Chapter 303: Blade Works
7th May 2013, Sayre Manor
(Loki Odinson POV)
But one thing was still bugging him, "I still don't know why you revealed the fact that Thor was planning on releasing Nidhogg to kill them. They will prepare against a heavy assault to prevent this."
The eternal witch nodded, "yes, they will. And they will be distracted by fighting it, to stop the hidden traps that we will have in the frontal attack."
Oh, that made sense. They pretended that the army was the distraction while the Dragon of the End was the true weapon. This way, the Shadows would be distracted by the dragon while the army would activate the Morrigan's trap, whatever that may be.
Wait a minute, did she say that they will be fighting Nidhogg? "Please tell me that I heard it wrong, but you just said that they would be fighting Nidhogg. You're not planning on really releasing the Dragon of the End, are you?"
The infuriating woman didn't answer, but instead gave him a smug smirk. She turned around and left, "It's time for Odin to start his phase of the plan."
7th May 2013, Royal Palace, Asgard
(Odin Borson POV)
Odin Borson, All-Father, King of Asgard, Butcher of Millions, Vanquisher of Heaven, Lover to the Phoenix, these were a few of the countless titles that he had been given throughout the course of his countless lives.
Even now, people trembled before his power, scared that he would return to his old ways of warfare and bloodshed, scared that they would be next in his long line of kills.
And yet, for the first time in countless lifetimes, he was excited. Something was finally different, something was new. Something always died in him the moment he performs his ritual every lifetime. The knowledge that his life was nothing more than a story, that he was nothing more than a puppet, was very disheartening. Asgard, his people, were nothing more than a tapestry, nothing more than cattle for the amusement and nourishment of higher beings.
Odin had tried lifetime after lifetime, to manipulate the situation to his advantage, to take them by surprise as he almost did the first time, he figured out what was happening. But alas, he lost, and he kept losing for countless times, each time returning with less power, his Odinforce dwindling by their clever tricks.
Every time, something unexpected would happen that would stop him. He kept on trying until he discovered that he was bound by the chains of fate at the hand of Those Who Sit Above in Shadow. It was then that he really understood how powerful these beings were, to be able to bind a man such as him. He was one of the most powerful beings in the universe. He had even matched Celestials during the Celestial Wars. He had seen Knull's defeat with his own eye.
Ant yet, to his shame, he had lost hope. There was no one to physically fight, no one to kill or slay. And the King of Asgard was lost. He gave up and let the narrative continue. He let his son have his hammer and act like a brute while another would always betray him and cause Asgard's destruction. Their lives were nothing more than a painting, a story, that was played out to the benefit of hidden beings with power far outstripping his.
That kept going on, until he went on a trip to Midgard with Frigga, in the last timeline. It was then that he realized the Shadows' first weakness. They were blind in Midgard. And that was something he could use. His mind was free for the first time in lifetimes, and he used it to plan.
Odin was barely more than a neutered beast, he knew that. His overlords had bound him in prophecies and a particular timeline to follow no matter what he wished. He could not defeat them himself, but Thor had no such limitations. Mjolnir protected him in every reincarnation and Odin could use this to his advantage.
Thor's conception was a ritual that Frigga didn't know of. He combined the essence of the Earth Mother itself, Gaia or Jorl as she is known to his people, to his wife's womb. When Thor was born, he was as much the son of the elder goddess as he was Frigga's. And thus, the strongest Thor was born.
Things went exactly according to the timeline as to not warn them, Odin perished, swallowed by Fenrir, and Ragnarök happened, but Thor survived. Better yet, he performed his ritual and understood what the Endgame was. His son hatched a mad plan with the Morrigan that would see to the freedom of his people, and she accepted. Rune King Thor proceeded to sacrifice himself to cripple the Shadows, turning them into mere remnants of what they used to be, as they had done to Odin.
