53 Shi'ar Thor Part I

Desperation.

Odin knew the feeling well.

He felt it every day as he watched his people unknowingly suffer at the hands of their cruel masters. Even now, as Ragnarök came about, his people celebrating the joyous occasion as they charged into battle for one last time, all in pursuit of a glorious death. Odin was the only one who knew what awaited them, it was not the glorious death that they desired.

But an endless cycle of reincarnation, a besmirchment of the end of days.

There was a sliver of hope though, one that took shape in the form of his son, Thor. Back in the beginning, before the first Ragnarök took place, Odin had produced children to help extend the capabilities of his war machine. They were meant to be the perfect weapons he could use to wage war against the Celestials.

He had been young and foolish back then, humiliated and angered by the cowardice he showed in the face of the Celestials power. So he sought to bring about their ruin, by producing powerful children who could bring them down where he had failed.

His first attempt was Vidar Odinson, born from a coupling between him and the Storm Jötnar, Grid. He had hoped that the birth, the mix of the Aesirs divine power with the innate strength of the Jötnar would have produced a powerful offspring. It had, Vidar having showcased immense strength beyond even his own from a young age to such a degree he now stood as the Asgardian God of Strength.

But it was not enough.

So, he tried again.

This time, he brought about a union of the Aesir and Vanir races, creating the Asgaridna race as it was today. A union forged from his marriage with Freyja that produced his second child, a daughter, Aldrif. However, before he could see whether his plan had born fruit, the Tenth Realm, Heven rebelled and launched an invasion upon Asgard.

Amongst the thousands of dead was his daughter, Aldrif.

But, years later, his third child, gifted to him by Freyja was born, a son this time, named Tyr Odinson. He possessed no incredible strength or magical power like he wanted. Yet the boy possessed a prodigious talent for war, his tactical know-how and skill of command led to him quickly establishing himself as Asgards God of War. A talent and knowledge that far surpassed even Odin's own skill for warfare despite having fought for centuries to establish Asgards current position of strength.

However, as talented and as skilled Tyr was, it did not produce the offspring he desired. So he sought another, this time approaching one of the most powerful beings in existence, the Elder Goddess, Gaea.

She too shared her distaste for the Celestials and so she agreed to produce a child for him. One that was half Asgardian, the other Elder God. That child had produced what he was after, a child whose innate power was so immense that even Odin had not been able to see its full depth. It was within Thor Odinson, that Odin had seen the weapon that would destroy the Celestials.

He raised the boy as such, his other sons, Baldur and Hermod, while having talents of their own, were nowhere near the power Thor possessed.

Yet Ragnarök came, the survivors of it, finding a way to survive off the energy produced and now had his people trapped in an endless cycle of death and rebirth. No longer were the Celestials his greatest foe, now it was his new 'masters,' Those Who Sit Above In Shadows. And just as Thor was meant to be the weapon he used to defeat the Celestials, now he would be the weapon he used to defeat them.

But it was not easy, hundreds of attempts, each ending in failure and it was only growing more difficult. Death's actions of splitting Thor's soul provided numerous opportunities and advantages, but it also weakened the Thor that was reborn on Asgard. Even more so with the machinations of Those Who Sit Above In Shadows, they were well aware of the potential Thor possessed and purposefully worked to weaken him.

Just as they did for the powers of all Asgardians.

With each cycle, not only did Odin have fewer and fewer ways to achieve success, but his own people were growing weaker and weaker. However, with this knowledge, came a new discovery, he was not the only one that was desperate.

His masters, Those Who Sit Above In Shadows, they too were growing desperate.

The energy produced from Ragnarök did not simply empower them, it also sustained them. Without Ragnarök, they would cease to exist, but it was not simply about causing the end of days. It was about the people killed within its events, if they were weak and powerless, the less energy would be produced.

Especially so when it came to Thor.

His masters were trapped, just like him.

They needed Ragnarök to survive, they needed Thor to grow strong, they needed the people of Asgard to grow strong. But they also knew that in doing so, they were playing a dangerous game with the very beings that could kill them. Even more so when they brought about Ragnarök because then Death would make her move, splintering apart of Thor's soul and casting it out to be reborn.

There it would grow strong, working to save its home whether it be out of duty or personal desire. Those Who Sit Above In Shadows may have found a way to become immortal, omnipotent beings, but they were bound by that very same power, trapped just as he was.

Odin walked a fine line every cycle, altering the way he raised and treated Thor, ensuring that a new Thor would enter into the universe. Good or evil, whatever his intentions may be for Asgard's survival, Odin did not care.

He was desperate.

Whatever the cost it may be to ensure his people's survival, Odin would happily pay it. Even if it meant meeting with one of the most powerful entities in the cosmos, one whose very presence was a threat to all life should it choose to destroy it.

In all his time, Odin had never considered changing the birth mother of Thor, why would he? There were very few beings that were stronger than the Elder Gods and who was to say that coupling with one of those beings would produce a better result than what he had already gotten?

Odin got his answer.

For the moment Thor was gifted to him, Ragnarök was triggered. A babe, not even a few days old and already his masters worked to put an end to his growth.

As the world around him began to be torn apart, Those Who Sit Above In Shadows feasted upon the energy produced. Odin used this one moment in which he could freely think without fear to smile as he looked to the sky. 'I thank you, for your aid. Whatever your reason to accept, perhaps he could be the one.' He thought, unknowing whether the burning energy that passed through the sky could hear his thoughts or not.

But he said it all the same.

Odin then looked to the babe in his hands, hand glowing as he placed it upon Thor's head. 'You have not had time to grow in this world, to learn from me. But I will gift you with one thing, my son. A dream, whether that takes you to Asgard or not, this dream shall be a guiding light in your life.'

He could feel the shadows rushing towards him, towards the son he held in his arms. But Odin did not look upon them, only staring at the sleeping child in his hands, the one he cradled gently. They may have been tools in the past, weapons, but his time, the many millennia he had spent watching his children grow and laugh and cry. They had changed him, softened him, made his task that much harder to do as he knew what he would have to do to them.

Especially Thor.

He then looked to the woman across from, Lady Death, a skeletal figure clad in black robes who extended her boney hand out to him. Odin did nothing, but he could feel the soul within his sn breaking apart, one that glowed a brilliant golden orange, almost like a flame. The shadows belonging to his 'masters' ignored him and Thor in his hands completely.

All converged on this soul, attempting to take it and the power inside for its own.

But they were too late, the soul being cast out once more, Lady Death disappearing leaving him and his son. Closing his eyes, Odin held Thor close as the shadows rushed towards him.