abcnovels
Chapter 306: Of Darkness and Kings
Chapter 306: Of Darkness and Kings
Chapter 306: Of Darkness and Kings
If you want to support me check out my patron at /athassprkr
I tend to upload drafts of early chapters on there to get people's opinions of them so you can read up to 20 chapters ahead as a bonus.
I would like to thank my beta, Akisu, for his help in this chapter.
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7th May 2013, Royal Palace, Asgard
(Odin Borson POV)
"We're almost there, it's almost over. This is the climax, the chance I have been waiting for. I cannot let that go, even if it means that I will need to break my vow to you. I love you Frigga, but I have a responsibility to my people, to our people."
Frigga sighed, "I can tell that this is serious, on a personal level."
Odin gritted his teeth, "do you have any idea how horrible it is to be trapped in your own mind, not being able to control your body, and watch as your people perish time and time again, without being able to do anything? I have seen you die countless times. I have seen Loki betray us countless times. I have watched the realms fall into chaos and war countless times and I couldn't even try to stop these miserable scenarios, forced to pretend to be someone I am not, seeing my body speak and move without making a word. Believe me, Frigga, this is very personal."
Frigga nodded, "You have my blessing, husband."
Odin nodded, "Yes, it's time to assemble Asgard's army."
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Same Time, Svartalfheim
(Malekith POV)
Malekith was a proud dark elf. Their species was often disregarded, hated on occasion, and perhaps even dismissed. He himself was the undisputed King of the Dark Elves, the symbol of their hopes and dreams. And he wasn't even born to be a king. He was born as nothing, a seventh son of a weak family of Dark Elves during the warring age.
Back then, the nine realms were constantly at war. The Light Elves and Dark Elves were always on opposite sides, sometimes a side would be supported by the Vanir or the Aesir, but in the end, it didn't matter much, the Dark Elves were bred for war, and they wouldn't have it in any other way.
But with war came death and poverty, and thus they were poor people. Even the nobility often bankrupted themselves just to wage the wars that they craved. Malekith himself was sold as a slave by his mother in exchange for weapons, and while he loathed his mother, he expected nothing else from a dark elf, for they were creatures of darkness and betrayal.
Malekith had lived for almost a century as a slave until he was freed by a dark elf sorcerer. The sorcerer had taken him as an apprentice, and it didn't take long for the student to surpass the master. Malekith was simply unnaturally talented in the arts of dark sorceries, a true prodigy as his master told him.
Unfortunately, his master wanted to also pass down the pacifistic ideologies that made him an outcast to their people. The young elf had often ignored this lesson, the craving for power and darkness sang in his blood. He knew that he was the epitome of what a dark elf should be. Thus, he killed the coward that stopped being useful for his ambitions.
For his ambitions were great and terrible alike. He wished his race to be the undisputed rulers of the nine realms, and since the Dark Elves were at their most powerful in the darkness, the universe will have nothing but darkness. And as everyone knew, the only way to gain prestige as a dark elf was through battle and victory. Malekith joined the army soon after.
His skills in sorcery and battle became well known to his people, and slowly Malekith rose in ranks until he became one of the generals. Having gained such a prestigious rank, he challenged the previous King and defeated him handily in one-on-one combat. With only his wits and power, he became the leader of the Dark Elves. He was the strongest and the Dark Elves followed the strong.
He became even more fearsome when he discovered the mythical Aether, a relic from before creation itself, capable of manipulating reality itself. It took centuries for Malekith to learn how to harness its power safely, and he was only capable of doing so by using his mastery over sorcery.
With that done, he waged war on the universe, and he was successful. The Light Elves were eradicated almost entirely, the Dwarves were barely a shadow of their true selves after Malekith used the Aether to darken the stars themselves. The Fire Giants and Frost Giants were conquered, and their realms fell to his darkness. Everywhere he went, darkness followed. And the Dark Elves reigned supreme.
Unfortunately, Bor Burison, the King of Asgard chose to retaliate and waged war against him, angry that his allies, the Light Elves, had been massacred. And after a long and pained war, Buri managed to take Malekith by surprise, sealing away the Aether somehow, perhaps by using that cursed Asgardian magic of his.
Malekith had been trying to use the convergence to end the war on his own. It would have been a night to remember where all light in every realm would be gone. It was an intensive ritual which was interrupted by the King of Asgard, something that Malekith did not expect.
In his shock, Malekith did not react as his entire forces were destroyed, leaving only a few platoons. He ended up barely escaping with his life, without the Aether, and with only a single battleship to his name. Accepting that he could not face the might of Asgard without the Aether, he went into hibernation and constantly powered a spell that would wake him, and his loyal subjects up, should any sign of the Aether resurface.
Malekith awoke slowly on his ship. He tried to sense the Aether, since that would be the only reason for his awakening but found nothing. That meant that someone had woken him up on purpose. But they were hidden with their most powerful stealth technology enhanced by the Aether itself during its forging, and if it was an Asgardian, they were more likely to slay him in his sleep.
Malekith had no illusions that he had any allies waiting for him. His people were massacred by the Asgardian army, and his realm was plundered and set aflame in the war. He was on his own, which made it all the more curious as to who had awoken him.
