Asgard appeared calm on the surface, but undercurrents churned beneath. Odin, the King of Gods, was old and no longer as formidable as he had once been, while the true heir to the throne had yet to be decided.
Originally, when there were only the eldest prince Thor and the second prince Loki, the brothers had been affectionate and harmonious.
At most, Thor would zap Loki with lightning or slap him into a wall. Loki never held a grudge, merely catching his brother off guard with a knife every now and then.
But things changed later. The eldest princess Hela descended from the heavens and seized the position of first heir. Everyone's ranking shifted back: the eldest prince became the second prince, and the second prince was demoted to third prince.
For a time, the succession to the throne became impossible to predict. No one could say who the next King of Gods would be, and the struggle surrounding the throne only grew fiercer.
Open and covert battles, every possible method employed!
Take this time, for instance. Thor had deceived Loki with false words and handed the unsuspecting Loki over to the ruler of the Dark Dimension, supposedly for training, but really intending to send him to his death.
Russell imagined a palace struggle in his mind and could not help sighing. Loki had no idea what becoming stronger entailed, yet Thor had experienced it firsthand and still pushed his brother into a pit of fire.
This guy had matured!
A good beating made people grow. Thor had acquired some of the bearing of a wise ruler and knew how to use the resources at hand to eliminate rivals.
Russell fell silent for a moment, then said solemnly, "Prince Loki, Thor becoming stronger was indeed my doing. I admit that.