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Heimdall arrived in the glorious throne room once again. The King's order had made his chest tighten. He had seen the praises millions sang of Skullfire across the world. How they joyfully discussed having the protection of a Demon. The good kind of Demon.
To betray such a man felt like a stain upon the very honor Asgard held dear.
Heimdall sank to one knee. "It is done, my King."
"Rise." Odin gently tapped Gungnir. "Heimdall, you must be wondering why I would treat him as such?"
Heimdall stood but kept his gaze respectfully fixed on the steps of the throne. "It is not my place to question the wisdom of the King."
"And yet, you do." Odin leaned heavily to his left and rested his bearded chin on a hand. His single eye stared past the golden pillars and saw something far beyond Asgard. Perhaps the bloodtainted past with Hela or perhaps the day he had severed the tenth realm from Yggdrasil. "I cannot trust anyone associated with her, Heimdall. Mistress Death does not choose champions for the sake of kindness. Did you forget those Netherdragons? The rivers of blood they caused and the undead army she raised?"
"Skullfire did not spill that blood, my King."
"Not yet," Odin replied in a heavy voice. "Who is to say he won't succumb to Death's desires for more sacrifices?"
Heimdall couldn't answer that. He saw everything but not the future, not how people would change.
"Sometimes, there are choices I must make as Protector of Nine Realms." Odin let out a deep sigh. "My life force is weakening. It can only imprison Hela—and now him—for so long."
"My King." Heimdall took an involuntary half-step forward. "What will become of Asgard if you fall?"
"Asgard will stand with or without me," Odin murmured. "Thor and Loki—my pride—will carry my legacy forward."
Heimdall wanted to argue. Thor was powerful but reckless. Loki was brilliant but selfish and a little too mischievous. Asgard might burn under either rule, just in different ways. But Heimdall had no right to insult their princes.
"I was a fool once just like them. They will learn in time."
"You still are a fool." A voice came from the shadows, as the air grew colder.
From the void, a flock of crows appeared and swirled into a dense cyclone of feathers and darkness, then formed a silhouette. A ravishing woman without any equal.
"Asgard will fall sooner than it was fated. Because of you, Odin Borson."
"Death…" Odin whispered. "Will you act on your own this time?"
"I don't have to." Death shook her head. "It won't be Hela or Surtur who bring doom to Asgard. It will be my companion."
With that chilling prophecy, Death dissolved back into the shadows.
Odin slumped in his throne and closed his eyes, perhaps regretting his decision to throw the friendly Skullfire into the same prison as Hela. However, the gamble had been made. He could only act to avoid any calamity.
"Heimdall, do not let him out of your sight. At any cost."
***
Meanwhile, Natasha found herself in a near-barren forest. The moon above was the same as Earth, but the smoldering heat told her how very far away she was from New York's winter.
To make things even worse, the man who teleported alongside her wasn't by her side.
"Dante?" she called out, turning in a circle. "Spirit! What happened? Why am I alone?"
A flare of fire burst from the air beside her before the Spirit's skull face emerged. "He should have killed Odin when he had the chance."
Natasha's throat worked as she swallowed down her rising panic. "What did Odin do?"
The Spirit chuckled. "He is a king before an honorable Asgardian. Your husband's strength posed a threat to Asgard. The biggest threat ever since Surtur."
Natasha took a deep breath, forcing her heart rate down with her training. Emotions were useless at a time like this—they made things hazier.
Her mind tried to pivot to Clint, who was trapped as a symbiote host, doing Norman's dirty work. Now she was back to Earth and rescuing him should be the priority.
And yet, her body refused to move in that direction.
The pull she felt in her chest wasn't for the archer. It was for the man who had literally fought the Spirit of Vengeance to drag her soul back in the control of her body.
While Clint had spared her life and given her a second chance, Dante had risked his own to stop her ledger from becoming redder. Then he saved her again in Asgard.
She couldn't let him die to a god's scheme.
