Chapter 32: The Seer's Reflection
One month after watching Horik die in a pool of his own blood, Paul finally had the luxury of silence—and discovered that quiet was more dangerous than chaos when it came to processing the weight of everything he'd changed.
"Time to actually think about what I've become instead of just surviving long enough to become it."
Paul sat in the great hall of their northern territory, surrounded by the tangible evidence of power accumulated through supernatural means and human choice. The tapestries bore scenes of their victories, the silver on the tables came from raids he'd helped plan, and the warriors training outside moved with techniques he'd taught them through precognitive enhancement.
He activated his system interface with the methodical attention of someone conducting an audit of transformation.
[SYSTEM PROGRESSION ANALYSIS]
[INITIAL STATS: STR 1.0, STA 1.2, AGI 1.0, MAG 2.0]
[CURRENT STATS: STR 2.9, STA 3.5, AGI 4.9, MAG 4.4]
[GROWTH PERCENTAGE: STR +190%, STA +192%, AGI +390%, MAG +120%]
[SKILLS EVOLVED:]
[ODIN'S WHISPER: LEVEL 10 - MAXIMUM EFFICIENCY]
[SUCCESS RATE ANALYSIS: LEVEL 5 - ADVANCED APPLICATIONS]
[NEW ABILITIES UNLOCKED: FATE THREAD MANIPULATION, TEMPORAL ECHO POTENTIAL]
[TOTAL SYSTEM POINTS ACCUMULATED: 2,775]
"From helpless modern man to legitimate Viking power broker. STR nearly tripled, AGI up almost 400%, supernatural abilities that let me manipulate probability itself."
A new notification appeared that made Paul's blood run cold with its implications.
[HOST PROGRESSION: EXCEEDED BASELINE EXPECTATIONS BY 340%]
[ADAPTATION: SUCCESSFUL]
[QUERY: WHAT WAS HOST BEING ADAPTED FOR?]
[RESPONSE: CLASSIFIED - INSUFFICIENT AUTHORIZATION LEVEL]
"Adapted FOR something. The system brought me here with a specific purpose in mind, and I've been unconsciously preparing for whatever that purpose is."
Paul dismissed the unsettling notification and focused on more immediate concerns. The system recommended thirty-day rest period had proven wise—his mental clarity had improved from the dangerous 68% he'd been operating on during Paris to a much more sustainable 78%.
"I pushed too hard for too long. The völva was right about reality pushing back. I need to learn my limits before they kill me."
The next phase of his development came through teaching others the strategic thinking that had kept him alive through impossible situations. Paul gathered Lagertha's most promising warriors—Astrid, Gunnar, and a handful of younger fighters who showed aptitude for tactical analysis.
"Strategy isn't about being stronger," Paul explained during their first formal lesson. "It's about being smarter. Think three moves ahead. Calculate odds. Predict enemy patterns."
Astrid raised her hand with the particular intensity of someone whose survival had depended on quick learning. "How do we predict patterns we've never seen?"
Paul activated Odin's Whisper during their next sparring session, using those two minutes of perfect awareness to demonstrate what complete prediction looked like.
[ODIN'S WHISPER ACTIVATED]
[DURATION: 120 SECONDS]
[DEMONSTRATING PERFECT TACTICAL AWARENESS]
"Gunnar, your right side drops when you commit to overhead strikes. Astrid, you telegraph your footwork changes. Harald, you favor your left when tired."
Paul called out every mistake before it happened, every opening before it appeared, turning the sparring session into a masterclass in tactical awareness that bordered on supernatural.
When the enhancement ended, he began teaching them to approximate the same level of observation through conscious effort.
"You don't need visions to see patterns," he told them. "You need attention. Watch how people move when they're tired. Learn what mistakes they make under pressure. Most fighters are predictable—they just hope their opponents won't notice."
"This is what 'Shape Legacy' means. Not just surviving, but changing how Vikings approach warfare. Teaching them to win through intelligence, not just courage."
A young warrior raised his hand with confusion written across his face. "So I think about what the enemy thinks I'll do, then do a different thing?"
"Basically," Paul confirmed.
"My head hurts."
"Welcome to my life."
Bjorn watched from the sidelines with the particular fascination of someone observing personality replication in real time.
"You're turning them into you," he observed. "That's terrifying."
"That's the idea," Paul replied. "An army that thinks like seers doesn't need seers to lead them."
