"How can this be..."
Thor's face was frozen in a mask of absolute shock. He couldn't trust his own eyes.
The "Thor" on the screen wasn't just beaten and bloody; he was stripped of his defining power. The mighty Mjolnir was gone. Even worse, he wore an eyepatch. He was maimed.
Where is my hammer? Where is my eye?
"!!!"
Odin's single eye widened, his pupil trembling.
He could not fathom what level of catastrophe would force his sons to load the populace onto a refugee vessel and flee into the void.
But the most terrifying realization was the absence of the King.
Where am I?
A chill, colder than the winds of Niflheim, gripped Odin's heart.
In this unknown future... am I dead?
The implication was horrifying. If Odin fell, Asgard fell. That was the only explanation. The Golden Realm had been destroyed by an unknown force, forcing Thor to lead the survivors on a desperate exodus through the stars.
And yet, even after fleeing their home, they still met with annihilation.
Cold sweat beaded on the Allfather's forehead.
Asgard... is doomed to fall.
If this knowledge left this room—if the Nine Realms discovered that Asgard's days were numbered—the peace would shatter. Jotunheim, Svartalfheim, Muspelheim... every enemy of the throne would rise up instantly.
Odin's hand shook as he gripped the armrest of his throne.
Seeing his distress, Queen Frigga leaned down, whispering urgently into his ear.
"My King. Even if the future on that screen is true... we have seen it now. And because we have seen it, we can change it."
"Yes."
Hearing his wife's wisdom, Odin's breathing steadied. He nodded slowly.
But peace was short-lived. A roar of pure Aesir rage shattered the silence.
"WHO IS THIS THANOS?! HE DARES HARM MY PEOPLE? HE SEEKS DEATH!"
Veins bulged on Thor's forehead. He turned to his father, screaming in fury.
"Father! Grant me permission to lead the legions! I will scour the cosmos, find this purple bastard, and crush his skull!"
Odin frowned at his son's reckless outburst.
"You are thinking only with the rage of a warrior, not the mind of a King."
To Odin, Thanos was a threat, yes. But the true question was why Asgard had fallen in the first place. Why was Odin dead? Was there another enemy lurking in the shadows, one who struck before Thanos arrived?
"What other possibilities matter?!" Thor swung his arm, miming a hammer strike. "This purple filth dares to slaughter us! As the King—"
"YOU ARE NOT KING YET!"
Odin's voice was a thunderclap.
The shout paralyzed the Great Hall. The silence was absolute. Even Thor froze, his mouth hanging open, the rebuke cutting through his rage.
Meanwhile, the Livestream Chat Group was erupting with activity.
[Tony Stark: Thor! Loki! Are you guys seriously sticking to the 'Norse Gods' roleplay? That is clearly a spaceship on the screen. Since when do gods need starships?]
[Loki Odinson: Silence, mortal! Who decreed that gods cannot traverse the stars in vessels? Do not judge the divine with your microscopic intellect.]
[Tony Stark: Hah. Keep bluffing. I'm with the wizard on this one—you guys are just aliens with good PR.]
[Tony Stark: But... who is this Thanos guy? And his ugly henchmen? Some kind of cosmic mafia?]
[Thor Odinson: Hmph. You need not know his name. Thanos will be dead by my hand soon enough! (╬ Ò ‸ Ó)]
[Baron Mordo: Haha. Good luck with that.]
[Peter Parker: Legendary gods... is all of this actually real? Like, Zeus and stuff too?]
[Loki Odinson: 'Stuff'? We are not things, mortal. You should be on your knees.]
Suddenly, the image on the screen shifted.
[Thanos grips Thor's skull in one massive hand. He turns his gaze to Loki.]
["The Tesseract... or your brother's head. I assume you have a preference."]
The Tesseract?
Odin's heart skipped a beat.
Centuries ago, during the Frost Giant invasion of Midgard (Earth), the Tesseract had been lost in Tønsberg, Norway. It was the price of victory.
But according to the Titan, the Tesseract had found its way back into Asgardian hands?
Odin's gaze locked onto the golden gauntlet on Thanos's left hand—specifically, the glowing purple gem set into it.
The Infinity Gauntlet. The Power Stone.
Odin was no stranger to such items. Centuries ago, he had commissioned the Dwarves of Nidavellir to craft an Infinity Gauntlet for himself. That gauntlet—a right-handed one—currently sat in his Vault, guarded by the Destroyer.
He never expected Thanos to possess a matching left-handed gauntlet.
And the Titan had already claimed one Stone.
"No wonder he seeks the Tesseract," Odin murmured.
As the Skyfather, he knew exactly what the Tesseract contained: The Space Stone.
And he knew the terrifying arithmetic of the cosmos: A being who united all six Infinity Stones would possess the power to rewrite the fabric of reality itself.
But beyond the cosmic threat, Odin's heart tightened with a father's anxiety.
In the face of death, what choice would Loki make?
[The video continues.]
[Thanos tightens his grip on Thor's skull, the metal groaning. "I imagine you have a preference."]
[Loki's face is a mask of cold indifference. He speaks calmly.]
["Oh, I do. Kill him."]
The Great Hall of Asgard gasped as one.
Odin's eye twitched violently.
In the white void, the real Loki felt his blood run cold.
He had always been jealous of Thor. He had always resent his brother's shadow. But... did he truly want to watch Thor die?
More importantly, his "future self" had just publicly refused to save the Crown Prince. Every warrior in Asgard, including his father, had just watched him sentence Thor to death.
This... was not good for his reputation.
Suddenly, the screen froze.
The System's icy voice cut through the tension.
[SCENE PAUSED.]
[POP QUIZ INITIATED.]
[Question: Into whose hands does the Tesseract eventually fall?]
[Option A: Loki]
[Option B: Thor]
[Option C: Thanos]
[PLEASE ANSWER NOW. Each participant has one attempt.]
[Correct answers will be rewarded with Livestream Points and Random Multiversal Perks.]
[Incorrect answers will trigger an Unknown Penalty.]