Dungeon of Niflheim

"His words were not unfounded I see; you truly are impressive young nephew." Said Shivali the Primordial Ice King with a warm smile on his face.

Appearance wise Frost was handsome, the perfect blend between a brave warrior and a noble scholar, very similar to himself in that aspect.

Personality, from the beginning he was respectful yet not subservient, confident yet not arrogant. Aware that he was being tested by him he simply rose to the occasion, displaying his talent without a word of complaint.

A test which he passed with flying colours. Not even two years old and he could already endure a chilling energy that even someone at the A-rank would struggle with.

His talent was truly limitless in regards to the ice element and he bore a strong mentality that would allow him to ascend beyond the walls that stopped many who were born with such gifts.

Talent was not enough for one to break beyond one's mortal shell. Even the most gifted, if they did not have focus, determination and the will to work would never be able to cross the threshold, forever bound to the A-rank let alone challenging the domain of Godhood.

The Primordial Ice King had seen many of his subjects and even many of his own offspring falter in the face of ascension.

Despite existing since the conception of the planet not a single one of his children had yet managed to achieve Godhood, many even failed to reach a strength equal to Yule, one the realm's many gatekeepers despite their natural gifts and unlimited resources.

For one to ascend to the peak and rise to be his equal they needed to have more than good genes. It took a mind as strong as steel, burning ambition and most of all a path that was forged by themselves. No God ever reached their position by following in the footsteps of those that came before, such a route was a dead-end, a path that only the original could walk after a certain point.

Many of his elder children fell into this endless quagmire. Their father had achieved immense strength through such a path so why couldn't they. They lacked the courage to blaze their own trail, at least this path was relatively easier and assured some level of strength (usually peak A-rank at the very least).

Frost who had lowered his head slightly in respect slowly raised it and stared directly into the white eyes of the Primordial Ice King. His gaze revealed innocence, embarrassment from hearing that his father praised him to others as well as pride for the same reason.

"Thank you your Ma…" Frost was about to refer to Shivali as your Majesty but before he could the Primordial Ice King sharply frowned. He thus changed to a more informal title. "…Uncle." His word choice resulting in Shivali nodding his head in approval.

"Um Um your father and I are quite close so you should drop all formalities when in my presence, not a King, not a God but an Uncle and his nephew yes that's sounds much better." Said Shivali with a heart filled with warmth.

This nephew of his was awesome, his stock rising even higher after they exchanged eye contact.

'He's not like those older foolish brats of mine but more attune with the mindset of the younger ones.' Shivali thought internally, comparing Frost to his many, many progeny.

After witnessing failure after failure with his elder children and their foolish stubbornness he decided to change his parenting style, distancing himself somewhat in regards to their training so as to not heavily influence their own paths.

Of course not all of his children fared as well with this new approach, but some showed great promise and because of that he held high hopes this time around especially for his youngest daughter.

"As you wish, it's nice to meet you Uncle Shivali." Said Frost in a friendly manner, admiring the personality of his new uncle.

"And I you nephew, come take a seat by my side, I wish to hear about your life on Nova so far." Shivali placed a hand on Frost's shoulder and directed him towards one of the lesser thrones.

While Shivali's throne sat prominently in the centre, drawing the eyes of everyone who entered the room, behind it sat another six thrones reserved for the wives and or concubines of the Primordial Ice King while another dozen were placed on a lower platform, positions for his progeny.

Of course there wasn't enough seats for his entire family only those most qualified, a prize highly coveted by his partners and children.

At the moment however only Shivali currently resided within the throne room-not counting the guards of course- making it appear rather bare.

Frost took one of the seats reserved for his children, the one closest to the main throne so they could chat and discuss things more comfortably.

"Gatekeeper Yule, you have done well in your duties, but I'd like to speak to my nephew alone." Decreed Shivali with a naturally regal tone. Clearly he differentiated between personal and official duties.

"As you wish your Majesty." Yule immediately saluted his liege and left, a wide smile appearing on his lips as he crossed the door's threshold. He was sure to receive a bountiful reward for his work in the future.

"Speak, I'm intrigued to know all about how Nova and in particular the Glacial mountains have treated you." Shivali waved his hand in the air summoning a glass of luminescent liquid that gave off a strong fruity alcoholic scent.

"Do you drink?" He asked.

"Of course." Though he wasn't as much of a connoisseur as Maya, Frost did enjoy the occasional drink.

Shivali summoned another glass for his nephew and for the next several hours Frost detailed his many adventures and answered many of Shivali's questions.

"Hmm quite eventful and rather varied, for someone who's only lived a little over a year you've experienced quite a lot." Shivali had to admit his defeat, he never expected Frost's life to be so….dramatic.

Fights of ever growing proportions on the regular, the adoption of two young phoenix-kin slaves, quick yet foundational strong martial progress, entering a serious relationship with not one but two women and finally the advancement of a small camp into a prosperous city-state with unlimited potential.

Shivali was on the edge of his seat, hanging on his nephew's every word.

"It's a shame that Dark didn't allow us to take part in your family gatherings, your Dungeon wars sound quite entertaining." It was rare for him to ever get the opportunity to watch battles between low ranking monsters.

'Perhaps I should go on another tour of the mortal world? how long has it been, 100, 200 maybe even 300 years.' Shivali delved into his nostalgia, remembering images of the last time he left his own realm.

"This monster stampede you mentioned however is also quite intriguing." Frost described the situation with the monster stampedes, how they assault the Furano territory every few years as well as the malevolent shaking he felt from the mana vein during its stage advancements hoping to broach this topic with the Primordial Ice King.

"My Father advised me to talk to you about it given that the mana veins under northern Yangmir are under your jurisdiction." Each God had their own duties to uphold, the Primordials being no exception.

Shivali leaned back against his throne, his eyes turning bright as his gaze transversed space. He located the heart of the mana veins running deep under the ground of the Glacial mountains and inspected them for any issues.

"Strange, there doesn't appear to be anything too concerning. No major damage, no malevolent influence and the transferring efficiency of mana is within tolerable levels. There's nothing that jumps out, nothing that would require my interference yet despite that there's a definite problem." It wasn't unusual for the mana veins to occasionally purge excess and sometimes corrupted mana, a procedure built into their design to ensure long time stability. For this to happen every few years however was abnormal.

'It's as if the responsible party are purposefully minimising the overall damage so as to not alert me of their actions.' The Gods would only interfere in the most extreme of cases, otherwise leaving the management of the mortal world to mortals.

Though Frost highlighted a clear discrepancy it wasn't enough to warrant his personal interference.

Shivali cupped his chin in thought, finding this entire situation both interesting and annoying. The rules forbade him from acting personally yet now that he knew there was a problem he desperately wanted to fix it like an itch that needed to be scratched.

"Thank you for you bringing this issue to my attention nephew, I'll have my subordinates investigate." As a Primordial God he could easily solve any issue with a simple wave of his hand, his subordinates however even those at the S-rank would have to personally travel to where the mana vein resided. A lengthy, detailed and rather tedious process given the vein's size and complexity.

"No need for thanks uncle, I just did what was expected of me as Dark's son and as a resident of Yangmir. Ultimately the prosperity of the mana veins will benefit me and my allies in the long run." Without the monster stampedes hounding them every few years both Furano and the Niflheim city-state would have one less thing to worry about.