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Chapter 3 - Seidr Accidents
🕑 Added 2025-12-30 09:32:28 +0000 UTCAsgard
Loki stood before his brother again on the morning of the same day.
“Begin,” his father once again gave the order.
Thor’s attacks were the same, just as everything had been so far, and knowing the pattern meant he could dodge them all, at least until Thor changed tactics.
It was best to let it progress the same way to avoid any accidents. Thor was known to abandon any restraint once frustrated, and he would rather not risk anything.
As the final swing came and his sword once again hit the ground, uselessly, Loki and Thor exchanged the same banter.
“My sons, both of you fought well,” their father praised, his words and tone the same. The deja vu was jarring, especially since he knew he actually lived through this.
“Thank you, Father,” both siblings said before Thor asked for permission to leave and spar with his friends.
“You have improved a lot, Loki,” the Allfather praised, his words diverging from the first time, “as if you almost knew what Thor was going to do.”
Loki guessed the God of War would easily figure that out, even if everything had played the same.
“I wouldn’t have lost if I did,” he excused himself. Winning was a hassle anyway.
“Perhaps, or perhaps you simply did not wish to be caught.”
Ah, he was being accused of using seidr.
Looking at his father’s one good eye, Loki wondered whether to tell him the truth or not. There was a chance the Allfather would think he was making excuses, and it would be even more troublesome than the truth.
“Would you believe me if I said I was living this day for the second time?” he asked. His father was old and had seen many things in his life.
He might have come across those TVA agents before.
“How so?” Odin asked, hand tightening around Gungnir.
Loki told him about his altercation with the TVA agents, how they erased two guards out of existence and were going to prune the whole branch, and their claims of knowing him in other timelines.
Whether Odin believed him or not wasn’t clear, but he did seem to be taking the situation seriously.
“Did these intruders have a green gem with them?”
“Not that I could see.” He shook his head, mentally writing down to look for a green gem related to time. “Their devices glowed purple and orange, however.”
Odin stroked his beard, with a faraway look, “Perhaps you saw a vision of the future.”
“Maybe, maybe not,” he said.
It was unlikely, though; it was best to leave himself an opening to take in case this blew back.
“I shall have the gardens watched in any case,” Odin said, leaving the training field without another word.
—
That day, Loki did not display his seidr again, as the Allfather was preoccupied with what he had told him. He didn’t know anything about a green gem, but perhaps the library could shed a light on it while he waited for the time to see if those TVA agents would appear again.
The guards that were pruned, whatever that meant, were back in their post, unaware of anything, which meant the same could apply for the intruders.
He had so many questions and no answers or even a clue to track.
“My prince, it is time for lunch,” the servant called once again just as Loki opened the door.
“Thank you,” he said to the startled servant.
—
The lunch was the same, except for the conversation concerning his display of seidr. They were warned to take the visiting Ljosalfar seriously as princes of Asgard and were promptly sent to the library for their studies.
Which meant he had to repeat the same conversation to Thor so his brother would understand why they had to be there for the visiting envoys and leave him alone to study.
Though, as he had already read the book, Loki could afford to seek books on a green gem related to time.
“I can’t believe we have to sit and listen while Father and the Ljosalfar talk,” Thor grumbled, right on the clock.
Which meant it was time for Loki to give him the lesson on their station and the necessity to act in an appropriate manner.
Joy.
“Duties of a prince brother,” he replied, going through the rows of books on anything related to a green gem that could potentially manipulate time.
“But you don’t like it either.”
“I don’t. However, we are princes of Asgard, and just like everyone else, we have our duties. If we don’t carry them out, do we deserve to be princes?” He asked, already knowing the answer Thor would reach.
“No?” his brother replied with the same wavering tone.
“We don’t. The clothes we wear and the food we eat—it is all possible because our father is a good king. If he was not, then we wouldn’t be here. Just as he is a good king, we must strive to be good princes,” Loki summarized the previous incarnation of the speech to save himself time.
“I suppose you are right.”
“Why are you not studying?” Thor asked, fiddling with the book in his hand, still stuck at the same page.
“I already read that book,” Loki said, turning to his brother. “What about you?”
