"Father is acting strange," said Thor, confused, as he watched Odin. In recent days, the king had barely done anything, and the little he did was bewildering.
He simply spent time with them. From the outside, anyone would have thought it was a normal family, without traces of the strict discipline that marked Asgardian royalty. He spoke with Frigga normally, chatted with Thor and Loki about their lives, always with a proud look that confused both, especially Loki. He even talked to Jane and Natasha, and although they had little in common with the god, they ended up enjoying the conversation.
"Seems like an old man enjoying his retirement," Natasha commented at one point, and everyone nodded at Odin's strange calm.
The impression was solidified when he spent time with Jean, playing with her, carrying her on his shoulders like any grandfather. When asked about the energy emanating from the girl, he simply downplayed it: "We'll deal with that later, after we finish current matters."
"I never understood our father," Loki whispered, still bewildered. "There was a time I thought I did, but it was just illusions. Even now… I still don't."
Days later, with the brothers still unable to decipher their father's intentions, Odin gathered everyone in the throne room. The calm was absolute; not only the room, but the entire palace and its surroundings had been evacuated.
"The time has come," announced the king, regaining the majesty and seriousness that seemed forgotten.
Everyone understood that he would free Hela. Frigga showed restrained anticipation on her face, Loki remained cautious, Thor shone with excitement at the prospect of facing someone so powerful, and Jane and Natasha, despite knowing the story, barely understood the complexity of Asgardian royalty. Natasha prepared to protect Jean in case of emergency, while the girl, confused, sensed the tension and reacted accordingly.
Odin only said,
"Come out, Hela. I know you can see us."
And before them appeared a woman both elegant and wild. Straight black hair, intense green eyes, and a presence that seemed to warp the air around her. She did it so naturally that no one noticed her arrival until the weight of her aura became evident: cold, authoritative, imposing.
"Old man, so you noticed?" she said mockingly.
"Of course," replied Odin, unfazed by her disrespect.
"Maybe you are weaker than the Infinity Stones, but feeling the presence of one is nothing. You know why I freed you, right?"
"Freed me?" Hela laughed. "I could have done it alone a long time ago."
"But you didn't."
"Do you think I'm stupid, old man? My seal is tied to your life force, and if I could break it, it's because you're decrepit, but that doesn't mean you don't have tricks up your sleeve."
Thor and Loki exchanged looks of bewilderment. Impulsive as always, Thor couldn't contain himself:
"Father, are you dying?"
Odin nodded serenely, accepting that his time in this world was ending. He only hoped to find a worthy successor, and to his surprise, he found two.
"Wow, but it's my cute little brother, shouldn't you greet your sister?" said Hela, sarcastically.
"How do you know us?" Loki asked, intrigued and worried, not letting Thor speak.
Hela furrowed her brow, letting her aura press on him without touching him.
"Show more respect, little brother. I could kill you effortlessly."
Despite the immense pressure, Loki held his gaze, refusing to kneel, while Thor reacted by throwing Mjolnir at his newly discovered sister. Effortlessly, Hela caught the hammer with one hand, astonishing everyone. Thor called it back, but the expression on his face changed: Hela held Mjolnir with strength, undeserving, defying any logic he knew.
"How…?" he stammered, as Hela's sword seemed to emerge from the darkness.
Odin intervened with a burst of power, restraining Hela and freeing Thor and Loki from the pressure. Natasha held Loki as he caught his breath.
"Hela, I don't want to fight you," said Odin. "I know you hold resentment, but don't involve others… and do not hate Asgard."
Hela looked at him for a moment and then laughed, before letting her contained fury overflow:
"Don't hate Asgard? The kingdom I gave everything for, where I lived and grew, and which discarded me as if I were only a tool?"
But when she expected Odin's defense, he only sighed:
"It was not Asgard that did that. It was me."
"It's true," Hela replied, then looking at Loki. "Do you want to know how I know them? I'll show you."
She extended her hand and a blue screen appeared in front of them, showing the place in real-time.
"Magic… space power?" said Odin.
Hela shrugged.
"No idea. It just appeared one day and said it would be present until today."
Natasha, observing, perceived the truth in her words. Hela continued:
"I saw everything. For years. The Asgard that abandoned me, enjoying its life as if nothing, forgetting my existence… But then I realized: they didn't forget me, they don't even know me. All those I loved are already dead… except one."
She said, looking at Odin with hatred.
"I blamed many people during the time I was imprisoned, but in the end everything led to you. You raised me as a tool for your purposes, and when I was no longer useful… you discarded me."
As she spoke, she slowly approached Odin's throne, her intentions clear to all. Odin did not move; he remained still, accepting the inevitable.
"Stop!" shouted Thor and Loki.
"Stop!"
But it was a small voice that stopped her and made her turn:
"Do not hurt my grandfather."
Hela looked at her for a second, noticing the firmness in her gaze. Loki and Natasha positioned themselves in front of her, and Hela sighed, resigned.
"You know… I envy you," she said, looking at the little girl. "Inside you is the Phoenix. With that strength, if trained well, you could conquer the entire universe on your own, without depending on any army. Not only that, the situation you were born into was desperate; a weapon like you would have solved everything."
She looked at Loki and Natasha, still protecting the girl.
"But they didn't. Even so, you were raised as a normal child, never forced into anything, surrounded by love. I suppose that is the difference between parents."
Then she turned to Odin with an even colder voice:
"You see, in the end everything leads to you."
Her dress lengthened, merging with the darkness. A crown appeared in her hands and slowly placed itself on her head. Her height now reached 2.5 meters, further imposing her presence.
In front of Odin, she raised her hand and a necroenergy sword appeared. The blade hovered next to the king's head; a single cut would be the end.
Thor and Loki tried to move, but Hela pressed them, preventing them from intervening. Jane only watched, unsure what to do, while Natasha covered Jean's eyes. Frigga, silently, watched with sadness, accepting the situation; a meaningful tear fell from her eyes.
"I hope with this your hatred dissolves and you don't redirect it toward all of Asgard," said Odin.
Hela laughed again:
"Frigga is here, you know I wouldn't do that, even in your last moments, trying your mental tricks."
He shook his head:
"You were a great king, but a bad man… and even more…"
She raised the sword and cut toward Odin while he remained still.
"…a bad father."
The sword fell. King god Odin died, and with him, a centuries-old resentment between father and daughter was resolved.
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