As the years of Asgard flowed quietly over the sundial of the Golden Palace, Thor and Loki, brothers of vastly different personalities, grew like two Divine Realm trees side-by-side in the gardens of the Golden Palace, gradually extending their own branches amidst the interplay of sunlight and shadow.
Thor's obsession with the war hammer left behind by Hela, mjolnir, began almost from the time he was a toddler.
It was an afternoon after the rain, and the training grounds on the west side of the Golden Palace were still filled with the scent of damp earth.
Six-year-old Thor broke free from his maid's hand and waddled toward the war hammer leaning against the weapon rack.
The uru metal shimmered with a dull luster under the sunlight filtering through the clouds, and the patterns of Irminsul on the hammer handle rose and fell faintly as if breathing.
"That is the weapon your sister Hela once used," Mavuika's voice came from behind, gentle and calm.
Thor turned back, his light golden hair disheveled by the wind, but his blue eyes shone with a stubborn light: "I know, but hasn't sister Hela already gone to Helheim? Then... can you give this hammer to me?"
Mavuika walked to his side, her amber eyes reflecting her younger brother's tender yet determined face.
She crouched down to look Thor in the eye: "mjolnir is not a toy, Thor. It contains the power of thunder and is a divine weapon forged with the painstaking efforts of the Dwarven Kingdom. Hela left it behind because she believed that in Asgard, there were places that needed her more than it did."
"I need it too!" Thor puffed out his little chest, pointing a chubby finger at the hammer.
"I can feel it calling to me, sister, really! Every time I pass by here, I feel like it's talking to me!"
A flash of surprise crossed Mavuika's eyes.
She reached out and placed her hand gently on Thor's shoulder, a wisp of gentle Fire seeping into her younger brother's body, and then she truly felt it.
It was not an illusion; the power of thunder sleeping inside the head of mjolnir was actually resonating faintly with the innate divine power within Thor.
This child perhaps truly had some kind of destiny with this war hammer.
But Mavuika did not agree immediately; she just ruffled Thor's hair: "When you grow up a bit more, if you can still hear its call, I will make a request to Father King for you."
From that day on, Thor ran to the training grounds almost every day, circling mjolnir, sometimes reaching out with his little hand to touch the hammer handle cautiously, and sometimes just sitting quietly to the side, chin in hand, staring at the hammer for an entire afternoon.
The guards would try to persuade him to leave at first, but later, seeing that the little prince was just staying quietly, they let him be.
Odin knew this clearly but never expressed an opinion, while Queen Frigga was somewhat worried.
"Mother, look." Mavuika pointed outside the window.
On the training ground, eight-year-old Thor was trying to push mjolnir.
He used all his strength, his little face turning red, but the hammer body did not budge.
After trying a few times, he was not discouraged; instead, he circled the hammer a few times, then ran to a stone pier not far away and began practicing lifting weights.
Those were training stones prepared specifically for young Asgardian children, each engraved with runes to reduce weight.
"He is preparing for his goal," Mavuika smiled. "It's not being willful; rather, after setting a goal, he is working hard to get closer to it in his own way. This is good, isn't it?"
Queen Frigga looked at her youngest son, sweaty but persistent, her worry gradually fading and turning into gentle gratification: "Yes..."
The turning point happened on Thor's tenth birthday.
Odin, who could no longer stand being pestered by Thor's persistence, finally spoke.
Over the years, Thor had gone to find his Father King almost every day to request that mjolnir be given to him.
His birthday wish every year was also unwaveringly to have mjolnir.
"Come to the training ground tomorrow morning," Odin interrupted his request, his voice showing no sign of joy or anger. "If you can lift it, it will be yours."
That night, Thor barely slept.
Before dawn the next day, he rushed to the training ground.
To his surprise, there was already someone there; Mavuika was standing in the morning mist, with sun-blaze thousand suns stuck by her side, eyes closed as she felt the rising sunlight.
"Sister?" Thor lightened his footsteps.
Mavuika opened her eyes and smiled: "Came so early?"
"I couldn't sleep," Thor admitted honestly, his eyes drifting involuntarily toward mjolnir not far away.
"Sister, do you think I can lift it?"
"That is for you to ask yourself," Mavuika walked in front of him, placing both hands on his shoulders.
"Thor, power is not the goal, but a responsibility. mjolnir was once Hela's weapon; it has witnessed the conquest of the Nine Realms and drunk the blood of enemies. If you want to possess it, you must understand that you are not just wielding a hammer, but the thunderous might of Asgard."
Thor nodded earnestly: "I understand, sister. I will be like you and sister Hela, using power to protect what should be protected."
Mavuika gazed into her younger brother's eyes, seeing a seriousness that transcended his age in that expanse of blue.
She let go and stepped aside: "Then go."
Thor walked toward mjolnir.
The morning light spilled onto the hammer, and those ancient runes seemed to awaken, flowing with faint electric arcs.
He reached out both hands to grip the leather-wrapped hammer handle; the touch was cold, yet it had a strange sense of affinity.
Taking a deep breath, Thor used all his might to lift it upward.
mjolnir moved.
Heavily and slowly, as Thor's arms trembled, it left the ground bit by bit.
The hammer head scraped against the ground, making a low sound, and electric light began to leap across the hammer, becoming denser and more dazzling.
"Ahhh—" Thor let out a low roar, veins bulging on his forehead, his arm muscles tensed to the limit.
One inch, two inches, three inches...
Finally, with a suppressed shout, mjolnir was fully lifted and raised above Thor's head.
At that moment, the hammer head erupted with fierce thunder, electric light shot into the sky, tearing through the morning mist and exploding into a ring of thunderclouds in the sky of Asgard.
"Boom—!!!"
The real thunder resonated through the Golden Palace, waking many people who were still asleep.
Thor put down the hammer, panting, but a smile that was bright to the extreme blossomed on his face.
He turned his head to look at Mavuika, then at Odin and Queen Frigga, who had appeared at the edge of the training ground at some unknown time, and shouted excitedly: "I did it! Father! Mother! Sister! I did it!"
Odin walked forward, examining his son carefully, and then looked at mjolnir.
The electric arcs on the hammer had not yet completely subsided and were gently wrapping around Thor's arm.
The God King nodded: "From today on, it is yours. But remember, Thor, while possessing power, you must learn to control it."
"Yes! Father King!" Thor nodded vigorously and hugged mjolnir into his arms.
Although this action was still a bit difficult for him, he refused to let go.
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 70 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
Here's the link:
[email protected]/Rexlent
Thank you so much for your support!!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"