His questions were immediately answered when his entire world shifted into a throne room. It was filled with nothing but darkness and shadows, he immediately fell in love with it.
However, he didn't have time to admire it further, because, in a flash of light, the thrones were filled with gigantic people in Asgardian wear. They were also made of shadows with only a few lights coming from their eyes and mouths, illuminating the room. The man in the middle, probably their leader spoke up, "Malekith the accursed, you have been summoned."
The King of the Dark Elves could feel the power in the man's words. Although, he did not tremble. He had subjugated the Aether itself, a relic of creation, capable of manipulating the fabric of reality. The man looking down at him was powerful and the seemingly infinite well of power that he felt coming from him reminded him eerily of his beloved Aether.
Still, Malekith had lost the Aether, which was rightfully his, and there was no need to antagonize these beings who seemed to love the blessed darkness as much as he does "And may I know who it was that summoned me?"
"We have no names, for there is no need for us to have names. We are simply above, and beyond, your existence. We are the Gods of the Gods, Those Who Sit Above in Shadow. Very few have ever had the privilege to speak with us, consider yourself fortunate for that honor, Malekith."
Their power certainly led credence to their claims, but Gods of the Gods or not, they had woken him up. Malekith has been the King of the Dark Elves for centuries, and understood that they must want something from him, something that they just couldn't do themselves, "I can appreciate such an honor, but may I know why such an honor was granted to me in the first place?"
"We seek a bargain, King of Svartalfheim."
That was odd, if they were as powerful as they appeared, as they claimed, they would not need anything he could provide, "And what could I possibly give you?"
"Your allegiance for one. Our subjects are rebelling against our rule, seeking to dethrone us. These cursed Asgardians have forgotten our power, and our knowledge, and are pursuing their foolish dreams of freedom."
"And why can't you smite them? You are the Gods of the Gods; you are certainly capable of that?" Malekith drawled.
He could hear a mummer's tale from a mile away. Dark Elven politics were filled with betrayals and manipulations. The King has had to rebuff many rebellious movements who tried to assassinate him to claim the throne for themselves. He put those down hard.
The Shadows shifted slightly, "We will be busy. The foolish Asgardians are planning on releasing Nidhogg to attack us. We will need to bind it once more to prevent further damage. We need you and your battalion to deal with the Asgardian army that seeks to break into our realm."
Madness. Had these Asgardians lost their minds in the centuries that he was absent? Nidhogg, the Dragon of the End, was a breast that couldn't be reasoned with, that couldn't be controlled or manipulated. It simply consumed everything it ever touched. Anything that touched its cursed jaws was destroyed, even the fabric of space and time. Malekith would not have dared to seek such a fight even if he had the Aether back on his side once more. After all, for all his experience, Malekith knew for a fact that he barely used a fraction of the potential that the artifact held.
The Dark Elves relished darkness, true, but the Dragon of the End brought only the void with him, the emptiness, and that terrified him far more than anything else did.
If the foolish Asgardians truly planned to go to such drastic lengths just to deal with these Gods of the Gods, then there must be more to it. Alas, Malekith does not think that he'll have the luxury of refusing. Without the power of the Aether, he was a shadow of the being he used to be. Still, this was a bargain, not a call of duty, he needed to understand what they were offering in return, "It is an intriguing proposal, but you did not mention what you will give in return for my allegiance."
Malekith felt that the leader of these Shadows was giving him a smug smirk, "Should you and your forces assist us, you will be free to continue your ambition, but most of all, we will give you what you wish the most."
Before he could express his confusion, a portal, assisted using the convergence opened in front of him and Malekith could see the other side of it. He could feel it, greeting him as an old friend, the Aether.
It was trapped in a pocket dimension of sorts which made sense as to why Malekith could never sense it before. That cursed King of Asgard, Bor Burison, was a clever one indeed. The Aether was obviously trapped, and Malekith could feel its desperation to escape, to join him once more.
The King of the Dark Elves slowly walked towards the portal, but a force field stopped him. He looked at his hosts questioningly, "You have found it?"
The man nodded, "Yes, we have. We are offering you your previous power, and our personal blessings in the fight to come."
"I could just try to find it on my own"
"The Aether is in a single pocket dimension that you don't know the coordinates to. The best you could do is to go through countless convergence portals and hope for the best. Finding it would be a one in a million chance of happening and the convergence will last for a few weeks at most. Are you willing to risk this chance and wait another five thousand years just to have another chance?"
Malekith inwardly cursed, the self-proclaimed God was correct. He was not willing to wait for another chance. And yet, the thought of being his attack dog grated him. And yet, the being's power was no illusion, Malekith knew that for sure.
Perhaps after regaining the Aether once more, he would be able to resist somehow. It didn't matter now, it was not like he had a choice in the matter, and from the smug feeling he got from his summoner, he knew it as well. In the end, there was only one thing to do, "I accept the terms of your proposal. The Dark Elves will stand by you, during the coming conflict."
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If you want to support me check out my patron at /athassprkr
I tend to upload drafts of early chapters on there to get people's opinions of them so you can read up to 20 chapters ahead as a bonus.
Thank you guys for your support in these hard times.