Athena's General Reincarnated in Another World

Nathan Evenhart:

Siegfried stood before the statue of the three-headed black dragon like a man staring down an ancient ghost.

"Answer me something," I said, breaking the silence. "Is Loki alive or not? You've danced around that since the beginning. His followers believe he'll return."

He didn't turn. "That's not evasion. That's teaching. I'm condensing eras of knowledge into a mind that still stumbles saying 'Asgard.'"

"Am I the only one who knows all this, or are there other humans in on the secret?"

"Only you. A mortal carrying truths that could reduce entire kingdoms to ash. My master asked me to tell you this." His voice turned sharp, bitter at the edges. "Because you bear the Eyes… and the heart of his daughter."

Finally, he turned. His stare cut like shattered glass.

"Odin," I muttered.

"Yes. And you, Nathan Evenhart… carry something of his. Something that should not exist outside the golden halls of Asgard."

The air thickened. Something in the atmosphere shifted.

"Loki was destroyed. The body, at least."

I stayed silent. He wasn't finished.

"His soul… still exists."

"So he's still alive?"

"More than that. He still rules. Even without flesh, even from afar, his influence echoes. In Svartalfheim… he's still worshipped."

"But how? How does a soul govern?"

"Because it wanders. And according to prophecy… he will return."

The word reincarnation coiled in my gut like venom.

"Possession," Siegfried corrected. "Loki won't be born. He'll take a body. A vessel."

Every word cracked my sense of reality just a little more.

"And you know who this vessel will be?" I asked. It was a risky question—but information was worth more than pride. If they knew and chose not to act, then there were larger laws, deeper agreements at play.

"We don't know. His Celestial Eyes shield him. It's like a fog our seers can't see through." He stared straight into me. "And the worst part… is that the vessel could come from your world."

My body tensed. "What do you mean? It could be anyone?"

Siegfried exhaled slowly, then stepped forward. He reached out—and pressed a single finger against my chest.

The wall struck me with the force of a charging warhorse. He did not even seem to try. Yet still, he held me fast, as though I were a fly caught in amber.

"It could be anyone from Svartalfheim. Or Midgard." His voice dropped. "Even you."

It wasn't an accusation. It was cold, divine logic.

"Me? That's... not impossible. But how does that make any sense?"

"You carry one of the Eyes. A fragment from one of Loki's 'sons.' A relic of war, once entrusted to a warrior worthy enough to wield it. The Eyes granted power—but carried risk. In Asgard, any bearer who suspected possession would end their own life without hesitation."

He met my eyes—unflinching.

"But you… you would hesitate. You have family. You have ties."

The pressure was suffocating.

And then—he let go.

I gasped like someone surfacing after nearly drowning.

"Why the hell would you even keep something like that?!" I snapped.

"It's not a direct fragment of Loki," Siegfried said, turning away. "It's an echo. A trace of what once belonged to one of his sons. A weapon. A chess piece in the middle of war. In the right hands, it was an advantage. Now? It's in the hands of a mortal."

He glanced over his shoulder. "A waste."

Then he walked a few steps farther, voice flat. "Don't worry, Nathan. The odds of you being possessed are practically zero. The Eyes alone aren't enough. Soul compatibility is what matters."

"And if it did happen?" I asked. "What are the signs?"

Siegfried didn't even pause. "You'd start seeing visions. Hallucinations. Loki would appear as someone familiar—someone close, alive or dead. And he'd start... nudging. Offering advice. Planting suggestions like seeds." He looked at me, unblinking. "By the time you noticed, it'd already be too late."

A chill shot through me. One image came to mind. Athena. I filed it away. I couldn't afford to turn suspicion into certainty. Not yet.

Siegfried arched an eyebrow, sharp and observant. "You made a weird face."

"Of course I did. Hearing I might be a vessel for a psychopathic god isn't exactly comforting."

He studied me for a moment... then gave a small nod, like it was nothing unusual, and kept walking.

"Just out of curiosity," I said, swallowing hard, "is there any way to confirm it—before reaching the point of no return?"

"Don't worry. We ran a test on your Mana Gem. A year ago. While you were buying a coat. The tailor was one of ours. He measured more than just your shoulder."

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

They didn't want to protect me. They wanted certainty.

Deep down, they were willing to sacrifice me... they just wanted to avoid a miscalculation.

"A year," I said—not angry. Just stating it. "That's a long time to gamble on silence."

Siegfried stopped again and looked at me sidelong. "If there were any signs, we'd know. We have our methods. Just watching is often enough. Why do you think I brought you here—into a pocket dimension?" He folded his arms. "Neither you nor anyone close to you has shown symptoms. And remember—there's an entire world devoted to Loki. If he's going to return, I'd bet everything it'll happen on his turf. That's why he conquered it. To guarantee the ideal return... in the ideal body."

It made sense. All of it. But logic doesn't erase danger. And danger… was all that remained.

"And you can guarantee no one close to me will be the vessel?" I asked again.

He shook his head. "Possession is like a silent disease. It can lie dormant for years. And then, one day… it wakes up."
He paused. "But if it's any comfort, the highest probability is still you."

"Some comfort," I muttered.

Worse still—his logic was sound.

"If you start seeing someone who should be dead talking to you," he said, "tell me."

"And is there a cure?"

"No."

The silence that followed landed like a hammer.

"If any signs show, you'll be detained immediately," he said. "Placed under divine containment. Watched by gods until Loki takes full control."
He didn't blink. "And when that happens—we'll kill you."

Simple. Cold. No hesitation.

As it should be. I'd do the same.