“It’s boring.”
Stopping himself from swearing, he just repeated himself again, “Just as gold would be worthless if everyone had a mountain of it, if everything in life was fun, then it wouldn’t mean anything.”
“Oh,” Thor said in enlightenment, and Loki hoped that was the end of it.
“Is there a book you are searching for?”
“Not really, just looking for anything interesting,” he waved Thor’s concerns away.
He preferred to look through the books by himself.
—
The time had come, and Loki stood hidden in the garden, waiting to see if those intruders would show themselves once more.
Even his father had sent more than the usual number of guards to patrol the gardens, but by the time the sun set, there was no sign of the TVA.
Possibilities as to why they did not return eluded him, and he did not wish to stay there, conceiving theories. Leaving his shade to patrol the area, Loki returned to his room to sleep.
He wondered if the next day would come.
—
When his natural alarm clock woke him up, Loki was sure of it.
The day had not repeated itself again.
Meaning that the reset charge possibly was restricted to a single day, or the anomaly the agents mentioned had somehow disrupted it.
Remembering the conversation between the agents, it most likely meant that he was the anomaly. But exactly which part of him?
The mortal soul in the body of a Jotnar? Or the fact that his soul had been sent back in time?
He did not know, and not knowing made him restless.
—
Thor had proven to be better at football than expected. Brash or not, when it came to a competition and winning, his brother could actually create brilliant strategies to secure victory.
In fact, their football matches had become somewhat known among the people, and there were spectators in addition to new children looking to learn how to play football.
It had actually grown into a large enough community that Thor and Loki spent more time teaching others how to play than actually playing football.
Their father had even allocated them a field.
—
When the envoy of the Light Elves entered the golden halls of Asgard, there were three people.
Mekuta, the diplomat himself; his wife, Keleine; and their daughter, Runa, who was much older than Loki and Thor.
The diplomat and his family greeted the Allfather first, exchanging pleasantries and showing their respect as was custom, before moving to do the same to their mother, the Queen of Asgard, and lastly, the princes.
His brother had acted with the dignity and grace expected of him, and Loki assumed his words had had some effect.
The feast thrown for the arrival of the envoys was lavish, and as the Allfather conversed with Mekuta, Loki and Thor watched, learning.
He was there in person, having chosen to take the opportunity to mingle and clear his mind, rather than study more seidr. Loki had come to learn the importance of taking breaks and continuing his studies with a fresh perspective.
The Ljosalfar were not like the ethereal and graceful elves he had seen on television, though the memories were getting blurry these days. They were more like Asgardians, except for the long, pointy ears and the slender bodies.
So far, the conversation was about the usual relations between Asgard and Alfheim, trade, diplomatic exchanges, and recent events.
His brother was paying attention, though he had to stifle his yawns.
The Ljosalfar envoy introduced his daughter, Runa, who would learn diplomacy from him, and how talented she was in shapeshifting.
She had even demonstrated it, shapeshifting to her parents.
Loki did find it mildly interesting, mostly on how the Ljosalfar processed seidr.
“I heard Prince Thor is a prodigy with arms,” Ambassador Mekuta said, finally turning the conversation around to include the siblings.
“Thank you for your kind words, Lord Mekuta,” Thor replied, every word and act measured.
“They each master a core part of Asgard’s existence,” the Allfather explained, “Thor with his arms, and Loki with his seidr.”
“Well, if the Allfather says so, I am sure both princes will make their names well known in the future,” the ambassador said.
The rest of the feast thankfully did not include Loki or Thor, and the adults could carry on their business. They were not idle either, engaging in pointless conversations to pass the time.
Having sufficiently entertained, the Allfather gave one last speech, welcoming Metuka and his family to Asgard. Following the applause, the guests began to leave one by one.
Frigga ordered both boys to be taken to bed, and the day ended.
—
The following day, the Allfather called them to his workroom after breakfast, not that anyone except Thor was hungry from the feast the night before.
“My sons, you have both done well in greeting our guests,” their father praised.
“Thor, I am gladdened to see you take your duties more seriously,” Odin said, his tone warm but with an edge that carried a warning.
