Asgard, Odin's Palace.
The All-Father sat upon his throne, his single eye glowing faintly — as if piercing through the very fabric of the universe itself. With a motion of his hand, the Eternal Spear, Gungnir, rose from its resting place and flew swiftly into his grasp.
"My lord, All-Father Odin, what has happened?"
Queen Frigga approached gracefully, her every step calm and measured. Seeing the grim expression on Odin's face, her brows furrowed with worry.
"Hmph. Your two sons have trespassed into Jotunheim," Odin said coldly, his voice filled with both anger and disappointment.
"Thor and Loki… broke into Jotunheim?"
Frigga's eyes widened. Though a powerful sorceress capable of divination, she had long since abandoned her prophetic arts after becoming Queen of Asgard. Yet upon hearing Odin's words, unease washed over her heart.
"Thor's recklessness has gone too far," Odin muttered heavily. "When I bring him back, I'll see to it he learns restraint. My Odinsleep draws near…"
He exhaled deeply, his tone softening. "Frigga, they will be in your care once they return."
Odin clasped her hand briefly — a rare display of tenderness — before striding toward the Rainbow Bridge.
"Heimdall! Open the Bifrost!"
An eight-legged steed — Sleipnir — galloped forth from the stables of Asgard, stopping before the bridge in a burst of golden mist. Odin mounted, Gungnir in hand, his voice thunderous with command.
"Yes, great and honorable All-Father," Heimdall replied, kneeling on one knee before rising to activate the Bifrost.
Boom!
A cascade of rainbow light erupted, spreading across the heavens. Within it, Sleipnir charged at blinding speed. The distance that took Thor and his companions ten minutes to cross was covered by Odin's divine steed in mere moments.
Jotunheim.
In the frozen wasteland, Frost Giants surrounded Allens — who still wore the form of Loki. His calm smile and mocking expression made Thor and the others uneasy.
"Prince of Asgard," Laufey called out coldly, "surrender to me, and I shall spare your life."
He did not attack immediately — instead, he was stalling for time. Ever since witnessing Allens' skin turn blue from the cold, Laufey had been convinced that this "Loki" before him was indeed his lost son. And if he wished to strike at Asgard, Loki's help would be invaluable.
"Sir, the temporal clock predicts the future," J.A.R.V.I.S. reported in Allens' ear.
Allens' cold gaze swept across the Frost Giants. Subtle holographic images flickered before his eyes as his hyper-intelligence processed every possible outcome a thousand times faster than a normal mind.
"So… Odin's finally on his way," Allens murmured. "Good. Time for the next act."
"I am the Prince of Asgard!" he declared, voice ringing with conviction. "The Aesir will never submit!"
With a fierce shout, Allens lunged toward a nearby Frost Giant, dagger in hand. The giant caught his wrist and tried to hurl him away, but in midair, Allens twisted effortlessly — forming another dagger in his left hand — and slashed clean across the giant's throat.
"Kill him!" Laufey roared, his eyes flashing coldly.
Countless Frost Giants charged.
Boom!
Before they could reach Allens, a blinding wave of rainbow light crashed down from the heavens. The shockwave sent the Frost Giants flying in all directions.
The Bifrost had arrived.
Sleipnir neighed as Odin emerged from the beam, clad in his golden armor. His single eye glared down at Laufey with divine authority.
"All-Father Odin," Laufey said with feigned humility, bowing low. "King of Jotunheim pays you his most sincere respect."
Despite his reverence, a faint bitterness lingered beneath his words. Laufey still remembered the day Odin had defeated him — and the child he had lost.
Odin ignored him. He raised Gungnir, and the Eternal Spear shot forth with divine force, piercing through the thick ice encasing Thor and his companions. The prison shattered into glittering shards.
"Father Odin!" Laufey's voice boomed. "Your sons invaded Jotunheim without permission, tore apart the peace treaty between our realms, and slaughtered my people! As the ruler of the Nine Realms, surely you owe me an explanation!"
Odin's eye hardened. Before he could speak, Thor stepped forward, his temper flaring.
"Father, this bastard's lying! He set us up — he knew we were coming! Let's wage war and crush these Frost Giants once and for all!"
"Silence, Thor Odinson!" Odin roared, his voice echoing like thunder.
Thor froze as the All-Father's glare burned into him.
"Laufey," Odin said coldly, "you will have your explanation."
A faint smirk tugged at Laufey's lips. Though Odin hadn't explicitly stated his intentions, Laufey could tell from his tone — the All-Father wished to avoid war.
"Loki, you did well this time," Odin said suddenly, turning to Allens.
His gaze lingered longer than usual. It wasn't suspicion — Odin hadn't seen through Allens' disguise — but rather unease. Deep within, a strange sense of foreboding gnawed at him, one tied to his sons… though he could not yet understand why.
"Heimdall," Odin commanded, "open the Bifrost."
A brilliant beam of rainbow light enveloped them once more, lifting Odin, Thor, and the disguised Allens into its radiance — separating them from the Frost Giants below.
"Finally… returning to Asgard," Allens murmured, his eyes glinting faintly. He glanced at Thor beside him, then at Odin on Sleipnir, a subtle smile curling at his lips.
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