POV Rio
I had chosen to take a calculated risk and tell Odin that I could permanently destroy artifacts. Obviously, he was very skeptical of my claim, but given the value of such a claim, he was willing to take a chance on it. This led to being given a chance to come to Asgard and test my ability. At first, Odin wanted to wait for a bit as Asgard was in a slightly chaotic situation, but I managed to convince him that the sooner I prove my claim, the less time he has to worry about Ragnarok.
Thus, I was given coordinates to a place I could teleport to using non-magical means, as magical teleportation to and from Asgard was restricted, making it practically impossible to do so unless the wards were brought down.
POV Shift Loki
I look at the 5th patrol in the last hour alone and wonder if my idea has gone farther than expected.
'It shouldn't, as why would that cause them to protect the vault more closely and not the borders where an attack would come from?'
I needed to get into the vault, but for some reason my father was waiting inside, and I knew that my illusions could trick most people, but my father and mother were not foolish enough to be tricked. But I needed answers, and the only place I could think of to get them was from the Casket of Eternal Winters.
As I was hiding in a small alcove, I noticed a change. Another patrol appeared, or at least that was what I thought at first, but this time they were escorting an elf.
'A Light Elf? Wait, no, the ears don't look quite right. Why would they bring them here?'
I wanted to know more, but I froze for a moment when I swore I saw the elf looking straight into my eyes.
'Could they? No, that's preposterous. Some random elf can't possibly see through my illusions. If it was Queen Aelsa, then maybe, but some elf I've never seen before, impossible.'
Despite my confidence, I felt it was best to retreat for now. No need to cause a stir when the palace was under such tension. Father wouldn't remain in the vault forever, and when he left, I could prove I was misunderstanding what I saw in Jotunheim.
POV Shift Rio
After sensing Loki slowly slip away, I wondered if I had delayed the inevitable, or perhaps I would soon prevent it altogether.
'I suppose only time will tell.'
I am taken to the vault where I instantly spot Odin, though I could sense him far sooner than that, as he can't conceal all his power or how unstable it feels.
"Leave us," Odin orders, and his guards bow before leaving.
I approach a bit closer and give a slight nod of my head in respect.
"What I am about to show you is something very few have lived to see; it is dangerous, and even I dare not stay near it for long, so if you have even the slightest hesitation, I suggest you leave now," Odin warns.
"I am confident in my abilities to survive," I say confidently.
"Very well, follow me," Odin says, and the area behind him starts to open up.
The gate folds away, and I see the Destroyer Armor standing guard, but it seems it wasn't our target, as Odin moved past it. I take only a few moments to admire the impressive craftsmanship of the armor before swiftly catching up with Odin, who had a grim look upon his face. That look, combined with the fact that a powerful illusion spell was before us, concealing a door, made me far more cautious.
The illusion melts away, and Odin pauses at the door.
"Before we enter, I shall inform you of what lies beyond this door," Odin says.
"I'll admit I am curious. To have such heavy defences, this item must either be immensely valuable or dangerous, or perhaps both," I offer.
"Indeed, what lies behind this door is an orb. One that, as a youth, I foolishly used and became cursed by," Odin says calmly.
"Cursed? As in still cursed?" I say with surprise.
"Yes, even now I can hear its siren call to use it once more. And I am incapable of destroying or even damaging it," Odin says with a tired voice.
"What is this orb?" I ask.
"Nobody really knows. My great-great-grandfather discovered the orb, but according to legend, it killed him or perhaps led to his death. It then passed to my great-grandfather, who mistrusted the orb and attempted to destroy it. He failed. It was said that with his immense power, he couldn't so much as scratch the orb. So he chose to hide it away from prying eyes in hopes that nobody would fall to its evil. That worked until my grandfather discovered it long after his father's death. He used the orb to obtain great victories over Asgard's enemies and arguably was the reason Asgard was turned into a formidable kingdom. But it slowly drove him mad. My grandfather was turned into a pale shadow of himself. A mumbling fool that few could understand until one day he didn't wake up. That is when my father took the reins. He knew of the orb and its dangers, so he had it hidden away in hopes that nobody would ever find it again. He hid it away himself, which meant he touched it, and ever since that day, he had night terrors that would cause him to scream about an eye and how it watches us," Odin says with a distant look in his eyes.
"How did you come to possess it?" I ask.
