The Vault of Asgard
Father and son locked eyes.
"You're lying…"
"The Casket of Ancient Winters wasn't the only thing you brought back from Jotunheim that day… was it?"
An endless wave of bitterness surged up from deep within Loki's chest.
His eyes, rimmed red, stared unblinking at the man before him—
at his father.
Even if it were just a lie.
Even a single lie—
he would have been willing to believe it,
to pretend none of this had ever happened.
But
Odin did not give him that mercy.
"Yes…"
"After the war ended, I entered the Frost Temple."
"On the altar, I saw an abandoned infant."
"A frail baby, mercilessly cast aside, crying in agony."
"No one watching over him. No one caring for him."
"Enduring hunger… waiting only for death."
"He was Laufey's son."
Odin spoke with the weight of remembrance.
It was time—
time to tell the child everything.
But clearly
Loki was not ready.
"Laufey's… son?"
"Why?!"
Loki repeated the words in disbelief, his voice sharp as he challenged the man before him.
To be Laufey's son—
that disgusted him even more than being a Frost Giant's bastard.
"You slaughtered countless lives in Jotunheim—"
"Why would you take me with you?!"
"This isn't your style!"
Loki pressed on, his voice trembling beneath the fury.
He was afraid.
Afraid that he was about to lose the only family he had ever known.
"You were… just an innocent child."
Odin replied softly.
There was warmth in his voice—
and pain.
Looking at the son before him, Odin's heart ached.
"No! You must have had another purpose!"
"Tell me—what was it?!"
Loki demanded again.
But Odin hesitated.
And in that hesitation—
he failed to give Loki the answer he desperately wanted.
"Tell me!!!"
Loki roared, his face twisted in rage.
He could not accept this truth.
Even less could he accept that the family he had grown up with—
was nothing more than a carefully orchestrated plan.
"I… hoped that one day, the two races could live in harmony."
"That through you, the Nine Realms might know lasting peace."
Odin finally spoke the truth.
A plan buried for thousands of years
surfaced at last.
"Through… me?"
Loki asked blankly.
So for more than a thousand years—
had he been nothing more than a chess piece in Odin's eyes?
"But none of that matters anymore."
Odin raised his hand, reaching for Loki's face—
only for Loki to slap it away.
In that moment, everything became clear.
Why Odin had always favored Thor.
Why the imbalance had always existed.
"I understand now."
"I was just a pawn—spoils of war after your victory!"
"Raised all these years, only so I could be used one day!"
"You could have told me the truth from the beginning!"
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?!"
Loki accused Odin bitterly.
His heart was already dead.
This so-called "family"—
now filled him with nothing but resentment and fury.
"Why must you twist my intentions like this?"
"You are also my son."
"I wanted to protect you."
"I didn't want the truth to hurt you."
Odin sighed bitterly.
Loki's raw, unfiltered anguish filled him with guilt.
But Loki could no longer listen.
Sour tears streamed relentlessly from his eyes.
Even his voice trembled with grievance as he spoke.
"Of course… because I'm the monster from children's bedtime stories."
"The demon parents use to scare them into obedience?"
"Hah… now everything makes sense!"
"That's why you always favored Thor!"
"Because no matter how much you say you love me—"
"You would never allow a Frost Giant's spawn to sit on Asgard's throne!"
Loki roared through clenched teeth.
At this point—
he had completely lost control.
Rage burned through him like wildfire.
Someone had to pay a terrible price.
Listening to these words—
Odin clutched his chest, his face draining of color as he collapsed to the floor.
For thousands of years of war, he had never fallen.
Facing Earth's strongest warriors, he had laughed with ease.
But this—
this malicious misunderstanding from his own son—
pierced him straight through the heart.
At this moment, Odin was no god-king.
He was only an aging father.
And he could no longer endure it.
Odin lay sprawled on the ground.
The King of the Nine Realms had never been this weak.
Loki froze in shock.
He never imagined his words would wound Odin so deeply.
The bond of blood—
etched into his very soul—
pulled him back to reason.
"Guards!"
"Guards! Someone—help him!"
Loki grasped his father's hand, shouting desperately toward the doors.
The guards rushed in, quickly lifting Odin from the ground.
The All-Father's condition was dire.
He had to enter the Odin Sleep immediately.
"Loki…"
"Promise me… don't go to Earth…"
"A new power has been born there."
"Something neither you… nor Thor… can oppose."
Odin warned weakly.
He knew Loki's temperament.
He feared Loki might do something reckless toward Earth.
If that being were provoked—
the price paid would not be Loki's alone.
All of Asgard would suffer.
END OF CHAPTER
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