This was a whole new strategy!
As soon as everyone heard it, their eyes lit up.
Yes—this was a completely different approach!
For the longest time, they had been hoping to extract more information from Rowan. But it had always been unpredictable—reliant on whatever he happened to complain about on any given day.
If he was in a good mood, maybe he'd talk about how nice the weather was. If he was in a bad mood, he might randomly unleash shocking revelations in his diary.
They had never found a way to control it—until now. Phil Coulson had just proposed a new idea. While they couldn't question Rowan directly, if he saw something that sparked his interest, then it would be completely natural for him to write about it or vent in the diary.
"That's a good idea," Nick Fury said. "But how do we drop a hint without raising suspicion? It'll take finesse… Let's use this situation as a trial run."
He made the decision immediately, and Thor had no objections. He simply nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile, inside the Asgardian treasury—
Loki stood before the Casket of Ancient Winters, a treasure originally belonging to his true people.
This was the first time he had learned the truth.
He reached out and took the casket in his hands—just as a booming voice shouted behind him, "Stop!"
That voice… it was his father.
"Am I cursed?" Loki asked, his voice shaking.
"No," King Odin replied firmly.
Loki was breathing heavily, his emotions surging. "Then what am I?"
"You are my son," Odin said, looking at him with pained eyes.
Loki turned, revealing the pale blue skin of his true Frost Titan heritage. His voice trembled as he asked, "What else?"
He stepped forward slowly, his eyes glistening with tears. "That day… what you brought back from Jotunheim wasn't just the Casket of Ancient Winters, was it?"
Odin hesitated, but finally spoke. "No."
"I found you after the war," Odin said at last. "I went into the temple… and there, a baby appeared. A child of the Frost Giants. He was weak… abandoned. Left to die. Laufey's son."
"Laufey's… son?" Loki echoed in disbelief.
He had suspected he might be of Frost Giant blood—but he never imagined he was the son of their leader.
"Yes," Odin admitted, solemnly.
"Why?" Loki demanded. "You killed thousands in Jotunheim! Why did you save me?"
"You were an innocent child," Odin said simply.
"No," Loki growled. "There had to be another reason. Tell me the truth!"
"I thought… through you, our two realms could be united. That you could be the bridge between us—a symbol of alliance. Peace."
Odin's voice was heavy with weariness.
By that time, even he had grown tired of war. The conquest of the Nine Realms, the endless battles with alien civilizations—it had made him a legend, yes, but it had also left him exhausted. He had already sealed away his eldest daughter and resolved to pursue peace instead of domination.
The old ways—ruling through fear and bloodshed—no longer suited the new era. Odin was no longer in his prime. Reality had forced him to change.
And Loki… was the key.
A child of Laufey, raised in Asgard.
"What?" Loki muttered, dazed by the revelation.
"But those plans didn't work," Odin added.
Loki's expression twisted with fury. "So I was just a stolen relic—kept around until I became useful?"
"Why do you twist my words?" Odin asked sharply.
Maybe, in the beginning, it had been part of the plan. Maybe he had seen Loki as a political asset. After all, Loki was the enemy's son.
But as the years passed, everything changed. He came to see Loki as his true son. And Queen Frigga had loved Loki wholeheartedly, raising him as her own. All of that had long since eclipsed the original intentions.
They were a real family.
But Loki refused to believe it.
"Then why didn't you tell me the truth from the beginning?" he asked bitterly.
For so many years, he had been trying to prove himself—to outshine his foolish older brother, to earn the recognition of his parents. He had worked so hard to show that he was just as worthy.
And now it all seemed like a cruel joke.
The difference between them wasn't just a few years.
Thor was Odin's true son.
Loki? Just a foundling.
The bastard child of the enemy.
"…You are my son," Odin said again, struggling to make him understand. "I hid the truth to protect you."
But Loki wasn't comforted.
"Protect me? Because I'm the monster parents use to frighten their children?" he cried, tears streaming down his cheeks.
"No, no—it's not like that!" Odin replied, his voice heavy with sorrow. But Loki wasn't listening anymore.
"Now it all makes sense," he said coldly. "Why you always favored Thor. No matter how much you claimed to love me… you'd never let a Frost Giant sit on Asgard's throne!"
He took another step forward, his anger boiling over.
At that moment, Odin seemed to falter. His body gave way, and he collapsed to the ground, unmoving.
Loki froze.
His fury and pain had pushed him to the edge—but he never intended to hurt his father.
No matter how harsh his words had been, no matter how much resentment he carried in his heart, he had never truly wanted to cause harm.
Especially not to Odin.
And Frigga… Frigga had always treated him with more love than even Thor had received. She had passed down every magic she had ever learned from the witches, giving them to Loki—never to Thor.
That had always been a source of pride for him.
But now… now he was truly panicking.
"Guards! Guards!" Loki shouted, his voice filled with fear.
Moments later, the treasury doors burst open. Two Asgardian guards rushed in and quickly carried Odin away.
[Please support me at my patreon if you want more: patreon/OGCrafter for 20+ chapters]