For more than a thousand years, Hela had been imprisoned here.
Day after day, night after night, the sea was her only companion, along with the occasional passing ship or curious sea creature that strayed too close to this forgotten corner of the world.
For over thirty days after her release, she remained, not out of necessity, but out of habit.
The stone platform bore the marks of time. Chairs. Benches. Crude furnishings that once symbolized captivity rather than comfort.
Hela looked at them for a long moment.
Emotion flickered across her face… something quiet and deeply personal.
Then she raised her hand.
Green-black flames surged forth, devouring wood and stone alike. The furniture burned soundlessly, collapsing into fine ash that scattered across the waves.
As the last remnants turned to dust, Hela exhaled.
She felt lighter.
A small smile curved her lips.
Before leaving, she turned her gaze toward the distant horizon, where massive, iridescent shapes coiled beneath the sea… the long, multicolored 'worms'.
Weapons of war.
Hela nodded in quiet approval.
"A fine instrument," She murmured. "Little orange cat… you truly are capable."
Her eyes gleamed faintly. "I hope I made the right choice."
With that, she departed.
Hela wandered Europe without destination, drifting through cities and countryside alike.
This era fascinated her, an age poised on the brink. Economic collapse loomed, war brewed beneath fragile diplomacy, and the air itself felt tight with fear and ambition.
She disliked the crude, backward technology.
But the atmosphere?
That tension, that hunger for conquest and change… it resonated with her.
Within two days, she arrived at the territory of the Cat.
✦••┈┈••✦••┈┈••✦
In Asgard, Odin had returned to the palace. Frigga found him standing alone, staring into nothing.
For more than a thousand years, day and night Odin had watched over his eldest daughter, the jewel he once held closest to his heart.
Now she had stepped beyond her ordained fate.
He felt pride.
And sorrow.
Frigga understood without words. She did not question him, nor attempt to soothe what could not be undone.
She merely began preparations for a welcome ceremony… because regardless of destiny, Hela was still Asgard's daughter.
At Kamar-Taj, the Ancient One led Garfield back through the courtyard.
Without ceremony, she withdrew a book from her sleeve and handed it to him, then casually tossed the Time Stone into his paws.
Garfield froze. "Master… what does this mean?"
"The book was given to you by Odin." the Ancient One replied calmly.
"It contains the fundamentals of Asgard's divine light, how to wield it properly."
She glanced at the Time Stone. "And that is insurance. I would rather not see you accidentally destroy causality while experimenting."
"Oh…" Garfield scratched his head awkwardly.
Realization dawned. He promptly hugged the Ancient One's leg and wailed dramatically.
"Master, you treat your disciple far too well! This humble cat can never repay such kindness!"
"Get out." The Ancient One pointed toward the gate, expression unchanged.
"Stop howling. Follow me properly, you sound like someone torturing a cat."
"Yes, Master."
Garfield hastily wiped the dirt from his fur onto her robe, opened a portal, and fled back to New York.
After greeting his family, Garfield entered his personal subspace.
He emerged near the great tree beside the small cabin, once used to educate Grindelwald deep within the underground realm.
Settling in, he prepared to study.
The book from the Ancient One rested in his paws.
Even the casing alone radiated authority, a golden metal cover with a heavy embedded rod that looked sturdy enough to serve as a war hammer.
Garfield squinted at the Asgardian script etched across it.
"I don't recognize a single word." He muttered. "This is a nightmare."
He opened the cover.
Inside, there were only two pages… one left, one right both seemingly blank.
"…What?"
As confusion set in, light rippled across the pages.
A full projection unfolded above the book, forming a three-dimensional interface filled with text and symbols.
Language options appeared.
As a well-traveled orange cat, Garfield made his choice without hesitation.
He tapped it.
The title appeared…
Asgardian Light Spell Fundamentals
Garfield's eyes widened. "So advanced…"
As if holding an impossibly heavy tablet, he flipped through the pages with his paw.
The first section was a table of contents, dense and expansive. It documented divine constructs, light-element theory, and even magical beasts tied to Asgardian radiance.
Then came foundational theory.
Light-element properties.
Conversion principles.
Spell architecture.
After that, practical applications:
Exorcism.
Purification.
Cold suppression.
Illumination.
Light shields.
Light blades.
Light arrows.
Light spears.
Light-based weapon transformation.
Even… light cats.
Hundreds of thousands of words. Complex magic circles. Ancient runes layered upon divine logic.
Garfield slowly closed the book.
"…Yeah." He sighed. "There's no way I'm finishing this in one day."
꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂
PhantomDream