Asgard, the highest ruler among the Nine Realms.
Although Midgard, the heart of the Nine Realms—that is, Earth—had come to know this realm only as myth, Odin was still the King of the Gods among the long-lived races of the other realms.
Unfortunately, King Odin was already old and beginning to feel his strength fail him.
After Thor had gone to Jotunheim, the realm of the Frost Giants, without permission, Odin had no choice but to banish his son. It was not merely because Thor had defied him. More importantly, Odin knew his strength had waned, and he had no confidence he could face the war that was about to come.
In a way, banishing Thor was also a form of protection. If war broke out and Odin could not defeat the Frost Giants, at least some of Asgard's royal bloodline would survive.
Odin had not expected his health to fail so quickly. After his adopted son Loki discovered his true origins, the two had a heated argument, and Odin collapsed.
Asgard inevitably fell into turmoil. They had stabilized Odin's condition with magic, but beyond that, they had no idea what to do.
The Frost Giants had interrupted the new king's coronation, the new king had been banished, and now King Odin had collapsed. If not for Prince Loki, all of Asgard would have been left without a leader.
At that moment, Loki sat on the throne, holding Odin's scepter, Gungnir.
He knew exactly why the Frost Giants had appeared in Asgard: he had set the whole thing in motion. He was jealous of his brother Thor and did not want him to inherit the throne.
But what happened next had changed so quickly that even he could barely accept it. He was not Odin's biological son at all, but