Chapter 115: Visions, Obscure And Otherwise

There are mountains on Magni's back.

I have just seen them for myself, and wonder at the literal new world that my son has just shown me.

Recording this now, so Fishlegs doesn't get upset with me later…

''After dinner, my son Magni came to me, holding a synlengra clutched in his hands, and wanting to show me something. For a moment, I almost told him later, due to my duties, but I remembered being fifteen and my father not being interested in what I had to show him—and how I had vowed to do better.''

So I did.

''He took me up to the rooftop and told me to point the synlengra at the moon, which was a quarter full. I did so, after joking with him for a moment. And once I did so, I almost fell down in shock.''

There are mountains on Magni's back''. I could see their shadows, cast by the light of the sun. There are great circular scars on his flanks, caused by what, I do not know. I have done my best to sketch what I saw below.''

''But my son wasn't content with merely showing me his namesake. He told me to look at Odin next. Still stunned, I did so.''

And I saw.

''Odin's single eye peered back at me. Surrounding him were four others—who I can only assume to be Huginn and Munnin, and Geri and Freki.''

''I made these synlengra for looking down at the ground from dragonback. And all of this time, I never thought to look up with them.''

Tomorrow, I am going to the lens-grinders, and we are going to plan how to make the biggest lenses we can and how to mount them in a synlengra tube.

My son opened my eyes, and I didn't even know they were closed.

I'm going to give him even better ones.

—From the journal of Hiccup Haddock, June 22, AD 1059

Foreshadowing
Put spoilers here

Epigraph Tie-In

 * The epigraph is about Hiccup's son Magni discovering mountains on the moon and the Red Spot on the planet Odin (aka Jupiter) using the synlengra (telescope). The chapter shows Hiccup inventing the synlengra.

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