Baldur Odinson:The light of Asgard

Chapter 3: Gods and Training

Baldur stood at the edge of the Asgardian training grounds, feeling the heat of the sun against his skin. The golden light reflected off the polished stone floor, casting long shadows across the massive courtyard where warriors had trained for thousands of years.

Across from him, Thor grinned, rolling his shoulders as he gripped Mjolnir. The hammer rested casually in his hand, but Baldur wasn't fooled—Thor never took a fight lightly.

"Come now, little brother," Thor boomed, his voice carrying across the training yard. "You've been avoiding a proper duel for far too long!"

Baldur smirked, stretching his arms. "Avoiding? More like letting you hold onto your pride for a bit longer."

Loki, sitting on the sidelines with a goblet of Asgardian wine, chuckled. "Oh, this should be entertaining. Thor, do try not to break him. It would be such a hassle to explain to Mother."

Sif and the Warriors Three stood nearby, watching with interest. It wasn't often that Baldur agreed to spar with Thor seriously.

But today was different.

Today, Baldur was going to test just how far he had come.

Thor moved first.

The moment Mjolnir left his hand, the air cracked like a thunderclap. The hammer streaked toward Baldur at blinding speed, a blur of spinning Uru metal.

Baldur barely reacted.

He had already calculated the trajectory before the throw. His body shimmered, and in an instant, he became light.

The hammer passed through empty air.

Then—

Baldur reappeared behind Thor, golden energy flashing around his form as he swung his leg toward his brother's ribs.

Thor twisted at the last second, catching Baldur's shin with his forearm. The impact echoed across the courtyard, forcing Thor to stumble back a step.

His blue eyes widened. "You're faster."

Baldur grinned. "You have no idea."

He kicked off the ground, accelerating far beyond normal speed, his form a golden streak as he unleashed a flurry of blows at inhuman velocity.

Thor barely managed to block the first two, but the third strike connected, sending him skidding backward.

A murmur went through the onlookers. Even Sif looked impressed.

Baldur wasn't holding back anymore.

Thor recovered quickly, rolling his shoulders with a grin. "Good. I was worried you had grown soft."

Then—he brought down Mjolnir with the force of a meteor.

Baldur moved to dodge—

But he was too slow.

The hammer collided with the ground, sending a shockwave of lightning and raw force through the training yard. The energy tore through the air, slamming into Baldur before he could fully phase into light.

He was thrown backward, crashing into the stone wall with enough force to shake the courtyard.

For a moment, everything was still.

Loki leaned forward, clearly amused. "Oh dear, I think you broke him."

Then—

Baldur laughed.

The golden glow around his body flared, cracks of radiant energy repairing the damage as he rose to his feet. The bruises faded instantly, the pain melting away.

Thor's grin faltered slightly. "You're healing faster than before."

Baldur flexed his fingers, golden sparks dancing between them. "Yeah, I noticed that too."

Then he vanished.

Thor barely had time to react before Baldur reappeared in midair, his foot slamming into his brother's chest at near-light speed.

The hit sent Thor flying across the courtyard, smashing into a pillar.

The warriors watching gasped.

Loki blinked. "Well. That was unexpected."

Thor groaned, pulling himself from the rubble. "Alright," he said, rolling his neck. "Now I'm actually impressed."

Baldur dusted off his tunic, smirking. "You should be. I've been training."

Thor chuckled, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "That much is clear. Perhaps I should start taking you on my expeditions."

Baldur raised an eyebrow. "Expeditions?"

Thor grinned. "The Nine Realms are vast, brother. You wish to test your strength? Then let's see how you fare against something more dangerous than me."

Baldur's eyes gleamed.

Now that sounded interesting.

After the duel, Baldur wandered through the palace halls, deep in thought. His body still thrummed with energy, the excitement of the fight lingering in his veins.

But something bothered him.

Thor was strong—insanely strong. Even with his speed and hard-light constructs, Baldur had barely managed to land real damage.

If he couldn't even match Thor yet, what chance did he have against the true monsters of this universe?

He needed more.

More training. More experience.

His speed and healing were powerful, but he needed something bigger.

A new technique? A weapon?

There had to be more he could do.

"You're obsessing."

Baldur blinked, realizing he had been staring at the night sky for who-knows-how-long.

Loki stood beside him on the balcony, dressed in his usual green robes, watching him with an expression somewhere between amusement and curiosity.

Baldur sighed. "I have a lot on my mind."

Loki smirked. "That much is obvious. You keep muttering about strategy and power levels like some sort of scholar, that is not like i know my brother to be."

Baldur chuckled at that. "I just—" He exhaled. "I feel like I need to get stronger."

Loki arched an eyebrow. "Stronger than Thor?"

Baldur hesitated. "Stronger than anyone."

Loki studied him for a moment, his gaze sharp. "You never used to think like that. What changed?"

Baldur leaned against the railing, watching the stars stretch endlessly beyond Asgard.

He couldn't exactly tell Loki, "Oh, I used to be a human from another universe, and I know that in a few years, Thanos is going to wipe out half the universe, and Odin is going to die, and Asgard is going to fall, and everything is going to go to hell."

So instead, he shrugged. "I just have a feeling. Like something big is coming."

Loki was silent for a long moment. Then, unexpectedly, he nodded.

"I know that feeling," he admitted. "The sense that fate is already moving, and we are simply waiting for it to catch up to us."

Baldur glanced at him. "You ever think about changing it?"

Loki smirked. "All the time."

A pause.

Then Baldur grinned. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say that was almost brotherly advice."

Loki scoffed. "Please. If I were giving you advice, you'd already be dead."

Baldur laughed. "Fair enough."

For a moment, they stood there, watching the stars.

Then, with a new fire in his chest, Baldur turned and walked back inside.

He had a lot more training to do.