Chapter 6

Approaching the group, I observed them playing and drinking. I noticed a few intoxicated men a little further away from the main group. As I approached them, I saw that they were all asleep, with one man half-awake. Moving closer to the man, I cast an illusion over him. Gradually, I began gathering information from him. After a few minutes, I had gathered enough information, so I dispelled the illusion, and the man fell back asleep.

I realized I was in Scandinavia, surrounded by descendants of the Vikings. Remembering that my father had left the Tesseract somewhere in this region, I began contemplating my next move. Unsure of where to start searching, I decided to utilize wind magic to fly in a particular direction.

After several hours of travel, I noticed a small town in the distance. Approaching the town, I soon reached its gates. Slowly passing through the city gates, I entered the bustling town, filled with people. As I wandered through the streets, my eyes caught sight of a building that resembled a tavern. Making my way towards the tavern, I entered. Upon opening the door, I found the place packed with people.

Scanning the room for an available spot, I noticed an empty corner. Making my way towards it, I took a seat. A few minutes later, a waiter approached and asked for my order. I requested a beer and listened in on the conversations around me while I waited for my drink.

After a while, the waiter returned with my beer, and I started sipping it, lost in my thoughts. Time seemed to pass unnoticed as people came and went. Suddenly, the door opened, and four men entered. Observing them, I noticed that despite their civilian clothing, they had the bearing of soldiers. Two of them appeared to be in their mid to late twenties, while one seemed to be around 30, and the other was older.

As they sat down and began talking, I eavesdropped on their conversation but found nothing particularly interesting. Glancing out the window, I realized it was getting dark. Rising from my seat, I headed towards the bar, paid for my drink, and rented a room for the night.

As I was settling the bill, I overheard the older soldier mentioning something about the city of Oslo. With that in mind, I made my way to my room, reached the door, and entered. I lay down on the bed, contemplating the mention of Oslo, before slowly drifting off to sleep.

The next day, I slowly rose from bed and made my way to the window, opening it. The sunlight hit me directly in the eyes, prompting me to shield them with my hand. Surveying the bustling city below, I stood by the window for a few moments, taking in the fresh morning air.

After a brief pause, I exited the room and descended the stairs, reaching the bar. Ordering a drink, I glanced around and noticed only a few patrons present. Once my drink was in hand, I left the tavern and began my journey towards the city of Oslo.

Nearly half a month had passed since I set out for Oslo. Along the way, I traversed several small towns and encountered a group of bandits. Now, standing atop a small hill, I beheld the picturesque city of Oslo before me and proceeded towards its gates.

Upon entering the city, I was greeted by a well-organized urban landscape bustling with activity. I noticed pairs of soldiers patrolling, ensuring the city's safety. Navigating through the busy streets, I sought out a tavern.

After a few minutes of searching, I spotted a tall building and headed towards it. Approaching, I saw a sign indicating it was a tavern and entered, finding it crowded. Taking a seat at the bar, I ordered a drink and listened to the conversations around me.

Once I finished my drink, I settled the tab and rented a room for a few nights. Climbing the stairs, I made my way to my room, locking the door behind me. After attending to my needs in the bathroom, I laid down and drifted off to sleep, feeling weary from the day's journey.

The next day, I woke up and headed to the bathroom. After finishing up, I went downstairs and sat at a table, ordering a drink and a meal. Once I finished eating, I left the tavern and began exploring the city.

After a few hours of wandering around, I noticed that the residents here were almost twice as strong as those in the previous cities I visited. This observation led me to wonder why the people here were stronger. Despite exploring the entire city, I hadn't visited any specific locations.

"It seems I'll have to go check to see if there's any hidden secret," I thought as I glanced at the unvisited spot. After contemplating, I returned to the tavern and retired to my room to rest. As night fell, I left the tavern and headed towards the unvisited location. After a few minutes of walking, I arrived at the destination.

I noticed there were plenty of soldiers around; it seemed like this place was a base. Casting an illusion upon myself, I entered the base. As I navigated through the base, I sensed something peculiar, though I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I headed towards the area where I felt this strange energy, eventually arriving in front of a large building at the center of the base.

Entering the building, I descended a staircase, feeling the strange energy growing stronger with each step. Upon reaching the bottom, I saw a set of doors ahead. "It seems there's some odd energy behind those doors," I pondered as I approached them. Spotting a keyhole, I promptly used magic to unlock the door and entered.

Inside the room, I scanned my surroundings and noticed various items and documents, but I didn't dwell on them. Making my way to the center, I spotted a blue cube. I couldn't contain my surprise when I realized it was the Tesseract.

I walked over to the Tesseract and tried to pick it up, thinking it wouldn't do any good if I left it here. However, as I got closer, my survival instincts warned me to stay away. I immediately pulled back, noticing a sudden surge of energy where I was.

I realized that I was close to death as I looked at the Tesseract and wondered why it was rejecting me. While studying the cube, I began to think about how it is possible for energy to possess consciousness. I felt there was more to discover here.

Noticing the immense energy in the Tesseract, I remembered something I had read about the six Infinity Stones and remembered that each stone gave different powers. Looking at the Tesseract reminded me of the Infinity Stone connected to space. Although I couldn't feel its power directly, I noticed that the Tesseract was blocking the power of the universe.

I tried to activate the Tesseract with magic to release the power of the space stone. After several attempts, I was able to activate it and release some of the stone's power. However, as soon as I did, I felt the overwhelming force of the universe and immediately stopped my efforts, walking away from the Tesseract.

Feeling overwhelmed by the immense power I had unleashed, it took me a few minutes to regain my composure. I realized that my body was not equipped to handle the force, despite my training. I also noticed that the space rock was trying to kill me, though I didn't understand why.

Taking a deep breath, I admitted that it would take time to figure out why the stone was trying to harm me. I decided to stop trying to unleash the Tesseract and returned to the inn, where I eventually fell asleep.