For millennia she had spent her days in darkness, chained in the suffocating world of the Dead, waiting for Odin to finally perish from the world. She could not observe the events in Asgard or any other place in the Nine Realms, but she heard things. She heard the whispers of the dead, of wars waged against Jotunheim, of an uprising from Odin's very own son, a catastrophe in Midgard, a band of heroes. Those were merely whispers, but they were enough to tell her that the Nine Realms still needed saving.
And she would be their one sole saviour, saving them from themselves.
Indeed, even after thousands of years, the world remained the same. Asgard, she observed, remained weak and small, its soldiers complacent and ignorant of the dangers looming over them. Hell, even the sorcerers did not notice her arrival and passing amongst the ordinary citizens. During her days, sorcerers would flock around her when she merely stepped foot on Asgard. She was admired, marvelled by each and every Asgardian sorcerer. Except for one.
"It appears that Rhea is dead as well," Hela deduced coldly. Beside her, Skurge tensed up and glued his eyes on the floor. "Such a pity. I wanted to be the one who kills her. But I think I should thank the person who takes over the dirty work of killing her. She's such a pain."
Hela turned her attention to her enemies. Lines of Asgardian soldiers rooted themselves on the ground, ready to defend the city from her. Behind the front lines were the sorcerers, their eyes flaring in ferocity, hands glowing with fire. She counted. "What in the world happened to the Court Sorcerers while I was gone?" Did Rhea slack off?" she asked, her question directed to the Court Sorcerers themselves.
No response. "It has come to my attention that you don't know who I am," Hela added. Had she been gone that long? Or had Odin and Rhea invented a spell to wipe out the memories of the Asgardians regarding the glories of the olden days?
"I am Hela," she announced, hands on her hips. "Odin's firstborn. The commander of the Legions of Asgard, the rightful heir to the throne, and the Goddess of Death."
Much to her disdain, the soldiers readied their spears upon hearing her name. Their commander, a stern-looking Vanir, frowned deeper. "My father is dead," Hela explained, feeling mocked by this clear act of disrespect. "As are the princes. You're welcome. We were once the seat of absolute power in the Cosmos, our supremacy was unchallenged. Yet Odin stopped at Nine Realms. Our destiny is to rule over all others. And I am here to restore that power."
"Kneel before me and rise into the ranks of my great conquest."
The Vanir shifted. "Whoever you are, whatever you've done, surrender now! Or we will show you no mercy," he declared.
Hela grumbled under her breath. Had her people gone stupid. "Whoever I am? Did you listen to a word I said?" No, he had heard it, word by word. Now it was as clear as day that they would not accept her simply as the queen. Her people were different now. They were not as obedient as before. Something had happened which honed their senses and resilience against authority.
"This is your last warning!" the Vanir threatened. He took out his mace, and the soldiers too straightened their stances. Hela shook her head, slightly pitying them for their stupidity.
"I thought you'd be happy to see me," Hela sighed. "Fine." Hela lifted her arms and combed her raven hair. Horns formed from the tips of her locks, shaping her head like a crown fitting for a queen. The Vanir charged forward, raising his weapon at her. Hela summoned a blade from her arms, twisting his mace away from her face. She toppled each of his attacks with ease before she found a blatant opening and kicked him on the chest. "Is this Asgard's current commander? Such an embarrassment!"
Hela whirled around to face the rest of the army. Despite seeing their commander fallen, they still marched at her with ferocious spirit. Hela leapt from the ground and threw several of her blades at the nearest soldiers, puncturing their hearts and killing them instantly. Blood splattered the ground as more and more of the soldiers fell from her sword, but their determination did not recede upon seeing their dead comrades. Several airships fired at her.
Hela grunted in annoyance as she defended herself using her cape. With a powerful swing, she launched her swords at the airships, bringing all of them down at once. How many men were inside? Even though Hela saw killing the soldiers as nothing but a daily habit, she still pitied the unnecessary wastage of manpower for her future conquest against the Nine Realms.
"STAND BACK!"
The voice was pure and sonorous, like the sound of the bell ringing in the air. That voice was followed by a sharp wheezing sound, wrapped in magic so powerful her skin shivered slightly. Hela looked up towards the sky, wondering what this new threat was. Before she could assess the situation, a powerful force landed in front of her and cast her high into the air. A resounding crack of the earth followed, uplifting the earth and rupturing the ground.
Hela twisted her body mid-air and landed softly on the even marble floor. Smoke billowed from the gaping hole before her, created by nothing other than a single staff. She knew the staff, crafted by the Dwarves thousands of years ago, but never used. The Forgotten Staff—claimed as 'weak' and useless in wars, never finding anyone who could wield it properly—had just broke up the surface of the earth and threw her off her feet.
