"This is reckless. Your father is resting—he must not be disturbed,"
Frigga scolded sharply, her expression displeased when she heard her son's request.
"Mother, you have to let him try. Didn't Father agree to this earlier?" Thor said anxiously.
"No. Until he speaks for himself, I will not allow a stranger to approach him—not even you," Frigga replied firmly.
After Loki's betrayal, which had happened not long ago, Frigga could see things clearly even without Odin saying a word.
It wasn't that she didn't trust Thor—she simply could not afford to gamble.
"Mother!" Thor cried urgently.
"I said no, and that's final," Frigga said coldly, her gaze unwavering.
"Frigga, let them in."
At that moment, Odin's voice came from behind the ornate golden doors.
Hearing this, Frigga took a deep breath. She glanced at Lucas, then finally gestured for Thor to lead him inside.
---
Odin lay upon a golden bed, gentle streams of energy flowing through his body in a steady cycle—outward, then back in.
"An energy circulation chamber," Lucas murmured in admiration.
Though Asgardians appeared almost archaic in lifestyle, their technology far surpassed that of modern humanity.
Nearby, a team of palace healers operated glowing energy consoles, monitoring Odin's physical condition through streams of data.
"Father!" Thor rushed to the bedside. Seeing Odin so frail, tears welled in his eyes.
Loki stood near the doorway. Even he lowered his gaze upon seeing this scene.
"Enough of this crying," Odin said weakly. "Have you no dignity?"
Thor quickly wiped his eyes and composed himself.
Lucas stepped forward. "Are you ready?"
Odin shifted his gaze to him, resolve flashing briefly in his eyes.
"Do it."
"Your Majesty, I strongly advise against—"
"Stand down!"
A healer attempted to intervene but was silenced by Odin's command.
"If I do not survive this," Odin said solemnly,
"then in the name of Odin Borson, I appoint you as the next king of Asgard."
"Begin, Lucas."
Under everyone's gaze, Lucas raised his arm and placed his palm directly on Odin's head.
In the next instant, Odin's internal condition unfolded completely within Lucas's mental perception.
Inside Odin's body was a massive energy furnace, shaped much like a heart—the source of all his power.
Energy surged out from it through channels resembling meridians or blood vessels, spreading throughout his body.
Given Odin's age and strength, even if his furnace were declining, it should still rival a dying star.
Yet under Lucas's examination, the furnace was weaker than a planet's core.
Worse still, the energy it produced was leaking uncontrollably, unable to be stored.
The reason Odin had fallen into this state was clear—multiple problems had triggered a devastating chain reaction.
Even someone as powerful as Odin could no longer reverse it on his own.
Lucas had identified the root cause.
The next second—
A vast, pure, and overwhelming surge of energy—carrying a subtle, unfamiliar resonance—flooded into Odin's body.
Brilliant light enveloped Lucas entirely, and in the next instant, Odin was wrapped in that same radiance.
The medical instruments sounded alarms as Odin's physical data began fluctuating rapidly.
What Lucas was transmitting was his most refined Ki.
Although Ki could not directly heal physical injuries, it could stimulate living cells, forcing regeneration and self-repair.
Lucas was using this very principle to reactivate Odin's dormant cells.
What he had not anticipated was that Odin's energy furnace would directly seize and absorb the incoming energy.
Immediately, Odin's own energy surged outward, spreading through his body and triggering full revitalization.
'No wonder Hela displayed such terrifying regeneration in Thor: Ragnarok,' Lucas thought.
'And why Thor's injuries heal so quickly under lightning.'
'It seems Asgardian bodies have already evolved toward a semi-energy physical form.'
With that realization, Lucas continued feeding energy into Odin, steadily restoring his vitality.
The nearly exhausted energy furnace began spinning rapidly once more under the constant influx.
After about ten minutes, Lucas halted the transfer.
Even so, Odin's furnace had only recovered to roughly forty percent efficiency.
And that was merely the furnace—not the full energy circulation of Odin's body.
In truth, forty percent furnace activity equated to less than twenty percent of Odin's complete power cycle.
Energy, like nuclear fusion, was never static—it was constantly in motion.
This made it abundantly clear just how terrifying Odin had been at his peak.
—
When the energy flow ceased, Odin's half-closed eyes suddenly snapped open, a sharp glint flashing within them.
"His Majesty… His Majesty's condition has improved!"
One of the healers cried out as she stared at the data.
Odin's once sparse, pale hair had turned half black once more.
His loose, aged skin tightened rapidly, restoring the firmness of his middle years.
To Frigga, it was as though Odin from a thousand years ago had returned.
Odin looked at Lucas and said slowly,
"I truly did not expect your energy to reach this level."
Lucas knew the reason—the Space Stone within the Tesseract had transformed his body, elevating his energy quality.
Odin continued, "I had nearly resigned myself to fate. There was no one in Asgard who could help me."
"And yet… destiny is indeed a strange thing."
Lucas raised an eyebrow. "Spare me the talk of destiny. You should be thanking me instead."
"By the way—given the nature of your furnace, where did all that energy go?"
Once activated, the output rivaled a small star.
Odin chuckled softly. "Asgard itself requires energy. Every citizen must contribute a portion of their power to the core once every fifty to a hundred years."
"That only accounts for about sixty percent. The remaining energy must be supplied by me—once every decade."
"The Rainbow Bridge also requires a unique runic arcane energy. At present, only I can sustain it."
"Though Thor will be able to once he fully matures."
Lucas nodded in realization. "No wonder you ended up like that. It's understandable."
In short, becoming the Allfather meant becoming Asgard's primary energy source.
In Odin's prime, this was never a problem—but sealing Hela, aging, and repeated strain had locked him into a vicious cycle.
"Hela's seal is directly bound to my body," Odin said with a sigh.
"Each time she strikes it, a massive amount of my energy is consumed."
"That was the beginning of the downward spiral."
"Heavy lies the crown," Odin said quietly.
Lucas glanced at Thor and Loki. "Pity your two sons can't understand that yet."
"They will," Odin said with a gentle smile. "Eventually."
"You're quite optimistic," Lucas scoffed.
"If I hadn't shown up, you probably wouldn't live to see that day."
_____
T/N:
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