Anduin was a sturdy child, much like the big kids you'd find in every school—ruddy-faced, broad-chested, and physically imposing. However, unlike the typical boisterous big kid, Anduin was quiet, shy, and even a bit reserved.
While his peers feared him due to his size, the nicknames they gave him were more a defense mechanism than a reflection of his nature. He had tried playing gentle and innocent games with other children, but a boy nearly as large as his father carrying around a stuffed lamb was a peculiar sight, to say the least.
This oddity attracted the attention of bullies. One particularly troublesome boy, John Marble, had a reputation as the town's worst delinquent. Rumor had it that his mother drank heavily during pregnancy and that John had stabbed someone just four days after he was born. John's misbehavior was legendary in their small Oxfordshire village of Culham. Anduin's aunt once remarked that John would surely end up in jail like his father. When John and his gang threw away Anduin's stuffed lamb, Anduin snapped his fingers—in this case, John's fingers—just as he might break a pencil by accident.
Anduin was six years old at the time.
However, not everyone was afraid of him. A few peers formed a small circle of friends around him.
One of them was Newton, a short, bespectacled boy (the glasses were round and purely decorative). Newton's mother believed her son was destined to become a great scientist. Unfortunately, Newton's aptitude for science was less apparent than the freckles on his face. Once, during an "experiment" his mother encouraged for brain development, Newton accidentally caused a town-wide blackout. His mother, far from chastising him, saw it as a sign of genius.
Then there was Dany, a fiery red-haired girl whose full name was Daenerys Hermione Lucien. Her name came from a room crammed with novels; her mother was a fantasy literature fanatic. For a girl named Daenerys Hermione Lucien, there were only two paths in life, and Dany chose the second one.
When Anduin and Newton first met her on their first day of school and asked her name, she innocently told them.
It took several buckets of cold water from the school security guard to separate Daenerys Baratheon Stark's teeth from Anduin's fingers, and Newton's first pair of glasses didn't survive the encounter. From then on, the three became inseparable, wandering the winding streets of Culham or gathering in their secret hideout in the woods.
They became little mischief-makers, the kind that adults said were destined for the gallows. They boldly discussed God, sabotaged water pipes, and chased rats.
"Listen to me!" Dany declared, hands on her hips, chest puffed out, exuding authority.
The two boys, sitting on an old car tire, instinctively lowered their heads. At eleven, they were beginning to notice differences between boys and girls. They couldn't help but feel their hearts race when they got too close to Dany, a realization that left them flustered.
Dany, however, didn't care about such things. She wasn't one to shy away from a fight—whether it was against John Marble's gang or anyone else. Her pristine white teeth were her most fearsome weapon, once bringing John to tears.
"Listen to me!" she repeated. "My mom says magic is real! Myths are true!"
"There's no such thing as magic, Dany. Magazines say Thor is an alien using advanced technology," Newton countered, and Anduin nodded in agreement.
Thor had demystified UFOs; no one claimed to see them anymore. As everyone knew, Asgardians used the Bifrost, as the magazines said.
"Like Stark, but Thor is cooler," Anduin added. "My aunt says women who subscribe to Psychic Daily think they're mediums, or reincarnations of Elizabeth I or Bloody Mary. They eat organic vegetables, drink organic milk, and keep organic frogs!"
"That's nonsense! There's no such thing as organic frogs—at least, I've never seen one!" Dany grinned, her white teeth gleaming in the sunlight. "But you've forgotten about the Knight of New York! Magazines call him the Silver Knight. My mom has a collection of his photos—well, blurry video screenshots. She says the Silver Knight is King Arthur! He's back to save the world! Don't tell me you haven't heard his battle cry!"
"But that's in America, not Britain… We still have a queen." Anduin tried to counter, but Dany's increasingly stern glare silenced him.
"Also," Dany added dramatically, "my mom's research says Hogwarts won't be sending us owls! She claims King Arthur is real, so Merlin must be real too! She's even planning to go to New York to find the Silver Knight! She wants to send me to learn magic!"
Suddenly, thunder rumbled in the once-clear sky. Anduin nearly leapt off the tire in fright. He looked up and gasped, hurriedly tapping Newton's shoulder. Newton, too, looked up and quickly stood.
Dany was annoyed at being interrupted, but she turned to see what had caught their attention.
Magic arrived in the most unexpected way.
A brilliant white beam of light, like a falling star, streaked through the sky, hurtling straight toward their secret base. The three children froze in fear, but Anduin quickly grabbed the others and ran to safety.
"There's someone in there," Newton said after they'd reached a safe distance. The beam crashed to the ground with a deafening roar, and the children covered their ears, the wind whipping at their faces. "I saw him—a big guy in black armor. He must've hit the tire. Hope he's alive."
"He must be hurt!" Dany exclaimed, her excitement mounting. "Maybe he needs help—just like in superhero comics!"
"I don't think that's a good idea. We should find an adult or notify the community police…" Anduin began, but Dany ignored him, running toward the crash site with Newton following. Anduin had no choice but to follow.
What they found wasn't a superhero in need but a scene straight out of a nightmare.
A man in a red robe wielding a long sword was slashing at the black-armored giant. The black-clad figure wasn't human; his armor was made of bones, and the fall hadn't fazed him.
The black giant moved swiftly, swatting like he was swiping flies, while the red-robed man danced around him, each sword strike drawing black-red blood.
Fierce, bloody, and chaotic—this brutal close combat left the children paralyzed with terror.
Meanwhile, Solomon focused solely on his cursed warrior opponent. Thor had taught him well; he knew never to let himself get stuck in such battles. Moving quickly, he ducked under the warrior's arm, slashing sparks off its bone armor with his sword before retreating and striking again.
Magic had proven ineffective against the warrior, so Solomon relied on his swordsmanship. Fireball spells worked to a degree, blasting the warrior backward, while second-circle spells like Siege Hammer created distance. Even the simple Grease spell caused the warrior to slip and fall.
But now, it was a melee fight.
If only I had a tank! Where the hell is Thor? Solomon thought bitterly. I threw him and the warrior onto the Bifrost together—where is he now? What's happening in Asgard? Has the Aether been taken? Damn it! I knew destiny would never let me have it easy!
If anyone had sharp eyes, they might notice the large tear in Solomon's magic pouch at his waist. The once-precious pouch was now empty, rendered useless.
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