"Frigga… did I make a mistake?" On the king's throne, Odin held his wife's arm, his majestic face etched with regret and guilt.
His thoughts turned to his adopted son, the one who had strayed so far, and his heart swirled with complex emotions.
After defeating the Frost Giants, the Allfather had found Loki abandoned in the frozen wastes of Jotunheim; a frail infant, cast aside by his own kin for being too weak.
Odin had chosen to raise the child, keeping his true origins a secret. His plan had been simple: when Thor and Loki came of age, one would ascend the throne of Asgard, while the other would rule Jotunheim.
Thus, the blood feud between their peoples might finally be resolved, paving the way for peace.
But nothing had gone as he intended.
Loki had discovered the truth, and with it, the belief that Odin had deceived him all along. The throne would always belong to Thor. No matter how hard he tried, he could never surpass his brash and arrogant brother...
"Loki will return. One day, he will understand that Asgard is his home," Frigga said softly.
She often missed that quiet thoughtful boy. Unlike Thor, Loki was sensitive and proud, desperate for approval. Learning of his Frost Giant heritage had only deepened his self-loathing and fury.
"If only it were so." Odin sighed.
He knew his adopted son had crossed a line from which there was no return.
The Chitauri army was coming. Heimdall, whose sight spanned the Nine Realms, had lost track of them. It was clear that under Loki's guidance, they had found a way to evade Asgard's watch.
Before their conversation could continue, a tremendous crash shook the palace, followed by the blaring of war horns from the Bifrost.
An invasion alarm...
Odin's single eye snapped open.
A massive metallic beast surged up from beneath the Bifrost, followed by hordes of enemies. Among them, a familiar figure. It was Loki...
A dark tide erupted from the abyss below. Dozens of serpentine Leviathans coiled through the air, their roars shaking the golden city.
Heimdall, guardian of the Bifrost, had sounded the warning at once. His all-seeing eyes missed nothing across the Nine Realms, yet he had overlooked the abyss beneath Yggdrasil, a lifeless wasteland where nothing could survive.
Who could have imagined Loki would lead an army through such a place?
In another timeline, after failing to seize Asgard's throne, Loki would have fallen from the Bifrost into that abyss. Drifting in darkness, he would eventually find the Chitauri, offering them the secret of the Infinity Stones in exchange for the Scepter, and then lead an invasion of Earth through the Tesseract.
But without that cosmic gateway, Loki had turned his ambitions back to Asgard. He would make Odin and Thor see that even without Asgard's favor, he could carve out his own destiny.
Once the Chitauri conquered Earth and the Nine Realms, he would claim the throne as the rightful ruler of all...
"Loki!" Heimdall's voice boomed across the Bifrost as he recognized the figure at the vanguard, "Traitor! You betray Asgard itself!"
The gatekeeper swung his great sword, hurling back wave after wave of invaders. But the Chitauri were endless, swarming toward the observatory like an unstoppable tide.
"Asgard abandoned me first!" Loki stood atop a towering Leviathan, gazing down at the shining spires of the city he once called home.
Hatred and fury burned in his chest.
He had not been without love for Asgard. Had ambition not consumed him, he might never have tried to kill Thor. But the die was cast. The once-prince of Asgard had no path back.
"Seize the observatory. It is the key to the Nine Realms. Then... take the palace!" Loki commanded the Chitauri elders, refusing to look down at Heimdall.
The gatekeeper was already buried under countless bodies, the enemy throwing themselves forward like mindless insects.
As the alarm blared, Asgard's defenses activated. A golden dome of energy shimmered into existence, shielding the city.
Warriors rallied behind Thor, forming disciplined ranks. Odin, clad in golden armor, his ravens upon his shoulders, rode forth on Sleipnir. His presence alone a challenge to the heavens.
The Leviathans crashed against the golden barrier, their impacts like thunder. The shield wavered under the relentless assault, and cracks spread like spiderwebs.
"Begone!" The Allfather raised Gungnir, unleashing a blast of raw power.
A Leviathan shrieked as its metallic hide shattered, its massive body crashing down onto the city below.
But the shield could not hold.
*Boooom!*
With a deafening explosion, the dome shattered. The shockwave tore through the golden streets, toppling towers like dominos.
Thor led the charge, Mjolnir blazing with lightning. Each swing felled scores of Chitauri, yet for every enemy struck down, ten more took their place.
"Why are you doing this? This was your home!" Thor roared at the figure above.
"Home? My family cast me aside! Odin never intended to give me a chance. The throne was always yours! He gave me hope, then crushed it!" Loki's voice was raw with fury.
He raised the Scepter, cold fire burning in his eyes, "I will prove to everyone that I am better than you."
Odin surged forward on Sleipnir, a spear of light piercing the darkness. No enemy could stand before him. The Leviathans crumbled under Gungnir's might, their remains scattering like dust.
Yet the tide was endless.
"Loki… when will you grow up?" The Allfather asked, his voice heavy with sorrow.
He had never imagined that a single act of mercy would lead to this.
On the Bifrost, Asgard's warriors clashed with the Chitauri horde. The battle was brutal, the losses mounting... but the enemy's numbers seemed infinite.
"Spare me your false kindness! If you would not give me what I deserved, I will take it myself!" Loki directed the Chitauri in relentless waves, a cruel satisfaction twisting his face even as emptiness gnawed at him, "Asgard cannot withstand this army. You cannot defeat the Mad Titan. If you would just–"
"Asgard has no king who surrenders." Odin's ice cold voice resounded, cutting Loki off.
Light flashed, and another wave of enemies turned to ash.
The Allfather continued, "And that is why you will never sit upon the throne, Loki. You know nothing of courage."