"So you ended up in the Realm of Death, controlled by Hela?"
"Exactly. The moment I opened my eyes, I found myself in a barren, silent land, filled with a familiar aura of death. And soon after, I met Hela…"
Green smoke columns slowly rose from the ground, black, smoldering clouds enveloped the land's surface, countless shattered bones and remains washed ashore by the waters of Styx. When Loki woke up, he saw a cloud of black smoke in front of him, condensing into a woman draped in a black robe.
"Well, isn't this the esteemed Second Prince of Asgard?" The woman's low and husky voice echoed in Loki's ears.
As Loki turned to look at Hela, he felt captivated...wait, why would he be captivated?
Loki stepped back twice, shook his head vigorously, and Venom's voice echoed in his mind once more: "Yes, you are captivated."
"What are you up to this time, Venom?"
Ignoring Loki's question, Venom murmured to himself: "Splendid death, this is the scent I've long sought...my love…"
Loki was utterly confused. As for why Venom suddenly had a change of heart, we would have to talk about Deadpool, his first host.
As we all know, Deadpool's girlfriend is Death, that is, the abstract entity, Death.
Previously, when introducing the power hierarchy, it was mentioned that there are five abstract gods in the universe: Oblivion, Death, Infinity, Eternity, and Galactus.
And the goddess Death Deadpool was in love with is the Death amongst these five gods. She is an abstract entity and doesn't strictly exist. The image she manifests is merely the people's imagination of her. Evidently, the image Deadpool conjured in his mind was the goddess he obsessively sought.
Let's not delve into the love triangle between Thanos, Deadpool, and Death. Both Deadpool and Thanos believed themselves to be Death's man. Thanos, to prevent Deadpool from meeting Death, even cast an undying curse on him. As long as Deadpool couldn't die, he couldn't meet Death. Deadpool constantly courts death, just so he can find someone who can kill him, so that he can meet his goddess, Death…
Deadpool was wildly obsessed with Death, and as the symbiote that had once parasitized Deadpool, Venom was also influenced by this emotion.
Although the goddess in front of them was not Death but Hela, all attributes related to death in the universe carry the aura of the Goddess of Death, including Hela's Realm of Death.
If even the host couldn't have the genuine article, wouldn't it be normal for Venom, as a symbiote, to look for a replacement?
Deadpool's obsession with Death carried over to Venom. The moment he laid eyes on Hela, he knew he had fallen in love with her.
His love for Hela was harmless, but he was a symbiote, and he had a host...
"So you..." Strange looked at Lady Loki with a complicated expression, unable to finish his sentence.
Lady Loki's expression was morose. She said in a rigid tone, "I tried to stop it, but I couldn't."
"But..." Strange rubbed his forehead and said, "Alright, even if Venom fell for Hela, he shouldn't be able to charm Hela, right? She is the Lord of the Underworld, a Cosmic Sorcerer, he really couldn't…"
Shiller turned sideways, placed one hand on Strange's shoulder, nodded and said, "He could."
Loki also said, "Although I don't know how, he truly could."
If it is unclear how much charm Venom has after falling in love with someone, consider the charm of Bruce Stark when he sincerely falls in love with someone. Do I even need to say it?
Put it this way, if there were a divine position for being a lady-killer in this universe, the Venom that combined Stark and Bruce, if it weren't for Peter and Eddie who severely dragged him down, would have ascended to the Multiverse level by now...
Of course, this also has to do with Hela's situation. While being the Lord of the Underworld sounds impressive, she is actually confined to a barren, silent land, where there's nothing but skulls and the undead, having been trapped there for many years.
Hela is a sentient being with a soul. It's impossible for her not to feel loneliness. Even though her hatred for Odin outweighs her emptiness for the time being, she would still want some distractions to some extent.
There is no need to mention Loki's qualifications. He is so handsome that almost all girls in Asgard are enamored of his looks. Loki's appearance, coupled with Bruce and Stark's charisma, made him unbeatable at charming ladies. Coupled with Hela being bored and lonely, the two hit it off almost instantly.
"Hela told me about her history with Odin, and that's when I learned that she was the eldest daughter of Asgard, my sister, and also an enemy of Odin. There was no way I could be with her…"
"You wimped out, right?" Shiller bluntly asked.
Lady Loki's expression remained rigid. She did not want to admit and defended in her response, "That was not my intention. I just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible…"
On the throne of the Realm of Death, Hela lay on it, and Loki leaned in, his hair falling on Hela's shoulders.
The moment the two of them were about to get closer, Loki repressed the symbiote within him that was making noises, pulled off Hela's cloak, activated the divine power within his body, and with a violent explosion, Loki disappeared.
