As the wisp of mist passed in front of Shiller's eyes, the thick fog gradually thinned. When the fog beneath the World Tree dispersed, Shiller had changed his clothes. He said goodbye to Strange who was still dozing off in the hot spring pool and returned alone in the royal carriage to the Fairy Palace Square.
The night in Asgard was bright and clear. The evening breeze fluttered, the dew on his hair brought a slight chill. The steam of the fountain wedged into his nostrils, giving off a moist fragrance. The laughter of children, returning home in twos and threes, drifted farther and farther away.
Shiller strolled leisurely on the way back to the Fairy Palace. The laziness brought on by the hot spring made him enjoy the night in Asgard. He slowly crossed the Bifrost Bridge, seeing the brilliant lights of the Fairy Palace getting closer.
Just as Shiller arrived at the entrance of the Fairy Palace, the neigh of a Pegasus woke him up, followed by a familiar shout: "Shiller, how are you here?"
Shiller looked up and saw Loki, who was not dressed in his usual mage robe, but unusually wore a suit of armor and cloak. He looked rather gallant.
"I'm so sorry, something urgent came up suddenly and I had to make a trip to Thor's place, unable to keep our appointment." Loki jumped straight off the carriage, walked up to Shiller and embraced him.
Shiller patted his arm and said, "It's okay. You went to Thor's place? Strange told me, was it because of Heimdall's matter?"
Loki looked around and said, "Let's talk in my room."
Loki led Shiller to his own sleeping chamber, which was very different from the guest rooms. It was a luxurious palace room, with expensive carpets, grand and soft bedding, and display racks full of precious jewels and collections, all revealing the extravagance of a prince's chamber.
As Shiller entered, he looked at the collections on the display racks. Meanwhile, Loki was picking up a bottle of wine from the wine cabinet, saying, "In fact, Thor and I went to the Underworld, Helheim - Hela's kingdom."
Shiller sat down on the single-seater sofa near the window and while looking at the gradually dimming lights of Asgard outside the Fairy Palace, he said, "I know you've been in contact with Hela, but Thor..."
"It is precisely because Thor is strong enough that there is room for communication with Hela. You know that Hela and Odin are the most alike. They are both traditional Asgardians who only submit to the strong."
"Hela has acknowledged the position of Thor as the new king, so there is naturally no conflict between them." Loki walked over with the wine, setting up the glasses as he said, "Rather, it's Thor, he needs Hela's help."
After a moment's thought, Shiller uttered a single word: "Valhalla?"
Loki nodded, first pouring a glass of wine for Shiller, then half a glass for himself, and said, "Valhalla is not actually the property of Asgard, but a creation of Odin."
"The Father of All Gods uses Valhalla to capture the valiant spirits and resurrects them to fight for Asgard again. During Asgard's battles throughout the cosmos, Valhalla became a spiritual flag for the Asgardians."
"To die for the Father of All Gods and have a place in Valhalla is the honor that all Asgardian warriors dream of. But again, Valhalla belongs to Odin, not Asgard."
"I see." Shiller picked up his glass of wine and took a sip, "Thor hopes to have his own Valhalla?"
"Not exactly." Loki's fingers rubbed the glass as he said, "Since Asgard is no longer planning to wage war throughout the cosmos, whether or not we have such a spiritual flag is not important. We hope to have a healthier mechanism for death and rebirth like the other pantheons."
"Asgardians always feel that if they can't die on the battlefield, it would be the most terrible thing in the world. This view of death was intentionally cultivated by the Father of All Gods to make the people more brave in battle."
"And Valhalla is their sense of security. As long as I die bravely, the Father of All Gods will surely resurrect me. They are not fearless of death, they just trust Odin."
"But this is actually not healthy, isn't it? Asgardians see natural death as a monstrous calamity, essentially because they feel that with natural death there is no chance of resurrection. Who doesn't want to be resurrected?"
