28 Magic and Divination

[Year 1320]

Vali spent the years brushing up his foundations, with the help of his mother. She eventually came around after the stunt he pulled, under the condition that he would never hide anything from her, if he was about to do something similar.

It was a win-win for both of them in the end, since Vali had no problems letting his mother know of his whereabouts as long as she didn't stop him, and now it seemed that she had come to terms with knowing that's who he was.

Asgardian Magic might not have suited him a lot, but that didn't mean he wouldn't study it. He needed to study and refer from all kinds of tomes, corresponding to various types of magic, to create his own pathway.

Asgardian magic is deeply rooted in the forces of the Asgardian realm itself, and it was what suited most of its inhabitants. They had things that stood out among them, the simplest being the use of basic runes and incantations.

Skilled practitioners could even manipulate the elements, commune with the souls of the deceased and manipulate souls. They showcased excellence in the fields of Healing, and 'Illusion/Glamour' as well.

Vali managed to learn the minimal of what was required, to understand what it was about, and in the end, he was able to use them just enough, even though he would never use them in a battle. But they were necessary for his future, so he didn't bother omitting any of them.

Frigga on the other hand, was surprised at the amount of dedication he put into learning all of it. Magic was a heavy theory and knowledge-oriented field, and clearly Vali's insistence at spending nearly a century on building his mindscape was paying off, as he picked up everything at an extremely speedy manner.

Frigga sat in her enchanted chair sipping on some tea, with hot air steaming from the cup in her hand. She watched as her son flipped through parchments with one hand, deep in his thoughts. He used his other hand, attempting to cast the said magic that he was reading, slowly improving, and testing them.

He was almost done with what most of Asgardian magic had to offer; he might not be an expert, but that was just a matter of time and experience. Today he was going to learn from his mother, something that no one else could teach him better.

Frigga finished drinking her tea, and looked at Vali who was waiting for her to speak, before saying, "You have to be prepared, as you might understand absolutely nothing about what I'm going to teach you. I might be well versed in Seidr Magic, but that's only because of my innate talents, and the witches who educated me since I was young."

Seidr magic referred to fields of divination, prophecy and fate. A practitioner who could wield such magic, could vaguely see the threads of destiny. They could see the future if they're lucky, unravel hidden truths and even guide individuals on their paths.

And this is what Frigga excelled at, followed by her illusion and healing magic. She was a frightening foe, and most strategic beings and intruders would want to kill her first. They wouldn't let people like her live on unchecked in the background weaving her plots, which would lead to unforeseen circumstances and variables in the battlefield.

"I wouldn't feel bad even If I learnt nothing mother. This is just me gathering all the knowledge I require." spoke Vali with certainty in his face.

Vali had been always intrigued by Seidr magic, but he also knew that practitioners with such magic, were born with the talents to do so. But after learning about his future path regarding Karma and the little insights he had gained, he knew that this magic could serve as a great reference for it.

"So, do you want to watch me divine someone's future? But let me make this clear, divination is a very obscure branch of magic that most practitioners would suffer backlashes from, or outright fail depending on the target. I only divine for ill omens when my instincts warn me, or when I want to know about the general direction of the upcoming times." warned Frigga with narrowed eyes, and a serious look in her face.

Vali had already read the corresponding knowledge about this magic, and he clearly knew the taboos. He didn't plan on fucking around with this kind of magic anyway, because you never know when you'd divine some unfathomable being by mistake, and die of a severe backlash.

He had seen records of people attempting to divine, and uncover things beyond their 'paygrade'. The results? They were outright wiped out from existence, plagued with bad luck, or died straight away from blood loss, leaving behind a rotten dried husk.

Vali nodded in return, showing her that he understood the gravity of the situation, and the rules that one had to follow when using it.

He had figured that his mother had divined the direction of his future as well, but she wouldn't tell him when he brought it up. She simply looked worried whenever he talked about it, and kept her mouth shut.

"Mother, you should divine the general whereabouts of Loki in the coming century. I heard several residences in the realm have been robbed, and at this rate I fear he might be thrown into prison in the coming years, or outright banished." said Vali with clear 'worry' in his face.