"Are you training an army of seers?" Lagertha asked when she found him reviewing tactical manuals that evening.
"I'm training an army that doesn't NEED seers. Better long-term investment."
[ACHIEVEMENT PROGRESS: SHAPE LEGACY - 23%]
[SUCCESS RATE ANALYSIS: ADVANCING TO LEVEL 6 THROUGH TEACHING APPLICATIONS]
The real conversation came late that night, when Paul and Lagertha sat alone in their private chambers with the weight of accumulated choices hanging between them like smoke from the dying fire.
"What do you want from this life?" Paul asked, studying her face in flickering firelight.
Lagertha considered the question with the serious attention of someone whose answer would determine the shape of their shared future.
"Security for our people. Respect. Legacy that lasts beyond swords," she said finally. "Something built rather than just taken."
"I can help build that," Paul replied. "Not through visions alone, but through everything we are together."
"You've changed since arrival. Less desperate, more certain."
Paul thought about the man who'd awakened on a merchant ship with nothing but television show fragments and supernatural abilities he didn't understand. That person felt like a distant relative now—related but fundamentally different.
"I've learned the difference between seeing futures and shaping them," he said. "I prefer shaping."
"This is commitment. Not just political marriage or convenient alliance, but genuine partnership with someone whose strength complements mine instead of competing with it."
They planned for the Mediterranean campaign with the methodical attention of people whose decisions would determine whether their northern territory survived their absence. Fifty elite warriors, the wealth accumulated from successful defensive victories, and enough system-enhanced equipment to ensure their core force could handle whatever exotic threats awaited in southern waters.
Paul activated Success Rate Analysis to evaluate their chances.
[QUERY: PROBABILITY OF SURVIVING MEDITERRANEAN CAMPAIGN]
[RESULT: 73%]
[FACTORS: ELITE FORCE (ADVANTAGE), ENHANCED EQUIPMENT (MODERATE ADVANTAGE), UNKNOWN THREATS (SIGNIFICANT DISADVANTAGE), PAUL'S PRECOGNITIVE ABILITIES (MAJOR ADVANTAGE)]
"Seventy-three percent. Better odds than Paris, though that's not saying much. But I'll take it."
[SYSTEM POINTS EARNED: 150]
[TOTAL SYSTEM POINTS: 2,925]
[MENTAL STRAIN: 78% CLARITY - STEADILY RECOVERING]
[SHAPE LEGACY OBJECTIVE: ACCELERATING THROUGH EDUCATION]
That night Paul studied maps of the Mediterranean that Ragnar had been planning—Rome, Greece, North Africa—places that existed in history books for him but would soon be destinations requiring tactical analysis and supernatural preparation.
"About to witness history from angles no modern person ever has. Assuming I survive long enough to appreciate the experience."
But as he reviewed routes and calculated logistics, Paul couldn't shake the system's cryptic message about adaptation and classified purposes. Whatever he'd been prepared for was still coming, and the Mediterranean campaign felt less like adventure and more like the next phase of training for challenges he couldn't yet imagine.
[WARNING: EXTENDED PREPARATION PERIOD RECOMMENDED]
[NEXT PHASE: EQUIPMENT UPGRADE ESSENTIAL]
[UNKNOWN FACTORS DETECTED IN TARGET REGION]
The system's warnings carried new weight now that Paul understood how much it had been guiding his development toward unknown objectives. But dwelling on mysteries he couldn't solve felt less productive than preparing for battles he could influence.
"Shape legacy. Build something lasting. And try not to get killed by whatever the system has been preparing me to face."
+1 CHAPTER AFTER EVERY 3 REVIEWS
MORE POWER STONES == MORE CHAPTERS
To supporting Me in Pateron .
Love [ In The Vinking With Deja Vu System ]? Unlock More Chapters and Support the Story!
Dive deeper into the world of [ In The Vinking With Deja Vu System ] with exclusive access to up to + 50 chapters on my Patreon, you get more chapters if you ask for more (in few days), plus new fanfic every week! Your support starting at just $6/month helps me keep crafting the stories you love across epic universes like [ Game Of Throne ,MCU and Arrowverse, Breaking Bad , The Walking dead ].
By joining, you're not just getting more chapters—you're helping me bring new worlds, twists, and adventures to life. Every pledge makes a huge difference!
👉 Join now at patreon.com/TheFinex5 and start reading today!