When the last wisp of smoke was completely swept away by Asgard's fresh morning breeze, and the last piece of broken armor was reforged by the furnace into a plowshare of peace, this golden realm finally welcomed its long-lost, true peace.
This was not a brief respite between two campaigns, but a long tranquility following conquest and under dominion.
The banners of the Nine Realms united were planted in every corner of the known star sector; Asgard's code replaced the chaotic tribal laws, and the light of the Bifrost Bridge became a symbol of order and communication.
After the battle where Marvika, the Sun Goddess, in her form of the blazing sun, slew Malekith, claimed the Reality Stone, and reduced the Dark Elves fleet to dust, the power map of the entire Universe trembled.
The news radiated into deep space at the speed of light.
Those ancient civilizations entrenched in the depths of the star seas, the predatory interstellar empires, and the otherworldly deities hiding in the dimensional rifts, all received urgent intelligence reports from their networks at the first opportunity.
"Daughter of the Asgard King Odin, Marvika, the Sun Goddess, Marvica Odinson, displayed terrifying strength in the home defense battle that was not inferior to her father, and perhaps even suspected of surpassing Odin."
"The Dark Elves launched a surprise attack with their entire race's strength, including twelve Cursed Warriors, the entire Akasha fleet, and Malekith, the wielder of the Aether Particle. Result: Malekith fallen, the Aether Particle changed hands, the fleet was completely annihilated, and the Dark Elves race is on the verge of extinction."
Odin's might alone had made the Universe wary for thousands of years; now, with the addition of a sun goddess whose growth speed was appalling and whose nature of power was unfathomable...
The throne of Asgard, in the foreseeable future, would be unshakable.
And Marvika, at the center of the storm, merely smiled at this.
After the war ended completely, she returned to her bedchamber in the east wing of the Golden Palace, dismissed all her maids, and without even bathing or changing, she simply shed her damaged battle robes, collapsed onto the large bed crafted from Vanaheim moonlight wood, and fell into the deepest, longest, and most unguarded sleep since her rebirth.
This sleep lasted for ten whole days.
During these ten days, her body was self-repairing, and her soul was digesting and absorbing.
In her dreams, she seemed to have returned to the desert of Natlan, walking barefoot on the scorching sand, with the bonfires of her people singing and dancing in the distance.
Or as if suspended over the sea of magma in Muspelheim, engaging in an eternal tug-of-war with the will of Surtur.
Finally, she saw the starry sky of Asgard, saw the expectation in her father Odin's eyes, saw the never-extinguishing fire of conquest in Hela's eyes, saw her mother Frigga's gentle smile, and those two small figures learning to walk...
At dawn on the eleventh day, Marvika opened her eyes.
She rose, stepped barefoot onto the cold crystal floor, and walked to the large floor-to-ceiling window.
Outside the window, the morning light of Asgard was gradually gilding the spires of the palace, the Bifrost Bridge was shimmering with a soft halo in the distance, and the vigorous shouts of young warriors drifted up from the training grounds.
The air was filled with the burnt aroma of bread, the fragrance of flowers, and... a long-lost scent called "peace."
Marvika took a deep breath, and a heartfelt, relaxed smile appeared on her face.
She finally had time.
Time to accompany her mother in caring for those two mischievous little ones, time to go to the Golden Palace library to browse through those long-dusty ancient scrolls, time to go to the folk markets of Asgard to experience the most ordinary life, and time... to think about some questions beyond war and conquest, concerning the future and responsibility.
Odin arranged this long-delayed celebration to be unprecedentedly grand.
The feast, lasting for a whole month, spread from the main hall of the Golden Palace to every street of the capital.
The Starry Sky Temple held thanksgiving ceremonies daily, dramas and dances were performed day and night in the square, and gourmet food and fine wine from all over the Nine Realms were piled high like mountains and seas.
Every Asgardian's face was filled with unhidden pride and happiness; they were witnesses to glory, creators of epics, and citizens of the most powerful and glorious realm under this starry sky.
Other realms of the Nine Realms also sensibly sent delegations of the highest specifications.
The Light Elves presented a moonlit harp that could automatically compose hymns, and Dwarf King Eitri personally escorted three carts of exquisite crafts made from star iron and fragments of the Bifrost Bridge.
The Vanir sent the Eternal Spring water that could prolong youth, and even the newly annexed Frost Giants of Jotunheim presented nine "Ice Souls" taken from the abyss of extreme cold, to show their submission and congratulations.
Marvika and Hela, as the absolute protagonists of the celebration, were naturally the focus of everyone's attention.
Marvika enjoyed this rare leisure.
She wore simple everyday clothes, weaving through the crowds of the celebration, occasionally clinking glasses with old warriors to listen to them brag about their past bravery.
Sometimes she would pick up children looking around curiously on the street, lighting up small, warm, non-scorching flames at her fingertips to amuse them; most of the time, she was in Frigga's bedchamber, accompanying her two babbling younger brothers.
Thor inherited Odin's golden hair and Frigga's blue eyes; he had a lively and active personality, was full of curiosity about everything, and especially liked the flames at Marvika's fingertips, always reaching out with his small hands to grab them, babbling "Sis... Sis... Bright...".
Loki's changes were even more surprising.
Perhaps it was because of living in Asgard for years and being nourished by the dense divine energy environment, or perhaps it was Frigga's meticulous care and the gentle conditioning Marvika occasionally performed with the Eternal Flame, but the Frost Giant characteristics on him were rapidly fading.
His pale blue skin gradually turned into the fair complexion common to Asgardians, and the pair of tiny ice crystal protrusions on his forehead had almost completely flattened, leaving only two almost invisible faint marks.
Now, looking only at his appearance, when he stood with Thor, they were just a pair of perfectly normal little Asgardian princes, except that his ice-blue eyes would occasionally flash with a light that was too calm and inconsistent with his age.
Marvika held Loki, watching his focused expression as he played with a strand of her hair, and felt deeply emotional.
This child, brought back from the ice and snow by her father, was being gently reshaped by Asgard.
Compared to her sister's calm satisfaction, Hela's state could be described as torment.
For the first few days of the celebration, she could barely maintain interest, accepting toasts and praise from everyone, and even casually knocking down a dozen challengers in wrestling matches, drawing rounds of cheers.
But soon, boredom and irritability coiled around her like vines.
Every day was a repetitive routine: ceremonies, banquets, songs and dances, eulogies...
No new enemies to conquer, no new battlefields to expand into, no new glory to seize.
She felt like a fierce tiger locked in a magnificent cage, her claws and teeth still sharp, yet with nowhere to use them.
Sparring in the training grounds became her only outlet.
But even the sparring with Marvika gradually lost its previous excitement, because Hela herself... her heart was not in it.
Her gaze always drifted past the dome of the Golden Palace, looking toward that vast, boundless starry sky that had not yet been covered by the flag of Asgard.