(Writer's note: Removed many previous points where these writers notes appeared until Chapter 68, and made all mentions of titles to characters into their English forms. Also changed the symbol used between words when a character rushes their speech from '_' to '‿' for ease of reading.)
POV: Fáfnir Hreiðmarsson, the cursed prince.
Date: Góa 23rd, 798 AD. (Alt: 6th February, 799 AD.) Location: Götaland (Ancient Sweden.)
His consciousness dulls as he slows his descent across the barrier of the cliff surrounding his hidden valleyed orchard, realising the time of his egg hatching has arrived ever sooner.
He knew he was alone, yet his anxiety played at his nerves over the finding that his consciousness shared with another body in the Cavern of who he now calls one of the few groups of friends he had known in centuries. He sleeps within his cornered cave by the south-west edge, opposite to the sunset to him, and utilises an ability he had no use of.
Just as iguanas and legless lizards, his specific form of dragon has a now-rusty ability known as unihemispheric slow-wave sleep, allowing for half of his brain to fall while the other is awake, with the opposite side's eye open to scan for danger. He transfers the half of his asleep consciousness through the mind-linked channel into the egg. The inner shell was a fleshy red, with darkened veins covering the surface of the membrane surrounding him. He held no breath in his lungs, but in getting ready towards pipping his shell, Fáfnir tested his newborn self by recurling his joints throughout his body.
Once ready, utilising his fingers and snout, he bashes the egg outwards. Light came through with a view just as Heath had shown, large multi-coloured rolling hills, a grand sun not hidden by clouds, and a mighty fine vacationary home he could call his new nest within this Song-Kul-esque land.
As instinct built into his form, he ate the shell and soft pellicle to gain further nutrients before setting his sights on the end of the valley, where, in the haze of the afternoon, he could see the wall, with a flying humanoid coming towards him at fast speeds.
It took but a moment, turning out to be Valyria, with Adal and Aussa at her side, posture straight with hands behind her back, the duo landing closer to Fáfnir and scanning for any defects he may have had during the hatching process. "Enjoy the scenery?" Aussa would ask with some stiffness to her tone, not knowing how to have a conversation with someone they had just met. "*Mmrah*" was said as agreement by the undeveloped vocal cords of the newlyborn dragonoid.
What Fáfnir did not expect from that was the sudden staring by the same Aussa as if that was the cutest sound they had heard in a while. Fáfnir, in a new biological body with unrefined hormonal balancing, pouts slightly with annoyance before "*Huffing*" a crawl out of the giant stable they were in.
Adal stared at his sister with a snoutful smirtling, Valyria was distracted in a mind-link call with her brothers, Sterling and Goldie, involving a sudden overgrowth of a weed they must have tracked in from the outside into the growable area. Both of the furry wisepeople were staring between each other after her question before settling on it being Adal who brought it in after remembering a different type of seed they had brought in with the stockpile that did not match the others. ""Our apologies."" They would synchronously state before Adal teleported out of there to fix his mistake at the farms.
But with Aussa still here, the guardian Goddess chose to give a little advice. "He is a centuries-old prince of the Hreiðmarr line. ᴰᴵᴬᴸ, ᴵᵀ, ᴵᴺ." Valyria's comment on showing respect was heard, and a minor "*Mheh heʰ heh~*" could be heard as the little laugh that it was.
Testing the newly unravelled wings, he flaps them to assess their development, yet their undersized nature means he is unable to fly after a tryout. Trotting down the hill instead and towards the bottom of the valley, he reaches where a second building was placed, finding an Auto golem storage teleportation point to cover his every need. Just the same as the food transporter within the stable, like the one in the grove. Down with testing such a wondrous technology he had never heard of, he utilised their high adaptability as his new butlers.
'You.' He points towards one of the golems that appear indistinguishable to the rest, yet he feels a greater connection to, for some reason. As his mental commands were sent over directly, he charges this one with greater responsibility. 'I will call you Borgný, after my old attendant.' He saw the eyes light up in green, waiting for his beck.
'Show me knowledge of the availed foods and confectionaries from this place.' Borgný bowed to his need, next warping away to provide 3 specially designed runic injectors that contained this knowledge. After returning, they showed how this technology worked, how you pressed it against your nape until indenting and how it would automatically inject all within, now further upgraded to be almost painless. Their eyes turned blue as a recognisable 'yes or no?' function. Which was accepted with a very human nod by Fáfnir.
A simple click, and new knowledge was directly installed into his soul that was read seamlessly into his memories, thousands of options that best worked for his biology and tastes.
'A lamb cutlet, with apple-glazed sauce.' He would request from the golems, who would immediately walk towards the food transporter to generate as asked. Fáfnir's tongue instinctively licked his top fangs before turning westwards towards the great wall that partitioned his lands from the rest of the Cavern. 'Has your father returned?' He would telepathically ask after feeling a slight air differential made him feel an object floating behind him, then stand beside the dragonling with no agreement on quiet behalf of their family.
