes were focused on the figure lying on the bed, his wife.
Sigrun lay exhausted on the bed, her face pale and drenched in sweat, but there was a softness in her eyes as she gazed down at the bundle swaddled in her arms.
Her Crimson hair, a bright copper and deep auburn color, usually so neatly braided, was now tangled and damp, clinging to her forehead.
Despite the exhaustion that weighed down her body, there was a faint smile on her lips. She looked up as Erik entered, her hazel eyes filled with warmth and relief.
"The child," she whispered, she said her voice barely audible.
Erik's gaze fell on the bundle in her arms, and for a moment, all the tension that had gripped him seemed to fade.
He stepped closer, his heart pounding with a mixture of anticipation and pride. This was his son…his heir, the future of his tribe.
But as he looked down at the child, his breath caught in his throat.
The baby was beautiful,nothing out of the ordinary—
Except there was one thing though.the one thing that Erik was hoped not to happen.The child had a insignia of his left arm.
A insignia Erik also has that earned him the Stormbringer Title.
The stormbinger is a Thunder insignia tattoo that Erik earned from Thor,after he Slayed the loopy titan(A wierd nickname he got which i won't explain,for your own sakes) and became the keeper of the storm power.
A fraction power of the Thunder God.
Its a thunder Insignia which is etched on the left hand.The stormbringer also offers the thunder eyes,The Völundr Eyes
The Völundr Eyes is an extremely rare ocular mutation associated with ancient warriors who possessed an extraordinary ability to observe, understand, and reproduce supernatural techniques.
The child radiated a presence, an aura of power that Erik gained after he received the insignia tattoo.
For a moment, he felt a strange sense of awe, as though he were standing in the presence of something far greater than himself.
But the awe quickly faded, replaced by something darker—something cold and sharp that twisted in Erik's gut,while the insignia gives u extraordinary power the only draw back is that it gives you an insatiable bloodlust.
Hence why he was dubbed Erik the red drengr.
He looked at the child with sadness because he knows what having the insignia means,the struggles it brings.Among his now five children,
This child was the fifth to have the insignia.However his insignia was complete like his.
He thought about his 1st born child who also possessed the insignia,Siegfried Stormbringer .However Siegfried's tattoo was ¾ complete,It was the thunder insignia with rings that encircled the thunder.
Sigrun, pale and weak from the ordeal of childbirth, met his gaze and opened her mouth to speak, but the words seemed to catch in her throat. She could see the worry in his eyes, the suspicion that clouded his expression.
"Erik…" she said while reaching for Eriks hand,It won't happen he won't succumb to it.
But Erik was not listening. His mind had already latched to what the insignia on his hand meant.
"I know Sigrun,but I can't help but worry about the boy,it looks alot like mine,which is very worrisome."He said.
Then the worst thing happened,the child's Eyes changed from an amber to crystal blue ,crackling with small sparks of lightning.
The baby held her mothers hand with so much force…much…much stronger for a child,even to make a grown man scream in pain.
CRACK!!!
Sigrun's hand cracked under the force in which the baby exerted.
"Ahhh," she screamed.
Erick laced with fury as he took a step toward the bed. His hand flew to the hilt of his knife, a small, wickedly sharp blade that he always carried with him.
The metal glinted in the firelight as he drew it from its sheath, the edge gleaming dangerously.
Sigrun gasped, her eyes widening in fear as she clutched the infant closer to her chest. "Erik, no!" she cried, but her voice was weak, her body too drained from the ordeal to stop him.
Erik's face twisted in rage, his muscles tensing as he raised the knife. "I have to cut your hand off,that's the only way
The warriors who had followed Erik into the room stood frozen, their eyes wide as they watched the scene unfold.
They had seen their chief panic before, but this was different. This was a man who had to choose either to cut his wife’s crushed hand or cut the baby's hand to release Sigrun's crushed hand.
As Erik brought the knife down toward the infant, something impossible happened.
The baby's tiny hand shot up with unnatural speed, faster than any child,no less an infant could move. The babys fingers, gripped the blade of the knife as it descended, stopping it in mid-air.
For a moment, there was nothing but stunned silence.
Erik's eyes widened in disbelief as he felt the resistance. He pushed harder, but the child's grip held firm. The knife did not budge, as though it were caught in the grasp of a far greater force than any infant could possess.
The warriors around them gasped, their expressions shifting from shock to fear.
The baby's face was serene, unblinking, as though unaware of the incredible feat he had just performed.
His small hand gripped the blade effortlessly, his blue eyes reflecting the firelight with an almost ethereal glow.
