Chapter 24: The Vormir Gambit – A Soul for a Lie.
[ASGARD ROYAL LIBRARY – DAY]
The air was thick with unspoken fear. Odin and Loki stared at me, processing the terrifying scope of my plan.
"Mother, you cannot be serious," Loki finally whispered, his voice stripped of all mischief. "Vormir demands true, sacrificial love. It is not fooled by illusions."
"I am not planning an illusion, Loki," I said, holding his gaze. "I am planning an **exchange of truth.**"
I walked over to the containment vault holding the **Eternal Flame**, which was contained with the **Reality Stone (Aether)** in the amber vial.
"The Soul Stone requires the sacrifice of the person loved most," I explained. "The person I love most in this universe is this family. I, Yuta Kamiya, truly and deeply love you three—you, Thor, and Odin. My sacrifice would be genuine."
Odin stepped forward, Gungnir resting heavily on the marble. "I forbid this, Frigga. Your life is vital."
"My life is a decoy, Odin," I countered. "The original Frigga is dead. The original Yuta is dead. What is left is a consciousness, a strategy, and a powerful, borrowed body. The Stone needs a soul, but it doesn't specify *which* soul. My sacrifice is the price for the Soul Stone. But the **Eternal Flame** is the key to cheating the loss."
"The flame that resurrects Surtur," Loki murmured, his mind finally catching up to the terrifying genius.
"It is the flame of **Ragnarok**—a power source tied to destruction and rebirth," I confirmed. "I will go to Vormir. I will be deemed the true sacrifice. But before the fall, I will use my combined magic, amplified by the **Reality Stone**, to force the **Eternal Flame's** chaotic rebirth energy into my own body."
I looked at Loki. "The Soul Stone will consume my soul, fulfilling the price. But the Eternal Flame, the antithesis of death, will simultaneously ignite the body. It's a calculated risk: **A soul for a Stone, and a sacrifice for a rebirth.**"
Loki shook his head, a mixture of horror and awe in his eyes. "You are asking to be instantly incinerated and resurrected at the bottom of a cosmic abyss. This is less a loophole and more a strategic detonation."
"It's the only way to get the Stone without permanently losing a key asset," I insisted. "It is the **Ultimate Clause Four: Cosmic Improvised Revival.**"
### The Final Mission Assignments
The plan was set. Time was the enemy.
1. **Loki's Mission: The Tesseract.**
"Loki," I instructed, handing him a communication device. "While I am on Vormir, you have the most critical task: securing the final Infinity Stone, the **Space Stone (Tesseract).** Thanos's forces will be focused on Earth and Vormir. You go after the Tesseract."
"Where, Mother?"
"The Tesseract was either with the **Nova Corps** or with the **Asgardian Refugee Ship** after the canonical *Thor: Ragnarok*," I explained. "We've diverted the Dark Elves and Thanos's initial scouts. That means the Refugee Ship is likely still on its journey. You need to find it and secure the Stone before Thanos's main forces intercept them."
Loki's face hardened with determination. "I will find my people and the Stone."
2. **Odin's Mission: Defense and Extraction.**
"Odin, you remain here," I commanded. "You are the final defense. You must keep the Power and Reality Stones secure. Most importantly, you must be ready to open the Bifrost to Vormir the moment Loki sends the signal. Hela will be on Vanaheim, ready to return if Thanos attacks."
3. **My Mission: Vormir.**
I picked up the vial containing the Aether and the Flame, securing it into a reinforced pouch. "I will need a guide. Someone who knows the darkest pathways of the cosmos, but whose absence won't compromise our defense."
I looked at the coordinates. **"I need a Dark Elf."**
### A Final Good-Bye
Within the hour, the Bifrost Chamber was prepped for two simultaneous, urgent missions.
Loki was ready to depart, his usual theatrics muted by genuine fear for my safety. "Be safe, Mother. And please, try to come back with less scarring than you leave with."
"I'll bring back the Soul Stone, and maybe some new battle scars for flair," I promised, hugging him tightly—a true, non-strategic embrace. "Go. Find our people."
I stepped into the designated coordinates for Vormir, led by a single, silent Dark Elf navigator who was entirely bewildered by the Queen's choice of destination.
Odin stood at the controls, his hand hovering over the Gungnir lever. He looked at me, his eye filled with the profound love of an ancient king for his queen.
"If the resurrection fails, Frigga," he murmured, his voice thick, "I will not forgive myself."
"Then don't let it fail," I smiled, holding the Aether/Flame vial tight. "I have a galaxy to save and a family to manage. I'm not done yet."
I turned, giving one final, resolute nod to my husband.
The Bifrost roared. The rainbow light consumed me, twisting the world until I was spat out onto a desolate, red-rock planet under an angry, bruised sky.
[VORMIR – MOMENTS LATER]
I landed hard on the crimson dirt. The air here was heavy, filled with silent sorrow. The destination was immediately clear: a towering cliff edge.
A figure, cloaked in black, floated down before me. I recognized the spectral, haunting form of the **Red Skull**, the guardian of the Soul Stone.
"Welcome," the Skull's voice echoed, ancient and cold. "You come to a place of ultimate sacrifice. To retrieve what you seek, you must lose that which you love most."
I walked toward the cliff edge, the chilling wind whipping my robes. I opened the pouch and pulled out the amber vial containing the **Reality Stone** and the **Eternal Flame.**
"I know the price," I said, meeting the Skull's gaze. "And I am prepared to pay it."
I looked down into the swirling mist below—the abyss where the soul would be taken. I placed the vial containing the power of **Ragnarok** and **Reality** securely inside my robes.
"The person I love most is this family," I whispered. "And I sacrifice myself, Yuta Kamiya, to save them all."
I closed my eyes. I focused all of Frigga's magic, not on attack, but on **forcing the Aether's reality-warping energy to stabilize the flame's chaotic power.** It was a desperate, final spell.
I took one final step forward and plummeted into the void, simultaneously initiating the ultimate act of sacrifice and the wildest strategic self-detonation in cosmic history.
**"CLAUSE FOUR!"**
To Be Continued...