"He would reincarnate inside a prison cell in Asgard," Siegfried finished, "surrounded by the most powerful deities alive—and completely unable to act."

Siegfried looked at me with a chill in his eyes. "That's why he'd never choose you. It would be idiotic. The Archbishops and Heralds who appeared at the academy… they are far more likely candidates. Or maybe the vessel is already hidden in the Dark Realm, being prepared even now."

Those words—finally—brought a sliver of relief.

"Now you understand why your world became a target?" he asked.

"I'm guessing Loki can't freely choose a vessel," I said slowly. "He needs to make sure the first compatible body is somewhere he controls."

"Two birds, one stone," he replied with a grin. "Claiming your world means securing his own return. And maybe—just maybe—starting the final siege on Asgard. The real Loki is throwing up distractions, smokescreens, anything to keep us from finding out who the vessel really is."

The pieces began falling into place. The attacks. The spreading chaos. None of it was random.

"You understand now," Siegfried said. "Siding with us isn't a choice."

It wasn't a question. It was a fact.

And he was right. I was already in this, whether I liked it or not.

"Not like you had much say, anyway. You're friends with Odin's daughter. That alone puts you on the board."

I exhaled, grounding myself. "Let's say Loki succeeds. He returns." I paused. "What's the actual reach of a god with six Celestial Aspects?"

Siegfried folded his arms and turned to the towering statue of the three-headed black dragon. "Each Aspect grants unique abilities," he said. "The effect depends on the bearer. Some gain simple powers. Others… absolute dominance."

"For example—the Aspect of Space. One person might use it for basic teleportation. Another? For gravity control. Like what you saw."

"And Loki really has all six?" I asked.

"Yes. Only he and Odin have achieved that."

"And you've mapped the abilities?" I tried to sound curious—not alarmed. "Knowing won't stop him, but it might prevent a few nasty surprises."

"We know," he said. "But don't expect it to help. Loki exists on a level far beyond anything you can touch."

"Irrelevant or not—I need clarity. You don't fight the unknown. You study it."

Siegfried nodded once. "Then listen closely. I'll only say it once."

The dragon statue behind him began to unravel—dark smoke rising as if the stone were turning to ash.

"The first," he said, "is the Aspect of the Body—at Divine Rank. With it, Loki can alter his form at will: human, animal, monster. And more than that… he gains the physical capabilities of that shape."

"Wait, so if he turned into you—"

"He wouldn't have my powers," Siegfried cut in. "Just the shape. The biology. He could fly like a hawk, breathe underwater like a shark. But he can't mimic unique abilities or magical traits. Still—versatility like that is terrifying."

A shapeshifter with no fixed form. It was enough to incite panic on its own. Terror doesn't need to be real. It only needs to feel real.

"Versatility with intent," I muttered. "He doesn't need to be the strongest… just the most unpredictable."

"Exactly." Siegfried's tone shifted. "The second is the Aspect of Space. Loki has the power to invade dreams."

Dreams?

"It's called Dream Invasion."

"He enters the mind through sleep?"

"And manipulate them. Shape nightmares. Appear as someone they love. He can plant thoughts, tilt decisions. And all from within the spiritual plane. The only limitation? He can only invade one dream at a time."

I ran the possibilities through my head. These two abilities weren't overwhelming in combat—But they didn't need to be. They made him dangerous in a far more insidious way.

"Loki, even without a body, still speaks to his followers through their dreams," Siegfried said. "That's how his influence endures in the world he conquered—through whispers, through sleep."

I was starting to understand why they called him the supreme manipulator.

"The third Aspect," Siegfried continued, "is the Aspect of the Soul. It allows Loki to read fragments of someone's essence just by looking at them. Not everything—just enough. Their desires. Fears. Ambitions. Weaknesses."

"He can see that? Just by looking?"

"It depends on emotional resonance. The deeper the devotion, the more access he gains. Fanatics—he practically owns their minds."

He paused, then added, "Now imagine the combination. Shapeshifting. Dream invasion. Soul reading. He can appear as someone you loved and lost, slip into your dreams, learn what breaks you... and turn it against you."

I didn't respond right away. Didn't want to. Because the silence said it all.

"That's not just dangerous," I finally murmured. "It's relentless. Unseen. He's not a warrior. He's a siege engine."

"And there's more," Siegfried said grimly. "The fourth is the Aspect of Life. Accelerated regeneration. He can heal his body and mana at absurd speed. In battle, it's like he has infinite stamina."

"So he doesn't win with brute force. He wins by attrition."

"Exactly. He outlasts. He recovers more than he spends. No wasted movement. No wasted mana. He uses everything in perfect harmony—strategic, efficient."

He looked me in the eye.

"Patient."

A chill ran through me.

"And the fifth?" I asked.

"Aspect of Death. That's the one that saved Loki from total destruction. He has the ability to split his own soul—within limits, of course. In the past, he shared fragments of it with the three world-destroyers."

"And when his body was finally destroyed..."

"One last fragment survived, carrying his consciousness. It ended up in the void between worlds." He let the words hang. "There, as a soul, he waits to be reborn."

Siegfried's voice dropped a tone. "But now… he can't split himself anymore. No more extra lives. This is the last one."

"This is his final body," I whispered. "His last move."

"Exactly."

"And the sixth Aspect?"

Siegfried hesitated. His gaze lingered on the smoke curling upward, fading where the statue had stood.

"The Aspect of Time," he said quietly. "Divine level."

"What does it do?"

Siegfried's voice was flat.

"Loki can see... fifty years into the future."