'When do you believe he will?' His brighter-scaled head than his older counterpart turned towards her, who gave a noncommital "I do not know." Where she then stroked her chin in reminisce as a similar habit to her Papa. "But there is much we can do while he is in Vanaheimr." Valyria would eyebrow flash in realisation.
A beguiling involving Heath's newer technologies were brought up to try a version of the Uni-pod as to see much of the wondrous sights of the 'Minecraft Realm' or the new galaxy that awaited him in ETERNAL. But in both scenarios, he resigned himself to any other participation under the confusion of the Dollens, who instead were asked to help teach him some of their newer techniques whilst providing whispers of what his fate was once meant to be: In being defeated by Leif and Sigrid's team with his once sworn friend-brother Andvari and the others known as Hervor, Ulfr and Seiðkona.
Andvari, with sympathy to who he once knew as his old friend, tried to save him by feeding him one of the Golden Apples, but it was too late, as Leif decapitated him with Andvari's curse-forged axe before he had the chance to consume the Apple of Immortality to heal himself.
"Let us hope the Nornir find it fine to tell you." Adal would joke, knowing they were fine with it but enjoyed seeing the squirming done by Fáfnir in remembering their existence. "Do not worry, we gained their acceptance of us being Ørlǫgbrjótir (Fate breakers)." He would vamoosh at the same time as Valyria would send a glare over to his direction. "In any capacity, we know much of the future to avoid." The guardian Goddess would then metaphysically ask for a few who were meant to be a part of this fate to arrive.
"Let us return to your stables, we can discuss with those who were meant for this 'task.'" Valyria was about to close off her mind-links, yet she heard in part about them getting ready to 'send regards to Ǫgmundr Flóki, his location has been found.' As he was the one who trapped Grandma in that river as told in that respective myth after she travelled north.
Said by Leif, venom icing his words after spending centuries of talks with her in ETERNAL, getting to know her as any other family member in spirit. For being a faith-mutated whale, she was a great conversationalist and a vault of knowledge to learn from. And this jǫtunn will pay through a deep blood price. Well, after a moment's work, they come through the portal set in the stables, Hervor, Leif, Sigrid, Gorm and Agnarr in quintupled standing, sitting by the agricultural sofa and opposite to the soft quilted mattress Fáfnir now rests upon.
Their discussion was philosophically inclined, both under theology and of what was once inescapable, made broken from the influence of outsiders. All to bring them here now, as they are.
There was at first an underlying current involved with all parties knowing what was once meant to happen, but it slowly allayed into being more cordial and diplomatic. Valyria realised much of what her father wished to occur is beginning in fruition, a place where those who were destined to be bitter enemies until death remade and given another chance. It is sad it required the intervention of an Outer God such as Brijga to introduce such an outlier, but now that all of them are here, what says to stop them from becoming a
"We are getting there, Papa." She would kiss a ring on her finger, a small gift given to her with a coin embedded filled with a micro-tapestry of their current full family, given to each of his children and edited if there are any added to their line.
Further talks turned more personal, of the promise given by the great scientist God for the true resurrection of Fáfnir's family. Father Hreiðmarr, his Brothers Reginn and Otr, and lastly his Sisters Lyngheiðr and Lofnheiðr. And of what others know about the God that is their direct friend, he would not break their promise. Now, there was much in the way before that goal could be complete, which was to find any trace of their respective souls or objects tied to them. "What of Otr's pelt, used once to hold that gold?" Agnarr would question, but that was the wrong move.
The dragon's temper flared at being reminded of his skinning by Loki, smoke rising out of his nostrils and his irises turning to circles like a cat in showing a wild rage that had long since been buried beneath. Hervor pushed the coppery man, knocking him to the ground.
"Fól (Fool!) That is his brother you are talking about." She would look back to Fáfnir with a sorrowful tone, realising the pain of a lost one due to a disaster must be hard to digest, even after an age had past. "We are sorry." Her mouth would curl with sympathy, with her reaction alone helping to alleviate the anguish he felt with these uncontrolled emotions. "No, I am sorry as well. It seems I still have a temper." His fangs would show in a smile, not meant to be threatening, yet still giving the message that his body is a weapon in itself.
Agnarr was helped up by Gorm before an answer was given. "His pelt was taken back to Glaðsheimr. I do not know specifics." Yet in turn, he began coughing up what was lozenged within his throat, a dark pearl-like object being dropped into his own hand, saved and kept within the egg when given to Heath and maintained with his own magic.
"But I gathered that is what you would need for this spell. Within here are bone fragments of my father, brothers and a sister, make what you will with them." He would pass it to them with a gentleness unknown to dragonoids of his type, but that wording made them think on which sister it would be who could not be collected. "I could never find Lofnheiðr's remains. She had vanished, if that is what you wonder." Closing his senses to force down his feelings of failure, under a step after, he was held with an open palm on his front-left leg's shoulder.
