Tor felt a sense of familiarity with the technique he was reading about. He couldn't quite put his finger on it at first, then it struck him and he felt like an idiot for not realizing it sooner.
The method described in the book was almost identical to a meditation technique taught to him in his past life. He had specialized in CQB(close quarters battle) and was taught various styles of martial arts and self defense.
He had never really been one for meditation but he had been forced to learn it as a part of completing his combat courses. Now he was ecstatic that he had.
Tor read through the method for a third time before taking off out the door. He needed to find somewhere that he wouldnt be distracted to attempt it. He headed toward one of his favorite places in the village, a small knoll overlooking the park area in the North Eastern corner of the inner circle.
He was lucky to find it empty and assumed the described position. He rested on his knees while crossing his ankles behind him. He rested both his hands on his knees and closed his eyes to begin his visualization.
He did his best to calm his turbulent emotions and it occured to him to try a breathing technique from another martial art he had been taught. Immediately afterward he felt a strange sensation.
He worked to keep his mind calm and stave off the excitement he was feeling. This was the first time he had felt anything but frustration when attempting to channel his seidr.
He lost himself in the images flashing in his mind, the whole time maintaining his breathing technique. He started to focus on the weird feeling he noticed earlier and a new image flashed in his mind. He saw a bright white ribbon of energy entering his body as he felt a mild jolt.
He willed that ribbon to twist and flow around his body following a rough path corresponding to what he knew of his circulatory system. It traveled through his major arteries and spun figure eights in his heart and lungs before moving toward an empty spot to the right of his heart. There he could just make out the faintest shape of a sphere, it was minuscule to say the least, smaller than a pea.
The ribbon entered the orb where it took on a blue tint and crackled like electricity before settling down and churning and swimming around inside the sphere.
Tor took a final deep breath and opened his eyes with a wide smile on his young face. He knew he had accomplished something he had been trying for most of his second life.
His excitement and joy were short lived however as he fully opened his eyes to see the face of his father inches away, a look of fear and anger apparent. He also noticed that it was very late as the sun had long dropped below the horizon.
All of a sudden his hearing returned and he heard his father shout. "Torbjorn!, do you have any idea how long you've been gone? Your whole family has been looking for you for hours." Then when I find you, you're completely unresponsive and I feared the worst." Erik spoke with great emotion, a side of him that Tor had rarely seen.
Tor realized that in his excitement for the new technique he had rushed out of the house without getting permission or even informing anyone that he was leaving. He felt a tinge of guilt when he thought about the fact that he was seen as a child here, regardless of his mental age. He spoke a single sentence to Erik, excitement evident on his face and in his tone.
" I apologize for making everyone worry but Father, I did it!"
"You did what? Erik asked with a slight look of shock masking his previous look.
"I finally channeled seidr!" Tor almost shouted. "I was even able to circulate it and if I'm not mistaken, I stored it into a realm!"
Erik's eyes went wider, his mouth falling slightly agape at what his son had just told him. Little did Tor know that seidr manipulation was next to impossible for anyone less than eight name days old.
He stopped and composed himself before speaking again to Tor in a much calmer voice, one that Tor was much more used to.
"Tor, if you have truly succeeded in what you've told me, you may very well be the most gifted child this village has ever seen. We had intentionally withheld what I'm about to tell you so as to not deter you from trying."
Erik took another deep breath before continuing. "It should not be possible for you to channel and circulate your seidr at such a young age, let alone have a realm opened to store and use from. We must go see Asha to confirm what you've just told me.
Before Tor could react a sudden pain streaked through his head, accompanied by a wave of nausea that caused him to double over, a low moan escaped his lips as the pain increased.
Just when he thought he could stand no more the pain and nausea subsided and he felt a tingling sensation on his neck. Right where his almost forgotten woad was.
The mark was pulsating with a slightly brighter blue color before settling down and glowing similar to his relatives marks. Though it was still noticeably dimmer it was now much more visible than before.
Any doubt Erik had about what his son had told him was now gone. He now had a similar look to Tor, excitement evident in his eyes. He grabbed him in a tight but brief hug before rushing him toward Asha and the Hall of the Gods.
Unknown to Erik, Tor was not nearly as excited now that he was going to see Asha. He had limited his interactions with her to the bare minimum. It wasn't due to disliking her so to speak, he just felt that his situation was unique and that if anyone had the ability to expose him as being from another world it would be her.
The memories of his first name day were still very clear in his mind. He was concerned that the old Seeress would have an ability that would out him as a freak or some sort of demon in his people's eyes.
Somewhat out of desperation he spoke to Erik hoping he would agree. " Father, it seems to be very late, couldn't we go home and share the news with mother and my sisters? We could tell grandfather too, then see Asha tomorrow."
Erik stopped briefly seeming to think over what Tor had said. In his excitement he hadn't thought of the time. It was well past a reasonable hour to call on Asha, whether it was an amazing event or not.
Seeing the wisdom in his sons words he agreed with Tor and they spun around and headed toward their home. Both of them eager to see their family.
Tor let out a breath and felt a little less tense, he was now starting to feel excitement again. He knew he could not put off the meeting with Asha past tomorrow but chose to revel in his accomplishment and worry about other issues when the time came.
Erik and Tor moved quickly through the streets and arrived home shortly after their about face. Both of them wanted to share the news with their family that had seen Tor's struggles and frustration.
Just before they went through the front door Tor had a feeling come over him. A gnawing sensation eating into his excitement told him he was being watched. He stopped abruptly sending around him before turning slowly to look behind him.
He scanned the road and tried to peer into the late night shadows around the houses and structures adjacent to his home. As he stared into the darkness he thought he saw a shape darker than the surrounding shadows. As soon as he noticed it the shape was gone, along with the gnawing feeling he had.
He shook his head a bit to clear the lingering doubt and then turned back to Erik to enter their house. Though he didn't have the feeling of being watched he still couldn't shake the feeling that something was quite right.
He refocused on revealing his success to his new family and put a smile on his face as he went through the door. He still had an uneasy feeling as he went through the front door.
As soon as they were inside the looks on their faces changed, not only was the house empty, it was in shambles. The cupboards were open and the contents were scattered. Papers and books were everywhere. Beds were turned over and mattresses ripped open, there was broken furniture and debris everywhere they looked.
Someone had been looking for something and Tor didn't know if they had found it or if it had even been there to begin with.
After searching the whole house they didn't find any trace of the rest of his family. The only consolation was that they also didnt find any traces of blood or of a fight either. This lead them to believe that they were still out looking for Tor. In all the excitement Erik had neglected to try and inform them that he had found him.
Just then they heard a commotion from the front door accompanied by several gasps. Both Tor and Erik turned to the front door and immediately breathed out sighs of relief.
Standing in the entryway were Tarra, Astrid and Brenna. Shortly after they were joined by Folkvar who had a more than concerned look on his face.
While straightening up and cleaning the house they all went through the events of the evening together. After which they all stopped to have a brief celebration with Tor. It was after all an amazing accomplishment for him to be able to achieve seidr manipulation at such a young age.
After the expected hugs and congratulations were given, the adults helped the children put their rooms back together and sent them to bed.The kids still had a lot of questions but their parents and grandfather made it clear that they would take care of everything. They needed to have a conversation away from young ears, even the elder of his two sisters was sent to bed though she was approaching twenty.
Tor overheard the first sentence spoken between the adults as Folkvar began in an ominous tone, " How long do you think we have?"