After an hour of speeches, Sigurd asks students to move forward and form friendships and alliances. Students introduce themselves: Gaby Smith, a cheerful student planning a cupcake shop; Jameson Jacobs, who jokes about having a name like an adult film actor; Jillian Merritt, a psychology major and basketball player; and Hector Salas, a pre-med student. Rey introduces herself without a last name, using her Aethercall to distract the group.

Listening to their ordinary aspirations, Rey feels a burning jealousy for futures they can plan. She glances at Aric; their gazes lock before he looks away. Despite the crowd, Rey has never felt lonelier. Eira Helian introduces herself, revealing her father works at Odin Enterprises. Rey deflects, claiming she is uninvolved in her father’s business, and steers attention back to Eira, who launches into a lengthy, self-absorbed account of moving day.

Rey receives a text from her father: a ticking clock followed by a photo of his chessboard missing the queen piece. She recognizes it as a threat. The game has started, and Odin is willing to sacrifice her to win.

As the assembly ends, Rey mentally reviews her mission: awaken Aric’s dormant Giant powers, find Mjölnir, and steal it within seven days. The plan is riddled with fatal holes, from waking a sleeping Giant to surviving the Eriksons’ retaliation. Mjölnir is supposedly sentient and responsive to her bloodline, but success is not guaranteed. She concludes she needs an entirely new plan and starts to leave.

Sigurd calls Aric to the podium for an impromptu speech. Rey sits back down, amused by Aric’s obvious discomfort. He delivers a terse, angry 10-sentence address about Endir’s legacy and job placement rates. Rey notices Sigurd watching Aric with a frozen smile that seems less than doting. Aric hates the spotlight; Rey realizes he is a puppet on Sigurd’s stage, just as she is trapped by Odin.

A familiar voice interrupts her spiraling thoughts. Rowen has arrived on campus. Rey is shocked and happy to see him, hoping he has a better plan than hers. She wonders why he is here and what changed, since Odin previously forbade his involvement.

As the assembly concludes, Aric sees Rey’s face light up while she talks to a very tall man in a black suit. Recognizing the driver who dropped her off on her first day, he feels an irrational need to investigate. A student named Becks tries to chat, but Aric dismisses her and continues toward Rowen. He spots the man in a far corner, clearly watching the crowd.

Aric approaches, assessing his build and earpiece. The man confirms he is not Rey’s bodyguard but works in service to Odin’s family. When Aric asks if he is watching Rey, Rowen deflects, then issues a veiled warning about how much time Aric has left. He refers to Aric as the “heir” with a dismissive tone. Aric warns him off, but Rowen says he is only observing for now.

As Aric walks away, a chill races down his arms, and he shoves his hands in his pockets. Glancing back, he sees Rowen watching Rey with the intensity of a guard. Aric realizes he is not the only one playing a dangerous game with Rey, and something tells him Rowen does not lose.

Rey, Rowen, Eira, and others linger in the Assembly Hall after the ceremony. When Ziva asks about his job, Eira explains Rowen is her bodyguard because her father is a high-ranking Odin Enterprises executive, which Rey recognizes as a cover story. She again wonders what changed for Odin to allow Rowen on campus.

Aric and Reeve approach, and Sigurd returns to the microphone to officially conclude the assembly. He announces the week’s activities: an ice cream social, fireworks over the lake, a capture-the-flag Nerf battle, and the annual Wild Hunt tradition. Reeve playfully comments on each event, saying he will skip the social and fireworks but will participate in the Nerf battle and is planning the Wild Hunt.

Sigurd encourages students to attend department mixers and collect their enrollment packets. Rey’s first week at Endir officially begins.

Rey returns to her room and finds Rowen inside. He throws a marble chess piece at her—the queen from her father’s threatening photo. Rowen confirms it is a warning from Odin and reports that Odin suffered another violent episode, killing four people. He explains Odin’s power is waning because his life force is tied to Asgard; being cut off is making him increasingly unstable and dangerous.

Rowen updates Rey on Laufey’s condition, confirming Odin has not hurt her yet but will if Rey fails. When Rey asks if Endir affects him, Rowen reveals his old scars burn constantly on campus. He warns that the Giants are not weak and Rey must move quickly. When Rey asks why Mjölnir will not respond to Rowen’s diluted Odin bloodline, he says an accident ruined him and refuses to elaborate.