Like all the other victims who had been deceived by Loki, Hela's furious roars echoed in the Realm of Death, "Loki!!!!!"
"Well, that's indeed a big mess, offending the Lord of the Underworld..." Strange shook his head in the reception room.
But Lady Loki kept her demeanor, stating: "It's not only that."
Just as Loki, who had teleported back to Earth with the help of the cloak and Divine Light Power, breathed a sigh of relief, he found himself surrounded by the omnipresent Power of Death.
Hela almost sprouted from the Underworld, appearing on Earth to chase after this wretched thief who deceived her emotions and even stole her cloak.
At first, Loki was running like a headless chicken, but soon discovered that Hela could not directly enter Earth - she seemed to be wary of some power.
But even though she can't come directly, the skulls regenerated and bodies resurrected by the ubiquitous Power of Death continue to surround Loki, constantly harassing him.
Loki was unable to effectively control the Power of Light within his body and hence, couldn't handle these nuisances effectively. He knew he couldn't bring these skulls and undead to densely populated places, or else, the Supreme Magician of Earth would teach him a lesson.
In the end, he ran out of options and could only summon her out at the mark left by Hela, and negotiate with her.
Loki returned the cloak to Hela and apologized sincerely, even promising her a part of the Sanctum's benefits.
Hela hadn't lost anything. She also knew she couldn't rage on Earth. And as Loki's apology seemed sincere, she didn't hold onto it any longer and returned to the Realm of Death with her cloak.
However, there's an emotion in this world called, "patience only leads to more frustration, retreat only leaves a sense of loss".
The fury of being deceived was a strong emotion that Hela had not experienced in a long time. This emotional clash stirred up her other emotions as well.
Returning to the Realm of Death after a short but tumultuous emotional roller coaster ride, Hela was restless and couldn't get Loki's face out of her mind.
It wasn't exactly love for him. Rather, it felt more like the resentment of a duck that flew away just when she was about to taste it. Even when Hela was a princess in Asgard, she was used to having her way and being surrounded by Asgardian warriors. So, when has she ever before experienced this humiliation?
After considering it thoroughly, Hela felt she couldn't let Loki off easily. "You claimed to have fallen in love with me, didn't you? Then stay with me, in the Realm of Death."
Therefore, Loki, who thought he had escaped, was pursued relentlessly by Hela once again.
Loki was really frustrated by her persistent actions, firstly because he was currently weak and couldn't use his typical deceptive tricks, and secondly, he knew he was in the wrong.
Running away midway through an intimate moment and, in addition, stealing her clothes - if this was revealed, Loki would have no place in the Nine Major Kingdoms. All the goddesses of Asgard would give him a slap.
Unable to confront Hela head-on, Loki had to think of a different solution. This was when Venom, who had finally recovered from the frenzied state, gave him a rather unscrupulous suggestion: "Why don't you turn into a woman?"
For the first time, Loki was rendered speechless out of anger.
However, he had to admit that, logically, this was the quickest and most effective method. As long as he could distract Hela from her frenzied emotions, she would likely stop harassing Loki.
Moreover, Loki wasn't repelled by the idea of turning into a woman. The reason for this dates back to his time living in Asgard.
In the official setup by Marvel, Loki's gender is fluid, i.e., whether he turns into a male or a female is considered normal, although this rigid setup seems somewhat forced.
If a reasonable justification is needed, it's mainly because Loki was also tired of the Viking-like machismo of the Asgardians.
In the eyes of the Asgardians, all men should resemble Thor - strong, rugged, muscular, with a bearded face, holding a shield in one hand and a long spear or an axe in the other, charging forward in battle with loud battle cries, consuming large chunks of meat and gulping down pitchers of mead.
On the other hand, they were very repulsed by men not fitting this image, such as Loki. They felt that wearing robes, holding a Magic Wand, and hiding behind the lines casting magic were things goddesses should do, unrelated to Viking male warriors. Therefore, Loki was an outcast in Asgardian society.
In contrast, Queen Frigga, who held the title of the foremost mage of the Nine Realms, was highly revered because the Asgardians felt she did the best a woman could do - caring for her husband, loving her son, and possessing great Magic Power.
This stark contrast in attitude had made Loki contemplate becoming a woman. Hence, when he actually did turn into a woman, he didn't feel disgusted or hateful. Instead, he experienced novelty and the thrill of defiance.
Thus, with the help of Divine Light Power and Venom, Loki transformed into a divine girl.
At the same time, Loki received a piece of good news, and a piece of bad news —
The good news was, Loki had turned into a woman.
