From The Ashes - 021 (Patreon)

[A/N: Still this story since some of you asked me to at least finish the scene with Odin, which I thought was a reasonable request. Enjoy!]

Chapter 021 – Odin

[2012]

Dark marble floors with golden inlays spread over the incomparably huge hall, gold being the obviously dominant colour that could be found in the throne 'room', beautifully crafted embellishments of that same colour all around.

Enormous golden pillars held up the painted ceiling that told of Asgard's past, bright burning torches illuminating the place at night while the light that fell through the openings at the front and the large crystal windows above lit up the room at this moment.

Those things though paled in comparison to the golden throne that looked like a bladed flower in full bloom, along with two gigantic statues that stood behind it on both sides like protectors.

Two rows of dead-loyal Einherjar also stood guard below the steps that led up to the throne, forming a gangway that allowed them to encircle those that came before their king, should the need arise.

Sitting on the undoubtedly majestic throne was an old white-haired man with a rune-covered piece of golden metal covering his right eye, his left hand keeping a tight grip on a silvery spear. The elderly man was wearing a dark-red brocade robe with a golden pattern and beige edges, looking like the royal that he was.

His age didn't diminish the dignity with which he carried himself, nor did it affect the sheer pressure that was emitted from his figure. His spear too exuded a sense of murderous sharpness that was hard to ignore under the scrutiny of my Observation Haki.

Standing before Odin Borson, King of Asgard, I could sense with absolute certainty that he could flatten the likes of Thor with ease, his aura deep and unfathomable.

I didn't feel like I was facing a living being, instead, it felt as if I was facing a whole world, as if he was just an extension of the land itself. Suddenly, I had a much better understanding of his title as Allfather.

“I have returned, Father!”, Thor announced as he knelt down in respect, his hammer placed carefully before him on the marble floor.

He had pulled Loki down into a kneeling position with him, though the dark-haired traitorous prince refused to bow his head, staring at his father with incredible resentment and defiance.

I could sense his emotions clearly from this distance as he didn't even try to conceal them, their intensity comparable to a blazing fire. Though what I couldn't sense from Loki was hate.

Clearly, despite his resentment and disappointment, he did not hate his father.

Different from the two of them though, I didn't kneel before the Allfather as he wasn't my King.

Instead, I just looked up at him calmly, letting the waves of his raging presence wash over me without any outward reaction.

I watched as his eye swept over his sons, the emotions inside them carefully hidden even to my senses, though I did manage to catch the faintest flicker of guilt and relief in them.

A moment later though, Odin's dignified gaze moved to me and those thoughts vanished from my mind, his stare increasing the pressure that I felt minutely.

Bowing lightly in respect of his strength and wisdom, I tried to be polite without lowering myself before him and I felt his gaze move away almost immediately.

“Rise, the both of you!”, the Allfather spoke up, waiting for his sons to do as he asked before he continued.

"You did good, bringing your brother back and helping the humans fend off the Chitauri, Thor.", he praised his eldest son, his gaze turning to his gagged and shackled son afterward.

"As for you Loki … ", Odin began quietly, "For your crimes, which include not only the betrayal of your family and the people of Asgard but also the victims of your actions on Midgard, you will be punished."

“Take him away!”

The last words were spoken in an irrefutable tone, addressing the Einherjar to follow his orders. It wasn't surprising that Odin didn't want to punish his son in front of an outsider like me and instead, chose to do so at a later point in time.

The Einherjar obeyed without fail as they grabbed Loki and led him away, most likely to the dungeon.

Gazing at his brother's back, Thor seemed hesitant as if he wanted to speak up in his defense but ultimately decided against doing so. Gesturing to me, he spoke up again and reported the most crucial piece of news that he had brought with him from this trip to Earth.

“Father, this is Noah Hatahle, a warrior from Earth who managed to take the power of the Tesseract for himself. He is willing to help us restore the Bifrost.”, he introduced me, emphasizing the last part due to its importance.

The Allfather though didn't react with any outward signs to this introduction as he just quietly looked at me for a few long moments before finally responding.

Though he ignored Thor's words and instead addressed me directly as he asked in a deep voice: “Do you know what it is that you carry within yourself?”

“I know that there are six of them.”, I answered calmly, naturally understanding what he was hinting at.

His expression remaining unsurprised, Odin's presence got heavier as he heard my answer and nodded heavily: “It's good that you know, as this power is not something you can possess without being able to protect it. Keep this mind, young warrior.”

“I will, Your Majesty.”, I replied with another bow, knowing that he spoke those words in goodwill.

A moment later though, my movements froze as the weight of a mountain fell on my shoulders.

*CLANG*

Banging the butt of his spear against the hard golden floor before his throne, the Allfather rose to his feet as his divine aura spread out like a tsunami, its focus being my figure that stood before the steps which led up to the large golden throne.

“Now, let me see if you are capable of protecting what you took so recklessly!”, he called out fiercely, the echo of his voice only adding to the ethereal weight that tried to crush me.

Gnashing my teeth as I felt my physical strength slowly being overwhelmed by the Allfather's world-crushing aura, I didn't hesitate to call upon the full force of my Haki, spiritual energy erupting from my body like a volcano and shattering the black tiles beneath my feet.

It wasn't enough though, even if I managed to offset part of the pressure and enhance my physical strange through Armament Haki and its advanced applications, as I still felt my knees slowly buckling under the assault of Odin's raging aura.

I saw Thor calling out to his father in shock and incomprehension, clearly not understanding the rather sudden turn of events, but I couldn't split my focus and care about that at this moment.

The pressure Odin exuded didn't just weigh on me in a physical sense, it also slammed into my mind with the force of a sledgehammer, causing me to stumble as I did my best to keep myself from kneeling down under the mountainous weight, which was a battle that I was slowly losing.

Gathering my focus as much as possible while I did my best to keep up my Armament and resist the mental pressure, my thoughts moved as I tried to draw on the Space Stone's power to leave Asgard, only to realize that the space around me was simply unbreakable.

The meager amount of mental strength that I had separated was simply not enough to draw out enough power from the cosmic ingot to allow me to shake this seemingly indestructible space. And since I had none to spare while under the assault of the aura, I couldn't teleport away.

Undoubtedly, this was Odin's handiwork, which made me realize how reckless I had been in coming here.

The Allfather's power wasn't something that I had any clear knowledge of, so I had only guessed that I would be fine. Evidently, I had guessed wrongly, overconfidence having blinded my eyes.

Feeling my legs bending more and more, the divine pressure just too much for me to withstand as my mind seemed to be only moments away from crumbling, ferocity and wrath started to bloom in my heart, a raging inferno awakening in my blood.