The tension in the room snapped like a bowstring as the babe’s tiny hand crushed the blade. The metal shattered into dust, scattering across the floor like ashes.
Erik stumbled back, his mouth hanging open in shock, his hand trembling as he stared at the ruined knife in his grip.
The warriors exchanged uneasy glances; their fear now unmistakable. The insignia has now been active—the child's fate had been sealed. He was destined to be the fabled hero of men.
Erik could hardly believe what he had just seen. His heart pounded in his chest as he looked from the shattered blade to the infant in Sigrun's arms.
His mind raced, trying to make sense of what happened. How could a newborn possess such strength? How could an infant, barely minutes old, perform a feat that would challenge even the mightiest of warriors?
He staggered backward; his legs unsteady beneath him. His anger, which had burned so fiercely only moments ago, had been doused by a wave of confusion and fear.
His gaze darted to Sigrun, who was cradling the baby protectively, her expression a mixture of fear and awe. Erik wanted to demand answers, to shout, to rage, but the words caught in his throat.
For the first time in his life, he felt truly helpless, as though the ground had been ripped out from under him.
The warriors in the room stood frozen, their hands hovering over their weapons, unsure of what to do.
They had followed Erik into countless battles, fought by his side in the blood-soaked fields of Midgard, but now, they stood paralyzed by the sight of the infant in Sigrun's arms.
Erik's rage grew, his reddish-fiery aura swirling with deadly intent as he prepared to strike down the child.
But just as he was about to unleash his fury, a powerful voice cut through the silence:
"STOP!"
The shout jolted Erik, his anger slipping into confusion. The door of the longhouse creaked open, filling the room with an eerie stillness as it swung wide. Slowly, a figure stepped into the firelight.
It was the Oracle.
She was an old woman, bent and frail, her face lined with deep wrinkles that spoke of centuries of wisdom and hardship.
Her eyes were milky white, sightless, but her movements were deliberate, as though she could see far more than those with vision.
She leaned heavily on a gnarled wooden staff, its surface etched with ancient runes that glowed faintly in the firelight.
The air in the room seemed to shift as the Oracle entered, the firelight dimming slightly in her presence. The crackling flames hissed, as though reacting to the weight of her power.
The warriors immediately stepped aside, their expressions a mixture of reverence and fear as they bowed their heads.
"Erik Stormbringer you better not harm that child." She said while making her way to the baby.
That child has the blessing of thunder itself,unless you want to have the wrath of The God Of Thunder.
"I have to end the suffering he is about to endure"
At this point Erik had lost it,He didn't take kindly to losing.Not that he didn't care for the child,why am i overexplaining.
—"Don't you see?Do you want to subject him to the same traumas I had,while I was an adult.Do you want him to suffer it while young?He said.
"Have you forgotten what that insignia did for you,How you helped your people?"
"How you freed Norheim from Its greatest tyrant ?
"You would deny it for your son,the glory you received.Are you trying to deny him entry to the great halls of valhalla?"
"Shut up!He said clenching his fist. "I won't subject my son to a furious bloodlust,To bind him to the responsibilities of being the hero of men?
"For him to overlook his dreams and live only for others,what a cruel fate would that be ?" He said, as he threw the broken dagger across the room.
"Look,Isn't this an omen that you can’t change fate.The Oracle said while healing Sigruns hand.
I understand where you are coming from,truly— I do.however unlike you which had no one to help you deal with this power,you fought ‘’HIM’’ alone.
But this time the child will have you to guide him.Train him,prepare him.The oracle said calmly.
"Does that mean that ‘’HE’’ will return?"Erik asked cautiously.
"It is highly possible,there have been new sightings of the fomorians. the Oracle said as she took the baby from Sigrun.
Sigrun reached out his hand to Erik gently brushing it.Honey the child is not alone. He's got us,sven,morri,and all the allies we got over the years,Hell he even has Thor by side,you don't need to stress yourself. We are in this together.
"Did you forget that we have four other children with the same insignia?"she said while brushing her loose hair with her hand.
"Sigrun please forgive me dear,i did not mean to…i have dishonoured you,forgive me my love. I will spend the remainder of my days to make it up to you."
"I will take you up on that offer,be careful,"Sigrun said jokingly.
"Now enough of the dreary news ,We still haven’t named the child.Lord Erik Stormbringer If you will please.
The Oracle handed Erik the baby which he held gently.
"Ohh my little Drengr," Said Erik."Words cannot express my guilt.I Promise you I will be with you throughout your journal.This i promise you,the world will rejoice at hearing your name."
"From this moment onwards i name this noble one,Hakon…Hakon Stormbringer"
what did you think of this chapter?
let me know your thoughts?
