Farewell

The divine raven, whether it was Huginn or Muninn, I couldn't tell, disturbed the peaceful atmosphere and perched on the table as if it belonged to him.

I knew that Hela would be coming, but when it mentioned "the end," I got a bad feeling. So I asked, "By 'the end,' do you mean Hela will bring about the end, or my evil twin whom I banished to the edge of the universe?"

The raven tilted its small head and replied, *Gaah* "Both." *Gaah*

"Well, shit... Then take me to Odin. If you're here, he must still be alive, right?" I stood up, and the raven flew up as well, glowing and creating a golden portal in the process.

As I moved towards it, Wanda stopped me, grabbing my shirt and looking worriedly at me. "Do you really need to go? Let me help you."

I smiled, caressed her cheek, and gave her a kiss. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. Stay back and relax. I'll be right back." However, Wanda wasn't entirely convinced, and I could see tears welling up in her eyes.

"Yeah, don't worry. I'll also help him," Yao declared, standing up and ready to follow me. I nodded at her and turned to Okoye, who seemed uncertain about how to handle the situation.

"Okoye, tell T'Challa to be on guard. There are some evil beings nearby. Be prepared for battle while I'm away, and inform the Exvengers that the threat from New York has returned."

Okoye nodded at me and began walking towards her flying vehicle, with Shuri and Pietro noticing the strange portal and joining us.

"Pietro, take care of your sister while I'm away." He looked confused but nodded, and I turned back to my highly pregnant girlfriend, who still hadn't let go of me.

With a dangerous glint in her eyes, she warned, "If you don't come back soon, I'll come for you." Feeling a shiver run down my spine, I kissed her again and started walking towards the portal with Yao, while Wanda placed a hand on her heart and began to cry.

Not wanting to witness this, I didn't turn around and walked straight into the portal.

The scenery shifted, and we found ourselves in an open field, somewhere in Norway, I guess. Sitting on a stone was an old man with one eye and a white beard, gazing out into the world.

Well, at least he's not bald... Sensing someone's gaze upon me, I looked at Yao, only to find her squinting her eyes at me. Can she read my mind?

Ignoring the bald monk, I stepped forward to stand in front of the Allfather.

---

"Hello, you two. I'm glad both of you could make it in time," said the old protector of the realms in a relaxed tone. Even though he appeared composed, I could feel him scanning us with his golden eye, assessing our strength like a seasoned warrior.

After seemingly satisfied with our strength, he continued, "So we finally meet eye to eye, otherworlder. I have been keeping an eye on you for quite some time. I'm also glad to see you, Yao. It's been a while since we last talked."

What's up with the eye puns? I also had anticipated his level of knowledge... The only question is, how much does he truly know about me?

Seeing me lost in thought and not responding to Odin, Yao stepped forward and said, "It's nice to see you too, Odin, Son of Bor. When was the last time we met? Like five hundred years ago?"

He nods happily after remembering the old good times and says, "Yes, it was when my younger son tried to prank some humans and went too far. You beat him up and brought him back to Asgard."

Aware that time was running short for him, I wanted to move past the pleasantries. "I'm happy that you could meet again, but my girlfriend gets really angry if I don't return soon, so can we focus on the main point here?" I said, concerned about my girlfriend's reaction if I let her wait.

Odin nods at this and says, "The otherworlder is right. Let's get to the main point before the other three appear."

I summoned some chairs and a table while Yao provided beer for Odin, tea for herself, and cold whiskey for me on it. We all sat down and I continued.

"My name is David Blake. You can simply call me David. Being called an otherworlder sounds kinda strange," I said, sipping the whiskey and enjoying the scenery a bit, mentally preparing myself for the worst.

Odin nodded and raised his beer in agreement. "I guess you two already know about my imprisoned daughter, right?"

"Yes, at least I do. But how does Tamat fit into this?" I asked, while Yao listened without confirming or denying her knowledge of Hela.

"Ah yes, the Shadow. Not long ago, he appeared in Hel, and they formed a... let's say bond after discovering their shared appetite for chaos and violence. Shortly after, he began assisting her in breaking my defenses and draining my life force in the process." said Odin looking oddly weak at the moment.

"So, his plan is to get to Earth with her?" I said, while gulpping down the whiskey. Essentially, he would have a free way ticket to Earth once Odin dies.

"No, it doesn't seem like that. After leaving me half-dead, he disappeared from Hel. But I can still sense his presence nearby, waiting for something to happen."

I let out a sigh and stood up from the chair and the other two followed suit, because a portal opened nearby. It seemed that, as always, Tamat was one step ahead. Passionately playing his game and waiting for the right moment to strike.

As we turned around, the golden portal vanished, leaving only Thor and Loki, who was lying on the ground, behind. This brought our brief conversation to an end.

"Farewell, you two. I wish you the best of luck in the upcoming events," said Odin after seeing his sons.

"May Valhalla welcome you with open arms, Odin, Son of Bor," said the ancient one, while I added, "Farewell, old man, and keep a place for us in your halls."

He chuckled and turned around, gazing out at the ocean once again.

---

I dismissed the table and chairs, stepping aside with Yao as the half-siblings approached us. Thor and Loki walked past us, with Thor ignoring us completely and only focusing on his father, while Loki turned around, visibly angry with me.

"You!!! Because of you, I was practically brain dead for nearly a year!" he exclaimed, summoning his daggers to attack me. However, he immediately stopped, while sweating and shaking uncontrollably.

Why? Because I activated my Sharingan and showed him a glimpse of his near future, where I held his head in my hand after he attacked me.

"Do you want an upgrade from brain dead to truly dead? Go to your father, he's waiting for you," I said in a cold tone. Loki dispelled his daggers saying nothing and walked to his father, looking more pale than ever.

Allowing them to have their conversation we stepped further aside and I turned to Yao and said, "Whatever happens next, don't follow us. Stay on Earth and stay close to Wanda. I don't want any surprises while I'm dealing with them."

"Are you sure? It could be challenging to face Tamat alone and Wanda wouldn't be happy with that" she said worriedly.

I nodded and replied, "Yes, I have something special prepared for him if he shows up." Taking out a necklace adorned with nearly a hundred stones, each inscribed with dozens of runes, I showed it to her.

She examined it closely and remarked, "A collection of stones with numerous runes on each of them?"

"Exactly!" I said proudly, tucking the necklace back into my pocket. It took me nearly four months to create, so it should be sufficient to handle Tamat... hopefully.

After a few minutes, I sensed a change in Odin. When I turned around, I saw him disintegrating and his life force started to disappear into the air.

So I took out a small chest that fit in the palm of my hand, engraved with the rune ᛟ for home and spiritual power and opened it. After a few seconds, Odin's life force began to flow into the chest, and once part of it was safely stored inside, I closed it again. For later use...

Yao watched me skeptically but said nothing, allowing me to proceed. Meanwhile, the two sons didn't even notice my actions and continued to stare at the ocean.

Unsurprisingly a few seconds later, a green portal opened nearly, and Hela could be seen stepping out of it.

Without broken clothes this time and beaming with power she said, "So he is gone? That is a shame. I wanted to see that."