"I'm just here to collect a debt."
When those words fell in the shadow of the World Tree, the energy controlled by the Shadow Elder Gods briefly shifted frequency.
A voice rose again from one of the shadows, steadier than any that had spoken before, as though it had recalibrated its rhythm:
"Stop making excuses for your crude behavior. You call this debt collection, but what you're actually doing is redirecting control over the World Tree's runes.
The energy runes you just touched correspond to control over the flow of energy through the Nine Realms at the World Tree's most fundamental level.
If you transfer them toward Asgard, Odin cannot accept any new power in his current state. That means Thor will have to take on much of the underlying regulation of energy across the Nine Realms.
But he lacks the experience, and he isn't prepared."
Russell tilted his head slightly, as if some part of that explanation had caught his interest, then spoke:
"He isn't ready. That's his problem. Not being ready now doesn't mean he never will be.
The World Tree's runes aren't consumables. They can readjust after they're transferred. I'll put them within Asgard's reach, and when Thor can bear them, they'll connect on their own."
A second shadow spoke immediately, its voice deeper than the first, with the measured tone of someone trying to approach the heart of the matter from another angle.
"Even if you take these runes and transfer them to Asgard, not just anyone is qualified to receive this power. Even Odin had to pass the rigorous trials we established."
"Spare me the lecture." Russell waved a hand, cutting off the Shadow Elder God. Then he showed them that this debt collector did more than talk.
He paused. His tone did not change,