12 Chapter 12 - The Wrath Of The God Of Light Part 5
After my interrogation, the elves invaded the charred island with smiles on their faces, killing the incapacitated giants. Now, they are using some form of magic to try to bring life back to the small island in the center of the lake. The problem is that the soil is a bit too scorched.
I see Loki approaching the stone where I was sitting.
"Are you going after her now, brother?" he asks.
"I've already waited too long, Loki," I reply.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go," he insists.
I'm truly glad Loki wants to come with me. Unfortunately, I can't let him. The consequences for a prince of Asgard invading another realm... I won't let Loki be punished like me.
"You know you can't come with me, Loki," I say.
"I know the consequences, brother. I can live with them," he replies.
"But I can't. Goodbye, Loki."
As I'm about to use the totem, Bifrost opens right in the middle of the island, and from there, Odin appears.
All the elves are momentarily surprised to see the Allfather, then they kneel.
"Allfather!"
Queen Aelsa steps forward with her army and bows.
"Allfather, it's an honor to receive you in Alfheim once again," she says.
"Queen Aelsa, forgive me for coming unannounced, but I must speak with my son," Odin says.
"As you wish, Allfather," Aelsa replies.
Odin approaches me. I know why he's here, and it's not going to make things any easier for either of us.
"Father," I greet him.
"Baldur," he responds.
We both acknowledge Odin as our king. I realize I've never treated him as just a father since birth. Odin has always been the king of Asgard first, then a father.
"Baldur, General Nordur informed me about the situation, and I can't help but think you're about to do something foolish," Odin begins.
"I will do what must be done, my king," I reply.
"Don't be a fool. Your entire strategy was to avoid total war, and now you, a prince of Asgard, are going to invade Jotunheim. Do you know what that means?" he questions.
"War," I respond.
"Yes, millions of innocent lives lost for one," he confirms.
"Father, you know perfectly well what to do to prevent this," I assert.
I see a hint of regret in my father's eyes. He won't do it. Perhaps he'll go to Jotunheim alone to save Amora, with his power to destroy a planet being nothing to him, but it will drive him deeper into Odin's sleep. Years spent in slumber. I can't let the Nine Realms be unprotected because of me.
"Is she worth such sacrifice, Baldur?"
(I've been asking myself that. What is Amora to me?)
Since I was born in this world, I've only had a close relationship with my mother and Loki. My father spent most of his time being a king, Thor is still an idiot, but I still love him as a brother. And then there's Amora. She has been my friend for years, and I know there's something more growing inside me for her. I want to find out what.
"There's only one way to find out, isn't there?" I reply.
My father won't do what needs to be done, so I'll force him.
I look at Loki beside me, he seems sad. He's already realized where all this is leading, I know his future. What he will do on Earth. I also know that he can redeem himself.
"Goodbye, brother. Take care of our mother and the idiot Thor," I say.
"I will," he responds.
"Goodbye, father. I love you," I say without waiting for a response, breaking the totem at that moment, a blue light covers me, taking me from Alfheim to Jotunheim.
POV: Odin
He vanished in a flash of blue light. I could have canceled the giants' magic, but everyone has a destiny, and it seems this is my son's. Far from me.
Damn Jotuns. Maybe I should go to Jotunheim and remind them what fear means. But Baldur knows that if I do that, it will be the Nine Realms that pay the price. I can't use Odinforce as I used to.
He knows what I have to do to prevent war, but once again, I have to sacrifice myself for Asgard.
I strike Gungnir against the ground, catching the attention of all the elves present.
"I, Odin Borson. King of Asgard, protector of the Nine Realms, proclaim that Baldur Odinson is banished from Asgard for going against direct orders from his king..."
"Father, please..."
"Silence, Loki!"
"Let it be known to all the Nine Realms that from this day forth, any action by Baldur has no affiliation or protection from Asgard."
It is done. Though I didn't kill my son, the Jotuns have achieved a small victory by forcing me to banish him. But I doubt they know the price this will cost them.
The sun gives life, but it also destroys.
POV: Baldur
Jotunheim was covered in snow and ice, the sunlight was so weak it seemed nonexistent.
I have some knowledge of who Utgard-Loki is. In the comics, Utgard-Loki is the king of Jotunheim, his castle is called Utgardhall, which is located in the city of Utgard. Since this universe seems to be a combination with the Marvel movies, I know here he's just a general under King Laufey's command.
