DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE YOUR POWER STONES IF THERE IS 100 NEW CHAPTER THANKS TO NEW PATREON MEMBERS (Arthur Andersen) (Terrance Johnson) (tyler saylor) THANK YOU VERY MUCH
patreon.com/mati6x.
The Asgardian night stretched like an endless cloak of stars, but for Vidar, the darkness came not from the sky, but from within.
Alone on the balcony, Vidar watched the Nine Realms float like islands of light in the cosmic sea. The icy wind carried whispers with it.
He clenched his fist, feeling his golden sword vibrate on his back, as if it shared his unrest.
"Now I understand…" he thought, closing his eyes. Thor had not been punished merely for his recklessness. It was not for disobeying Odin. It was for threatening the Balance itself.
He recalled the exact moment his weapons had manifested. It wasn't rage. It wasn't pride. It was a natural response, like a universal mechanism that would not allow one of its extremes to dominate.
Thor, in his arrogance, had attempted to claim a power that was not his. And unknowingly, he disrupted the invisible currents that maintained the harmony of the worlds. That was the Balance… an ancient force, older than Asgard, older even than Yggdrasil.
Vidar leaned against the runic railing, gazing at the constellations as if they were old allies.
"This power was not made for war… nor for ruling over realms," he reflected. "It is a measure. A judgment. A presence that watches when gods grow too great… or too dangerous."
And in that moment, a bitter truth settled in his chest.
Thor had always been impulsive. Always believed he was entitled to everything by right. The hammer. The crown. The respect. And for centuries, Odin had fed that belief, ignoring the signs.
But this time, Thor hadn't broken a law. He had broken a natural law.
He had tried to harm the Balance.
The very equilibrium that kept the Nine Realms aligned, that prevented chaos from consuming everything. And so, the punishment had been immediate.
"I did not attack him… the Balance judged him through me," Vidar whispered, finally understanding. "My hands… were only the medium."
A thin mist swirled around him, and within it, for a brief moment, he thought he saw the silhouette of that faceless entity that once called him Guardian.
"You do not belong to one extreme…" he remembered those words. "…but walk between light and darkness, between order and chaos."
Vidar knew now that his destiny had never been the throne. It was never to sit upon Asgard's golden seat and rule over banquets and conquests. His destiny was to watch. To correct. To be the judgment no king, not even an ancient god, would dare pronounce.
"Thor may keep his birthright," he thought with a smirk. "But not all that glitters is inheritance. And not all power is measured by titles."
Asgard, to him, had become a garden too small for the tree he was meant to become.
"My battles won't be only against giants or monsters… but against the gods themselves," he promised.
The echoes of his vow were lost in the wind, but in the stars, one faded… and a new one was born.
And while the rest of Asgard slept, Vidar stepped once more into the shadows, where ancient truths awaited those strong enough to bear their weight.
Night had fallen upon Asgard, but the echoes of the clash between Odin's sons still whispered in the halls, like a restless wind.
Vidar had retreated to his thoughts on the balcony, but within the great throne hall, a private meeting had just been called.
Odin, standing tall beside the throne, stared at the captains of the guard and his advisors with his one eye burning with severity. The atmosphere was thick, the silence broken only by the crackling of torches.
"Listen well," his voice was a contained thunder. "What happened today will not leave these walls. Under no circumstances will this incident be known to the people of Asgard, much less to the allied realms."
The warriors and scholars present nodded gravely.
"Thor is heir to the throne," he continued, his gaze scorching. "I will not allow his image to be tarnished by rumors of a defeat at the hands of his own brother. The consequences for the stability of our kingdom would be… incalculable."
One of the captains stepped forward, visibly nervous.
"My lord… there have already been whispers in the lower streets of the Nine's Bazaar and among the sentries at the Bifrost. Someone has begun to spread it."
Odin gripped the handle of Gungnir so tightly the spear vibrated with ancient energy.
"Find that fool," he ordered in an icy tone. "Discover who speaks out of turn and silence them. If need be, banish them. If necessary… execute them. There will be no cracks in this wall."
The captains bowed their heads.
Odin drew a long breath and closed his one eye for a moment. It wasn't anger that drove him, but the knowledge of how fragile the image of power could be in a realm of immortals. The throne of Asgard could not afford doubts about its heir. Not in times when other realms lurked, waiting for any sign of weakness.
"Let it be proclaimed that Thor has departed on a secret mission to Vanaheim. No one will see him in public for a while, and when he returns, it shall be as a victorious hero. The memory of this day will be erased."
The present ones nodded, and the orders scattered like shadows.
Before leaving, one of the sages dared ask:
"And what of Vidar, my lord? How shall we explain his absence?"
Odin stared at him without blinking.
"Vidar has not been seen this day. If anyone asks for him, say he is training in the outer lands. There will be no mention of any confrontation between brothers. No one will dare question it."
The warriors bowed one last time before departing.
When Odin was left alone in the hall, his thoughts drifted to his sons. He knew that maintaining balance between them would be as titanic a task as protecting the Nine Realms. But for now, the priority was to preserve the unblemished image of the heir to the throne.
He walked slowly to the great window, staring at the stars with the weight of centuries on his shoulders.
"Thor…" he whispered to himself. "I hope you come to understand the value of what I've done for you today."
And with that final thought, the All-Father sealed his decision. Asgard would return to normal… though beneath the surface, new forces were already beginning to stir.
patreon.com/mati6x