Chapter 50 - Reborn

POV: Baldur 

Balthakk's Dimension, 1951. 

I don't know how long I've been asleep, time here seems to pass strangely. The first thing I notice when I wake up is a golden cocoon around my body, I can't see through it, but I know Amora is about five meters away from me. 

I can feel the entire dimension, fortunately, there's nothing here, or I'd have a tremendous headache with the enormous amount of information. This dimension is my domain, within it, I am omnipresent. 

With a thought, the cocoon of light shatters, freeing me. The noise startles Amora, who is on alert with her back turned to me. 

"Baldur!? How are you? Did you have any trouble with the seals? Is your power under control?" 

Amora floats around me, examining my entire body for any signs of trouble. I embrace my wife to reassure her that I'm okay. 

"I'm fine, Amora. Everything went according to plan." 

"Good to hear." 

"Why are you so nervous?" 

"I was afraid you might go mad with power and abandon your physical form." 

Balthakk was a being of pure energy without physical form. Having control of that energy with a physical body would be suicide, so Amora and I created a seal on the conversion sphere, the seal would protect me from excess energy, preventing my physical body from exploding. At that moment, I became almost an entity, as I did not destroy my physical body to have complete control over Balthakk's total power. 

"How could I destroy my physical body with such a tempting wife waiting for me?" 

To lighten the mood, I tease Amora, causing her to forget her fears. After a bit more conversation with her, I focus on the changes I've undergone. 

My body has undergone no physical changes, except for the Dagaz rune tattooed directly over my heart. It will function as a limiter of energy, preventing me from exploding. Now I no longer have to worry about conserving energy in my attacks, I can draw nearly infinite energy from the dimension with a single thought. Of course, the limit to how much energy I can use depends on how much my body can handle. 

This limitation will disappear if I manage to drag any of my enemies into my dimension, there, with a single thought, I can unleash an attack with all my power without fear of harming my physical body. Since I don't have control over the dimension like Balthakk, who can bring the whole world into it, control and adaptation of my new power will come with years, it may take a long time, but I'm sure to become an entity. 

With a thought, I create an exact replica of the royal castle of Genosha in my dimension. I cannot build anything organic or mineral, but energy constructions are very similar to those of light, only much more resistant since they are powered by the energy of the dimension. 

The royal palace opens its doors and absorbs all the energy from the dimension, shortly after, the golden castle is the only thing in a dark space. Then the castle begins to shrink until it is only a few centimeters tall, then it enters my chest right above my heart. Now wherever I go, my dimension will go with me. So with a thought, Amora and I return to Earth. 

But to our surprise, we weren't in the ocean, as Balthakk sucked the entire island into his dimension, we should have returned to the ocean where the island was, but looking around, it seems we're on a different island. We remain on alert, looking around in all directions for an enemy. 

"Ah, you've finally returned. Why don't you sit and have tea with me?" 

A little ways off from where we appeared is a bald woman dressed in monk's robes, she is sitting on a Persian rug spread out on the sandy beach, smiling at us. Of course, I recognize one of the most powerful beings on Earth. 

Amora takes the lead and, using her staff, shoots a wave of green energy aiming at the Ancient One as a target. She remained in the same position as if the attack posed no danger to her. When the energy was about to hit its target, she made a simple movement with both hands, and space distorted like a broken mirror, swallowing Amora's attack. 

Seeing that her opponent is not as easy as she thought, Amora begins to chant a more powerful spell. 

"Amora, no!" 

I grab her hand, avoiding a fight with the most powerful being on Earth. 

"But, Baldur, she's a sorceress, and she brought us here without even asking us." 

"If she wanted to harm us, she would have sent us to a place less pleasant than this beach. Besides, she also came alone, so let's hear what she has to say, alright?" 

"Alright!" replied my wife, not very happy with my request. 

The two of us walked up to the Ancient One, who was calmly drinking her tea. Amora is still holding her staff, but I left Segil behind. We sit in front of the Ancient One, and she serves us her tea. I must say it was the best tea I've ever had in both my lives. We sit like this, waiting for her to break the silence. I don't know if it's a test of patience or if she has another purpose in mind, but I don't mind having tea with the beautiful view of the beach. 

"I apologize for bringing you to this island, I didn't think we could have tea in the middle of the ocean." 

When we finished our drinks, she broke the silence. 

"The tea was worth it." 

I say, taking the last sip of my drink. 

"I'm glad to hear that, it took centuries for me to master the art of tea, it took longer than I used to master most of my magical abilities." 

"May I ask your name?" 

"You may call me the Ancient One." She says with a smile. 

"I am Baldur Odinson, king of Genosha, and this is my wife Amora, Queen of Genosha." 

"Pleasure to meet you, King and Queen." 

