A shimmer of cerulean light flickered, and Sean strode out of the rift. Behind him, the spatial corridor rippled like disturbed water before collapsing in on itself and vanishing.
Mountains greeted his eyes. This was Lofoten, a chain of islands in northern Norway. In the old tongue, the name meant 'lynx foot', a nod to the jagged archipelago that clawed its way out of the sea.
Gazing outward, the Lofoten Wall, as this barrier of islands was called, stretched a hundred and sixty kilometers between the western fjords and the North Sea, a bulwark against the biting wind.
Sean stepped across the green grass. The island stood perched above the bay, offering a wide and unobstructed view. Low, rolling hills rose behind him.
He walked unhurriedly to the cliff's edge, where the endless sea glittered below, mirroring the pale blue sky and the white clouds adrift upon it.
Sean looked at the one-eyed old man seated upon a tumble of stones. The King of Asgard, having come down to Midgard, wore no magnificent golden armor and carried no Gungnir, the Spear of Heaven.
Sleipnir, the eight-legged steed of legend, was nowhere to be seen. Neither were Geri and Freki, the two great wolves. Even Huginn and Muninn, the ravens that flew across the Nine Realms and whispered their secrets to the All-Father, were absent from his shoulders.
Here, now, Odin was simply an old man nearing the end of his days. His timeworn eyes were filled with memory; part fondness, part lament.
His life had been incredibly eventful. In his youth and prime, he had taken the throne from his father, King Bor. Asgard, having barely defeated the Dark Elves, had only just claimed its seat as overlord of the Nine Realms.
The Frost Giants of Jotunheim were circling, hungry and watchful. Surtur of Muspelheim, the Fire Realm, was restless. The Nine Realms churned with chaos and endless war. Danger pressed in from every side.
The young Odin had ridden alone into the realm of fire astride Sleipnir with Gungnir in hand, majestic and unstoppable.
He had torn the Eternal Flame from Surtur's grasp with sheer, unrelenting force. Then he had built his legions, trained the Valkyries, and raised an army whose thunder echoed across the realms. Only then had the precarious peace been held.
By the time Hela came of age, Asgard had finished its long recuperation. Odin had commissioned Eitri, King of the Dwarves, to forge Mjolnir, and bestowed it upon his firstborn, whose power grew with every passing day.
Thus began Odin's great campaign; the conquest of the Nine Realms, the carving out of an empire.
He had not failed his father's hopes. In that age, Asgard blazed like the sun at noon. It was supreme, resplendent. No civilization dared challenge it.
Odin himself was a name that echoed through the galaxy. The Nine Realms called him All-Father and All-God. His prestige was absolute.
"When you grow old, you find yourself drifting back to the old days," the one-eyed old man said, leaning back against the stones, looking at Sean with complex emotions.
This young man reminded him of himself in his youth. He had taken an obscure, nameless little civilization called Earth and carried it out into the sea of stars and carved out a place for it there.
"Having reached the final stretch, I no longer wish to remain in Asgard. This is a good place." Odin gazed at the boundless sea, his face showing no fear of impending death.
Asgard was the wellspring of the old Norse myths. It was here, in Norway, that Odin had fought his final battle against Laufey, King of the Frost Giants. The outcome was a resounding victory for Asgard. Odin had seized the Casket of Ancient Winters and driven his ancient enemies back to Jotunheim.
Norway, in its way, was another home...
"Where's Thor? Shouldn't he be with you?" Sean could feel the Odinforce leaking steadily from the old king's body.
The All-Father had clearly reached the end.
"He heard the prophecy of Ragnarok. The Norns showed him fragments of the future," A rueful smile crossed Odin's weathered face, "So Thor has gone to Muspelheim. He means to prevent Ragnarok from ever arriving."
Thor still didn't understand that the terror of a prophecy was precisely that it always came true.
No matter what one did, the tracks of fate would always bend back toward their original course. And then they would crush everything in their path to dust...
"How did you find me?" Odin asked, turning his head.
He had descended from Hlidskjalf, the high throne that overlooked all the realms. He had come alone to Earth, wanting nothing more than to slip away in solitude.
The old king, who had warred for half his long life, whose name still rang through the ages, had let go.
Thor was ready to shoulder the burden, to take the crown. Asgard was bound in alliance with Earth. And what came next, Ragnarok and Hela's inevitable escape, was a thing no force could alter.
Odin's ambitious firstborn drew her strength from Asgard itself. The moment her foot touched that soil, she would grow stronger without limit.
"Strange built a magical surveillance network across Earth, specifically to alert us against outside incursions," Sean replied evenly.
Ever since the Ancient One had transformed into a dimensional entity and begun her endless struggle with Dormammu for control of the Dark Dimension, Stephen Strange had taken up the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme. He had also forged deep operational ties with S.H.I.E.L.D.
"For a powerhouse of the King of Asgard's caliber, the three Sanctums issued an alert the moment you appeared in Norway." Sean said with a relaxed smile.
He had come straight to Norway the moment he'd left Reed and Susan's wedding.
"I never imagined you would reach this point. Even Galactus has abandoned Earth and left the galaxy entirely." Odin exhaled a long breath.
Faint golden particles had begun to drift from his body, those being the light of the Odinforce made visible.
Galactus was a threat far beyond the Mad Titan, Thanos. Even Odin at his peak might not have been able to stop him.
Sean's lips twitched slightly, but his expression remained unchanged, "Under my strong persuasion, Galactus voluntarily agreed to leave the Milky Way. He also stated he will never infringe upon the Nine Realms again."
At Sean's resolute declaration, Odin nodded with satisfaction: 'Only an ally like this could stand a chance against Hela and help Thor truly claim the throne...'
"I will do my best to secure a good future for Asgard. As for Hela… given her temperament, I'm not certain I can persuade her to coexist peacefully with Thor." Sean said solemnly.
He could promise Odin to help Asgard escape the doom of Ragnarok, but he was not necessarily promising that Thor would sit the throne.
Earth and Asgard were allies, but Thor was not necessarily the most qualified ally nor the most advantageous candidate for king.
In Sean's eyes, Hela was war-hungry and tyrannical. Thor was rigid and inflexible. The vanished Loki, strangely enough, seemed closer to his ideal candidate for the throne.
"To ensure Asgard's survival is already the best possible outcome." Odin laughed softly, his ancient face filled with a profound and weary peace.
Soon, his fading frame began to glow. The Odinforce surged, a tide of majestic power, dissolving into countless brilliant grains of golden light scattering on the wind.
The sea breeze rose to a howl, storm clouds gathered in the pale blue sky, a dark shroud rolling over the islands, pregnant with heavy rain.
"Tell Thor for me," the old king said, his body unraveling into light, his voice trailing like smoke, "He will be a worthy king."
Sean inclined his head.
Thunder rumbled through the clouds. A storm was imminent.
...
Far across the cosmos, Heimdall stood upon the Rainbow Bridge, profound grief welling in his all-seeing eyes. The stars across the firmament blazed with sudden, mournful brilliance, and scattered trails of fire streaked down through the dark.
In the halls of the golden palace, the great bronze bells began to toll. One by one, candles were lit, their flames flickering in the dim, as if bidding farewell to Asgard's greatest king...