After finishing my training with Master, I returned to the academy. Rhea and Sister Selene still hadn't come home. Something felt off.

  As I stepped through the main gates of the academy, I spotted Selene lying on the cold ground, her wheelchair tipped over beside her.

  Without hesitation, I rushed over and helped her back into her chair.

  Her hands trembled. Her eyes, wide and panicked, darted around the area.

  “Sister Selene,” I said, kneeling in front of her. “What happened? Why were you on the ground? Why do you look so… scared?”

  Her voice cracked. “Thor—please, call Father. Hurry! We need to save Rhea and the others. He’s going to kill them!”

  Him, huh? So he’s finally made a move. And he went for Rhea, not Selene. Why? Was this my grandfather Odin’s order? Or is this someone working under this universe’s Odin?

  I didn’t have time to solve that puzzle.

  “I’ll go after her,” I said, standing. “Just stay here, Selene. I’ll bring her back.”

  Selene grabbed my arm tightly. “No—! Thor, if by ‘save’ you mean fight again, then I won’t allow it! I can’t… I can’t watch you disappear again. Not like last time. We have to wait for Father. Or call the other gods. Please!”

  I shook my head, my voice calm, measured. “Sister Selene. There are no gods in the academy right now. Rhea told me earlier—they’re not attending because a written exam doesn't interest them. Only teachers are here. And that man… he may have already killed some of them. If we waste time, Rhea might die.”

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  I leaned closer, my face still but serious.

  “I won’t do anything reckless this time. I promise. Just wait for me.”

  Without waiting for a reply, I turned and entered the building.

  Inside, I found a few teachers. I told them everything—about the intruder, his danger, and Rhea.

  They were stunned. “How did someone like that get into the academy without us noticing?”

  That wasn’t my concern.

  “Check Rhea’s classroom,” I told them. “And every other class on that floor.”

  They obeyed. My instincts were right.

  The floor had been cleared. The teachers were dead—every single one. The students were gone.

  No man can take that many students alone.

  He wasn’t alone.

  “We need to move,” I said to a nearby teacher. “Is there any secret room? A basement maybe?”

  He hesitated. “Well… yes. There’s an old underground level, but it’s dangerous. We can’t let a student—”

  “I’ve fought real battles. I’m not just some student. My sister’s in there, and if we don’t act now, she and the others will die. Please.”

  “I’m sorry, but no. Even if you’ve fought before, you’re still just a child. And wait… you’re Thor, aren’t you? The one from the other universe?”

  “Yes. That’s me.” I stared directly at him. “And I promise—I'll bring them back safely.”

  The teacher still refused.

  I considered forcing my way in.

  That’s when he arrived.

  That’s when he arrived.

  A presence filled the hallway. Teachers stepped back as the air itself grew heavy.

  The Odin of this universe—the All-Father—had come.

  “Your Highness!” one of the teachers cried out. “You came at the right time! Please save the children before that killer murders them!”

  Odin stepped forward, his long cloak brushing against the ground, his gaze sweeping across the room. Then his eyes locked onto me.

  “I sensed chaos. I assumed you’d be involved.”

  I stood firm. “I came to save my sister.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Is that so? Didn’t think you were the ‘save someone’ type. You’re the emotionless one, right?”

  “I still made a promise,” I replied. “To Selene.”

  Odin crossed his arms. “Promises. Strange things for someone like you. What are you really doing here, boy? Seeking redemption? Or trying to play the hero?”

  “I don’t care what you think I am,” I said. “I’m going down there because Rhea is my sister, and I don’t leave family behind.”

  “Hmph.” Odin’s eyes studied me for a long moment. “Do you know what’s waiting below?”

  “No,” I answered. “But I’ve seen enough war to handle whatever it is.”

  He stepped closer, until we stood almost face to face.

  “You remind me of someone,” he said quietly. “Not my son—but someone else. Someone I once feared might surpass even me.”

  He turned away with a chuckle. “You really want to go down there?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then go. Let’s see if your fists are louder than your words.”

  I started to walk past him.

  “Thor,” Odin said suddenly. I stopped.

  “Be careful. Even gods bleed.”

  I didn’t respond. I just nodded once and walked toward the underground.

  Behind me, Odin’s voice echoed in the hall, low and thoughtful.

  “That boy… he doesn’t walk like someone who knows fear. He walks like someone who’s already lost everything.”

  He smirked. “Interesting.”