Chapter 255: Chapter 13
Asgard.
Odin’s Castle.
Odin paced back and forth across the vast, shadow-draped hall of his castle, the Allfather’s restless steps echoing against the cold silver floor.
His single remaining eye flickered like a storm, filled with impatience and anxiety, while his ravens—Huginn and Muninn—perched silently upon the iron beams above, too wary to speak.
Every few steps, Odin would halt before the tall, ancient mirror that stood beside his throne, its dark glass swirling faintly with faint traces of violet light.
It was a relic gifted to him by Nyx herself, a conduit of communication across the boundaries of cosmos, yet now it stood quiet and unmoving, as though mocking his anticipation.
"Come on," Odin muttered under his breath, the veins on his temple pulsing. "Why hasn’t she called yet?"
His fingers clenched around his spear, Gungnir’s shaft, tapping it restlessly against the marble floor.
From her seat beside the throne, Frigg watched him in silence, her serene beauty unshaken even amid the tension that filled the hall like thick smoke.
For centuries, she had watched Odin carry the burden of gods and men, but now, she saw something different, something that frightened her more than any prophecy of Ragnarök.
It was helplessness.
Finally, unable to bear it any longer, she sighed softly and spoke, her voice calm but laced with worry. "Even if she does call, husband... even if Nyx brings aid from her world, can we truly resist?"
Odin froze. Slowly, he turned toward her, his single eye glowing with grim determination.
"Yes," he said, his tone low but firm, his conviction palpable. "If anyone can turn the tide, it will be them. The Greeks have already defeated fragment of an outer entities before, a feat we have never achieved. And Nyx..."
He paused, his gaze drifting back toward the mirror, as if her name alone carried weight. "Nyx is no ordinary being."
Frigg’s brows furrowed slightly.
"You’ve said that before," she said softly. "But what do you mean by it?"
Odin’s lips thinned into a grim line. He clasped his hands behind his back and began to walk again, though slower this time, as though weighing his words.
"Nyx," he said after a moment, "was once one of them."
Frigg’s breath caught in her throat. "One of... those outer entities?"
Odin nodded, his gaze distant, haunted by knowledge that few beings dared to retain. "She was once a fragment of that unspeakable void, one of the countless tendrils cast into the newborn universes to consume and devour. But something... changed. She gained awareness—an ego, a will of her own—and in that moment of rebellion, she severed her ties with the entity that spawned her. She forged her own existence. She became Nyx—the Primordial of Night."
The silence that followed was heavy.
Even Frigg, who had seen countless horrors and wars, shivered at the thought of something born from the Abyss itself choosing to defy it.
Odin continued, his tone quieter now but still laced with reverence and awe. "If anyone understands those creatures, if anyone knows how to fight them, then it’s her."
He turned, facing the mirror once more, his expression hardening. "And even if the Greeks and Nyx cannot hold the line, there is still one among them who might."
Frigg tilted her head slightly, confusion flickering in her eyes. "There is even someone more ridiculous than Nyx?"
"Yes," Odin said simply. "Their God of the Dead, Hades."
Frigg blinked, the name unfamiliar yet carrying a certain chill that made her skin prickle.
"And why," she asked softly, "do you place such faith in this god?"
For the first time that night, Odin’s expression softened—not with comfort, but with a strange, almost reverent awe.
"Because," he said, "Hades is the only being who has achieved transcendence."
"Transcendence?" Frigg repeated, her tone uncertain, her mind struggling to grasp the meaning of the word.
Odin nodded slowly, his voice deepening, carrying the weight of revelation.
"Transcendence... is a state beyond godhood. It is existence on a higher dimension, beyond even the infinite layers of the universe. Such beings are not bound by creation, destruction, or time—they exist above them. Even gods like us, who stand at the peak of divinity, cannot perceive such entities unless they will themselves to be seen."
Frigg’s eyes widened slightly, disbelief warring with fascination. "And... this Hades, is one them?"
"There no them, Hades is the only one," Odin said, his tone resolute. "Across all realms, all universes, all dimensions—there is no other like him."
Frigg’s eyes widened for a moment, "You mean...even among the vast number of universe, no one has reached that state aside form Hades?"
Odin nodded, "We’ve theorized such a state for eons, speaking of it as something unattainable, something only the Source itself could manifest. Yet he... he broke the boundary. How, I cannot fathom. But he did it."
