The echoes of Shane's power spike and Olaf's awakening resonated across the celestial spectrum, a seismic event unregistered by mortal seismographs but felt acutely in the realm where Apex Negativa reigned supreme in his chaotic infrastructure. The massive, undeniable influx of energy signaled a significant power-up for his opposition, a surge that felt like a physical blow to the entity who controlled the world through carefully woven discord. He let out a "growl" so strong the news media reported earthquakes and tremors across the region, a chaotic byproduct of his unbounded rage. His frustration was now at an all time high. His agents and operatives had all failed. He himself had failed. Not only had the Raven God awoken, but he was now inextricably tied to Veritas Alpha and the mortal Shane Albright who served as his unforeseen proxy. The spear, Gungnir, was recovered, and AN knew with dreadful certainty that Olaf had definitely set his new conditions by now, restructuring his power base in the mortal realm. Apex Negativa could not ignore this any longer. He must strike hard, immediately, before any cohesive plan could form between the awakened god and the celestial guide. He would not know right away what Olaf's new conditions were; in fact, he suspected he may never know completely, as Olaf was too cunning for that, too aware of the necessity of masking his true sources of power.
He cast his mind back, reviewing the historical data he had painstakingly gathered and controlled. He had eliminated the Raven God over 1500 years ago. AN had been ruthlessly effective, turning people who lived under the Raven God's (Odin/Olaf/ect) belief system away from him or eliminating them from existence entirely. There were so few scattered remnants now that they could put them all in one place and not have the population of a medium-sized city. This was a far stretch from his heyday when the Vikings spread into Germany and raided the English countryside, their raw, chaotic energy a tantalizing early resource.
The downfall of the old ways had been slow, then sudden. The Vikings eliminated themselves by conquering too vast of a land, bringing in "slaves" who inadvertently introduced a new religion, a structure AN found easier to corrupt than the wild paganism he fought initially. A contingent of the Norse resisted these new ideals, some fleeing across the sea to a continent they perceived as untamed and ripe for conquest—the "perfect" land of the Native Americans. Shortly after, pressed by AN's escalating influence, his followers crossed the oceans. What followed was a quick and decisive victory by AN through this time, not totally by conversion, but by systematic elimination through engineered sickness and targeted warfare. AN had sent multiple ethnic groups across the waters, and the Native Tribes were forced into impossible positions: either siding with one against their lifelong enemies, or isolating themselves until it was too late. They became so few that they stood no chance against the tides of immigrants AN manipulated into the region. The old ways died, and with it, the Raven God's direct power waned to a faint memory. Once his power was low, AN moved in for the kill, launching a direct attack that killed the Raven God, and in the ensuing melee, destroyed most of the other celestials linked to him. A few escaped, low on power and devoid of hope, going into hiding, staying out of sight from the new regime. AN used the same relentless tactics to steal the residual power from the rest of the old gods across the pantheons: Greek/Roman, Egyptian, African, and Asian gods. They were all unseated by AN. They hadn't been attacked physically and sent into reincarnation for the most part; that was reserved for the lesser deities. Some of the "Warrior" types, those tied to conflict and honor, had gotten frustrated with their loss of influence and sought AN out to challenge him, hoping to possibly stop his rise through direct combat. They were promptly sent into the reincarnation cycle, and most never awoke, their divine spark extinguished in the mortal noise. Now, with only small amounts of latent power remaining, they had banded together and stayed mostly quiet, waiting for something or someone they could place their hope in. Although finding the Raven God gave them a flicker of hope, they were not ready to go to war just yet. Some of these gods retained larger pockets of followers, but none were on the level of current celestial power wielded by Veritas Alpha.
Veritas Alpha was an anomaly. He had existed long ago, prior to the fracturing that allowed AN to ascend. He could siphon celestial power off any society, not through singular dogma, but through pervasive positive action. His conditions were generic: simply "lifting people up," improving their own lives and the lives of others through mentorship, stability, and hard work. Celestials could have a much more specific condition tied to a certain people or belief system, which yielded far greater power, but Alpha's method ensured constant, if slow, growth.
Unfortunately, Veritas Alpha's universal condition was easy to follow but agonizingly slow in its accumulation. This was why he needed Shane as a proxy. He needed a massive boost, quickly. He had to allocate some of the power he gained—often through risky maneuvers—back into Shane's system. In return, these upgrades would generate exponentially more celestial power, paying back the investment with interest.