Loki let out a deep sigh, "But we already owe a debt to the World Tree. If we continue with this cycle of death and resurrection, won't we owe more and more?"
"To repay the debt, it is essential to cut spending and increase income. We are constantly striving outside to increase income, but we also need to cut spending inside and can no longer overdraw the power of the World Tree."
"To turn this situation around, we need to establish a new view of death for them. But if we directly tell them Valhalla can't be used anymore or that Thor doesn't want them to use it, the public will definitely not be able to accept it for a while."
"So, we plan to bring up old matters." Loki gently touched his eye socket, "Perhaps you humans have also heard of Helheim from the Nine Major Kingdoms. It's also known as the Underworld, a cold and foggy place. Eljudnir is the dwelling of Hela, the queen of the Underworld, and a resting place for spirits."
"I know that in human legends, this place isn't as famous as Valhalla, but this is actually the real resting place for the souls of the Aesir."
Loki shook his head and said, "Before now, Hela was imprisoned here by Odin. This place was her prison, not her territory."
"During the reign of the Father of All Gods, he didn't allow Hela to take even half a step out of Helheim, Hela did not have the power or the permission to guide the souls of the Aesir. The lost souls in her territory were those that had remained from before."
Shiller nodded and said, "I see. So, you are lacking a deity like Osiris from the Egyptian pantheon whose responsibility is to guide the souls of your clan members to the underworld, allowing them to fade away quietly and return to the natural cycle."
"Exactly," Loki strongly nodded in agreement and said, "That's why Thor has gone for a discussion with Hela."
"He plans to make the former Crown Princess a Prince of Asgard, governing over Helheim but not participating in domestic politics of Asgard, being only responsible for guiding souls to their rest."
"What does Odin think about it?" Shiller asked a crucial question.
Loki sighed again and said, "This is also the question Hela asked us. In fact, Thor and I also want to know Odin's thoughts on this."
"I can use the aura of death on the corpse to trace the whereabouts of the Queen's soul."
The hoarse voice awakened Shiller from his reminiscences. The atmosphere in the banquet hall remained tense.
Hela, standing next to the corpse, started to speak, "Her Majesty the Queen has not been dead for long. Perhaps, I can bring her soul back."
The crowd began to chattered, among them were phrases like "hurry up" and "what are you waiting for".
But at this moment, Hela glanced at Thor, then turned her gaze towards Loki, slowly opening her mouth to say, "However, I must utilise the power of Helheim, and let the aura of death spread out. Only then would it be possible to find Her Majesty the Queen's soul among the countless lost souls within the Nine Major Kingdoms."
"What are you waiting for?"
As the voice of the Father of All Gods resounded, the noise instantly ceased. Odin looked at Hela's eye and repeated, "What are you waiting for?"
Thor and Loki exchanged glances. Hela turned around, her eyes filled with the aura of death as she looked at her father and said, "Well, of course, I am waiting for the permission of the masters of the Nine Major Kingdoms."
Odin quietly looked at Hela for a while, tightening his grip on Frigga's hand.
Only the queen who accompanied Odin throughout his life knew that the never-faltering, never-weak Father of All Gods, could also tremble with sorrow.
"You should ask Thor, not me."
As Odin spoke, Loki turned away. Shiller noticed Loki finally exhale a sigh of relief. Soon after, Thor's voice sounded.
"I, in the name of the master of the Nine Major Kingdoms, grant you this authority. Helheim will be both your territory and your weapon. Your power of death is allowed to pass within the Nine Major Kingdoms, overseeing all matters of life and death, enabling all creatures within the Nine Major Kingdoms to attain eternal rest."
In the end, Thor slowly uttered a name, "...Hela Odinson."
When the moonlight streamed through the stained glass window it seemed like it had draped Hela in a layer of cool, yet splendid veil.
The voice of the legendary princess, low and husky, carried off into the wind, becoming more and more distant.
"For the... glory of the Northern Gods."