Out of the smoke she made out an image. Golden-haired, tall figure, with body constantly emanating magic, force magic. Rhea? she thought. But that can't be. She's dead!
But as the smoke dissipated, Hela finally had an unobstructed few of this new challenger. A young woman, skin as pale as the moon and hair as dim as a dying flower, braided behind her back. Her clothing was nothing Asgardian; a light-grey trench coat with a grey shirt underneath, coupled with black trousers and boots which made her look like a Marauder rather than an Aesir. Then her necklace caught her eye—a pendant the colour of blood, radiating an eerie energy from within. This woman looked uncannily similar to Rhea, while at the same time digressing far from her features.
"Who are you?" Hela demanded. "Another reckless Asgardian soldier?"
The staff flew back to the woman's hands and she tapped the ground with it. "Not a soldier," she declared. "A warrior, if you may."
"What's the difference?" Hela scoffed. "Just like them, you think you can defeat me." The other soldiers, she observed, began retreating. This woman seemed to command a significant power over the army. But Hela had not heard of her, even from her new henchman Skurge.
"I don't think. I do," the woman corrected calmly. This woman has little to no weak points, Hela thought.
"You haven't answered my question," Hela said, trying to distract her, playing with her own blades. Apparently this woman was giving time for the soldiers to escape. She raised a brow in return.
Hela's desire to inflict harm on her outgrew her patience. With a flick of her hands, she launched a dozen of blades towards the woman. But the woman did not budge and instead stood still and swept staff in front of her. With a gust of wind all the blades returned to Hela. Widening her eyes, Hela disintegrated all of them using her magic, and finally realised who this woman was. She had heard rumours from the spirits, rumours so impossible she did not believe it. But here she was, standing before her, the living proof of those whispers.
"My name is Ase Birgersdottir," she announced. "Daughter of Rhea. And I am here to protect Asgard, from you."
"The half-breed!" Hela exclaimed before pouncing at Ase. Ase called her staff and blocked Hela's sword. Hela procured another dagger, but Ase dropped herself to the ground and kicked Hela's side, launching her to one of the pillars.
"Everybody retreat! Evacuate the civilians!" Ase ordered, her voice reminiscent of Rhea herself. Hela rose, anger gurgling inside her.
"I should have known," Hela chuckled. "That bloody sorcerer, marrying a Jotun!"
Without hesitation, Hela fired many swords at Ase, but Ase easily deflected them back to their master. Hela summoned swords from the ground, almost puncturing her feet. Ase daintily stepped on their edges with force propelling her feet before she swung her staff and blasted a powerful force at Hela.
"She did marry a Jotun," Ase retorted as she returned to the ground. "And I should be glad that she did."
Hela noticed a shift in the air. Suddenly craters of ice burst from the ground, creeping towards her like mad animals. Hela destroyed them easily, but the transformed air did not recede. Around her frost sprouted from the stones, before creeping as fast as the lightning towards Hela. Crystals of ice were thrust from the ground and locked Hela in place. Hela returned her attention to her opponent, whose eyes were glowing red as the ice dispersed from her hands.
"You think you can freeze me to death?" Hela said with a scoff. Resorting to pure magic would be a humiliation for her, whose weapons had been nothing but her summoned blades. Yet, this opponent was worthy enough for her to exude her true powers to. Channelling energy to her hands, flames sparked from her skin and engulfed the crystals of ice in an eerie blue blaze. As she was freed from the icy cage, Hela leapt at Ase and attempted to assault her in close distance, knowing she had a far greater advantage if she did so.
Ase drew her staff and engaged in a close combat with Hela. Each sword was blocked by her staff, which seemed to ring upon each blast. Hela's frustration grew with each passing second, but Ase's movements retained their fluidity. Why was this woman so skilful and persistent? Rhea had not been this powerful in close combat. Where had she learnt those manoeuvres? These questions ran through Hela's mind.
Until she saw her heaving heavily.
Hela smirked victoriously. "It seems that you are no true Asgardian after all," Hela mocked, increasing the intensity of her attacks as she summoned numerous blades from the floor. Ase barely dodged them and staggered back, giving Hela the opportunity to knock her staff out of her hands. Hela thrust a blade straight to Ase's heart. Ase lifted her arms and seemingly dampened the attack with her force. Hela threw more swords at her, and Ase struggled to defend herself.
Just a bit more.
An earthquake shook the surface of the earth. Ase tumbled as swords magically erupted from the floor. Gritting her teeth, she expelled herself using force, but not fast enough to evade all the protruding thorns. One caught her arm, piercing right through her muscles and leaving her dangling like a puppet. Her stifled screams were music to Hela.
