The depths of the palace of Asgard were a place few had ever set foot in. As Vidar and Hela descended the stairs, the kingdom's characteristic golden light gradually faded away.
"Odin was always paranoid," Hela commented, her footsteps echoing in the silence. "Even when I was his right hand, his favorite conqueror, he never allowed me full access to the deepest vaults."
She ran her fingers over one of the runes, and it glowed briefly before fading.
"He said some secrets were too dangerous even for me. Which…" an ironic smile crossed her lips, "considering he sent me to massacre entire civilizations, says a lot about what he kept here."
Vidar listened in silence, but his mind worked quickly. He knew exactly what was in these vaults. He had seen Thor and The Avengers enough times to memorize every detail.
The Tesseract was here. The Space Stone. One of the six Infinity Stones.
And eventually, Thanos would come for it.
But that was the future. For now, he had time. Time to prepare, to change destiny, to make sure that when that mad titan finally arrived, he would find something very different from what he expected.
In front of the great door, Vidar then heard, with a sound like the sigh of a giant, the door beginning to open.
The air that flowed out was old, filled with dust, heavy with the weight of millennia. And inside…
Hela entered first, her eyes gleaming with eagerness as she took in the contents of the vault.
It was vast. Stone columns stretched up toward a ceiling that vanished into darkness. And on pedestals, in urns, in sealed display cases, there were artifacts. Hundreds of them.
"By the Nine Realms…" Hela murmured, walking slowly among the pedestals. "This is… this is more than I imagined."
Her eyes settled on a black-and-gold suit of armor.
"I recognize that armor. It's Kree. We took it from a commander after the Battle of Hala Prime." She kept walking. "And that orb… it's the Orb of Agamotto. Odin 'borrowed' it from the sorcerers of Midgard centuries ago."
Vidar followed her, but his attention was divided. He was looking for something specific.
And then he saw it.
At the far end of the vault, on an elevated pedestal protected by an additional energy field, there was a shining cube. Blue. Pulsing with power that made the air around it vibrate.
The Tesseract.
"What is that?" Hela asked, noticing the direction of Vidar's gaze. She walked toward the pedestal, her eyes narrowing with interest. "I had never seen that artifact before. It must be something Odin acquired after imprisoning me."
She stepped closer, and the Tesseract's power reacted to her presence. Arcs of blue energy danced across its surface.
"I can feel its power from here," she said, her voice filled with awe. "It's… immense. Ancient. This isn't just any ordinary artifact, is it?"
Vidar approached slowly, measuring his words with care.
"No. It's not just any artifact."
His golden eyes fixed on the cube, and for a moment he allowed memories of his former life to flow. He saw the Chitauri attack on New York. He saw Loki using the Tesseract to open a portal. He saw Thanos destroying the Asgardian ship, killing half the survivors, crushing Loki's throat.
He saw the golden gauntlet with the six Stones. He saw the snap. He saw half the universe turn to dust.
"Vidar," Hela's voice pulled him from his thoughts. She was looking at him with curiosity. "What is it?"
Vidar took a slow breath.
"It's called the Tesseract. And inside it contains something far more valuable and dangerous: an Infinity Stone."
Hela raised an eyebrow.
"Infinity Stone? I've never heard that term."
"Not many have," Vidar replied, approaching the pedestal while keeping his distance from the energy field. "There are six in total. Stones created at the beginning of the universe, each representing a fundamental aspect of existence."
He pointed at the Tesseract.
"This is the Space Stone. It controls the very fabric of space, allows instant teleportation across infinite distances, can open portals between worlds, dimensions…"
His eyes met Hela's.
"With the right knowledge, you could use this to transport entire armies across the universe in seconds. You could conquer a thousand worlds without them even knowing you were coming."
Hela's eyes lit up with a dangerous gleam.
"So Odin had this all along. This power…" she extended her hand toward the energy field, but didn't touch it yet. "With this, he could have conquered the entire galaxy. Why did he keep it locked away?"
