The colorful beam of light was unmistakably the Rainbow Bridge. There was no doubt that Thor had arrived at Hogwarts.
The portal in front of Sebastian opened, and he stepped into it. He arrived just in time to see Thor and Loki appearing in the middle of the fallen tree in the Forbidden Forest.
Coming directly before the two of them, Sebastian embraced Thor warmly and ignored Loki's helpless expression. He spoke to Thor with genuine warmth. "Thor, it has been a long time since we last saw each other."
Thor shrugged and grinned like a carefree younger brother. He explained his situation to Sebastian. "I have been dealing with various matters across the Nine Realms recently. I just killed Surtur of Muspelheim not long ago. When I defeated Surtur, he accidentally mentioned that my father Odin was not in Asgard. I returned to Asgard only to discover that the God-King seated there was not my father at all. It was actually Loki in disguise the entire time."
Thor continued with visible concern. "Furthermore, Heimdall has gone missing, and we cannot locate my father's whereabouts. We came directly to you immediately because we need your help to find my father."
Sebastian listened carefully and then asked, "You are looking for the God-King. Was his disappearance not caused by Loki himself?"
Loki stepped forward quickly before Thor could respond. He spoke with clear frustration. "Do not accuse me falsely. I took the throne only because my father had already disappeared. How could I have caused my father to vanish from Asgard? The God-King possesses the greatest power in all of Asgard. He needs only a single thought to command the full power of Asgard itself. I am certainly not his equal in combat."
Sebastian raised his eyebrows but said nothing in response. Instead, he addressed both Thor and Loki with determination. "In that case, I will help you locate the God-King Odin right now."
Sebastian reached out and touched Thor's arm. He drew a drop of Thor's blood from his skin. Then Sebastian drew a rune with one hand while the drop of blood transformed itself into a corresponding blood-colored rune shape. At the same moment, a magic wand appeared in Sebastian's other hand. He waved the wand directly at the blood-colored rune, and it immediately transformed into a beam of red light that shot straight up into the sky and pierced through the clouds, pointing northward.
"Grab my arm now. We will follow this light immediately."
Without hesitation, Thor reached out and grasped Sebastian's arm firmly. Loki, though reluctant about relying on magic, also reached out and grasped the sleeve of Sebastian's robe. At that moment, Sebastian Apparated, transforming into black smoke and chasing the blood-red light. The three of them soared swiftly upward into the sky.
After traveling through the air for some distance, the black smoke suddenly descended rapidly from the sky. Whoosh! Boom! The three of them appeared on a cliff overlooking the sea. The cliff was covered with green grass and white rocks. A burly man sat alone on the white rock closest to the ocean. He had one eye, white hair, and wore a tattered overcoat. It was none other than Odin, the God-King who had disappeared from Asgard.
Odin had clearly sensed their arrival before they landed. Although he did not turn around to look at them, he spoke directly to all three. "Come, my two sons. Sit here with me for a while. I have been waiting for you for a long time."
Odin then turned his attention to Sebastian and continued speaking. "Sebastian, I am grateful for your help and assistance. As a token of my gratitude, please accept these gifts. Before Frigga's death, she had already asked me to give these items to you. Now I officially transfer them to you. I hope you will accept them."
With a slight wave of his hand, Odin sent thunder crashing down from the sky. It transformed into a golden box emitting wisps of white smoke as it landed on the ground before Sebastian.
Sebastian extended his hand, and the golden box soared upward to meet him. He caught it in his grasp. Upon opening the box, Sebastian immediately discovered that the interior space was far larger than the exterior suggested. It was clearly a spatial object with considerable internal capacity. Inside were numerous golden apple branches from Yggdrasil. The box also contained blood, hair, and nerve tissue samples from various extraordinary creatures. Along with these materials were numerous ancient documents and books, each one extremely valuable.
However, the most precious item was not any of these things. Instead, it was a single branch that appeared ethereal yet was completely substantial. The branch was as long as a man's arm and as thick as two fingers. It seemed to contain an entire universe within itself.
It was a branch from the World Tree itself.
Even Sebastian, who had seen countless rare materials and treasures, could not help but gasp in astonishment at the sight of it.
Sebastian had previously considered waiting for Thor's hammer to eventually shatter and age. He planned to refine the handle of that hammer as a magical material. While such material would only be secondhand, it would have been better than nothing at all. However, Odin had now offered him a genuine branch from the World Tree itself. This was clearly far superior to a hammer handle. Sebastian no longer needed to wait for Thor's hammer to deteriorate.
Just as Sebastian caught his breath and regained his composure, Odin's voice echoed through the air and reached Sebastian's ears that no ine but he could hear.
"Sebastian, Ragnarok is inevitable and cannot be prevented. Only through the fall of Asgard can Thor become the new king and build his own realm. However, with this event, Asgard's ancient technology and history will also be lost and affected. I give these treasures to you now, and I ask only that you provide Thor with copies of Asgard's technologies and historical records."
Odin paused and then continued with greater emphasis. "As for the remaining treasures and artifacts in Asgard, if you find them of interest, you may take them all away. The new Asgard that Thor builds will not need the items I gathered through conquest and bloodshed."
Odin's tone became more serious as he made his final request. "Finally, I ask that you help Thor and Loki. I have glimpsed the distant future, and they will face many dangers and catastrophes. I believe they possess the strength to overcome these trials by themselves. However, they will need a guide and mentor to help them find the correct path forward. For the sake of Frigga and our teacher-student bond, I ask you to help them."
Sebastian understood immediately what Odin was truly asking. He recognized that Odin knew Hela would break free from her imprisonment in the underworld upon his death. He also understood that Thor and Loki, without complete control of their divine authority, would be no match for Hela. However, Odin did not ask Sebastian to directly intervene and defeat Hela for them. Instead, Odin wanted Sebastian to allow Thor and Loki to face Hela on their own terms and grow from that experience.
All Sebastian needed to do was guarantee that Thor and Loki survived the coming trials. He simply had to ensure they would not abandon themselves to despair or stray from the righteous path they should follow.
Odin had sacrificed everything in Asgard to make this possible. He had also sacrificed his deep connection with Sebastian, the bond between teacher and student that he had shared with Frigga.
Sebastian felt genuine guilt toward Frigga. He had originally intended to help her avoid her tragic fate when the Dark Elves attacked Asgard all those years ago. However, Sebastian had been unexpectedly teleported to a parallel universe during the conflict over the Space Stone. Now that Odin mentioned Frigga and the debt between them, Sebastian had absolutely no objection to helping Thor and Loki.
Moreover, Odin had given so much to show his sincerity and trust. Beyond that practical consideration, Sebastian and Thor were genuine friends after all.
Looking directly into Odin's eye, Sebastian nodded slowly and deliberately. He indicated through this gesture that he accepted Odin's final commission and request. Then Sebastian transformed into black smoke and quickly disappeared from the cliff, leaving Odin and his sons alone with the sound of the crashing waves.
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