Chapter 305: Of Fertility and Confessions

Chapter 305: Of Fertility and Confessions

If you want to support me check out my patron at /athassprkr

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.

I would like to thank my beta, Akisu, for his help in this chapter.

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7th May 2013, Royal Palace, Asgard

(Odin Borson POV)

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.

When the King of Asgard returned to the throne room, with a sword larger than a man's body, whispers followed him. It was the first time since his conquest of the nine realms that he truly started acting like the warrior he is deep down. Updated from novelb(i)n.c(o)m

Something in him always breaks after each ritual. He gains wisdom and understanding, but he loses his will to fight. He saw how useless battle and war were in the grand scheme of things, and it contradicted the Asgardian way of life.

He only allowed his soldiers to battle when there is a threat that might endanger the nine realms. He chose not to involve himself directly. It was useless, in the end. War, conflict, will always occur whether he wants it to or not, and his policy of non-involvement didn't always work out for the best. For example, Odin remembers Hela's almost escape where he sent his entire force of Valkyries, peerless warriors with impressive skill and teamwork.

And yet he had underestimated just how powerful Hela's power was when she was his blood daughter. She was already a nightmare to deal with when she was Loki's daughter, but being his child made her already impressive powers, ridiculous. It didn't matter in the end, if Odin knew something for a fact, it was that he could not turn back time. The Valkyries were massacred, and Odin needed to personally bind her, tying her imprisonment to his own life force, which was slowly dwindling away in his old age.

Yet, the people of Asgard never really saw Odin's true might. He had rarely gotten into any battle from the moment he got access to the Odinforce, and the few that he did, he only needed seconds to end the fight. Laufey's laughable plan of invading Midgard came the closest, and even then, most of the Frost Giant army was massacred completely by the Morrigan when they trespassed into Midgard. And Odin only needed a few minutes to immobilize the King of Jotunheim and bind the source of his power into the Casket of Ancient Winters.

Although, that little jaunt had the misfortune of spreading rumors about what kind of monsters the frost giants are, and demonized them, probably for the few Asgardians that lost their lives. Odin attributes these rumors to one of the reasons Loki fell so easily when he discovered his true nature.

With a nod, Odin warned, "It will shatter you."

However, Frigga remained resilient to his warning, "I can handle it."

Odin sighed in exasperation, "No, you can't. But there is no use in hiding it any longer. I did not tell you about it previously because I couldn't, not without putting you in danger. The truth is that everything you think you know is a lie. Every living being in the nine realms is barely more than a puppet without them knowing it, even the Asgardians, even me. Well, I do know about it, but I was barely more than a knowledgeable slave."

Understandably, Frigga was confused by his proclamation, "I don't understand. How would that be possible?"

"Us, Asgardians live in an endless cycle, of conquest, death, and rebirth. This has been going on for millions of years. You have been reincarnated thousands if not millions of times over the cycles of Ragnark. The beings I wish to wage war against have cannibalized this cycle, controlled it, and turned our lives into nothing more than stories, plays where we are each given a specific role, by pulling on the strands of fate to get their preferred outcome. I have awakened my previous memories after my ritual which was why I was so different."

Frigga seemed to freeze at that probably digesting the information. She had stayed silent for a few minutes before speaking up, "I had wondered why you were so different in such a fundamental way. Has any of this been real, Odin? Were my sacrifices real, were they worth it?"

Odin gave her a sad smile, "My darling wife, I have met you millions of times across countless lifetimes, and every time I fall in love with you again and again. Our actions might have been fated, planned by horrible parasites that feed on our efforts, but what we felt, what you have sacrificed, has always been real, Frigga."

"But why are you acting now? If they've been enslaving us for so long, what makes this time any different?"

Odin had a proud gleam in his eye, "Our son, Thor, or at least the last version, hatched a long-term plan to ensure Asgard's freedom. Even from beyond the grave, he was able to get us in a position where these Shadows are weakened, their control over our fates nonexistent, and their sight over Asgard clouded. We're almost there, it's almost over. This is the climax, the chance I have been waiting for. I cannot let that go, even if it means that I will need to break my vow to you. I love you Frigga, but I have a responsibility to my people, to our people."

Frigga sighed, "I can tell that this is serious, on a personal level."

Odin gritted his teeth, "do you have any idea how horrible it is to be trapped in your own mind, not being able to control your body, and watch as your people perish time and time again, without being able to do anything? I have seen you die countless times. I have seen Loki betray us countless times. I have watched as the realms fell into chaos and war countless times and I couldn't even try to stop these miserable scenarios, forced to pretend to be someone I am not, seeing my body speak and move without making a word. Believe me, Frigga, this is very personal."

Frigga nodded, "You have my blessing, husband."

Odin nodded, "Yes, it's time to assemble Asgard's army."

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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.

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