"Because Odin eventually learned that some powers attract unwanted attention," Vidar replied. "And because the Infinity Stones… are addictive. They corrupt. They consume those who use them."
Hela glanced at him sideways.
"You speak as if you knew them personally."
Vidar kept his expression neutral.
"Let's say that… I've studied them a great deal. Odin's fragmented memories have shown me things. Odin knew more than he ever shared with anyone."
It wasn't entirely a lie. Just… incomplete.
Hela crossed her arms, studying the Tesseract with a mix of desire and caution.
"You said there are six. Where are the others?"
"Scattered across the universe," Vidar replied. "Some lost. Others… in the hands of beings who don't even understand their true power."
He walked around the pedestal, observing the seals Odin had placed.
"The Reality Stone can alter the very nature of existence, turn the unreal into real."
"The Power Stone—pure destructive force. With it, you could destroy entire planets with a thought."
"The Time Stone—absolute control over the flow of time. Past, present, future… all become malleable."
"The Soul Stone—the most mysterious. It's said to contain the essences of all the souls that have ever existed."
"And the Mind Stone—control over thoughts, emotions, consciousness itself."
Hela listened with absolute attention, and Vidar could see the wheels turning in her mind.
"And if someone were to gather all six…" she said slowly.
"Absolute control over the universe," Vidar completed. "Power to do anything. Create. Destroy. Alter reality itself at will."
Silence fell over the vault as Hela processed this information.
Finally, she smiled. It was a smile Vidar recognized—pure ambition.
"Then we must find the others," she said. "If each one has that much power, imagine what we could do with all six. Asgard wouldn't just be the most powerful of the Nine. It would be supreme across the entire galaxy."
But Vidar shook his head.
"No."
Hela turned toward him, surprised by the firmness in his voice.
"No?"
"No," Vidar repeated. "Actively seeking the Stones is exactly the kind of imbalance I've sworn to prevent."
He took a step toward her, his golden eyes shining with intensity.
"Think about it, Hela. What do you think would happen if we started searching for artifacts of cosmic power? If we began conquering worlds to find them?"
"We would become powerful," Hela replied.
"We would become exactly like Odin," Vidar shot back. "Worse, even. And besides…" he paused, choosing his words carefully, "we would attract the attention of others who are also searching for them. Beings who have been waiting for the right moment to move. Beings who make Odin's conquests look like children's games."
Hela studied him with narrowed eyes.
"You speak of threats that haven't appeared yet. Of enemies we don't even know."
"The greatest threats are always the ones you don't see coming," Vidar replied. "And I'd rather be prepared when they arrive than give them reasons to come early."
Hela remained silent for a long moment. Finally, she sighed.
"Very well. We won't actively seek the other Stones. For now."
She turned toward the Tesseract.
"But this one… this one we already have. It would be foolish not to use it."
She extended her hand toward the energy field, and this time, she touched it. The field crackled but did not repel her—her power as a goddess, amplified by being in Asgard, was enough to interact with it.
"Imagine what we could do," she murmured, her fingers brushing the edge of the field. "Transport armies. Open portals. Defend Asgard from any threat."
"Or," Vidar interjected, "attract exactly the kind of attention we want to avoid."
Hela pulled her hand back sharply and turned toward him in frustration.
"Then what do you suggest? Leave it here, locked away, unused? Waste this power?"
Vidar stepped closer to the pedestal, studying Odin's seals.
"I suggest we study it. That we learn how it works. That we strengthen the seals that protect it. And that, if the moment ever comes when we truly need it…" he looked directly at Hela, "then we use it. But carefully. With purpose. Not for conquest, but out of necessity."
Hela looked at him for a long moment, and Vidar could see the conflict in her eyes. The part of her that craved power and conquest was struggling against the part that was beginning to trust her younger brother.
Finally, she nodded slowly.
"All right. We'll do it your way. For now."
She took a step back from the pedestal.
"But if a threat arises, if Asgard is in danger, I won't hesitate to use all the power at our disposal. Including that Stone."
"I wouldn't expect anything less," Vidar replied.
END OF THE CHAPTER
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