Chapter 28: Chapter 7: Mastery & The Summons
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Part 1 – Breaking Limits (Tyr's POV)
The training grounds of Valhalla had seen countless warriors rise and fall. Most learned their place quickly—those unworthy faded into obscurity, while those with true potential sharpened themselves into legends.
The boy before me? He was still finding out which he would become.
Orion had the raw power of a godling, but he lacked the discipline of a warrior. He fought with instinct, which had carried him far—but instinct alone would not make him great.
And so, I pushed him.
I watched as he squared off against Freya first.
The girl had potential. The magic of her new raven form made her a nightmare in battle. She flickered between human and bird mid-strike, striking from angles Orion struggled to predict.
To his credit, he adapted quickly, but adaptation was not enough. Not against a true enemy.
I let the fight continue, analyzing his movements.
He fought too cautiously. Still hesitated when faced with the unknown.
"Again," I ordered.
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Next was Erik.
I had long since abandoned the hope of refining his technique. His strength lay in his brute force and unbreakable will. Instead of changing him, I had honed what was already there.
Now, he carried a tower shield, a massive slab of enchanted metal that turned him into an advancing wall of destruction.
Orion tried to sidestep the charge.
A mistake.
The shield slammed into him, sending him crashing across the arena floor.
"Too slow," I said.
Orion groaned but pushed himself up. "Yeah, yeah."
I glanced at Erik. "Good."
He grinned. "Told you, I don't need control. Just momentum."
"You need both," I said. But even I could not deny that his method worked.
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Ingrid had become something different.
Before, she had relied on speed and precision. Now? She had forged herself into a knight.
Heavily armored. A greatsword in one hand, a shield in the other.
She moved with purpose. Every step was controlled, every block was intentional.
Orion had barely landed two solid strikes before she caught his spear mid-thrust and twisted it from his grip. He stumbled back as she pressed forward with brutal efficiency.
Siegfried chuckled. "She fights like an executioner now."
I nodded. "She understands battle. More than before."
Orion shook his head as he retrieved his weapon. "What did you do, turn her into a walking siege engine?"
Ingrid smirked. "You'll learn."
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Khaled was the real surprise.
The moment the match began, he vanished.
Orion barely had time to react before Khaled reappeared behind him, blade at his throat.
"Dead," Siegfried called.
Orion blinked. "What—"
Khaled smirked. "Teleportation. Short distances. Only a few meters at a time."
I folded my arms. "A dangerous ability. But it will drain you if overused."
Khaled nodded. "I know my limits."
"Good," I said. "Do not exceed them until necessary."
Orion scowled. "Right. Because that's easy to counter."
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Finally, there was Darius.
He had already been the strongest of the group, but he had refined himself further.
He no longer relied solely on his sword and shield.
Now, he wielded a mace.
The first time he swung it, Orion barely dodged in time. The ground where he had been standing shattered.
Orion cursed. "Are we just upgrading into boss enemies at this point?"
Siegfried smirked. "Maybe."
Darius rolled his shoulders. "If I stop improving, I fall behind."
I nodded. "A true warrior never ceases to sharpen his edge."
Then I turned to Orion.
"And what of you?"
His team had evolved. And now, it was time to see if he had as well.
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Part 2 – Partial Godmode (Orion's POV)
I stepped forward.
It was my turn to prove what I had gained.
I exhaled slowly and let the power flow.
The air pressure dropped. The world shifted.
And then—
A voice.
"You're slow. Pivot left."
I didn't think. I moved.
Freya lunged at me from the right, but I had already sidestepped before she struck.
I countered smoothly, my spear grazing her side.
The voice hummed. "Good. But predictable."
I knew who it was.
My mother.
Or rather, a fragment of her consciousness—a guiding force helping me read the battlefield, calculating the optimal ways to attack and defend.
I was seeing everything in real-time. Every muscle shift. Every feint before it happened.
But it wasn't perfect.