Thor bowed his head, a bright smile on his face. “Thank you, Father. Loki helped me understand why I need to carry out my duties more seriously.”
“Is that so?” his father asked, but Loki shrugged. He just wanted Thor to stop bothering him, not earn praise.
He had more important things to do.
“What do you think about our new envoys?” the Allfather asked, showing that their test wasn’t over yet.
“They are respectful and good at holding conversations,” Thor said, adding the second part after thinking it over.
His father nodded, turning his head. “And you, Loki?”
“I think they will be here for a long time,” Loki replied, which said all that needed to be said.
The reason the previous ambassador of Alfheim retired was due to old age, and this one would likely follow the same path.
“Good, you are dismissed; enjoy your day,” he said, giving them the day off.
—
Loki looked at his reflection in the mirror. He had time to examine Runa’s shapeshifting to see how other races of the Nine Realms used seidr. He could not examine the Jotnar, seeing as they refused to leave their world; the dwarves, while less isolationist, still did not leave Nidavellir unless it was important; the Midgardians did not have any individuals capable of using seidr; Muspelheim was out for obvious reasons; seidr practitioners of Vanaheim were similar to Asgard; and the rest of the realms were empty.
The worlds outside the Nine Realms did not present any options, so Alfheim and the Ljosalfar were his only options.
Runa’s body was not set in one shape as theirs was; rather, she was like a fluid that could take many shapes with seidr. In that same vein, he should be able to replicate her shapeshifting to a degree.
His seidr spread to every inch of his body, matching the thrum of the seidr in Runa’s body, and Loki felt it.
His bones, skin, and flesh stretched with a green light, and in his place stood the Allfather. Loki took a step back, realizing his right eye was blinded as well, and quickly dispelled the shapeshifting.
It was jarring to lose half his vision, but the shapeshifting was a success. Not that he would need it much, unless to prank or deceive someone.
Shapeshifting was niche, but he was more interested in the process than the ability.
Following that vein, perhaps the inner workings of shapeshifting could be used for more.
He could control lightning and was sure any seidr related to ice would come easily to him, but fire was not something he had any success in yet.
—
Finding an empty training ground was a simple matter of timing.
Standing before a training post, he created arcs of lighting between his palms, slowly applying the principles behind shapeshifting. He was too hasty, however, and the transmuted seidr destabilized, and the lightning fizzled to nothing.
Creating the arcs again, he applied shapeshifting, much slower this time. The lightning was in truth seidr manipulated to act like it. It was indistinguishable from real lightning, except for the components that created it.
Rather than shapeshift the lightning as a whole, he shapeshifted the building blocks one at a time, and the effects were not what he expected.
The white color of the lightning turned a vibrant blue, and the chaotic arcs straightened. Fascinated by what was happening, his control slipped. Having no choice but to expel the seidr, Loki held his hands out and pushed the volatile attack.
The results were catastrophic.
Several blue energy beams lashed out in straight lines, cutting the training post to smoldering pieces, and continued straight ahead, hitting the training armory. They were not deterred, cutting through the metal walls and the weapons inside, and would have done more damage had they not run out of power.
The armory shook for a second and came down with metal groaning in stress.
As if that wasn’t enough, the flammable supplies inside caught fire, and Loki sighed.
He was in trouble.
Guards, having heard the commotion, came with weapons drawn, circling him to search for any potential intruders.
“My prince, are you well?” the captain asked, worried.
“Yes, yes, nothing to worry about,” Loki waved his hand. “It’s just a seidr training gone wrong. I am unharmed.”
“That is relieving,” the captain said, sheathing his sword. “However, we must inform the Allfather,” he continued.
Loki nodded, knowing he had to take responsibility for his mishap. Even Thor hadn’t done something as destructive as this, and he knew the Allfather would make him clean up the mess.
At least he could inspect the damage to see what his seidr had done, because that wasn’t mere fire, but something more.
It excited him, and if he were able to control it, it would be quite the destructive spell.
Comments
Orchamus
Curious that the TVA didn't reappear, perhaps waiting for a better opportunity?
DJC (MagicLover2128)
Very interesting chapter, hopefully he encounters the TVA again soon.
