Hela

"So, this is the end of mine?" Odin felt his hands going numb, and once he glanced down, wrinkles started upon his forehead. The death of his wife, the betrayal of his son - all these hidden emotions came crashing into his consciousness from within, and Odin could do nothing about it.

He was already too old. The memories of his youth, the violent battles he had alongside his family to unite all the realms seemed nothing more than a simple dream anymore. He was no longer the same, and his time had finally come.

"I am truly a pathetic father, Thor... Loki." Odin glanced into the cerulean sky, noting its unusual darkness. He had used the last bits of his remaining power to kill the mortal threatening Thor's life, but even that turned out to be unsuccessful. He held powers beyond something ordinary.

"Not only have I failed to kill that mortal, now I will unleash an even more terrifying adversary upon the universe." Odin sighed, losing the feeling of his body as it disintegrated into nothingness. "Brace yourself, sons of mine. The times of dusk are coming."

Odin sighed, relaxing his body. He had been fighting this eternal battle against time for long, and he no longer could subjugate its natural laws. Hell, he didn't even have any power to evacuate the civilians from Asgard. Perhaps the possibility of losing Thor clouded his basic sense, and he acted too harshly. Perhaps there was a way to save him without Odin's powers.

Still, it would only prolong the inevitable. Thor would have to face Hela one day, anyway. "I can't bid you a proper farewell, Thor," Odin mumbled one last time, his eyes closing on their own.

Soon, his body got covered in an unnatural light, and then it disappeared, leaving nothing but silence behind. For the first time in thousands of years, the seven realms no longer had any ruler.

A portal formed in the middle of the room, and a woman walked out of it. She scanned the surroundings immediately as a smile appeared on her face, causing her pale complexion to regain some of its colors.

"So, you are finally dead?" Hela walked up the stairs, inspecting the golden throne with recollection, before taking a seat. "It's a pity I couldn't see it."

"Still, I can't believe you died because of a mortal. Pathetic." Hela closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as she placed her leg upon another. "I have been expecting to be released a few years later, but it has been a pleasant surprise."

Eventually, Hela opened her eyes again and formed a weapon in her hand. She wanted revenge right now, more than anything. Didn't Odin have two sons? They were the perfect targets.

"I am finally free. The universe will be mine." Hela smiled playfully, rising from the throne with a quick stretch. It had been centuries since she had any battles, hence making Odin's wimpy army an easy prey. "I should take over the Asgard first, then I can take care of those two."

Not pondering too much, Hela made her way out of the room. She passed by the subtly lit candles, breathing in the scent of rusty textile. Beautifully decorated walls greeted her from all around, and she continued to walk around the palace.

Her palace.

"How long has it been?" Hela stopped before a certain entrance, regarding its familiar cravings. It had been changed a lot since her last visit, but it still held the same smell of death.

Extending her hand behind her back, she propelled a punch and broke the golden doors into pieces. The interior was covered in darkness, and only the light from the outside illuminated it.

"The collection has increased." Hela noticed multiple new objects put on display as she made her way forward. Most of them were fake though and didn't hold any real value to her. She was only interested in reviving her former army, therefore making Asgard truly a glorious place.

Odin didn't seem to hide this place that much, since it was so easy to break in. Or perhaps he already understood that there was no point in doing so - the army belonged to Hela and no one could stop her after Odin's death.

"Hm?" a crimson light shining in the front drew Hela's attention. Power unfamiliar to her passed through her body as she quickly rushed towards the object, inspecting it all around. A reality stone... certainly something Hela didn't expect to find here.

"Odin wasn't sitting with no work. A reality stone is one of the most useful ones out of them all." Hela smiled deeply, rejoicing at the sight of the shining stone. She extended her hand to grab it, yet her hand passed through it as if it has never been there.

"What the hell is this?" Hela cursed, wrinkles spreading across her forehead. The reality stone had been here before, for a simple illusion couldn't contain such dense power. It had been stolen just recently, and the thief couldn't get away yet.

Bracing herself, a blade extended from Hela's palm as she used it to make a vast hole in the nearest wall. She did the same a few more times until eventually jumping out of the palace.

The warriors and simple civilians yelled as Hela passed through them in a blink of an eye. She paid them no heed, for she would deal with all of them later, anyway. A few moments later, she already stood in the middle of the multicolored bridge.

Facing her stood a figure of a dark-skinned man, whose eyes portrayed no color. They both regarded each other for a few moments before the silence eventually broke. "It's nice to meet you, Queen of Asgard." the man said.

"So, you were the one that let that thief escape." Hela extended her blade towards the man, exhaling. She didn't like getting tricked like that. It always reminded her of her own imprisonment. "Was it one of Odin's sons?"

"I am afraid I can't answer your question." The guardian answered, unmoving.

"There is no point in loyalty anymore. Odin is dead. Hence, I am the ruler of Asgard now. Listen to my orders." Hela snapped, slowly making her way towards the man.

"Thor is still alive."

"Not for long." Hela placed the tilt of her blade onto the man's shoulder, who still didn't resist. It was pointless. He could harm no one holding such power. "He is still on earth, right? I presume you sent his brother there too, so it only makes it easier for me."

The guardian didn't answer, instead simply closing his eyes. He had accepted his fate, and the only thing left was the pure belief in Thor and Loki. They had to somehow stop this woman, this time without his help.

Hela sliced the man's head off cleanly, splashing blood everywhere. She didn't bother to clean her blade as she smiled crazily.

Thoughts of revenge flooded her mind, and she rushed back towards the temple. There was no need to stall time. She would reincarnate her army, kill her brothers, take the stone and make those puny humans kneel before her!