Reopened, he views that it was Hervor with kindly eyes upon her face, looking towards Agnarr, whose purely copper body helped Fáfnir retell the story within his own mind. "I see, Hervor. Thank you." His transparent red gaze slowly glanced over them, internally noting the faces of those who wished to break fate with him.
Eirikr would suddenly appear, rushing through the portal with his new minor Divine powers speeding his absolution, nearly tripping over once before standing beside Gorm in showing a video he had captured of a 'fight' he was forced to break up in the hallway by the central portal nexus of the ground floor. He had described the single-sided beatdown as involving Ari's trying to find ways to reduce animosity towards those he had once kept as property, but it backfired, leading to them beating him and his anonymous cohorts up to a near inch of his life before being given the new medicine pellets.
"I am sorry, we must leave." Gorm would walk with him, both using their flight capabilities to focus further discussion on reducing this rather sore spot of their past due to their old ties to the villages and towns that were once ransacked.
"Your people had a rather, civil, way of uprooting slavery. Compared to our own.*Hmm-hm*" Fáfnir would give as a small joke in remembering the coup they had an integral part in against his great-grandfather's institutionalised slave market of all 'lesser' species. "The Autos do all the work nowadays instead?" He would reframe towards questioning, which many would simply give their own forms of 'yes' to. "Good, and now to no longer dawdle then." Getting up and readying for the morning, he gives his goodbyes before settling back to his original body.
"Wait!" Agnarr would suddenly say to the dragonling's nearly transferred consciousness, stopping the process altogether. "There were plans for changes to your stable, it was to be redesigned to have an extension that allows for people to visit you more comfortably, if that is alright?"
The coppery man would see him wave his hand in an agreeable dismissal before falling back. Simple enough that he then leaves by turning around and nuzzling his head with his body in a croissant shape. After he had fully fallen back into his original body, where not even their loud talking could wake him up, Aussa would "*Phew~*" in response to holding back her emotions, seemingly finding him adorable in actions and size. Others would stare towards her with contemplative confusion, in the same issue spoken about last time.
POV: The Dollens, children of Heath.
Date: Góa 24th, 798 AD. (Alt: 7th February, 799 AD.) Location: Götaland (Ancient Sweden.)
"I will get her a little lizard for later." Sterling would comment before warping away while simultaneously speaking with his sister Rhoyna, who is still helping to manage a new star system's development.
Going up to the surface under multiple layers of protection like the 'cover of impairment' and searching for materials, he scans the general area during his travel north-east in hopes of finding suitable 'blocks' for her enclosure.
Branching sticks, tilable rocks, colourful moss, flora and a self-sustaining feed type to be used by their handler. There were many good findings, especially nearer to the central forest that had a full tiling, adding to the idea that his work was perfectly indistinguishable from nature. "I like that boulder. That's a good boulder." He would say to no one while storing it as a potential background piece to be split in half and 'portal chiselled' in use as a background hardscape cliff face.
For an eðla (Lizard,) he could simply collect the already quickly adapting Zootoca vivipara type and in plans from the (forest farm) like the many other creatures to then be genetically altered as larger and smarter. The final scale to his plan being that if he were to make such an animal more intelligent and social, he should choose at least 5 for reduced loneliness.
Reaching a small clearing, he feels as if he has entered a barrier that was where he hoped to find the checkpoint. Walking into the open-style common room, he sits upon the metallic table and chairs that are held underneath a currently closed, colourful parasol, with the side containing a small fridge that had not been restocked. He simply *Zipped* in his own little cider glass and drank while watching the morning sun rise beyond the horizon. Sitting there in reminisce with the vibrant colouration reminding him of the first sunrise he had ever seen.
"I wonder when we can finally achieve our dreams of peace, father." He would ask to the imaginary version of Heath in his mind, who would give a refreshing presence while the real great scientist God was still busy over by Vanaheimr.
Teleporting in a scone, he munches down slowly while taking in his surroundings, enjoying the cool Swedish air while also looking towards the animals that wandered outside of the stranger-impassable barrier. 'Hey Goldie. -' He would send a comm over, asking how his task of infiltrating the trǫllr cavern was going. 'Better than expected, met their Patriarch Ólaug, who gave me a warm welcome in realising I was a strong warrior.' The golem would state with a clinical assessment in his tone. 'Do you think your plan to trade with them for their knowledge is feasible?' In this assessment, he would simply hear an addendum before cutting the mind-link off.
"Well, guess we are alone then." Sterling would say while reaching into his breast pocket, finding the little cricket he has kept as his own pet, where he then connected a micro-leash onto the parasol, jumping on his palm with happiness, an otherwise impossible cognition for its size.
Giving it a little bit of the scone, he set them both on the table where it then stayed in place as trained while eating, and he closed his own eyes to simply feel the nature brush against his soul, content.