Phil Coulson stood with his arms crossed, watching the impossible unfold. A massive vortex of swirling clouds formed above the Everlife Medical Center, energy crackling with divine intensity.
The Bifrost.
So it's real, Coulson thought, a small grin forming. He really is Thor of Asgard.
The god himself stood in the center of the courtyard, Mjolnir raised, divine power shimmering like a storm around him. His eyes burned with purpose as he shouted to the skies...
"Heimdall! Open the Bifrost! I need you!"
His voice echoed.
Behind him, Coulson leaned slightly toward Soren. "That's one hell of a way to make a house call."
Soren gave a casual shrug, adjusting his coat. "You should see how I respond to brunch invitations."
Above them, the clouds split with a roar, and a pillar of rainbow light burst down from the heavens, scorching a perfect circle into the earth. The Bifrost had answered.
Far away… at the edge of Asgard
Heimdall stood alone, his golden armor gleaming under the twilight sky of the Realm Eternal. The massive sword he bore, the key to Bifrost, glowed in its pedestal.
He had felt Thor's power return. A smile, rare and soft, crossed his normally stoic face.
"Welcome back, old friend."
But his heart remained troubled. Ever since Odin fell into the Odinsleep, the kingdom had trembled beneath Loki's veiled rule.
Heimdall had seen Loki's secret treks to Jotunheim, sensed his tampering with fate. He could not act. Not yet. Not until Thor returned.
Now… he had.
The beam of the Bifrost hummed like a living creature, pulsing with energy and light. Soren stared into its endless depth as it shimmered before them.
Thor turned to Coulson, grasping the agent's arm firmly. "Coulson, you have my word. I will return Soren safely. And Midgard shall have my gratitude for all time."
Coulson gave a small nod. "Just don't forget your favorite agent."
Soren flashed a grin. "Don't let anyone touch my desk."
Coulson chuckled. "You have a desk?"
"...I do now." Soren said, stepping fully into the light.
Thor joined him, raising Mjolnir. "Let's go, friend. Asgard awaits."
And in a burst of blinding light, the two vanished, leaving behind a smoldering circle and the faint scent of ozone.
As soon as Odin fell into his Odinsleep and Thor was exiled, Loki made his move.
With the ruler of Asgard incapacitated, the realm was without a leader, and Loki seized the opportunity. Grasping Odin's scepter, he declared himself the new lord of Asgard.
Though many within the court resented Loki's rise to power, their complaints were silenced by the scepter's presence. None dared oppose him openly, for to challenge Loki was to challenge the authority of Odin himself.
But Loki's ambitions stretched far beyond simple rule. Once he learned the truth, that he was not Odin's true son…
In secret, Loki traveled through the hidden passages of Asgard, shielding his movements from Heimdall's watchful eyes. There, in the shadows, he made a pact with the Frost Giants of Jotunheim.
The giants had long suffered from the cold, barren wasteland that was their home, and the loss of the Casket of Ancient Winters had only deepened their misery.
The artifact, once the key to their power, had been taken by Asgard, leaving the Frost Giants powerless. But Loki promised to return the Casket to them, and in exchange, they would help him achieve his goals.
The king of the Frost Giants, eager for revenge and the chance to reclaim the lost artifact, eagerly agreed to Loki's proposal.
Together, they plotted to reclaim the Casket, initiate war with Asgard, and reshape the Nine Realms in their image. Their dream was to invade other realms, conquering them and forging a new era under their rule.
Meanwhile, Heimdall, the ever-vigilant god of the daybreak, sensed that something was amiss.
Though he could not discern Loki's exact movements, he knew something dark was unfolding. He had already felt the presence of the Jotunheim giants as they had quietly infiltrated Thor's succession ceremony, cleverly blocking his vision and preventing him from seeing their intentions.
A foreboding sense of dread gripped Heimdall's heart, but bound by his loyalty to Asgard and his vow of allegiance to Loki as the new ruler, he remained powerless to act.
However, when Heimdall learned that Thor's divine power had been restored on Earth, his hope was rekindled.
Recognizing the significance of this event, he opened the Bifrost, eager to help Thor return home and restore balance to Asgard.
The Bifrost deposited both men on the Rainbow Bridge, the shimmering stretch of cosmic crystal leading toward the majestic golden towers of Asgard. It was beautiful beyond mortal comprehension, eternal, gleaming, and grand.
For the first time, Soren stood beneath the skies of Asgard.
The sensation had been… disorienting.
He had become light, his body unraveling into streamers of energy, pulled across the cosmos at incomprehensible speed. Space folded, time distorted.
And then, just as quickly…
His form condensed, stabilized. The world around him became clear.
He gasped.
A golden building rose before him, not vast in scale, but etched with impossible beauty. It was shaped like a domed cathedral, every inch glowing with warmth and elegance, a divine palace bathed in gold and starlight.
In the center of the structure stood a raised dais, where a solitary figure drew a gleaming blade from the floor, the holy sword of Heimdall, the Gatekeeper of Asgard.
But what truly unsettled Soren wasn't the sword, nor the divine structure. It was…
Twin orbs of molten gold stared into him, through him. They saw not just the surface, but memories, flaws, sins. Soren stiffened instinctively.
There was no threat in Heimdall's stance, no hostility. Yet his presence stirred something primal, awe, unease…
Heimdall knelt.
"Welcome back, my king." He said, his voice low, reverent, echoing slightly in the crystalline hall.
Thor stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over the realm. The soft wind carried the scent of ozone and golden blossoms. His eyes reflected conflict, nostalgia, sadness, and a tinge of doubt.
"Soren." Thor turned and gave a faint smile. "Welcome to Asgard."
Soren nodded slowly, still taking in the impossible, dreamlike architecture. "Gold everywhere. I feel underdressed."
Thor chuckled, though his tone was muted. "Heimdall, don't kneel to me. I'm still in exile. I no longer hold the right."
"How is Asgard?"
Heimdall rose, his expression clouding. "The All-Father remains in the Odinsleep. Since then… your brother Loki has claimed the throne. He holds the scepter of Odin. The nobles follow, but I fear it is not loyalty, that binds them."
Thor's brow furrowed. "That can't be. Loki is… clever, yes, ambitious maybe, but a tyrant?" He shook his head. "He is my brother. He loves Asgard."
Heimdall's gaze did not falter. "Thor, I swore an oath to serve the true lord of Asgard. I've stood at this gate since before you drew your first breath. My eyes have seen betrayal long before it struck."
Thor stiffened. "Heimdall…"
"Loki has been in secret contact with the Giants of Jotunheim." Heimdall said quietly.
"He's used hidden paths to bypass my sight. He plots something, Thor. I do not yet know what, but I feel it in the stars. And I must warn you."
Thor's face darkened, disbelief warring with loyalty. "No. Loki is cunning, yes. But he would not betray us. Not Asgard."
Heimdall didn't argue. Instead, he said something far more devastating.
"Loki is not your brother, Thor. Not by blood."
Thor lips parted, but no words came out.
"…What?"
꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂
Dare you peek into my other tales? The opening three chapters of select stories are free to all.
PhantomDream