Frigga being his mother, clearly understood that he was jesting, but unlike him she was actually worried for Loki. She didn't do a great job at hiding how she felt, and Vali quickly caught on. But before he could comfort her, she asked him to stay silent with a gesture of raising her hand.

Loki might be a being with a great fate, but in the end, it was easier to divine a target the caster had closer bonds to. As the practitioner was Loki's mother herself, the chances of the divination failing are close to nil, unless some powerful being intervenes.

His mother took a deep breath and calmed down, before she turned on the enchantments on the walls of her chamber, which flickered on with runic lines crawling up their surfaces. This was to prevent any outside interference, when such dangerous magic was about to be cast.

Vali reduced his presence and completely concealed his magic, watching his mother studiously. Even Vespera who was hiding in his cloak all this while, popped her head out curiously, and looked at the magic that was being casted.

Frigga opened her mouth and began chanting, after closing her eyes. Her chanting was melodic and ethereal with a haunting quality, which seemingly captivated any listener. Her voice resonated with the magic in the surrounding, carrying a sense of ancient wisdom and power, and it echoed reverberating throughout the chamber.

"Eyes of the Norns, visions clear,

Unveil the tapestry of what's near.

Past and present, fate's woven thread,

Grant me wisdom, secrets to be spread."

When she completed the chant, her eyes shot open, but they had no pupils. She remained frozen, with only the white sclera of her eyes in view.

Vespera who saw the use of such ancient magic, was completely in awe with the look in her eyes. She patiently watched her 'friend' who was in the state of suspended motion. To her Frigga was a mother and friend, who always took great care of her and understood her the most, after Vali. She also helped her come out of her shell a little, so the little fairy adored Frigga very much.

Vali didn't worry since the current scenario was completely normal according to the records. As he listened to his mother's chant, he couldn't help but be satisfied with All-speak. It was essentially a blessing only accessible to beings with a certain level of magic, and he was able to use All-speak as soon as he had integrated with the seed.

The creepy atmosphere didn't last long and her eyes returned to normal. Frigga looked completely normal, if the creeping exhaustion in her face wasn't included. She scrutinized Vali meaningfully, before she said one word.

"Midgard."

The little fairy flew up, and instantly casted a healing spell that soothed one's nerves on Frigga, even though it wasn't really necessary. After seeing that she was alright, the little one crawled back into Vali's cloak with a rare content look on her face.

As soon as all this was over, he excused himself wanting his mother to rest after exerting herself. He informed warriors outside that she was resting as he made his way back to his chambers.

He thought about the divination that was just performed, and he had to admit that he had slight ulterior motives by asking her to divine Loki. Based on the memories from his previous life, around the 1400's, Thor and Loki descended to earth to leave behind stories of themselves, establishing several myths which remained in the future about their background & godhood.

He felt a slight pang of guilt by hiding it from his mother, mainly after seeing the lengths she went to, after knowing that he was putting himself in danger.

'I couldn't really tell her that I have all kinds of knowledge about the future, and whatnot. She definitely knew that I was hiding something, and I didn't have the heart to lie.' thought Vali inwardly as he sighed, and he vowed to not hide anything else bar his future knowledge, because it clearly left a toll on his psych.

He decided that with the exception of his future knowledge, he'd tell her everything from now on, including all his kills, the way he manipulated a few of subordinates during his missions and a lot crazier stuff. Talking to her was akin to speaking to a therapist for him, and God-knew that a being like him, definitely needed some mental help to cool down.

He had planned to follow his brothers out, when they left for Earth, for personal reasons of course. So, he used this opportunity to know if the timeline was still on track. Thankfully it was, and now he only had a few decades left, before he left the realm for a long time.

He only had one last thing to acquire from Asgard, and it was about time he inherited it from Odin in the upcoming years, before he departed.

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[A.N]: Motherfucka, I keep saying that the volume is coming to a end, but then I go on and add more content to this volume. :/ Might take 2 more chapters again, I think? XD

Hand over the power stones! NOW!

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