The bad news was, Hela couldn't care less about male or female.
Loki is gender fluid?
No problem, Hela's sexual orientation is also fluid.
Originally, Hela was just pursuing him for fun. After all, she was idle in the Underworld alone. Making the little prince of Asgard panic was a fun way to get back at Odin in an unconventional way.
But as soon as Loki started changing, Hela flared up.
Don't forget, Hela is also a pure Asgardian, in her eyes, any Asgardian male would utterly reject the idea of becoming a female. Hela has experienced plenty of this deep-seated machismo.
She isn't aware of Loki's peculiar circumstances in Asgard and his very subtle psychology. So to Hela, Loki's move is like saying, "I'd rather eat shit than sleep with you."
It's a complete denial of Hela's personal charm and attraction, a provocation that no woman could stand, let alone the once immensely proud Asgardian princess. So, Hela became furious.
You've turned into a woman? No problem, I can become a man.
So, when Lady Loki met Hela again, she found that the person in front of her was no longer the cloaked sexy woman, but a male Lord of the Underworld, Hela, in a dark green armor, holding a long spear, and commanding the Army of Skeletons...
Although it's somewhat infringing on Hades, Hela doesn't care at all. Hela, already blinded by anger, is set on killing Loki.
"An angry Lord of the Underworld could cause huge troubles" Loki lamented while sitting on the couch in the reception room, "It won't be small disputes anymore. If caught by him, I'm done..."
Strange was speechless. He said, "You really have no right to say that Thor causes trouble every day. When you do it, it's a shock."
"So how are you going to escape the hunt?" Peter asked.
Loki's tone was very helpless: "I have no other choice. I can only use the divine power in my body to leave Earth and find a place to avoid Hela's pursuit..."
"The Divine Light Power that Thor put in me has a natural guiding function. It will lead me to the place where the Power of Death is the most diluted among the Nine Major Kingdoms. Here, Hela's invasion will not be possible."
"The places where the Power of Death is the thinnest, are the places where the power of life is the thickest. So there, I came to the vicinity of the World Tree..."
"The World Tree is an entity that upholds the Nine Major Kingdoms, it is more of an abstract concept, not an actual tree, and doesn't have a concrete image. Still, there is a place called the core of the World Tree..."
"There, there is a colossal tree conceptualized from the abstract. I followed the guidance of the Power of Light to go down to the tree, and after arriving there, I understood that this is a place Hela can never infiltrate."
Loki sighed again and said, "But as you all know, I can't stay trapped there forever. Even if I can bear hiding for a while, I can't bear to hide for my entire life..."
"When I approached the World Tree, I found that apart from the Nine Major Kingdoms supported by its branches and stems, there's another new branch that condenses an incomparable life and vitality. I knew it could help me resist Hela, so I broke the new branch down..."
"Wait!" Strange interrupted him, he said, "You mean you broke a branch off that tree that holds up the Nine Major Kingdoms????"
"My god! Why didn't Odin strike you with a bolt of lightning?! Aren't you afraid the Nine Major Kingdoms would collapse?!!!!"
Loki glanced at Strange and said, "I am not a magic apprentice who has only studied magic for a few days like you. I am very positive that the new branch is independent of the Nine Major Kingdoms, even if it is broken by me, it will not have any impact on the structure of the cosmos."
"Why did you say you made a big mistake then?" Steve asked somewhat puzzled, "The only thing that could be considered causing trouble, is this, right?"
"After all, nothing really happened between you and Hela. She didn't truly invade Earth. Even if you guys had a chase, it wouldn't be that significant to the whole cosmos, right?"
"This is what I am going to talk about next. Right after I broke that new branch down, things went beyond my expectations..."
Within a mysterious space filled with white fog, a towering immense tree takes root. Its infinite canopy occupies the sky of the entire space, numerous branches stretch out, and each of their leaves is a tiny cosmos. This is the manifestation of the World Tree.
At the base of the gigantic tree, there is a green grassland. There are springs and lakes on the side of the huge tree. The black-haired girl stretches out her hand and breaks off a branch filled with the power of life.
Suddenly, this branch flew out of the girl's hand. After a white light, a handsome man in a white robe appeared in front of Loki.
His whole body was shrouded in a hazy radiance. He gave Loki an ancient Asgardian salute and then said, "Hello, I am God of Light Baldur, you woke me up, what do you need?... Wait!"
The man who claimed to be Baldur suddenly took two steps forward, staring at Loki, his tone was somewhat doubtful: "…Familiar power, are you the New God of Light?"
