As the silence in the chamber stretched, Hela rose gracefully, her movements fluid and commanding. Raiden watched as she extended a hand, summoning a faint glow of emerald magic that lit up the shadows around them.
"There's something you need to see," she said, her voice steady but with an undertone of caution.
Raiden frowned, struggling to his feet despite the lingering ache in his body. "What is it?" he asked, following her as she led him through the labyrinthine halls of Hel.
Hela glanced back at him, her expression unreadable. "A disturbance," she replied.
"Something has shifted in the balance of realms since our passage through the wormhole. It's as though... our actions have woken something that was meant to stay dormant.
"Raiden's steps faltered for a moment. "Something worse than what we already face?" he asked, his tone laced with concern.
Hela didn't answer immediately. Instead, she pushed open a massive door at the end of the corridor, revealing a grand observatory that overlooked the heart of Hel.
The room was filled with magical projections of swirling energies, and at its centre was a massive, pulsating rift that shimmered with hues of violet and black.
Raiden's eyes widened as he stepped closer. "What is that?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Hela stood beside him, her gaze fixed on the anomaly. "A fracture in the Veil," she explained. "The barrier between Hel and the other realms. It's weakening, and I suspect it's connected to the wormhole we created."
Raiden clenched his fists, a mix of frustration and guilt washing over him. "So, I caused this," he muttered, his voice tinged with self-reproach.
Hela placed a hand on his, her touch surprisingly comforting. "We caused this," she corrected. "I should of been more careful and not left it all to you.
"Raiden stood upright and letting of any support holding him up. "No, please Hela don't blame yourself for my actions" He placed his palm which seemed to engulf her slender shoulder. "I will bear any responsibility alone so please don't fret it isn't your fault"
She silently glanced at Raiden then at his hand then back to his eyes. 'For someone so young he takes every burden on his shoulders' she thinks to herself.
Hela recalls while trapped in the dimension before he arrived how alone and how everyday was a struggle to eat or even survive the endless supply of eldritch monsters pumped in the realm, but as soon as she met him she could of let him die it would of been easier she already is struggling and adding one more mouth to feed never less a child would of been foolish and if old Hela before her imprisonment was given this choice she would of let him die and not lost any sleep.
But she would never admit it. She was lonely before he arrived. "Stop being stubborn you halfwit" she shook her head side to side. Raiden took a deep breath, his resolve hardening. "What needs to be done?" he asked, his voice steady.
Hela waved her hand, and the projections shifted to show glimpses of the Nine Realms. isolated pockets of Chaos reigned in many of them—storms raging, landscapes crumbling, and ethereal creatures slipping through cracks in reality. "The Veil must be stabilized," she said. "But to do that, we need to locate the source of the disturbance and seal it or better yet destroy it."
Raiden nodded. "Where do we start?"
Hela hesitated, her gaze lingering on the projections. "Midgard," she said finally. "The epicentre of the disturbance lies there. And judging by the remnants of energy I've detected, it's linked to all the other disturbances, its almost like a impact point of glass and the fracture will spread and spread until" She shows devastation as twisted creatures attack every realm slaughtering trillions those that survived the first wave deal with planets cracking ,stars imploding, pieces of the universe being swallowed by the void and the death of all life as every realm collides."The veil will collapse and the universe soon after" Hela finish's solemnly.
Raiden's heart sank. "What in the hells have i done..." he murmured, his mind racing with the implications.
Hela nodded. "If anyone can help us stabilize the Veil, it's unfortunately the hero's of Midgard. But you must tread carefully. Your powers are still in flux, and many may not understand what you've become—or the choices you've made. especially your farther"
Raiden sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Great. A reunion with my father, and I'm bringing the apocalypse with me," he said wryly.
Hela smirked, a glimmer of amusement breaking through her serious demeanour. "You've always had a flair for the dramatic," she teased.
Raiden chuckled despite himself, the tension easing slightly. "Let's get to it, then," he said.
"I'm not letting this spiral out of control." Hela's expression softened, pride shining in her eyes. "That's the spirit," she said. "Come, we have much to prepare."
As Hela turned back toward the projections, she waved her hand, and a cluster of glowing green orbs appeared, floating in the air like tiny, suspended stars. Each orb represented a different realm, pulsating faintly with life—or in some cases, flickering as though struggling to remain alight.
