Time wound back even further. After the failed attempt to corner Thor, Loki had returned to his physical form. He didn't seem frustrated, however, merely surveying his surroundings with a look of boredom.
A moment later, he heard footsteps. At first, he assumed it was Thor coming to visit, so he stood up and turned his back to the entrance. After another moment, he turned back around and looked at the person standing before him. It wasn't Thor.
It was Odin.
Odin was clad in his battle armor, wearing his winged helm, and clutching Gungnir, the Spear of Heaven, as he stood before Loki. Loki didn't need much time to realize that this wasn't an execution; he couldn't help but chuckle. "What's this? Is the Great All-Father setting off on a crusade?"
"Ragnarok... When I sacrificed my right eye to Mimir in hopes of seeing the future of the Asgardians, I saw Ragnarok, my child."
"Everyone knows about that, old man."
"What they do not know is that I did not see Ragnarok itself. I saw a group of beings—beings without color or sound, yet they could speak to me. They showed me everything regarding the Twilight of the Gods: Baldur slain by mistletoe, the arrival of Fimbulwinter, the armies of the Nine Realms marching upon Asgard, everyone falling in battle, and finally, the annihilation of Asgard."
"A group of... gods, showed you the future?"
"They showed me the past, my son. They showed me Asgard trapped in a cycle of endless samsara for hundreds of millions of years. Ragnarok is not a prophecy; it is merely their game. They sit there, watching us die over and over again. It seems they... feed upon it."
Loki's expression shifted. He walked toward Odin, disbelief in his eyes. "You never mentioned any of this."
"What would be the benefit of saying it? Should I tell the Asgardians they are nothing more than a fine meal? Should I tell you all that Asgard was never home to great deities, but that we are merely puppets?"
Odin let out a long sigh. "I made many efforts to avoid Ragnarok—Baldur was not killed by mistletoe, and you were adopted by me to become my son. If my previous theories had held true, you would have returned to Jotunheim to become the King of the Frost Giants, while Thor would have inherited Asgard, and there would never have been war again."
"Then why didn't you let me go back?"
Odin looked at Loki and answered with a question of his own: "Did you want to go to Jotunheim, son?"
Loki did not answer. He laughed, a sudden realization dawning on him. He sat down on the floor by himself; Odin followed suit, sitting down beside him in his full plate armor.
"You needed Jotunheim to have a qualified, even excellent monarch—one who shared a bond of brotherhood with the future monarch of Asgard. That is why you gave me the same status and education as a prince of Asgard, a life even more privileged than that of Tyr, Baldur, or Heimdall. You led everyone to believe you were choosing between the two of us to be your heir. But when I grew up, and when you were capable of killing Laufey at any moment, you were unwilling to strike."
Because a father was unwilling to let his son leave.
"Fool. It's all so foolish. All of this was ruined by your sentimentality! You are the All-Father! You are the King of Kings! You—!"
Loki was momentarily speechless, struggling to find the words. But then, as he looked at his father gazing back at him, he realized something was wrong and stood up abruptly. "Why are you telling me this? What are you setting out to fight?"
"Heimdall saw what Malekith discussed with you. In truth, Malekith has been far more proactive than you. The Wild Hunt can move freely through the Nine Realms without the aid of the Bifrost or the Norn Stones. He came to Asgard long ago, seeking my old enemies, trying to find a way to defeat me."
"What is there to fear from your old defeated foes? And if it is an enemy you fear, surely Malekith would fear it as well?"
"...I have a theory. No matter what I do, Those Who Sit Above in Shadow will choose to interfere. I do not know who they truly are, but I know they have the power. For instance, I once annihilated an incredibly insignificant civilization. I've forgotten why—perhaps they stood in the way of Asgard's expansion, or perhaps they offended me? Whatever the reason, I wiped out their entire race, billions of souls."
"I am not saying I regret it. After all, during Asgard's conquest of the universe, I have done many similar things. But this time, something was different."
"The resentment of those billions of people coalesced, turning into a physical demon. He might very well be the abstract entity of the concept of 'Hate' in the entire universe. As long as he touches hatred, he can strengthen himself. As long as there is hate, he can grow infinitely. As long as hatred still exists in the universe, he can be resurrected without end."
Odin spoke calmly, as if describing something mundane, but Loki was breaking out in a cold sweat. "You did that so many times, and suddenly a monster like this appears?"
"Illogical, isn't it? I thought so as well."
"Then how did you defeat such a monster?"
"I didn't. I caught him just as he was born, before he had finished digesting all the memories of that race, and I restrained him. I locked him beneath the foundations of Asgard. For hundreds of thousands of years, he has been hating, and thus, he has become stronger and stronger."
Suddenly, all of Asgard began to shake violently. Loki looked around in terror, unsure of what was happening.
Odin stood up. "I am not entirely sure how Malekith learned of him. Perhaps he heard some insider secret, or perhaps he received help from the three Norn sisters. Regardless, just now, Ulik the King of Trolls declared his rebellion. The troll miners under his command found the prison ahead of time. The monster is out, my child."
Odin released the prison's wards, allowing Loki to do as he pleased. But the vibrations around them grew more intense. Even during the Odinsleep, when the demons and monsters of the Nine Realms invaded, all of Asgard had never been this unstable.
Loki watched as Odin turned to leave and hurriedly followed, using his magic to conjure his horned helm and unsheathing his daggers.
He stepped out of the cell only to see a landscape of smoke and ruins. In an instant, his brother Heimdall was sent flying several kilometers away, crashing through and collapsing a building. Then, a golden-scaled beast leaped toward them, roaring Odin's name.
"ODIN!!!!!"
Odin let out an equal roar, screaming the monster's name as he hurled Gungnir toward his foe.
"MANGOG!"
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