Odin could not think of a more fitting punishment for what happened. However, Odin's vindication was useless for they still lived. Odin almost lost hope once more, until the Morrigan came to bargain with him, and told him Thor's ultimate plan. He had never been prouder of his son than he was at that moment. Thor surpassed even him in power and foresight. He predicted the event that broke the chains of fate, and thus he was not bound anymore.
With their foresight gone as well as most of their power, the Shadows were very weakened. And now it was time for Asgard to be free. This was a plan five thousand years in the making, and it was finally coming to fruition.
The Morrigan convinced Loki of all people to infiltrate the Shadows' ranks and act as their agent while subtly binding their scrying altogether. And from the message he had just received, his son was successful. The Shadows were practically as blind to Asgard as they are to Midgard. Of course, the rest of the nine realms were obvious, but Odin had no plans of including them in any way.
Loki did surprisingly well and had progressed well in his studies. He always had a large amount of potential, but the Shadows always did their best to stifle it after a certain timeline. Something occurred after his death that seriously scared them, at least enough to heavily bind the Trickster God.
But alas, Odin was officially free for the duration of the Convergence, and so was the totality of Asgard. His bindings of mind and fate were gone, and it was time.
Seeing his smile, his wife spoke up, "I assume it was good news."
He gave her a goofy smile, one that he hadn't let out in thousands of lifetimes, "Oh, that it is. Very good news. It's time."
"Time for what, my love?" she asked confused.
She did not know about the Shadows, about their trickery, about their lies. Odin never risked telling her, for one he couldn't as the Shadows would prevent him from doing so, but also because it would break her.
Frigga was a pure soul in every lifetime, one full of life and wisdom. He loved her, as he had done many times before, and the truth that all her sacrifices, all her pains and triumphs, joy and agony, were planned by some higher beings, would break her heart.
Perhaps it is time for her to know, but he had something to do first, "It's time for me to go to the treasury, my love."
Odin ignored her confused face and ran to the treasury, taking nothing but the Tesseract and a fragment of the Eternal Flames.
The flames were one of the few relics that did not extinguish in between Ragnarök cycles. It was a shard of a Shard of the Phoenix Force, that was imprisoned by the Power Stone used by a Celestial that tried to study an avatar of the cosmic entity, millions of years ago. It can never be destroyed, never be extinguished. It could absorb and enhance the powers of any user.
Odin always uses it to bind Surtur's powers during each cycle, turning him into a pale imitation of the mighty being he used to be. It always stayed in his vaults, as a reminder of his first love, of the avatar of the Phoenix Force that he had loved all those lifetimes ago.
He had done the same to the Frost Giants long ago, binding their powers to the Casket of Ancient Winters. The light elves and the Vanir had quickly submitted to his rule, afraid of the same happening to them.
As for the Eternal Flame, Odin did not need it for sentimental reasons. It was time for him to forge a proper weapon. He slowly walked to his forge, one of his most private places. He could not trust anyone, even the dwarves of Nidavellir to truly understand what he was crafting. He released Gungnir and levitated it in front of him.
It was a fine weapon, Gungnir, his spear. It was the best that the dwarves could make, a proper channel to the Odinforce that could even summon the Bifrost. It was made with the purest Uru metal, which can be heavily enchanted, something that Odin was going to use.
Yet, this step was also symbolic. Gungnir was his shackles, his binds to the Shadows. It was time to forget the past and get ready for the future. Things will be different from now on. It was a powerful spear, one with a very powerful enchantment. Whenever the spear is thrown it would never miss. That, coupled with the natural focus that it is because of the Uru, made it a fearsome weapon. But it would not be enough for what is coming.
With a twinge of sadness and nostalgia, Odin levitated the spear over the fire and waved his hands to light it up. It barely took a couple of minutes for the spear to melt, showing that Gungnir was now officially dead.
Sure, a part of Odin mourned his partner, but it was time to grow, to be different, for the good of Asgard. He then created a rune to contain the raw Uru that it released, and it levitated like a blob. Slowly the metal started to take the form of a large blade. He imbued the blade with the Eternal Flame, the Uru hungrily absorbing what could make it stronger.
