402

The Passing of Years

After the storm subsided, Forseti and Hela remained in the same intimate position, nestled together in the pool.

Excitement often leads to the leakage of divine power. Under the influence of fiery divine energy, the water in the pool had evaporated into a mist that now filled the room. Amidst this haze, the two spoke.

"How did you know I was on Sakaar, my dear?" Hela's breathing remained uneven.

Forseti gently stroked her cheek, recounting his encounter with the Aesir corp spaceship, then asked, "Your Majesty, why have you come to this desolate and isolated place, separating us for hundreds of years?"

Hela fell silent for a moment, then bowed her head. "It's because I felt isolated from the world."

"You must know, I had a falling out with my father before leaving Asgard. But what you may not know is how close we came to clashing. My father Odin... he likely no longer sees me as his daughter. I've found it increasingly difficult with him as well. If I had stayed in Asgard, the future would surely have unfolded as prophesied..."

"So you came to Sakaar hoping to avoid that fate?" Forseti inquired.

Hela nodded slightly.

Forseti fell silent, lost in thought.

In doing so, Hela had truly altered fate. According to the original timeline, Odin should have sealed Hela by now. But since she hid on Sakaar, this dire outcome had been averted.

Forseti wanted to persuade Hela to return, yet he couldn't shake the feeling that preventing Hela and Ragnarok's tragedy might be for the better, even if it meant staying on Sakaar.

But regardless, he was emotional about Hela disappearing without a word for centuries. "You could have at least informed me beforehand."

"In truth, I came to Sakaar for another reason," Hela confessed suddenly.

"What reason?" Forseti was puzzled.

Hela hesitated, appearing somewhat embarrassed.

"What reason?" He pressed again, but Hela remained silent.

Seeing this, Forseti activated his fiery divine power, causing his body temperature to rise sharply.

Hela gasped in surprise.

"Your Majesty, my flame powers have been reawakened. There's still much room for temperature improvement," Forseti whispered in her ear, "What other motives are there?"

Under the scorching heat, a white mist billowed.

Hela blushed deeply and finally confessed, "I wanted to stay on Sakaar until you caught up to my age."

Forseti was taken aback.

Hela was hundreds of years his senior. Though Asgardians live for 5,000 years, such a lifespan gap might be significant for lovers.

Forseti wasn't bothered, but Hela seemed more conscious of it, perhaps because women are more sensitive to age differences.

Sakaar's time flow was irregular, typically slower than the outside world. Hela staying here could indeed narrow the age gap between them.

"Well, Your Majesty, how many years have you spent on Sakaar?" Forseti didn't lower the temperature despite Hela's confession.

"This clock indicates the time spent on Sakaar versus elsewhere," Hela pointed to a golden clock nearby.

Forseti glanced at it, comparing the times. "It seems you're still over a century older than me, Aunt Hela."

The mention of 'Aunt' irked Hela, turning the tables.

Forseti found himself pinned to the ground, Hela looking down at him in the mist. "You mischievous child, it's time I taught you a lesson!"

Naturally, another storm ensued in the mist-filled bathroom.

As the saying goes, a reunion after a long separation is akin to a newlywed bliss. So, for the days that followed, Forseti and Hela enjoyed each other's company, their years together passing like days.

Until one day, Forseti noticed the golden clock again, his expression changing suddenly. "How much time has passed in the outside world?"

"You know Sakaar's time isn't synchronized with the outside world," Hela approached him. "Maybe we can stay here until Ragnarok's time has passed."

Forseti looked at her. "Do you really think Ragnarok will pass so easily, Your Majesty?"

Hela fell silent.

Forseti continued, "We're both Asgardian gods. The dire prophecies about you should be behind us. But I believe Ragnarok will come again, though perhaps in a different form."

As he spoke, thoughts raced through his mind.

If Ragnarok in this world isn't the destruction of Asgard by Hela and Surtur as seen in the movies, then how will it unfold?

Reflecting on the altered timeline, he sensed that Surtur's role in Ragnarok could be omitted. After all, without Surtur fusing with the Eternal Flame, there would be no issue. Forseti believed he could prevent it.

Yet, intuition told him that Ragnarok was inevitable.

If Hela and even Surtur are excluded, who would bring such devastation to Asgard? he pondered.

Hela asked, "What do you think we should do now, leave?"

"I think we should at least return to Asgard to assess the situation," Forseti said, eyeing the golden clock. "If this clock is correct, over three hundred years have passed in the outside world."

Over three hundred years would place the outside world in the eighteenth or nineteenth century. Though still distant from the Avengers' era, it's essentially modern times.

Hela considered for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, let's go back and see."