"To be honest, I never fit in with the Aesir. They had a sense of honor I could never have. I can tell you didn't get that trait which Im really glad about."
Before I can come up with an excuse he cut me off with a cheer, "Don't worry, I won't tell. In fact, no one at rank 9 would be able to tell without being this close to you. Those Mistletoes gave you away. They only light up if you don't have any of the soul traits of your ancestors or if you have something different from them."
That make sense.
Loki got up and began to walk out the yurt. The black wolf followed him out.
Walking out after Loki senior, I can see he's staring at the night sky.
He turned his head toward me, "You would not mind me calling you Loki Junior right?"
I'm annoyed at this mind reading thing but I still nodded.
"I am actually not actively reading your mind, I am hearing your soul. You'll understand at rank 9 that thoughts and reality are more intertwined than you think."
This made me think for a moment how interesting that rank would be.
"Your trial here is simple. All you have to do is understand me, understand my methods, and understand what I want. Do that and you will get my blessing. In fact, if you do well enough I'll make you my inheritor."
I rose my eyebrow, "What's an inheritor?"
He looked strange for a moment, "Inheritor's are given everything by their patron Giant. Inheritors as they grow stronger, they would gain the strength and skills of their patron. Everyone's path is their own so the abilities wouldn't be exactly the same but inheritors have help to a certain degree. Besides their abilities, some of the patron's mental philosophy and beliefs can merge with the inheritor. Of course that's optional on your part, you could technically take certain values I believe in and add them if you so choose. For example, your mother is an inheritor of Freya. Because of that she gained jurisdiction over Prophecy and the Valkyries. She's also taken the more motherly nature of my mother for her own."
"Is this the reason why she was so secretive about her blessing?"
Loki nodded, "I can't see what's happening in the outside world and I am only reading this through your memories, but I can tell she has her own problems". He tapped my shoulder. "This isn't really something you should worry about though and we should worry about more pressing matters. This space won't let you out until you fail or succeed the trial and to tell you the truth I kinda like you kid so I won't fail you. Either pass or spend an eternity with me."
How delightful I'm a hostage now. Also this wish better be worth it for you to be so generous.
"Has anyone told you that your too cautious for your own good?"
"Yes but I still have a point. What do you really want. I can tell you don't just want a wish."
Loki senior looked away and toward the sky. "You wouldn't understand or perhaps you would but you are way to weak to know these secrets. As you grow everything will become clear."
He then turned to me, "enough of that, ask anything you want about me and I'll answer to the best of my abilities. Your goal is to understand me on a deep level."
I took a moment of silence to think. Since I really can't do anything about it, I might as well follow along.
"I want to first know the difference between the stories I was told and reality. I want to know what makes us so similar that I tripped my way through a magic door."
(For context here, there are many stories about the Aesir Giants I was told since I was little. I didn't really consider any of them more than folk tales though since there really isn't any historical record. Technically everything past a few thousand years have no historical records really besides what's spread down by word of mouth and the ruins. But most of these tales don't depict Loki as an evil figure. In fact he was a trickster but it was more light hearted. Similar to the original Loki pre-Christianity on Earth. It's very confusing to me to have so many different opinions on the man)
He waved his hand at the vast icy plain.
I watched silently as the snow magically clumped into figures like mannequins.
He then frown and a gold blinding glow escaped his body, he then said to me while I had blocked my eyes to the light, "look at this."
I followed his instructions and began looking at the icy wasteland that had transformed into a theatre of sorts where the snow mannequins had become so realistic with facial features. Besides being white, they were lifelike.
As Loki senior spoke to me, the flames would shift to accompany his explanation.
____
Loki Odínson is very complicated character to understand. As the first mixed giant and the oldest son of Odín, a lot of people had high hopes for him as a child of peace. Many wanted him to be a strong warrior that would lead the Aesir and the Vanir into one tribe but he was never the warrior his younger half brother Thor was making his right to rule always up in the air. Where the Aesir would champion Thor's strength, Loki would hone his mind. Loki cared not for a throne and all he cared about was to learn new things and have fun with his friends.
The snow showed Loki studying. Little Loki senior was very much similar to me in looks.
His mother would always tell Loki that the greatest gift Loki could give people was the ability to laugh. He did this faithfully as the Giant of Mischief. Playing pranks around town, drinking, and being merry, Loki always knew how to have a good time. Weirdly enough, he would always keep out of trouble. In fact he made it a point to say he could always avoid trouble by taking impossible bets and always coming out on top miraculously. He would never enact a harsh punishment to those he would bet with though and rather had fun with everyone. He would make them do all kinds of hilarious antics like running through the town naked.
This part showed Loki drinking with his buddies having fun. It was in a mead hall as big as the palaces.