The totem left me a few meters away from a large ice castle atop a cliff. Below it, there's a frozen ocean stretching to the horizon.
I don't see any Frost Giants anywhere. The castle doors are open, and inside the hall, everything is covered in ice. The ceiling has icicle stalactites larger than me, as if they're about to fall at any moment. Sitting on a throne in the center of the hall is who I presume to be Utgard-Loki.
He has a beard white down to his chest, slightly taller than the average Frost Giant. He probably lived as long as Odin, and I can feel he won't be an easy enemy.
"Finally, I was starting to wonder if I got the wrong hostage," he says, his voice cold and emotionless.
I look around for hidden enemies, but I can't see or sense any.
"Don't worry, it's just you and me here."
"Should I trust the words of a Frost Giant?" I reply.
"Fair point, prince. But know that before I was just a simple Frost Giant, I was next in line to be king. Odin killed my father in the last war."
"Not that I care, but why aren't you the king?"
"Fame. My father lost the war and with it, the fame, making way for that child Laufey to steal my crown."
"So, you want to kill me alone without the help of your army to gain fame and reclaim your throne?"
"Correct, but I have to be quick. A legion is on its way as we speak, to prevent me from killing you alone or you from escaping."
"So, I just have to kill you before they arrive."
"You'll certainly try, prince."
"Where is she?"
Utgard-Loki snaps his fingers, and a white mist appears beside him. Amora appears, looking very weak. She's chained to the ground, her arms white from being exposed to the cold.
"Amora!"
She seems to awaken and looks at me as if she can't believe I'm here. Tears start streaming down her face.
"You idiot, you shouldn't have come."
"Why wouldn't I?"
"Ah, love, utterly useless of course," the Giant interrupts.
"Let her go, I won't escape."
"It would be a waste. It's rare to find such a talented sorceress, and you'll be dead soon anyway."
I point my spear at him, but just as I'm about to attack, Utgard-Loki makes Amora levitate in front of him.
"We won't fight here, little prince. I don't want to destroy the family castle."
Utgard-Loki makes a simple hand movement, and a cylinder of ice emerges from the ground, hitting me in the stomach, sending me flying out of the castle.
I land in a heap of snow more than twenty meters from the castle entrance.
"So, shall we begin?"
I see Utgard-Loki floating above a rock in front of me. I shoot a blast of energy from my spear at him, but the attack passes through him, an illusion.
The snow around me transforms into two three-meter-tall hands trying to crush me. I leap backward to avoid being crushed.
Looking around, Utgard-Loki is now behind me, at the tip of my spear. Golden flames start burning on my spear, and I spin it, unleashing a wave of solar flames.
Unlike on Earth, there's a high concentration of hydrogen and helium in Jotunheim.
When the wave of flames passes through the ground, it evaporates the snow and ice, and it's the first time I see Utgard-Loki with a slightly more serious expression. He shoots a blue ray with both hands towards the wave of fire. When they collide, they create a vapor explosion that obscures my vision.
I concentrate the solar flames at the tip of my spear into a sphere and launch it into the sky, waiting for the right moment to use it.
The mist still covers my vision, and I imagine Utgard-Loki's too.
A giant ice sword from my side cuts through the mist, aiming for my head. I defend myself using my spear. Utgard-Loki is camouflaging himself in the mist.
I attack, aiming for his neck. Utgard-Loki defends with his sword, and with his right hand, makes a small movement.
A layer of ice covers my feet, trapping me in place. Utgard-Loki jumps backward, out of my reach.
I throw my spear, aiming for his heart. He shoots a blue ray at my spear, and when it hits, the spear freezes in mid-air as if frozen in time.
"Truly a troublesome power, I can only contain it for a few seconds."
The ice is already at knee height, and I reach out my hand, calling my spear back to me. I feel something trying to stop it from returning, but the sensation is weakening.
"A few seconds are enough. Let's see how you deal with this."
I notice a shadow around me, and when I look up, I see a gigantic ice cube falling towards me.
Using the power of the rune to increase my physical strength, I try to hold the ice cube with both hands. The weight of the cube is greater than I thought.
The ice beneath my knees breaks, and I fall to my knees, but I manage to stop the giant ice cube.
Using more energy, I increase my physical strength enough to lift the ice cube above my head. I see surprise in Utgard-Loki's eyes.
