MTL NOVEL Chapter 1: Prologue: The last ride
Prologue: The Last Ride
The wind howled around him, whipping against his skin as he stood at the edge of the world.
A thousand feet below, the city pulsed with life—a sea of lights, traffic, and people completely unaware of the insanity about to unfold above them.
His heart pounded, not with fear, but with raw, unfiltered exhilaration.
"This is the one."
The ultimate stunt, the final thrill, the kind of jump that would either make him a legend or send him straight into the afterlife.
And honestly? Either option sounded exciting.
He'd spent his life chasing moments like this.
• Climbing the deadliest peaks without ropes.
• Drifting on a motorcycle through a raging sandstorm.
• Scuba diving into shipwrecks where no sane person would go.
Every stunt, every challenge, had pushed him to the brink—and he loved it. The rush, the feeling of total freedom, the knowledge that every second could be his last.
He wasn't reckless. He was calculated. He studied risks, tested limits, planned for failure—but he never backed down.
And if he wasn't living on the edge?
What was the point?
He exhaled, centered himself, and took one last look at the drop below.
The city stretched beneath him, a neon jungle of glass and steel. The kind of view people spent their whole lives dreaming about.
For him?
It was just another playground.
His fingers tightened around the straps of his wingsuit, the custom-built prototype that should—no, would—carry him through the air like a damn superhero.
His team was watching from the radio. "You sure about this? There's—"
He cut them off.
"Guys, come on. When have I ever been unsure?"
Silence.
Then a chuckle. "You're insane, man."
He smirked. "That's the spirit."
And then—
He jumped.
The moment his feet left the edge, gravity took over.
The drop was instant—his stomach twisting, the air roaring past his ears, the sheer speed blurring the world around him.
He angled his body, shifting into the perfect trajectory, the wingsuit catching just enough air to let him carve through the night sky like a living missile.
The adrenaline hit like a drug.
The city rushed up to meet him—glass towers flashing past in an electrified blur. He felt unstoppable. Untouchable. Alive.
Then—
The left wing folded inward.
A sharp, violent snap.
His body jerked sideways. The air ripped at him. The world spun out of control.
"No, no, no—"
He reached for the emergency chute—
Nothing.
The ground rushed up.
A flash of light.
And then—
Nothing.
His first breath was different.
The air felt… heavier. Thicker. As if the world around him carried more weight, more meaning.
His body wasn't falling.
It was warm. Soft. A gentle pressure surrounded him, as if he was being held—no, cradled.
His eyes snapped open.
The world around him was golden.
Massive stone pillars stretched into infinity, intricate carvings glowing with an ancient power. The ceiling above him shimmered like a sky filled with dying stars, and the air smelled of something he couldn't place—not metal, not city smog, but something… older.
His mind raced.
Where the hell am I?
Then he saw them.
Towering figures, larger than life itself. Armor that gleamed like the sun. A throne carved from the bones of fallen gods.
And at the center of it all—
Odin.
The Allfather himself, watching him with piercing eyes, a gaze that commanded kings and warriors alike.
Beside him stood Frigga, warmth and grace radiating from her, her expression softer but no less powerful.
And then, standing just behind them—
Thor.
Not Chris Hemsworth Thor.
Not MCU actor Thor.
No, the real Thor.
What. The. Hell.
His breath hitched.
And in that instant—a golden glow burst from his tiny hands, filling the chamber with light so pure and brilliant it was almost blinding.
Gasps echoed around the hall.
Odin's gaze hardened, Frigga's lips curled into a knowing smile, and Thor…
Thor just looked confused as hell.
The king stepped forward, voice booming across the chamber.
"He shall be called Baldur."
A name. A destiny. A life he never expected.
He was no longer a reckless adrenaline junkie from Earth.
He was Baldur Odinson.
And this?
This was only the beginning.