Mjolnir took me far beyond the eyes of Asgard and Father. I flew past Narvlheim, Dagheim, and Borgheim, following a different path than the one the Bifrost took me on the last time I performed a scout mission. The universe was an open stone canvas, and now I had the tool to etch whatever future I wanted across its face.
I aimed for the place we called the "Outer Darkness"; in truth, it was a debris field. Bits of land congealed into orbs that blended what once was Yggdrasil before the Ragnarok. I started plotting my ascension when I found Rasvelg here a year ago, so it was only fitting that I return to form my army.
The beings that remained here multiplied year after year, making mutant hybrids of fire giants, elves, even unnamed beasts with wings and scales. When I started scouting for viable land as a soldier, I did as I reported to Father and slaughtered many, but I was judicious in my extermination. I couldn't kill all of them, or there would be no one left to stand as shields beside me when the war finally came. Only the weak and most misshapen were culled. To the other survivors, I was a distant savior. Now, I returned to stake my claim and make honest work of who remained.
I landed on an expanse of grey and released the hammer as gently as possible before stretching my limbs and evaluating myself. The journey ripped my cape to shreds that trailed behind me in thin strips of singed red. Even the brass on my breastplate appeared dingy and shaded with black. I saw the marks as badges of honor and strife; a baptism by fire to reach my new potential. Even Mjolnir looked different than when Father had it; the metal, always a shiny graphite gray, now appeared fully black and the runes that once were visible on each side all but disappeared. It flickered with lightning that was red as rage, even when apart from me.
I took the hammer again and held it steady to acclimate to the weight. Its heft didn't match its size, but with practice, I'd wield it with ease soon enough. If any eyes were watching, they'd need to see me with the weapon to know I wasn't to be trifled with.
"I, Modi, have returned from New Asgard to redeem you," I yelled, walking in a slow circle to call in all directions. "All who once sought mercy from me, step forward."
The terrain came alive as camouflaged creatures came toward me. Some appeared to melt against the skyline, while others rose to imposing heights that towered over me. Still, I was running the show. They feared me, as they should've.
One was brave enough to step out from the rest—a curious orange lizard-like man, resembling a fire giant blended with an Asgardian. I shuddered inside at the thought of how he came to be.
His blue tongue flickered out of his scaled lips. "What mean redeem you by?"
"Master," I said while tipping my face low. "Address me as Master."
He twitched and a film shuttered over his eyes. "Master. What mean it?"
"Exactly as I said. You will be rescued and brought to the civilized worlds of New Yggdrasil. Why should your races be forgotten and left stranded here? Because men fear you, should that spell your death?"
A few voices mumbled around me. More than one group used gestures toward one another which told me not everyone knew the common tongue. Even that was an advantage to me, since it meant I could bend and twist their understanding at any time.
"You certainly are brave to approach me. What is your name?" I asked the orange soldier. "What do I call you?"
He humbled himself by lowering his head. "I am Gax, Master."
"Gax. A simple name." I put my hand on his shoulder and slowly turned to meet the eyes of everyone watching. "Are there any who would deny my call to arms and claim what's owed to you? Anyone with cowardice to be dispatched?"
More than a few traded glances, but instead of fear, I saw confusion. None of them answered, but none strongly opposed my call, either.
"What mean it?" Gax asked, turning his head an uncomfortable degree while looking up at me. "Master asks what?"
"Ah, I see. Too complex." I cleared my throat. "You all will help me win my crown. That makes sense, yes?"
They nodded this time. I waited for the ones who gestured to each other to stop before I continued.
"You see how powerful I am?" I took a risk and tossed Mjolnir up and caught it by the handle again, successfully enough to hide how I nearly dropped it. "I can help or hurt you."
More nods. Gax grunted in affirmation this time.
"Good. Are there any sick among you? Anyone who needs death quickly before we begin?"
They didn't bring anyone forward, and I knew the command was at least slightly familiar, since it was the same I gave on scouting trips before. They knew the value of health, at least, so no new sacrifices meant they were stable.
"Very good. May I ask where most of you herald from?"
More silence in response. Clearly, I needed to adjust my language further.
I chose to start with another lizard-man who was a bit taller than Gax but far more lanky. "Where did you live before this place? Do you know the name?"
He flared his nostrils, releasing a small puff of smoke. "Muspelheim home."
"I see. Fitting." Along the line, I asked the same question, taking private inventory of the skills I might have at hand. More than one responded with a shrug instead of a real name, partly because they were too young to know their heritage or because they were too daft to care.
A few more reported Muspelheim. A handful from Niflheim, as well. Some even claimed to be of Svartalfheim, though from what I knew of it, that wasn't possible...perhaps they only knew the realm by name but not as a true home, or what they said was more proof that Father lied about what happened there. It didn't really matter, since they ultimately looked the same to my eyes. Clearly their fathers took humanoid women from all the old realms for their pleasure and power to make who stood before me now.
One creature in particular gave me pause; rather, his eyes did. The red pierced the darkness as he sat on the ground behind the first row to greet me.
I split the line to reveal him further and pointed at him with Mjolnir. "You there. Is there a reason you do not properly stand?"
He raised a brow. "I serve no one."
His willingness to challenge me, however passively, fueled my wish to prove myself. It made me chuckle. "I see. You make your own rules, don't you?"
"Yes. I've seen it fall before. It will all fall again."
"Then perhaps you can help me make something new, if nothing else. Please, come forward." I waved for him to stand and encouraged the others to make enough room.
When he rose to his feet, he was even more imposing than the fire giants. His blue skin showed no signs of age or wear. Frosty crystals outlined his collarbone and some of his facial features. While he was the first full-blood I'd ever seen in person, his origin was unmistakable.
I directed him to the center of the circle. "If you will not serve me, will you allow me to honor you? Appoint you as my second in command?"
He stared through me, possibly determining how easily I might be crushed or torn apart. Unlike the others, he knew my strong language. An intelligent being, brutal in size, strong enough to survive Ragnarok and who knew how many before now. One didn't make it this far without caution and well-placed allies.
I didn't wait for him to give a real answer. "Please kneel to accept this charge, my brother. We'll restore your place in Yggdrasil together."
The other surrounding us stirred, proving how some were likely jealous that I made such a public offer of honor. They'd compete with one another for my ultimate affection—precisely as I'd want them to. Like Gunnar and Tyr, their loyalty would someday be my gain.
Convinced of my word, the Jotun knelt, never breaking eye contact with me. Even on one knee, he nearly matched my height.
I tipped my head to the side. "Please allow me to confer a proper title upon you. Drop your gaze to be dubbed by my hammer."
His let another moment pass before doing as I asked, silently telling me I wasn't in control. Yet despite his misgivings, the fool still presented the back of his neck to the sky.
"I, Modi, Prince—no—King of Asgard, through the authority of all the gods before me, make right the wrongs of our ancestors. Where they could not succeed, I shall, with ease." In a swift blow that nearly lifted my feet off the ground, I bludgeoned the Jotun's spine and killed him instantly. The crack of his bones were a delightful preview for what I'd hoped to hear from Vali in the same circumstance someday.
The monsters on all sides let out squeals and laughter, simultaneously pleased by my show and fearsome of my wrath. If they couldn't predict my actions, they would do whatever I asked to save their own skins.
I turned back to Gax and relaxed my shoulders. "Are there any other Jotuns in this place? Even part-breed frost giants?"
He bowed a little lower. "No, Master. One only here."
"Good. Their filth was meant to die like all the rest." I tossed the hammer in the air again, already more comfortable with it in my hand. "Yggdrasil's so close to being clean. All thanks to me."