Chương 42: Neyaphem Thor Part I
He was born a Prince of Asgard, raised under the cruel and firm regime. Odin had encouraged agency amongst each of his children, pushing them out into the world to be their own men. He wanted them all to discover who they were on their own.
For Thor, it had always been simple, his father had given him no choice other than the path he chose for him.
Battle and war.
He was not the smartest of people and he remember the stories told to him by Freyja of a young Odin. The stories of battle and conquest had always captured his imagination and fuelled a desire to be just like him. Once cut free from the family, sent out to explore the world and discover who he was, Thor wasted no time.
Though he possessed no army, Thor had no need for one. His strength and powers once honed allowed him to battle entire armies alone. From the Trolls of the Asgardian Mountains, the Dragons of Nastrond, the Aesir of the various realms surrounding Asgard, Thor battled against them all. His vanquished foes absorbed into his own kingdom, an extension of Asgard's own.
Thor had been born a prince of Asgard, but forged himself into a conqueror rivalling that of his father, Odin Borson and his grandfather, Bor Burison. Yet even when all of the continent of Asgard fell, Thor returning to the golden city a hero, Odin stepping down and allowing his children to take over, Thor ruling as King, it had not been enough. Something within Thor still burned, a desire for yet more and so with his brothers as his aids, Thor pushed beyond.
The Nine Realms had gained some measure of independence, Thor reminded them that it was Asgard who still ruled. First with the Vanir of Vanaheim. Then the Dwarves of Nidavellir followed by the Elves of Alfheim. But then he pushed beyond, to Jotunheim, long time foe of Asgard.
Yet Thor pushed too far at that moment, his actions triggering the events of Ragnarök. He gathered his armies and met the forces of the End of Days. Brutal conflict, hundreds of thousands dead and Thor kept pushing. There was something in him that refused to accept Ragnarök for what it was, the end of everything. He didn't want that, not then and not ever. Thor wanted to keep going, pushing beyond the Nine Realms and to the stars beyond.
He wanted to do what everyone claimed was impossible, defeat the forces of Ragnarök, avert the end of days.
However, despite his best efforts, Thor failed.
Locked in battle against Surtur, Ymir, Fenrir and Jörmungandr, Thor was overwhelmed and defeated after felling three of his foes. It was the World Serpent alone who survived, continuing on to destroy everything Thor had built.
But in his defeat, Thor realised something, Ragnarök was not unbeatable. He had come close, he had seen a moment, a light at the end of the road that told him, victory was possible. Even as the poison coursed through his veins, Thor battled to stay alive and that's when Lady Death arrived.
She offered a second chance to him, one Thor accepted without question.
He had failed once, he would not fail a second time.
Conquest and battle were who he was, with new lessons to inform him for the future, Thor would not fail a second time.
-X- Line Break -X-
"Cease your invasion of mankind, Azazel!" The angelic figure proclaimed, staring down at the red-skinned figure who was sitting upon the throne. He smirked nastily, tail flicking eagerly at this side as he glared up at the floating winged man in the air.
"Or what?" He retorted, pressing to see what resolve this angelic figure would possess.
Thor watched it all from the side, shrouded in shadow and from view as he sat silently. It had been many years since arriving upon this world, one filled with Midgardians. Yet he found himself amongst a strange bunch of beings, Midgardians, but possessing unique mutations that enabled him to possess immense power.
He was surrounded by similar beings, those that had assumed the title of Neyaphem to denote their power and superiority to the rest of Midgard. All the while he watched and waited, studying those around him.
Odin had always encouraged agency amongst his children, but he still imparted many lessons. During his youth, he had been reckless and hotheaded, stubbornly rushing into battle without thought for his own safety, just enjoying the thrill of battle. He had understood little of what was really needed for the throne.
To teach him those lessons, Odin had not been kind.
He remembered being trapped within a cave, unable to escape as it was guarded by the very man who put him there; Odin. His task was simple, escape from that cave and to do that, he would have to force his father to retreat.
As Thor quickly realised, it would take more than brute force to do so. It would take skill, cunning and guile to force his father to retreat. He would have to use not only his body and powers but his mind to its fullest extent. That cave was the grounds in which he had been beaten over and over again, laid there within its dark confines, no source of light to guide him, only darkness. The insistent tapping of water into a puddle robbed him of the ability to sleep.
It opened his mind to entirely new things, the exhaustion and fatigue of both his mind and body forced him to grow to new heights. Perhaps it was days, perhaps weeks or even months and years. Thor did not know, he lost track of time within the dark confines of that cave, that prison as he constantly marched to face his father only to be beaten back down again and again.
Yet upon finally breathing fresh air again, Thor had become a changed man.
New wisdom guided his actions and he understood the meaning of patience. He may not be the smartest or wisest of his brothers, but he did not need to be. For what he lacked in wisdom, he could compensate for with strength and vice versa.
In the competition for the throne, it was Thor who emerged victorious, not his brothers.
The same would happen here.
When Thor joined this group, he was new to his powers, Azazel already firmly established as their leader. Much like in that cave, victory would be impossible in those conditions. So he was waiting, biding his time until such a time that even when facing them all, Thor could emerge triumphant.
That was what determined success in a world such as this, patience and understanding of one's limits. It was something Thor had understood within the cave and something that guided his actions upon his freedom.
He cared little for Asgard, he had spent little time there in his life. All he wanted in life was to prove himself better than all those the came before him. He managed to expand Asgard's empire beyond even what his father and grandfather had done. Yet it was short-lived and that in Thor's eyes was unacceptable.
His empire had crumbled as quickly as it formed, meaning that he had lost to them both. He would change that though, with this new life, he would not only build a new empire of his own that would go on to live far beyond his fathers and grandfathers. Thor would also defeat the enemy that Odin couldn't.
Ragnarök.
He had seen an opportunity, a minute chance for victory and one he would seize in the future. 'But first, I will wait until my power grows greater.' As shadows danced around his hands, Thor noticed the slight glance Azazel sent his way.
Flicking his hand, shadows burst from the walls in all directions, the angelic, winged-figure looking around in shock. There was no escape for him though, he was engulfed by the shadows entirely. And with it, war would come.
Thor looked forward to it.
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