"Asgard... is important."
Tony Stark stared at the diary entry mentioning the destruction of Asgard and the Twilight of the Gods.
He recalled his previous discussions with Nick Fury. The conclusion was simple: based on current intelligence, Asgard was a crucial shield for Earth. If Asgard were destroyed in the near future, triggering Ragnarok, it would be disastrous for humanity.
It meant that if an alien invasion occurred, they would have no reinforcements.
Like Fury, Tony's first reaction was: How do we handle this chaotic future?
The gap between Earth and alien civilizations was glaring. Just look at the difference between his Mark III—the pinnacle of human tech—and the Destroyer armor, Asgard's magical peak. It wasn't even close.
So, while Tony was wary of Asgard's power, he had to admit: its existence was vital for Earth right now.
"Loki... Loki... Why is it always him? He's supposed to be dead!"
Thor growled, his voice low with rage.
He was furious. Yes, he loved his brother, but that didn't mean he could accept his brother causing his mother's death.
Odin fell silent beside him. Seeing all this, his heart was heavy with worry. He had known about and accepted Ragnarok for a long time. But accepting his own death didn't mean he could accept the deaths of his wife and children.
"Could it be... that Loki isn't dead?"
Odin looked at Thor and spoke slowly.
"Loki... isn't dead?" Thor froze. He had been secretly weeping for his brother just moments ago.
He wouldn't show it publicly, but inside, he was grieving. Just like when he thought Odin had died, his mask of strength cracked.
"It is highly likely," Odin said calmly. "The diary mentioned Loki crying over my death and your mother's death. That implies he survives until then. So even though history has changed, the possibility of your brother being alive is very high."
An ordinary person falling into the cosmic void would be dead instantly. But Loki, no matter how weak or incompetent he seemed compared to Thor, was still a god. He was the God of Mischief. He had divine durability.
His power source wasn't the Asgardian Odinforce, but the Frost Giant bloodline. Different, but resilient.
Odin suspected Loki had survived. If this world was just a "series of stories" as Lucas claimed, then his youngest son was likely a recurring villain. Villains tended to survive falls.
Odin's words stunned Thor. His brain was simple: Saw Loki fall -> Loki is dead.
But his father made sense. Combined with Lucas's diary, it was plausible.
Lucas knew Loki fell into the abyss. He knew there was no body. Yet he was absolutely certain Frigga would die because of Loki's future schemes.
This proved Lucas knew something. Maybe in the original timeline, Loki vanished just like this, only to return later.
Thinking that Loki might be alive, Thor felt a surge of joy. It meant he might see his brother again. Even if the reunion wasn't happy, it was better than him being dead.
He never wanted Loki to die. He was a textbook Bro-con (Brother Complex).
"But the destruction of Asgard... that is almost irreversible," Odin sighed.
Reading Lucas's certainty about Ragnarok, Odin realized Lucas must know the secret of Hela.
That was why he was so sure. Because there was no other way to stop her except destroying Asgard.
"I'll go kill that Fire Giant right now!" Thor's temper flared.
Thinking of his father dying and his home burning, he couldn't sit still. He believed that if he killed Surtur, Ragnarok wouldn't happen. The prophecy said Surtur would destroy Asgard.
Cut off the source, solve the problem.
"It's useless. Do you think I haven't thought of that?" Odin glanced at his son. "If it were that simple, I would have done it ages ago."
Odin sighed. Not only could they not kill Surtur, but they actually needed him. They needed him to fulfill the prophecy to stop the greater threat.
"Why? Father, why?" Thor demanded. "Lucas is vague in his diary, fine. But why are you keeping secrets too? We know Ragnarok is coming. Why do we just watch it happen? Why don't we strangle it in the crib?"
Odin hesitated. Should he tell Thor about Hela?
He looked at the diary again. Lucas mentioned "predetermined future" and wondered if it could be changed.
Lucas worried Odin would think he had "ulterior motives." That was understandable. But why did Lucas worry about fate being unchangeable? If you made different choices, wouldn't the future change?
Unless...
Odin suddenly thought of his old friend and rival, the Ancient One, protector of Earth's magical realm.
She often spoke of "Fixed Points" in time. Things that were destined to happen, no matter how hard you struggled.
In Eastern philosophy, they called it "Ding Shu" (Fixed Number / Fate).
The so-called "Fixed Number" was immutable.
Facing Ragnarok—Asgard's greatest Fixed Number—Odin felt the weight of that concept.
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