Beyond the azure planet lay the vast and boundless darkness of the cosmos...
This mysterious star system was occupied by the Nine Realms, none of which were isolated.
Tens of thousands of years ago, Asgard had already established connections with many civilizations.
It was an era of brutal warfare. The legions of Asgard were invincible, and Allfather Odin, alongside his eldest daughter Hela, conquered the Nine Realms with absolute martial might.
The Valkyries' reputation was unmatched, and the Goddess of Death struck fear into all hearts...
Through relentless conquest, Asgard's glory and majesty radiated across the realms like the sun... resplendent and mighty!
Even in distant star systems, the na of Asgard was renowned, shaking the galaxy. The overwhelming power of Allfather Odin was common knowledge. Yet, in the vast universe, nothing was eternal...
Great civilizations would wither, shining stars would collapse, and even the sun, burning for billions of years, would one day fade...
After conquering the Nine Realms, Asgard halted its march.
On one hand, Odin had grown weary of endless war... his people needed rest and prosperity.
On the other, fear gnawed at his heart. His eldest daughter Hela's growth had far exceeded his expectations. As the Goddess of Death's fa spread, her connection to Asgard deepened.
Odin feared his daughter's insatiable ambition and dreaded her desire to drag Asgard into perpetual war. As the king of the Aesir, he had to make a choice...
Seated upon the throne as sovereign of the Nine Realms, Odin dispatched the Valkyries at the peak of their power.
After a bloody battle, the mighty Gungnir, which was forged from the wood of Yggdrasil and said to never miss its target, pierced Hela's chest. She was then imprisoned in Hel, reduced to a re prisoner.
The Allfather, intent on steering Asgard toward peace, rewrote history, burying the past and sealing all secrets within ancient tos.
The plunder and conquest of old were whitewashed with beautiful lies...
"Asgard... Only that fool Thor would believe his father is a benevolent and wise king!" Loki's murmur was soon swallowed by the endless darkness.
Drifting alone through the frigid abyss, his mind replayed the truths he had uncovered from the books...
Unlike Thor, who had been grood since childhood as the sole heir, trained by Odin himself in combat and leadership, and his authority firmly established in Asgard, Loki had been given no such opportunities.
When Thor sparred with guards, Loki sat beside Queen Frigga, buried in the library's arcane tos, lost in the world of magic and knowledge.
But would Asgard ever accept a future king who spent his days in a library?
By the ti Thor earned his glorious title as the god of Thunder, Loki had long lost any chance to catch up, and was forced to watch as his brother was crowned amidst fanfare.
"Hah, false affection..." The disheveled prince of Asgard laughed bitterly at himself.
No matter how sweet Odin's words were, the truth was clear... Thor was his favored son...
A magical barrier shielded Loki's body as he withstood the deadly radiation storms of deep space. After leaving Earth, he had drifted along the roots of Yggdrasil, traversing desolate star systems far beyond the Nine Realms.
Here, Heimdall's gaze could not reach.
Relying on his knowledge and secrets, Loki painstakingly sought traces of the Chitauri.
The outer reaches of the cosmos were rciless. Unpredictable radiation storms and energy currents pushed Loki to the brink of death ti and again.
His handso face was marred with wounds, his once-elegant robes reduced to tatters. The once-proud prince of Asgard now resembled a beggar.
The only thing sustaining him was the venomous fire of vengeance burning in his heart. His pride had been trampled by Odin, and he felt utterly betrayed. He swore revenge!
The throne of Asgard, and the sovereignty of the Nine Realms... he wanted it all!
With the backing of a certain cosmic tyrant, Loki would have the power to challenge Asgard.
He saw clearly... Odin's strength waned by the day, his ambition gone. He no longer deserved the title of Allfather...
"Asgard... I will return in the most glorious fashion!" Loki vowed.
An ice cold chill clung to him, but his Frost Giant heritage spared him from freezing to death. The endless dark cosmos offered no sense of direction, and the grueling journey had nearly drained the last of his strength.
Loki refused to give up. He had no ho to return to... he would never grovel before Odin for forgiveness. His only hope lay with the Chitauri.
Asgard's ancient texts had ntioned the origins and clues of the Infinity Stones, as well as a terrifying being renowned for conquest and slaughter across the cosmos.
The Chitauri were his minions... cosmic pirates who plundered civilizations and resources.
During his arduous journey, Loki gradually lost track of ti. He set foot on a barren planet, its ground cold and hard like the ice caps of the Arctic.
The desolate landscape was silent, save for countless massive boulders floating like an asteroid belt...
"Perhaps this is the place..." Loki knew the Chitauri had no fixed howorld.
They road the cosmos, pillaging as they went. Their strength lay not in individual prowess, but in the cheap cannon fodder bred from their bio-technology, overwhelming enemies with sheer numbers.
Sever their link to the hive mind, and their vast armies would crumble.
He deduced that this was a Chitauri armory. Though its location was well-hidden, it couldn't escape the cunning prince of Asgard.
An obscure text about realms beyond the Nine had revealed this secret...
Before collapsing from exhaustion, Loki forced the forbidden na from his throat, "Thanos... I must see the great master!"
He needed the Chitauri's response, or else he was as good as dead.
These ruthless space pirates wouldn't hesitate to kill an Asgardian prince. And Odin certainly wouldn't lead an army beyond the Nine Realms to avenge him.
"An Asgardian! How dare you speak the Supre One's na?!" A Chitauri warrior stomped on Loki's head, his eyes gleaming with cold malice, as if crushing an insect.
"I bring news of the Infinity Stones..." Gasping for breath, Loki barely managed the words.
The shift in the Chitauri's gaze told him he would live.
"The Infinity Stones... I know where they are..." With that, the prince of Asgard promptly passed out.
The silent, barren planet erupted like a powder keg struck by a spark, instantly alive with clamor.
Clad in a dark golden robe, with his withered skin twitching, the Chitauri leader finally rasped:
"Take this Asgardian to et the Great Master!"
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