Rey asks about lightning, which seems to trigger him. He suddenly attacks, lifting her in a chokehold and ranting that Mjölnir was gifted to the most powerful God and he is tired of his sacrifice being ignored. Rey struggles to breathe, realizing she will die if she cannot escape.

Fighting for her life, Rey shoves Rowen with one hand. The force sends him flying across the room, breaking the spare bed in half on impact. Rey is stunned by her newfound strength, wondering if her blood is responding to being near Mjölnir. Rowen has no memory of the attack and answers her earlier question: a lightning bolt can carry up to a billion volts.

Aric pounds on the door, having heard the crash. Rey opens it and lies that she fell, but Aric does not believe her. He pushes the door open, revealing Rowen and the broken bed. Assuming they were having sex, Aric makes a vulgar insinuation. Rowen plays along with suggestive remarks before Aric leaves in disgust.

After Rowen departs—advising Rey to seduce Aric with her bad attitude—Rey is left conflicted. She has a vivid sexual fantasy about Aric and his ice power. Ziva appears at the partially open door, and Rey quickly closes it.

Rey pulls out a note Laufey gave her and studies the runes: Raido, Dagaz, Hagalaz, Othala, and Thurisaz. She recognizes Raido from the Hall of Ormir and resolves to pay closer attention to campus runes. Looking out her window, she sees Aric walking toward the forest, angry. Ice forms under his feet. While Aric’s powers may still be dormant, something inside him is clearly awake.

Furious about finding Rey and Rowen together, Aric jogs toward the lake. He notices he is leaving icy footprints and realizes he is losing control. His medication no longer suppresses his powers since Rey arrived on campus. He grabs a log and finds he has dented the bark with his bare fingers.

In a flashback, young Aric asks Sigurd when they can return to Jötunheim. Sigurd tells him the Gods burned their homeland to ash, and they can never go back. In the present, a dark, coiled power swirls inside Aric. He stops fighting it and gives in, feeling freedom for the first time in years. He screams and crashes his hands against a tree, splitting it in half. Frost lingers around the crack, and he feels a rightness in the destruction.

He wonders what he is truly capable of and what Sigurd has hidden about being a Giant. A text from Reeve about the games that night pulls him back. The darkness recedes, and Aric believes he can control it for now.

Rey wakes from a nightmare about drowning while her father, Rowen, Aric, Reeve, and Laufey watch from shore. She dresses casually to blend in and heads to her first class. Crossing campus, the air feels unnaturally thick, and she consciously avoids stepping on runes carved into the ground. Another vision of kissing Aric flashes through her mind.

She arrives at the arts building for Advanced Ancient History with Dr. Tyrson, a commanding professor with silver-streaked hair. Inside the classroom, she sees Aric and Reeve in the back. A student named Zane tries to flirt, but Rey threatens him while Reeve piles on, scaring him away. Aric accuses Rey of stalking him, claiming she could not possibly have the credits for an advanced class. Rey retorts that she aced her AP exams.

Aric’s eyes flash white for a moment. Dr. Tyrson enters and instructs students to find their assigned partners, revealing Aric and Rey are paired for the semester.

As Dr. Tyrson begins class, Rey glances at Aric and experiences another vision of them nearly kissing, frost forming between their lips. When she tests her Aethercall on him, it soothes his tension but does not compel him, and he knows she is doing it.

Dr. Tyrson announces their first assignment: a paper on a local landmark due by week’s end. Rey and Aric are assigned the Ice Caves. Rey realizes her father must have engineered the pairing to force them together. When Aric accidentally grazes her hand, they both feel a spark. He takes her phone and enters his number before making a crude remark about seeing her with Rowen earlier.

After class, Rey sees Sigurd speaking with Dr. Tyrson in the doorway. As she leaves, she makes an old mocking gesture of loyalty toward Sigurd—pressing two fingers to her lips and extending her thumb to her throat. His eyes narrow in response.

Two hours after class, Aric sits in the dining hall feeling more on edge now that he is away from Rey. Reeve, Ziva, and Eira join his table, with Rowen standing guard behind Eira. Aric questions Rowen about working for Odin. Ziva and Reeve bicker with sharp tension, Ziva mentioning that Reeve once forgot he even had a girlfriend.