Natasha looked at the Spirit. "How do I go back to Asgard?"
"I will help you," the Spirit said, drifting around her, trailing embers. "If you promise to continue honoring our contract of punishing souls."
"Alright, I will."
"So eager to be back to him. Are you perhaps embracing your role as the Demon's bride?"
Natasha swept her hand through the Spirit as if swatting away an annoying fly. She reached into the hidden lining of her dress to retrieve her comm device.
"Romance is for children. I owe him a great debt," she whispered, pondering if returning to SHIELD was the right choice. "Take me back to Asgard."
The Spirit burst into laughter. "Dante is probably not in Asgard. Odin could have sent him to any deserted part of Nine Realms. My prediction is on Hel, where he has his daughter imprisoned."
Natasha closed her eyes, feeling a familiar hatred brewing in her heart for Odin. "I'll get the answer from Odin himself."
"What if he is already dead when we get there?"
She clenched her fist. Just the thought of Dante fading away made her want to re-accept the Spirit and wreak havoc in Asgard until Odin returned Dante to her.
"I'll judge Odin."
Was she capable of it on her own? Perhaps not. She knew damn well she would try punching the old man for throwing them in a trap.
"Careful, little spider. You might start a war between Midgard and Asgard," The Spirit whispered like she was the devil on her shoulder. "You should go back to your spy roots. Infiltrate their royal palace, cause chaos, and create an opportunity."
Natasha would've done that if not for the Spirit's overwhelming power. When empowered, she didn't fear anyone.
"I'll decide when I get there."
She scrolled down her contacts, and her thumb hovered over Coulson. She swiped back and searched for news related to Manhattan and symbiotes. Thankfully, it seemed all peaceful.
"You still haven't told me how I get back to Asgard."
"It'll take a month for you to learn demonic magic. But—" The burning skull showed a devious smirk. "We'll trouble someone who knows mystic arts better than your husband."
Natasha raised an eyebrow. "Who?"
"A woman with a head as shiny as the moon."
***
Back in Hel.
Dante had assumed showing his power would stop Odin from creating trouble for him. Logically, a King wouldn't antagonize a force he couldn't handle. But he had achieved the opposite result.
'I guess Hela is coming out way before Ranganok.'
While casually making up plans to kill Odin, he took a seat on a boulder.
Death showed up beside him and laid her head down on his lap. "Companion, what got you raging like a Frost Beast?"
Her childish smile made his anger disappear in an instant.
"Asgard references. Really? That's what you're going with."
She reached out and caressed his face. "I read somewhere 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do'."
"By Asgardian laws, you're my wife. Shouldn't you be doing, you know... wife things?"
She pinched his nose with a smirk. "Always in a naughty mood. Why aren't you angrier?"
He shrugged, resting his hand on her hair. "Why waste my energy?"
"Because Odin forced you here. Now Hela will try to fight you."
He traced a finger on her face, leaving a golden trail. It turned out Biokinesis didn't work on Death. She had innate resistance to Biokinesis.
"If things go wrong, I'll just resurrect myself."
It would take some time, but with Biokinesis, he could recreate his body.
Death put her hands on her chest. "Companion, why not release Surtur to destroy Asgard?"
He shook his head. His beef was with Odin. Besides, Asgard was essential in protecting the nine realms. He would use the 'By the roots' method if Loki and Thor were the type to seek vengeance from the shadows. Loki would be sad, but also celebrate Odin's death. Thor had too much pride to try underhanded tricks. That would leave Frigga, who would be left for Loki to handle.
Death showed a mischievous smirk, suggesting his response was well within her expectations. "Then release Hela to rule Asgard alongside her."
"She probably won't agree," he paused, raising a brow. "You think I can make her agree with force?"
Hela had too much pride to be beneath someone. She would rather wait another thousand years for Odin's death than share her glory with someone.
"She served Odin once."
"She served her Father," he corrected. "Different roles."