AN quite literally controlled the entire world through structured chaos. This by itself was unsettling to any true believer in balance, but when looking at the whole, this fact also contributed to hindering him in the long run. His entire empire was built on controlled instability. To lead the masses over the edge of the cliff he calmly had them walking towards, he had placed several "markers." These "markers" were subtly woven into religious texts or spoken by charismatic religious leaders as 'visions.' These revelations would guide the masses toward specific events timely placed by AN, steering them toward manufactured conflicts and dependencies. His ultimate goal was the entire world under one leader: no races, no ethnic origins, no separate religion—just Apex Negativa's singular, monolithic order. His plans included eliminating all the old gods completely. His vision and markers laid out a tapestry involving messiahs, false messiahs, prophets, and false prophets. It included so many minute details, but the consistent variable was always a corresponding "good entity" versus an "evil entity." The good entity would prevail, and the populace would be handed a new set of rules designed for ultimate control. He would take them down this road until he promised them they would live in paradise, one where choice was an illusion under his benevolent dictatorship. Knowing this intricate web was crucial because defeating AN was a monumental, generational task.
Meanwhile, in the mortal realm, Olaf was taking decisive action. He called everyone together—Veritas Alpha (now in his Bjorn persona), Shane, and all the system users (Gary, Amanda, Saul, Ben, Cory, Silas, and Oscar) were present, having gathered at the new expansion hub Shane designated for operations.
When introduced to the core group, Olaf questioned what everyone knew. Shane, speaking with the newly acquired confidence of a growing leader, explained that they were aware of the celestial structure, that the world was being manipulated, and that he possessed an AI system connected to his very being, a guide gifted by an entity he knew as Calvin. Shane then explained his system to Olaf—the leveling, the skills, the insight—and disclosed his most recent quest: "to find the Celestial Frigg."
Olaf became immediately excited and nostalgic, a warmth entering his eyes that hadn't been present since his confrontation with AN. He told the others—Gary, Amanda, Saul, Ben, Cory, Silas, and Oscar—about the celestial world and how it related to their current struggles without revealing his own identity immediately. He explained who AN was, painting a clear picture of control through division and manufactured suffering. He told them of Frigg, his anchor, and Freya, the warrior. He emphasized the importance of finding Frigg, because she completed him on a fundamental, celestial level, and Freya because her conditions were perfectly suited to counteract AN in this current age; she held the other half of a "key" to his full power, a key that would give them more than a slim chance of beating AN.
Olaf then surprised everyone by unexpectedly asking Shane Albright for a system interface. He reasoned that if he was to be the focus of this resistance, he needed easy, direct communication with Shane, the nexus of Veritas Alpha's localized resistance. He also felt he could potentially utilize the AI framework in a new way. Shane looked instinctively to Veritas Alpha, expecting guidance, and received a subtle nod of agreement.
Veritas Alpha then addressed Olaf directly, asking if he had any ideas where to search for Frigg. Olaf paused, his awareness spanning centuries of memory that had now flooded back fully. He told them about her deeply ingrained motherly instincts and that she was likely somewhere she could portray that visage to the fullest—a place where her care was most needed. "We need to check orphanages, group homes, and any place else where large groups of children that need a mother figure would be," Olaf instructed, his voice steady.
He then explained Freya. "She likely still has her memories and power," Olaf continued. "Most likely she is a model or movie star. Something where beauty, sex, war, and magic are prevalent in the culture surrounding her. She leans into conflict."
Shane, overwhelmed but trying to keep up, managed to interject, "Wow, what a combo!"
The group transitioned to defensive strategy. They discussed maneuvers to hold off attacks from AN. Some of the crew, still adjusting to the supernatural reality, were understandably dumbfounded but asked necessary questions. Veritas Alpha answered them clearly, giving a rundown of the master plan focused on operational security and guerrilla warfare. If they met up with any high-level AN operatives, they were to contact Shane immediately through their systems. Shane would then disseminate the warning to everyone else. If they encountered low-level operatives (easily identified by the clarity their systems provided), they were only required to send Shane a message to let him know, but they were empowered to handle them if they could. They stressed that they might be attacked on several fronts at once, making imperative communication through Shane's network. If it was AN directly, the order was absolute: they were to escape and not engage. They quickly set up multiple rendezvous points in case they were separated or ambushed and needed an emergency extraction route.
They emphasized that until Olaf had more celestial power flowing from his new conditions, they could not provoke AN with direct opposition. They must resort to guerrilla tactics: continue operating and expanding the roofing company as a legitimate power base and front, while Shane had to evolve into far more than just a successful business owner.
Olaf then privately shared only his precise conditions with Veritas Alpha and Shane. Armed with this specific knowledge, Shane immediately directed his team to do everything in their power to help people meet Olaf's conditions, providing them with actionable goals that would directly empower their celestial ally. He now saw his business as the perfect vessel for celestial good, a platform to systematically undermine AN's foundation by creating pockets of organized, self-sufficient prosperity.