Aric receives a text from Rey about their assignment. She walks into the dining hall at that moment and confronts him for ignoring her message before asking to borrow Rowen. Eira agrees, and Rey and Rowen leave together with Rowen’s arm around her shoulders.

Aric’s hand curls around his Coke can, freezing it solid with a bloom of frost. The rune on his back burns intensely. He resolves to ask Sigurd that night about the rune carved into his skin.

Rey pulls Rowen aside, and he informs her there is a rumor they were naked when they broke the bed. Aric approaches, and Rey leaves with him for their Ice Caves assignment. As they walk to the parking lot, a storm gathers overhead. Aric suddenly confronts her, asking if she understands what being near her does to him, and tells her to stay away unless absolutely necessary.

They get into his car and drive toward the caves. When Aric tries to lecture her on the assignment, she cuts him off. He mentions she had a chance to run two years ago. Rey explains she was trapped by metaphorical chains around her legs—her mind and heart might be free, but her ability to run is frozen.

Rey receives threatening texts from Odin reminding her what is at stake and showing a photo of Laufey. Rowen has reported to Odin that she left campus. Rey silently recites Laufey’s runes, connecting Raido—meaning journey—to her current situation with Aric.

Aric and Rey arrive at the trailhead, which feels ancient and eerie. Aric explains the trail was once a burial route, and bones remain sealed in the ice. They hike a mile to the first cave. Aric walks deep into it without waiting, and Rey follows, feeling increasingly claustrophobic as the ceiling lowers.

The passage opens into a vast blue-and-white ice cavern. Aric seems awestruck and at home in the frozen environment, his body shaking. Rey sends her Aethercall toward him, testing his immunity. He shudders but appears to fight it off. When Rey notes the instability, he agrees they should leave.

As Rey turns to go, she slips on the ice. Aric catches her, and a loud crack echoes through the cavern. The cave begins collapsing around them. They run for the entrance, dodging falling ice shards. A large shard falls between them, and another hits Rey in the head. She loses consciousness, thinking they will not make it.

Aric wakes holding an unconscious Rey, surrounded by collapsed ice and bright light. He experiences a vivid vision of a battlefield where he wields Mjölnir as lightning strikes it and him. He fights two Gods, felling one who bleeds silver blood. In the vision, he sees a bloodied Rey who is then stabbed. A voice declares that with the perfect sacrifice, Ragnarök has begun. Another whisper insists Mjölnir needs frost.

Aric roars in the vision and jolts fully awake in the collapsed cave. His entire back burns intensely. One word echoes in his head: frost.

Rey wakes in the collapsed section of the cave, feeling no pain despite the fall. She sees Aric touch his shoulder blade, his hand coming away with red blood mixed with silver flecks—Giant blood. He quickly washes it off in icy water. After helping Rey climb out, she spots a runestone carved with Dagaz. Aric mentions that discovered runes are often brought to the university’s Anthropology Department, and Sigurd has warded the entire campus with runes for protection.

They walk back to the car in silence as a hailstorm begins. Inside, Aric removes his wet, bloody shirt. Rey sees runes carved into his back. One is clearly Raido, the first rune from Laufey’s note, while a second, beside it, is faded and unclear. Aric takes two prescription pills and leans his seat back to nap. When Rey asks about the pills, he explains they do not help with his dreams, which are worse than she can imagine.

While waiting out the storm, Rey asks Aric about his dreams, but he deflects. He talks about his dead parents and how he can no longer remember his mother’s hugs. Rey contrasts this with her father, who would be more likely to hold a knife to her than embrace her. She mentions Laufey told her stories as a form of affection.

Rey shares her favorite, the Nightfrost Ring, about Thor’s love for a Giant named Alvaldi. To prove his devotion and make them equals, Thor had the dwarves forge a ring that tempered Mjölnir’s power. Aric reacts angrily, saying the tale is really about betrayal because Thor abandoned Alvaldi. He explains the ring has been lost ever since, cursed by Alvaldi’s heartbreak. Frost gathers on his knuckles as he speaks.

Aric warns Rey to stay away from him and his family before she ends up dead like the woman in the story.

The drive back is silent and tense. Aric drops Rey off and heads to the lake, conflicted about his attraction to her. He practices his powers, creating frost and summoning a lightning strike, which brings a fragile calm. Afterward, he goes to the admin building to confront Sigurd.

