Prologue

On a crisp Norwegian morning, December 26th, 2025, a resident perusing the local Oslo suburb newspaper would likely skim the understated death announcements before their eye would inevitably settle on the ever-expanding gulf of advertisements encroaching upon the content. Nestled among these pages, an announcement held a somber note:

In loving memory of Aaron Henrik Thorsen,

tragically departed on December 24th, 2025. A devoted husband to Agatha and cherished father of Adrian (10), Alexis (5), Ave (infant), and Andreas (infant). May he find eternal peace. A memorial service honoring Aaron’s life will be held on the 29th of December. The family kindly requests donations to the Safe Pedestrian Foundation in lieu of flowers.