"I'm returning it to you."
I hurl the ice cube at the Giant. As the cube nears him, it stops in mid-air, then splits into smaller cubes, transforming into hundreds of ice stalactites scattered around.
"If I can't crush you, I'll shred you to pieces!"
My spear is still frozen in mid-air. With no way to dodge or defend, I maximize my regeneration, covering my head with my arms to protect it as much as possible.
Hundreds of ice stalactites assail me from all angles. They aren't strong enough to kill me immediately, but they slice through my body, shredding my armor and leaving me covered in blood. The deeper wounds are closing with increased regeneration, but I know I don't have infinite energy.
Luckily, after a few seconds, it all stops. Now, the ground is littered with ice stalactites reflecting everything, truly beautiful.
My body is covered in blood stains, but the deepest cuts are closing.
Utgard-Loki looks furious. He now knows that to kill me, he has to get close.
I enhance my agility and strength with the runes. In a burst of speed, I stand in front of Utgard-Loki to see his shocked expression. I deliver an uppercut to his chin, making him fall to the ground. I stand over him, delivering another punch to his chest, sinking him into a three-meter-deep crater.
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Finally, I can hear him screaming in pain. I deliver another punch to his chest, but when I'm close to hitting him, Utgard-Loki's eyes emit a beam of blue light that hits me in the chest, sending me back and giving him enough time to get up.
Now he's clutching his chest, and I can see a bit of blue blood seeping out.
"You cursed child! When I'm done with you, I'll have a lot of fun with that whore of yours."
"Funny, you're the first person I'll take pleasure in killing."
The magic Utgard-Loki placed on my spear finally wears off. As it returns to my hand, I ignite its blade with solar fire, enhance my agility with the runes, and make a direct attack with my spear in front of me.
Utgard-Loki creates several ice barriers to stop me, but they all turn to mist when the tip of my spear hits them. When I'm a few meters away from hitting him, I see two enormous fists of ice coming towards me. The collision creates a massive explosion of vapor and fire.
I feel the tip of the spear hitting Utgard-Loki's shoulder, and I feel my left arm, the one holding the spear, freezing. Then, I'm thrown backward, landing on my back on the ice.
When I get up, I see my arm is completely blue. It will take a while before I can use it again. Utgard-Loki isn't doing any better; he's lost his arm and part of his shoulder.
(It's time to end this.)
When I'm about to use my trump card, Utgard-Loki uses his remaining hand in a movement that makes Amora appear right in front of him.
"So, little prince? What will it be?"
Utgard-Loki puts Amora right in front of him, using her as a shield, a direct attack doomed to kill them both.
"Baldur, don't stop, kill that damn giant."
"Shut up, you bitch."
Utgard-Loki squeezes Amora's neck from behind.
"So, prince, why not end your life and make it easier for both of us?"
I'm really out of ideas until I see the remaining ice stalactites scattered on the ground.
"Ever heard of light reflection?"
Utgard-Loki seems confused by what I said, giving me time to activate my trump card. When I was trapped in the mist, I created a small sphere of flames and threw it into the sky. The idea of this sphere was to burn like a mini-sun. I concentrate, making the small sphere in the sky devour the elements around it. In a second, the sphere is one meter in diameter.
I focus its heat like a magnifying glass, releasing a beam of light. Instead of hitting Utgard-Loki directly, I aim at one of the ice stalactites reflected on his left side. When the beam of light hits it, it reflects, changing direction and hitting Utgard-Loki's neck, piercing it.
Utgard-Loki lets go of Amora and takes a few steps back. He falls backward, turning into small pieces of ice.
Amora falls to the ground. I run to her and embrace her.
"You're all dirty with blood, let go of me," she jokes, hugging me tightly.
"Sorry for taking so long."
I release some heat to warm Amora, melting the ice on her body.
Still embraced, she speaks.
"Why did you take so long? Did you give up on me and go after other women?"
I break the embrace, leaving Amora confused. I approach her and kiss her lips.
That finally shuts her up. She stares at me wide-eyed until she puts her arms around my neck.
Her lips are thin and cold. We stay like that for several seconds.
TRUMTRUMTRUMTRUM
The sound makes us both separate. I see Amora blushing.
I lift her like a princess; she's too weak to walk. I go to the end of the cliff towards the frozen ocean and see.
The legion of Jotuns has arrived.