I couldn't answer her. I could only listen.
And I could only maintain this state for twenty, maybe thirty minutes before my body gave out.
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Siegfried observed with interest. "Now that's an improvement."
Tyr simply nodded. "You still lack control. But you are learning."
Freya studied me. "You move differently when you use it."
I nodded, rolling my shoulders. "It's… like having another mind helping me."
Khaled frowned. "That's an insane ability. But risky."
I sighed. "Yeah. I still can't use it for long."
Darius crossed his arms. "Then we train until you can."
And that's exactly what we did.
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For days, I fought using Partial Godmode in controlled bursts.
I pushed my limits.
But the problem wasn't just my stamina—it was the connection.
The more I relied on my mother's voice, the more I depended on it instead of my own instincts.
That was dangerous.
Tyr noticed immediately.
"You're listening too much," he said after I barely won a match against Darius. "You need to trust your own judgment, not just hers."
I frowned. "But she sees things I don't—"
"And one day, she will not be there," Tyr interrupted. "When that happens, will you still be able to fight?"
The words struck something deep.
He was right.
I couldn't rely entirely on her. I had to find balance.
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Part 3 – The Summons (Third-Person POV – Thor & Loki's Perspective)
Odin's chamber was unlike any other place in Valhalla.
It was not a throne room of grandeur, nor a battlefield where warriors proved their worth. It was a war room—a place where decisions far heavier than swords and shields were made.
Ancient tomes lined the walls, filled with knowledge even gods feared to read. Maps of realms—both known and unknown—were scattered across a massive golden table. Runes hovered in midair, shifting constantly, whispering secrets only Odin could decipher.
And at the center of it all, the All-Father himself sat at his desk, his single eye sharp and unreadable.
Thor stood with his arms crossed, his gaze locked onto the group entering. He had been waiting for this.
Beside him, Loki leaned against a pillar, his expression unreadable—but his sharp emerald eyes were studying Orion carefully.
So this is the warrior causing such a stir.
Orion Lykaios. The one who fought Tyr to a standstill. The one who survived against Fenrir's cursed offspring. The one who, despite having power beyond mortals, still had no control over it.
Yet here he stands. Still alive. Still standing in front of gods who could erase him with a thought.
Interesting.
Thor, however, was less interested in the boy's potential and more concerned with his capabilities.
He looks stronger.
The last time Thor had seen Orion, he had been a warrior still finding his footing. But now?
Now, there was something sharper in his stance, something more focused in his eyes. He was still young, still inexperienced—but there was an edge forming.
Good.
Because Thor had no patience for warriors who hesitated.
As Orion and his team approached, Thor shifted his stance slightly. His hammer, Mjolnir, rested on the table beside him, its presence undeniable. He had no need to touch it—its weight alone was enough to remind the room of who he was.
"You're finally here," Odin said, his voice like rolling thunder.
Orion straightened. "You summoned us, All-Father."
Odin gestured toward the gathered gods. "You recognize who stands before you?"
Orion's gaze flickered across them. "Thor, Loki, Balder, Heimdall."
Loki smirked slightly. He pays attention. Not bad.
Thor gave a short nod. "You've trained. I can see it."
Orion tensed slightly, as if expecting a challenge. Smart.
Thor had half a mind to test him here and now. See if he could withstand even a fraction of a true god's strength.
But that was not why they were here.
Odin folded his hands together, his gaze locked onto Orion. "Your training was only the beginning."
Orion frowned. "Meaning?"
Loki watched as Odin leaned forward, his voice dropping into something heavier, something ancient.
"It is time for your next task."
The weight in the air shifted.
Loki felt it. Thor felt it. Even the Einherjar warriors behind Orion felt it.
Because this would not be a simple mission.
This? This was something else entirely.
And from the way Odin, Thor, and Loki were watching him—
Orion was about to be thrown into something far greater than he could ever imagine.
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This chapter is now complete and I thank you for your help