Aesheim, Unknown Age
The doors of the throne room stood open.
Beyond them stretched the golden halls of Aesheim, silent beneath the dim light of the realm's dying sun.
Four figures walked through the corridor.
Three wore the armor of Asgard.
The fourth walked beside them without armor.
Odin Borson.
Vili Borson.
Ve Borson.
And between them, their sister.
Shmi.
She had spent the last several hours trying to understand how everything had reached this point.
The realm had once been peaceful.
Not perfect.
Never perfect.
But peaceful enough.
Then Cul had returned.
Their eldest brother had always been different.
Where Odin sought order, Cul sought control.
Where Odin wanted loyalty, Cul demanded obedience.
Where Odin protected the Nine Realms, Cul wanted the Nine Realms to fear him.
At first, his victories had made him popular.
World after world surrendered.
Armies laid down their weapons.
Kings bowed.
Enemies disappeared.
Then the stories began.
The stories about the Serpent.
The stories about the god who could see fear within the hearts of mortals and turn that fear into power.
The stories about Cul Borson.
Shmi stopped walking.
Odin continued for another few steps before noticing.
He turned.
"Shmi."
She looked toward him.
"You promised me."
Odin's expression hardened.
"I promised you nothing."
"You promised that you would listen."
"I have listened."
"No."
Shmi stepped toward him.
"You decided."
Vili looked away.
Ve remained silent.
Shmi looked between her brothers.
"You are going to kill him."
Odin's jaw tightened.
"That is not what is happening."
"Then why are we marching toward his throne room with weapons?"
Nobody answered.
Shmi's eyes moved toward Vili.
"And you?"
Vili sighed.
"Cul has gone too far."
"He is still our brother."
"So are you."
The words came from Odin.
Shmi stared at him.
"And what does that mean?"
Odin looked toward the massive doors ahead.
"It means that blood does not excuse what he has done."
Shmi shook her head.
"You have already made up your minds."
"We have."
"Then why bring me?"
Odin looked at his sister.
"Because you would come whether we allowed you to or not."
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Shmi walked ahead.
She reached the enormous doors of the throne room.
She placed one hand against them.
"Let me speak to him."
Odin immediately grabbed her wrist.
"No."
"Odin."
"You will not enter that chamber."
"He is our brother."
"He is the Serpent."
Shmi's expression changed.
She had heard the title countless times.
She hated it.
Cul had once been simply her brother.
Now the galaxy had given him another name.
A name spoken with fear.
The Serpent.
Shmi pulled her hand away.
"You are afraid of him."
Odin's eyes narrowed.
"Yes."
The honesty caught her off guard.
Odin rarely admitted fear.
"He should be feared," he continued. "Not because he is stronger than us. Because he has made fear itself his weapon."
Shmi stared at him.
"And killing him will solve that?"
"No."
Odin looked toward the doors.
"It will prevent him from making it worse."
Before Shmi could answer, the doors moved.
Not opened.
Moved.
The enormous slabs of enchanted metal trembled.
Vili immediately drew his weapon.
Ve stepped backward.
Odin raised his hand.
"Stay behind me."
A deep sound rolled through the throne room.
A laugh.
Then a voice.
"Four children standing outside my door."
Cul.
"How touching."
Shmi's eyes widened.
"Odin…"
"Stay back."
The doors exploded inward.
A wave of magic tore through the corridor.
Shmi barely had time to raise her hands.
The force struck her.
Her body flew backward.
The world became darkness.
Vili suffered the same fate.
Ve collapsed beside him.
Odin remained standing.
Barely.
His boots carved lines into the stone floor as he resisted the magic.
At the far end of the throne room stood Cul Borson.
He wore no crown.
He did not need one.
Darkness moved around his body like smoke.
His eyes rested upon Odin.
"So."
Cul smiled.
"The youngest finally came to kill the eldest."
Odin raised Gungnir.
"You have caused enough suffering."
Cul slowly descended the steps of his throne.
"Suffering?"
He laughed.
"You call what I created suffering?"
"I call it fear."
"Fear creates order."
"Fear creates rebellion."
"Only when the one wielding it is weak."
Odin tightened his grip.
Cul stopped several meters away.
"You will not kill me."
Odin said nothing.
Cul spread his arms.
"I am the Serpent."
The room trembled.
"I have existed before your throne."
The darkness around him expanded.
"You cannot simply decide that I no longer belong in this world."
Odin stared at his brother.
"There are ancient laws."
Cul smiled.
"You remember."
Odin did.
Certain beings could not simply be executed.
Certain powers could not be destroyed without consequences.
Certain bloodlines could not be ended by force.
Cul had made certain that his position was protected by ancient laws.
Odin could defeat him.
He could imprison him.
He could remove his power.
But he could not simply execute him.
Cul stepped closer.
"You cannot kill me, Odin."
"No."
Odin lowered his weapon.
"But I can stop you."
Cul's smile disappeared.
Odin closed his eyes.
For a moment, everything became silent.
Then he saw it.
The World Tree.
Yggdrasil.
Its branches stretched across the realms.
Its roots disappeared into places even gods feared to tread.
And within its endless branches, Odin saw blood.
He saw a warrior.
He saw a serpent.
He saw himself.
A vision.
A warning.
