Thor looked up at the towering gate and drawbridge.
The castle was unmistakably Asgardian in style. He tilted his head slightly, pondering for a moment, then strode forward.
Some of the arches and doors inside were left open, as if waiting for his arrival.
Though Thor feared nothing, he remained cautious. Every step was taken with the readiness to counter an ambush. But to his surprise, he encountered no resistance. It wasn't until he reached the hall that he finally saw two figures.
They were all too familiar.
One was the woman from his dreams—his sister, Hela, the Goddess of Death. The other, of course, was his brother, the God of Mischief.
Loki.
"Look who it is—my dear brother, Thor."
Neither Loki nor Hela looked surprised at his arrival. Loki had anticipated it, and Hela had already sensed his presence from Helheim.
"Loki!"
"So, why hasn't my dear brother knelt before our beloved sister, the rightful ruler of Asgard?"
"Is this the etiquette you learned from those lowly Midgardians?"
Loki's pale face curled into a sneer, mocking Thor without restraint.
A flash of anger flickered in Thor's eyes.
"Loki, do not mock my friends. They are the protectors of Earth."
"And you dare to free a criminal?" Thor's voice was heavy with judgment. "To throw the Nine Realms into chaos? Loki, you will stand trial."
Loki merely scoffed, unconcerned.
Hela, meanwhile, had been studying Thor closely. Listening to the exchange between her brothers, she arched an eyebrow, her voice laced with disdain.
"Interesting. So this is what you've become, brother."
"You prattle on about friendship, yet Asgard has never needed friends. It demands only submission."
She stepped forward, her gaze piercing.
"Look at you, Odin's heir. The anointed future king. And yet, you cower among mortals and call them comrades."
"Is this what that old fool Odin taught you? No wonder Loki betrayed Asgard."
Hela had always believed in one absolute truth—Asgard must rule with an iron fist. There was no place for allies. Only subjects who kneeled... or corpses that did not.
Friendship? What was that to a ruler? Meaningless.
So she dismissed Thor's words as easily as she had dismissed countless lives before.
"As my brother, I will grant you a choice," she said, looking at him with cold amusement.
Then, she uttered two words—softly, yet commanding.
"Kneel."
Thor's grip tightened around Mjolnir.
"To be clear, I have no desire to rule Asgard," he said. "But it deserves a leader greater than you. You will not bring Asgard glory. I see only ruin in your wake."
"My father taught me that a true king must also have a kind heart."
With that, Thor raised his hammer, leveling it at Hela and Loki. His voice was cold as steel.
"You are blind. Odin's so-called wisdom has rotted your mind."
Hela shook her head, almost pitying.
"You're even more foolish than Loki."
BOOM.
A terrifying force erupted from her.
Darkness, thick and suffocating, swallowed the hall. The last traces of light were consumed in an instant.
To Thor, it was as if he had been cast into a nightmare—an endless expanse of corpses, weapons impaled in blood-soaked earth, the air thick with the stench of death.
The sheer weight of her killing intent felt like it would tear his very soul apart.
But Thor was still Thor.
Just as the darkness threatened to consume him, lightning flared in his eyes.
CRACK!
Thunder exploded outward.
Lightning surged, ripping through the void. The oppressive darkness shattered as bolts of energy cut through it, flooding the room with light.
Thor roared and charged forward.
Air pressure exploded around him as he moved like a thunderbolt, closing the distance between them in an instant.
With a force that could shatter mountains, he swung Mjolnir at Hela.
Yet she did not even blink.
A smirk played on her lips.
Loki, standing nearby with daggers in hand, prepared to strike—until Hela stopped him with a glance.
He scoffed and stepped back.
Thor's hammer was nearly upon her.
Then, she moved.
With effortless precision, she raised her hand and caught Mjolnir mid-swing.
BANG!
The impact sent shockwaves rippling through the castle, lightning crackling through the air.
Thor stared in disbelief.
"This... this is impossible..."
Hela met his eyes, a smirk still in place.
"Didn't they tell you?" Her voice was almost amused.
"I was its first wielder."
Before Thor could react, she clenched her fingers.
CRACK.
Mjolnir groaned under the pressure.
Realizing what was about to happen, Thor roared, summoning all his strength.
"NO!"
He twisted his body, using the momentum to send a powerful kick toward Hela's head.
A mistake.
Hela frowned ever so slightly, but instead of dodging, she caught him mid-motion, grabbed his form with ease, and hurled him away.
Thor's body shot backward like a cannonball, crashing hard into the castle wall before slamming into the ground.
Dust and debris settled.
Yet the impact barely slowed him down.
Thor rose almost immediately, his warrior instincts keeping him sharp. His eyes flicked between Hela and Mjolnir.
Indentations.
Deep, crushed fingerprints now marred the once-indestructible hammer.
If he had hesitated a moment longer, it would have been nothing but shards in her grasp.
Hela observed him, mildly impressed.
"It seems you are not as weak as I thought."
Her voice held the faintest note of intrigue.
Loki had led her to believe Thor was strong, but not this strong.
At least, his reflexes had surprised her.
But Thor did not respond.
Because right now, he knew—he was merely lucky to still be standing.
...
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