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When Arthur finished speaking, Thor's eyes were blinking with a surge of newfound excitement, completely bought into the grand vision.
Loki, however, was the complete opposite. A look of sharp mockery hung on his face. After shooting a derisive glance at Thor, he turned back to Arthur and said, "Don't think that flowery speeches like that will magically make me obedient. Words are often the most powerless things in the world. You might use them to trick some simpleton, but you will never deceive me."
"And where exactly do you think I'm trying to deceive you?" Arthur shrugged, completely unbothered.
"You're trying to trick me into risking my life for that idiot." Loki shot a pointed glance at Thor, who, predictably, glared back with open anger.
Arthur was silent for a moment, then sighed. "Then tell me, in your opinion, what would be the most rational and appropriate course of action in the situation we are about to face?"
Loki began pacing in a small circle, then stopped and asked, "First, I need absolute confirmation on one thing… Will Ragnarök truly come to pass?"
"Your father and mother believe it without question," Arthur replied. "As a human from Earth, I probably can't fully comprehend the depth of your conviction about it. Perhaps you don't believe it? Would you care to make a wager on the subject?"
"No one gambles with the future of Asgard!"
Surprisingly, it wasn't Thor who shouted this; it was Loki!
His expression was utterly serious. Then he asked, "Second point… There truly is a madwoman imprisoned in Hel who intends to slaughter everyone in Asgard who refuses to bow to her and seize the throne?"
Arthur nodded. "If you wish, I can arrange for you to meet her. I think she'd have a very unique perspective on her little brother."
"…No!" Loki immediately shook his head. "Logically speaking, if we're confronted with a crisis like this, the first thing we must do is eliminate the immediate threat. For example, that maniac in Hel. If the two of us alone can't defeat her, then someone who can fight her on equal terms, like you, becomes the necessary turning point.
"The three of us joining forces to restrain Hela and resolve Asgard's imminent succession crisis, that should be our absolute top priority. Not the three of us merrily working together to confront some vague, distant prophecy called Ragnarök. It is too far away. No one knows when it will happen."
At this point, he glanced at Thor. "What do you think? An older sister we've never met, who clearly holds malicious intent, if she wasn't guilty of tremendous crimes, why would she be locked away in Hel? Strengthening her seal, or even killing her outright, would at least buy Asgard a few centuries of peace!"
Thor furrowed his massive brow and looked uncertainly at Arthur.
He didn't know how to choose.
He valued family bonds immensely, but based on Arthur's testimony, the woman imprisoned in Hel was clearly not a benevolent saint.
If she were allowed to break free, no one could predict the devastating consequences she might unleash upon the cosmos.
So, in principle, Thor tentatively agreed with Loki's ruthless proposal.
The only thing making Thor hesitate… was Odin's profound, final will.
If simply killing Hela could truly resolve the entire crisis, then there would have been no need for Arthur to take Hela so seriously, nor would Arthur have played such a major, secretive role in all of this.
So Thor desperately hoped to hear a further explanation from Arthur.
But… how was Arthur supposed to explain it?
Arthur looked genuinely helpless. He let out a light sigh and said, "And what if I refuse to give you any further explanation, and I also refuse to agree with your calculated decision?"
Thor immediately shifted his gaze back to Loki. If the stakes were as high as Arthur claimed, then Thor trusted Arthur's judgment, so he wanted to see what Loki would decide under pressure.
Loki was on the verge of despair. As the older brother, could you please exercise some sense of your own judgment? Stop ping-ponging your eyes between the two of us. Aren't you exhausted!?
Loki took another breath. "Thor trusts you blindly, he trusts you for absolutely no discernible reason at all. But I need you to give me a reason to trust you."
He glanced pointedly at both Thor and Arthur. "I won't deny it, I love Asgard. But I'm not as fundamentally pure about it as Thor is. And you both know… I'm not truly of Asgardian blood."
Arthur saw the deep-seated conflict flickering across Loki's face and finally sighed. "I need both of you to help me with something very important… but from the looks of this conversation, that's not going to be an easy task."
"The difficulty depends entirely on your answer," Loki countered swiftly.
After staying silent through the debate, Thor finally spoke too: "I want to know as well, Arthur…"
There was so much they needed to know, When would Ragnarök come? What was Hela's necessary role in stopping it? What kind of solemn agreement existed between Arthur and Odin? …and a hundred other questions.
Arthur looked at the two magnificent, conflicted princes, and then, slowly, he smiled.
"Someone once told me a story about the complex relationship between seeing the future and saving it. She once foresaw a tragic future involving her friend. In order to prevent the worst possible outcome, she warned her friend about that exact future… and in doing so, she ended up creating the very outcome she wanted so desperately to avoid."
"Do you understand the point I am trying to make?"
Thor looked utterly confused. Loki, however, frowned and articulated his thought: "So you mean… You can't tell us the details, or else the worst possible outcome might actually be guaranteed to happen?"
"The unknown can still be changed," Arthur said, his voice lowering with intensity. "But once something becomes explicitly known, it becomes a reality that can no longer be altered.
There was once a human on Earth named Schrödinger. I suggest you both take the time to learn about the theoretical concepts he proposed."
He clapped his hands lightly to refocus their attention.
"But that's a concept for you to understand later. For now, the only essential reminder I can give you is this…
In an Asgard without Odin, who among you is capable of bearing the immense weight of Asgard's glory and honor? Thor? Loki?
Which of you can wield a power comparable to Odin's, stand like an unwavering pillar of the heavens, and secure Asgard's eternal future?
I am, after all, a human from Earth. Even if I've earned the ridiculous title of 'God of War,' I won't be staying in Asgard most of the time. I do not want to leave, only to return and find a land reduced to ruins!
Do not argue, I've known you both long enough. I know full well the extent and limits of the power you currently possess. This is not the time for bravado or fragile ego. Look honestly to your ancestors and deeply question your own hearts.
The lives of every single resident in Asgard… are ultimately resting squarely on your shoulders.
Can you carry that weight?"
(End of Chapter)