As he grew older, and Thor's potential for combat was beginning to show outstripping his older brother. Loki never cared as his goal was to only learn new things, but the Aesir warriors weren't very keen on having a weak king.
This one showed two scenes, one of a big burly red blonde haired man raising a hammer and many people cheering while Loki raised a book and many scolded him.
At some point, many believed Thor to be a better candidate. Everyone except a few Giants saw Loki for what he truly was, a genius through in through. Odín had endowed Loki with a love for mana manipulation, secrets, and knowledge. Freya gave Loki a gift of prophecy and a love for life so strong that it was contagious. Many people who met Loki couldn't help but want to get close to him whether it was to have fun or learn something new.
This scene showed the Raven king and Freya worried about their son in private. Followed by Loki casting a type of magic.
Loki eventually became the world's first mana caster. He developed the first system of the arcane that cultivated mana in the body.
His accomplishments shocked Odín himself. Though most Aesir wouldn't care about anything other than valor and honor, Odín new The magnitude of Loki's accomplishments. Recognizing him, he made Loki leader of a part of his warriors and had them carry out specific tasks for him like a secret hit squad.
This one showed Loki senior guiding a group of men in masks on missions. One of them was an assassination.
Loki's group was only spoken of in hushed tones but it was well known that Loki cared not for honor and only results. Odín would send him out when a mission required more than just honor. This made a lot of Aesir feel fear for Loki but he still would jeer and sing in the mead hall with his friends while studying at night.
This is when he got the name the trickster for many felt he was putting on a shroud of lies when he was truly having fun.
This next scene was heartbreaking where Loki was jeering with his friends and smiling but everyone behind Loki was holding daggers in their hands.
Still Loki was devoted to his family, especially after Baldr's birth. He protected his family with everything he had.
When the war between the Abyssal void began, Loki was one of the most successful generals. Of course Thor with his mighty hammer always outdid him in pure shock factor. Loki still beat his brother in pure amounts of enemies killed.
This one showed to comparing scenes where Thor lead his army from the front while Loki commanded from the back while casting spells.
The conclusion of that war saw the death of Baldr. His death sent waves through Asgard. Loki who was at the scene at the time was blamed by the general populace for something he had not control over. His mother and Odín never blamed him but his brother Thor certainly did. But no one was more harsh towards Loki than Loki himself.
The next scene showed Loki crying holding Baldr's body with Thor angry surrounded in lightning. This was the first scene that senior Loki wasn't smiling and he never smiled again after.
He blamed himself to the extent that he stopped having fun, he began to train day and night to get stronger. For all intensive purposes, when Baldr died, something of Loki died with him.
Odín and Thor would argue about Loki everyday until one day Loki left.
The next scene showed a door Loki had walked through with Thor and Odín clearly arguing with each other in a type of grand throne room.
After taking a wife and having many children, Loki started a school for Magic far away from the Lost woods where he felt he was not wanted. Later the Giants including Loki left Midgard. He was cryptic about this part.
Senior Loki stopped speaking at this point.
"You understand why were similar yet?"
I looked at this man with a new respect. The father of Magic is sitting before me so of course my nerdy self is gonna feel some type of way.
"Yes I understand. In fact, besides the ending, my life is pretty much unfolding similarly to yours. Not to mention, it seems like we have similar hobbies besides the whole pranking thing you do."
He interjected, "your plenty funny when drunk and you might be a little bit more deliberate with your trickery like with Fafnir but you still have similarities."
He sighed sadly though, "Your right though, there's a key difference between us... You have time."
"Time?"
"Unfortunately, besides having the same name, most people with the name of a giant have lives similar to their namesakes. It's fate at work here."
I got stern, "Then that means my brother will die?"
He said with a smile, "the thing about fate is that it's always changing. Your brother won't necessarily die but something bad may happen. Fate has a weird equivalent exchange. Your brother may not die but someone you care about could suffer which spirals into a whole negative sequence of events."
Getting progressively more worried I ask, "How do I stop this sequence of events?"
Loki senior looks at me intently, "Many have tried to end this sequence. In fact, my father devoted his entire life to it. You stopping it would like be impossible with your strength."
"Sooooo I'm fucked to lose a family member and potentially a lot more." At this point my hand is digging deep into the chair.
That was until he laughed for a bit. "If you were on your own you'd likely be how would you say fucked. Very weird word you have there. I am not sure how the verb for having sexual intercourse fits as a description here but I am assuming that it is in a negative connotation. In any case, you have some strong people in your corner including me. Your mother for instance believes in you whole heartedly."
"In fact, my only wish is that you do your best to succeed in breaking the cycle.
Looking at him, I realize that Loki is actually a very optimistic person at heart.
"Okay father of Magic, how do I change my fate?"