It was one of the curious properties of the metal. When forged, they were susceptible to enchantments and enhancements like no other material. But the moment that they are hard, that they are finished, they would not change until they are melted down again, where the enchantments would be erased automatically.
Odin slowly put the blade onto an anvil and started hammering it, binding it with rune after rune, enhancing the power of the Eternal Flame in the metal, already making it one of the most powerful weapons in the universe.
Slowly the giant great sword started forming completely. It was probably as tall as his wife, and it was as powerful as it was beautiful and intimidating.
The pommel and vanguard had taken a gold tint, it looked like Gold, but everything was made of Uru. The handle looked like leather, but it was made of small Uru threads enchanted for comfort. Every bit of what remained of Gungnir was used to craft his weapon. Odin would not let a single piece of it go to waste.
It was probably one of the strongest weapons in the universe and Odin could feel the remnants of the Phoenix Force and the Power Stone singing inside his weapon. And yet, it was not over. Odin grabbed the Tesseract with his bare hands and with a rune, the cube started disintegrating and a single stone remained.
It was blue and it oozed power. For it was the Space Stone, one of the relics of creation, an artifact that was older than even him, with all his many lives. It floated in his hand, and he pushed it towards the pommel of the sword, where a small spherical hole remained.
The stone filled the hole perfectly, and the runes all over the sword lighted up. Odin's weapon was ready, and it would surpass any other in existence. For the Odinsword was born on this fruitful day. This was it, the key to Asgard's freedom.
For may its power cleanse the parasites that had been feeding on his people and may its light destroy the shadows they dwell in.
As usual, I generally post four chapters a week, on Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. But I'm currently trying out daily uploads for the rest of the month.
If you want to support me, check out my Patreon. I tend to upload drafts of early chapters on there to get people's opinions of them so you can read up to 20 chapters ahead as a bonus.
Thank you guys for your support in these hard times.
Chapter 303: Blade Works
7th May 2013, Sayre Manor
(Loki Odinson POV)
But one thing was still bugging him, "I still don't know why you revealed the fact that Thor was planning on releasing Nidhogg to kill them. They will prepare against a heavy assault to prevent this."
The eternal witch nodded, "yes, they will. And they will be distracted by fighting it, to stop the hidden traps that we will have in the frontal attack."
Oh, that made sense. They pretended that the army was the distraction while the Dragon of the End was the true weapon. This way, the Shadows would be distracted by the dragon while the army would activate the Morrigan's trap, whatever that may be.
Wait a minute, did she say that they will be fighting Nidhogg? "Please tell me that I heard it wrong, but you just said that they would be fighting Nidhogg. You're not planning on really releasing the Dragon of the End, are you?"
The infuriating woman didn't answer, but instead gave him a smug smirk. She turned around and left, "It's time for Odin to start his phase of the plan."
7th May 2013, Royal Palace, Asgard
(Odin Borson POV)
Odin Borson, All-Father, King of Asgard, Butcher of Millions, Vanquisher of Heaven, Lover to the Phoenix, these were a few of the countless titles that he had been given throughout the course of his countless lives.
Even now, people trembled before his power, scared that he would return to his old ways of warfare and bloodshed, scared that they would be next in his long line of kills.
And yet, for the first time in countless lifetimes, he was excited. Something was finally different, something was new. Something always died in him the moment he performs his ritual every lifetime. The knowledge that his life was nothing more than a story, that he was nothing more than a puppet, was very disheartening. Asgard, his people, were nothing more than a tapestry, nothing more than cattle for the amusement and nourishment of higher beings.
Odin had tried lifetime after lifetime, to manipulate the situation to his advantage, to take them by surprise as he almost did the first time, he figured out what was happening. But alas, he lost, and he kept losing for countless times, each time returning with less power, his Odinforce dwindling by their clever tricks.
