DIVINE CHAMPIONS 3: THE RISE OF THE ELEMENTALIST

AESIR + VANIR = SPECIALTY

As soon as Rishi was released of the soil, he turned away. "Rishi, what is wrong?" Aitri asked. Rishi didn't answer. He looked as if one of his worst fears had come to reality. He had his face covered by his hand. Meanwhile, Sif had taken a seat beside Aitri, while Njord had taken other seat on the bench. "Aitri, I hope you know what is going on here?" Njord asked, "Please, do. It will make things quite easier for me." Njord had a pleading look in his eyes.

"Uh, let me." Sif said, putting a hand on Njord's shoulder.

"Why is he acting weird?" Aitri asked, pointing to her boyfriend.

"Because," Sif put her hand on Aitri's head, "You are joining his team."

Aitri seemed to find three questions in her mind. First, what was Sif saying? Because it made no sense. Second, wasn't she already a part of Rishi's team? Third, if what she was guessing was true, and Rishi knew it, why was he so scared?

"What does that mean?" Aitri asked, trying to confirm her thoughts.

"You are being chosen, dear." Sif said, with a warm look, "Just like Saptarishi was chosen by my husband."

"Please, don't." Rishi managed to speak, "She must not be involved. I can take it."

"Relax, buddy." Njord said, "She can handle it."

"I know, but..."

"No buts. You are the first of the champions. Why can't you trust us?" Sif asked, quite bamboozled.

"Lady Sif, the things I have heard from Thor, I can trust you with my life."

"Then, don't you trust her?" Sif asked. Aitri felt a jolt down her body.

"I totally do, but..."

"You are scared." Sif said, "I get it, child. You two love each other. But, your team will never be complete without her."

Rishi stayed quiet. But his expressions didn't change. "Please stand up, Aitri." Njord said.

"Why?" Aitri asked. She was understanding why the gods were here, on her birthday. Definitely not for cake. But to choose her as their champion. But why were there two? Doesn't one god choose his or her champion? Thor chose Rishi, and Freya chose Rick. That was it. Single god. Then, in her case, why were there two?

"We will explain once we finish the ritual." Njord said, as Aitri stood up. Njord placed his hands on Aitri's head, while Sif held her hands. Then, they said something in a weird language, perhaps Norse or something, like an enchantment. Aitri felt a very high level of heat surging through her body. As soon as the surging stopped, Sif said, "I, Sif, goddess of the earth...", Njord continued, "I, Njord, god of the silent sea and the winds...", and then, they said in unison, "together, choose Aitri Ghosh Dastidar as our champion."

As soon as they were done, Aitri seemed to feel something around her. As if the nature was touching her. She could feel the cold breeze around. She could feel the moisture in it. There were other feelings she had no idea about. However, her heart was not at rest. One of the three questions still stood on: why was Rishi worried, and not happy? Because, now that she was directly involved in his Norse world, he was all she had to seek help to. And as she looked around for him, another question raised to her. "Where is Rishi?" Yes, that was her first question after being chosen as a champion of two Norse gods. And that was important. Rishi had disappeared.

"Your boyfriend doesn't seem to take it well." Njord said.

"He'll come around." Sif said, "You would need to talk to him."

"But what am I going to become? I have no idea about all this. I didn't even know about your pantheon until a year ago. How am I supposed to be in your world? How am I supposed to fight this war?"

"You will figure it out." Sif said, "You are part Vanir and part Aesir, which makes you different. Saptarishi maybe the leader in the group, but you are the heart of it. He would make mistakes sometimes, but it is you who needs to keep him, and all the others in control."

"Apparently." Aitri said, knowing all too well how immature, at times, Rishi can be, "He is an idiot. But, Lady Sif, I am, uh, a girl. How can I keep up?"

"As much as we had heard," Sif said, "you never ever felt weak for being a girl in your life. So why now?"

"Well, those were natural causes, that affected just my life. This is supernatural, which even a year and a half ago, I didn't know existed. And it is not just my life that is affected. It is everyone's. Me, my family, my friends, and every other person in the world."

"And in the eight other worlds." Sif added, to which Aitri nodded in agreement.

"Dear Aitri," Njord finally spoke, "we, the gods, are existent because of a girl herself. Lady Audhumla, the divine cow."

"What?"

"Let us show." Sif put her feet on the ground, and big chunks of soil sprung up in the air, and took a shape of some sort of land. Njord went over and touched it, and it turned all white. "In the beginning of time," Sif started, "the Yggdrasil, the World tree, gave birth to nine different worlds. One of them was this: Niflheim, the land of ice. The first life form that came into existence was him." Sif waved her fingers to form a figure, with greyish skin, big white beard, and long white hair. Aitri seemed to be taking it. She had read the creation myth before, and so, she knew who this person was. "Ymir?"

"Yes, the first Jotun." Sif continued, "But he needed sustainence. The second life form came out soon after Ymir." Sif waved her fingers once again, and this time, formed a cow, all white and cute.

"That is Lady Audhumla." Njord said, "It was her milk that Ymir drank to survive. But she also needed sustainence to produce enough milk for the big giant. So, she started to lick the ice, melting it into water, and drink it." Njord made the cow lick the ice, "From that melted ice, were born Buri, and his son, Bor. While Ymir created the giants, one of the first generation giants fell in love with Bor and..."

"Bestla?" Aitri interrupted.

"Yes. She gave birth to Lord Odin, and his two brothers Vili and Ve. While Odin birthed the Aesir, Vili and Ve birthed us, the Vanir." Njord was constantly shifting scenes as he was talking. Sif looked rather pleased at the demonstration. Njord went on, "You see? A lady birthed the great gods of the nine worlds."

"On top of that, you are still here." Sif said, catching Aitri off guard.

"What?" She asked.

"You are a powerful person overall, dear." Sif said, "On top of that, you are both Aesir as well as Vanir. Saptarishi and Rick, both lost their consciousness during the transfer of powers. They found themselves someplace other than they had met a god."

As soon as Sif finished her words, Aitri's head started to feel heavy. She started to feel dizzy. "It is happening." Sif said, "The transfer is complete. Aitri, remember, feel the nature around you. Feel them all, and you will find your path."

That is all that Aitri remembered, for the very next moment, she blacked out. When she woke up, it was morning, and she was lying on her bed, in her room. She moved her head to look around, and found her Mom beside her. "You gave us quite a scare, Aitri." She said, "Rishi brought you. He told us everything."