Death smiled. "Perhaps you can become her dad. Death Daddy."
He gave her a blank stare. "I don't wanna. Just keep me hidden—"
Suddenly, the hair on the back of his neck stood up. His hand shot up on pure instinct and snatched a blade out of the air, mere inches from his face. The black ornate blade vibrated with energy.
The goth princess of Asgard welcomed him to her realm with a Necrosword to his head.
Black glow covered the air thirty yards away before green light spilled out of it.
"Oops, I forgot to use my cloak~." The cosmic entity disappeared after her mischief. He didn't expect any less from her. This whole conflict between her former apostle and current lover might have been her plan to get some amusement and giving him an excuse to seize power in Asgard.
At the same time, Hela emerged in a black bodysuit that was torn at places. Her messy long hair covered the left side of her face as she smiled coldly. "I didn't expect Odin to listen to my request, much less fulfill it this quickly."
He crushed the Necrosword in his hand. "You aren't looking Hela-good. You sure you want to fight?"
"Death's Chosen." The words came out of her with cold fury as she approached him with swaying hips in a runway walk style. "Tell me, how do you want to embrace your goddess?"
"In a closed bedroom. Where nobody is watching, preferably. It's easy to get performance anxiety, you know?"
"Oh, you're trying to be funny. I don't dislike that." She manifested a Necrosword in each hand. "The only thing I can promise is, you won't die swiftly or painlessly."
"You think you're the only one with immortality?"
Asgard was the source of Hela's power and the very reason for her immortality. The more time she spent in Asgard, the stronger she would become. She had spent a thousand years in Hel, which made her severely weak compared to her prime.
'Null.'
[Level 4 Resonance Link created with 'Hyperion']
[The current environment does not offer solar radiation. Advised to use every bit with caution.]
'I know.'
As the connection formed, solar radiation poured endlessly into his body. Each cell came alive under the burst of solar power as the Helio Reactor worked on drawing as much as it could contain.
The Helio Reactor lit up on his chest.
She stared at the golden glow spilling out of his chest. "Fancy trick."
She flicked her wrist. A Necrosword whistled through the air, faster than a bullet. The blade struck his chest with a Clang and bounced off.
"She has imbued you with a different power—a sun-based energy," Hela said in a casual tone, yet the way her smile disappeared and her jaw clenched told an entirely different story. "She cares so much about you."
"It's not her gift." He tapped his Helio Reactor. "This power is mine."
[Administrator must reach Level 6 before claiming ownership of Hyperion's power. It damages your credibility.]
He ignored Null's jab at his constant deceit. The man, who despised telling a lie, had told many in the new world. Sometimes, there was no other option.
Hela stopped right, giving him an intrigued look. "I'm surprised to hear that narcissist woman would love anyone. All she craves is souls and misery."
"It's her nature," he whispered. "That doesn't mean she is incapable of attachment."
Death's relationship with Felicia was the prime example of how Death could change. Observing the world from high up was different from getting up-close and interacting personally. The former bred indifference and the latter made bonds.
Hela's eyes narrowed, then softened slightly "You know her faults yet you accept her. I see why she would indulge in your company."
"Thanks for the compliment?" He replied, confused by the shift in topic. "I also understand why Death took interest in you."
Hela reminded him so much of Death that people might mistake the two for sisters. Both of them had very goth vibes.
Hela gave a small nod before the corner of her mouth lifted. "You seem like a smart boy. Do you want to settle this without violence?"
"There is a peaceful way?"
He could defeat Hela, but killing her would be impossible as long as Asgard stayed. So fighting her would be the same as fighting Logan with his Healing Factor on steroids. An immortal wolverine.
A non-violent approach would save so much time.
Hela placed the Necrosword blade against his neck. The softness in her gesture was more threatening than force.
"Kneel."
He blinked. "Excuse me?"
"I said—" The smile faded from her face at once. Her voice became colder and more forceful as though she would not take no for an answer. "KNEEL."
***
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