Odin looked at his brother with surprise.
"Sigurd, even if we take the initiative, what will be our reason? Who do you think we should target first? After all, I don't see any immediate reason to attack any of them. An unprovoked attack might have consequences."
Sigurd then considered who would be the best first target for Asgard. If his memory was correct, Malekith would be the one to attack first.
"Brother, I think our primary target should be the Dark Elves. The Frost Giants are leaderless since Ymir's death and won't make their realm a primary war zone. As for Surtur, he will come out of hiding, but I don't think he will let Muspelheim become the main battlefield."
Odin thought over every move their enemies had made throughout the century.
"Sigurd, I agree we can target Malekith. His nature is cruel; he shows no remorse even for his own kind and always seeks war. He must be planning something we don't know about. Why not attack the Dark Elves under the banner of eliminating darkness from the Nine Realms?"
Sigurd thought of the time when Malekith wanted to use the Aether (Reality Stone) to return the universe to a state of primordial darkness, where his race would reign supreme.
"Brother, you might be right. I think he is targeting every race in the Nine Realms for a specific reason. Why not attack first, before he is fully prepared?"
Odin then looked toward the palace where his father lived.
"But what reason will we give to convince Father and the other elders to go to war?"
Sigurd then recalled the incident in Vanir.
"Brother, do you remember the warning I gave Malekith? Why don't I use that as a pretext to enter Svartalfheim alone to gauge the current strength of the Dark Elves? Then you will have a valid reason to ask Father to send troops for war."
Odin looked at his brother, who wanted to use himself as bait.
"You don't think Father will see through our plan? Even if he doesn't, it's a tremendous risk for you to enter their realm. Father might punish you for your recklessness."
Sigurd shook his head, knowing punishment was inevitable.
"Brother, punishment is certain for both of us, I'm sure. But we can't wait for war to come to our doorstep. We've caught a few Dark Elf spies, which gives me a reason to investigate. I will go there secretly to gather information first."
Odin knew his brother's behavior was irrational, but it might be the best strategy for the current situation. After all, they needed details about Malekith's strategy.
Odin left Sigurd's palace feeling stressed and unsure of what to do.
When he arrived at his own palace, he didn't even notice Frigga looking at him.
Frigga looked at her husband, who appeared stressed.
"Husband, what happened? Is there a problem?"
Odin knew he had to explain what he had just discussed with Sigurd, or it would make him restless.
He looked at his wife, knowing Frigga was the right person to confide in, and narrated the entire plan concerning the threat and their counterattack.
Frigga looked at her husband and couldn't help but sigh; both brothers' minds worked differently from other people's.
"Husband, how did you go to deliver a weapon and end up deciding to start a war?"
Odin looked at Frigga, knowing anyone who heard the plan would react similarly, but he still believed the present was the right time to launch a war.
Frigga knew that once Odin and Sigurd decided something, it wouldn't change, but Sigurd would likely face punishment when the war ended.
"So what do you think we should do? Do you want me to tell my mother?"
Before Frigga could finish, Odin interrupted.
"Frigga, don't joke about this. If Mother knew, forget about Sigurd—even I would be punished. Let's wait until Sigurd enters Svartalfheim; then we will inform the others."
Frigga knew this war would be where Sigurd showed his power to the world, revealing his strength to the other races. She was aware of his power, as Odin sometimes mentioned that Sigurd was almost catching up to him.
At the same time, Sigurd looked at the box sent by King Eitri. He had already received a blade named Skuldarbrandr, which means "Future Blade" in Norse.
Sigurd placed the box in front of himself. When he opened it, he found a black-colored spear with a tip that resembled a star. Then he looked at the weapon's name.
"Urðarspjót."
Sigurd was surprised by the name given by the dwarven king.
"This spear represents the 'Destiny Spear'."
Sigurd couldn't help but think that Odin's spear, Gungnir, represented Fate, while his own, Urðarspjót, represented Destiny. This couldn't be a mistake; could it have been intentional by the old man?
Sigurd shook his head and examined the spear's finish. It was made of black Uru metal with a Vibranium tip that shimmered with an internal galaxy of stars.
He knew this weapon would serve him alongside his blades for a long time. He hoped that in this war, he could finally unleash his full strength.
Sigurd began preparing for his trip to Svartalfheim. Although his strength was considerable, he still wanted to prepare thoroughly and recheck everything.
Over a month passed, and Sigurd learned all he could about Svartalfheim: its different tribes and clans, chief among them Malekith's Black Bile Clan.
Although Malekith had unified most of the Dark Elves, a few clans still refused to follow him. Some had been massacred, but a few tribes or clans remained in hiding from Malekith.
Sigurd didn't think he would get help from those tribes or clans. After all, the Dark Elves were not an inherently evil race, but the Nine Realms often discriminated against them for their appearance, and they were weaker outside of Svartalfheim. As beings of darkness, their strength increased only in the absence of light.