Denial, a complete subconscious denial.
After saying this, Hela herself felt a little confused. Why did she have to deny it?
Was there something shameful about it?
Hela, following her father Odin step by step towards the Bifrost, pondered in secret. After a long while, she couldn't come up with a reason.
It felt as if she had secretly done something bad.
"What's wrong, Hela?"
Frigga, who had been waiting on the Bifrost for a long time, saw her daughter lost in thought and couldn't help but ask.
As a qualified mother, she was happy to listen to her daughter's troubles.
In fact, she had always done so, which was why, despite not being Hela's biological mother, they still had a good mother-daughter relationship.
"It's nothing, I was just thinking about some strange things."
Hela, returning to her senses, shook her head and, after Odin, mounted her warhorse.
This would be their mode of transportation to Vormir.
First, they would be teleported out of the Nine Realms via the Bifrost, and then they would ride their horses through the universe. This was Asgard's usual way of traveling.
"Alright, if you want to talk to someone, I'll always be waiting for you in Asgard."
Under Frigga's gentle gaze, Odin and Hela's figures instantly disappeared into the colorful glow of the Bifrost.
Three days later, somewhere in the universe.
"Father, actually, I think we Asgardians should also start developing spaceships."
Hela, who had stopped to rest on an uninhabited planet, took out fodder from her saddlebag, which came from the Asgardian ranches, and placed it in front of her warhorse. After a moment, she suddenly looked up and suggested to her father.
After getting used to comfortable spaceships, traveling by horseback, a seemingly primitive mode of transportation, was truly annoying her.
Especially having to stop and feed the horse. Nothing else mattered.
"Oh?"
"I remember you used to love riding horses so much." Odin said with a chuckle, reminiscing about the past when a young Hela was a frequent visitor to the Asgardian ranches.
"But there's no reason to refuse more advanced technology, is there, Father?"
"Of course. Then, how about I leave this matter to you, Hela?"
"Leave it to… me?" Hela frowned upon hearing this.
"Yes, it's up to you. Don't disappoint me, Hela." Odin smiled, reaching out to pat the flying divine horse, which was happily eating, and gazed into the depths of the mysterious universe with eyes as deep as the vast starry sky.
There, in that unknown distance, lay Odin's next target.
Those supreme beings were also the reason Odin wanted to retrieve the Soul Stone from Vormir.
The Soul Stone + Space Stone + Destroyer Armor would be enough to give him a sliver of hope in case of defeat.
As Odin's strength grew, the mere Nine Realms could no longer satisfy his appetite.
After recently leading the Asgardian army to conquer Vanaheim, only Jotunheim remained to resist.
Although the Frost Giants had lost their most treasured artifact, the Casket of Ancient Winters, King Laufey seemed to have gained some power from the giant ancestor Ymir, and thus developed a method of borrowing the power of the World Tree to resist Asgard's invasion.
Unless Odin was willing to destroy the foundation of the entire Nine Realms, the World Tree, at once, conquering Jotunheim would only be a matter of time.
It was precisely because of this that Odin, having already preliminarily completed his conquest, turned his attention entirely to those supreme beings beyond the Nine Realms.
He wanted to challenge them. He wanted to conquer them.
He wanted to become the number one person in this universe, step by step!
Odin thought this, his ambition swelling unprecedentedly along with his strength.
Either don't do it at all, or do it all at once.
As long as he defeated those supreme beings, the entire universe would be his. At that time, no one would be able to stop him, not even Thanos.
Odin knew that his decision carried great risks, but he couldn't suppress his restless heart.
Therefore, he made preparations for both scenarios.
The significant progress in Asgardian technology led by Hela would be one of the best boosters for her ascension to the throne.
If he did not return, the Asgardian royal family would not be broken. Hela could inherit his legacy and complete his unfinished business.
[Should I be in charge of this?]
[How do I research spaceships?]
Having only ridden finished products, Hela fell into deep thought while riding her horse towards Vormir.
Putting herself into this new identity and role, Hela found that she knew nothing about the construction of various warships and spaceships.
[After we get back, should I find Beckett?]
Subconsciously, Hela remembered seeing Beckett a few times, and the warships he rode were never the same.
Besides Beckett, there seemed to be no one else who could help her.
Hela thought and thought, but couldn't find anyone in her list of acquaintances with mature warship manufacturing technology.
The long journey passed by in Odin's daydreams and Hela's contemplation.
A full thirteen days later, the two arrived at their destination, Vormir, a desolate planet that appeared to have no life.
"According to the map, the Soul Stone is on there." Ignoring the frost that descended from Vormir's sky after their arrival, Hela opened her eyes, snapping out of her memory of the map. She took the lead, guiding Odin.
"Welcome to Vormir, Odin, Son of Bor."
"Welcome to Vormir, Hela, Daughter of Odin."
As they went from the plains to the mountainside, a voice abruptly echoed in Odin and Hela's ears.
"You know us?"
A vigilant Odin shielded Hela behind him, staring at the figure appearing on the mountain path ahead.
A handsome face, unable to be hidden even by a tattered cloak.
"Knowing who has come here is a curse placed upon me."
"Where is the Soul Stone?" Odin narrowed his eyes and asked.
"Odin, you should understand that to obtain the Soul Stone, you must pay a considerable price."
"I am ready."
Odin, who had been shielding Hela, looked extremely serious. He had prepared for this moment for a long time.
"Before you, everyone who saw me said the same thing, but in the end, they all found out how terribly wrong they were."
"Do not compare me to those people."
"Those people also said the same words, but in the end, without exception, they all faltered at the final step."
"What is the price for obtaining the stone?"
Unable to stand the man's mystifying words, Hela got straight to the point.
"The soul of the one you love."
"What?"
"Soul for soul, it's fair, isn't it?"
The man smiled, his body floating in mid-air slowly descending.
"And it must be someone you personally love."
"Don't think of taking shortcuts. The Soul Stone, in a sense, is the embodiment of this universe's wisdom. It can discern whether a person is sincere, whether they have truly paid the price."
"All who have tried to deceive it have paid a heavy price in the end, and you are no exception."
"So, tell me, Odin, what is your choice?"
The cloaked man smiled, but his gaze towards Hela sent a chill through her heart.
Hela turned her gaze to her father beside her, meeting Odin's returning stare.
"Fat, Father..."
Frost continued to fall, and the atmosphere on the mountainside instantly fell into a deathly silence.
"It's time to go home, Hela."
After a long pause, Odin finally spoke, his voice hoarse.
"Home, back to Asgard."
-----------
Translation by: randomtranslator.com
Read 2500+ original & fanfic translations and Translate for Free at: randomtranslator.com