He paused, his single eye gleaming faintly as he looked toward the mirror again, the reflection of his own face merging with the faint shimmer of Nyx’s dark magic.
"So if there is anyone who can save not just us, but every living thing in this collapsing cosmos," he murmured, "it is the one who has already surpassed it."
Frigg stared at him in silence, the weight of his words settling upon her like a shroud.
Outside, thunder rumbled across the dark skies of Asgard, as though the universe itself trembled at the name of the being her husband spoke of—Hades, the Transcendent God.
Just then, while they were lost in thought, a minor god barged into the throne room, his expression pale and drenched in cold sweat.
The heavy doors slammed open, echoing sharply through the vast golden hall.
Odin stopped mid-pace, his single eye narrowing, while Frigg turned in surprise. The minor god immediately dropped to his knees, his body trembling as he pressed his forehead to the floor.
"Forgive my intrusion, Allfather! Queen Frigg! But I bring grave news!" he cried, his voice shaking.
The tension in the air became suffocating. Odin’s grip on Gungnir, resting by his throne, tightened as he slowly approached.
His booming voice filled the room.
"Speak."
The minor god swallowed hard, his voice breaking as he uttered the words no one in Asgard wanted to hear.
"The barrier of Helheim has been breached! Lady Hel requests aid!"
The silence that followed was deafening, even the air itself seemed to freeze.
Frigg gasped softly, her hands flying to her mouth, while Odin’s eye flared with barely contained fury.
He turned sharply, slamming his hand on the armrest of his throne with such force that the ancient metal cracked, splintering the engraved runes upon it.
"Damn it!" he roared. "How did this happen so soon? The barrier should have held for another decade!"
Frigg quickly stepped forward, placing a hand on his arm.
"Odin, calm yourself. Anger will not solve this." Her voice was soft but firm, like a tether keeping him grounded.
Odin took a deep breath, forcing his fury down.
"Who can we send?" he muttered under his breath, his mind racing through every possible option....none.
Every god here in Asgard is currently occupied, doing important missions to ensure the safety of Asgard.
None of them can be moved!
Frigg frowned. "...is there even anyone left?"
Odin didn’t answer. He couldn’t. The truth was obvious, there was no one left to send. Every major god was engaged, every Valkyrie unit deployed.
Just as the silence stretched too long, the trembling minor god spoke again. "Allfather... Lady Hel also sent a message. Her final order."
Odin’s heart sank.
"What message?" he asked, his voice barely above a growl.
The messenger hesitated, tears glimmering in his eyes. "Lady Hel says... if Asgard cannot send reinforcements, then she commands that you evacuate as many souls from Helheim as possible. Once done... she will destroy the realm herself to halt the enemy’s advance."
The words struck the room like thunder.
Frigg’s eyes widened in horror. "She intends to sacrifice herself and her entire realm?"
The messenger nodded, trembling harder. "She said she will hold the line alone... to buy us time."
Odin closed his eye, his heart heavy.
The image of Hel, calm, grim, resolute, appeared in his mind. A goddess of death, prepared to embrace it once again for the sake of all.
"She..." His voice cracked slightly, though he hid it behind his usual stoic tone. "She really is one foolish, brave child."
Frigg’s hand trembled as it rested against his. "Odin... you must do something."
Odin exhaled deeply, his voice low and full of weary resolve.
"I will," he said. "If Hel is to stand against the void itself... then I will make sure her sacrifice is not in vain."
Frigg’s eyes widened, "Odin, that’s not—"
"Frigg!" Odin interrupted, his single eye glare at his wife, "That child had made such a decision. Do you think she was just being impulsive!? No! She knows full well not to make such decision without having the resolve to follow through it!"
Frigg but her lips, but can only shut her mouth.
He turned to the messenger, his aura flaring like lightning.
"Send word to Heimdall! Open Bifröst and begin immediate evacuation from Helheim." he paused, eyes narrowing, "and remember to retrieve Freya at any means necessary!"
He knew how stubborn that young goddess was. Even if she knew that Helheim is about to be destroyed, she will surely stick to it until its destruction.
He can’t have Freya die. It would surely make Freyr and Njord furious and crazy.
The messenger bowed low, tears falling onto the marble floor. "As you command, Allfather!"
As the minor god sprinted out of the hall, Odin stood in silence, staring at Nyx’s mirror on the table beside his throne.
His reflection seemed to fade into shadow as he murmured,
"Nyx... if ever there was a time to answer, it is now."