Right now, Thor lay on the cold ground, his body wracked with pain, his breath ragged. Blood seeped from the wounds inflicted by Nox's cursed blade staining the earth beneath him. His attempt to move sent fresh waves of pain through his body.
He feels frustration gnawed at him. How had it come to this? He, the God of Thunder, one of Asgard's mightiest warriors, brought low by a single, mysterious figure. That black robed creature had toyed with him and now Freya was still in danger, and he was powerless to help her.
His thoughts turned to Freya and his heart full with worry. She was strong but the figure had shown just how dangerous he truly was. If his blade could sap his power what had it done to Freya? The thought of her suffering the same fate — or worse — filled him with a cold dread.
Thor gritted his teeth. He had underestimated his opponent and allowed his emotions to cloud his judgment, and now he was paying the price. Mjolnir was gone, his strength was waning, and he was trapped in this desolate place with no clear way out. This situation was bad—very bad.
A growl of frustration escaped his lips as he forced himself to sit up. His eyes scanned the barren landscape, trying to determine where he had landed but there was nothing familiar about this place.
Jagged rocks jutted out from the ground, the air was frigid, and the sky was a dull gray. The wind howled around him.
There was no sign of Mjolnir. His trusted hammer was gone, hopefully its just momentarliy. Without it his power was severely diminished and he felt a deep sense of loss, as though a part of him had been torn away.
Thor clenched his fists. He couldn't stay here. He needed to find a way out of this place.
But first he needed to figure out where he was. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to focus. There had to be a way out of this place.
With a grimace, he reached into a hidden pocket within his armor, his fingers closing around a small, metal vial.
"Thank the Norns," he muttered under his breath then pulled the vial free. He had kept this for emergencies and now he needed it more than ever.
Thor uncorked the vial and a faint glowing liquid inside shimmered with soft golden light. He then bringing it to his lips and downing the contents in one swift motion.
Almost immediately, Thor could feel the potion's effects. His wounds began to knit together. The pain started to dull. But the healing was slow — too slow for the urgency of his situation.
But this would have to do for now. He couldn't afford to wait any longer.
With his strength slowly returning, Thor shifted his focus.
Closing his eyes, Thor reached deep within himself, tapping into the well of Aether that flowed through his body as an Aesir god.
---
Back in Asgard, the grand halls of the Academy of Wisdom buzzed with an air of quiet focus. Erik, Liam, and Mia still sat around a large oak table with their eyes fixed on the glowing runes before them. The soft light from it casting faint shadows across their faces.
At first, they thought that Runes are just tools, symbols of power that could be wielded in battle to create devastating magical attacks or to enhance their physical abilities. But as they spent more time immersed in the ancient texts and deciphering the complex patterns, they realized that Rune Studies was far more profound than they had imagined.
Freyja had already taught them the basics, how to draw the runes, how to channel their inner Aether to activate them, and how to weave them into spells. But now, she was guiding them deeper, showing them that the true power of the Runes is not just in their effects in battles.
The Runes, it turns out, hold their own philosophy and wisdom. For instance, when traveling through the wilds of Asgard or any other realmns the Runes could reveal the safest path to take, warning them of treacherous terrain or areas cursed with dark forces. In ancient texts, they found references to Runes that could detect hidden traps both physical and magical.
Even more astonishing was the Runes' ability to cross the boundaries of realms. In their studies they learned of Runes that could pinpoint their location within the complex layers of reality, giving them the means to navigate different dimensions. This was a revelation to them, opening up possibilities they had never imagined.
Erik recalled a lesson where Freyja had demonstrated this. With a simple tracing of the Runes on a piece of parchment he had revealed a map of their immediate surroundings, highlighting not only the physical landmarks but also the subtle flows of energy that crisscrossed the land.
"See this? The Runes see what we cannot see," Freyja said with her usual cheerful voice.
Erik, Liam, and Mia thought they had gained an incredible amount of knowledge. If they could fully understand these Runes, they would feel confident about the journey ahead. They checked their Quest window and saw that their Rune Studies had already reached a progress of 57% in just a few hours.
BANG!
Just as they were beginning to appreciate their progress the door to the room burst open with a loud crash. Startled, they turned to see a man standing in the doorway with his chest heaving as if he had run all the way there. It was Bjorn, one of the Asgardian warriors they had been training with yestereday.
But something was wrong. Bjorn's face with fear and urgency, his eyes wide with panic. Erik, Liam, and Mia immediately knew that their studies need to be postponed.
"We have a problem," he said, his voice trembling slightly. The room's atmosphere shifted instantly, the weight of his words sinking in as Erik, Liam, and Mia exchanged glances.
---