Even with all his speed, Odin arrived at the royal chambers too late.
Queen Frigga was already dead.
Five minutes earlier, Malekith had followed the resonance of the Aether straight to the chambers. Inside were only Frigga and Jane Foster. Every guard stationed outside had already fallen.
Frigga ordered Jane to retreat, while she herself stepped forward, a short blade in hand. Calm. Confident. Completely fearless.
"Stand down, monster," she declared coolly. "Leave now, and I may yet spare your life."
"I am not so easily killed, woman," Malekith sneered.
"Who are you?"
"I am Malekith. And I have come to reclaim what is mine."
The moment Frigga heard that name, she knew this confrontation would not end peacefully.
As leader of the Dark Elves, Malekith bore a blood feud with Asgard—a hatred forged in genocide. Only death could resolve it.
Frigga's confidence was not unfounded.
To rule Asgard at Odin's side for centuries required far more than grace and beauty. Before becoming the Mother of the Gods, Frigga had once been a Valkyrie, a legendary warrior whose strength far surpassed that of ordinary soldiers.
When Thor was a child, his greatest dream had been to become a Valkyrie himself—until he realized he was not a girl, and reluctantly abandoned that ambition.
In terms of pure combat, Malekith was no match for Frigga. She completely suppressed him, her blade already poised to slit his throat—
—when the Dark Beast, which had vanished after destroying the throne, suddenly appeared.
It struck Frigga from behind, knocking the dagger from her hand and restraining her.
With the threat neutralized, Malekith turned toward Jane. There was no one else in the chamber. This girl had to be the Aether's host.
Jane stood frozen, staring at him as if terrified senseless.
Malekith reached out—
—and grasped nothing.
The Jane before him shimmered and vanished.
An illusion.
It had been Frigga's spell all along.
"Witch!" Malekith roared, humiliated. "Where is the Aether?!"
"I will never tell you."
"That, I believe."
At Malekith's signal, the Dark Beast drove the blade straight into Frigga's body.
A furious roar split the air.
Malekith turned just in time to see a bolt of lightning—charged with unimaginable rage—slam into his face, burning and tearing, leaving him horribly disfigured.
Realizing the trap too late, Thor had flown from the prison to the palace at full speed. From afar, he witnessed the moment his mother was slain.
When Clara arrived behind Odin at the chambers, Odin was already cradling Frigga's body.
He did not cry.
He did not scream.
But the devastation carved into his face was unbearable to look at.
Jane, hidden by Frigga behind the chambers, heard the thunder and thought the danger had passed. When she ran out and saw the scene before her, her legs nearly gave way.
Malekith escaped with the Dark Beast. The Dark Elf mothership cloaked itself once more and vanished into deep space.
The Dark Elves had failed to reclaim the Aether—but the price Asgard paid was immeasurable.
While the palace prepared for Frigga's funeral, only Clara and Jane, two strangers from Earth, sat together in silence.
This was the first time two Midgardians had truly faced one another in a foreign realm.
"Hello… Clara. I'm Jane Foster," Jane said quietly. "Queen Frigga mentioned you. She said you were very clever, very—"
Her voice faltered.
Jane lowered her head, eyes reddened, hands clenched tightly against her chest.
She blamed herself.
If she had not brought the Aether to Asgard, Frigga would still be alive.
"It's not your fault," Clara said gently. "If you hadn't come to Asgard, the one destroyed would've been Earth. Malekith would have claimed the Aether and drowned all Nine Realms in darkness. If that happened… everything would truly be over."
"You… you know who attacked Asgard?"
"Yes. I saw him in the great hall. There was a portrait of him in the archives. The books said the Dark Elves were exterminated and the Aether destroyed. Looks like books can be wrong."
"How long have you been in Asgard?" Jane asked. "You've read so much already?"
"Only two days," Clara replied. "Not enough time to read much."
A maid arrived, bearing Odin's summons, and led Clara toward the side hall.
The side hall was dim as twilight fell. The fading light through the windows barely illuminated the vast, empty space.
Only Odin was there.
Even Thor was absent.
Frigga lay upon a stone bed, serene—as though merely asleep.
Odin didn't react to the door opening or closing. He simply gazed at her.
Clara stood silently behind him.
Time passed.
As the last trace of sunlight vanished beyond the horizon, Odin finally spoke.
"Child… do you trust me?"
Clara looked up.
Bathed in the dying glow of dusk, Odin no longer looked like the all-powerful All-Father—only an old man who had lost the love of his life.
"I do," she said softly. "I trust you."
Odin gently took Frigga's hand and nodded to Clara.
After a brief hesitation, Clara reached out and grasped Frigga's cold fingers.
"Close your eyes," Odin said. "Control the power within you. Do not resist my divine energy."
Clara obeyed.
As Odin placed his hand on her head, his godly power surged forth.
The energy inside Clara reacted violently, expanding outward, rejecting the intrusion.
She felt two forces collide and struggle within her body, the strain making her dizzy and nauseous.
Gritting her teeth, Clara forced her will upon her own power, suppressing it—allowing Odin's divine energy to pass.
Pain exploded behind her eyes, as if her mind were being crushed flat between two worlds.
At last, her inner power retreated.
The sudden release sent Clara plunging into a sensation like falling into a bottomless abyss.
Odin's power flowed through her and into Frigga.
A soft orange glow enveloped the queen's body.
Then—
A translucent figure rose gently from Frigga's form.
Frigga's soul.
"You used the child's power, Odin," Frigga said calmly.
"Yes," Odin replied. "And now… you have a choice."
"A choice?" Frigga asked. "To be revived by this child's power?"
"Yes. She has that capability."
"Odin," Frigga said gently, "you never truly wanted this. If you did, this wouldn't be how we met again."
Odin lowered his head.
She was right.
"If I return," Frigga asked, "what will happen to Clara?"
"Her power would be completely unleashed," Odin said heavily. "And if it cannot be controlled—"
He didn't need to finish.
"Listen to me," Frigga said softly. "I know I am dead. I have no regrets—not after all our years together. I have only returned to our ancestors a little earlier. Do not commit folly for my sake. To break the boundary between life and death is to invite catastrophe."
"Frigga…" Odin's voice broke.
"Take care of Thor and Loki," she continued. "Loki will find his way back someday. Thor will become a worthy king. I worry only about you… do not let hatred cloud your sight."
Her soul slowly faded, returning to her body.
The small spark of power borrowed from Clara could sustain her freedom only briefly.
"Guards," Odin commanded quietly. "Take the child back to her chambers."
A maid hurried in and carried the exhausted Clara away.
Left alone in the darkened hall, Odin's shoulders slumped.
In that moment, the All-Father looked suddenly, terribly old.
--------------
T/N:
Access Advance Chapters on my
P@treon: [email protected]/PokePals