"You foolish half-breed," Hela declared, strolling towards her. "You think you're strong enough to defeat me, but not even a true Asgardian can do so. Who do you think you are to defeat the Goddess of the Dead?"
Then a smirk formed on her face. Hela shuddered.
"I didn't say I need to defeat you."
Hela felt as if fire had been ignited under her feet. But when she looked down, she saw convoluted magic circles brimming to life. She did not recognise the markings, nor was it possible for a magic circle to be carved on this place—she had not sensed it! Then is it a spell? But Asgardian spells do not involve magic circles!
It occurred to her where this woman was originating from, and what her purpose was.
"I learnt it from a new friend," Ase whispered before suddenly the ground fell into pieces. Hela was dragged with the rubble descending to the abyss below. The fall would certainly not kill her, but it would prove a challenge to rise again back to the surface.
She only wants to buy the others time.
The shouts coming from her mouth were inaudible in the thunderous sound of fallen debris. She swallowed the face of the woman who had just outwitted her. A perfect reflection of Rhea, the sorceress who had looked upon her with no sense of respect—who thought that the Goddess of Death would be her equal. The sorceress who had subverted all the society's expectations.
The only sorceress she wished to destroy at all cost.
"I'LL KILL YOU, ASE BIRGERSDOTTIR!" Hela vowed. "I'LL KILL YOU WITH WHATEVER IT TAKES!"
Then it was darkness once more.
oOo
Ase unleashed her painful scream as she dislodged her pierced arm from the edge of Hela's blade. Blood gushed out almost instantly, but she quickly stopped the bleeding using a healing spell. Watching Hela fall into the darkness, Ase knelt on the ground and created a barrier of ice over the gaping hole, hopefully strong enough to hold Hela off. She had purposefully lowered her guard then, diverting Hela's attention away from her machinations.
If she were to fight using her full power, there was no knowing the damage it would cause to Asgard.
She certainly must thank the Ancient One once she returned back to Earth. The trap she had set up was not an instantaneous spell—it was built from casting it in several steps during the battle, each so imperceptible that it had slipped past Hela's notice.
"Ase!" Heimdall shouted. He stumbled before her when he saw her injury. "You're wounded!"
"I'm fine," Ase assured him hopelessly, the pain still seeping through her bones. Heimdall picked up her staff for her and escorted her out of the battlefield, where the civilians of Asgard were rampant in chaos. Soldiers tried, and failed, to usher the citizens to safety in a calm manner, they themselves questioning the situation.
Hela was beyond powerful. Even with her utmost effort, Ase could not overpower her in any way, and only ended up draining her stamina in the process. She must join forces with Thor and Loki, perhaps all the remaining sorcerers if they wanted to succeed. But for now, the citizens were of top priority, especially since Hela had no intention of leaving anyone opposing her alive.
"Can we evacuate the citizens through Bifrost?" Ase asked.
"In this chaos? There is not enough time," Heimdall answered, reviewing the situation sceptically. "And certainly we can't transport so many people at once. We need ships."
Hogun joined them, his face torn in grief. Perhaps he had known his brothers' fate. "All the ships are destroyed by Hela during the confrontation," Hogun added. "We need to evacuate the citizens somewhere else."
"There is an old stronghold in the mountains," Heimdall told them. "I know of a secret passage. But we need time to get all of them through."
Ase nodded. "Tell the soldiers to stand guard around palace. We need to hold off Hela as long as possible. And instruct the surviving sorcerers to create a seal around the palace. The strongest one ever created. Go."
Hogun nodded and rushed back into the crowd. Ase noticed Sif blending in with the citizens, her face distraught, demanding where Thor was. She could not provide an answer. Heimdall informed her that Loki and Thor were thrown off-course during their journey back to Asgard in the Bifrost Bridge. They could end up anywhere, he explained, even in places not meant for living beings.
Heimdall brought them to the outskirts of the city, where a small tunnel laid agape. "It's a labyrinth from here on," Heimdall explained, leading the groups of citizens deeper into the mountains. "It will take a while for Hela's minions to reach us."
"And by minions, she can raise the dead," Ase added grimly. "How convenient."
"She won't find us by magic. Nothing magical protects the fortress, so she won't be able to detect us so easily."
The thought was not comforting at all. They traversed through the dark cave in silence, before Heimdall finally twitched beside her. "I found Thor in Sakaar."
"What?"
"He's in the Grandmaster's hold."
Ase literally face-palmed herself. "What are the odds indeed," she sighed. "We can't defeat Hela without the aid of Thor and Loki, and conveniently they are both in Sakaar."
