"Mother..."
A lonely mountain peak rose into the night. Amid piled, jagged rocks, two princes of Asgard faced each other. When Thor mentioned their mother, Loki's icy gaze softened.
He hated Odin's deception from the bottom of his heart, yet he had never resented Frigga, the queen who had raised him. Her unstinting tenderness and love were enough to warm the Frost Giant blood flowing through his veins.
"We grew up together in Asgard. We played together, fought together. Have you forgotten all of that?" Thor demanded loudly.
He could not understand why his troublesome younger brother remained so full of resentment. Even if they were not blood-related brothers, the bond they had shared since childhood had never been false.
"I've always lived in your shadow. Odin gave me hope, then crushed it with his own hands. Do you know how cruel that was? I've seen new worlds you know nothing about. During those days when I wandered alone, adrift and homeless, the vast universe unfolded before my eyes."
Loki roared in fury, veins bulging on his forehead. His arrogance stemmed from deep insecurity. Frost Giant blood flowed through his body; no matter how he tried to justify it, he could not erase the fact that he was not truly Asgardian royalty.
For Loki, who had grown up in Asgard, this was a devastating blow. The education he had received since childhood had taught him to despise the Frost Giants of Jotunheim, viewing them as mortal enemies from a savage world. Yet when the veil of truth was lifted, he discovered that he was one of them.
That was why this ill-fated god of mischief had wanted to destroy Jotunheim, to prove his resolve to Odin. Unfortunately, none of it earned the approval or praise of the King of Asgard.