Provocation

Asgard.

The grand hall gleamed with gold and jade, its carved beams and painted pillars stretching vast and deep, magnificent and imposing. Murals etched across the walls and ceiling carried a vivid epic grandeur, depicting Asgard's fearless moments of victory throughout its long history of war.

The memorial murals Thor had mentioned meant having him and the Avengers' members recorded in a mural worthy of preservation and remembrance, carrying special and significant historical meaning.

There were not many gods in the hall—only several close guards of the Asgardian palace, Thor, Loki, Odin, and Thor and Loki's mother, Frigga.

The atmosphere in the hall was heavy. Odin furiously berated Loki for betraying Asgard and betraying the upbringing he had given him.

Odin's original intention had been for both Loki and Thor to become kings: Thor would become King of Asgard, while Loki would become king of the Frost Giants of Jotunheim. The two would forge friendship and establish lasting peace together.

Yet Odin had never told Loki of his true identity, allowing Loki to mistakenly believe that he too had the chance and status to become Asgard's king, leading him to commit an unforgivable error.

Odin's feelings for Loki, his son, were undoubtedly genuine. There was anger at Loki's failure to live up to expectations, anger at his own upbringing, and disappointment in Loki. But no matter what, none of it could erase the devastating blows Loki had dealt to Asgard and Earth.

Just as Odin glared furiously at Loki with his single eye, his beard and hair bristling as he prepared to declare Loki imprisoned, Loki saw Odin's expression stiffen. He lifted his head and looked beyond the hall doors, his solemn gaze seeming to pierce through the Nine Realms.

With his hands shackled behind his back, Loki's eyes narrowed