"Oh."
A low sigh echoed through the throne room.
From the shadows behind the high seat, Odin slowly emerged.
His once-majestic figure seemed older now, his shoulders burdened with sorrow rather than strength, but his presence was still titanic.
Loki's eyes widened in disbelief. "You…"
"Loki." Odin said, voice heavy, "I've never treated you and Thor the same… that much is true. But not because of your blood."
His gaze was pained, yet resolute. "Your path was always yours to walk. I did not expect you to carry such deep resentment in your heart."
For the first time in a long while, Loki felt something pierce the mask he wore… doubt.
But it lasted only a heartbeat. The rage returned, twisted and all-consuming.
"So what if you're awake?" He sneered, lifting his chin defiantly. "Laufey's army is already here. They're tearing Asgard apart."
A cruel grin touched his lips. "You're old. Do you really think you have the strength left to stop this?"
Odin's eye narrowed, fury briefly flickering across his noble face. He had given Loki everything. And yet…
"I called you son." Odin's voice dropped low. "You were never a trophy. You were family."
"A lie!" Loki roared. "You never saw me as an equal to Thor! No matter how hard I tried, no matter how perfect I became, it was never enough!"
His fists clenched. "That throne was never meant for me!"
"It's still not too late." Thor said, stepping forward, lightning curling around his arms. "Come back with us, Loki. Father will forgive you~"
"He's not my father!" Loki's scream cut through the room like a blade. "He's your father, Thor. And Asgard… Asgard was never my home!"
His form shimmered and vanished like a mirage.
Only his voice remained, haunting the chamber.
"Asgard will fall… and from its ashes, I will raise a new realm. One that does not reject me."
Thor turned, growling, "An illusion…"
"Thor." Odin said firmly. "Find Loki. Bring him back if you can. If not… stop him."
Then his voice rose, echoing with divine power that shook the very foundations of Asgard.
"All warriors of Asgard, hear me! I am Odin All-Father. Loki has betrayed the realm and brought the Giants of Jotunheim upon us. Ready yourselves! Take up your arms and drive them out!"
Across the war-torn streets and broken defenses, Asgard's warriors paused, then cheered. The voice of their king had returned.
Courage blazed in their hearts once more, and they surged into battle with renewed fury.
Even as frost-covered giants bore down on them, the Asgardians fought like gods reborn.
The Battlefield
Odin strode through the battlefield, his golden armor shimmering beneath the gray sky. The moment his soldiers saw him, they erupted in a unified battle cry.
"ODIN! ALL-FATHER!"
Axes swung harder. Shields held stronger. Arrows flew straighter.
From across the frozen chaos, a towering figure emerged, Laufey, King of the Frost Giants. Towering above his kin, wrapped in howling winds of glacial magic, his eyes glowed like frozen blood.
He regarded Odin with a mixture of amusement and disdain.
"You should've stayed asleep, All-Father." His voice rumbled like a mountain collapsing. "This war was long overdue."
Odin raised his spear, Gungnir, lightning sparking at its tip.
"You shouldn't have crossed the Bifrost." Odin said coldly.
"I warned you once, a thousand years ago. Your realm was spared. That mercy is now over."
Laufey growled, taking a step forward, frost cracking beneath him.
"Odin, I've been patient. You stole the heart of our power, which has rested in your vault long enough. And now, your people… soft, pampered by peace. It's time they remembered how it feels to bleed."
As if summoned by his rage, a deafening roar echoed across the battlefield. From the shadows of the frost storm, a tamed frost behemoth, towering, horned, its breath freezing the very air, charged forth like a mountain come alive.
It barreled into Asgard's warriors, scattering them like leaves in a blizzard.
Seeing Laufey declare full war, Odin's expression hardened.
"So be it." His voice resonated like thunder. "NOMERCY!"
Gungnir, his legendary spear, ignited with divine energy, its light blinding and golden. Odin surged forward, the ground cracking beneath his steps.
Laufey met him halfway, frost swirling as he conjured a spear of solid ice.
"COME THEN, ALL-FATHER!"
The collision was apocalyptic.
Their weapons clashed, the heavens shuddering. Frost met Light. Ice exploded into shards. Magic trembled in the air.
Around them, warriors and giants fell alike, the battlefield swallowed in carnage and brilliance.
Up high, watching from a tower, Soren's heart was pounding. It was the first time he'd seen gods make war… reality.
"So this is what true power looks like…" He murmured, unable to suppress the rising bloodlust.
His mortal soul screamed to join, but his mind held him back. "No… not yet."
Below, Odin pressed the attack. His once-dormant strength had returned, more than returned. In truth, he had Soren to thank.
He fought not as an aging king, but as a god in his prime.
Laufey's eyes widened in disbelief as he was steadily pushed back.
"This, this shouldn't be possible!" He roared, dodging a lightning-fast thrust. "You were DYING!"
"I was sleeping." Odin corrected coldly, striking with a force that shattered the ice underfoot. "Now I'm awake, and Asgard will not fall today."
He drove Gungnir into Laufey's chest. Bone cracked, and frost giants roared in dismay. Laufey collapsed with a grunt, blood freezing before it hit the ground.
Thor had caught up to Loki atop the Bifrost.
"Loki!" He called out. "It's over. Surrender, and I'll speak for you!"
Loki turned slowly, his face a mask of fury and madness. "Surrender?"
"To the man who was always chosen over me? No. Not ever."
Thor stepped closer. "Don't do this. Don't make me fight you."
"Oh, I intend to finish what I started. And after this… maybe I'll pay that woman on Midgard a visit. What was her name? Jane?" He smiled wickedly.
That did it.
Thor's eyes burned with light. "You dare threaten her?!"
Mjolnir whirled into his hand, crackling with divine might. He hurled it straight at Loki.
Loki deflected it with a sweeping arc of his own green scepter, creating a shockwave that shook the entire bridge. The two artifacts met in mid-air, sending a pulse of destructive energy that rippled outward.
Even Heimdall, watching from the gate, tensed.
"The bridge…" He muttered, eyes narrowing. "They're breaking it."
Indeed, cracks began to spiderweb beneath their feet, glowing faintly with starlight.
Thor landed hard, Mjolnir in hand. "Stand down, brother!"
Loki's reply was a scream. "I AM NOT YOUR BROTHER!"
He lunged, scepter spinning.
The two gods clashed, lightning against sorcery. flew.
Thor caught Loki's next strike, twisted, and launched him backward. Loki rolled, then sprang up, blood on his lip and fire in his eyes.
"You think power makes you worthy, Thor? You're just a brute with a hammer!"
"No." Thor said, his voice calm and pained. "I'm the brother who never stopped loving you."
Loki faltered… but only for a second.
Thor took advantage. He jumped, Mjolnir blazing like a comet, and struck down with divine might.
Loki barely dodged.
BOOM!
Mjolnir hit the bridge~
and the Bifrost exploded in light.
Starlight rippled. The bridge cracked violently, shaking as if the universe itself cried out.
Heimdall's eyes widened. "No… it's collapsing!"
꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂
Dare you peek into my other tales? The opening three chapters of select stories are free to all.
PhantomDream