Midgard's orb burned brightest, but with an uneven, chaotic rhythm that seemed to shake the others.
Hela gestured to the projection. "These orbs are anchors for the Veil, points of stability that maintain the balance between realms. Midgard is central, but the others are fracturing in response to its instability. If we can stabilize Midgard, the other realms may follow. But..." she hesitated.
"But what?" Raiden asked, his voice tight.
She sighed. "Midgard is already crawling with entities that should not exist there—wraiths from Niflheim, primordial beasts from Muspelheim, and worse. The longer we wait, the more these incursions will accelerate. Mortals won't stand a chance against them, and if they fail, the Veil will fall completely."
Raiden's jaw clenched, his mind spinning as he processed her words. "So we head to Midgard, stabilize the Veil, and deal with whatever's leaking through," he said firmly.
"What's the catch?"
Hela smiled faintly, though it didn't reach her eyes. "The catch is that the rift is a beacon fortunately seems the Sorcerer Supreme was able to seal the rift WE opened up that will buy us precious time. But every power-hungry creature, sorcerer, and cosmic entity will sense it. They'll converge on Midgard, either to harness the energy or destroy it. And let's not forget..." She hesitated, her tone softening, "Thor will be there, as will the other heroes of Midgard. They'll have their questions."
Raiden exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. "Questions I don't have answers to. Great."
Hela crossed her arms, her piercing gaze locking onto him. "You need to decide now, Raiden. Will you face them as yourself, or as a figure they cannot question? The choices you've made—and the ones you'll make—will define how they see you and your position in their morality."
Raiden looked at her, his golden eyes glowing faintly with resolve. "I'll face them as myself. No masks, no shadows. I'm done hiding from my father... or anyone else."
Hela smirked, though her expression carried a hint of sadness. "Spoken like a true fool, but a brave one. Very well. We'll need a way to reach Midgard quickly. The Bifrost is too unstable after the stunt you pulled, and the wormhole... well, I think we've done enough damage with that."
Raiden grinned faintly hiding his relieved expression as with his current strength he is not sure he could summon the Bifrost, his humour returning despite the gravity of their situation. "So, what's the plan? Do you have some secret, shadowy door between realms stashed away?"
Hela tilted her head, her expression sly. "As a matter of fact, I do. But it's not exactly... subtle. Follow me."---Hela led Raiden to another chamber deep within the heart of Hel, a cavernous room filled with ancient runes and shifting green mist that seemed to whisper in Raiden ear sweet invitations. At its centre stood a massive, ornate gate, wrought of black iron and glowing with faint crimson veins of magic.
The air around it thrummed with energy, a low hum that seemed to echo endlessly."This is the Gate of Shadows," Hela explained, placing a hand on the cool metal. "A relic of old Asgard, long forgotten by most. It connects Hel to the other realms, but its path is unpredictable as its subject the the whims of the veil and in its current state its quite..." a flash of arching red electricity bounces in between the gate "Active" she said turning around with a smile Raiden recognised as a smile that promised no good things
Raiden stepped closer, feeling the pull of the gate like a distant heartbeat. "Unpredictable, huh? Sounds like a fun ride."
Hela gave him a sidelong glance, her lips twitching in a faint smile. "You're insufferable, you know that?"
He grinned. "And yet, here you are, stuck with me."
"When we arrive, i will try and hide are presence at least until your recovered and have made contact with Tempest" She twists both of her wrists as as she casts a long incantation and green energy swirls around her hands the gat begins to make a whirling sound and on the top of the arch a ornate Red gem begins glowing and begins siphoning Hela's conjured energy.
The crimson veins pulsed brighter, and the iron creaked as the portal opened, revealing a swirling vortex of shadow and light and a almost endless amount of red energy ropes. The air grew colder, and the energy in the room became almost suffocating.
Hela looked back at Raiden. "You coming?"
Raiden hesitated for only a moment before stepping beside her. "Always."
Together, they stepped closer to the vortex and immediately the pulsating energy ropes shot out the vortex and wrapped their arms and legs as it tried dragging them in which they both accepted, the world around them dissolving into a maelstrom of light and shadow and a sea of ropes pulling them and throwing . As they were pulled through the portal, Raiden couldn't help but think of the challenges that awaited them on Midgard—and the reckoning with his father that was long overdue.But for now, all he could do was hold onto his resolve. The fate of the realms depended on it and hold onto Hela for dear life.