OGCrafter
patreon
Chapter 44: When the Plan Is in Motion
🕑 Added 2025-03-12 17:06:47 +0000 UTCGroup Invisibility Magic—just as the name suggests—was no longer limited to concealing just himself.
Aaron could now turn multiple people invisible, hiding them perfectly from sight.
But that wasn’t the most terrifying part.
In this stealth state, all traces of his presence vanished—body heat, sound, light, scent, even magical energy.
Not even Asgard’s advanced technology could detect him.
And considering that the toys Asgardian children played with were centuries ahead of Earth’s cutting-edge advancements, that was saying something.
Even Heimdall’s all-seeing eye, the legendary gaze that could track anyone across the Nine Realms, failed to locate him.
At this moment, Aaron knew that if he could reach Jotunheim undetected, he could walk freely among the Frost Giants without a single one noticing him.
He could slip into their lair, stand before Laufey’s throne, and leave without a trace.
No one would even know he had been there.
As for whether Odin could still perceive him? That, Aaron couldn't say for sure.
Odin rarely revealed his true strength. He concealed himself too well, making it impossible to gauge his full power.
No one dared test the Allfather’s limits.
That was what made him truly unfathomable.
The only way to analyze Odin’s strength was through the adversaries he had defeated.
He had sealed away Hela, who had overwhelmed Thor even after his awakening.
He had struck down Surtur at his peak, an entity powerful enough to bring Ragnarok itself.
Through these feats, one could only glimpse the depths of Odin’s power.
Aaron knew that, as he was now, he wasn’t ready to challenge Odin.
And he had no intention of testing the Allfather’s magical prowess so soon.
With time—and with the aid of his Gold Finger—he would surpass Odin.
For now, though, his focus was on the plan.
With Invisibility Magic mastered, another crucial step was complete.
The next objective?
Finding the Fountain of Wisdom—the key to solving his magic energy storage problem.
Two artifacts within Odin’s treasury could also aid him, but there was a significant risk.
Odin had personally enchanted his vault with magical restrictions.
The moment someone broke in, he would know.
And that could lead to direct conflict with Odin—an outcome that would do more harm than good.
Aaron conjured a pen and paper, sketching out his plan once again.
His previous idea wasn’t perfect.
Initially, he had considered using Mind-Charm Magic to control Heimdall, utilizing the gatekeeper’s all-seeing eye and control over the Bifrost to teleport himself to the Fountain of Wisdom.
But if he tampered with Heimdall’s mind, there was a risk that someone—perhaps even Odin—would detect the traces of Mind Magic.
That was too dangerous.
Instead, he would find another route—a hidden passage between Jotunheim and Asgard.
The Nine Realms weren’t just connected by the Bifrost or spaceships.
They were bound by the World Tree, and scattered throughout the realms were special spatial points—hidden pathways that allowed secret travel between worlds.
Loki had used such a passage in Thor 1, leading a group of Frost Giants past Heimdall’s watchful gaze, infiltrating Odin’s vault in an attempt to steal the Casket of Ancient Winters.
That event had disrupted Thor’s coronation, led to Thor’s exile, and set off a chain reaction that plunged Asgard into chaos.
If Aaron could locate the passage, he could bypass Heimdall completely.
"To find it," he mused, "I’ll need Mind Magic and Mind Reading to extract the knowledge from Loki’s thoughts."
"Or…"
He could simply wait for Thor’s coronation, let the chaos unfold, and seize the opportunity.
Aaron weighed his options.
Waiting would be safer—but also slower.
Using Mind Reading was riskier, but if executed flawlessly, it would give him the information he needed without delay.
Aaron smirked.
He would take the direct approach.
This wasn’t the female Loki variant who possessed high-level Mind Resistance.
As long as Aaron’s Mental Magic was strong enough, he could extract Loki’s memories without the trickster ever noticing.
That left just one major problem: the Fountain of Wisdom’s location.
For that, Heimdall’s mind was the best source.
Alternatively, he could scour Asgard’s vast library, but finding a single piece of information within thousands of years’ worth of archives was an impossible task for one person alone.
Unless—
"Phantom Duplication…"
Amora alone wouldn’t be able to sift through all the records in time.
But if Aaron summoned multiple tangible duplicates, he could dramatically speed up the process.
The downside?
Each duplicate consumed mental energy and soul power.
The more he summoned, the heavier the burden on his mind.
But for the sake of his plan, he had no choice.
Aaron divided his approach into two steps:
Step 1: Enhance his Mind Magic until it was powerful enough to read thoughts unnoticed.
If that failed to reveal the necessary coordinates, move on to—
Step 2: Pause strength training and focus entirely on scouring the library.
If that still didn’t work?
Then he would simply wait.
Loki’s schemes would soon throw the Nine Realms into chaos, and in that chaos, opportunities would arise.
It wouldn’t be long now.
Aaron wasn’t sure exactly where Earth’s timeline stood, but by his calculations, Thor 1 was about to begin soon.
If he couldn't locate the Fountain of Wisdom in time, he would resort to his backup plan—
Stealing the Casket of Ancient Winters.
That artifact alone could solve his magic energy storage issue.
With his mind made up, Aaron dismissed his magic and hurried home.
The sooner he mastered Mind Magic, the better.
At this time, Thor and the others were away—probably attending some grand feast or reception.
Aaron buried himself in training, relentlessly honing his mental abilities while replenishing his magic reserves.
This plan had to be flawless.
Every detail, every variable had to be accounted for.
Another day passed.
The time had come.
Aaron, for the first time in a long while, sought out Loki himself.
Loki was surprised.
Aaron had never actively sought him out before.
They had only interacted through Thor.
Loki, ever perceptive, had long noticed Aaron’s subtle aloofness toward him.
He never cared.
From ordinary Asgardians to the Warriors Three—even to Odin himself—Loki had always felt a sense of alienation.
Aaron’s distance was nothing new.
But this time—
Loki sensed something different.
A conspiracy was at play.
If not for the meeting taking place at the Academy of Magic, he wouldn’t have even bothered attending.
Arriving at the agreed location, Loki frowned.
Aaron was nowhere to be seen.
"What’s this…?"
A trick?
Was Aaron pranking him?
Loki smirked.
He had played this exact game many times before—luring people out only to tease them with illusions.
Now that he was older, he found such pranks childish (mostly because no one fell for them anymore).
Still, he couldn’t help but grin.
"Trying to play tricks on me? You’ve picked the wrong person."
This was his specialty.
Loki held his breath, activated Invisibility Magic, and cast an Illusionary Clone to stand in his place.
His real body melted into the shadows, waiting to ambush Aaron.
He was so sure of himself.
So confident in his deception.
But he had no idea…
That Aaron—unseen and undetected—had already slipped behind him.
