Chapter 343 - 343: Odin
Odin.
From some of the stories that Van had heard, he was supposed to be the strongest of all the Aesir; and perhaps even the strongest in all of the 9 Realms. And according to Surtr, he was the oldest breathing Aesir still alive from the Great War that had happened tens of thousands of years ago.
He was the one single-handedly responsible for keeping all the other races in check. Although Van had only heard brief stories about him, he knew that he was feared by even Surtr-- that alone should show the magnitude of Odin's strength.
And now, not even a week after arriving in Asgard, Odin was already right in front of him, in the flesh. Van had even jokingly thought that old man Bjorn looked like someone that would be named Odin, but lo and behold, he was.
Was meeting him outside the city, not a coincidence? Could they truly have known of his presence since he arrived, and were just waiting for a chance to entrap him in a place that would impede his speed? Point in case, a thick and lush forest inside an invisible dome?
Then wouldn't that mean…
"...You betrayed me?" Van furrowed his eyebrows as he glared at Estrid, "Wrong choice."
"Heavens, no," Estrid just casually sat back on the bench as she gestured to Odin to come forward, "No one besides me and the big guy knows of your existence here."
"..."
"It is a pleasure to finally meet you without any masks, Evans Evangelineson."
"...What?"
Van could not help but slightly move a few steps back as Bjorn, now apparently Odin, stretched his hand towards him. Van then immediately looked towards the sky, trying to gauge whether or not the dome that was covering them was enchanted with some sort of magic; and if so, will he be able to burst his way through it.
As he thought of that, he immediately summoned his shield, not even giving Odin a glance as his eyes lit up.
"King Evans, please. Listen to what he has to say," Estrid calmly said, "I promise you with my life, I did not betray you."
"..." Seeing Estrid looking at him straight in the eyes, unmoving and filled with intent, the flickers of lightning that were building up around Van slowly started to dissipate. He then turned his focus on Odin, who still had his hand stretched towards him.
"I will not be shaking your hands," Van said as he summoned a chair of his own from the ground.
"You also have control over elements?" Odin muttered curiously as he retracted his hand, "You truly are some sort of an enigma, King Evans."
"How long have you known I was here? Since the start? Did you and Athena plan all of this to lure me here?"
"Athena?" Odin stroked his majestic beard, "Ah, you mean lady Estrid!"
Odin clapped his hand, and as soon as he did so, a sort of shockwave rippled throughout the entire indoor forest. And seemingly like an ocean, all of the foliage that littered around them, all the grass, the leaves, and even the gigantic trees, disappeared in a ripple. Everything then turned dark, with the ground forming into some sort of wall that surrounded them in all corners.
Van was initially going to run away, but when he saw the candles, as well as the chandelier that quickly dangled from the emerging roof, he quickly let himself slightly relax.
With a single clap, the lush in-door forest they were in became some sort of gigantic hall, with a round table, centered between the three of them.
"Please forgive the theatrics, I have a reputation to uphold," Odin once again stroked his beard as he sat on the chair that was summoned along with the table, "In truth, I have known of your existence ever since you arrived not only in Asgard, but when you first arrived in Jotunheim-- the force you carry in your body is hard to ignore, after all."
"..."
"And as for Lady Estrid, this is honestly only the 2nd time I am officially meeting her; I didn't even know that she was who she was until you arrived in Asgard," Odin explained, "The first time I met her was more than 10 thousand years ago, back when I was but a child following in my father's footsteps."
"...What?"
"I have known that he was Odin for a very long time, but my true identity was still unknown to him," Estrid joined in on the conversation. "Did you think that I would be pretending to be a child inside a random orphanage for no reason? It is as Odin said, my existence was a secret to him until you arrived in the orphanage-- as a matter of fact, I revealed myself to you first, King Evans."
"...What?" Was the only word that Van could utter. Once again, he was reminded how confusing it was to be in the presence of Athena, whose own breathing was plain in and of itself.
"So… what was your goal for pretending to be a child in an orphanage actually run by the king of the Aesir himself?" Van slightly squinted his eyes.
"Because I knew he would be the first person to find you once you arrive in Asgard," Estrid said, "Also, he is one of the few beings left that have made contact with your mother, might be the only one."
"You've… met Evangeline?"
"I have indeed met with the Allmother," Odin closed his eyes as he once again gently stroked his beard, "To be in the presence of such force was truly overwhelming."
Allmother.
Even Surtr calls Evangeline that title; just what exactly kind of bearing does it hold in this world?
"I have always wanted to meet you, Evans; as you hold in your body the same force that she had, and even more, now that I see you in the flesh-- I see now how special you truly are," Odin then looked Van straight in the eyes, "Blood, even purer than that of my father and his father before him. I have seen you as a threat, but now I realize you are anything but."
"...Didn't you hear what I said earlier?" Van furrowed his eyebrows. He just said that he would devour all of them to ensure that his family survives the incoming calamity, and yet here he was Odin, trying to shake his hand.
"I did," Odin let out a small chuckle, "And we have also graciously received your gift," Odin pointed at his head, insinuating Hermod's head which Gerald expertly kicked straight towards their Realm.
"And your response is to sit with me at a table?"
"Not everything could be achieved through violence, King Evans," Odin shook his head as he let out a sigh.
"Say that to the humans arriving from another universe," Van said before turning his attention towards Estrid, "Athena, did you not tell him of the World Eaters?"
"Lady Estrid does not need to tell me anything, King Evans," Odin did not let Estrid talk, "Your mother had told me and my father of their existence; and she had also ominously told us of our fate-- Ragnarok. To be eaten by a colossal serpent, not of our time, that devours anything in its path."
"A colossal serpent? Is that some sort of weapon of the World Eaters?"
"No," Odin shook his head, "That's you, King Evans."
"Do I look like a fucking snake to you?"
"Not now," Odin burst out in laughter, "You are not able to see it with your own eyes, but from here and from my eyes, you are a godly serpent. I have seen you use your powers from afar, King Evans-- it is quite a frightening sight."
"Odin, enough with the small talk, please," Estrid, who had been keeping quiet since earlier, stood up from her seat as she slowly walked to Van's side, "Tell King Evans what you truly wish to tell him."
"..." Van was a bit aloof of Estrid moving to his side, but he was more focused on Odin's movements.
"...Of course," Odin muttered as he let out a sigh, "I wish to form an alliance with you, King Evans."
"I thought not everything is about war?"
"It is not," Odin shook his head, "This is about survival. Growing up, I have feared the stories of the one you call World Eaters; for me, you are not our Ragnarok, King Evans-- but them. A race capable of overthrowing their creators, even I, with the short eternity that I have lived, can not fathom such a deed."
Odin then stood up from his seat, placing both his hands on the table as he looked Van straight in the eyes, "I wish to survive them, King Evans. And in order to do that, we need you-- the son of the Allmother, Ragnarok himself."
"But did you not hear of your Allmother's plan?" Van muttered, "Her plan is for me to devour all of you, for me to survive the incoming threat."
"She is wrong," Odin replied, "All of the existence in the 9 Realms fear me, but that feat, I was not able to achieve on my own. I had an army, I had allies that stood by my side as I conquered the 9 Realms. A man alone can not win, King Evans-- you would need allies."
Hearing Odin's words, Van quickly looked to his left.
"It is your choice, King Evans," Estrid quickly said, "But his words have merit."
"...And if I refuse?" Van then said as he turned his attention back towards Odin.
"Then you will leave me with no choice," Odin let out a long and deep breath, "Ragnarok must not happen, and for that…
....You will need to die."