His initially somewhat cold and aloof expression suddenly softened, and when he looked at Loki again, his eyes showed a tenderness and love that Loki didn't understand.
Loki didn't understand who he was. Just as she was about to ask, Baldur gazed at her somewhat nostalgically and said, "I didn't expect that the newly forged God of Light would be the little princess of Asgard..."
"Have you heard my name, Your Highness?"
Loki shook her head, and Baldur let out another faint sigh, saying, "I am your brother, Odin's true eldest son, once the God of Light..."
"But, I am not Odin's biological son, but a new branch he broke off from the World Tree."
Baldur's tone carried the inflections of ancient Asgardian, his voice undulating as if reciting a grand epic.
"On the day the great Lord of Asgard ascended to the throne, he made a promise to his beautiful fiancee, on the day they were to wed, he would break off a new branch from the highest tree in the world as a gift to celebrate their marriage..."
"On their wedding day, Odin came to the World Tree and made a wish for it to grow a new branch as a gift for the Queen of Gods. The World Tree fulfilled his wish, and hence, I was born..."
"He broke me off the World Tree, decorated me with nine beautiful flowers grown in Asgard into a garland, and placed it on the Queen's head, symbolizing their enduring love and the shared responsibility and honor of ruling Asgard..."
"The Queen was very moved and told the Divine King, 'This garland embodies the Asgardians' wishes for love; it should be our first child.' Thus, Baldur was born from the new branch of the World Tree and became the oldest son of the Divine King..."
"I am the personification of the life and vitality of the World Tree, representing the joy of spring and birth. Hence, I became the God of Light in Asgard, presiding over all light and new life."
Speaking to this point, Baldur's tone gradually grew somber, like a joyous melody approaching its end.
"Odin once promised me that he would bring vitality to every corner of the cosmos, that the World Tree's branches would take root in the Nine Major Kingdoms, allowing all life here to have spring."
"But as Asgard's wars increased, it brought not vitality, but destruction. Life became less and less while the power of destruction grew more and more, steadily corroding me, making me weaker..."
"The Queen was deeply saddened by this, for she foresaw that the day Asgard would be crowned in the entire cosmos would be the day of my death."
"My weakening and the Queen's tears caused Odin to waver. He began to reflect on the meaning of this war and destruction, so he ceased his conquests and planned to rule the Nine Major Kingdoms by peaceful means..."
"But he was still unable to prevent the arrival of the final war."
"Hela, my sister and the princess of Asgard, lost her mind in the unending wars, believing that only destruction is the ultimate answer in the cosmos..."
"She waged a fierce war with Odin, and the power of destruction from that war was the final straw that crushed me. I lost all my strength, turned back into a branch of the World Tree, and returned to my origins."
"The Divine King and Queen were heartbroken. They could not explain to the people of Asgard where the eldest son and heir, whom they held so many expectations for, had gone. So they suppressed Hela and erased my existence."
"Only a few individuals unaffected by Odin's divine power still remember my existence, and you... As the princess of Asgard after Hela, controlling a power entirely opposite to that of your sister, it is a new Power of Light."
"On the World Tree, I was briefly affected by the aura of this power, and the moment this Power of Light truly touched me, I was awakened once again."
"Your Highness, whoever holds the Power of Light, is destined to be the new ruler of Asgard."
"Before, as the possessor of the Power of Light, I was the heir to the throne. Now, you possess a new Power of Light, which means you will be the next Divine King..."
As Loki looked into Baldur's eyes, full of gentleness and love, she suddenly felt a sense of destiny, as though everything was a well-arranged coincidence.
Once, Odin came to the World Tree and broke off a new branch. In the vibrant Asgard, Baldur became the eldest prince and heir, bringing life to the Nine Major Kingdoms.
The next child, Hela, became the culprit that killed her own brother. She became the opposite of life and vigor, embodying death and destruction.
And now, Thor, who wields the new Power of Light, has become the rightful heir to Asgard.
And she, due to a series of coincidences, has become the princess. So, will she too have to kill her own brother using the power of Death and Destruction?
Why does everything seem like a predestined cycle?
Why, whenever there's a vacant position in this story, a series of coincidences push an appropriate person into that position?
Loki wondered, are continuous rebirth and destruction truly Asgard's inescapable destiny?
Just as Loki was pondering this question, Shiller interrupted her, asking: "So, what kind of trouble have you caused?"
Loki slowly said, "Baldur discovered the aura of death left on me by Hela. He thought Hela wanted to kill me, so..."
The four people sitting on the sofa simultaneously looked at Loki. In a rigid tone, Loki said, "The God of Light and the God of Death...are at war because of me."