"Oh," Hela said suddenly, tilting her head, "I just realized something."
"I might regret this a little."
The words came out so casually that Garfield and Odin both stiffened at the same time.
Only the Ancient One looked amused.
For a split second, the air froze.
Then~
"Hahahahaha!"
Hela burst into laughter, laughing so hard her shoulders shook.
Odin's hand instinctively tightened, and Garfield felt his stomach growl for reasons he didn't want to examine too closely.
There was one thing Garfield was deeply satisfied with.
This Hela was not the smoky-eyed, middle-aged aunt from certain dramatized retellings of history.
She was far closer to the ancient records and illustrated codices, a tall, alluring woman, dangerous and radiant, temptation wrapped in the inevitability of death.
"Hela." Garfield said dryly, "Are you happy now that you've scared everyone half to death?"
"Yes," She replied cheerfully. "Very happy, my little orange cat."
Garfield silently vowed, deep in his heart, that for the sake of his physical and mental health, he must keep a safe distance from this lunatic if he ever hoped to grow into a stable, mature, big orange cat.
Odin pressed a hand to his chest.
For a brief moment, he had genuinely considered picking up Gungnir and shooting her on the spot.
After enjoying herself enough, Hela spread her hands.
"All right." She said. "I'm ready. Let's begin."
Odin nodded grimly and stepped forward. With a gesture, the prison seal dissolved, and the door vanished like mist.
Hela walked out calmly, positioning herself between Odin and Garfield.
Everything was prepared.
The atmosphere shifted. Hela and Odin both became solemn, their earlier emotions stripped away.
Hela raised one hand toward the sky.
With the other, she gently rested her palm atop Garfield's head.
"By the God of Creation, I, Hela Odinson, eldest daughter of Odin, King of Asgard, and first heir to the throne, do hereby renounce my right of succession."
Odin's pupils shrank.
Wait.
Succession?
"Hela!"
Too late.
"I voluntarily transfer the blessing of Asgard." She continued evenly, "Along with the right of inheritance to the throne, to the orange cat before me… Garfield."
Odin's heart sank.
Not good.
Very not good.
As expected, his daughter had plans of her own.
Before he could intervene, Asgard's divine blessing surged free from Hela's body, flowing through her palm and pouring into Garfield.
In an instant~
Garfield felt himself engulfed in warmth.
A vast, luminous power wrapped around him, the familiar cosmic energy of Asgard. It didn't overwhelm him… instead, it settled gently, as though recognizing its new bearer.
Along with the power came fragments of knowledge… ancient laws, echoes of responsibility, instincts that were not his own.
Something fundamental had changed.
And yet…
Why wasn't Pandora popping out to cause chaos right now?
That worried him more than anything else.
As the transfer ended, Hela staggered slightly. Her strength visibly waned, and she nearly fell before the Ancient One stepped forward and supported her.
The Ancient One looked at her with gentle eyes.
"Congratulations." She said softly. "You have stepped beyond your original destiny."
She paused.
"How you walk from here, whether toward light or shadow, is your own choice. You already understand the cost and the reward."
"I hope you choose wisely."
Hela nodded.
The long-standing conflict between her and Odin had finally settled, though there was no returning to the past.
She had chosen her own path.
To Garfield, the Ancient One felt different from Odin.
Odin was a father… stern, proud, burdened by rule. The Ancient One felt like a wise elder.
If you added a beard and longer hair, Garfield thought, she'd resemble those legendary wizards from human stories… half sage, half troublemaker.
The kind who guides heroes to their fate, then calmly watches them walk away.
Thinking of that, Garfield sighed. Heroes had it rough.
Orange cats, apparently, weren't much luckier.
On the Aman Continent, the immortal, blessed land of the elves life flowed lazily, untouched by the disputes and wars.
Garfield let his thoughts drift there for a moment, then refocused.
It was time to explore the blessings Asgard had granted him.
The Ancient One, ever watchful, reminded him, "Garfield, now that you've accepted Asgard's gift, there is much you must understand about the virtue it bestows."
"Test your strength, learn its limits. Kamar-Taj will guide you."
"Understood, Master," Garfield replied with a respectful nod.
Hela, meanwhile, addressed Odin and the Ancient One with her usual composure:
"I'll rest here for now and depart on my own, but when I leave, I expect a portal to be opened to any world or power in the universe I choose."
"You should rest for two more days, Hela."
Odin's voice was calm, almost casual, but Garfield sensed the deep concern beneath it.
Hela's gaze flicked toward him, unreadable. "Then I'll stay on Earth for a few years."
"But you cannot stop me when I decide to leave."
Odin gave a slow nod. "Then come to Kamar-Taj for me, or New York to find Garfield. We will open the portal for you."
He knew well that Hela's character could not be reshaped overnight. The desire to conquer, the call of war, it was etched into her very soul.
"You may call upon Heimdall if you wish," Odin suggested.
Hela shook her head without hesitation. "No need. I might be more hindered than helped."
Odin said nothing more.
A father's concern does not always need words. Heimdall would watch over her; if Hela found herself in danger, Heimdall could act without instruction.
It was the natural worry of a parent for a child, even one as formidable and independent as Hela.
The Ancient One opened the door and gestured for Garfield to follow.
Before leaving, Hela gave Garfield a meaningful wink.
"Orange cat." She said softly, "I will find you."
Garfield scratched his tail unconsciously and nodded, trying not to look unnerved.
"Okay… as long as you don't make trouble for me."
With that, Garfield and the Ancient One departed, leaving Odin and Hela alone.
For a brief moment, Garfield thought he might have glimpsed something different in Odin, a father who could finally set aside the imposing, majestic mask and speak with gentle warmth.
But Odin had long been accustomed to that mask, and Hela ever proud, rarely engaged in casual conversation with him.
The two stood in a strained silence before Hela finally pointed skyward. "You may go."
Odin said nothing. He simply looked at his daughter a moment longer, then channeled the power of eternity, opening the Bifrost.
Seven colors arced across the sky, guiding Hela's path back to Asgard.
Once the bridge's control room doors closed behind him, Heimdall rushed to Odin's side.
"My lord, are you all right?"
"I am fine, Heimdall." Odin waved him off with a small, fatherly gesture.
"If Hela needs aid in the future, open the Bifrost to assist her."
Heimdall, one of the few who fully understood Odin's plans, nodded with unwavering loyalty.
"Understood, my king."
Meanwhile, Hela walked slowly back toward the prison where she had spent millennia.
She paused, gazing at the walls and halls she had known for thousands of years, raising a hand in quiet acknowledgment… both farewell and reclamation of her freedom.
꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂
PhantomDream