"When I was young, I was a fool; I was brash, arrogant, and rebellious. Which meant I would often sneak around the palace even in places I wasn't meant to be. This was long into my father's reign, mind you, so almost nobody remembered the orb, especially since my father had sought to erase any record that it existed. Thus I stumbled upon a room in the palace that I had never heard of or seen before. It was cluttered with random junk and garbage, but at the back of the room was a pedestal. Upon it lay an orb covered in a heavy cloth. When I removed the cloth, I spotted a seemingly normal orb. The only odd thing was the fact that it was perfectly centered and didn't roll around. I touched the orb, and it showed me what I wanted to see. The future, of the conquests and battles galore. It promised me everything I could ever want. The whispers in my mind were like the sweetest vermouth. I listened to it and even hid my use of it from my father until his death," Odin says with an ashamed tone.
"What can it do exactly?" I ask with growing concern.
"It can show me events that have yet to come, or are happening now, and even what has already passed. But don't be tempted to take it. It binds the user to itself, making you incapable of destroying it or attempting to harm it. And what my father says in his night terrors is accurate. The orb has a true master, and he uses it to peer into our world. Or perhaps that is a hallucination it causes. In either case, it is dangerous to touch and even more so to use," Odin warns sternly.
"Can it influence a mind without touching it?" I ask.
"I don't know. It's possible, but that is why I have the destroyer protecting it. To prevent others from reaching it and because I am compelled to keep it safe," Odin says.
"Will you attack me if I attempt to destroy it?" I ask the question I worry the most about now.
"It depends. How fast can you destroy it? I have a constant urge to protect it, but I don't truly believe you can destroy the orb, as even far stronger gods before me haven't managed to do so. Thus I feel no threat towards it from you. Or maybe it has chosen to leave me as a host and take you instead, as I will soon die," Odin explains.
"Hmm, I'll keep that in mind. And I hope you don't kill me," I say with a slightly nervous tone.
I had a few ways out of this alive, and I had absolute confidence in my system's ability to destroy things, but that didn't mean I wasn't still a tad bit nervous.
"I shall not enter with you. From here on out, you are on your own. I shall know if the artifact is gone as the connections will sever completely. If you fail, I shall not be disappointed," Odin explains.
"Why are you telling me all this info?" I ask with a growing suspicion.
"As I have said earlier, I shall not live much longer. But the orb cannot stay in Asgard, where it will possibly enthrall others after me," Odin explains and confirms my suspicions.
"You want to hide it on Earth, don't you?" I ask.
"Yes, Midgard is an excellent place to hide such an item. Those of your world are weak and unlikely to cause much damage with the orb," Odin explains.
"Can you stop dumping dangerous items on Earth? It already has the Time and Space Stones. Not to mention the various other Asgardian artifacts that have been left behind on Earth. Heck, you can consider the Reality Stone is also connected with Earth, or at least the Nine Realms. It brings a lot of unwanted attention," I complain.
Odin has the decency to look a slight bit ashamed of this situation.
"Yes, well... Perhaps we have been a bit too complacent in that regard. But perhaps this won't come to pass if you succeed," Odin says while avoiding the topic.
I leave it alone for now and focus on my task.
I enter the room, and the door closes behind me, but I focus on the orb underneath a purple cloth just as Odin described it earlier. I brace for anything unusual but find I don't feel anything. But despite that, I still don't let my guard down and approach the orb. Then, as soon as I am in range, I take a deep breath and prepare to speedrun this next step, as I had no idea if the orb might cause Odin to attack me, and I really didn't want to risk that. I was confident that I would be smushed like a bug against Odin.
'Okay, ready... set... GO!'
I store the orb, and then, as fast as I can, I choose the sacrifice menu option, not even taking a moment to see what the orb is or what it can do, and it seems like I made the right choice.
CRASH
The door is instantly destroyed, and a spear is only stopped mere centimeters from my spine. Odin looks confused for a moment before his eyes clear, and he realizes what he is doing and withdraws Gungnir. I swallow a lump in my throat and feel goosebumps all across my body from how close I was to being pierced through.
"You... Did it?" Odin says with genuine shock.
I just nod and make preparations to get out of here if it calls for it.
"Huh? I'm free..." Odin says in a quiet voice as if he was still processing what happened.
I just stand there and wait for him to process it.