"So, may I ask what a sorcerer from Midgard wants with us?" 

"Since World War II, I've been curious about your kind, but your land is very well protected against magic, so I didn't want to disrespect by attempting to force my way in. When I sensed that Balthakk was trying to take hold of this world, I came to expel him, but I never expected that you were already taking care of it." 

"And who are you to think you can fight against Balthakk?" 

Amora showed no respect for the Elder before us, she also didn't seem to care. 

"It was my master who banished all of the Octessence to their respective dimensions. As the Sorceress Supreme of Earth and successor to my master, it is my duty to prevent them from escaping." 

"Sorceress Supreme?" Amora asked with a hint of interest in her voice. 

"It's the title given to those who command the magicians of Earth and protect it against magical threats." 

"I never knew there were magicians in Midgard, and you, Baldur?" 

My beautiful wife has a great hunger for knowledge, and now the magicians of the earth were opening a new door for her. 

"No. The lady said that her master sealed the Octessence, so it was also you who made sure the other jewels of the bet disappeared?" 

"Yes, for many years I searched for the magic jewels to prevent a great battle on Earth. I managed to find all of them except two, the ones I found I sent to other dimensions." 

"But that still doesn't explain why you found us here, was it just out of curiosity?" 

The Ancient one remained silent for a moment as if she were looking into the future, observing the possibilities. 

"One of my talents is future sight, I can see the future until the moment of my death." 

"So what does the future say about me that makes you so curious?" 

"Nothing!" 

"Nothing?" 

(Now that's a surprise) 

"When I try to look into your future or the events you are part of, they become dark to me, even the futures I've seen before became obscure. I even tried using a powerful relic from my temple to shed some light on this darkness." 

She is clearly lying about her ability to see the future. Of course, she has always used the Time Stone to see the future timelines, but even then, she couldn't see my future. This is concerning. 

"However, when I did that, I felt a powerful presence watching me, so I gave up," the Elder just spoke. 

"That explains the curiosity," I say. 

"But I never had any intention of engaging in battle against you." 

"Why not? I am an anomaly in events." 

"After the events of World War II, I had a certain notion of your power and your country. You have enough firepower to reign over the entire world, but you chose to stay isolated in your home. That means you have no love for conquest and care about the protection of your people." 

Conquest is addictive, but reigning is completely different. Imagine having a global empire, I would have to deal with numerous rebellion attempts, not to mention the politics involved. That would be my ruin and that of my people. 

"It is the duty of the king to protect and make his people prosper." 

"Yes, indeed," she says, smiling. 

"Well, I've taken up enough of your time, it's time to return to my home." 

The Elder gets up, but is stopped by Amora. 

"Wait! I would like to talk about Midgard magic." 

"I am also very interested in Asgardian sorcery. If the queen wishes, she can visit me in my temple whenever she wants to talk about magic." 

I must say I have the utmost respect for this woman, she sacrificed everything for the protection of the earth. 

"Elder, I would like to thank you for everything you've done so far." I bow my head in respect to her. 

She looks at me surprised, and then gives me that calm smile of hers. 

"I don't know if I deserve a god bowing his head to me." 

"Asgard protects the nine realms from foreign threats, but it is you who protects it from threats from other dimensions, just like your master before you. I am now a resident of Midgard, so I am just showing my appreciation for everything you've done." 

"Thank you for your words, Baldur, son of Odin. They mean a lot to me." 

Then she created a portal using her ring and disappeared through it, leaving only me and my wife on the beach. 

"So, where to now?" She asks me. 

"Well, the fight is over, and so is the war. Genosha is safe and at peace, so I was thinking of taking a vacation. What do you think?" 

I immediately regret my words, she gives me that smile that I recognize all too well. 

"I agree, shopping here I come." 

(Looks like it won't be a relaxing vacation for me.) 

POV. Third person. 

Cyttorak's shattered time, Korea, 1951 

During the conversation with the Ancient One 

Nothing resembling an ancient temple can be seen now, the place now looks like it was hit by a bombing from multiple aircraft, if not for the lack of bodies, this place could be mistaken for a war zone. 

In this war zone, a figure walks calmly among the rocks, looking around. The figure wore complete black armor. He had such white skin that, along with his red eyes and a red lozenge in the middle of his forehead, would make anyone mistake him for a ghost. 

"I was wrong!" 

The entity speaks to himself, his voice was deep and cold. 

"I didn't expect him not to be a mutant even though he had so much power, but that doesn't matter." 

He crouches near a rock and from underneath it, he takes a red ruby the size of his palm. The entity lifts it and looks deeply into it. 

"It doesn't matter, this won't change my plans to create the perfect mutant." 

The entity begins to walk again into the forest, then disappears from it as if transforming into mist. 

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