Every time, something unexpected would happen that would stop him. He kept on trying until he discovered that he was bound by the chains of fate at the hand of Those Who Sit Above in Shadow. It was then that he really understood how powerful these beings were, to be able to bind a man such as him. He was one of the most powerful beings in the universe. He had even matched Celestials during the Celestial Wars. He had seen Knull's defeat with his own eye.
Ant yet, to his shame, he had lost hope. There was no one to physically fight, no one to kill or slay. And the King of Asgard was lost. He gave up and let the narrative continue. He let his son have his hammer and act like a brute while another would always betray him and cause Asgard's destruction. Their lives were nothing more than a painting, a story, that was played out to the benefit of hidden beings with power far outstripping his.
That kept going on, until he went on a trip to Midgard with Frigga, in the last timeline. It was then that he realized the Shadows' first weakness. They were blind in Midgard. And that was something he could use. His mind was free for the first time in lifetimes, and he used it to plan.
Odin was barely more than a neutered beast, he knew that. His overlords had bound him in prophecies and a particular timeline to follow no matter what he wished. He could not defeat them himself, but Thor had no such limitations. Mjolnir protected him in every reincarnation and Odin could use this to his advantage.
Thor's conception was a ritual that Frigga didn't know of. He combined the essence of the Earth Mother itself, Gaia or Jorl as she is known to his people, to his wife's womb. When Thor was born, he was as much the son of the elder goddess as he was Frigga's. And thus, the strongest Thor was born.
Things went exactly according to the timeline as to not warn them, Odin perished, swallowed by Fenrir, and Ragnarök happened, but Thor survived. Better yet, he performed his ritual and understood what the Endgame was. His son hatched a mad plan with the Morrigan that would see to the freedom of his people, and she accepted. Rune King Thor proceeded to sacrifice himself to cripple the Shadows, turning them into mere remnants of what they used to be, as they had done to Odin.
Odin could not think of a more fitting punishment for what happened. However, Odin's vindication was useless for they still lived. Odin almost lost hope once more, until the Morrigan came to bargain with him, and told him Thor's ultimate plan. He had never been prouder of his son than he was at that moment. Thor surpassed even him in power and foresight. He predicted the event that broke the chains of fate, and thus he was not bound anymore.
With their foresight gone as well as most of their power, the Shadows were very weakened. And now it was time for Asgard to be free. This was a plan five thousand years in the making, and it was finally coming to fruition.
The Morrigan convinced Loki of all people to infiltrate the Shadows' ranks and act as their agent while subtly binding their scrying altogether. And from the message he had just received, his son was successful. The Shadows were practically as blind to Asgard as they are to Midgard. Of course, the rest of the nine realms were obvious, but Odin had no plans of including them in any way.
Loki did surprisingly well and had progressed well in his studies. He always had a large amount of potential, but the Shadows always did their best to stifle it after a certain timeline. Something occurred after his death that seriously scared them, at least enough to heavily bind the Trickster God.
But alas, Odin was officially free for the duration of the Convergence, and so was the totality of Asgard. His bindings of mind and fate were gone, and it was time.
Seeing his smile, his wife spoke up, "I assume it was good news."
He gave her a goofy smile, one that he hadn't let out in thousands of lifetimes, "Oh, that it is. Very good news. It's time."
"Time for what, my love?" she asked confused.
She did not know about the Shadows, about their trickery, about their lies. Odin never risked telling her, for one he couldn't as the Shadows would prevent him from doing so, but also because it would break her.
Frigga was a pure soul in every lifetime, one full of life and wisdom. He loved her, as he had done many times before, and the truth that all her sacrifices, all her pains and triumphs, joy and agony, were planned by some higher beings, would break her heart.
Perhaps it is time for her to know, but he had something to do first, "It's time for me to go to the treasury, my love."
Odin ignored her confused face and ran to the treasury, taking nothing but the Tesseract and a fragment of the Eternal Flames.