A future that had not yet happened.
The meaning was clear.
If Cul remained free, the realms would eventually turn against one another.
The people would flee their homes.
Odin himself would eventually face the Serpent.
And the battle would end with Odin falling beneath his brother's power.
Odin opened his eyes.
Cul stared at him.
"What did you see?"
Odin did not answer.
Cul's expression changed.
"You saw it."
Odin raised Gungnir.
"I saw enough."
Cul unleashed his magic.
Odin moved first.
The two brothers collided.
The throne room shook.
Stone cracked.
Ancient runes shattered beneath their feet.
Cul's magic struck like a storm.
Odin answered with the power of the All-Father.
Neither brother yielded.
But Odin had one advantage.
He had already seen the future.
He knew what Cul would do before Cul did it.
The battle continued.
Then Odin found an opening.
He struck.
Cul fell.
Odin stood above him.
For the first time, the Serpent looked uncertain.
"You cannot kill me."
"I know."
Odin raised Gungnir.
"So I won't."
The spear struck the ground.
Ancient runes erupted across the chamber.
Chains of light wrapped around Cul.
The Serpent roared.
The entire palace trembled.
Odin forced the bindings tighter.
"You will not rule another world."
Cul fought against the chains.
"You think this will end me?"
"No."
Odin looked at his brother.
"I think it will contain you."
The floor beneath Cul opened.
Darkness swallowed him.
His final roar echoed through the chamber as Odin sealed him away.
Deep beneath the ocean.
Far from the mortal kingdoms.
Far from the realms he had terrorized.
Far from those who had worshiped him.
The throne room became silent.
Odin stood alone.
Then his siblings began to awaken.
Shmi opened her eyes first.
Her vision was blurred.
She slowly pushed herself upright.
"Odin?"
Odin turned.
She looked around.
"Where is Cul?"
Odin said nothing.
Shmi's eyes widened.
"No."
"Shmi."
"Where is he?"
Odin looked away.
"He is dead."
Shmi froze.
"No."
"He is gone."
"You killed him."
"I did what I had to do."
Shmi shook her head.
"You killed our brother."
Vili and Ve slowly regained consciousness.
Shmi turned toward them.
"You heard him."
Neither answered.
"Tell him."
She grabbed Vili's arm.
"Tell Odin what he did was wrong."
Vili looked at her.
"Shmi…"
"Please."
Ve lowered his eyes.
"He's gone."
Shmi stared at them.
"Both of you?"
Neither responded.
Her eyes filled with tears.
"You are all wrong."
Odin walked toward the throne.
"The Serpent is gone."
"No."
Shmi's voice became quiet.
"Cul is still alive."
Odin stopped.
Shmi looked directly at him.
"You didn't kill him."
She understood.
"You buried him."
Odin said nothing.
Shmi stepped backward.
"You couldn't kill him."
"Ancient laws prevented it."
"And you expect me to believe that burying him beneath the ocean is better?"
"It is necessary."
"For how long?"
Odin looked toward the horizon.
"Until the world forgets him."
Shmi's expression hardened.
"And if it doesn't?"
Odin did not answer.
The following days became known as the Purging.
Odin, Vili, and Ve hunted those who remained loyal to Cul.
His generals.
His priests.
His followers.
Those who had willingly served him.
They were eliminated.
The brothers believed that removing Cul's followers would remove the source of his influence.
Without worship.
Without fear.
Without stories.
The Serpent would eventually disappear from history.
Aesheim itself was renamed.
Midgard.
The surviving mortals were left to rebuild.
Most knew nothing about the ancient war.
They knew nothing about Cul.
They knew nothing about the Serpent.
And Odin intended to keep it that way.
Shmi watched everything.
She watched her brothers erase their eldest brother from history.
She watched the world accept the new name.
She watched Odin return to his throne.
And she realized something.
She could no longer remain here.
That night, Shmi returned to her chambers.
She opened an old wooden chest.
Inside lay several objects.
Letters.
A small blade.
A few pieces of jewelry.
And a pendant.
She lifted it carefully.
The pendant had belonged to her mother.
Bestia.
Shmi closed her fingers around it.
Then she whispered a name.
A woman appeared in the doorway.
An old witch.
One of the few people Shmi still trusted.
"You called for me, Princess."
Shmi looked toward her.
"I need you to do something."
The witch's eyes moved toward the pendant.
"You know what this means."
"I do."
"You understand that I cannot promise where you will arrive."
"I don't care."
"And if you leave?"
Shmi looked back toward the palace.
"I cannot stay here."
The witch remained silent.
Shmi looked down at the pendant.
"My brothers have chosen their path."
She closed her hand around it.
"I need to choose mine."
The witch began preparing the spell.
Runes appeared across the floor.
The air became heavy.
Shmi stood in the center.
She looked toward Asgard one final time.
Her home.
Her family.
Her past.
Then the spell activated.
Light consumed the chamber.
Shmi vanished.
The pendant vanished with her.
And far beyond the Nine Realms, beyond worlds she had ever known, a new life waited for her.
A life that would eventually lead to the birth of a child.
A child who would one day become the greatest Jedi the galaxy had ever known.
And, eventually, something far darker.
But for now…
Shmi was gone.
And nobody in Asgard knew where she had gone.