"You need to fetch them here," Heimdall suggested. Ase looked at him incredulously. "I know that you are perhaps the best chance for us against Hela if she was to find us, you're also the best chance to find Thor and Loki. And you are the only one who can travel using Dark Magic."
Virtually, she wanted to vomit herself out as he mentioned Dark Magic. Her first and last experience travelling using Bifrost was not a pleasant one after all. But considering she had Heimdall by her side now, who could utilise Dark Magic for her, the chances of haemorrhaging would be quite low this time. Right now, however, she was more concerned of visiting Sakaar once more. She had seen a glimpse of the life in that planet—the tournaments, the scavengers, the illegal labour trade—she hated every part of it. That was her only concern now.
The fortress loomed over them. An ancient stronghold, carved upon the rocky isolated mountains. "Let's do it, shall we?" Ase said.
Heimdall nodded firmly. He took Ase's hands and closed his eyes. The same feeling flowed through her as they reached for the Bifrost. It was like the river gushing into her veins, but this time the currents were a little bit slower. Perhaps it was because of the Bifrost sword Heimdall was wielding, she didn't know. Painful memories flooded her vision as well. She ignored them.
"Allfathers. Let the Dark Magic flow through her," Heimdall chanted. In an instant, Ase's body warped into multitudes of colours, vanishing from Heimdall's vision, carrying with her the hope of Asgard's survival.
oOo
The sky was as bleak as she remembered it. The air smelled of foul evil, mainly because of the sumptuous garbage before her. Ase crinkled her face and covered her nostrils. The collapsing neutron star swirled at the centre of Sakaar, a depiction of the storm awaiting her ahead. She looked down at her arm. She opened and closed her palms, flinching slightly when the pain remerged. "It will do now," Ase assured herself.
Several hours ago, she had communicated with Loki. Considering the discrepancies in time in Sakaar, which she had learnt during her 'exciting' visit, she guessed that at least 5 days had passed in the region. Loki urged her to reach for her communicator, which was, much to her dismay, damaged during her confrontation with Hela. Grumbling, Ase cast the broken device to join the rest of its brothers in the garbage dump before sliding down the one she was standing on.
She was left with no clues to work on, it seemed.
And considering Sakaar's violent environment, many things could have happened in those 5 days. Loki was too cunning to declare his existence so openly to Sakaarians. It would be impossible for her to find him over the course of next few days, considering that each hour in Asgard would give Hela an ample time to annihilate the rest of the people.
"Thor it is then," Ase decided, pacing towards Sakaar's central city. There were scavengers lurking behind the piles of garbage, but a single glare from Ase sent them scampering away. Human trafficking was the heart and soul of Sakaar, so even though she was as skilful as she was, she needed to stay alert in case one or two traffickers had an eye on her and agreed to work together.
Since Thor had an inclination to attract attention, and getting himself into trouble, Ase figured that the Grandmaster's lair would be the best place to start. Loki too should have gone up the social ladders by now, though she would rather not contemplate on his methods in accomplishing that.
The strangers continued to spy on her. Ase stopped on her heels and turned around, realising the only clue she had at that moment. "Hello there," Ase greeted as she twirled her staff. "Can I ask you something?"
All of them emerged from the shadows at once, bearing guns and weapons, several of them nets to capture her. Ase frowned and tapped her staff hard on the ground, creating a resounding boom which caused her hunters to stagger back. "Cooperate with me, or else you'll end up in the garbage dump." The scavengers seemed to agree with her instantly. "Has anyone arrived here, in the dump, recently?"
"You got that right," their leader answered, his voice trembling. "A man fell from the sky. He's caught by one of the Grandmaster's henchmen, the brute lady who always scampers around these parts. And drinking."
"What is the Grandmaster going to do to him?" Ase demanded.
"The Contest of Champions," one of them said. "Where brutes fight, and get killed."
"Thank god then," Ase sighed in relief, earning looks of confusion from them. Thor was many things, but getting killed in battle was not one of them.
"The next one is held tomorrow," the leader added. "In the stadium. You'll need a ticket to get there."
Ase scoffed, withdrawing her staff. "I don't need a ticket to get into anything."
A/N: Happy New Year! I hope all of you guys have a wonderful 2020 ahead, with the best blessings and life pleasantries bestowed upon you dear beloved readers! As promised, a new chapter posted just after the New Years, a chapter I particularly enjoyed writing. Hopefully this year I find enough motivation to consistently post and maintain the drive to actually write haha! I apologise if 2019 has been a stagnant year for me! Again, thank you for being with me this far, particularly those who have tagged along for roughly three years since I first started writing on this site. Thank you all, and I love you always.