The flames were one of the few relics that did not extinguish in between Ragnarök cycles. It was a shard of a Shard of the Phoenix Force, that was imprisoned by the Power Stone used by a Celestial that tried to study an avatar of the cosmic entity, millions of years ago. It can never be destroyed, never be extinguished. It could absorb and enhance the powers of any user.
Odin always uses it to bind Surtur's powers during each cycle, turning him into a pale imitation of the mighty being he used to be. It always stayed in his vaults, as a reminder of his first love, of the avatar of the Phoenix Force that he had loved all those lifetimes ago.
He had done the same to the Frost Giants long ago, binding their powers to the Casket of Ancient Winters. The light elves and the Vanir had quickly submitted to his rule, afraid of the same happening to them.
As for the Eternal Flame, Odin did not need it for sentimental reasons. It was time for him to forge a proper weapon. He slowly walked to his forge, one of his most private places. He could not trust anyone, even the dwarves of Nidavellir to truly understand what he was crafting. He released Gungnir and levitated it in front of him.
It was a fine weapon, Gungnir, his spear. It was the best that the dwarves could make, a proper channel to the Odinforce that could even summon the Bifrost. It was made with the purest Uru metal, which can be heavily enchanted, something that Odin was going to use.
Yet, this step was also symbolic. Gungnir was his shackles, his binds to the Shadows. It was time to forget the past and get ready for the future. Things will be different from now on. It was a powerful spear, one with a very powerful enchantment. Whenever the spear is thrown it would never miss. That, coupled with the natural focus that it is because of the Uru, made it a fearsome weapon. But it would not be enough for what is coming.
With a twinge of sadness and nostalgia, Odin levitated the spear over the fire and waved his hands to light it up. It barely took a couple of minutes for the spear to melt, showing that Gungnir was now officially dead.
Sure, a part of Odin mourned his partner, but it was time to grow, to be different, for the good of Asgard. He then created a rune to contain the raw Uru that it released, and it levitated like a blob. Slowly the metal started to take the form of a large blade. He imbued the blade with the Eternal Flame, the Uru hungrily absorbing what could make it stronger.
It was one of the curious properties of the metal. When forged, they were susceptible to enchantments and enhancements like no other material. But the moment that they are hard, that they are finished, they would not change until they are melted down again, where the enchantments would be erased automatically.
Odin slowly put the blade onto an anvil and started hammering it, binding it with rune after rune, enhancing the power of the Eternal Flame in the metal, already making it one of the most powerful weapons in the universe.
Slowly the giant great sword started forming completely. It was probably as tall as his wife, and it was as powerful as it was beautiful and intimidating.
The pommel and vanguard had taken a gold tint, it looked like Gold, but everything was made of Uru. The handle looked like leather, but it was made of small Uru threads enchanted for comfort. Every bit of what remained of Gungnir was used to craft his weapon. Odin would not let a single piece of it go to waste.
It was probably one of the strongest weapons in the universe and Odin could feel the remnants of the Phoenix Force and the Power Stone singing inside his weapon. And yet, it was not over. Odin grabbed the Tesseract with his bare hands and with a rune, the cube started disintegrating and a single stone remained.
It was blue and it oozed power. For it was the Space Stone, one of the relics of creation, an artifact that was older than even him, with all his many lives. It floated in his hand, and he pushed it towards the pommel of the sword, where a small spherical hole remained.
The stone filled the hole perfectly, and the runes all over the sword lighted up. Odin's weapon was ready, and it would surpass any other in existence. For the Odinsword was born on this fruitful day. This was it, the key to Asgard's freedom.
For may its power cleanse the parasites that had been feeding on his people and may its light destroy the shadows they dwell in.
As usual, I generally post four chapters a week, on Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. But I'm currently trying out daily uploads for the rest of the month.
If you want to support me, check out my Patreon. I tend to upload drafts of early chapters on there to get people's opinions of them so you can read up to 20 chapters ahead as a bonus.
Thank you guys for your support in these hard times.