In Sigurd’s office, Aric places the Dagaz runestone on the desk. Sigurd already knows about the Ice Caves trip and suggests an alliance with the Stjernes would be beneficial. He encourages Aric to get closer to Rey, using the memory of Aric’s parents’ deaths to pressure him. Aric recalls rejecting Rey two years ago, realizing both were pawns in their families’ schemes.

Aric understands Sigurd orchestrated Rey’s enrollment and schedule. When Sigurd asks for Aric’s vow not to disappoint him or his parents, they shake hands. Sigurd notices the cold radiating from Aric’s hands before dismissing him. Aric leaves wondering if Sigurd can read minds and why he is urging proximity to the one person who could destroy everything.

Rey enters an elevator, and Reeve follows, hitting the emergency stop. For once serious, he warns her not to push Aric. Reeve reveals that after their parents died, Aric’s room exploded in what was reported as a freak lightning strike. Reeve found the room turned to ash with Aric unharmed but with glowing white eyes. He mentions Aric also experienced visions of monsters, dead bodies, and a black-and-gold bridge.

Reeve explains that Sigurd has forbidden Aric from leaving the area for the past year due to kidnapping attempts. Rey realizes Odin has been trying to capture Aric for the past year—ever since they learned Mjölnir’s location—and sent her in because those attempts failed. Reeve gives a final warning, telling Rey to run from Aric rather than try to save him.

After Reeve leaves, Rey wonders if ignoring Aric is even possible.

That evening, Rey and Ziva join team Vikings for the capture-the-flag Nerf battle, while Aric and Reeve captain the opposing Berserkers. Rowen monitors from the sidelines. Rey plans to use the game as cover to slip into Sigurd’s office. She gives a spirited pep talk to her team.

Sigurd reviews the rules: the Vikings’ flag is in the dining hall, and the Berserkers’ flag is at the fountain near the admin building. The game begins. Rey, Ziva, and Eira take cover behind a large oak. As Rey leans against it, she is hit with a vision of an ancient, bloody battle with icy spears and burning forests. A presence urges her to find it.

When the vision ends, she sees a rune carved into the tree’s bark: Hagalaz, the third rune from Laufey’s note. Shaken, she is pulled back into the game by Ziva. Rey uses the chaos to break away, claiming she is scouting the admin building. She slips inside through an open service door and heads for the third floor.

Rey finds Sigurd’s office door unlocked and enters. She sees six rune paperweights on his desk arranged in a circle; when she reaches toward them, they deliver an electrical shock. She recognizes Raido and Dagaz among them. Searching the drawers, she finds student files with odd marginal notes, including the word “potential.” Aric’s file is flagged twice. At the back of a drawer, she discovers a small iron key.

Aric’s voice startles her from behind. Reaching for a book as a cover, Rey lies that she was just reading. Aric pins her against the wall and demands she hand it over. Professor Higgins enters and begins berating them for being in Sigurd’s office. Rey blurts that they were together, and Aric backs her up, claiming they needed privacy. When Professor Higgins mentions Aric’s deceased parents, it triggers a surge of his power.

Rey’s Aethercall bounces off Aric, so she uses it on Professor Higgins instead, stunning her. Seeing Aric’s eyes turning white and frost forming on his lips, Rey kisses him to distract him and de-escalate his anger. The lights flicker, his tongue strokes hers, and the temperature plummets. Rey breaks the kiss, shows him the ice forming on his skin, and they flee.

As Rey and Aric run outside, a crack of ice splits the sidewalk. Rey pulls him into the forest away from other students. Overwhelmed, Aric punches a tree repeatedly. His knuckles bleed red and silver before healing over with ice. Lightning strikes from the sky, hitting Aric directly and then a nearby tree. He tackles Rey, shielding her from the falling, burning branches. His glowing eyes fade back to normal.

Through his torn shirt, Rey sees two runes glowing clearly on his back: Raido and Dagaz, the first two runes from Laufey’s note. They return to the game field looking disheveled. Reeve’s team has won. Sigurd cancels the remaining events due to the storm, glaring at Aric.

Rey feels conflicted, acknowledging her growing feelings and concern for Aric. As their group walks back to the dorms, Rey calls Aric aside near the basalt arch and tells him she needs him—in particular, she needs a Giant.